Another Day, Another Dollar Less

First up, mom had sent me this URL which I just now got around to checking. It's going to take you awhile to type everything in and you better have the label because you need proper spellings and dosages. However, what's cool about it is that it compares any known interactions, what other users report, and so on, There were nearly 1800 people who had similar drug combinations to mine and my results and symptoms (side effects) were right where they should be. It's not a medical diagnosis but it will tell you if something out of the ordinary is happening. Worth a look.

In the exciting news department, I slept. I went to bed around 1am Friday night. Slept through to 625am. That would be bad news in the past, but that's the most continuous sleep I've had in almost twelve weeks (3 months). Similar results Saturday. I hope this is a trend. Sadly, my neck continues to noticeably deteriorate. That's a project for later next week.

Special thanks to Van Murph -- blogger, pilot, legend, friend -- for getting me the Panther hoodie that was on clearance for $14.99. This will be put in use when the weather cools off. Right now it appears it may never happen. As you know, we've been breaking records here with mid-90s (F°) actual readings and triple digit heat index numbers. That isn't unusual in July and August, but it is for October. It's absolutely brutal.

Saturday was Opening Night for the Panthers, so our group of 12 was scheduled to meet at the Cheesecake Factory. It took them awhile to get our table together and, as it turned out, we were a party of ten since Joshua got a flat tire and couldn't make it. We had an enjoyable meal, except for John who experienced all the symptoms of food poisoning. It couldn't have been the entrée because Timmy had the same thing and he's fine. That means it was his soup (Cream of Chicken) or his beer. Liz and I both tasted his soup (yummy) but I don't think two teaspoons of it are enough. We went across the street and got really, really bad parking spots because we were running behind schedule. But I managed to find Murph and collect the aforementioned sweatshirt.

It appeared it was really crowded even though tickets were still available. It was not a sell out but it was pretty full -- maybe 17000 or so there. We took our traditional lap and everything is about the same, though apparently one advertiser (790 the ticket) had their concourse ad covered by a black curtain. Perhaps they didn't pay their bill? Amusing and stupid. As I said before, the prices were jacked up despite Yormark's promise to the contrary. While he never did get back to me, and I won't forgive his lying-ass for it, I did notice a few of my ideas implemented.

They added some new lower bowl LED matrix boards behind the end-zone decks the Pole Cats Ice Dancers perform on. I really liked them. I'm sure they'll end up having advertising but they didn't tonight. And better yet, the Pole Cats Ice Dancers were not dressed like hookers and were wearing team colours. While I am opposed to cheerleaders in hockey on principle, if they continue like this, I withdraw my objection. Of course, they came out on the ice and left a track of hoof heel prints that remained even after the Zamboni.

And WTF with out mascot (who we love) that still can't skate. Ever since they replaced the person inside the suit, he's not skated. He's a hockey mascot, he should skate. It's embarrassing. I've offered to teach him because it's so irritating to me.

It's time for NaNoWriMo and I am considering it. November is always so hard for me schedule wise, but I have an idea for a new novel. I'm still pretty crushed about the last one -- 30,000 words -- vanishing in the HD crash as I mentioned in a previous blog. But this might provide the motivation I need. I'm considering it. Plan two is to re-write one of my other novels and make it better. I like re-writing too, because I can expand upon things. I just feel it's time to do a new one. I've been toying with a murder mystery.

I've still been monitoring my inbound traffic and there are still lots of hits for the other Eric Seiden -- I get hits every single day looking for this guy. (The one who has the middle name Todd.) He's not very popular apparently. Most of those searches come in with the SEC tag which makes no sense because I never talk about the SEC except maybe in a football context.

I'm bored. Someone call and let's go to dinner. I'm sure by the time anyone reads this, it'll be too late.

Book Review and Doctor Review

Today my father asked me to find out if a doctor was any good on the Internet. I tried to explain it didn't quite work like that but it was over his head. So I poked around and found this site which I rather liked. I looked up all of my doctors and reviewed them. I am pleased to see the doctors I dislike are disliked by others and the ones I like, people also feel the same. Sadly, not all doctors are listed and while you can add a doctor to your personal profile, you can't add one to the database. You can add insurance information, pharmacy, hospital, and so on.

I read a book last night in under an hour, but it was very short. Another one that's been sitting in my pile for far too long: it was a gift and not something I'd have normally purchased. It's JK Rowling's Tales of Beedle The Bard. It contains five short childrens' stories. The stories were okay but they're definitely for the younger set, but since this book was done for charity, I'll forgive that. They're mildly entertaining and have no real connection to the Potter universe. However, each story is followed by "notes" as written by Albus Dumbledore. Those "notes" meant to be illuminating are mind-numbingly boring. I'd recommend skipping them and you won't miss a damned thing.

For dinner I made penne pasta with butter and garlic sauce. While that was cooking I made meatballs. The meatballs were an epic failure, but the penne pasta was pretty tasty. I have leftovers so I will try to save the remaining meatballs by adding some additional spices. I also notice that while I bought 93/7 meat as I always do, what I got clearly wasn't because there was way too much grease. That may have accounted for the meatball failure. I like Spanish meatballs (Albondigas -- isn't that a great word) and someone at work brings some from his mother that are, by far, the best I've ever eaten. Yummy.

I did a little SQL work on the ISC web catalog but I am very weak and at some point will have to hire someone to work on it for me. I am not looking forward to that project.

As you all know, I've been having sleep trouble and I was finally prescribed something today. I mentioned it to Dad and he told me how bad of a reaction he had. I called the doctor and let him know. He said I shouldn't take it because if either of my parents had a bad reacting it's likely I will too. He's going to prescribe something else but that will be tomorrow. Worse, I already got the first drug and I'm out $40. Dammit, man.

I am going to temple with my father this year (for the High Holy Days) for the first time in years: this owing to my sister's performance at dinner the other night. I am not sure I'm really looking forward to it, but what can you do? I'm having to work around Grandma's birthday which inconveniently falls on one of them. I explained the situation to both her and Mom and they're being understanding due to extenuating circumstances. Still....

I am not sure of this weekend's plans, but I do want to find something to do.

An especially bad night...

Sleepless, painful, hot, cold, anxiety, heart racing, panic. Just too much. However, it prompted me to act this morning. I'm not better by any means, but there's some progress made. I haven't worked a full day in two weeks -- missing mornings or evenings or mid-days for doctor appointments and such. This just isn't good.

Rather than bore everyone, I've set up a private place for those of you who want details to read. If you want to get there, you need to ask me via phone or IM for the URL. Otherwise, you can settle for the short updates. (And just because you ask doesn't necessarily mean I'll give you the URL. With all the strangers who read my blog, I actually have to know you well to share.)

I don't feel well now, not by a long shot. Today was another high-stress day on the heels of a horrific night. I'm actually afraid of bedtime tonight.

