No Zen This Week
This week I went alone to our parenting class because our babysitter couldn't make it and I wasn't able to find a back up in time. So I was driving along to the class and I was nearing my exit on the highway when the exit signs started to get blurry. Then the license plates on the cars in front of me got blurry. I could still see well enough to distinguish cars and lanes and such, but things weren't clear enough to read. I got off the highway and my vision cleared up. I called Seth and he suggested that it was probably a migraine aura, indicating I was about to get a migraine. He was right, of course, but this was a very unusual aura for me. I was only a few blocks from the class, so I got to the building and parked, got out of the car, and everything went completely blurry again. If things had been this blurry while I'd been driving, I absolutely would not have been able to continue driving. I got into the lobby of the building and the doctor teaching the class was standing there and he asked how I was and I said, "You know? Not so great; I've got this funny vision thing going on and I really can't see anything." I explained that I was fairly certain it was a migraine coming on and I needed to take medicine and see if that stopped the migraine from coming on, but that there wasn't much else to be done.
We got up to the board room, and I dug through my purse for pain medication. I handed the bottle to Dr. S. and asked him what it said (I really couldn't read it) and he confirmed it was what I was looking for, so I took two, and sat down and class started. I must say, I have absolutely no idea what was said in that class. I know some questions were asked. I know I answered some of them. I was sitting right next to Dr. S. I interacted. I listened. I didn't read my handout, because it hurt my eyes to try. And I retained absolutely nothing from the entire class.
Halfway through the class, I called Seth and told him that although my vision was clearing up, I was in excrutiating pain and wasn't sure whether I'd be able to drive by the time class was over. I was afraid if I waited until the end to decide, I would find myself stranded there. Fortunately, his mother had just come back with J, so she was able to stay at the house with all the kidderoonies, while he came to pick me up. I sat through most of the rest of class trying to absorb some of the details of the class, but not really able to focus through the pain.
Finally, just as Dr. S was finishing up his portion and right before we broke into the parent discussion session (the last half hour is just parent discussion facilitated by a social worker, without Dr. S.), Seth arrived. Seth handed me two tylenol with codeine, and then we went outside to assess whether I could drive home with him following me. Dr. S. came out and suggested that this would be a very bad idea. I didn't want to leave my car out there because it would make things very difficult for me the next day, but I also knew that driving probably wasn't really wise in case my vision went all wonky again. Fortunately, Dr. S. doesn't have an advanced degree for nothing, and he was smart enough to suggest that another couple in the class might live near us and probably drove together.
Indeed, they did drive together, and they were kind enough to drive my van home after class had finished, so Seth and I went home in his car.
Later I read the handouts from class and realized that the topic of discussion was "Motivation through Positive Attention" - giving lots of positive attention and praise to your child for positive behaviours. Fortunately, this happens to be one of my strong suits as a parent already, so I think I'm good. Plus, I'm seeing Dr. S. tomorrow, so I can always ask him any questions I need to.
In other annoying medical news, today I had to get a steroid shot in my hand because it has really hurt to bend my pinky for about 2 months. Now it really, REALLY hurts to bend my pinky. Thanks a lot, Doc. (I'm hoping that the LONG term effect is an overall positive effect and that the pain from the shot is temporary)