{ favorite little white blogging camera– perfect for vacations }
{ my beautiful blogger GF, Jordan from The Balanced Blonde launched a tee shirt line…SO CUTE! }
{ get well soon flowers from my sweet best friends <3 }
Oh hello hi from…er, THE HOSPITAL.
Looks like my annoying infection isn’t going down so they have to put me on IV antibiotics for the next three days.
If you know me, you know I legit have Vasovagal.
You’re probably like “wait, huh?”
Basically, Vasovagal episodes “usually occur when the predisposed person is exposed to a specific trigger. Prior to losing consciousness, the individual frequently experiences early signs or symptoms such as lightheadedness, nausea, the feeling of being extremely hot or cold ( accompanied by sweating ), ringing in the ears, an uncomfortable feeling in the heart, fuzzy thoughts, confusion, a slight inability to speak/form words, weakness and visual disturbances such as lights seeming too bright, fuzzy or tunnel vision, black cloud-like spots in vision, and a feeling of nervousness can occur as well. The symptoms last for a few seconds before the loss of consciousness, which typically happens when the person is sitting up or standing. When sufferers pass out, they fall down and, when in this position, effective blood flow to the brain is immediately restored, allowing the person to regain consciousness; if the person does not fall into a fully flat, supine position, and the head remains elevated above the trunk. Fainting occurs with the loss of oxygen to the brain.”
YES. THIS IS HOW I RESPOND TO NEEDLES AND IV.
I faint. I cry. I black out.
Biggest baby on the planet.
I can go in for a boob job or jaw surgery no problem, but stick a needle in my hand to draw blood & I AM BAWLING CRYING.
It’s absurd.
{ Michael & the chi crew taking over TSC office ( can he PLEASE TAKE OFF HIS SHOES, GEEZ ) }
Since being here I’ve had three IV’s & blood drawn 3 times. It’s one of the ONLY times I’ll take a muscle relaxer because I don’t want to turn into that ‘LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE GUY‘ screaming & crying like the world is coming to an end.
The good news is THE INFECTION IS KIND OF GOING AWAY!! Yay! Finally, after 9 weeks. In the last two days it’s decided to fuck off. I couldn’t be happier.
So basically that’s what I have to report. Sorry for the gross news. I really try not to be the Debbie Downer of the century on TSC but sometimes I gotta be real. I’ve kind of taken you guys on my jaw journey which is strange & odd. I assumed I would keep it a secret at first because it’s such a personal experience.
In retrospect, I am so glad I shared my experience because I’ve been able to connect with so many women around the world who 1.) have had the surgery, 2.) are thinking about having it, or 3.) related to the surgery in some capacity.
{ this weekend, huge hat always lately }
Ok let’s talk about good stuff now. I’m boring you guys.
I need more book recommendations. I need more TV show recommendations. AND you guys are just the ones to ask! So share away : ). Your tips have been so helpful! Recovery tips? Keep them coming. I have picked up so many good ones from you guys.
Today I am juicing a ton, working from the hospital, watching Mean Girls, & I snuck out of the hospital for 3-5(ish) walks ( LOL ). I’m also making friends with the nurses & gagging whenever an IV bag comes 10 feet away from me. They’re so disgusting…UGH.
Also, please don’t feel sorry for me because I will come out of this stronger! I can already feel my spirits lifting & I have so much more compassion for people dealing with medical issues. It’s crazy what a bump in the road can do for perspective. My patience has been tested & I’m already feeling stronger from this curve ball.
I’ve even been trying ( trying… ) not to work as much. Who would have thought?!
Sending love AND HEALTH from my uncomfortable hospital bed ( THANK GOD I MADE MICHAEL GO GET ME IKEA SHEETS- HAHAHA ). – lauryn x
{ pic 2 }
{ so obsessed with this palm pillow my GF made me! }
SHOP THE POST:
I hope you continue to recover! I have to get injections once a week and it took years to get used to. I used to totally hate needles as well! What other type of DSLR do you use? In the market for a new one! Have a great day!