And in a humorous note, I got home and realized I stole the doctor's magazine. I'm going to return it straight-away tomorrow. I'm embarrassed. A thief, I am not.

"High Battery Drain" is the latest error my car is giving me. Thank God it's a company car and I don't have to pay for it. But I still have to deal with it. This is my last BMW. I think I said that before. How freaking hard is it to build a car with a computer that works? Apologies to Jan, but German cars suck ass because they are, apparently, over-engineered. Of four people I know with BMW (Dad, Greg, Karen, and Me) we've all had issues the past two weeks.

That concludes this post.

Hurry Up And Wait

Okay, let's start with the news everyone's been waiting for. Last night was an especially bad night after a not-so-bad day, so I was pretty glad I was going to the cardiologist today. I saw the cardiologist today after a way too long wait in the lobby. He pretty much confirmed all findings so far: I am broken and the cause is unknown -- we have a key suspicion which I am not posting at this time. I would further like to report I am off every single medication except my Nexium*. I will be taking a new pill for awhile to see if it helps. I have a sonogram -- basically an ultrasound -- of my heart scheduled for 9-11 (that's just a bad luck day and I may reschedule on principle). The good news is, I am not expected to drop dead right now but we must fix this problem. Ignoring it just is not an option.

While I won't go back and edit previous posts -- far too lazy and impatient -- I'm going to restrict details on health issues a bit more. If you want to know more, call and ask. I'll tell you. I am still working on a mechanism for delivering more detailed results to my friends and family while keeping them from the public, but the current system isn't properly secure. I'll let those affected know if and when it works properly.

On a lighter note, those of you who make fun of my singing can read this article. That's my explanation and I'm sticking to it. Thanks.

Also, I am continuing to get lots of hits on my blog looking for the "other" Eric Seiden. You know, the one with the SEC troubles. It vexes me. Then again, I bet the photographer dude is having the same problems. Not that I care, but it does amuse me to see who's visiting my blog.

* and the random Tums, Advil or whatnot.

Just a Quick update.

First, Suzie-Q had a great review of the Kindle on her blog. I may consider getting one around the holidays if it's in the cards at that time.

Second, I haven't had any odd reactions to the unnamed pharmaceutical I started taking last night (with much trepidation, I assure you.) I am opposed to most pharmaceuticals and take as few as possible, and I am very opposed to stuff like this. Yeah, a small itchy patch but I get those anyway so I'm not concerned. Dry mouth, yeah. A little tired, yeah. But nothing bad happened. And my heart is slightly improved. I even ate lunch today. A full meal. I take a 1/2 dose twice per day through Sunday AM then stop for my stress test and do not resume said drug until after consultation with my doctor. Everyone is assuring me I should not be stressed about the stress test. That's like saying "don't think about Megan Fox" to any guy. It just doesn't work.

I had the second round of physical therapy today. I like the therapist I had today much better than my original one. I have changed next week's appointments so I can see her instead of the guy. She actually explained each exercise and what we were trying to accomplish with it. It makes it better. I had asked about the ultrasound my doctor insisted be done, but she said they won't do it until after the fourth visit.

I am going to update my will over the weekend. I am not looking forward to it. That way I have something on file that is more accurate than my eight year old version.

Nice article on Abbey Road 40 years on over at the BBC News website.

Trying to organize stuff to do this weekend without much success :(

Brief Medical Update + Other Stuff

First, I am having a stress test on Monday. That alone is stressing me out. The doctor also sent a prescription in to Walgreens (I watched it transmit) only they don't have it. So now, I have to wait a day to start. My doctor's office is closed Thursday so I am concerned that I may not be able to get it tomorrow either. Ugh. The whole medical list is stored using "Care 360" though it's scary how much information is in there and not just from one doctor. Not that I care that every doctor using it can see everything -- that's an excellent thing, but more about what happens if someone gets in and can see everything you've ever taken? I haven't gotten a Darvocet refill in years and yet it was still in there. Having been the victim of identity theft multiple times and had some people do some pretty bad stuff using my name (see blog posts from the past few years), I am leery of this.

Second, I start physical therapy tomorrow for my physical injuries. It'll be my first real session. I went once before but it was evaluation only. My lip is driving me nuts, though the pain is minimal the lack of feeling in the lower right quarter of my lip is quite bothersome. I forgot to ask the doc about it because I was so focused on my heart.

Third, in 2011 a new museum will open in Las Vegas dedicated to the mob. The U.S. courthouse in downtown Las Vegas is being renovated to make way for the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, city officials said. It sounds very interesting and I hope to be able to visit it. Speaking of Vegas, I hope my sister enjoys her first trip there. I wish I could be there and give her the grand tour.

Fourth up, I ate a little more than usual this morning. I have not lost any more weight but my total drop was near ten pounds. As much as I'd like to lose another ten, this isn't the way to do it. This has been an absolutely hellacious 2009. I guess it started in late 2008 (December 5th) when Scooter died, and life never really recovered. The amount of bad things that has happened to me in this short period of time has just been overwhelming. So if I seem worse off than my usual cranky self, I probably am.

Next up, I wish to report my AC is still not behaving properly. I don't think it's the thermostat but that's my next thing to test. I'll get a new one this weekend and see how that pans out.

This last bit from a friend. This is from the White House Blog: There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov. My friend commented to me "Please take this opportunity to report my fishy statements about government health care to the authorities so they can properly deal with my dissent." (I won't name him but he can out himself if he wants.) I agree. This is just a bit odd. I am opposed to the government's new plan because it's got more holes than any government program in recent memory and the numbers just do NOT add up. It worries me they want to know who's saying what. This is far too big-brother for my tastes. I give Obama a big fat "F" on this.

Brief Update on Health and Work

So, let's see about today's update. I feel I owe you one.

First, I am scheduled to see the doctor again tomorrow about this heart thing. I am pretty sure I have an idea about it, and I have printed out a page from the web about it. My doctor will laugh because it came from the Internet, but I do have a distinct candidate for the cause (but not the solution). Keep in mind this has been a high stress few weeks with many, many things going wrong. The accident, the complications from the accident, the fall, the lip issues, my AC not working, the identity theft issues, my dental woes, and so on. It's more than I can handle. I'm one person and coupled with all the problems at work due to the economy, I am under more pressure than I can handle. Way more. And people keep dumping on me. I guess they're waiting for a meltdown.

Second, speaking of the lip, on the outside, I can pretty much tell the size of the scar. I've bought scar cream to try and make it less noticeable. However, I can't use it until the inside is healed. The wound inside is about 2" long still and not fully healed. I'll have the doc peek at it, but it's really not his thing. But he can tell me if I need to go see someone. The area that was damaged has no feeling in it. I just realized it yesterday. I stabbed myself and didn't even know. That's got to be nerve damage and is about 1-1/2" on the lip. I'll worry about that later.

