All I did was bend over to pick up a pencil!!!!
36 years ago today I bent over to pick up a pencil and changed the course of my life. How you might ask? Let me share.
I was finishing my last semester before doing my student teaching and graduating. I had several paper to finish, a book report to write, and some maps to color. Yes, my procrastinating goes back as far as anyone can remember. It was a Saturday, and Mom and Dad were going Christmas shopping for the little brother. M was watching cartoons and I was getting stuff together. Here is where I get a little fuzzy on things. The story as related to me by others goes as follows:
I bent over to pick up a pencil and got a terrible headache. A little while later D and his cousin came by. D and I were dating. I was serious and he was holding out. He was only 23 and didn't want to settle down until he was 30. Now the plot thickens.
D says that when they came by I was throwing up. Now I have to tell you that I only throw up when I am deathly ill. The last time I threw up was 36 years ago. He says that I was freezing one minute and burning up and soaking my clothes the next so he stayed with me until my folks got home. He had that nursing thing even way back then. They determined that I had eaten some spaghetti that had been in the fridge awhile so they thought I must have food poisoning. The doctor was called and someone drove the 25 miles to Miami and back to get me a prescription. According to those present, after taking the medicine I immediately went into shock. I evidently didn't have food poisoning. I am told that I went as stiff as a board and had to be angled into the car to be driven the 25 miles to the hospital. Boy, am I glad that I don't remember this.
After much misdiagnosis, it was determined(on Monday) that I needed to go to Tulsa and be under the care of a neurologist. They ran dye test and discovered that I have an abnormal mass of tiny blood vessels growing on my brain. They described it as being like a bunch of worms all curled up in a ball. One of those developed a weak spot. It was described as being like an inner tube that gets a bubble on it. When I bent over to pick up the pencil, I sprang a leak. Somehow they figured out that it bled out about a tablespoon of blood that was causing pressure on my brain. This mass of blood vessels couldn't be blocked off because it would have shut off blood to my brain and I didn't need any brain damage.
I do not remember much from December 19 to January 2. I have been told many tales. Most of them involved me patting D on the hand when he came to visit and telling him that all I wanted to do was to get well and go home and marry him. One small problem...we weren't engaged. He hadn't asked me to marry him. Good thing I was out of my mind. The story goes that on one visit I took his hand and sang "Beautiful, Beautiful Brown Eyes" to him. When I realized that his eyes weren't brown, they tell me that I started to cry hysterically. Now does that sound like something that I would do?
I had been studying British History at this time so many of the stories have to do with me being concerned about Mom running off to sail the seas with Sir Francis Drake or of not being allowed to courtesy when Queen Elizabeth came into the ballroom.
One thing I do remember is seeing a Christmas tree in my room and wanting the lights turned on. My Aunt Wilma and Uncle Jack were with me at that time. Poor Aunt Wilma turned on every light she could but nothing would appease me. Of course they couldn't see my imaginary tree and had no idea what I was going on about. Finally, Uncle Jack who had a beautiful voice started to sing Christmas Carols. I remember those lights coming on my beautiful imaginary tree and drifting off to dream land. There are other stories but I will save them for another day.
I came out of it on January 2 and they sent me back to the Miami hospital. I had to stay there about a week to get my strength back. I missed out on my student teaching semester and never did get all of that work done. My professors were so kind. I didn't have to write all of those papers or take any semester tests. They gave me some shortened assignments to do and that was that.
The only ill effects I have had from all of this is a loss of some memories, some severe headaches, and a weakening of my eyes so that I had to wear my glasses all of the time. I was told that I had to be careful for the rest of my life. I wasn't to lift heavy things, water ski, dive, or put any undue stress on my head chest or abdomen. I never could water ski or dive so I was safe on that part. I have been careful over the last 36 years. There are certain types of headaches that cause me to stop what I am doing and relax, and I am careful about bending over.
The best thing that happened was that D realized that life just wouldn't be the same without me. Did I mention that they didn't know for awhile if I was going to make it? Anyway he figured out he did love me. He knew I wasn't going to wait until he turned 30 and so in April he introduced me as his fiance for the first time. The plans were on!!! The following October we were married and it has been 35 of the most wonderful years a person could ask for.
To think I spent all of that time cooking for him, carrying irrigation pipe, and helping in the fields when all I really had to do to was bend over!!!!!!!