Thanks Alexis! I have used a ton of different ones! But I’m currently obsessed with the camera I posted above! It’s so handy! I actually also use my Iphone a lot ! LOL!
You’re a champ!! I totally get what you mean about needles. For some reason I’m okay with blood but veins really freak me out (I’m getting a little dizzy just typing this hahah).
Also I LOVE the camera. I’ve been looking into getting a new camera for sometime. It’s so much nicer than a clunky DSLR.
xx, Pia
http://gymbagsandjetlags.com
@gymbagsjetlags
I totally agree! I need something I can carry around with me out and about. I like to take pics as life is actually happening :)) Thanks for reading Pia! xx
so sorry you are stuck in the hospital! Hope they are able to speed up your recovery though! Any book by Liane Moriarty is good, quick reads! Also Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan was by far the best book I read all summer! I also highly recommend Friday Night Lights as your new show to binge if you haven’t watched it yet, best show ever!
Hi Kaitlin! Thanks for the recommendations :)) Hospitals are so gross! I def need to stay busy. Thanks babe!
Hey Lauryn! It sucks that you’re in the hospital but definitely awesome news the infection is going away! That is a big win!
And as for fighting boredom, if you have Showtime anytime you should check out Shameless…great show and it’s been on for awhile, so you’ll get a few seasons out of it.
I started reading this Lizzy Gardner series. There are like 6 books in it or something, I accidentally started on book 3, the one I’ve read was a murder mystery about a serial killer, and the newest one I got seems to be taking the same path. Light and easy read…kinda reminds me of James Patterson books. If you have a kindle they are like $2
As for any recovery tips? That’s tough. I would just suggest going all out in the comfort department (Ikea sheets for the hospital it genius!). When you’re home I would set up the ultimate comfort scenario wherever you go. When you’re sick of your bed, move to the sofa, but bring all your pillows and your sparkling water and your diffuser and a fan and just bask in comfyness. And just know that it will end eventually and you will feel better than ever!
And I totally feel you with the needles. If I have a shot coming my way that I was not expecting, I get so nervous!
Feel better girl!!
Thank you for all of the recommendations Stephanie! You are so sweet! I appreciate your message :)) Thanks for reading!!
Have you read any of Brene Brown’s work? It’s about shame/vulnerability & definitely a great read if you’re feeling down/stressed.
Hi Jessica, no I’ve never read anything by Brown. Sounds interesting! Is it depressing? Or uplifting? Thanks for the recs <3
Uplifting! Check out Daring Greatly; her work/books are centered around understanding how shame impacts us/what triggers our shame & how to use our vulnerabilities to create more authentic relationships with ourselves and those with whom we interact.
I just finished reading Natchez Burning by Greg Iles…it’s a bit slow to get into, but it gets SO good and is such a page turner! Also, it’s the first in a trilogy, so it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Glad you’re starting to feel better!! xoxo
http://www.theclydescope.com
Hi Carly Oh, nice! I love trilogies, especially if they’re really good! Thanks babe <3
You should check out Peaky Blinders on Netflix! Two seasons with six eps each.. My boyfriend and I finished it embarrassingly quickly. You just have to push through the very first episode, and from then on it’s incredible
Thank you Maggie :)) xx
I saw your snaps of you in the hospital and I was worried! So sorry that you’ve been sick and that the healing process has been longer than expected for you! Thanks for sharing, though. Glad you’re feeling better!
Hi Virginia, you are seriously so sweet! Don’t worry about me! I am okay I promise. Hospitals are no fun but I had Postmates, my laptop, and tons of reading so I was fine :)) Thanks for your support babe!
Sending healing vibes from NYC to LA!
I also second any book by Liane Moriarty and check out “The Affair” season one was on Showtime last winter and it was excellent!
Thanks Traci! I’ll check them out. Jealous you’re in NYC! LOVE NYC!! xx
i am so so sorry to hear you’re in the hospital OMG!! use it as time to heal and chill!! get well soon!
Thanks Bonnie, I am okay I promise don’t worry! Thanks babe!
So glad to hear your feeling better! And as for TV Show recommendations I would definitely say Breaking Bad, its soo soo good and addictive!