Thirdly, while it might not mean much to anyone, at work we're almost C-TPAT certified with the US Department of Homeland Security. This has been -- so far -- an eight or nine month and counting process. It's a program that makes sure that companies who bring stuff into the USA from aboard don't inadvertently have "things that don't belong" with their materials. It protects us against all manner of illegal things from drugs to terrorist items. While, as a company, we're a very unlikely target for some weird terrorist weapon, that might be right where they'd try. Sneak a fuse in with one shipment to company A, a detonator to company B, and so on. I went to a seminar last November (and everyone knows how much I hate those damned things) but it was pretty good and I ended up doing it. People knock the government often (and many times they deserve it) but the people at DOHS have been amazingly helpful and supportive in this difficult process. I will admit to wanting to beat my head against the wall a few dozen times, maybe even theirs once or twice, but our company is better for it. We have procedures and such that are beneficial to everyone.

Third, we have a raccoon at work. We've been invaded. Monday we came in and saw raccoon paw prints on the employee fridge. Smart raccoon. We yelled at the cat for taking a dump on the carpet in front of the door. The cat has never done it before. (I didn't see the dump or I'd have known it wasn't the cat.) Today we came in and there were many more dumps -- some of them really large. I'd have guessed a dog or small child but there were raccoon prints in some dust. We are getting a no-kill trap tomorrow and setting it. We also think it may have got into the office because there was a horrific smell this morning, though I am not sure there was any way for it to get in. If that doesn't work, then we'll have to hire a professional. We can't come into piles of crap every day.

Lastly, the AC people have stood me up and I am pissed. Mightily so. In my weakened state, heat is bad. Oh, I think I forgot to eat today. Sadly, I'm not hungry and I continue to lose weight. Maybe my headache would better if I ate. I'll eat something that doesn't require cooking. Oh, and a special "hey" to Erin who returned to work and to Paul a bonus "my thoughts are with you".

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse....

.... It does. Just remember, you can be happy you don't have my life :/

So today I went for my annual physical (for which I am two years behind schedule) during which they drew tons of blood, did an EKG, examined my prostate (my least favourite part), checked my weight, blood pressure, listened to my lungs, heart, and all that good stuff with a stethoscope, and took a chest x-ray.

Lab results take 24 to 48 hours. No news there. I did warn him that my cholesterol would probably off due to my temporary change in diet which involved lots of mushy foods like mac & cheese and mashed potatoes and other high-carbohydrate, high-fat, high-cholesterol foods. I have resumed a normal eating schedule a few days ago, but I wanted to make sure he needed everything.

Weight -- doctor is happy with my new weight though not so much that I lost so much weight so quickly. I could stand to lose another five pounds but I shouldn't try to do it in a few days. Prostate was fine -- did not enjoy the intrusion. Lungs seemed clear. Scar on lip "could be worse" as far as he could tell but he, too, said "at least your lips line up" -- and they mostly do.

X-ray -- damn near flawless copy of the last one and the baseline. This is good news.

EKG -- doing way better than my age would indicate. So, given all this you'd think I'm healthy, right? Oh, how wrong you are.

I explained all the symptoms I've been having to the doctor. He listened carefully placing the stethoscope over my heart both in the front, back, and also my wrist, neck, and other places. And he heard what I was feeling. I have "aortic premature beats" and what that means is my heart is randomly beating improperly, an extra beat out of sync here and there. That's bad. He wants me to wait two weeks before he decides what to do. Why? He doesn't think the Celebrex I recently started taking could be affecting it because it's simply too soon. What he does think is that the cortisone shot in my shoulder (see previous bitching) is causing it. Apparently, a cortisone shot is a stimulant and can cause an irregular heartbeat and, after careful questioning, he pointed out that these symptoms all started after the shot. He has absolutely banned me from anything with caffeine in it for two weeks: no coffee, chocolate, soda, anything. I am also banned from all cold medications (not that I need them at the moment) because drugs in the pseudoephedrine are stimulants.

Please read here for a detailed explanation. He hopes he finds I am short on potassium, but I suspect not. That's the common cause. If, in two weeks, it's not completely gone I am going to be attached to a Holter monitor for 24 hours for further analysis. After that would be the possibility of a stress test -- which right now would be a bad idea because I would fail miserably. A brief summary of the feeling: Patients with PVC's sometimes report palpitations in the chest and in the neck. Palpitations are discomforting feelings due to forceful heartbeats. The heart beat immediately after a premature ventricular contraction is usually stronger (the heart ventricle contracts more forcefully) than normal. Patients with premature ventricular contractions may report feeling that the heart has stopped briefly. Or, in my case, like a beat has been skipped. And the second mystery is the fact he can hear it, I can feel it, there EKG shows no sign of it. That's odd.

So that's all the news for now. I'll report more when I have it.

Just remember, "at least you have your health."

Fun on an Ugly Day

Woke up and went to breakfast (brunch) at Cheesecake Factory. It ended up being just me and Liz but I had a most enjoyable time and that's everyone else's loss. I had French toast (okay) and bacon (yummy) and a glass of water -- still no hot beverages for me :(

After which, we went to Incredible Ice for skating. While the ice was excellent, it's just too crowded there to have a good time. I made it two hours out of the 2-1/2 before I gave up out of frustration.

On the way home from skating it started to cloud up and by the time I hit the turnpike there was a deluge of the like I've not seen in some time. The kind where cars just pull over, throw on their hazards, and wait. (This being Florida, there are also idiots who drive with their hazards on. That is illegal in Florida. Period.) Hazards are not for use whilst driving unless your car is having mechanical issues. The deluge continued and my neighbourhood flooded. I opened the garage door and the garage was soaked in seconds.

I painted the door from the house to the garage (the garage side) -- first yesterday and second coat today. It looks good (colour) but I didn't do such a good painting job. I'll re-do it. I used the free paint Glidden sent in their promotion. I ordered teal but what I got was something similar but not quite right. I don't mind though. Free is a great price.

As it turns out, I did make it to dinner with everyone (except the Berners) yesterday so that was nice. We went to Lucille's and I had leftovers -- those were tonight's dinner. For lunch yesterday, I also had an unexpected, but short, visit from Jace and Grant who were on their way to the Keys.

I continue to be very fatigued and nap almost every single day. I have rarely napped in the past three decades, so this is unusual. Not long naps (15 to 30 mins) but always between 3 and 6 in the afternoon. I'm just running out of gas. Not sure if it's my suddenly altered diet or something else. I will mention to my doctor when I get my physical. All-in-all, I've been feeling very unwell for the past week -- I get a bit light-headed, not quite dizzy, maybe even a little feeling like I'm oxygen deprived. No stabbing pains in my left shoulder or arm though. I've tried to figure out what these are the symptoms of, but can't get a good match. My two best guesses were concussion or heart-attack but the symptoms don't seem to fully fit either one. The symptoms are closer to the heart attack so I'll see if my doctor thinks a stress test is in order. Ew.

