Preparing for trip to Japan

I was worried about this trip. I'd been bedridden for the last three months after my accident, and was feeling weak as a kitten. I talked to all of my doctors about it, asking whether they thought it was something I should cancel and try again in a year or so. I didn't feel confident at all in my ability to stand alone, much less walk without assistance. But they thought that with proper care I might be able to handle the trip, and that it would probably help pull me out of the depression I was fighting with.

Each of my doctors wrote notes concerning the area they were worried about, most especially my neurologist. I had been suffering with minor brain seizures since the accident, which caused me to have momentary blackouts with loss of memory for several minutes before and during each episode. They seemed to occur more frequently if I was under stress or in extreme pain. The normal stresses involved with traveling could potentially set off more severe seizures, possibly causing me to fall from dangerous places (like plane ramps?).

I was instructed to show my "emergency care sheets" to personel on each of the planes that I boarded, so that they could be alert to any signs of trouble and respond accordingly. I was also given all the medication and emergency care items that might be possibly needed to keep in my carry on baggage.

All in all it was a very humbling experience. From the crazy kid that would race down cliffsides in a forward facing repel, hike down mountainsides with an injured elk calf on her shoulders, or ride horses at breakneck speeds to crash headlong into ice cold lakes... I never realized how mortal I was until I could no longer lift a gallon of milk without agonizing pain. Or the day I bowed my head in humility and handed letters of disability and handicap to the personel of each of those planes.

Next: A Night at the Airport >>