I don’t have any specific post topic for today, so instead, let’s gather ’round for a random assortment of topics!
1) Chasing Her Smile
My friend Mikaela is working on a book. I’ve been lucky enough to be by her side (quite literally) as she has written this book, and have listened to her read aloud each chapter to me. Mikaela is a phenomenal writer and I know this book is going to touch so many people. (For newer readers, Mikaela’s daughter, Olive, was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of cancer when she was only 13 months old. She’s only the sixth known survivor of this type of cancer, and she was given the smallest chance of survival. There is a happy ending to this story, though, as Olive is a happy and healthy five-year-old now!)
Anyway, I would love to share this excerpt from her book, published on Her View From Home. It’s called Chasing Her Smile and is about the first day of chemo treatment, and all of the emotions that day evoked. Please give it a read, if you’re so inclined!
2) Dirty Dancing
I finally watched Dirty Dancing this weekend! You guys, IT WAS SO GOOD. Young Patrick Swayze was just delicious to look at and all of the dancing scenes were just so damn fun. I immediately wanted to rewatch it once I had finished it, so I can definitely understand why so many people love it so much. I thought the themes of classism and abortion were so timely, and I really appreciated the way the abortion plotline was handled. It wasn’t sensationalized or made to make us feel any sort of way about the topic. It was cut and dry, and a decision this character needed to make for her life.
What’s even more special about when I watched this movie is that I was listening to Kelly Bishop’s memoir, and had just listened to her talk about being cast in this movie and what it was like to be on set. What a fun connection! I paid particular attention to her scenes and, as always, she killed it.
Final thoughts on Dirty Dancing is a) it definitely holds up and b) 80s fashion is making a comeback because none of the clothes felt dated to me. Usually, the dated fashion can be distracting when I watch an older movie but I just kept thinking about how much I would have loved Baby’s wardrobe!
3) Carpal tunnel
A few weeks ago, I went to an orthopedic to discuss the carpal tunnel pain I’ve been experiencing for about six months now. It was really bad earlier this year, and I talked with my doctor about it. She gave me some suggestions (hand splint at night, topical lidocaine, etc), and we’d reevaluate in a few months if my symptoms weren’t improving. While things got slightly better, I was still dealing with a lot of pain, burning, and numbness and tingling, especially in the pad of my thumb and my first three fingers. It was time to get things looked at!
I was feeling a little silly at the ortho office, especially sitting around people in full casts and such. I mean, I was having pain but was it really that bad? Was I just wasting this doctor’s time with my silly little complaint? But I was there and hey, I’ve met my deductible for the year so this visit and all treatment would be free! What was the harm?
Thankfully, the visit was a very positive one! I got X-rays done on my hand and then the physician’s assistant came in to discuss some treatment options. We decided to move forward with getting a nerve conduction test, which will show my doctor how severe the carpal tunnel damage is. Unfortunately, they are pretty booked up for this test so the earliest appointment I could get was near the end of July. I also asked for a steroid shot, which hurt like hell and for a few hours afterward, I could barely use my right hand because the pain at the injection site was so bad, but once that wore off, it has helped relieve my symptoms almost 100%. I’m still having a little tingling every now and then, but it’s so minimal compared to what I was experiencing that I don’t even mind it. I also met with a physical therapist who gave me some exercises to do while I wait for the nerve study. All in all, I’m feeling pretty good about this new treatment plan!
4) Stop me if you’ve heard this one before
Remember how I couldn’t find my charger for my Waterpik? And how I looked everywhere in my apartment for it? And then I finally bought a new charger because I was convinced I had somehow lost the charger?
I found the charger. In a bin where I keep all of my extra coloring books and markers. I have a lot of questions for Past Stephany.
5) Spiraling anxiety
I’ve been on Prozac now for four weeks, and I’m still waiting to feel the difference. I know it takes time for a body to get used to a new medication, but I am really tired of having spiraling anxiety every morning. It usually dissipates by mid-morning, which makes me wonder if my medication dose has just worn off by the time the morning rolls around, and that’s why the anxiety feels so bad in the morning. Or maybe I need to start taking it at night. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist in two weeks, and I figure if I’m still not doing well, we can discuss additional options. But hopefully, my body is just taking its time to adjust, and this week is when I’ll hit that sweet spot of feeling amazing! (Trying to be that glass half-full girlie.)
Your thoughts on Dirty Dancing? What’s the last thing you lost and did you know if you replace it, you’ll miraculously find it again?! What’s something you’d like to muse about today?