I did my laundry after my nap and have been watching "Cronkite Remembers" on Discovery. They're showing it all day. Yay.

Shout out to Paul: Hope things look up sooner for you.

Mind The Gap: Book Review

I am reading (still) and have pounded out another book. This one is Mind The Gap by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebborn is set in London. I picked it up last year sometime, but never quite got to it. Now that I am making an effort to spend less time on-line and more time reading and doing other things, I'm catching up. It's the first in a series "A Novel of the Hidden Cities" which I didn't realize when I first got it. It's a murder mystery along the horror genre. At least that's what it appears to be going for.

First, the characters are quite interesting. The lead is a girl, Jasmine (Jazz), who finds her mother murdered and that leads us to the story in which she runs away and tries to find out why. She meets several other characters as well, some of whom should start in their own books. That's how interesting they are.

I'm a great lover of fantasy but this book was much better before the final bit where suddenly it turned into Gothic fantasy instead of how it started out. I just didn't care for the ending so much. But I enjoyed the book enough where I'd certainly get the next one in the series.

I went back to the MRI doctor today. He gave me a cortisone shot in my left trapezius muscle (shoulder if you don't know) and I now hurt more. Blech. I am also prescribed four weeks of physical therapy which I'll try and arrange tomorrow. He also told me to stay on the Celebrex through the duration of physical therapy. I've given up on the worthless pain patches.

My teeth still hurt. My lip still hurts. I have a headache. My antibiotics, thankfully, will be done tomorrow.

In other news, there's quite a row going on about Continental frisking a passenger preparing to board a plane. If you travel aboard on a flight into the USA, you will know that some passengers on the Jetway are randomly pulled aside for screening. This is nothing new. The row is because the former president of India was randomly picked. He submitted with good grace, I might add. However, India is up in arms about this. My feeling is that if you fly a commercial aircraft, you should be subject to the same rules as all other passengers. Then again, the politician is probably low risk -- much like everyone else the seem to pick for screening. However, fair's fair. I side with Continental on this.

I've started yet another book, and am halfway through just from waiting in the doctor's office.

Ouch + Stuff

First, my teeth hurt. Badly. Painfully. I will start to deal with that next week when, I hope, this stupid infection in my mouth is gone and the wounds have started to heal over. I'm sure I need an x-ray but if they touch me there, I'll probably kill them dead on the spot. It really hurts. On the plus side, it looks much better on the outside. The inside, a little. While I do have a whole series of detailed photos of the progression of the wounds, healing, infection, and such I am not prepared to share them at this time. I didn't mention, but there's also an enormous (from my shoulder down to my elbow almost) yellow bruise on the outside of my left arm. One must assume that's where I landed when I fell. It hurts but nothing's broken there. My mouth, I'm not sure and am wondering if maybe something is slightly fractured.

Tomorrow I go back to the MRI doctor again. I was doing okay until yesterday evening. I woke up this morning with a horrible pain in the back of my neck on the left side. It's a different sort of pain than before so I wonder if it's just a pinched nerve.

I have also made an appointment for my annual physical, which is overdue as was pointed out to me by the nurse. I am also going to have my doctor check my other ailments while I am there. He might have some sage words for me (other than eat less, exercise more, lose ten pounds).

Speaking of that, I finally stopped the weight loss. I realize that sounds bad since I need to lose weight, but a pound or more a day is just unhealthy. I was able to eat today. Soft and mushy, but I ate a full-sized ("Eric" sized) meal today. Those of you who've actually seen me since the original fall have expressed alarm at how little I've eaten. While I'd love to lose weight, the lack of strength and energy that has been accompanying it has been not fun. I still can't do hot liquids or anything really cold. But I can eat. Yes, it hurts like hell because of pressure on the teeth (and I am certain I've got teeth problems) but the lip is slowly healing.

I also got my replacement driver's license today which makes me feel much better about driving. And I ate an entire pint of Starbuck's ice cream last night figuring it would fatten me up and help my lip feel better. I didn't lose any more weight as I said above, but it made my lip feel worse. And my teeth, they did protest too much.

Shout out to Erin who had a good day at her doctor (foot/ankle etc). Mom is coming in this weekend and I'll try and see her. My Aunt's been in but was unable to see her due to face pain. I could have seen her today, but she's busy today. Maybe next time.

My trip to Vegas for the fastener show is booked (yay -- thanks Karen) but I've really cut that trip down. My annual trip to Europe is also booked and I am hopeful that goes off without a hitch.

Last night I had a nice dinner with Dad in the Gables at a new place that was decent. I think it's the first normal stress-free meal I've had with him in a long, long time. Of course we discussed work because Dad can't not discuss work, but I'm okay with that.

I'm reading a new book and hope to have a review here soon. I'm going to read more and watch more TV and spend less time online, especially if I can escape the horribly addicting "Farm Town" game on Facebook. Hopefully Facebook will begin taking posts from my blog automatically -- it's broken (again) and that's why you should read my blog at the source and get the RSS feed.

I'm tired of pain. I hurt.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Review

Ah, yes, Mister Potter. As has been traditional, I saw the latest Potter film with Jace and Grant. No reason to break that tradition as it's always been a fun thing to do. First, I think I will go on record as saying this 2h 48m monstrosity is the best Potter yet. And I am happy because I really didn't enjoy the last Potter film.

I've always thought Daniel Radcliffe made a great Potter and every film he proves it while Emma Watson (Hermione) is the least changed in her role and that's a good thing, for she is the rock that anchors all three friends. Rupert Grint (Ron) continues to get better as he gets older. Mercifully Tom Felton (Draco) barely appears at all. I guess when you cast a film of kids, you have no idea how they'll look down the road. And poor Neville Longbottom looks like he's play by a different actor than when the films started.

There was, as to be expected, chunks of book just gone missing. But I realize stuff has to be left out. They spend some time on the horcrux(sp?) because it's so important to the book. There are so many characters, very few get a lot of screen time other than Harry, Ron, and Dumbledore. Even poor Hermione is barely in the film. If you haven't read the book the next bit is a spoiler: the death of Dumbledore was changed quite a bit from how I remembered it. I think it was done quite well in the film and do not find any fault at all.

Helena Bonham Carter played Bellatrix Lestrange and she was just awesome. She tore her scenes up like nothing else and I was really impressed. You'd never even know it was her.

One goof I noticed and most Londoners will notice is that this book took place in 1996 or 1997. (Not when it was written, but when it took place.) There is a scene with the Millennium Bridge which connects the Tate Modern in Southwark with Saint Paul's Cathedral and that bridge is destroyed. That is really a neat trick since the bridge wasn't even built until 1999. And I love that bridge. It's amazing.

