sleep lab bound.

here we go..

sleep study day!

don't i look excited? my hair is now washed and braided, and i'm looking like a 90s r&b singer. at least that's one less thing to do for tonight's sleep study. i need to throw my pajamas and pillow pet ina a bag, shower, eat, and be ready to go by 6:30p.

it's snowing in new york city. this is strange for october. we have to drive through the slush just to get to the sleep lab.

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last night darrel and i drove-- well, he drove us to nassau county in long island to go to the cheesecake factory. i've heard about them for years and never tried it. the food was average, as in most chain restaurants. the dulce de leche cheesecake was average, too. slight disappointment, but darrel was so excited to take me since i've never been, and he said i had such a long week and needed a date. this week, i was in tons of pain. a lot of soreness in my shoulders and legs, and swelling in my fingers. when i have flares, i get extra bitchy and moody, but he kept his cool. i love him.

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now culture(d). is up on etsy. making bracelets tend to calm me a bit. sales have been going pretty ok, luckily, i'm not depending on this to make a living. here are ten new bracelets i need to take pictures of an post, but of course, the weather's preventing me from doing so. in the mean time, if anyone wants to check out the online shop, it's CisforCultured.etsy.com

i got a bunch of packages in the mail! lately, i've been getting at least one almost every day, and they're always beads, but not this time. one package was a pair of black knockaround. fort knocks sunglasses i ordered a few days ago. darrel bought me these in tortoise when i got out of the emergency room. two days later, i went back to get a black pair and they were sold out. i wear a ton of black, so i'm uber excited to put these to use.

another package was a surprise from my favorite sis, alex. we started making jewelry about the same time, and she sent me her newest creation, duafe earrings. the duafe, or wooden comb, is the west african adinkra symbol for beauty, cleanliness, and desirable feminine qualities. i can't wait to wear these. i've actually been thinking about getting a duafe tattoo..

my square also came in the mail today! i can now take credit cards on site, so if anyone sees me and wants to buy a bracelet, you don't have to go through etsy! that actually wasn't the purpose of me getting this: that will be revealed at a later date.

i'm tired and in need a nap, but of course, i can't take one. i should attempt to get some things done before having to leave. maybe some homework, because i'm definitely behind.

i know i'll have a very emotional post to write once tonight is over.

tired. and frustrated.

the sleep study's this saturday, and i'll be there alone. my mom has to stay home to take care of my dad.

it's frustrating having a sick dad while you're sick-- i feel like i have no one to take care of me, or at least physically be there when i need them to.

that's all.

flaring.

i haven't had a flare in a pretty long time. a week or two maybe?

swollen hands, headache, sore and achy shoulders, not to mention my wrist. my body's throbbing and my stomach is killing me. i'm trying to fight through it. i have a graphic novel draft due on monday, on top of cleaning my basement apartment, making more bracelets, and taking the pics for the etsy site--which will be up by sunday night.

it's hard being in pain when your boyfriend's at a strip club, but that's a whole different story that i can't bare to think about.

dr. sury called. twice. first, she called a few days ago to change my appointment from friday to saturday, and that was fine. i had plans that i was definitely looking forward to, but this is more important. she called again tonight, trying to get me to come in tonight. the first thing that came to mind was having to wash and braid my hair in pain. luckily, my mom wasn't having it. she doesn't deal well with last minute issues.

on a brighter note, i came home to three packages! one was four strands of beads, another was my marc jacobs mini lock necklace, and the other was candles and a wallflower from bath and body works. and i did a little shopping at h&m during lunch.

let me get some cleaning done.

sleep? what's that?

this weekend alone i've been feeling insanely sleep deprived. ugh..

when i saw the neurologist back in august, he gave me a referral for a sleep study. i finally saw the doctor this past thursday for the consultation. the doctors office alone freaked me out. the bed. the machines. all i could think was "am i really supposed to sleep here?"

dr. kala sury came in and looked me over: she checked my eyes and mouth, then looked up at the top of my head.

"is that all your hair?"

i was confused when she asked, but then she explained that it would be difficult to get to my scalp to perform the tests through all of my hair. it makes sense. she said i'd need to braid my entire head in cornrows.

she asked more questions, gave me my appointment date, and handed me a sheet of paper with instructions:

1. please arrive at the sleep center by the time instructed.
2. shower and wash you hair with shampoo and soap before coming in for the test, DO NOT USE any hair spray, gel, body lotions, cremes, perfumes or oils on your hair or your body. DO NOT ARRIVE with any make-up, nail polish, artificial nails, or jewelry.
3. men should shave their chin prior to coming.
4. in general, we request that you obtain a normal night's sleep before the test; however, your doctor may instruct you to do otherwise. please continue to take all your regular medications and pursue your regular diet, unless instructed by your doctor.
5. avoid napping after 12 noon on the test day.
6. please bring: your favorite pillow, teddy bear, pajamas, loose clothing, book, magazine.
7. avoid alcohol and caffeine (coffee, tea, cola, chocolate, etc) for 12 hours prior to sleep study as they will affect the accuracy of the test. no sedatives should be taken before the test.
8. since we need to record a minimum of 6 hours of sleep, lights will be out at 10 p.m. the test is usually over by 6:00 and 6:30 a.m.
9. eat before coming to the sleep center.
10. bring all medications you would normally take during the course of the test.

