One Week Later

It has been one week almost to the minute since my accident.  I can’t believe seven days have already passed.  Today I get my stitches out and man, are they itchy at this point!  The more the scabby pieces fall off, the better the scar looks.  I’m glad it has sealed itself up so well.  It’ll definitely be with me for the rest of my life but hey, it’s a reminder that things could have been much worse and that I am so thankful to be alive.

Looking back on that day, I still don’t remember much of anything about the actual accident.  I remember being in traffic then I can recall being in the hospital completely unaware how I had gotten there or why I was there for that matter.  I think this lack of memory is the thing that most bothers me.  It is incredibly disconcerting to not be able to answer questions or even just replay bits and pieces of a day on command.  Normally, when someone asks you what you had for dinner the other day or where you were you can just call up the memory and answer but I can’t in this case.  I just have this blank section.

Something that makes the whole lack of memory even weirder is that I never lost consciousness.  So I was literally awake the whole time and I couldn’t tell you anything about what happened.  I spoke with the nurse who was four cars back when I was hit.  He jumped out of his car and took care of me until the ambulance came.  He called my mother and explained what was happening and where I was being taken.  What to know the craziest part?  Apparently, I TOLD HIM to call my mother.  This means I was talking to him, to the EMTs, to the ER doctors and techs and I have no recollection of that.  I find that insane.

Despite the memory awkwardness, my body is still sore, mostly around my neck.  I wear the brace when in the car because of the accelerations and decelerations that I can’t necessarily prepare for though when I’m around my apartment, I am much more comfortable without the brace.  The way it rests on my shoulders causes me to keep a lot of tension there which just means I end up sorer in the long run.  Another persistent symptom is the dizziness that I experience when I lay back in bed or tilt my head back in the shower.  I’ve found ways around it though so it hasn’t been too incapacitating. 

All in all, I am doing okay.  So okay that I baked up a storm today in the kitchen.  I have a pool party tonight hosted by the second years in my genetic counseling program and we have all been asked to bring a dish.  I typically like to use parties with lots of people as a venue to make a dish that normally would be way to much for me to make for just myself.  Enter the Deep Dish Cookie Pie!

I have been eyeing this bad boy for a while so I was beyond ready to get my hands dirty and bake up some goodness.  I realized I need a few things so I made my first walking grocery trip to Marsh.  I used my own bag and felt very cool.  Silly, I know, but it was a neat experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got the things I needed for dessert and I couldn’t help but slip some plantain chips and artichoke hearts in my bag as well.  Love them.

To start I filled up my Vitamix (nicknamed Vera) with all the ingredients, minus the chocolate chips.  I ended up tampering down the components, which surprisingly doesn’t hurt despite my chest wall problems, and running Vera on high for a while so that the whole thing came out really smooth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I personally love dark chocolate and semi-sweet chips so I did a half and half mix.  Because the puree was a bit warm from the blending process, when I place it on top of the chips some melted.  I was originally a bit disappointed but then I saw the ribbons of chocolate and who can be sad with a “face” like this?

I used a 9-inch springform pan to bake my pie and ended up going a few minutes longer than the recipe says to because hers was baked in a 10-inch.  Deeper = longer in the oven.  Check out this beautiful beast!

I cannot wait to dig in but I have to wait until the party tonight.  Anyone want to lend me some willpower??

In other news, this morning mom left and I promptly locked myself out of my apartment at 6am when I was seeing her off.  Ugh.  The concierge gave me a spare key set which I used to let myself back in and collapse (carefully) in bed again.  When I woke up later in the morning I went to the gym.  I spent 30 minutes on the treadmill and 15 minutes on the stationary reclined bike.  For breakfast when I returned, I tried out oat bran.  And not only was it oat bran, it was OBIAJ (Oat Bran In A Jar)!!!!!!!

In the mix: 1/3 cup oat bran, 1 cup water, 1/4 cup almond milk, tbsp each of unsweetened shredded coconut and chia seeds, 15g chocolate protein powder.  The jar contained the last dregs of my homemade kettle roasted peanut butter.  The oat bran mixture needed a tiny bit of salt to bring out the chocolate flavor but all in all it was good.  I think I prefer oatmeal to oat bran but I think making a half/half mixture would be a great idea.  Oat bran is super high in fiber and protein so it would be a stellar addition.  Yum.

My tummy is starting to growl and I should get everything packed and ready for the pool party tonight.  Ta ta for now everyone!  Breathe deeply and smile. =D

Questions: Do you make special desserts for group gatherings that you wouldn’t normally make for just yourself?  How have you celebrated being alive today?