Primal Feet First: In Search of Lost Time or Remembrance of Things Past page 26

[Saoirse]

It is, better than expected. I think our sales will increase once we have our own customer base; currently because we're sharing a building with another business, our customers are mainly their customers, who tend to be a little more frugal than the customer base we'd like to call our own. If that makes any sense. unfortunately, the building we're currently renting has sold and thus we'll have to move by the end of the summer. I might be optimistic, but i think we'll need a bigger space by then anyway.

[cori93437]

Wanting customers to be LESS frugal makes total sense!
Thinking you'll need more space... Yay!
A little optimism never hurt anyone.

Except me maybe. LOL
I'm pretty sure that I told husband that I felt better than I expected to in the car on the way home after the fights...
His response... a deadpan "Oh yeah?"
He knew exactly what was coming.
I was full of 'Lies' and ignoring all the signs.
I'm better today than yesterday, but still in recovery mode.

Got home from the fights and posted here... because I was a little high and still OK.
Went to bed.
Woke up at 10am for my Saturday Morning Torture Times...
My massage therapist was really unhappy with the state of things KNOTS everywhere.
Was given instructions to heat/cold, drink lotsa water, and rest.
I started with the heat laying in bed at about 1pm... and woke up at 7pm.
Made my way to my recliner... more heat, stretching, cold... ate a whole bag of cherries. (It wasn't a very large bag.)
Because dark cherries have wonderful anti-inflammatory properties.
Or just because the were handy and delicious.
Bemoaned the LIES of narcotics here on the forum... but resisted taking more.
Went to bed at about 11pm...
Woke up about 11am.

Still ugh.
During the fights I told husband at some point that they were just committing physical abuse via subwoofer.
I'm standing by that assessment still.

All that said... I actually enjoyed going to the fights and seeing them live.
It's the recovery that is awful.
And I won't be going and doing anything 'fun' anytime soon...
Just me, staying right here in this chair, being very quiet.

Oh yeah... and Ben 'Killa-B' Saunders is pretty awesome!
(And an Orlando local... )

[cori93437]

So, I've been researching stuff for making a will.
A capital -W- Will.
And about an Advance Directive.
I mean, I should have those right?
Every time I have gone to the hospital for surgery for the past 13 or so years they have asked me about this.
And I have always thought, yeah I should probably have one...
And then promptly forgot.
Because... hello, drugs and recovery and stuff!
But... in the spirit of being educated about my situation I've been reading lots of medical journal articles.
People die from shunt complications.
Infections happen, and poof!
And I watched these...


Very educational... and also cringe inducing.

*Edited: Forgot to mention...
If you have the type of severe headaches that occasionally wake you from a sound sleep, those may not be the best videos to watch.
I dreamed my head was being drill last night, sans anesthesia, and woke up to a pretty normal amount of pain.
But the combo of like 'real' imagery and noise of brain surgery, coupled with dream silliness, coupled with a really bad headache...
Created some very real panic!
And then I fully woke up and realized what a dolt I was being.
Unpleasant.

Anyway...
Today husband and I were joking about how I will handle the head shaving issues when/if it arises.
Will I just shave half and go with a wild colored sort of half mohawk look?
Pre-colored and shaven of course... I don't want to deal with an operating room hack job! Been there, done that... they don't even know the meaning if straight line with those clippers. Bad people!
What will I do about grow out?
How soon after the surgery will I need to have a haircut to tidy things up?
Husband suggested that I shave it completely bald and show up to the hospital in an old pair of BDU pants, a GI Jane t-shirt, and complete the look with a pair of Ray-Ban aviators.
And it's funny.
Beause, I'm really not sure if my head is that nice and round and attractive nekkid, you know?
But...

Then there is me, researching burial options so that husband can have an easy step-by-step plan in front of him instead of having to figure these things out on his own.
And reminding myself to put a copy of my life insurance plan into the packet so that he doesn't have to jump through hoops to find things.
And getting rid of a bunch of old stuff that I don't need so that no one else will have to deal with my crap TOO much 'just in case'.

So far...
I've got this.
Eternal Reefs, A Cremation Memorial Option


So, I'll be off the coast of Miami/Ft. Lauderdale if things go badly and anyone wants to visit.
Sounds like a really good excuse for a nice vacation to me...
It's close enough to John Pennekamp State Park to make me happy... nothing has ever been more peaceful and exciting at the same time to me than snorkeling the reef there.
It's the main reason that there is this slice of the ocean in a tank here in my living room that I sometimes stare at for hours.

