Chapter Ten: In which I am the craftiest, Epilepsy gets real, I lose my wallet, and the pumpkin season starts

Hello everyone! It has been nearly three weeks and I apologize. It is devilishly difficult to stay up with blogging one's life when one can only very nearly stay up with living one's life. But, I persevere, and hopefully, the result is satisfactory. You be the judge.

Okay, let's launch in. A lot has happened.

Let's begin on a high note. I am a crafting genius! Just kidding. In reality, I'm simply a crafting enthusiast. I may have mentioned it before, but early on in deciding my stay-sane activities, I decided to join the HDS Creative Commons group. We quickly manifested as three or four particularly dedicated crafters (knitting, baking, scrapbooking, crocheting, embroidering, etc.) who meet every week to every other week and craft, snack, and be friends. I'm now really good friends with Seanjoon and Sophia, and I can honestly say that this has been a lifeline emotionally, socially, and mentally. Also, with the help of a great Joann's sale and Abby Grout's original genius in teaching me this pattern, I finished a baby blanket I've been working on for ages . . . just cause and because I had extra yarn. It is patterned after a full-size afghan I made that pretty much looks identical, hence the extra yarn. (You'll see it in other pictures.) But anyway, gaze at it! Gaze at its beauty! No pressure to look at it longer than you want to . . . I'm just super proud of it. :) But pride cometh before the fall, so I hope that my next project isn't a total dud. Anyway, on to other things.

So Epilepsy has been a consistent theme these past few weeks. I woke up the morning of September 25, and my tongue hurt. I was physically exhausted. And though I may never be able to adequately explain this sensation, I was disoriented like I'd woken up for the first time in a familiar place and had to shake away the cotton film over my memories and remember why this place felt right and figure out why I felt wrong. Spencer rolled over, noticed I awake, and told me gently that I had had another seizure. Depression. Fear. Pain. Somehow my tongue always seems to hurt more once I've been told I've had a seizure.

I've had a series of moments when it's just hit me that I really am Epileptic. This was one of them. Reality set in. This was my fifth seizure. It hadn't followed the previous patterns of a triggered seizure and something like an aftershock a month later. It had just happened. I was scared; they were becoming more frequent just like my doctor father-in-law, Doug, had told me they would. I decided that instant that I was more scared of letting my seizures actually impede my normal life than I was of taking my medication. I started my medication. Luckily, I had already scheduled a doctor's appointment with my PCP, Dr. Shannon McGinty. And now I would have something new to tell her.

When Friday rolled around, I sat down with Dr. McGinty and told her story from the beginning. We talked about my fears, about methods of birth control that wouldn't affect my epilepsy medication, she gave me a list of medications to be wary of taking or to avoid taking along with Lamotrigine/Lamictal. She set up a referral for a neurologist, an MRI, and a Gynecology appointment. Basically, she was the nicest lady ever.

Here is a classic capture of New England at its finest. Foilage,
little house, craggy rock walls, and even a lantern.

So life continued. I was now taking my medication, so I felt pretty Epileptic every morning around 8:00, but beyond that (and my horrifically painful healing tongue), things went back to normal. We will now pause this story for a moment to introduce another few high points in the time between these medical events and the next few medical events, namely dinner and General Conference!

So over time, Spencer and I have been invited to quite a few dinners by lovely members of our Belmont ward who have wanted to get to know us better. This time, we were invited to eat with the Bagleys, and we had a lovely time talking about all the things. They noticed that the missionaries didn't have anyone signed up for dinner that night, so they invited them as well, and we had a birthday cheesecake and sang to one of the Elders because . . . you guessed it! it was his birthday. It was such a lovely evening. I think Laura and I will be good friends. And General Conference! The first session, women's session, the week before had been so lovely, and the last five sessions didn't disappoint either. I didn't fall asleep once! I sincerely felt like many of the talks addressed questions I'd been pondering since beginning my studies at Harvard Divinity School, and I am very grateful for the guidance.