of course i have a problem with these instructions. i can't have naked hair. i understand why they say not to use anything, because it will make it difficult for the censors to stick to my scalp, but i have plans to go out the next day, so my hair has to be twisted up in a certain way, with product. so, my plan is to pre-poo and wash my hair, and try my hardest not to get product onto my scalp.

on the 29th of this month, i'm leaving work early to come home to prepare myself to spend the night in a sleep lab in long island city. i'll be bringing a pair of pajamas, my fuzzy socks, darrel's satin pillow case-- since i can't wear a satin bonnet-- and my lady bug pillow pet. darrel is going to drive my mom and i, because she's terrified of driving through that sections of queens. my mom is staying the night with me. she'll be in a room next to mine.

honestly, i'm scared. being in situations like these tend to bring on panic attacks, like when i was on the table getting a ct scan after my fall. that's the main reason i'm asking my mom yo come with me.

this post is looking like it's a lot longer than i anticipated, so i'm ending it here. besides, my hands are swelling and my wrists are killing me. i need to hit the sheets, and i have class tomorrow.

camphor.

another old caribbean remedy. i remember growing up and having colds all the time. my mom would get some camphor, make a little pouch an pack it inside, and pin it to my undershirts.

my mom made me a pouch and i've been tying it to my bra strap all week. i love this smell.

so this strep throat..

as you remember, i was in bed sick last week from wednesday to sunday. monday morning, i woke up, went to work, and ended up back home by 4pm. the coughing was ridiculous, and my mom just couldn't take it. we literally ping-ponged ourselves all over the east side of brooklyn, trying to get me to an urgent care center, and when that failed, we were on a hunt for cough syrup.

my mom called a pharmacist and was instructed to give me buckley's cough syrup. we tried every pharmacy in our area, including the one that told us to get the cough syrup, and absolutely no one had it; not because they were sold out, but because they just didn't carry it. an associate at walgreen's told us that we'd need to go to a caribbean store to find it, which it suddenly made sense because it's used predominantly in the caribbean. we drove at least two miles, from mill basin to east flatbush, to a korean food store where they sell a lot of caribbean food and products, and i bought the buckley's, along with a bottle of ferrol compound.*

anyone that knows buckley's knows how horrible this stuff is. it tastes like rubbing alcohol and vicks vapor rub, and looks like semen. graphic, i know. i'm sorry.

i took it a few times; nothing worked.

my mom got in contact with our family doctor, and he called in a prescription for a cough syrup with promethazine. it's helped a tad, but not as quickly as my mom would like, so she bought this stuff at the health food store.

another horrible-tasting cough syrup.

*the ferrol compound is still in the bag i brought it home in.

so sorry for the neglect..

i'm alive!

i'm just super busy with homework, since i got absolutely none of it done while i was sick. i definitely have a lot to share, so as soon as i knock this assignment out, since it is due tomorrow, i'll be back.

163.4

i stepped on the scale at the doctors office yesterday and thats what it read.

i honestly wish that there’s something else wrong with me that can explain this weight gain.

i’ve gained close to fifty pounds since the summer of 2008. something’s definitely not right.

my mom's something kinda crazy.

this lady plays no games when it comes to her daughter.

she came home from work and my fever was still really high. she popped some vitamins c and e in my mouth, gave me some spice tea she made, threw me in the shower, gave me two theraflu pills, drenched my upper body with this stuff, and went off to church. i watched scary movie 2 on hulu until i knocked out and woke up with my tee drenched. my fever was down!

it felt like the devil eating acid off my skin. i kept fanning until it stopped burning. i can't stand to be uncomfortable, so i often try to dodge her remedies from when she was a child in trinidad. at least she didn't make me drink some horribly disgusting stuff like she normally does.

anyhoot, no work tomorrow. yay!

right now..

in and out of sleep, feeling sicker than a mother. i'm surrounded by a mountain of snotty tissues, filled with yellow mucus. cold sweats, constant coughing, migraine, nausea.

darrel brought home a bacon angus burger from mcdonald's. i had to cut it in half and force feed myself just so i can take the amoxcilin. 

i called my manager while i was on my way home from the doctor. when i told him i had strep, he didn't even want me to come in for the rest of the week. understandable, strep is contagious and i sound horrid, but i'm definitely not complaining.

i had plans to go to dc this weekend to hang out with alex and my mini-muffin charleigh. so much for that..

ugh, i feel like poopie =[

i REALLY can't catch a break.

these are my feet as i'm currently siting in the pharmacy waiting for medication because...

i have strep throat!

along with a 100+ degree fever, a migraine, and a bunch of other symptoms.

i swear i can't catch a break..

i woke up with some kind of crazy sore throat.

damn.

i walked a mile!!!

well, a mile and a half, but i did it! it took me damn near an hour, but i walked from my house in mill basin to my best friend's in canarsie. first, i stopped at the dunkin donuts at the gas station around the corner for a medium coffee coolata, then hit the road. my knees locked a few times, but i was determined to finish.


trav was either unconscious or not even at the hose, so i spent the whole day with kay, as usual. we watched movies, talked shit, ate yummy taco and wing wagon, and laughed a whole lot. i needed that.