Had breakfast with Evan and the kids -- no John or Liz :( We then went to skating -- Liz and Brenda didn't join us, nor did anyone else for that matter. The ice was horrific. The public side is just not acceptable any more and we've decided to not return. Pines Ice Arena sucks -- it's a mess and they just don't care as evidenced by their response to our complaints as we left early. We're going to alternate Kendall and Incredible. This will inconvenience everyone, but we just can't skate at a rink where there are speed-bumps on the ice, the humidity is pushing 100% and there's no effort to ensure the safety and enjoyment of the patrons.

I did laundry, went to Publix, and continue to doze on and off regularly. I think it's time I schedule a visit to my GP for a full physical. I believe I've got something wrong with me. This isn't like me. I'll call and arrange it right after my MRI follow up this coming Tuesday. The infection in my mouth continue to improve -- though it doesn't really hurt less. The teeth in that area are killing me and are hyper-sensitive, so that is going to require some attention as soon as that infection heals. They pretty much just throb all the time. I continue to lose weight. I have bought some fattening stuff to eat that I may be able to keep down. While I want to lose weight, a pound or more a day is just unhealthy and my explain why I'm so sleepy all the time, and do indeed doze off, as well as my light-headedness.

Shout out to Evan: Good luck buying the new car. Erin: good luck at the doctor Monday.

MRI Results -- Unofficial

I got the films and CD today along with the report to take to my doctor. (One scan is posted on my Flickr Page for friend/family contacts only.)

I've read the report and it appears there is no major change in C3-C4 and C5-C6 which still show about the same mild disc bulge. There is still mild degenerative stuff. The new thing is "Small root sleeve meningocele on the right T1" -- a Google of that shows it's never damage -- a trauma injury often called "traumatic meningocele." I think the closest I could find is that it's a brachial plexus traction injury. I'm not a doctor so I can't be sure that's a proper diagnosis. Depending on what you read this will either get better, won't get better, is treatable, or is not treatable. In other words: no idea at all. Any of my doctor readers who wish to comment may do so. We really won't know until my doctor compares this MRI to the last one, but reading the report it made it seem this is the only 'new' thing.

I copied the MRI image files from the CD to my hard drive for future use. They're interesting to look at though I have no idea what they mean. They're in some unknown format but GraphicConverter on my Mac can open and display them.

Anyway, that's really all the news until 6 July 2009 when I see the doctor for an interpretation.

Medical Update Addendum

I am in the final stages of preparing my documentation for the hiring of an attorney. I got a copy of the "Final Interpretive Results" from the hospital (not the one my doctor did). The stuff not listed seems okay. So I won't bore you with it.

• At the C3-c4 and c4-c5 juncture, there is minimal disc bulging.
• At the c5-c6 juncture, there is mild disc bulging. There is a left paracentrical focus of annular fissuring.
• MRI demonstrates disc degeneration from C4 through C6.

Yeah, that doesn't sound exciting or good but I'll go over it with Doctor Cohen on the 11th. I don't know what it means.

In other news, I'd like to throw a special shout out to Jace for talking with me last night about a certain issue and giving me a second opinion. It matches the first opinion more or less from Tim from the night before. It's good to have a few friends you can talk to about difficult stuff and get an unbiased opinion.

And a reminder to participate in Kiva because it's a good cause. If you want Stevie K has founded the "Do Gooder's Team" and I've joined.

Today's Medical Report 2.0

Got up at 515am, made a cup o' hot chocolate for breakfast, and hiked to my car (currently parked a few blocks away as they've been repaving my street for several days). Drove to the hospital. Arrived at 630am as ordered. Nobody there. At 640am, maintenance man came by and asked why I was waiting there as it didn't open until 9am. I told him I had an appointment and said the MRI entrance is in the BACK of the building and not the front. Went in, checked in, and waited.

They took me almost on time and I got to be the victim in their new fancy MRI machine. You've all seen it. It's that same one the use on the TV show House. The MRI takes quite a bit less time than on the older machines and it takes higher resolution. Afterwards, I got a secondary interrogation -- identical to the one before.

I explained to them I have not slept through the night since the accident and it's gotten much worse in the past few weeks. Which sucks. They handed my the prints to take to my doctor. They're now at home. I went to the chiropractor today and he wasn't that much help today unfortunately, though the massage therapy was good.

Then my Spinal Doctor's office called. He might not be in on my appointment day as he was subpoenaed to testify. So I don't know what happens then. Then, my GI doctor's office called and left me a message cancelling my appointment for December because he's no longer seeing patients in the morning. Now I gotta call them and start THAT mess all over again.

I hurt. I'm tired. I'm cranky. I'm hungry.

And for my post-birthday event I'm going with some friends to see Rocky Horror Picture Show. I will just pretend I'm not having a birthday. Happily most of them probably don't even know. Birthdays suck. No more.

Ow, my neck ::cries::

Today I saw the spinal specialist. He's chiropractor friendly, which I like. He took several x-rays in his office. And thus the accident saga continues. $400 out of my pocket because they don't do auto insurance claims. I'll have to file this.

The good news is my whiplash is probably minor. That concludes the good news. As expected, I have a prescription for an MRI which I will schedule with the hospital tomorrow. I expect it'll happen within the next few weeks.

There is a possibility of a ruptured disc in my neck. That's bad news. There's also another condition that sounded like myofacial sydrome (related to Fibromyalgia) but I am not sure if that's what he said. Don't quote me on it.

Neither one is very good. Physical therapy might be my next choice. More eventually.

That's over three and half hours of my life I'll never get back.

Addendum: In other news, I've just finished the latest Artemis Fowl book The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer. I've liked the other books okay more or less but this one's not as good. I probably am done with this series after reading this one. Quite honestly it was very uneven. It was almost as if two people wrote it. Parts were good and parts were just badly done. It's hard to write a good, believable book in two different times and Colfer isn't up to the task. I hate to write a bad review of a good author, but it happens. If you like Colfer check out some of his other works instead.

All Sorts of Tidbits II

Ah, yes, the compendium type post. Sure to be of interest to no-one, except, guess what? You're here reading it. So it must interest someone at least little on some level. That or your RSS reader has let you down in a spectacular fashion.

