She Blinded Me with Library Science!

In which I join the roller derby

So, I joined the roller derby. How are you?

I had just moved to Tampa for the new job, and my husband hadn't been able to move down here with me yet. I really love my job, but my social life was a little... lacking. I always enjoyed the roller derby in DC, so I decided to go ahead and join the derby here. Why not? I wasn't doing anything else in the evenings, believe me.

I bought all the necessary gear - skates, helmet, mouthguard, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, tights, knee socks, sports bras. (I should've also bought out an entire CVS' worth of bandaids and neosporin, but hindsight is 20/20.)

Practices are 3 days a week, for 2 hours each time. I was put with 20 or so other girls interested in joining the roller derby, and we were given a team name - the Quadkillers, or QK for short. It's a play on words - the skates we use in roller derby are called quad skates (as opposed to rollerblades), but the training is also notoriously tough on your quad muscles in your legs from all the squats. Our training program lasts 10 weeks, and then there's another 4 weeks of rookie training after that. 

Last night, we had our halfway point evaluations - I can't believe we're 5 weeks in already! I did OK. There were some things I was even pretty good at (T stops, weaving). Last night also happened to be my first night with my new inhaler, so I could actually breathe about 9000% better than I could before.

To celebrate, I went online today and bought padded short shorts (sex-ay!) and new wheels for my skates. The idea of padded shorts seems kind of hilarious - I might do some pictures when they arrive.  :)

So, I guess since my blog has a new home and I went to the trouble to convert it, I should make a quick post. Here's the haps:

-I got a job!
-I'm the new science librarian at the University of South Florida in Tampa. My librarian blog is also on Typepad at usflibraries.typepad.com/SciBrarian
-Tampa is really awesome
-Andrew hasn't moved yet because he doesn't graduate until December
-Tampa will get a whole lot more awesome in December
-We bought a VAN. A super sexy minivan!
-The Maxima is dying right now, and Andrew is in the process of buying YET ANOTHER CAR, DOES IT EVER STOP
-Student loans are a bitch
-As is credit card debt
-My new job is awesome!

Quick Update

Just a brief one, so no one things I've perished under my mountain of cats over here:

• Bell's Palsy: Gone! This is the miracle of physical therapy, my friends. Totally awesome face now. (I am sure that sentence makes no sense if you don't know about BP. Go back a few entries! The photos are stellar.) It started to get better right around day 10, as predicted, and was completely gone by the one month mark.
• Car: Wonky. Has been fixed? Sort of? In the sense that it needs to go back to the shop on a monthly basis? Are all my question marks getting across the fact that the car is totally iffy?
• Weather: Icy. The snow has mostly been plowed from the main roads, but the snow drifts in parking lots and such are taller than I am. Weee! I am sure this is good for my car.
• Job hunt: Not bad! I had one full-day interview a couple of weeks ago which I haven't heard anything about because of all the snow closings (I thought it went well, but heard there was an internal applicant), and I have a phone interview tomorrow (later today?) that I am incredibly excited about. I am still having trouble believing universities are interested in hiring me, probably because I read too much of the Annoyed Librarian (a blog on the ALA site), who is constantly ranting about how hard it is for new graduates to get jobs. Then I look at my CV and remember, DUH, I have an extra master's degree. And it's not even an English or History degree, which are pretty common among librarians, but a Biology degree. That ought to do it.
• In fact, now that I think about it, there is a good chance my interviewer(s?) might stumble upon this blog and hope to find out more about me. What shall I say? I am a wonderful person to hire, in my own unbiased opinion. I really love library work, particularly instruction and reference work geared toward the sciences. My background as a scientist gives me a unique perspective on how science researchers use the library and what they need/expect. I'm a lot of fun to be around, I like Doctor Who and Diet Coke. I like to read (surprise!) and travel (go back to July-August 2009 for my traveling librarian blog). If you want to know more than that, you should probably ask me directly, no?
• Currently reading: Bowie by Marc Spitz. It's the only Bowie biography I've ever read, so I can't compare it to the others, but I am enjoying it to the max. It is best read when listening to the songs that apply to whatever chapter you're in.