Stay strong x
LOOOOVE Breaking Bad. So good. Thanks for reading Eloise <3
Okay first keep going strong! You totally got this!
I’m currently reading “The Wild Truth” by Carine McCandless. She is the sister of Chris McCandless, the guy whose story was told in the book/movie Into The Wild. It’s the story of their lives and what lead Chris to abandon everything and travel. ITS HEAVY reading, but I can’t put it down.
Hi Jamie! Oooh Sounds good! I’m def adding this to my list. Thanks babe <3
Sending you good, loving, healing vibes dear!
Thank you Rebecca <3
A great show is Chuck, it’s on Netflix. For a book, I recommend Smoke by Meili Cady. It’s a memoir about a girl who accidentally gets involved in smuggling pot, it’s a great quick read.
Get well soon!!!!
Thank you Sam!! xx <3
You hang in there girlie! I too suffer from the dreaded vasovagal. I cant even speak about it without starting to feeling queasy. Hope you get well real soon!
Thanks Arcadia! Thanks for the support <3
So sorry to hear you went back to the hospital! I hope you feel better soon sweetie 🙂
Thanks Heidi! I am feeling much better now though! Thanks for reading :))
So sorry about your infection! When I had oral surgery they loaded me up on antibiotics and steroids, it’s no fun at all. While you’re “relaxing” (??), read The Martian by Andy Weir. So so good. I read it in like 2 days. The Fall on Netflix is a great binge watching show too, as it only has like 10 episodes.
Feel better!
Hi Violet! Michael just read the Martian and loooved it! It’s on my list for sure! Thanks for the suggestions! xx
No tips, but I am vasovagal-y in general, and I for sure fainted the last time I had an IV (after I TOLD the nurse it hurt too much and I was going to faint). You’re not alone.
Hi Laura, ugh so annoying!! You warned her at least, lol! Thanks for reading, babe <3
Lauryn – sending you so much healing vibes as I could possibly muster! I know it is so raw to take us on this journey with you, but we are all rooting for you. I totally get it with the IV’s. It is weird because I cannot handle any of that stuff (won’t mention it bc it is triggering) yet tattoo guns are okay with me? I don’t know… but enough about that! Some books I recommend are: Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain (SO GOOD), Feel Good Food by Giada (in fact, this book kind of reminds me of yours!), and Audrey at Home (a glimpse into her life, with some of her recipes) by her son is incredible. Most of these are food related, with recipes, but I can literally read cookbooks like novels. They are my favourite thing to read and really keep me inspired. They are all obviously non-fiction, but a GREAT fiction book is Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. It is incredible! It is set in NYC in the 1930’s and it follows a 20 something year old girl, and she meets this banker and her life totally changes, only for her to realize that not everything is what it seems. It was so, so good. I could not put it down! Anyways, those are my reccs for you – heal strong, Lauryn!! xx
Eeeek! So many great recommendations! Thank you so much babe I really appreciate these. You are so sweet! Thanks for reading, <3 x
Oh no! I’m so sorry the infection hasn’t gone away! Hopefully this will finally do the trick. Feel better!
xx,
Susie
http://www.SequinsandStrawberries.com
Thanks Susie, I am feeling WAY better now. The hospital was definitely the right move. Thanks for reading :)) xx
I just started reading the Ice Twins which is this creepy book about this family who loses one of their twin daughters but then slowly finds out that maybe the remaining twin is the other daughter. That’s super confusing. But it’s decent so far.
Thanks for linking to the camera! I’ve been in the market for one and was thinking of the Olympus Pen E PL7 which has a BUNCH of bloggers backing it but it’s a little pricey at $700. The one you posted is MUCH more affordable! Torn between the white and the brown.
coffeeslag
COFFEESLAG Daily Look Elite Box 3
Girl, I feel you! I had cancer and STILL cannot go get blood draws by myself. The mere thought of it has me break out in a cold sweat. I have fainted over 5x and experienced vasovagal more times than I can count, lol. I understand exactly how you feel! Try clenching your stomach muscles (like the feeling you get when you do ab exercises) it brings blood back to the center of the body and prevents you from fainting. It works like a charm for me now and I haven’t fainted in three years! I can do tattoos and a million surgeries, but needles/blood…NOPE. I hope you get better soon, sending positive vibes your way!