1. First, the blog is approaching 200,000 posts and I expect we'll hit that number this summer. Though recent traffic has dropped off a bit. I cannot believe how many hits I get, though about 70% of them are what I deem a "worthless" hit. To me, that's someone who reads the one post they came across and never comes back to the blog again.
2. Secondly the mix of visitors has slowly started to change. Search engine referrals are down to 73.5% while website referrals are up to 26% -- Google still provides most of our traffic (75% of that 73%).
3. My post on Led Zeppelin still remains the single most popular post and it generates people who linger and read the 300+ comments. Following that is the post about Daniel Radcliffe's Penis which generates more worthless hits than anything -- apparently people think they're getting the goods from my website. I think not. In third place is the Dell Sucks post which generates traffic as well as getting me lots of sympathetic e-mails. In fourth place is the Crazy Frog post, which like the Penis post, is worthless for valuable traffic. All other posts generate insignificant traffic when measured over time. Short-term some posts like mine on Wolfgang Van Halen and Terry Brooks generate short-terms bursts but then people move on to whatever else is news.
4. A special shout-out goes to Maury Wilkinson. She's the one who challenged me to make a blog. So I should thank her for that. But that's not why she's getting the shout-out here. She's been bugging me forever to get a TiVo. I broke down and got a DVR today (which she calls a Ti-Faux because it's a generic one) so I don't have to miss House, Heroes, and Lost any more. We'll see how I like it.
5. I love being a grammar Nazi. No, really. I'm not perfect but I am better than most people. And I certainly know the difference between your/you're and it's/its -- which about 80% of the people who write me obviously don't. I started a thread on my Panthers Hockey Message Board (which actually tracks back to another thread on a different board). I am only mentioning this because the thread is awesome. And better yet, the spiteful bitch on the original thread, who apparently runs the LED board, made an ass out of herself, engaged in petty-name calling, and then used RED on the matrix board to make the error worse.
The thread got locked and the entire ad was gone from the last game. Victory is mine! (Okay, it's got nothing to do with me or anything I said, but still.)
6. My guest room is now wired for HDTV for the benefit of my guests. And I've installed a new flat-screen LCD TV. Isn't that great? Except I don't like guests. Damn -- I think that may be ironic. That's why I'm in the process of finding a new home for my Sony KV27EXR10.
7. I saw Horton Hears a Who. It is surprisingly good. Really. Except when they break into song at the end -- a clear Shrek rip-odd. Everyone knows the story, has read the book, etcetera so there's no point in me going over it. You will like it. Visually appealing, very entertaining, and just a good film. Really. Saw previews for Ice Age 3, Narnia: Caspian, Wall-E and Speed Racer. I can't wait to see the first three. I was looking forward to Speed Racer but the preview has me reconsidering.
8. My neck still hurts (see accident report) and though it was getting better, it's acting up again. Not sure why. But my C4 vertebrae is in the wrong place according to the x-ray the chiropractor took. I definitely have whiplash. Progressive Insurance are being serious poopy-heads about it, and I've written a letter to their CEO and the State of Florida Insurance Commissioner. They lied to me, and I caught them in the lie. They also tried to get me to sign a waiver of rights including all future rights. I'm not even cured yet and they want to buy me off for a small pittance. I was very up-front. I want them to pay my medical bills. Nothing more and nothing less. Apparently they think this is unfair. State Law entitles to me reimbursement for missed work and other benefits. I wasn't really excited about the paperwork, but I suppose I have to do it now. It's clear they are lying scum and do not have my best interests at heart. Ultimately, I will be better so I'm not worried about long term issues, but if they think I'm signing a waiver for something down the road, they're nuts. What if something was missed on the x-ray? Too many things could go wrong. Woe be the person who gets rear-ended by a Progressive policy holder. Progressive Sucks. They must use Dell laptops :)
9. I am opposed to bio-fuels. Why? Food should not be used to operate cars when people are starving to death all over the planet. I can't imagine why anyone thinks this is a good idea.

Why Sharper Image Went Bust (Plus Bonus Medical Update)

First, a few words on The Sharper Image. It was for many years a very cool store. I went to their original store in San Francisco way back in the 1980s when I was a student at Cal (GO BEARS!) I frequented their store on Market Street right near the Powell and Montgomery BART stations and a short walk to either the California or Powell Street cable cars.

What made the store so attractive to me and my geek friends were the gadgets. Cool gadgets that you couldn't find anywhere. Granted these gadgets didn't do anything, but that wasn't the point. They had a cool replica of the Walther PPK James Bond carried, life-size Darth Vader statues, full size pinball machines, and all sorts of useless but very neat electronics.

When I came back to Miami and they opened their first store in Florida at Bayside there were waiting lines to get in. A store at Dadeland Mall followed and it was the same thing. People were banging their doors down to get in. Then, slowly over time, they changed. More useful, practical things. They lost their cool factor. Basically they turned into Brookstone. I love Brookstone. If I want Brookstone, I go there. Sharper Image lost their caché. All my friends, and me, stopped going there. They forgot who their customer was. The most important thing in business is to know your customer and what they want. Sharper Image decided we wanted pillows, massage chairs, luggage, and air purifiers. They just didn't ask us, their customers. And the sad part is they're blaming all sorts of factors on their failures, but that isn't why they failed. Bad Management because they lost sight of their goals.

Medical Update (1): More on the car accident from previous psots. My upper back and shoulders and neck are killing me. The x-rays are negative but something is wrong. My chiropractor thinks it's whiplash but that's got nothing to do with my mid-back. And now I'm getting these random pains in my kidney -- short, sharp pain that lasts a few seconds and vanishes. (On the plus side my hip isn't hurting any more...)

Medical Update (2): I went to the eye doctor yesterday. I got the worst diagnosis possible. I was there because my eyesight is deteriorating at a noticeable rate. The diagnosis: I'm getting old. He said there's nothing wrong that wasn't wrong before. My left eye is shot and always has been. My right eye is no longer perfect. It will continue to get worse and there's nothing I can do. He gave me a new prescription but told me not to fill it until I can't stand this one anymore. I'm going to try and go until my birthday if I can. I still try and not use them to read books and such -- plain black on white and it's not too bad.

Scooter Update 3.0

Hello Boys and Girls:

Today's Scooter Update: After an all-day fast (poor kitty) so she could be sedated for an x-ray, I come home to a ravenous kitty who looks like she wants to bite me. Her plaintive meow is responded to by me picking her up and shoving her delicately as possible into a cat carrier. I drive to the vet at Warp 2 to minimize the in-car time because as I drive, Scooter tries to break out of said carrier. She's been successful before, too so it's a real concern.

I must add, this is my original vet and not the new vet. He's checking for stuff that she hasn't done that I've asked her about several times with no discernible result.

We arrive at the vet's office which is, happily, deserted. I take Scooter out of carrier so vet doesn't have to risk life and limb to do so. He decides to try and x-ray her without sedation. I offer to hold her in place but he insists that it's not safe in x-ray room. I scoff, mentioning I've had more x-rays that anyone except Evil Knieval, but he refuses my assistance. I see why as he sends his two poor nurses in to do the dirty work while he discusses Scooter with me. He plays 20,000 questions and takes notes.

