I have finished my first week of classes post illness (I say post, as if I'm out of the woods, I'm not). I'm only taking 3 classes this semester since I am now working on my thesis. Sooo...that's still 20 credits. Whoops.
Luckily, classes are interesting. I'm taking my senior seminar, environmental economics, and congress and the legislative process. I'm also auditing media and politics because it just sounds so interesting and I'm a huge dork.
It's very hard to get around campus on my own. I'm not confident about walking without the chair alone so I'm still in it most of the time. While this makes my arms look fantastic, I'm tired almost all of the time. Luckily, I have possibly the best group of friends in the entire world. There have been numerous times when I have just gotten too tired to wheel back to my dorm and I've texted my friends and they've dropped everything to come help me. There have been a similar amount of times that I have gotten back to the suite and just needed a hug, they're there for that too.
When I came back to school, I told my suitehearts (my name for my suitemates because I'm obnoxiously and nauseously in love with these girls) about my PT plans here. I was hoping that they would be willing to help me safely do some of the exercises, like my aqua-therapy and core workouts. Well, in their typical fashion, they did me one better. Every night, when I roll out my yoga mat to do my PT exercises, my suitehearts roll out theirs and join me. We've come up with a system to determine if it's safe for me to do my PT everyday, we vote. My suitehearts are always looking out for me; they push me when I need it and then slow me down when I'm too stubborn to do it myself.
Throughout the week, every single day I experienced a roller coaster. I tried to wake up with a positive expectation for the day. I would leave my suite excited for classes and excited for the day. Then, the hot humid air would nearly-literally slap me in the face. The humid, heavy air makes it about 100x harder for me to breathe. By mid afternoon I would be tired and frustrated. I would be struggling to wheel myself back home and I would hit a bump in the chair that exemplified my incompetence.
But then, everyday...as if on cue, something would raise my spirits. An acquaintance would offer to help me. A stranger would compliment my maneuvering skills. Someone would hold a door for me or ask me how I am feeling in a way incongruous with a monotonous "How are you?"
There is never a single moment when I know unwaveringly that I can do this. There is always a bit of fear in the back of my mind wondering when the other shoe will drop. Or, more accurately, when I will drop. I still faint every other day or so. But the overwhelming feelings of "Oh shit, I'm in over my head!" are starting to pass.
At least until my next thesis deadline...
Luckily, classes are interesting. I'm taking my senior seminar, environmental economics, and congress and the legislative process. I'm also auditing media and politics because it just sounds so interesting and I'm a huge dork.
It's very hard to get around campus on my own. I'm not confident about walking without the chair alone so I'm still in it most of the time. While this makes my arms look fantastic, I'm tired almost all of the time. Luckily, I have possibly the best group of friends in the entire world. There have been numerous times when I have just gotten too tired to wheel back to my dorm and I've texted my friends and they've dropped everything to come help me. There have been a similar amount of times that I have gotten back to the suite and just needed a hug, they're there for that too.
When I came back to school, I told my suitehearts (my name for my suitemates because I'm obnoxiously and nauseously in love with these girls) about my PT plans here. I was hoping that they would be willing to help me safely do some of the exercises, like my aqua-therapy and core workouts. Well, in their typical fashion, they did me one better. Every night, when I roll out my yoga mat to do my PT exercises, my suitehearts roll out theirs and join me. We've come up with a system to determine if it's safe for me to do my PT everyday, we vote. My suitehearts are always looking out for me; they push me when I need it and then slow me down when I'm too stubborn to do it myself.
Throughout the week, every single day I experienced a roller coaster. I tried to wake up with a positive expectation for the day. I would leave my suite excited for classes and excited for the day. Then, the hot humid air would nearly-literally slap me in the face. The humid, heavy air makes it about 100x harder for me to breathe. By mid afternoon I would be tired and frustrated. I would be struggling to wheel myself back home and I would hit a bump in the chair that exemplified my incompetence.
But then, everyday...as if on cue, something would raise my spirits. An acquaintance would offer to help me. A stranger would compliment my maneuvering skills. Someone would hold a door for me or ask me how I am feeling in a way incongruous with a monotonous "How are you?"
There is never a single moment when I know unwaveringly that I can do this. There is always a bit of fear in the back of my mind wondering when the other shoe will drop. Or, more accurately, when I will drop. I still faint every other day or so. But the overwhelming feelings of "Oh shit, I'm in over my head!" are starting to pass.
At least until my next thesis deadline...
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