Hidden Truths

What no one tells you when you branch out on your own after decades of IC and leadership work: When you're sick, there's no one to cover for you.

This week, I was knocked flat by a migraine, my first in 15+ years. It escalated quickly from urgent care to the ER because I literally couldn't stand upright. With my partner away on an extended business trip, I was still running the house (a.k.a. keeping up with my best associates — the dogs). Light hurt, sound hurt, and even standing hurt.

Enter grace: a dear friend, already juggling her husband's cancer care at The James, carved out time to bring me fluids, miso soup, meds, and to wrangle two dogs who together weigh 140+ pounds. That generosity meant everything.

I had to cancel a pile of meetings, which only added to the stress, because, as any entrepreneur knows, if you're not working, you're not earning. Still, I'm grateful. For the care from Ohio Health, for my love who checked in from afar, for Heidi's kindness, and for the dogs who lay quietly in the dark with me for days.

After tests, I'm still the picture of health. A direct comment from the doctor who ran everything on me, including a CT scan. The likely trigger? Either stress (I set very high standards for myself) or the fact that I was repairing a cabin bathroom leak around black mold without the proper gear. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a severe mold allergy. Lesson learned.

I'm on the upswing now. And I’ll never dissuade anyone from taking time to care for themselves. Because it’s not how life knocks you down, it’s how you get back up. Again and again.

the best nurse