Fibro Fog Adventures

[rabid1st]

Fibro Fog, we sufferers lose great chunks of our life to a foggy mind, also, we have some humorous adventures. I, for example, decided I could get up in the early morning hours and deliver someone to our big International Airport. I was worried about the airport itself, the signs and parking and cloverleaf street set-up. But I was fairly confident that on my way home I could get something to eat. HA!

Air security being what it is we had to arrive very early for a 12:00 pm flight. We had breakfast at 8:00 am and, avoiding rush hour traffic, drove the hour or so to the airport. I navigated very well for my guest driver. It was an enjoyable trip. Leaving the airport on my own was also remarkably easy. I managed to find my way out of the parking garage, transfer across multiple incoming highways and find my way to the correct inner city street. I had a gift certificate from Christmas for lunch at a specific restaurant chain. When planning my day, I felt that would give me a nice break from airport stress. I had a very clear idea where two of those restaurants were located.

Except, my Yahoo Map was wrong. I knew it was wrong, because Yahoo always gets this one divided street wrong. It says "keep left" when you should "keep right."

"HAHA!" I declared, possibly aloud. "I know you YAHOO MAPS! You cannot fool me."

But for some reason, when I got to that part of the map, I went left anyway. Botheration! Fine. Not a problem. I could easily back track. But, the lunch hour traffic after I'd turned around pushed me into a local college campus. DAMN! But, Okay! FINE! I just looped the college and popped back out where I started. But now I had to find a bathroom. Urgently! And most of the parking has been taken. No time to search for the restaurant, park nearby, walk back, be seated and then go. Luckily, I recalled a pharmacy with good, clean bathrooms a few blocks away. I went there.

Relieved, I back tracked again. Only to find that someone had changed the street signs. No! That my fibro brain wasn't working as well as I thought it was and what I thought was Park Avenue turned out to be University Avenue. I had confused the order of the two parallel streets, Park came first. Yahoo hadn't helped me, because I had simply overshot my right turn. The street I wanted was several blocks behind me. Screw it, I thought. My bladder is in fine shape, I will just go to the restaurant that is closer to my house.

This requires I hop up on the Interstate, but I'm feeling confident. The Interstate does not intimidate me. Traffic, however, is much worse than I imagined. Traffic holds me up for an hour and it is now 2:00 pm. My blood sugar is getting low as I find my exit. But it was another driver that caused me the next bit of trouble. He surges into my lane, forcing me to quickly brake and go into the next lane. No accident. YAY! But unfortunately, I am now trapped in the wrong lane by bumper to bumper cars and drivers who will not give an inch. I figure the congestion will sort itself out in a few blocks. I follow the flow of traffic, only to find my new lane deposits me back on the highway. This time, going the wrong direction. ARRGGH! Also, $%(@@$&0~!

GRRR! FINE! I will just get off at the next exit. I can find any decent place to have a snack, wait out this lunch rush of traffic and then make my way home. Only, the next exit, has construction, which forces me onto another inner city street. My head is now quite foggy. But I recognize the street and figure I can find my way home from here. Wrong. I follow this street for about six miles and finally, I get to where the restaurant I have a gift certificate for is located. I can see it. But it is just beyond a stone dividing wall. No problem. I will go down to the light, hang a U-turn and back track again. I complete the U-Turn, but still end up in the wrong lane and overshoot the restaurant. AGAIN? REALLY? GOOD GRAVY! FINE! I will simply take the next side street, loop behind the restaurant and park. But the next street has a wooded, drainage ditch barrier.

The next, next street...put me back on the highway heading away from home again. SON OF A...

At that point, I gave up on eating. And after the next loop around an off ramp, I just went home.

Comments

[wickedgillie.livejournal.com]

Dear lord in heaven! What a hellish day. I have had many a bad fibro fog day in the past 20 years, but none come close to this!

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

I have to say, for a non-life-threatening adventure, it was one of my worst, too. I just couldn't believe how often I was stymied in my attempt to find a particular restaurant. If only I'd had a gift of cash...I could have eaten anywhere. :grin:

My sympathies for your fibro fog days. They sucketh. And I was lucky, because I was mostly clear headed for this, at least until after 2:00 pm.

I am sure the fog caused the earlier street mix-up and it probably made me take Yahoo's advice, too. But it is funny how you learn to ignore it as you do things that you probably shouldn't be doing, like navigating through complicated interstate cloverleaf underpasses at rush hour.

[imafarmgirl.livejournal.com]

Wow I could feel the frustration and the blood sugar drop just reading this. What a day!

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

Yes! It was quite frustrating. I'm glad I was able to convey the feeling of a blood sugar drop. And those fellow drivers...YUCK! Though I suppose, after my own aborted attempts to change lanes, I do have some sympathy for the guy that cut me off. Not a tremendous amount...but some.

[susanb03.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry! Your turn of phrase though.... You should be a comedy writer! I'm really terribly sorry about your frustrating experience!

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

I do love comedy. Thanks for noticing my turns of phrase.

It is just that comedy has to happen to me in RL for the most part. I have trouble thinking up funny stuff on demand. But, perhaps I should just aim for creating funny fictional situations and see what develops.

[keswindhover.livejournal.com]

I am sure the fibro didn't help, but I know many other Americans suffer this same torment whenever they travel outside their own area. Bill Bryson is particuarly eloquent on the subject of being able to see your destination but not to actually get to it. Doubly frustating when it is a restaurant with eggs and bacon in, of course.

So I am glad that you posted you other half off successfully, before you set out on your Great Trek, but I worry about this lack of breakfast. You need your vittles - auntie Kes says so.

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

Oh, I did eat breakfast, just earlier than normal. It was lunch that was delayed.

And, I do feel that my fibro fog was only in play during the left fork that I knew I shouldn't take...despite clear directions from YAHOO...and the mistake about Park and University.

The insane American highway system is to blame for the inability to reach food that is clearly marked on the horizon by signage. Bryson is correct about that one.