Mind and Seek

It’s our lost episode from before the quarantine! We didn’t post this episode a few weeks back because after it was recorded the world had changed, seemingly overnight, and it felt like the conversation had become all about what we needed to do to stay safe. But in this episode we talk about trying to find that connection to something you once deeply loved, pre-encephalitis, and having to navigate an entirely different relationship with it in the aftermath.

As we all start adjusting to our new normal, keeping your mental health up becomes more important than it’s ever been. That’s why returning to therapy can be a great way to strengthen those self care muscles! And thank goodness we live in a time where we can find our favorite therapists online, from the safety of our own homes.

Trying to find a sense of normalcy in a time when you have to have an “in” to get flour from a grocery store can be...challenging. Theresa and Brandon reflect on how quickly and bizarrely the Coronavirus pandemic escalated, and how their quarantine looks in comparison to others. Also, we love you all and we’re in this together!

As the world reels from this global pandemic, we all look for ways to connect and help one another through possibly the most uncertain times of our generation. The Coronavirus has demanded that people all across the global remain confined to their homes for an indefinite amount of time, and that comes with it’s own challenges. In our small way, Theresa and I offer solutions for coping with the quarantine, and how to stay sane when the world outside is anything but.

You don’t always need to pitch solutions. Sometimes things are so tough for so long, that what you really need is a venting session. To have someone there who is willing to just listen and sympathize with the struggle can do way more good than someone telling you all the ways you can solve how you’re feeling. And in this episode, that’s exactly what was needed. This episode is not only important for people who feel what Theresa is going through, but also for people in Brandon’s position to learn news was of supporting the people we love.

Theresa decides to interview Brandon in the aftermath of his first One Man Show, I Can’t Indian Good! This episode is about rediscovering your creativity identity after this journey has put you through the emotional ringer. It’s more than possible, it’s entirely necessary.

The process of getting through encephalitis can really feel like guesswork at times. Sometimes you get it right and you feel a little better, sometimes you get set back, and sometimes you need to adjust your expectations of what “progress” means.

When your treatment gets delayed because of repeated and constant mistakes that are out of your control, it’s ok to be upset. And Theresa is UP-SET. Encephalitis can be frustrating enough without having to fight an uphill battle with the medical system.

Choosing to be grateful when everything feels like it’s burning down around you can be hard to do. But it’s a practice that makes living life meaningful. At least that’s what Brandon and Theresa think, and they’re crazy.

Theresa and Brandon discuss Louie, the 80lbs black pitbull mastiff mix/certified emotional support animal! How they got him, what he’s done for them, and why an addition to the family can be such a powerful step in the recovery process.

Theresa’s getting dizzy, and the only prescription, is more cowbell… or more IVIG, we’re not sure. We’re not doctors.

Brandon and Theresa talk about how perspective has been such a key factor in helping them heal. Allowing yourself to be open to a different way of looking at a problem or situation can sometimes make room for new solutions and a lot of healing. Also All Inclusive resorts are dangerous.

To choose vulnerability is to choose courage, connection and self expression. This is exactly what Theresa did when she started sharing the details of her recovery on social media. Brandon and Theresa sit down to talk about the role vulnerability has played in easing the isolation brought on by Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis.

Theresa talks through the anniversary of her illness, and how it effects the holidays as a whole. A complicated emotional relationship with a time many expect you to be "cheerful" can be an extra special form of anxiety.

Bills! We all know that feeling in the pit of our stomach when you get a bill in the mail. And it can feel even worse when you can't understand how you're getting billed in the first place. Here are some tips that will hopefully help you feel a little less overwhelmed by it all.

Last week's episode we raged against the "professionals" who really seemed to be doing more harm than good. This week we talk about the ones that made this painful journey just a little bit more bearable. Their kindness really did go a long way.

It's a scary thing when the people who are supposed to take care of you end up being...the worst. Brandon and Theresa laugh about various encounters they had with medical "Professionals" who were anything but. Terrifying, then. But pretty funny now.

A continual thread from the last episode, Brandon and Theresa dive deeper into Brandon’s perspective of the night of Theresa’s psyche ward admission, his lone experience with her hospital stay, and what it was like to feel the crippling distance between them when she came home.

Sometimes the real battle starts when you leave the hospital. Brandon and Theresa talk about how difficult it can be to reconnect during the recovery, and what that psychological divide looks like between a survivor and a caregiver.

This episode gets very vulnerable very fast as Theresa, while working through a bout of depression, gives us a look into the "void of emotion" that may be just as terrifying as any other part of the illness/recovery process.

Theresa and Brandon give a general overview of how the disease started, talk about why a podcast could make dealing with this illness more bearable, and make a bunch of jokes at the expense of their adorable pitbull, Louie.