With Conference past and my homework only barely managed due to the time I dedicated to watching all the sessions, the next week began. I hadn't yet called the neurology department to set up an appointment because the weekend had been rather busy. Monday proved busy as well. Tuesday morning I decided that I really needed to call today. Dr. McGinty had warned me that they were usually booked out a few months so I might not be able to get in until December. She told me that she would try to get me seen sooner though. So it's not like I was in a rush to schedule that December appointment since Dr. McGinty would probably get me a sooner appointment anyway, but I felt that it was rather imperative that I call that morning even so. Sure enough, the receptionist told me they were full until December. I was about to say, "Okay," when she said, "Wait . . . you wouldn't be able to come in today at 4:30 by chance, would you? It looks like someone just canceled." On Tuesdays, my classes end at 4:00. When I replied that I could indeed make that time, she laughed and said how fortunate that was and how perfectly that had worked out. Coincidental anyone? Miracle anyone?

Less than an hour later, the MRI technician's receptionist called me and scheduled my MRI for that Friday. And then right after that, the Gynecology department called an scheduled my IUD appointment (IUDs are one method of birth control that doesn't affect my medication since the IUD is localized) for two weeks later. Yay, all the doctors!!!

So at 4:30 pm I go to my miracle appointment with Dr. Kendall. He has me explain everything. Essentially, since we already know I have epilepsy (diagnosed once a patient has more than two seizures), he was trying to see if my epilepsy was categorize-able. Well, the defiant side of me is happy to announce that I could not be categorized! The practical side of me is mystified. Seriously, I defy all the consistent symptoms: I bite my tongue, but I don't experience incontinence for example, which excludes me from one type of epilepsy. Anyway, Dr. Kendall was extremely thorough and very considerate. Because my symptoms are not consistent with any categorized types of Epilepsy, Dr. Kendall is going to have me get a 24-hour EEG, so that he can collect and study more data regarding my case. (I'll be sure to take pictures when I receive it in early November.) He also switched me to a type of Lamictal (the non-brand name for the drug I take) that has extended release, meaning that I only need to take it once a day instead of twice a day. Yay! He talked me through everything, driving restrictions, things to know regarding my medication, pregnancy on the drug, smart practices now that I am epileptic, etc. I seriously love my doctors!  

You'll notice that the sister missionaries came to see how we share our beliefs at HDS.

Another pause for a highlight unrelated to epilepsy. At HDS we have a weekly worship service that is hosted by the religious and non-religious groups on campus. The host group rotates and the Wednesday after Conference it was the LDS students turn to host. We opened with a choir piece, "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go," had Joe introduce the concept of General Conference, sang an interlude, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," had Emily provide a thought based on a conference talk, then had Amy close with another thought based on conference, sang "Let the Holy Spirit Guide" in closing, and then I gave the benediction. It was really lovely. Afterwards, someone came up to me and said, "I wish every person of faith prayed as sincerely as you just did," and another person said, "Thank you, Natalie, for one of the most beautiful prayers I've heard--if all of our prayers were so sincere, I wonder how our worship services (and personal lives) would be transformed!" Another person told me that they were touched by how eloquently I prayed. So good to know that I said a good prayer. And considering the fact that I was sweating bullets and nearly stuttering I was so nervous, I was grateful for the heartfelt compliments. Others commented on how inclusive the service was, how they felt that this noon service was really special, etc. It was really a marvelous experience.

So Friday rolls around and it's time for my MRI. (Three medical appointments in one week!) So I put on comfy clothes, pray that I won't get claustrophobic, and take the bus to the site. And I rocked it! I listened to jazz the whole time, it took 30 minutes, and I didn't move once! But I didn't know that they were going to IV me halfway through to pump contrast into my veins to adjust what they could see on the images, so no fun. I whimpered a lot the rest of the day. But I prayed and prayed (I hate needles, often pass out, and sometimes get super nauseated), and I was okay. Nick, my technician, was really nice (seriously, nicest medical professionals here), and he even used a smaller needle, which isn't standard, just to be considerate. So I survived. I then took the bus to pick up my prescription, and then headed to Starbucks to grab some sort of pastry treat because I deserved one for being so brave. When I went to pay for my Iced Lemon Loaf though, my wallet was gone. I searched for a half hour very calmly. (Obviously I was trying to slow the internal freak out so I wouldn't melt into a pile of tears.) I retraced my steps to everywhere I'd been from the pharmacy, where I'd last had my wallet for sure, to Starbucks. I asked multiple businesses along my route if it had been brought in to their store. It was gone. I could only get internet in Starbucks and Spencer's phone isn't working, so I sat down on a side bench and emailed Spencer my dire situation. Three bank cards were gone (Debit, Credit, and ATM cards), my student ID was gone, my Utah Driver's licence was gone, my health care cards were gone, my Charlie Card for the bus system was gone. And I had no cash, meaning I had no way to get home unless Spencer came with cash to help me. Here's to hoping he'd get my email. I was very distraught and the bruise forming around my stuck vein was hurting when I saw an email pop into my inbox. (Thank heaven for Starbucks free wifi!) It was from the Harvard University Police Department. They'd found my wallet! I called the number in the email, secured a meeting spot, and met the two police officers waiting by their car. They were very kind, had me check my wallet to make sure all my cards were there (they were), and I was on my way, having only narrowly avoided a heart attack and an embarrassing display of tears in a public place. Oh! And I bought my iced lemon loaf.

