When we do something, we do it right. We Colemans are not halfway kind of people. We didn't set out to be, "If you are gonna go...go BIG," but we apparently do it without realizing...it is as easy as breathing.
So two weeks ago, while I was talking to the pharmacist with Will's IV company and rescuing my granddaughter from the wrong side of the bed where she was stuck, I managed to slam my head into the corner of the dormer in Caroline's room. Next thing I know, I am face down on the trundle bed, still talking to Lonnie, Chloe is still screaming, and I am trying to sound as if everything is perfectly fine while discussing how many bags of fluid Will will need this week. Here, I am in intense pain and can't hear for the screams, but it is all fine. Really.
Well, I ended the phone call, rescued the child, and wrote some ridiculous facebook status about my life being a country song. Went through the day with a sore spot on my head and a developing headache, but what do you expect when you slam your head into a dormer corner?
So I drove the kids into town and waited for them to finish their lessons while the headache worsened and I was getting really tired. Grandkids were napping in the van, so I sat quietly and waited. Having a boatload of children will make one tired, so again, no alarm bells.
But on the drive home...alarm bells started clanging really loudly over the ringing in my ears and the dizziness and nausea that were quickly setting in. I pulled over, texted that info to Billy, then drove home. The rest of the night is a bit of a blur. I could type (uses a different pathway of the brain) but speech was getting challenging. When Will asked me a question and garnered a blank stare, he texted Billy to find out when Billy was taking me to the hospital...where I could not remember the year (Um, I know it is in the 2010's...I think.), my phone number (which I have had for at least 15 years), or my social security number (which I have had for a lot MORE than 15 years). Hmmm...oh, and just getting to the ER involved turns and curves which required me to laboriously inform Billy that if..he...did... not...take...them...more...slowly, ...I...was...going...to...throw...up!
The CT was clear, there was no brain bleed. They gave me pain medication, I requested the wonder drug Zofran for the nausea, and they sent me home to rest quietly. Which I then proceeded to do for the next...week...and still was not right. So back to the doc we went...who then sent me for an MRI...which then set off this weird shaking, staccato speech, rapid blinking event that landed me back in...the ER...on my birthday. Really. I know how to have fun...on my birthday...and this was...NOT ..it.
So here we are...two weeks later, and I am better but still not...back to normal. I can almost consistently talk in complete sentences that don't take five minutes to deliver. I still cannot multi-task well, and lots of noise and bright light are still painful. That buzzing in the ears is annoying, but it stays to a low roar until I get tired, which is when most of the symptoms increase in intensity. Driving is still an issue, especially at night with the lights. You don't realize how MUCH you are multi-tasking while driving until you can't multi-task.
So I sleep...a lot...and rest...a lot...and have friends who handle the driving...a lot. Fortunately, we have a respite home health nurse who has been helpful with William who has been atypically cooperative by being moderately stable during this whole event. We don't know how long my recovery will be...we were essentially told a week to a year....we are just hoping that it is closer to a week (which I realize has already passsed...a couple of times!). I have a race in 6 weeks...it would be kinda nice to run it...actually...it would just be nice to this run year...and not IN a year.