Bell's Palsy: Days 5 and 6

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Six days already! Tomorrow will make a full week. No news to report as far as facial movements go - Andrew says it looks a little better every day, but I can't tell a difference yet. I am getting better at eating and drinking, but I think that's more because I'm getting used to it rather than having more control of my mouth. Here are some new developments:

• My hearing in my left ear is OUT OF CONTROL; everything sounds really really loud.
• Have I mentioned that I cannot taste anything with the left side of my tongue?
• Constant slight headache on the left side, mostly behind the ear; I have read this is good?
• My face will not stop twitching. Seriously. It's mostly the eyelids and lips, but the bridge of my nose has been twitching for about 45 minutes now. It feels funny.
• When I yawn, the little area in front of my earlobe where my jaw meets my ear really hurts.
• I am tired all the time (this might not be new, or it might also be related to the fact that I have to sleep with my eye taped shut wearing an eye patch and wake up every four hours for medicine)
• I am hungry all the time (thanks, Prednisone)
• My purse is starting to look like a diaper bag with all the drops, ointments, bandages, pills, contact lens stuff, spare glasses, earmuffs, eye patches, etc.

Very exciting: Meg sent me 2 new eye patches! I will upload pics of them as soon as I get around to taking them. One is just like my black patch from CVS, but she put sparkles on it. Very Lady Gaga. This will be my glam patch. The other has a thick purple elastic band and a cushion-y part for the eye that is a stuffed Matryoshka (Russian nesting doll); it will be perfect to wear while I sleep. I am super excited about both! 

Annoying thing of the day: I was really excited when Andrew got me the new Zelda game for DS for Christmas. HOWEVER, a major part of the game involves playing a little flute by blowing into the DS's microphone. This is very hard for me to do since I CANNOT CONTROL MY LIPS. Picture me huffing and puffing at the little screen until my in-game flute teacher is all, "Maybe you should practice more."  Aaarghghlgargl. 

New Year's Resolution: Play up the pirate aspect of this disease more. Arr, ye'll ne'er get me buried booty!

Bell's Palsy: Day 4

Today was a much better day, mood-wise.

I had an appointment with our regular doctor this morning; she wasn't very forthcoming, but she did give me that referral for a neurologist. Strangely, she seemed alarmed that the Prednisone hadn't improved my face yet. I was under the impression that the earliest you can really see any improvement is 10 days. Oh well. She just proscribed more Prednisone, joys. She also seemed really put out that I had already eaten breakfast so she couldn't do bloodwork. Most importantly, she looks exactly like Lena Olin from Alias:

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After that, Emily came over! It was great to have some company, and she swears up and down that the palsy is not that noticeable. We watched some crappy movies and played a game or two, and we may have eaten some goat cheese. She didn't even laugh when the food kept falling out of my mouth!

The eye doctor was pretty good - he seemed by far the most knowledgeable about Bell's Palsy so far. He even somehow managed to determine that my prescription in my left eye was roughly correct. He gave me contacts, which he says should be ok to wear even in the BP eye, but we'll see how that goes. I'm supposed to go in next week for a follow up. He also showed me a better way to tape my eye shut at night, which will be great since I woke up about every 2 hours last night to put ointment in my eye, even under the eye patch. I don't know how my eye managed to be dry when I felt like I had two pounds of ointment on it, but it was.

Abby came over to keep me company in the evening, as well as meet Victor. We went to the mall and wandered around some; I discovered that H&M is pretty overwhelming with all the sequins and whatnot when you only have one eye. Also, if you ever find yourself wandering around a public place like a mall, and you are passing someone that is clearly wearing an eye patch, please don't try to just scoot by them on the narrow side. It's awkward for everyone, and my depth perception will make me very nervous and I'll probably overcorrect and run into you anyway. 

In other news, I think I made small improvements today. The big one: when I brushed my teeth this morning, I was able to swish water around in my mouth without spraying it all over the mirror. It was only for a few seconds, but I couldn't do it a few days ago, so that's progress! I also was able to drive myself around and wore contacts for several hours without doing major harm to myself or any innocent bystanders, so that was good. I counted up the number of pills I am taking every day, and it is 17. SEVENTEEN.

