Potato Chips and Brain Damage

The Painting is Hairdresser Amy, 11/05, Mixed Media

Thursday...I spent from 9:30 AM yesterday until 4 PM at Jefferson University Hospital taking a neuropsychological evaluation for central nervous system lupus. The evaluation identifies specific problems in cognition--brain damage--caused by the lupus. It was a grueling test; I drove home in the pouring rain eating three little bags of very hot barbecue potato chips, cheesies, and sour cream-type potato chips. Luckily, I'd finished the two candy bars in the parking lot. I didn't know when I paid for parking downstairs in the 'lobby', I had to bring anything back upstairs to the car with me. Harry called on the cell phone at just that minute anyway, and I was distracted. So when I pulled up in my old Toyota to the bar machine, it wouldn't let me out and folks started honking behind me. I needed the ticket apparently to insert into the machine but I couldn't find it. I dumped everything out of my handbag, my wallet, the potato chip bag, my pockets and my rain jacket but there was no ticket or receipt. The attendant walked over, asked what the problem was, and demanded I move my car out of the way. After some mild arguing I did that and she went looking for the ticket which she said might still be in the machine. That turned out to have been the problem so I thanked her profusely and drove home in the blazing rainstorm eating the potato chips.
For dinner, I wisely refused the very high-calorie pizza and ate cereal instead, followed by a little candy. I was shocked when my evening watching The Daily Show and Colbert Report was interrupted by an upset stomach! I'm used to my guts of iron, or at least steel. My remedy was to complain through the shows and Invasion, then eat my left-over home-made cole slaw that's absolutely delicious, hardly fattening at all and guaranteed to cure anything, followed by licorice thingies, which I believe are also good for digestion. Then I quickly ran upstairs, brushed my teeth, and got into bed before my stomach had any feedback for me.