A Helluva Day

My session with Dr. S. was EXHAUSTING. I felt like I’d run a marathon when it was over.  My speech was shite, my arms were jerking back and forth, my wrists were rotating back and forth, my fingers were clenched tight against my palms. My head was bobbing like mad and my muscles, across my back, in my neck, and in my arms and shoulders were screaming with pain. But she was patient, calming and so, so helpful. All my infuriating jerking makes sense to her, and she tells me why.

My big takeaway was learning not to fight my jerking, twitching and bobbing. She said the more I try to control my physical symptoms, the longer they will last. She advised me to let them happen. This is why I value her guidance.  Letting my body shaking happen is now a management strategy for me; it’s the opposite of what I had been doing.

When we were finished, I had no energy for anything, so I thought I’d watch some TV. Five minutes into the show, I fell asleep, and I slept for over an hour. I had lunch and then returned to the chaise, and I tried to watch the show again, but I fell asleep again, and when I awoke, it was time to take Her Highness to the park to play fetch.

In the evening, I went to Steve and Dan’s place for dinner.  Jay was there too, and we had a great evening together. It’s always interesting visiting Dan and Steve. They have a home in Hawaii, and they travel constantly to visit far away and exotic places. It was seriously challenging for me for the first hour. I basically just used gestures and single words for the first hour, and very slowly, my speech improved as the night progressed.

Today, we’ll walk with our friends, and then I have an appointment at Life Labs for some tests, and then I have the entire afternoon and evening to myself. Hooray!  

A ship built of bone and hair executed by an inmate
of a prisoner of war camp.