Tomorrow: hanging out with Camilla (possible Chipotle lunch in public involved), blood test, and dealing with the pest control dudes. For some reason, my landlord thinks this is THE best week for all the renovations and maintenance. Sigh.

Bell's Palsy: Days 2 and 3

Yesterday was Day 2, and we spent all of it traveling back from my family's place. Nothing new to report with my face so far; I took my medicines as directed (Prednisone and Acyclovir). I wore the eye patch with my eye taped shut for the duration of the trip, just because it makes me feel a lot more secure. Of course, my face being paralyzed wasn't enough: Drew's car broke down in a spectacular fashion. There was lots of clanking and metal on metal. We learned today that his U-joint broke (I don't even know what that *is*), and it damaged the drive shaft in the process. This also somehow caused his battery to go dead, to the point that we couldn't even turn the hazards on. We had to call friends from several hours away to come rescue us, and then waited at a Huddle House for about 2.5 hours. We got home really late, but Drew got some sleep and made it to work this morning so everything turned out OK. Of course, for those of you playing along at home, that's a $1700 ER bill and a $1700 car bill in two days. Perhaps we will win the lottery? Andrew's car is really old, we're not even sure it's worth fixing, but that would take us down to one car that is about to celebrate its sweet sixteen. Have mercy.

Day 3: Today, I woke up covered in cat. Jellyfish was absolutely overjoyed that I was back; she kept trying to get between me and Andrew in the bed. When I tried to take the tape off my eye, it caused a little bruise, so I think I'm going to stop taping it; it doesn't actually hold it shut anyway. 

I made an independent expedition across the street to the CVS. I got a couple of different kinds of eye drops, as well as some drinking straws since I can't drink that well right now. I stocked up on a bunch of different vitamins; mostly they were either ones mentioned in the blog I linked to in my last post, or the label said something about brain/nerve health. At the moment, I am taking (in addition to the Prednisone and Acyclovir): magnesium, B-12, B-6, L-Lysine, and a multivitamin that doesn't overlap with those. I am going to hunt down some B-1 and lecithin granules, and I think I'll stop there with the vitamins. I take the Prednisone in the morning, since it is known to keep people awake, and the vitamins with dinner. The Acyclovir has to be taken every 4 hours around the clock, which is a pain in the ass.

My mood today was a little grim, but I'm really embarassed about that. I mean, yes, I have a weird thing going on right now, but it's purely cosmetic (plus a little annoyance over the eye thing and the eating/drinking), and it could've been a lot worse. It will gradually get better. My case seems to be fairly mild. Still, it's a bit of a downer, and the fact that my vision in the BP eye has taken a hit (probably from not being able to focus) doesn't help me feel very confident going out and doing things on my own. I'll get better, I'm sure. I really hate being all teenage mopey all over the place and feeling sorry for myself.

Tomorrow, I have a doctor's appointment with my regular doctor at 10:15. I expect her to tell me that yes, this is Bell's Palsy, and refer me to a neurologist. AT 4:45, I have an appointment with an optometrist that will hopefully get me a contact lens for my right eye so that I can at least wear just the eye patch and be spared the indignity of wearing glasses over it. Both of those are pretty nearby, so I'm not too worried about the driving. In fact, the eye doctor is within walking distance. I am hopeful about these visits, it makes me feel like I am doing something.

I have had little muscle twitches on the BP side of my face all day. Normally, I think this would be irritating, but I am just really glad that stuff is working over there. I have spent most of the day (except for my trip to CVS and a brief trip to Target with Andrew) without the eye patch, and it's not so bad if I'm just around home. Obviously I can't wear it to drive, but I put it on before I get out of the car.  

