M.I.A.? Look Who's Back...

Maybe you've noticed, or maybe you haven't, but I've been noticeably M.I.A for quite some time now. After my last release: Falling for Summer, back in September 2017, I had a bit of break as I prepared myself for my next book to write. Then life got in my way.

So many things were going on like: getting kids back to school, a funeral for my grandmother, learning how to deal with a new puppy, losing sleep because he was like a newborn child, and then the holiday's hit, among other life events. So, I figured I would get back to my works-in-progress by the start of the New Year however, time slipped through my fingers and the next thing I know, it's February 2018 and I hadn't done a thing. Oh sure, I had plenty of ideas and continued to promote the other books I had, but none of it brought me closer to putting anything to paper. This brings me to the biggest reason I’ve been missing in action here for the rest of 2018.

On February 9th, at about 8 am, I could be found standing on a kitchen chair while cleaning out my spice/medicine cabinet. I'm not saying this was a smart choice- but I didn't have step ladder, so a chair was the next best option. So here I am, cleaning away when I decide to reach over and a tad bit and clean the microwave. It had a little bit of dust on it- so why not? It didn't seem like a big deal- oh but how wrong I was! You see, I was leaning a bit to the left to wipe it down before I went back to wiping out the cabinet however, just doing that made me go off balance and I fell straight back, slamming my head and back onto the kitchen floor.  

At first, I laid there feeling hurt, stunned, and in pain. But I knew I couldn't lye there forever and wallow in my misery. Nope. I had a dog that I just knew was up to no good, as it was too quiet, to get to. Sure enough, I turn my head to the left and see him, through my teary eyes, coming towards me but it's what he left behind that I knew I need to get up for. He had taken some papers and ripped them to shreds. Sigh. He's such an equal opportunist when it comes to paper, cardboard, toilet paper, tissue paper, Kleenex, sticks, bushes, bark, and anything other product that has to do with being related to a tree. 

Before I could pull myself off the floor, he's in my face, licking it. I was in so much pain and mad that I fell, and mad that he tore something up again! So I shooed him away and told him to go away. The poor baby! The first thing I think, once I'm standing up is: Do I have a concussion? I quickly Google the word and read off the symptoms. Once I finished, I realized I had three of those issues- but wrote them off as being related to other reasons for having them. Next, I call the chiropractor, knowing my body needed a visit to them ASAP! One problem with that call- my D.C. was on vacation for a week and his partner couldn't see me until Tuesday, which by the way- it was Friday morning at this point. So, I suffered the weekend- having to forgo church and not being there when they sustained me to my new youth leadership calling. My head was pounding, my body felt years beyond my 40ish ones, and I couldn't handle noise, light, or think straight. I put myself to bed that weekend and patiently, maybe/maybe not, waited for my appointment. 

Tuesday rolls around and the diagnosis? Concussion and whiplash. 

I can't even begin to describe what a crazy injury this was for me. For months I was in physical pain and my brain was scrambled and here we are, 14 weeks later and I'm still experiencing issues. Hitting your head is no joke. I can't tell you how many times I've stood on a chair or fallen and smacked my head. It's amazing how hard and thick our skulls are. Boy do we need that protection- because just one hit the 'right' way, and it can mess you up for a while, or for life. 

I ended up having Post Concussion Syndrome and the prognosis for getting better? Three months to a year, or maybe longer depending on your age. I'm here to tell you that being older and taking a spill like that isn't easy on the body. It surely doesn't bounce back like it used to.

Here are the things I experienced during this injury:

Insomnia

Severe headaches- daily

Tense/Sore muscles

Bone pain

Concentration issues

Highly Emotional 

Confusion

Speech issues- stuttering, slurring, mixing up words, forgetting words, combining two words to make one word

Memory issues- not being able to spell right, forgetting the meaning of simple words,

loss of some long term memories and short term memory issues, and some days I can't remember doing certain things or saying certain things

Slow thinking process

Exhaustion- I couldn't even clean because doing one simple task wore me out

Sensitivity to Noise and Light

Irritability

Dizziness

Ringing in the ears

No longer can I multi task as I can't focus/concentrate on two things at once 

I was put to bed rest and for months I couldn't use anything electronic. I had to put my brain to rest and have little to no brain stimulation. That was a test right there in itself!  

I'm grateful that it wasn't worse, that I didn't black out, and that I didn't break anything. I also feel like this was a learning lesson for me in learning to slow down in life, and not put so much on my plate, or stress myself out so much. Not an easy thing for me to do, but I feel like it's been good and necessary as I learn that I can't do it all. I'm not Wonder Woman, and I don't have to say yes and help everyone out all the time. I can say no more than I say yes. Sometimes, ourselves, family, and health need to come before others, work, and whatever else we put before all of that. 

One good thing- it did inspire my next book that is in the process. ;) ha ha 

I'm looking at publishing in either August or September 2018.

On a serious note:

Take the time to appreciate what life has to offer by slowing down to enjoy the beauty that's all around us.  

J.B. Morgan