Thursday, May 18, 2006

"My smelling salts!"

This morning, for the first time ever, I blacked out.

Even before I climbed out of bed it was a rough morning. I had repeated a dream all night and early morning long. This dream consisted mainlyof a sudden remembrance that I was on dinner at Fairwood and had forgotten all about it. I would start to frantically plan one and then would realize that it was too late to talk to Mary about it. Punctuating this nightmare at regular intervals was an embarrassing incident. I would be drinking a glass of water while I worried about dinner and talked to various students. Every few sips I would somehow miss my mouth with the cup and dump water over myself, and TJ would be walking through the kitchen and would laugh at me. (Unfortunately, as some of you may know, that this has some basis in real life. Distraction is fatal to me while I am drinking...I either have a near death experience or become very damp if my mind is elsewhere. Oh, and TJ does usually seem to notice and does usually let me know that he has noticed, but usually I am amused myself and not at all bothered. In this dream, however, I was quite distressed by his teasing.)

So it was from a not so pleasant sleep that my alarm awoke me. I decided I was too tired to get up and dozed on, ignoring the music. However, after many guilty glances at the clock, I decided I should get up after all. I had no reason to be as tired as I felt, because I had had plenty of sleep.

I dragged myself out of bed and started into my five minute stretch/exercise wake-up routine. Barely had I been moving for three minutes, when I began to feel quite hot. Instead of waking up as I exercised, I was becoming more and more tired. While I was doing some tricep presses at my bed I began to feel quite dizzy, in fact. I pulled myself up onto the bed and noticed that I was having an extraordinarily bad head rush. As everything got darker and darker I decided to sit on the floor and put my head down. (As I slid off the bed I recalled Brandon had told us that this was no longer the recommended procedure for preventing fainting, but I couldn't remember anything else, so I was happy to put my head on my knees and close my eyes.)

I wish I could remember what my dreams had been when I came back to a minute or so later. All I could recall was a vague voice talking lots. I think they had something to do with whatever NPR voice was coming over my radio. I did know for certain that I felt wicked sick, really, really hot, and that my ears were ringing loudly.

After a minute or so on my bed and a few minutes on the couch under my parents' observation, I felt fine, but a bit sleepy. Got to sleep for a couple more hours, and had a normal day after that. Weird, wot?

Maybe I have a weird disease that is going to randomly knock me dead.

Hehe...I keep remembering fainting scenes from books and movies...

"I'm an uncle!" Remember the guy in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers who
faints dead away?

"Wilbur, I forbid you to faint!"-Charlotte the spider

The girl that Anne Shirley was teaching who fainted when the firecrackers
where in the stove.

I seem to be in pretty good company.

9 comments:

Avalanche Cowpoke said...

Hey girl---hope you don't do anymore o' them fainting tricks---they ain't so much like fun---more like Yuck! For the occassional dampness issue---would a sippy cup be of help---maybe a straw kept handy... ...chuckle! 8~D I miss ya'!!!

CKS said...

I fainted once in the bathroom of a hotel in the Colorado Rockies on a family trip...must have been the elevation.

But the most recent time was at Six Flags NJ on the highest and fastest roller coaster on the East Coast. Yup, I blacked out as we went around the first curve. I never actually went unconscious...but I couldn't see anything for a while.

So it must be hereditary and we both have this disease.

But, really, this comment proves that you are indeed in good company. Grand company... Stupendous company... Superior company...

lis said...

Ai yai yai. My body doing something I have not told it to, I do not like! I only almost fainted once (sprained ankle pain) and that was Enough for me. :O)

Glad to hear you're okay.

You are, aren't you?

Claire said...

Hey- I saw your comments sprinkled around the blogosphere and so I came over to see if you were back...So glad you ARE! Congrats on finishing your first year...

Yeah, fainting's no fun. Combine it with a trip to the eye doctor's and you have a horrible catastrophe. But anyway...I hope you're feeling much better. I'm glad you had NPR as company through the trauma. Their voices can be very calming.

ljm said...

I'm just impressed by your excercise/stretching routine!

Booker said...

hey,mind if I stick you back on the Links List?

*not sure what to write about the post*
:-)

Kayla said...

whoah there bria! sounds like we might be related (is that good or bad?;). But you are of course in excellent company.

Out of interest's sake, I have heard (from a nurse so she should know) that it is impossible to faint while lying down, especially if you have you're feet up. Also, I have heard that drinking orange juice right after such an incident helps put your blood sugar up and make you feel better. I can inform you of this from experience.:D

KJ said...

Bria dear! That is so awful! I'm glad you weren't hurt like Brandon has been in his many fainting spells. :)

I had a weird dream about Bible school last night too! I guess I won't take the time to recount it here though... but I loved your's :)

Have a blast at the cape!

TripleNine said...

I must say your first was quite the introduction. I'll ditto the others in saying that though they aren't fun, you are certainly in good company.