You're here for the pictures, right? Here they are. The first one is my face at rest. Notice my droopy left eyebrow and smooth forehead:

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And here's one where I try to shut my eyes as hard as I can, followed by a big smile. It might look like both eyes are shut in this one, but the left eye won't actually shut all the way. You can kind of tell it looks more relaxed. In the smiling picture, it might look like the left side of my mouth is pretty slack, but just do a quick Google Image Search for Bell's Palsy smiles and you will see mine doesn't look so bad.  :)  

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Whew. I think that's it for today! I'll update about the doctor's appointments tomorrow. Good night!

Merry Christmas! Have some facial paralysis!

So, I haven't updated in a while. We got a new cat (Victor). I graduated from University of Maryland with an MLS last week. As usual, I got really stressed out during exam week and got throat ulcers. I've been getting these ulcers since I was 11 or 12, and no doctor has ever been able to tell me what they were, so I usually just get by with OTC canker/ulcer medicines. They were especially bad this time, which was really annoying because it severely limited my enjoyment of Christmas dinner. On Christmas, my brothers and my husband and I all went to see Avatar, which was OK. I noticed during the movie that my left eye wouldn't stop watering, but I didn't think much of it. Later that night, after everyone else had gone to sleep, I suddenly realized that my eye was watering because it wasn't shutting all the way when I blinked. I freaked out a little, but went to bed with the hope that I was just tired and it would be better in the morning. I had to smush up my cheek in my sleep to keep the eye closed, but it wasn't too bad, there was only a gap of about 1 mm between the eyelids.

This morning, I woke up and knew right away that it wasn't any better. Also, I noticed pretty soon that it was also affecting my mouth. My eyelid still wouldn't close and my mouth had that feeling like when the dentist has numbed your mouth and you can't coordinate your movements. This was all on the same side that my throat ulcers were on, so any sort of eating or drinking was very difficult. Talking is still not that great, either; the ulcers make just about anything feel like my throat is full of razor blades. After thoroughly freaking out my husband and  mom, we decided I should go to the emergency care place. I would've loved to just go to a regular doctor, but it's December 26th and we're not in our home town.

The doctor diagnosed Bell's Palsy after about a minute, but wanted a CT scan to rule out other things. He said that it's pretty commonly associated with viral infections, especially herpes simplex or herpes zoster outbreaks like the ulcers in my throat. Apparently the viral infection causes inflammation of the seventh cranial nerve, which is the one that controls movement of the facial muscles. I can still feel things just fine. My tongue is a little tingly, which seems to be a commonly reported thing. Compared to some people, I actually  have a lot of movement on the affected side; nothing is actually drooping, and I can even make the corner of my mouth turn up the tiniest bit. I am pretty sure that if I am just at rest, it's not too obvious that anything is wrong.

I was pretty worried at first, but knowing that it will probably go away within a few weeks or months makes me feel much better. I have read on some other people's blogs that it can get worse before it gets better, so that's... awesome. I might lose my (tiny) ability to smile at all in the next few days. On the bright side, Andrew and I are treating this mostly as if it is just HILARIOUS (which it kind of is), and I am looking for a pretty eye patch. (I think most people get by with eye drops during the day only wear the patch at night, but I just find it insanely uncomfortable to have my eye just... hanging out, so I'm wearing the eye patch 24/7.) I am a little worried about how I'm going to drive to work, and how the kids at work are going to react. Luckily, I have the next week (until January 3rd) off, so I'm going to rest up and hope for the best. I think it will take me at least that long to adjust - my depth perception takes quite a hit while I'm wearing the patch, and eating and showering are going to take much longer than usual.

Other problems: what does someone with BP do if they wear the eye patch AND glasses? I am looking into getting a contact lens for my right eye. Drew suggested a monocle. 

