I posted these cards to Instagram in the middle of the night because insomnia and head pain kept me awake until the wee hours.

tl;dr: Thank you to u/lspjackie, u/LeeElla, u/retrorabbit79, and u/TigerLady13 (x2) for cards that have cheered me up during a scary neurological emergency. I appreciate you all!

I have been trying to get letters out recently, because I have promised a few cards to people who had requests, and I need to reply to others who have been long neglected! I had a full knee replacement surgery on 22 June, and then I have been on a pain management regimen since (I have degenerative osteoarthritis).

I had been doing well with the knee, and on Wednesday night, 26 July: dizziness. Tinnitus (more than my usual, about double) and a raging pain behind my right eye added to the mix. I was a miserable camper Wednesday night, and on Thursday morning my husband could NOT wake me up. I had an urgent appointment with my primary care doctor, and she was alarmed at my state - I appeared drunk, and the diagnosis was "altered mental state." An MRI the following week revealed severe swelling and mucous in my ... ephomoid?.... sinus, way, WAY up there. The pain that I had for almost two weeks was like a hot poker behind my right eye; I couldn't stand bright light, loud noises... think of a migraine without nausea. I was also running VERY slow. Couldn't find my words.

Turns out I had a raging sinus infection that was asymptomatic - no usual sinus pain/snot. I started antibiotics last week, and now I'm feeling MUCH better, though still with a headache, a manageable level of tinnitus, and no endurance whatsoever. It's taken me the better part of a day to write this!

I'm going to attempt to return to work (graphic design) this week, but we'll see. I still feel miserable. :(

sad trombone noises

u/lspjackie - thank you for the chocolate chip cookie day postcard! For me, crunchy! But a little chew is awesome, too. :)

u/LeeElla - I'm still sad I missed you in Norwich! But thank you for the long letter, and I'm working on a letter back to you.

u/retrorabbit79 - I love the shark card! Thank you so much!

u/TigerLady13 (x2) - as always, you are a bright spot in my day. <3

I wish I could also tag u/welshfancy (x5), but she's left RAoC and reddit. :(