SLEEP INJURIES

This is a problem that has occurred many times in the past and most recently Sunday, November 22nd at I a.m., November 28th at 7p.m. and the very next day in the afternoon around 1. This has been an extremely bad and weird and painful time for me. Not saying it’s over either because, as I write about these days another one tends to happen which makes me throw in another part of my story, although, this is quite different!

After I came out of the shower all fine that night and Michelle in on the 22nd, she comes to bed where I am in the center of and tells me that she heard a big bang and that it could only mean one thing, that “You must have fallen off of the bed, again”. I told her that “how could that be, I’ve been here the whole time and wouldn’t it make sense if it did I would feel something, like an injury perhaps”. Well when morning came about the injury on my head, right side as before, two, one on my forehead and one below near my ear. I asked “How could this be, Michelle I didn’t even feel a thing last night and yet today I have this rug burn on my face”. I would have gone on and on about my accident but being epileptic it was no surprise at all!

Michelle said that she jumped out of the shower when she heard the bang, almost hurting herself running out of the shower and that she could have hurt herself, but I was right there in bed under the covers which makes it even more difficult to figure out and believe. Michelle got into bed and I kept my distance because I could have grabbed her with my left or right arm and tucked under her and flipped her over with me easily, with me then on top. I would have stood up, walked back into bed easily over her body without the slightest recollection of what had happened and woken up to an injured or worse wife. So for that matter I kept my distance on the bed and yet not far because the last place we wanted me to fall asleep was on the edge.

Monday morning came and at first didn’t feel another thing until I got to my parent’s house for the day when I found a pain on my inner left leg from my knee to my foot, and the only wise and proper thing to do was to call Michelle. I asked her if I had gotten into any other injuries over the weekend because of the pain that occurred and she had answered me “No, not a thing, it had to be from the accident off of the bed”. I looked down at my sore leg with my one jean leg pulled up and started to laugh at myself as my mother walked in saying what’s so funny until I showed her and laughed as well. I told her “Apparently nothing can hurt me, I fall all over the place and yet I’m still here, can’t wait to see what’s next” still laughing at myself.

My mother had not known because I forgot myself to tell her what had happened when she asked me her usual question, “How was your weekend”. I answered as usual “Just fine, no major issues” forgetting what had happened until this reminded me so. I told her that it is very, very odd and would have been worse if Michelle was there but luckily she was in the shower and yet I’m not saying it was smart to run out and possibly slip and thank God she didn’t. I say this to you, not my mother, so that you do not, we don’t need more cracked skulls abound!

If this is an issue that may occur to you there is something that can be done to help the easy way, get yourself if you do not already carry a large body pillow and place it on the floor you fall on if it happens as often as that in your sleep. I did myself but stopped using it once it stopped because it is not something that occurs as often plus I have a cushioned rug on my side, a much bigger side to fall onto as well!

So in the past these injuries occurred on the bed just the same as well as on the couch by myself during a nap as well as on November 28th. A seizure will throw yourself off of any sleeping/napping position you may find yourself in as, say, on the floor of its choice over the arm or as others make mistakes in, rolling off of a couch, but there is a difference in them from us. They may find themselves getting up from, a stupid accident on their shoulders, arms or legs fallen on. We on the other hand do not see it nor take it as easily as that. Not every time, but mostly, we find ourselves on our heads flipped upside down or over from a couch two feet off of the ground and it pain!

I would not write about it otherwise! Someone will find you on the ground in very awkward places or just right there on the floor where a pillow was put under our heads because we were not able to get up, not just yet, but when the time comes to get up you will hate yourself for what has happened again. Now awkward places are truly awkward places to be found. I would not believe it if I was normal, but since I am not I actually cannot complain or argue about the incident that occurred. I have found myself, my head per say mostly, lodged into every unordinary place, living rooms, family rooms, kitchens, but mostly and actually daily it has become, the bathroom. For that matter, I try to stay away from going as un-normal as possible, because who of us would like to find their heads lodged between a toilet-bowl, counter or garbage can. Surely not I!

Seizures are so strange as I have already said, you don’t know when or why they will attack! November 29th was no different than the previous two, but yet, this time I was already on the floor in the same spot where I had fallen off of the couch. I laid myself down on the rug with a pillow and a blanket that Michelle had put on top of me as I napped and about an hour later, although already on the ground a seizure caused my body to shoot-up and slam me back down onto the floor like a bomb had just exploded. My entire body shook as well as I lost both my speech and movement. My body laid there half dead for an hour afterwards!

