Welcome to Episode 2! AKA the one where Clarissa gets a pie thrown in her face. Humble pie, that is.
Every October, K-State Research & Extension holds its Annual Conference on campus in Manhattan. It's a typical conference, with an opening ceremony, breakout sessions for a couple days and then concludes with an awards luncheon. Sometimes the conferences themselves aren't all that exciting, but it's always good to catch up with other extension pals from across the state plus the agent associations have meetings and social nights which are always fun.
This was just a couple months after my first seizure so I was unable to drive myself up there, which wasn't a huge deal since there's a bunch of people going to Manhattan anyway. I was rooming with Beth Ireland who was in Greenwood County at the time so we made arrangements to ride together as well. I had reached this point in my adult life where I didn't really have any friends who still lived in Manhattan so I really just planned on hanging out with other extension agents. Which is totally cool, because I love you guys (xoxo).
Anyway, the date is October 26, 2016: Day two of Annual Conference. Beth is a morning person which I'm always reminded of on trips like this. "Goooooood morning, Clarissa!!!!!" she chirps in her cheery sing-songy voice. "uuuugh" is about all I can muster at this point.
The previous winter, both of us had attended a "Stay Strong Stay Healthy" training in Wichita which started at like 7:30 am. Buzzing Beth was chatting, mingling and ready to go. Clarissa was yawning, blinking at the outrageous amount of light in the world, and came in at 7:29. Beth thought this was hilarious. 😒
Back to the present. I snooze my alarm another time. Okay, two more times. I manage to roll out of bed, throw some clothes on and pull myself together without making Beth too late. In other words, I'm already killing it for the day. The other great thing about conferences, especially conferences at K-State? Free stuff! Coffee! Snacks! Pens! Notepads! and last, but not least, Call. Hall. ICE! CREAM! I know right?!
For the last session of the day, I selected one titled "Monkeys and Everyday Nirvana". It's a very random title, and to this day I still can't tell you why she gave the session that title; but she didn't ask me. This session was presented by Terrie McCants who was the director of K-State's Conflict Resolution Program, a professor in Conflict Resolution, did lots of mediations, etc. Anyone picking up on why I may have chosen to attend the randomly titled session with the not so random subject matter? For those who may still be in the dark, it all comes back to the conflict that was being discussed at that board meeting when I had my first seizure. Oh, what a night! I can just hear Frankie Valli singing about it!
I walk into the Cottonwood Room (if I remember right) in the Student Union. The room is so dark and professional-looking with its deep violet wallpaper, berber carpet, serene landscape artwork and dim lighting; it practically invites people to fall asleep! But during this session about conflict, however, there will be no shuteye for me! My blood pressure has spiked just thinking about conflict (ISFJ, remember?). Anyway, I walk into the room and see Darl! (He's my coworker, by the way) Haha! Well isn't this ironic. It's like we had both experienced some tension recently or something. He's already chatting it up with a fellow agent so I just give him a smile and take a seat at a nearby table.
I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to talking about people. Personality types, human development; all that stuff is my jam. So I also find conflict resolution pretty fascinating. I actually got a 12 hour certificate on it in college and had Terrie McCants as a professor for one of my classes. Needless to say I'm pretty engrossed in the session despite my rise in blood pressure and flash backs to "the episode". Ms. McCants offers to email the slides out afterwards much to my relief, otherwise I would've been frantically trying to snap photos of so many slides. <find phone, type in passcode, re-type passcode, open camera, raise phone, dodge person's head, zoom in, focus camera, CUSS they changed the friggin slide "and I almost had it that time!" > Such a first world problem, I know.
I'm done for the day! Time to walk balk to the hotel, change into casual clothes for FCS Friendship Night. I get into the room and Beth is already there, talking on the phone while sitting on her bed. I smile, wave, maybe plop down on the bed for a few minutes before heading into the bathroom to change into my evening clothes.
I step into the bathroom, and suddenly get that feeling that something's not right. I don't even shut the door- just drop my changing clothes and sit on the toilet with my clothes still on. I lean over onto the counter and just feel weird. Nauseous? Sort of. Cloudy? Yeah. "Maybe I need some water." ... "Oh crap, it's happening"
I stay like that for a bit. How long? Can't really tell ya. Beth gets off the phone and I remember trying to groan/moan/wail to get her attention but I'm not really sure if it worked. It seemed like forever before I remember her calling from her bed "You ok in there?" and then her finally coming into the bathroom.
It doesn't take long for Beth to realize that we need to go to the hospital. I'm chillin' on the toilet/counter still conscious, but don't have a clue as to what's going on. I can't talk at all. Probably have a blank expression on my face, just in my own little world, scared outta my freakin' mind. I think Beth grabs her stuff, grabs my purse and changes my shoes while I'm on the pot (she's gonna be a great mom someday!).
I'm pretty sure Beth holds my hand or links arms with me the whole way to the vehicle. I can walk and everything, just can't talk or point to where the sky is. No big deal. We see Anne, another FCS agent, in the parking lot. Then Beth starts driving us to the hospital. She holds my hand the whole way there. I probably cry or just stare out the window the whole time, can't really tell ya. Beth is able to get into my phone to call Matt andmy office. I think it's just before 5:00 so Beth can catch Lauren before she leaves for the day to get any info from the office that she needs (since everyone can find that stuff now-yay!).
Isn't this going so much better than last time?! Beth can get into my phone, coworker has access to my emergency medical information, Beth is able to call Matt right away... It's all workin' out!
Well, for a little bit, anyway....
