SurvivingSara

Category: Uncategorized

  • Mini Medical School

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    Sara Z
    in

    On YouTube, I came across a nearly-two=hour video titled “Mini Medical School: Fibromyalgia.” I’ve seen previous fibromyalgia videos but haven’t watched much because, after all, I have fibro and have been to multiple doctors regarding diagnosis and treatment. Over and over, I’ve been told that there is nothing to be done besides taking prescription medicine,…

  • I’m Enough and Nothing At All

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    Sara Z
    in

    My whole life I wanted to be enough, for someone to behold me, smile, and say, “You are just the person I’ve been looking for!” Smart enough, funny enough, good enough… Take it all away. Cognitive abilities have declined. Isolation is the rule. Even speaking is often interrupted by tears. Family and close friends still…

  • Neurological Condition

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    Sara Z
    in

    Research at the tip of one’s fingers brings a new understanding of fibromyalgia. The interested members of the medical community know what it is, where its origin is in the depth of the brain, and how it attacks the body. I haven’t heard anything new since 2009. As odd as it sounds, I’m so excited…

  • Sara’s Still Rambling

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    Sara Z
    in

    At our favorite diner & dive bar on a gray, quiet Sunday, my husband and I were brunching, he on his chicken fried chicken pile and I had a Hot Mess with a Dirty Mary. It wasn’t football season and the TVs displayed a trivia game, entertaining pictures, and an infomercial. We were seated below…

  • Fu@%&ng Fibro

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    Sara Z
    in

    Plans for today, nearly two months after my bone-breaking fall and still not weightbearing since surgery just a month ago, included a shower and going outside. Early in this injury-surgery-recovery process, I truly could not differentiate between anything that might be related to my leg versus fibromyalgia. In the past, I’d wished fibro was visible,…

  • Parent is Also a Verb (PAV) 3/17/22

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    Sara Z
    in

    Meaning of the word discipline: In OED and Watkins it is said to be from discere “to learn,” from a reduplicated form of the PIE root *dek- “to take, accept.” But according to Barnhart and Klein, it is from a lost compound *discipere “to grasp intellectually, analyze thoroughly,” from dis- “apart” (see dis-) + capere “to take, take hold of,” from PIE root *kap- “to grasp.” One phrase…

  • Short Shrift

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    Sara Z
    in

    Tried to write an update on my fracture, three-and-a-half weeks out. Actually, I did write and post an update earlier today, nearly an hour ago. I spent a good bit of time writing and selecting pictures. First issue was when I went on as a reader and was appalled that the yuckier pictures were right…

  • Not a Molehill

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    Sara Z
    in

    Eight days from injury to doctor Nine x-rays Two fractures, fibular & tibula, the former requiring surgical repair One boot Two crutches One knee scooter One wheelchair One surgery Ten screws One metal rod Seventeen staples Five weeks injury to completing surgical procedures Six more weeks with no weightbearing on healing leg Years ago, 18…

  • 30 Years

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    Sara Z
    in

    Traditional Wedding Vows Example: 1 “I, (Name), take you (Bride/Groom), to be my (Husband/ Wife), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.” Well, my husband and…

  • Times Such as These

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    Sara Z
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    This is gonna be a short one. Wasn’t going to write at all today but gotta capture the thought while it’s still within my grasp, mentally and physically. which is a concern. For example, yesterday I had two pair or reading glasses but now I have none. Surviving Sara is sometimes about choices I make…

  • On the Other Side

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    Sara Z
    in

    Very relieved to be put back together, as Dr. Barrow described the results of my surgery to my husband post-op. Two nerve blocks for my ankle and low leg have me free of pain for the first time since I fell three weeks ago. Going to enjoy every minute until the blocks wear off. A…

  • Going Under

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    Sara Z
    in

    A metal plate along with some screws and pins sounds more like a shopping list at the local hardware store than supplies for surgery, but that combo is what I’ve been told is necessary if I ever “want to have a functional ankle.” My fibula has a complete break which changes into a spiral fracture,…

  • A Bit of the Bubbly

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    Sara Z
    in

    My husband has long advocated for the use of a bubble suit, for my safety, me wearing a bubble suit. I’ve fallen down stairs, rolled an office chair over my own toes, and I can injure my back by sneezing. On a regular daily basis, my life comes with sound effects every time I bump,…

  • Boot Scootin’ Boogie

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    Sara Z
    in

    After hobbling around for two weeks, I finally got a boot! I’ve been trying to get one since the x-rays showed a broken fibula four days ago. Orthopedics took new pictures today, which showed a spiral fracture of the fibula and a probable fracture of the tibia. The physician assistant who saw me today said…

  • Broken

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    Sara Z
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    X-rays revealed I have a broken fibula on the left. They couldn’t squeeze me into the orthopedic practice today. I’ve been muddling along so far but I really thought, if a broken bone was identified, my doctor wouldn’t just send me home with no added support. Primary doctor says ortho doc will decide if I…

  • No Words

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    Sara Z
    in

    When time came to confirm my counseling appointment, scheduled for yesterday, instead of choosing “confirm” or “cancel” I left a rambling message for my provider. One bit about having two sprained ankles, explaining I literally didn’t know what to do. You’re supposed to talk to your support when you’re down, yes? I waited a few…

  • Where It’s At

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    Sara Z
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    I got two sprained ankles and a microphone. Can’t get that Beck song out of my head. It pops up every time I think or talk about my situation. Relevant pictures will follow the text, but they’re pretty gross, so this is your warning. I have two sprained ankles and two injured knees. The pain…

  • Free Fall

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    Sara Z
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    If it didn’t hurt so bad, one might find humor in the continued plight of this person. Me. Guess I could call this an update but that would be too onerous. Tuesday, still having terrible fatigue with headaches from COVID, I crossed the room to open the slider for our blue heeler, who ended up…

  • Blackbird Sings

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    Sara Z
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    A time to mourn in a time of much grief, my stepfather-in-law died this morning. He was a tough old bird, made it to 92 despite of myriad health challenges, and his grip remained strong. He was 60 when I met him in his backyard, fastidiously cared for by my in-laws. He’d worked his way…

  • Parent is Also a Verb 1/21/22

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    Sara Z
    in

    When my husband and I brought our second son home, our first son was 19 months old. He seemed to barely notice the addition. As a stay-home mom, the first couple of years were full of parallel activities: feeding them both included breastmilk for one and fingerfood for the other, different size diapers needing changed,…