So as it seems for an Epileptic, there is no safe place, whether it is the bed, couch or floor, seizures will prevail! Sad but true and sometimes it is worse for the other person watching!           

Sleep injuries will happen, sometimes often, so stay safe, keep your body centered on whatever you are sleeping on and make sure you have the ground cushioned so you are protected!

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE EPILEPTIC

On Saturday, November 14th after a late brunch in Bayside, we took a 4:28pm LIRR for 20 minutes to Penn Station and went to some places that Michelle wanted to show me like Bryant Park, which during this month and next for Christmas has about 30 to 40 booths, lots of sellers of ornaments mostly for tourists and an ice skating rink with a line of children wrapped around it. There is no Christmas tree yet there or in Rockefeller Center which made it easier to walk around without the over-crowded sidewalks and streets for a tree that is decorated the same every year. We walked around the Park and then to Lord & Taylor’s Christmas window displays under their gold lights which was beautiful.

After that Michelle knew a place that is open all year long, Christmas on 5th which is a very wide, long and Holy store with beautiful ornaments small and large as well as Nativity Scenes I do plan on purchasing, but we were short on time. Directly across the street was my favorite store - Barnes & Noble with a lot of movies and music - and vinyl’s on the second floor. I grabbed some books on the way out and onto St. Patrick’s Cathedral which had just been renovated beautifully all around, Michelle and I lit a few candles, said a few prayers and made some donations on its soon to be completion and then I noticed something on the right side of the church near the back - a Pieta’.

  A replica of Michelangelo’s who is widely regarded as the most famous artist of the Italian Renaissance. Among his works are the "David" and "Pieta" statues and the Sistine Chapel. Most of his work was done there in Rome where he passed away at the age of 88 in 1564. This one shone here though in New York is a little different and far less famous.

I purchased four prayer books in the gift shop and left. It was now 7:30 and we were off to our 8 o’clock dinner reservation at Ted’s Montana Grill, we reserved a booth because Michelle and I noticed from the past that there are only 6 booths and a reservation is necessary which I remembered and told her to call earlier. At 7:45 we were there and the booth was ready for us. After all of that walking I had not one problem from early in the day to Ted Turner’s Montana Grill when I noticed a saying from Ted Turner himself on the wall above us which reads: Do something. Either lead, follow or get out of the way. Funny, but true as well.

And then this happened on our way back home in Penn Station...

A problem which has happened 2 times before at different times and days, both in Penn Station. It was about 9:45pm and we were waiting for a 10:18pm train home that Michelle and I were trying to catch with hopes that this time, since the day had gone so well already walking around town – even though we were tired after leaving the restaurant, but not so much that we couldn’t walk back to walk off the food we had just ate.

We reached the station escalator fine, but as soon as we got on with people all around, I had a drop attack seizure and it seemed like I was up against a wall. More of a dream really; rather a nightmare. As I opened my eyes again finally I found 4 people, 2 couples - Good Samaritans - who had pulled me off of the escalator with my 200 pounds of dead weight which then felt like much more (a body soaked in water so to speak). Michelle could not have done it alone.

A woman had asked my wife, “Is he okay, he looks like he’s falling down” she grabbed her husbands’ arm across the escalator and Michelle told them I was having a seizure. I was then grabbed along by his friend/family member and they pulled off and sat me down on the ground. There were at that time people Michelle and I remember walking on by around me, they would have walked on me not caring if I was dead or not, just kicking me aside.

As I finally woke up I started to speak to them, dazed at what had just happened and yet being in Penn Station it was no surprise, more like a curse destined to happen. As I started to say thank you to them the first woman looking down at me, after Michelle had told them that I was ok, "he’s had a seizure, he’s been Epileptic for about 30yrs", said to me that she has family members with seizures too so they understood my problem, no need to explain. They had also called some cops over to help me up, 6 Officers arrived and they wanted to call an ambulance for me, but I told them to hold on and give me a minute.