Netflix Recommendation: Graceland! Crime/drama and super addictive. Also, I just started watching Hit Record by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and it’s weirdly uplifting and a total feel-good. Hope it helps!
Wow! Finally someone who feels the same as I do about freaking needles!!!! I despise them and anyone attempting to stick me with one. I hope you feel better soon!
I have to go for two needle biopsies tomorrow and will find out about my next surgery next week, so I’m loving the suggestions. If you have Netflix, I’ve been loving Nikita.
Hi Lauren! Try oil of oregano or colloidal silver for your infection!! Hope you get well soon!
Hi Lauryn! Try oil of oregano or colloidal silver for your infection!! Hope you get well soon!
Hope you are feeling better. Sympathy on the vasovagal syncope. My sister has passed out in my arms from that. She just goes blind and drops. Her trigger is pain–her’s or other people’s. I very much recommend taking turmeric pills to help with the ickiness of inflammation/infection. I’m not a huge herbal person, but it definitely helps. TV-wise, Revenge makes for great not-too-serious binge watching. And it’s on netflix.
I have 2 tattoos and I was completely fine. Take blood for a test? I’m in panic attack mode. In other words, I feel you. Get better soon, you’re a warrior! xx
I am so sorry it is taking you so long to recover! However it’ll all be worth it in the end. As for a TV show recommendation I would have to say Scandal and House of Cards. AMAZING shows!
Book recommendations- Still Alice is great but sad- I couldn’t put it down, finished it in like 2 days. Also, The Tides of Memory by Sidney Sheldon is AMAZING! Racketeer by John Grisham also a really awesome book. Hope you feel better soon!
Read:
– The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
– Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
– Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
– The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle
Watch:
– A Year in Champagne
– Somm
– CoCo Before Chanel
I hope you see this because I think you will absolutely LOVE my book recommendation. It’s called I’m with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie and it is about a groupie from the 1960s-70s who dated everyone from Mick Jagger, Keith Moon, Jimmy Page, etc. I just did a review of it on my blog if you want to check it out. I highly highly recommend it!! Great read to get your mind off all the doctor stuff 🙁
xo Annie
http://www.laircake.com
Okay. You SERIOUSLY need to watch catastrophe on Amazon prime streaming. There is no way you can be down in the dumps (not that you are!) whike watching it. Maybe one of my fave shows ever.
Wishing you all the best and thanks for the realness! Can’t wait for the boo job post because I’m close to getting one.
Janine
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett is an excellent book! Good luck fighting your infection, pretty.
Lauryn, I’m really glad the infection is going away. How you manage to keep us all entertained and informed during all this is a mystery to me.
Love that little camera – super cute. I’m using the Sony Cybershot on my travels – it’s great and connects to my phone, but the lense is lacking.
XO,
Catherine
Needles are a huge fear of mine too! I recently had to get blood drawn a couple times (after a few-year hiatus, I ALWAYS avoid it if I can) and it was an extremely traumatic experience for me. I’m able to hold myself together enough during the procedure (but barely!) and afterwards it’s this huge release of emotion and I always cry. It’s something that I want to move past and get over but it’s not easy AT ALL! So even though I’m sorry that you have to deal with it too, it’s nice to know that I’m not the ONLY full-grown adult that still cries at the doc office. OK as for books– right now I’m reading Middle Sex which is fantastic (Same author as Virgin Suicides). Highly recommend!
OMG, so I just rediscovered your blog, and reading back over the last few post makes me think that you and my other half were related in a past life! He is getting ready to have major jaw surgery, moving the top and bottom jaws forward to correct sleep apnea, and he is also prone to Vasovagal episodes, which is scaring me because I am so worried he will pass out while his jaw is healing 🙁 He does seem to have a really great doctor though! I hope you feel better soon!!