I try to pet the office cat -- they have an office cat -- named Levi. Levi takes one look at me and hides behind the microwave. Vet assures me I shouldn't take it personally, but I do anyway. I say hello to poor doggie who almost died of a ruptured appendix (or something like that) but is recovering but in pain.

X-rays are complete and I get Scooter and hold her while vet and I talk more and X-rays develop. X-rays show Scooter has mild arthritis so her walking issues are not related to that. She probably needs more exercise which she can't get. I'll try and get her to play more laser-pointer. He said he would discourage me from medicating her with anything at this point as it would cause more problems than it would cure. Glucosamine works well in dogs but he says not all cats respond well and he doesn't recommend it for Scooter -- something the other vet said as well. So, Scooter's back legs are slightly arthritic but not bad for a cat her age. He can't find the problem with her shoulder that is obviously there somewhere. Other vet thinks it's a torn ligament and says she can feel it but neither original vet or me can find said problem.

Ask vet to look at Scooter's ear gunk -- which both he and other vet have ruled out as ear-mites. He's amazed at how bad since I've just cleaned it again. He takes a sample to send to lab for testing to make sure it's nothing serious. Pay for vet bill -- Scooter has now cost more than my car. She's worth it, and I'm not complaining.

Take Scooter home and she eats like the pig she used to be. I want her to gain weight so she can build strength.

I'm stressed and Scooter's sleeping.

There's a box from Apple in my room. I'll open it this weekend.

Medical Update: The Final Word

After yet another 1+ hour wait, I have my results. I am not going to die prematurely, at least not from this. Yay. When you're all done dancing, I'll continue typing. (Insert Pause Here)

I'm going to be brief because my detailed medical history is boring and probably not for publication on the web, though if anyone wants more than I've posted here, I'll share. The final diagnosis is Gastrointestinal Neuropathy -- which is most commonly associated with diabetes, but I do not have diabetes.

What does this mean: Nexium twice a day for the next 3 months, then once a day for one month. If the problem doesn't get worse, once a day forever. On top of that Flora-Q which is a probiotic. Other than that I can resume much of my normal activity with some exceptions. Doctor V. Alin Botoman believes that over the next year or so the damage will slowly repair and I will get back to normal or at least as normal as I ever was. BTW, I didn't know it until today but Dr. Botoman is chairman of the Department of Gastroenterology at Cleveland Clinic locally and also at the University of Miami where he is Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine -- and he's got impressive credentials.

No tomato-based products, nothing carbonated, and no citrus products. I can have very limited amounts of coffee (a few cups a week) if I want and even the occasional orange juice or lemonade (US kind not UK kind) if I so desire. I need to keep my stress down a bit -- which means I probably should never drive in Miami again :)

There's more and it's not quite as easy as I made it sound, but it's certainly not as bad as I expected. I can now go to Publix and get a proper grocery order.

(Please note I am not a doctor and am not guaranteeing I am explaining my condition fully or properly so you shouldn't base something you have based on something I've written here.)

Eric with Tube In Nose

Eric with Tube In Nose
Originally uploaded by darsys.

This morning I had an esophageal manometry, and then that was followed with the hook-up for the 24 hour pH test. So, here I am with the ever-so-exciting medical device. This is yet another step in the research to prevent my hopefully unlikely and untimely demise. It was done this morning, and I didn't enjoy the procedure, though it didn't really hurt. It just tormented my gag-reflex. It doesn't hurt but it's terribly uncomfortable. Like the idiot I am, I went from the doctor's office straight to work. I have to wear this device for 24 hours (no showering allowed) then return to the doctor to have this removed.

As the day goes on this is becoming increasingly more uncomfortable. I can tell my throat will be a mess tomorrow because it's hurting in places it didn't hurt before. The damn tube is rubbing everywhere and I hates it. (Please say the last bit like Gollum).

Today's Medical Report

Today was my appoint with Dr. V. Alin Bottoman, who I saw because a friend highly recommended him. If you haven’t read my insurance saga, it might be appropriate reading. You may read that at: April 2007. My previous medical update is at March 2007 – and lastly if you don’t remember when it started there’s this blog post September 2006 and this post August 2006. That will get you up to date. Done reading? Good. Now, I can start where we left off. This bit will take you from the March 2007 post to today.

As you’ve seen, I spoke with Doctor Newman a few days later and he said the results were excellent. There were no tumours, ulcers, or any sign of any problem whatsoever. He said I had a very small hiatal hernia, which is normal in people my age and it was nothing to worry about and wouldn’t be the cause of the reflux. As you can also see, as evidenced by my anti-insurance posts, I went back to Doctor for my follow up visit. He used the camera through the nose device, said nothing was wrong, and referred me back to Doctor Newman who he said was my doctor for everything except the granuloma. Not overly happy with being shunted off, I called Doctor Newman who said to continue the twice per day Nexium and add a Zantac mid-day. I’m doing that, but I don’t want to take drugs long-term. Something caused this, and if we can find the cause we can fix it.

The simple fact is my acid reflux is not getting better despite all these medications. I can taste it in my mouth on-and-off on some days – a sour taste in the mouth. I have embarrassing large quantities of gas all day and all night. My throat is very sore, especially on my left side near the top and swallowing is a chore -- if I press the spot with my finger, I can swallow with almost no pain. I find that odd. My voice sounds terrible. The problem is worse in the morning, especially when I first wake up.

My stomach has a constant dull ache that has only started since the Endoscopy (though I don’t think that it’s related) – I suspect it’s the gas build-up. I am also getting sharp-stabby pains in a few very specific spots of my stomach, also which started since the Endoscopy. They don’t last long (2 or 3 seconds) but I sure as hell can notice them. One spot is worse than the other two. It happens 3 or 4 times per day, randomly and in varying degrees. And now, you’re up to today before Doctor Botoman. Aren’t you glad I had all this free time to type this for your reading pleasure?

The doctor’s office gave me a ream of paperwork to fill out: questionnaires, surveys, and the usual health crap. Then, of course, I waited. There’s nothing like a doctor’s office to wait in for the sheer boredom effect. Then they called me in and the nurse came in with a laptop and asked me many detailed questions, and typed them into the computer. Prior to my visit, I had faxed a two-page report on everything that happened to date (which, happily, was already in my folder). I also vented about my Aetna problem and she laughed (friendly) and said they’re all bad so I shouldn’t be too mad. Then she said the doctor would be with me shortly. She also informed me I look like him (I disagree) and I’d see when he came in.

A good 35 minutes later, he appeared. And he immediately apologized for the delay. I liked him already. No doctor has ever apologized for the wait. He explained the network went down and he needed all the stuff the nurse typed in so he had to wait for it to come up. He asked me lots more questions.