As I stood up and took off my now dirty leather jacket I handed it over to Michelle and they had a stunned look on their faces, I recall. They looked me over and saw that I was not hurt and I said thank you anyway but I’ll be fine. Although not 100% and still a bit shaken-up an officer asked us where we were headed and walked us over to the seating area about 300ft away and asked the gentleman at the front-desk about our train time and what track we would be on. Michelle and I sat as the officer pointed and we waited for our train to come.

The two times prior this year, the second was after going to a NY Ranger game in Madisen Square Garden as we leaned against a wall away from everybody else that could get hurt from me I still dropped what I was holding and slid down the wall to my right, Michelle was to my left, as I had gotten up there was one cop there asking us if we wanted any help and we both said no. As I probably looked like a drunken fool, which I was not - I was all scuffed up from the dirty floor from my face to shoes, yet nobody this time cared to stop and lend a hand, just stepped away from me.

Not everybody is as generous all the time but there were a few the time before that when Michelle went to get our tickets home as I stayed standing behind her against the giant center pillars near the ticket booths when I slid off of that too. Michelle saw and ran over to me as well as some other people who stayed around me so that I did not get trampled over by a crowd rushing to a train that had been called until I got myself up again. I remember that those ladies that found me there had themselves or family members with the same issues. In Penn Station when a train is called, if you don’t know it is like – All hell breaks loose for a seat and death would have come of it!       

On the train home now that night I found us two seats opposite from each other, didn’t care as long as we had somewhere to sit and put our bags down.

Michelle and I learned something after that last dreadful fall, to never take the LIRR home again because it seems no matter what time of night it is or what great day we had in the city, it will not end well in Penn. So for that matter we will be taking an UBER Car Service home, which is beginning to replace NY Taxi cabs in the city, which I have no problem with. Something tells me that a $40 car/cab service is safer than injuring myself or others because people like the ones that found me lying on the ground will not always be there!

There will be more bad than good in your life - unfortunately. Just try to stay positive about your life and you just might get through the hell you may be living in, if it hasn’t found you yet!               

WHO TO GIVE THANKS TO ON THANKSGIVING!

Who to give thanks to is not a difficult question depending on the size of family that you have. I have a rather large Italian family so to choose who we should start with would be your closest - parents or grandparents, then siblings, sons and daughters, Godparents and your aunts, uncles and cousins.  All of the elders will be the first in line to give your thanks to - second in line, your cousins and - third your in-laws, sometimes they be first in line depending on the respect that is given to you too by them all year. Your wife or husbands cousin in-laws as well. Friends are big parts of people’s lives as well, sometimes we are closer to our friends than our family which we call Bros and Cuz’s (Cousins). Most of us have them, grew-up with them and love them like brothers and sisters!   

While today’s Thanksgiving celebrations would likely be unrecognizable to attendees of the original 1621 harvest meal, it continues to be a day for Americans to come together around the table.

     The main thing that I have to be thankful for though is to be alive.

Living from one day to the next is the hardest part of our lives, with all that is happening in the world today - war is a never ending battle because there will always be others unhappy with their lives and anyone who is happy. But what can we do, bow down and let whoever win the fight? or stay strong, rise and battle every battle that comes our way? My own family is alive and well and mostly don’t have to fight the wars that an Epileptic has to - thank God because it’s a never ending battle! I fight through all my battles and wait to see what tomorrow has in store for me and so should you!

There are many other things as well to be thankful for while we are alive and well. Do as much as you can with the time that you have with each other, whether it be playing sports, watching movies, listening to music of all sorts - like Vinyl records which has become my favorite - collecting/reading books, writing and/or raising pets like my Sammy who licks me everyday to check-up on me and make sure that I am still alive and wake up from short naps. Sammy is a dog, what else can he do to show affection?  These are just some hobbies that I have as well as taking RC monster trucks to a rather large park or track for fun and enjoyment with my wife, Michelle.

There is so much more in anyone’s life from family and friends to pets and hobbies to be thankful for. A few things that I would like to have in my life which is beginning to look promising is a DNA blood test covered now by Medicare, and possibly other insurances as well with no hospital stay necessary. Just a simple blood test which used to cost $5,000 and will hopefully be done in 3 months once it is approved. I will keep you informed of the results and what they find. I am hopeful it will lead to great things and possibly the right medication.

Be thankful this Thanksgiving. Never give up and be thankful for everyday that you have with loved ones!