[Saoirse]

I don't know what to say. But I wanted you to know that I read your post and watched some of the video. It was a little too much for me, but i watched some others after that about intracranial hypertension. I'd gladly visit if we could make the trip.

[justyouraveragecavemen]

Wow, all that's a little too deep to process on one cup of coffee. Bbackl8r

[Owly]

Cori, I know you are dealing with your own set of fears around this, and I admire you for finding a way to manage it a bit through learning and planning. I watched my mother deal with some of the same fears through her illness (brain tumour, three surgeries, she had a shunt too). I think it's hard for anyone who hasn't been there to really understand it, but I know a little bit of how she coped, and like you, she put everything in order before her first surgery and then did a lot of research. I think it gave her more of a sense of control to have a plan and some knowledge. That can freak people out because it can look morbid from the outside, but really, it makes a lot of sense in the situation.

I'm glad you have a sense of humour about it. Mum offered to let the brain surgeon know what was on our list of things to take out while she was in there rummaging around anyhow. We also teased her that she was really just going in for surgery so she could check out all the hot doctors at the hospital. You have to laugh at scary things--it's like kicking the bad clown in the junk, you do it to take some of the power out of the fear.

Plus, you know, you're also just kind of like that, which is part of what makes you so great to have around here.

And the reef idea is beautiful.

[drssgchic]

I skipped the videos because I'm at work, but I'm glad you got to go to the fight. It's good to have things in order. If anything happens to you, your husband will be devistated. But don't forget the other side. When this is all healed up, you might be able to go to the fights again without being knocked on your ass for a week. Which'll be pretty cool

I was all for the mohawk until you mentioned GI Jane. Now I'm torn, but leaning toward the mohawk. Mostly for the "You should see the other guy" factor once it's healed up a bit

[namelesswonder]

You could go for a chelsea, which is basically just some fringe in the front. Or Tank Girl! =P





That would allow for bald patches without looking too strange while it grows out. It could easily become a pixie-cut and then a shorter jaw-length (which I think you're sporting now?) style later on.

My head is too tiny to pull it off, but I've tossed around the idea of a chelsea on and off for several years. Plus my hair gets super spiky when it's 3/4" or shorter.

[Mud Flinger]

Wow - serious stuff! I also think you are showing your love when you prepare for the unknown. Getting rid of old junk is liberating no matter the reason and having all this stuff planned out will give you peace of mind. Before my recent trip (not an illness or any reason to think I may not be back), I paid the bills that don't show up in the mail (you know, the coupon kind) for the rest of the year since I knew my hubby would never find/figure out this stuff and did a bunch of filing and sorting. FWIW, I have a strong sense that things are about to get much better for you in the near future.

[cori93437]

After I made that post I considered that it may seem a bit morbid or weird...
But then I was all like... nah! They'll get it.

We all have to face our own mortality eventually, so I might as well face it constructively and in a timely manner.
This evening I told husband that I had been researching it and that I intended to do the whole Will and Advance Directive thing.
I explained that I didn't want to leave him wondering where to start if something happened, and that if I were to need unplugging or something family couldn't argue and there wouldn't be problems of it were all written out in black and white. And notarized and made legal!
Also there couldn't be any fussing about my remains.
After any tissue that can be used is taken... which is likely NONE with my medical history...
But hey... if they think they can use it, they can have it!
I know what I want, and it doesn't involve churches, and embalming, and silly expensive boxes.
And NO preachy crap either.
He agreed with me.
Then decided to get on board and do the same thing.
So, Wills and Advanced Directives for two please!

As for hair...
I'll make more decisions about that once the doc lets me know where incisions will likely be.
I've seen a few different placement areas and incision types for the Sha-jay-jay...
Lots of them look like the regular C flap...
Like so.

Others aren't quite as curved... more like a rounded 90*ish (or less) corner... others look almost like a question mark.
(I do admit that the ones shaped like a question mark on the head amuse me, and are a favorite. Seriously... how can you not love that? )
Also, placement my be far forward towards the front hairline as shown, sort of in the middle over the ear, or further back above/behind the ear.
In some I've seen two surgical openings... one as shown towards the front... and a smaller straighter incision far enough behind the ear to be in the hair.
So... it's all about placement...
If I am supposed to have a big incision near the front the Chelsea is out... if they are going to stick to the back of my head... it looks like a decent option.
I think I could get away with no maintenance of that for a couple of months without going nuts.
Regardless... I'm not leaving things to chance and winding up with that Lame-O bald patch in the middle of my head.
If I have to do it, I'm doing it MY way.