Stories and Thin Cameras

This morning I had a very small camera stuck up my nose and down my throat. Since I had multiple brain injuries in March, I've been feeling a sharp pain inside my right ear and underneath my jaw near the salivary gland. There are times when I can't even open my mouth and feels ( for a few seconds) as if my throat is closing. This happens at different times. Sometimes in the evenings, mornings afternoons, or on the rare occasion while I'm eating (which happened a few days ago).  I went to see a throat specialist today where he inserted a camera up my right nostril and down my throat. This hurt quite a bit. Once a spent a few moments with my mouth open and making sounds from my throat he removed the camera. It felt more painful having it pulled out through my nose.  Once it was removed a large tear ran from my right eye. Luckily I had tissues in my bag. I had to take aspirin to help alleviate the pain inside my nose. Even now at 5:28pm my nostril still feels a little sore.  I was told there is nothing wrong with the glands near my throat or anything inside my ear. The pain I feel apparently has something to do with my teeth grinding. I was told I should see a dentist to get fitted for something to wear at night inside my mouth The grinding at night is was is causing the pain inside my throat and ear.

We'll see what the dentist says and if it resolves the issue.

I wasn't grinding my teeth before March.

It only started after the injuries I had on March 6.....

In other news....

I may have mentioned in an earlier post about stories I had while in rehab. I was thinking about them today in order to cheer up my mood:

It was breakfast time ( I think during my second week ) we (the patients) were seated at the two tables in the common/room cafeteria in strapped into our wheelchairs. There was only one aide in the room and she left our breakfast trays on the metal shelves in the middle of the room. She was called away before she started to serve us.  We all sat in our wheelchairs a little after 8am.  She didn't return for 15 minutes. The man seated next to me said, "I guess we have to serve ourselves." His statement made me laugh and still makes me laugh now when I think about it. It's both depressing and funny at the same time.  It was a bit ridiculous, we're all belted to our wheelchairs and no one can go walk across the room to get a tray.  The seat belts were tied behind the wheelchair so there wasn't any way for you to unbuckle yourself.

Then there was the time when I was eating in the common room during breakfast. I had finished and cleaned up my spot at the table (during the first week). The aide told me  I could return to my room. I was used being escorted by an aide who would wheel you back.  I attempted to move the wheelchair using the bars on the side to move it in the direction thought I wanted to go. I left the cafeteria and two feet later got stuck in front of a wall. I couldn't figure out how to turn the wheelchair to the right using the handle bars to get back to my room. I sat there for what seemed like ten minutes ( I think it was five ) Not being able to move the wheelchair made me both depressed and made me laugh. I have a dry sense of humor and I realized while facing the wall in my wheelchair how upsetting it was emotionally not to be able to figure out how to move it where I wanted to go. All I could think about was how the week prior to the brain injuries I was driving a car, walking, etc. and now I was sitting in a wheel chair and couldn't walk, stand or lift my head up all the way. At the time I recognized how ridiculous is was that I couldn't figure out how to move this wheelchair  when previously I had done more complicated things.