I was finishing my last semester before doing my student teaching and graduating. I had several paper to finish, a book report to write, and some maps to color. Yes, my procrastinating goes back as far as anyone can remember. It was a Saturday, and Mom and Dad were going Christmas shopping for the little brother. M was watching cartoons and I was getting stuff together. Here is where I get a little fuzzy on things. The story as related to me by others goes as follows:
I bent over to pick up a pencil and got a terrible headache. A little while later D and his cousin came by. D and I were dating. I was serious and he was holding out. He was only 23 and didn't want to settle down until he was 30. Now the plot thickens.
D says that when they came by I was throwing up. Now I have to tell you that I only throw up when I am deathly ill. The last time I threw up was 36 years ago. He says that I was freezing one minute and burning up and soaking my clothes the next so he stayed with me until my folks got home. He had that nursing thing even way back then. They determined that I had eaten some spaghetti that had been in the fridge awhile so they thought I must have food poisoning. The doctor was called and someone drove the 25 miles to Miami and back to get me a prescription. According to those present, after taking the medicine I immediately went into shock. I evidently didn't have food poisoning. I am told that I went as stiff as a board and had to be angled into the car to be driven the 25 miles to the hospital. Boy, am I glad that I don't remember this.
After much misdiagnosis, it was determined(on Monday) that I needed to go to Tulsa and be under the care of a neurologist. They ran dye test and discovered that I have an abnormal mass of tiny blood vessels growing on my brain. They described it as being like a bunch of worms all curled up in a ball. One of those developed a weak spot. It was described as being like an inner tube that gets a bubble on it. When I bent over to pick up the pencil, I sprang a leak. Somehow they figured out that it bled out about a tablespoon of blood that was causing pressure on my brain. This mass of blood vessels couldn't be blocked off because it would have shut off blood to my brain and I didn't need any brain damage.
I do not remember much from December 19 to January 2. I have been told many tales. Most of them involved me patting D on the hand when he came to visit and telling him that all I wanted to do was to get well and go home and marry him. One small problem...we weren't engaged. He hadn't asked me to marry him. Good thing I was out of my mind. The story goes that on one visit I took his hand and sang "Beautiful, Beautiful Brown Eyes" to him. When I realized that his eyes weren't brown, they tell me that I started to cry hysterically. Now does that sound like something that I would do?
I had been studying British History at this time so many of the stories have to do with me being concerned about Mom running off to sail the seas with Sir Francis Drake or of not being allowed to courtesy when Queen Elizabeth came into the ballroom.
One thing I do remember is seeing a Christmas tree in my room and wanting the lights turned on. My Aunt Wilma and Uncle Jack were with me at that time. Poor Aunt Wilma turned on every light she could but nothing would appease me. Of course they couldn't see my imaginary tree and had no idea what I was going on about. Finally, Uncle Jack who had a beautiful voice started to sing Christmas Carols. I remember those lights coming on my beautiful imaginary tree and drifting off to dream land. There are other stories but I will save them for another day.
I came out of it on January 2 and they sent me back to the Miami hospital. I had to stay there about a week to get my strength back. I missed out on my student teaching semester and never did get all of that work done. My professors were so kind. I didn't have to write all of those papers or take any semester tests. They gave me some shortened assignments to do and that was that.
The only ill effects I have had from all of this is a loss of some memories, some severe headaches, and a weakening of my eyes so that I had to wear my glasses all of the time. I was told that I had to be careful for the rest of my life. I wasn't to lift heavy things, water ski, dive, or put any undue stress on my head chest or abdomen. I never could water ski or dive so I was safe on that part. I have been careful over the last 36 years. There are certain types of headaches that cause me to stop what I am doing and relax, and I am careful about bending over.
The best thing that happened was that D realized that life just wouldn't be the same without me. Did I mention that they didn't know for awhile if I was going to make it? Anyway he figured out he did love me. He knew I wasn't going to wait until he turned 30 and so in April he introduced me as his fiance for the first time. The plans were on!!! The following October we were married and it has been 35 of the most wonderful years a person could ask for.
To think I spent all of that time cooking for him, carrying irrigation pipe, and helping in the fields when all I really had to do to was bend over!!!!!!!
posted by Mrs. E at 7:31 PM
1 Comments:
What an amazing story! When I saw on Todd's blog that you bending over had something to do with him being here today, well....you know where my mind went!
I'm glad D discovered that he loved you and that you made it so that he could show you.
Oh and the part about your uncle singing...that made me cry.
Merry Christmas!
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