So WordPress randomly causes Firefox to shut down for me sometimes. Just thought I’d throw that out there, since it just happened to me for the third time just now. I’m using Internet Explorer for blogging from now on. It’s just too annoying dealing with it.
Anyway, I’ve had so much to write in the past couple of weeks, but I’ve been too lazy to write them all down. (I have, at least, jotted down in a Word doc about what I should write about when I get around to it.) Anyway, I am writing now because I wanted to let you know that I fainted for the first time this past Wednesday.
My left lymph node in my neck has been swollen now for what’s going on the third week, with no explanation in sight. The first time I went to the doctor’s for it, she said it was probably related to a peridontal infection, although she didn’t see anything wrong in my mouth. She prescribed antibiotics. A week later, the swelling had not gone down, and I still had no other symptoms. So this past Wednesday, I went back. The doctor said the next step was to take a blood test. She already knew I didn’t like shots (a few weeks ago I had grudgingly gotten 3 shots during one visit in preparation for my trip abroad), but she also knew I could handle it. So she drew 15 ml of blood while I looked away. When she withdrew the needle, I suddenly felt extremely woozy. She asked, “How do you feel?” I said, “I feel a little light-headed,” but then again, people who know me know that since I have low-ish blood pressure that happens to me sometimes when I stand up fast.
This was different. The next thing I knew, I was waking up from a dream. I was dazed and confused when I opened my eyes and saw a Chinese lady in front of me, staring at me. My first thought was, “Who is this person?” Only then did I remember I was at the doctor’s office. She helped me up over to another room, where I lay down. I told her my hands felt numb, and when she felt them she said they were cold. Thinking about how that was probably due to lack of blood flow made me feel queasy again. I asked for some food, since I remembered that people are supposed to eat something after donating blood.
The doctor left me alone for several minutes to recoup with some Goldfish and warm water. I still had this icky feeling of being drained and thinking about it made it worse, but how could I not think about it? Then out of no where tears came to my eyes. I guess I just felt overwhelmed by the situation. It doesn’t take too much to make me cry, particularly in self-pity. But I always feel much better and more determined afterwards.
When the doctor came back in, I asked her what happened while she took my blood pressure. She called the fainting “a vasovagal reaction” and asked me if I’ve been stressed out, saying that might be part of it. She also said I really needed to eat more salty foods, like chips and pretzels. On the bright side, I’m probably one of the only people (in America) to hear that one! My blood pressure was only 70/50, so I laid down for another half hour before I left.
That experience was pretty unpleasant overall, and now my parents think I’m extremely delicate. They even goaded me into calling an aunt of mine who is a practitioner of traditional chinese medicine (TCM) to explain my malaise and ask what I should do.
I looked up “vasovagal syncope” on Wikipedia and other sources, and they seem to suggest that it’s just a fancy name for “fainting,” not an explanation for it. Among the reasons it can happen are a phobia of blood and having a needle withdrawn from a vessel. I thought it was more of a physiological reaction than a psychosomatic one, but maybe the latter is what it was. I mean I find blood to be extremely unpleasant (I cringe at posters for blood donations, even though I feel like I should do it), but vasovagal syncope has never happened to me before.
I wonder if reverse placebo effects or reverse psychosomatic effects are possible. For example, if I am extremely scared of blood and that causes fainting, which I had absolutely no control over, could I use the knowledge that I fainted because of that fear in order to prevent fainting? Kind of along the lines of a placebo pill not working it’s magic because you know it’s just a placebo? I mean, I see no physical reason why reverse placebo effects shouldn’t cancel out the placebo effect. There’s no reason why your brain could only carry you far enough to trick you one way, but not another.
Anyway, two other recent happenings: I got a new blouse from Anthropologie! And, I got a new haircut!
Friends of mine (at least those who care at all about fashion) know I am kind of obsessed with Anthropologie. I discovered it freshman year and since then, I’ve slowly but surely been buying more pieces and incorporating them into my wardrobe. I now have about 8 or 9 items of Anthro clothing. I love the fact that the clothes are so unique, aesthetically pleasing, and not too “trendy,” by which I mean something that’s “in” now, but has nothing of substance to keep it “in” by the end of the season. Anthropologie clothes make you feel like you’re wearing a piece of history and often another culture, since many of their items have an “ethnic” vibe. You could say, “Well that’s contrived,” but I think Anthropologie does it in a very tasteful and understated way. Sometimes you look at an item and you just think, “That must be what someone from Sleepy Hollow would wear” or “That’s what I would wear if I owned a home in the country.” I love going online and looking at the catalog pics and envisioning the fantasy world the models appear to inhabit.
I agree with many shoppers at Anthropologie that the prices are exorbitant and gratuitous, and the quality of the clothes does not warrant the price. However, I must also say that you will find this to be true at many other mid-upper-end shops for women’s clothing. At some point, you need to recognize what you are primarily paying for: the fashion, not the utility of the clothes. And at least at Anthropologie you’re not paying inordinate prices for a lame shirt advertising the name of the store on it, like you would be at Abercrombie.
This is the Prairie Breeze Blouse I bought (and am wearing now):
(Disclaimer: If you object to copyrighted material being posted, feel free to let me know, and I will gladly remove it.)
Isn’t it darling? I’ve already gotten compliments. I have to say though, when I got home I realized I have quite a few florals already, but it’s too adorable to return and florals are nice anyway. I hope florals aren’t becoming my new pink though…people who knew me in high school know I wore way too much of that. What can I say? It made dressing easy– everything matched.
As for the haircut, I’m quite satisfied with it. It seems like I can’t get a haircut without being dramatic about it. This time, I got about 6 inches off. The last three times I got haircuts, I also got at least that length cut off. I guess it’s partially because I’m lazy about getting them, but I also like the big change I see when it goes from being really long to being short.
This time, I was seeking a cut that would be easy to keep, that would make me look more mature, and that would frame my face well. I ended up with kind of a smooth and straight Victoria Beckham-esque haircut , if that helps you paint a picture. It’s a sideswept cut that goes down to about an inch longer than my chin, with the ends bending slightly inwards toward the face.
I figured I wanted my hair cut before I go to China, since I wanted to go with the hair that my new friends are supposed to get used to. That, and I wasn’t too keen on getting a fob haircut at a Chinese salon. Haha.
I think I’ll split the rest of what I wanted to write into another entry, since this one’s getting long.
Verily yours,
Dorothy
Oz Evolving 