Every October, K-State Research & Extension holds its Annual Conference on campus in Manhattan. It's a typical conference, with an opening ceremony, breakout sessions for a couple days and then concludes with an awards luncheon. Sometimes the conferences themselves aren't all that exciting, but it's always good to catch up with other extension pals from across the state plus the agent associations have meetings and social nights which are always fun.
This was just a couple months after my first seizure so I was unable to drive myself up there, which wasn't a huge deal since there's a bunch of people going to Manhattan anyway. I was rooming with Beth Ireland who was in Greenwood County at the time so we made arrangements to ride together as well. I had reached this point in my adult life where I didn't really have any friends who still lived in Manhattan so I really just planned on hanging out with other extension agents. Which is totally cool, because I love you guys (xoxo).
Anyway, the date is October 26, 2016: Day two of Annual Conference. Beth is a morning person which I'm always reminded of on trips like this. "Goooooood morning, Clarissa!!!!!" she chirps in her cheery sing-songy voice. "uuuugh" is about all I can muster at this point.
The previous winter, both of us had attended a "Stay Strong Stay Healthy" training in Wichita which started at like 7:30 am. Buzzing Beth was chatting, mingling and ready to go. Clarissa was yawning, blinking at the outrageous amount of light in the world, and came in at 7:29. Beth thought this was hilarious. 😒
Back to the present. I snooze my alarm another time. Okay, two more times. I manage to roll out of bed, throw some clothes on and pull myself together without making Beth too late. In other words, I'm already killing it for the day. The other great thing about conferences, especially conferences at K-State? Free stuff! Coffee! Snacks! Pens! Notepads! and last, but not least, Call. Hall. ICE! CREAM! I know right?!
For the last session of the day, I selected one titled "Monkeys and Everyday Nirvana". It's a very random title, and to this day I still can't tell you why she gave the session that title; but she didn't ask me. This session was presented by Terrie McCants who was the director of K-State's Conflict Resolution Program, a professor in Conflict Resolution, did lots of mediations, etc. Anyone picking up on why I may have chosen to attend the randomly titled session with the not so random subject matter? For those who may still be in the dark, it all comes back to the conflict that was being discussed at that board meeting when I had my first seizure. Oh, what a night! I can just hear Frankie Valli singing about it!
I walk into the Cottonwood Room (if I remember right) in the Student Union. The room is so dark and professional-looking with its deep violet wallpaper, berber carpet, serene landscape artwork and dim lighting; it practically invites people to fall asleep! But during this session about conflict, however, there will be no shuteye for me! My blood pressure has spiked just thinking about conflict (ISFJ, remember?). Anyway, I walk into the room and see Darl! (He's my coworker, by the way) Haha! Well isn't this ironic. It's like we had both experienced some tension recently or something. He's already chatting it up with a fellow agent so I just give him a smile and take a seat at a nearby table.
I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to talking about people. Personality types, human development; all that stuff is my jam. So I also find conflict resolution pretty fascinating. I actually got a 12 hour certificate on it in college and had Terrie McCants as a professor for one of my classes. Needless to say I'm pretty engrossed in the session despite my rise in blood pressure and flash backs to "the episode". Ms. McCants offers to email the slides out afterwards much to my relief, otherwise I would've been frantically trying to snap photos of so many slides. <find phone, type in passcode, re-type passcode, open camera, raise phone, dodge person's head, zoom in, focus camera, CUSS they changed the friggin slide "and I almost had it that time!" > Such a first world problem, I know.
I'm done for the day! Time to walk balk to the hotel, change into casual clothes for FCS Friendship Night. I get into the room and Beth is already there, talking on the phone while sitting on her bed. I smile, wave, maybe plop down on the bed for a few minutes before heading into the bathroom to change into my evening clothes.
I step into the bathroom, and suddenly get that feeling that something's not right. I don't even shut the door- just drop my changing clothes and sit on the toilet with my clothes still on. I lean over onto the counter and just feel weird. Nauseous? Sort of. Cloudy? Yeah. "Maybe I need some water." ... "Oh crap, it's happening"
↜↝
I stay like that for a bit. How long? Can't really tell ya. Beth gets off the phone and I remember trying to groan/moan/wail to get her attention but I'm not really sure if it worked. It seemed like forever before I remember her calling from her bed "You ok in there?" and then her finally coming into the bathroom.
It doesn't take long for Beth to realize that we need to go to the hospital. I'm chillin' on the toilet/counter still conscious, but don't have a clue as to what's going on. I can't talk at all. Probably have a blank expression on my face, just in my own little world, scared outta my freakin' mind. I think Beth grabs her stuff, grabs my purse and changes my shoes while I'm on the pot (she's gonna be a great mom someday!).
I'm pretty sure Beth holds my hand or links arms with me the whole way to the vehicle. I can walk and everything, just can't talk or point to where the sky is. No big deal. We see Anne, another FCS agent, in the parking lot. Then Beth starts driving us to the hospital. She holds my hand the whole way there. I probably cry or just stare out the window the whole time, can't really tell ya. Beth is able to get into my phone to call Matt andmy office. I think it's just before 5:00 so Beth can catch Lauren before she leaves for the day to get any info from the office that she needs (since everyone can find that stuff now-yay!).
Isn't this going so much better than last time?! Beth can get into my phone, coworker has access to my emergency medical information, Beth is able to call Matt right away... It's all workin' out!
Well, for a little bit, anyway....
↞↠
Next time on This Epi(lepti)c Life-- Part Two! You'll hear all about the ER. I'd actually done something earlier in the day that made the whole check-in process less than easy on Beth! Could this really be a seizure? I mean, I didn't ever lose consciousness. Find out next time!
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