Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Isn't it Ironic?
I forgot (ha!) to tell you that I do have an appointment with my new neurologist on Thursday. I'm very interested to hear what he has to say. Hopefully it's that I can ride sooner than December, but my regular doctor threatened to call him to prevent that from happening. I really have no idea what to expect. I don't think he'll order tests or anything, but then I'm not the one with the medical degree. I'll let y'all know.
Delinquent, but not juvenile
Yes, I know, I KNOW. I have been a very bad blogger. I've been very busy sleeping and doing laundry. Honest. That's not an "I have to wash my hair" excuse. We generate a lot of laundry; just ask my mother.
So, how am I doing? (I mean, maybe you came here to read about my laundry dilemma, but I doubt it.) I'm really good. I had an appointment with my cognitive therapist today, and she was practically BEAMING about me. (Why yes, I have always been the teacher's pet - why do you ask???) Since I last updated, I've had several appointments with her and my primary care doctor. My progress is excellent, or so I'm told. I'm driving, and it no longer feels weird. I don't lose my car so much - only the normal amount of losing, I think. I don't forget whether I've told someone a story as much. I don't feel fuzzy or foggy anymore. My attention span is much better (so much so that I was able to read the entire article in Vanity Fair about Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley's near-death experience - a subject that is not normally super interesting to me - and could probably even pass a test on the content of the article). I'm MUCH less tired than I was. I don't feel as though I've been run over by a truck. My patience level is much higher. (Tim might dispute this, but hey, it's my blog.) In other words, I'm *this* close to completely recovered.
I even tested that hypothesis this past weekend with a trip to Palo Alto to visit my friend Amy. I navigated the airport without getting myself or my luggage lost. I even attended her five-year-old daughter's school's Harvest Festival and manned the bean bag toss without throwing bean bags or anything else at any children. Yay me!
So what's left? I'm not exactly sure. The interesting thing about this last few inches of recovery is that progress is slower and so much more gradual than it was before. I'm not dizzy or barfing or forgetting what I did each day, so it's harder to measure the ways in which I'm better and the parts that still need work. I think my memory is still a bit sluggish, although much, much better. When we were having dinner tonight, I did forget where I was going with a story a few times. In my defense, I'd gone on quite a tangent. Wait, is that a defense? Anyway, I don't think I would've been quite so scatterbrained before, but it's hard to tell. My shoulder is also still not fully recovered. It still hurts to sleep on my right side, and certain movements are painful - but within the bearable range of painful.
The next big test coming up is my return to work, which will happen tomorrow. I'm not setting a definite schedule for myself, but will try to play it by ear and take each day as it comes. My caseload has been whittled down dramatically. I think my boss has given me a pretty perfect mix of things to work on to ease myself back into lawyering. My therapist warns me that there will likely be setbacks and that I will need to be vigilant about monitoring my health. I have a plan - somewhat complicated by the fact that one of my cases is going to trial on Monday - but a plan nonetheless. I also have some lovely co-workers (some of whom might have Attila the Hun as an ancestor - you know who you are) who will be watching out for me. My therapist also suggested having a peer review my work, so I have that lined up as well. I'm cautiously optimistic. I feel ready and eager to jump back in, albeit into the shallow end.
Overall, I have to say that what I've learned from this crazy experience is that I am so, so lucky. I have a support system - Tim, my family, my friends, work - that has been nothing short of amazing. You guys are the best!!
So, how am I doing? (I mean, maybe you came here to read about my laundry dilemma, but I doubt it.) I'm really good. I had an appointment with my cognitive therapist today, and she was practically BEAMING about me. (Why yes, I have always been the teacher's pet - why do you ask???) Since I last updated, I've had several appointments with her and my primary care doctor. My progress is excellent, or so I'm told. I'm driving, and it no longer feels weird. I don't lose my car so much - only the normal amount of losing, I think. I don't forget whether I've told someone a story as much. I don't feel fuzzy or foggy anymore. My attention span is much better (so much so that I was able to read the entire article in Vanity Fair about Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley's near-death experience - a subject that is not normally super interesting to me - and could probably even pass a test on the content of the article). I'm MUCH less tired than I was. I don't feel as though I've been run over by a truck. My patience level is much higher. (Tim might dispute this, but hey, it's my blog.) In other words, I'm *this* close to completely recovered.
I even tested that hypothesis this past weekend with a trip to Palo Alto to visit my friend Amy. I navigated the airport without getting myself or my luggage lost. I even attended her five-year-old daughter's school's Harvest Festival and manned the bean bag toss without throwing bean bags or anything else at any children. Yay me!
So what's left? I'm not exactly sure. The interesting thing about this last few inches of recovery is that progress is slower and so much more gradual than it was before. I'm not dizzy or barfing or forgetting what I did each day, so it's harder to measure the ways in which I'm better and the parts that still need work. I think my memory is still a bit sluggish, although much, much better. When we were having dinner tonight, I did forget where I was going with a story a few times. In my defense, I'd gone on quite a tangent. Wait, is that a defense? Anyway, I don't think I would've been quite so scatterbrained before, but it's hard to tell. My shoulder is also still not fully recovered. It still hurts to sleep on my right side, and certain movements are painful - but within the bearable range of painful.
The next big test coming up is my return to work, which will happen tomorrow. I'm not setting a definite schedule for myself, but will try to play it by ear and take each day as it comes. My caseload has been whittled down dramatically. I think my boss has given me a pretty perfect mix of things to work on to ease myself back into lawyering. My therapist warns me that there will likely be setbacks and that I will need to be vigilant about monitoring my health. I have a plan - somewhat complicated by the fact that one of my cases is going to trial on Monday - but a plan nonetheless. I also have some lovely co-workers (some of whom might have Attila the Hun as an ancestor - you know who you are) who will be watching out for me. My therapist also suggested having a peer review my work, so I have that lined up as well. I'm cautiously optimistic. I feel ready and eager to jump back in, albeit into the shallow end.
Overall, I have to say that what I've learned from this crazy experience is that I am so, so lucky. I have a support system - Tim, my family, my friends, work - that has been nothing short of amazing. You guys are the best!!
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