Anyway, I've decided to keep a journal of this to see how long it takes to get better, chart any improvements, etc. That's what a blog is for, right? So, today, I took my doses of Prednisone (steroid for the nerve inflammation) and the anti-viral (for the ulcers) they gave me. I put ointment in my eye to keep it moist and taped it shut pretty much immediately after we got home from the doctor. It's uncomfortable, but not nearly as uncomfortable as having the eye open. Also, I feel the giant black eye patch really takes attention away from the lazy lips. Honestly, I am feeling better than I have in a week or so just due to the fact that my ulcers are finally settling down and I can eat and drink again. Tomorrow, we are going to drive back to DC and perhaps stop for lunch with Meg, which I am looking forward to. On Monday, I will call my doctor to schedule an appointment; the guy here said they will probably refer me to a neurologist. What fun! I will also hunt down some vitamins on Monday, because this lady recommends them and she had a speedy recovery. Hopefully next time I can post some pics of my face to show the Bell's Palsy. Wish me luck!

Victor von Mousecrusher

I think he's adjusting just fine...

Victor von Mousecrusher

Catching up to the present...

Visiting Down House took all day Thursday (August 6th). Friday (the 7th), several of us traveled to Camden Town again to visit the shops and so I could get my nose pierced! I've wanted it down for a long time, and it seemed like it would be a nice souvenir of London. It took a while to find a place that was open, but I finally chose a piercing studio, and a very nice fellow named Clem pierced my right nostril. I really like it!

That evening, we had a REALLY LONG presentation. Afterward, we went to yet another pub. Shock, I know.

Saturday, we went to see Wicked (which I already wrote about a couple of posts ago), and then went back to the dorm to pack up and get some pizza. We ended the evening with most of our class going to a nearby pub called the White Hart; we stayed there WAY too late. 

We got on our buses to the airport bright and early the next morning (August 9th). I was lucky enough to get to stay with Cassie until pretty late in the evening since we both had to fly into JFK and then both had delayed flights. When I finally made it into Reagan airport, Andrew was there to meet me with a burrito from Chipotle and a Diet Coke in hand. What a good husband I have!

Since then, life has pretty much settled back to normal. I haven't seen my family yet, so I still have a huge bag of souvenirs for them in my bedroom. Our fridge has about twice the number of magnets it had when I left. My sleep schedule is finally back to normal. I went back to work pretty much immediately, and since one of my bosses is out on maternity leave, I've actually been hired as temporarily full time until she comes back, so that's keeping me busy. I'm actually a little sad to reach the end of my required blogging for class; it kept me feeling like I still had London-related stuff to do. Now that I'm done, it's like I really have to face the fact that I'm back in my regular life. At least I still have the term paper!

Tomorrow is the start of my last semester, and it's also my first day at my internship at the NSF. I'll let you know how it goes!

Down House, Home of Darwin

For one of my special Darwin outings, I decided it would be worth my time to visit his family home just outside London in Bromley, and I wasn't disappointed!

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The UK mass transportation system is fantastic. It was only about a 30 minute train ride from downtown London to Bromley, and then from Bromley I hopped onto a city bus and travelled about another 20 minutes. Once the bus dropped me off, I had to walk about a quarter mile down a rural road to actually reach the house. Sometimes, I feel like this blog should really be titled "Megan's Adventures in Public Transportation," but it's too late to change it now!

Charles Darwin and his family moved into Down House in 1842, and he worked on Origin of Species there for the next 17 years until it was published. This is the house he raised his family in, as well as the house where he came up with scientific theories that are still being discussed today. The downstairs area of the house is kept just as it was when the man himself lived there, and the upstairs is a very small interactive museum dedicated to Darwin himself, his family tree, and his theories.

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Downstairs, you can see Darwin's study! This was pretty fantastic; I just stood there in awe for a few minutes.

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In the back yard, they still have Darwin's greenhouses for his orchids, and they are open to guests. I am sure his family heartily approved when he switched from working on barnacles to orchids! 

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Although the house itself is very interesting and a must-see for anyone interested in Darwin, it is very small. I alotted about 3 hours for it, just in case something went wrong with the public transportation. Did I mention the UK really knows what they're doing in that general area? I was left with about 2 hours to kill in Bromley. No worries! They have a huge shopping mall. Although I love my classmates and seriously miss several of them now that I'm home, it was a nice day to myself, geeking out about Darwin and exploring a new town. I tried to eat lunch at the Darwin Bar, but it was closed.

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First three photos from the English Heritage site for Down House.