life: with migraines

As I write this, I’m sitting in a darkened room. I took the day off because after 4 days of a steady, throbbing, stomach-roiling migraine, I decided there was no point in commuting for an hour and being miserable. It’s a luxury and a privilege and one that I’m thankful for every damn day because there are days when the migraines are unrelenting and the pain is a constant pressure in my head, my neck, my joints, my stomach… it’s unbearable.

And this is one of the not-so-bad ones. My headache is manageable. I was able to get out of bed. I did my groceries over the weekend, took care of errands, but the symptoms make it hard to function. Sometimes, a migraine feels like a stabbing in my head, other times, like now, it feels like the constant threat of fainting and/or vomiting.

Luckily, the threat has been just that—a threat. Worst are the days when it’s not a threat. I’ve never fully passed out, but my vision has faded in the most terrifying way. And there was that one time I couldn’t keep anything down, even water, and had to go to urgent care.

I share this because it’s part of my reality and it’s one that often leaves me feeling depressed and turning to Dr. Google for help because there’s no other help to be had. Sometimes, I just want to know if someone else has the same symptoms.

For those going through the same thing—I see you.

*headsmack*

I’ve gone and sprained my knee. I have no idea how this happened, was just relaxing with the bf when suddenly I can’t stand. Look down and find a quickly swelling mass where my knee used to be. No idea how I managed to drive home with so little motion as my knee was stiff with the swelling. Thought it might go down on it’s own, but as it seemed to just get worse, decided to visit the ER. That was a waste of six hours of my life among the dregs of human society (as represented by the troubled woman in the curtained area next to mine). Just got home and am typing this up on the mini in full reclined, icebagged pose. Andd here I thought I was going to get some extra hours in at work this week 😦 there goes that plan. May as well make the most of it and start research for the class bloggity.

do the twist

I twisted my ankle Friday evening after an afternoon of cupcake making merriment with Em… It wasn’t as terrible as the time I twisted it when I was a kid, but I felt the snap all the way up my leg and started bouncing and screaming for a bit. Honestly, I was surprised Em didn’t hear all the fuss, but those old Gables homes seem to be pretty soundproof. It looked fine, no puffiness or bruising, and it wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t make it to my car and drive home. I thought, oh well, it’ll just be a bit sore, but it’ll be fine. 

Not so. Not so at all.

I put on a brace, and went out on Saturday only to find that my ankle had swollen to twice its size when I got home. So here I was panicking, wondering if I should bother going to the hospital, or risk it and hope the swelling went away. That’s when I decided to turn to trust ol’ WebMD. Yes, self-diagnosing is wrong – don’t do it kids – but I had a bad sprain before, and this did not feel as bad as that one felt. 

I followed WebMD’s recommendations for a sprain (not like there’s much you can do when it’s not broken). I did the ice pack, elevated my foot, yadda yadda. Today, it’s much better… but I feel like an old lady! I’m all… limp limp limp. My dad came over for a visit and we limped towards each other like a pair of old fogies (he has a bad hip). This whole process has made me very lazy, I am so not looking forward to having to get dressed and go to work in a couple of hours (as always, I ask myself, why are we the only office on campus that works on Sundays?!?). Now, am I feeling lazy and not up to anything because of the ankle, or am I using it as an excuse? So easy to use it as an excuse…