Because my post has already waxed quite long, I'll just touch on the other things that have occurred since the HUPD miraculously found my wallet. 

Bags of winter clothes we sorted for the incoming refugees.

Monday was Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day, and the religious organizations in the area collaborated to pull off an event called Belmont Serves. We had a small breakfast, signed up for one of four service options (landscaping, fence painting, collecting food donations, or sorting clothing donations for the refugees coming into Lowell), and set to work. Spencer and I sorted clothes along with Colleen Good sell for the next three or so hours. Then we had pizza and ice cream (ice cream donated by the local ice cream business Rancatores). It was so wonderful! A great way to spend a holiday.

On Wednesday, I ended up singing a solo during Noon Service (I'm in the choir), and I think it went well. :)

Here is the larger original afghan that I promised to feature.

Monday evening, Spencer and I spent our family home evening reviewing political candidates and issues and planning out the steps we would need to take to vote in Massachusetts. Spencer had made our first pumpkin chocolate chip cookies of the season the night before.

Friday, Spencer and I got on the bus, stopped by Target, and went to the RMV. We quickly discovered that Spencer would be unable to accomplish his task because his proof of address wasn't valid. He returned home to continue errands. I stayed and waited for two hours to try and switch my license and register to vote. Well, the good news is that I was able to register to vote. The bad news is that I didn't know how to honestly answer the questions about being on any medications that affect driving or having neurological disorders that make me unfit. First off, me being epileptic is rather new, so I don't really know how that affects my license application. Second, I don't even have a car and I take public transit, so I'm not even going to be driving, I just want to prove that I'm a Massachusetts citizen with an ID. Anyway, I walked away without a license. And I'll admit that I cried. But as far as I know, I can vote, so who cares about driving!

I had to navigate my way through a protest to get to work after the incident at the RMV. The Harvard dining services have been on strike for the past few weeks, so that was exciting. 

Friday night, a lot happened Friday, we went to a "Welcome to the Ward" dinner given by the bishop and other ward leaders and got to know Maryn and Nate. Very lovely!

I went to Starbucks with Heather, my lovely Buddhist nun Mormonism-loving friend. We got pumpkin spice hot chocolate, and it was delicious! Being friends outside of class is possible. :)

Tonight, Spencer and I went to a dinner with a bunch of new families in our ward hosted by Heather and Dave Sundahl. It was so fun! And the food was delicious. (Because pumpkin things are great, I will mention a delicious pumpkin curry that we had at dinner. So very scrumptious.) Great conversation. Heather, who is the President of Exponent II, loaded me up with issues of Exponent II and helped me come up with a paper topic for my Gender, Sexuality, and Mormonism class since I've been struggling with that and it is due tomorrow. So great!

  

Oh! And Spencer cut his hair. Soooo different! Here is the pre-haircut shot and the post-haircut shot. Enjoy. 

Spencer and I have so many fun things scheduled for the next few weeks! A private organ recital by Harry Huff at the Old South Church and then exploiting that part of Boston, a theater broadcast of NTLive's Frankenstein, the PBS documentary about Hamilton, a tour of Salem for Halloween, a trip to Walden Pond for some Autumn leaf peeping along with Apple Cider from a local farm/apple orchard, and lots of other fun things!

So there you have it! That is the past three weeks in my life. I hope to have a few shorter posts instead of one giant one since a lot is going in the next few weeks. In the meantime, have a lovely fall season, enjoy Halloween, and go eat some pumpkin-y things!