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11:14am February 16, 2013

➸ felis corvus: Vaso-what?

feliscorvus:

(I wrote on dreamwidth about this privately a while back so it might be somewhat redundant to some people, but I wanted to write about it here now I’m more comfortable discussing the subject. Just in case it’s useful to anyone else with body-awareness issues, etc.)


So, when I was little, somehow…

I had a similar childhood impression of fainting that got me very confused about what was happening when I almost faint as well, which likewise happens a lot more than I was aware of.

And yeah if your visual field starts changing all into one color or blotchy and it’s not a migraine (which is different somehow), that’s a very bad sign. One time I took my blood pressure after lying down with my arms and legs in the air when that happened,and it was 80/40 by the time I could see again. Severe dehydration – and trying to ride a bicycle, which I thought must have two flat tires until I got off and my legs didn’t work.

With you I tend to have a fair bit of intuition because we are so similar, so it felt almost like I had a “mirror body” that was trying to pass out. Which was such an odd sensation I immediately alerted you. I don’t understand how my brain maps you like that, but it seems to be some automatic process that responds to patterns I can barely consciously understand, and then maps them onto “another me” that feels in some ways just like one more part of myself yet also very distinct from myself such that I never blur the boundaries between your and my body despite it all. Confusing. But useful when I need to understand something about you fast. And a good example of autistic people not only not lacking empathy but having rather a lot in certain situations. Now I understand why you can pick up on my pain levels so quickly.

I hope you are feeling better today. You looked completely dreadful yesterday yet seemed to be convinced you ought to feel better already. I think a more realistic fullish recovery time would be a week or two. And remember, after the day you feel completely and utterly better, give yourself three to five more days of taking it easy. You always overestimate your recovery. (How do I know? Because I do it too.) And even after that, if you find yourself unable to do what you could normally do, assume you’re not recovered.

It’s not reasonable to think you only need a couple days to recover from surgery on the most sensitive part of your body. Even aside from the pain, your body can’t differentiate between surgery and injury. It takes a lot of energy to heal. And your body is going into emergency mode because for all it knows you’ve been stabbed and had parts of your bone chipped off. Which you have. So expect to feel sick, because you are. Your body has to do all kinds of crap to fix itself and defend itself against infection. It won’t prioritize your normal abilities, physical or mental. You should technically be resting a lot. And try to hang around people when possible.

Figure this might take a week or two. And when you’re sure you are absolutely fully recovered – figure 3-5 more days. I know you way too well to expect anything else. And try to lie down a lot when you can. Or sit in soft areas. You actually need rest so your body can do all those other things besides keep you running around places. Also, you should stay fed and hydrated. Try Ensure and Gatorade if you can stomach them and handle the taste. You need the energy and random soft foods aren’t always balanced nutrition. (And the Gatorade hydrates you better than water.)

Now I’ll see if this damn tumblr app will post this. I lost my last one because glitches or something.