First, he agreed that there’s obviously something wrong despite the fact there was nothing on the Endoscopy. Second, he believes Nexium doesn’t always work in some cases and I may be one of them. He is postulating that my body is metabolizing the Nexium faster than it’s released from the capsules though he recommends I continue to take it 2x per day for at least 3 more months. He also said the morning dose is far more important than the evening dose which is against conventional wisdom.

(The part from here to the end of the post is heavily edited for on-line viewing. I've left most of it out; lots of gory details, and the bulk of the results. The report is available to friends and family by inquiring via e-mail.)

First up for me is a poop test. Once I pass that I get my first pH test which is done by inserting several electrodes into my nose and down into my esophagus which stay there for 24 hours. I then wear what looks like a purse for 24 hours (it contains the recording devices and such).

He feels there are several outcomes. If I do nothing, I have an extraordinarily high-risk of esophageal cancer, and can die from it. Associated with that, I run a higher risk of many other severe and possibly fatal medical conditions. As such, this is a very Bad Option, though some days it looks pretty good :)

There are several options: all of which involve surgery, none of it minor. There’s actually an even worst-case option, and that is the source is not found. Since the drugs aren’t working, this would present Big Problems.

However, he’s confident we’ll figure it out. My Acid Reflux suddenly changed and there has to be a cause. It’s a matter of systematically finding that cause. He doesn’t want to operate unless there is absolutely no other choice, and I whole-heartedly agree.

And if you’re not a doctor, please don’t offer advice. Some of the helpful advice I’ve received so far has seriously worsened my condition, so if you’re not a Gastrointestinologist, your advice is appreciated deeply but entirely unwelcome.

Hiatal Hernia

I have a hiatal hernia -- those are the results of the endoscopy. Because it's not too bad, they are not recommending surgery. They expect to continue to treat my acid reflux with Nexium. I am to follow up with the original doctor in about three weeks. The hiatal hernia is causing the acid reflux and the hyperlink to WebMd will explain it in detail.

I do not have any signs of cancer, ulcers, varices, tumors, or polyps. Nor do I have any serious signs of esophogal erosion. All of that is good news. The bad news is I must continue on my white, bland diet.

Thanks to the few of you who expressed support or actually called/wrote to see how I was.

Lung Cancer in the Family

Dad had his last full and complete physical in May 2006. This November, when I went to the Fastener show, Dad wasn’t feeling well and wasn’t sure if he would even go. He was having a little trouble breathing and we all gave him a bit of a hard time, telling him old age wasn’t curable. However it was getting worse, and we ended up thinking he might have pneumonia. Before we left, he got an x-ray and it wasn’t pneumonia and he was cleared to go by the doctor. When we came back, they said there was a small spot on the x-ray, and it was probably nothing but to come back in. He went in, and they did a second set of x-rays and numerous other tests.

As it turns out, it was something. Dad has stage IIIA lung cancer (Non-small cell lung cancer – NSCLC -- is the most common type of lung cancer. It usually grows and spreads more slowly than small cell lung cancer.) He’s never smoked, but before I came to work at Interstate, the office was full of smokers and he spent over 35 years around many chain-smokers in the same room as he was. That’s second-hand smoke, and the most likely cause – though we’ll probably never know for sure.

Yes, that’s bad news. It came real hard to the family, but obviously not nearly as bad as he took it. I can’t say that I blame him, either. He swore me to secrecy and only me, my step-mother, and he knew. He told my sister when she came home from college, as he didn’t want to ruin her first semester’s finals with the news, and I agree. He also didn’t want to tell the employees at Interstate until after the holidays.

The good news is they’ve caught it very early, and there’s over a 90% chance he’ll get better. He had his first chemotherapy session two weeks ago, and it went relatively well. His next one is after the first of the year. He’ll be missing a lot more work now, though the doctors have encouraged him to keep up some semblance of a routine, so he’s planning to work a few hours most days of the week. After the cancer shrinks a bit, he will be having two surgeries to remove the rest, so he’ll probably miss a few weeks then.

And for those of you who wondered why I’ve been non-committal and refusing to make travel plans or select specific dates to do things, now you know. I am needed at home and the office, and I will not be travelling anywhere unless it’s a very short weekend jaunt. Your forbearance for the next four moths will be appreciated.

Lastly, it’s very important he not get sick: quite simply it’s a matter of life and death. If he gets sick, that’s the worst thing that can happen to someone who has been weakened from chemotherapy – it can cause systemic infection and that’s 100% fatal. So, if you’re sick I am asking you to stay away from both him and me until you’re healthy. I’m one of the people who’s always around him, so I can’t get sick lest I pass it along to him. Austri has given me lots of good advice, because she went through this with her father, so special thanks to her for all of her support so far.

INFO FROM NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007194.htm

Blowing Blood Out Your Nose

The subject says it all. I woke up sneezing blood. That prompted me to fax the doctor at 6am "Call me when you come in!" I now have antibiotics for my sinus infection coupled with bronchitis. I also have a side order of laryngitis, but that's just a bonus ailment: contract two, get a third free.

It's all Gaby's fault, you know. She was sick and she hugged and kissed all of in Vegas back on 13th. Now her, her husband, both of their kids, their work colleagues, and me all have some malady. Needless to say we're thrilled. Poor Andy went to the hospital Monday and I wasn't far behind.

I started as a sore throat followed by what appeared to be a cold. No such luck, let me tell you. It was an irritating but mild head cold. Then Saturday it morphed. Started coughing that night, and I thought to myself, this feels like my annual case of November Bronchitis. I get it almost every November like clockwork -- since 1983. Couldn't sleep more than 5 or 10 minutes at a pop, so I began flu treatments, hoping it was the flu. Hah! No such luck. Sleep came for 15 to 20 minutes a time followed by 30 to 40 minutes of hacking. Sunday night was much, much worse. All day Sunday I had a headache which grew worse and worse. That night was horrible, with the coughing and headaches. Woke up with the mother of all headaches -- and even my migraine medicines didn't work (three different kinds).

I tried to get out of bed, but my muscles didn't want to cooperate. I felt like there was a 5000 pound anvil on my head. I was in some serious pain. I've had migraines, but this was some new hellish form of one. I know it's some form because I had all the sensitivity and nausea that comes with it. Worse, my brain didn't want to function* but after quite some time I finally managed to move, take more drugs, get downstairs and go to my car. I knew I was supposed to be driving to the urgent care clinic, or the emergency room. I ended up at work, proving how added my brains were.

I called the Doctor's office but he was out of town Monday so I let it lie (big mistake) and went through another night of hell. And that brings us to the opening paragraph of this blog entry. I do not feel well. I've had less than 6 hours sleep in 3 days, and not any consecutive sleep hours.

Hopefully these drugs kick in soon.

* shut up -- I heard that comment

Do it yourself medical procedures

This is a medical product and guys will squirm horribly. However there is nothing here that isn't work safe so share the love. It's just fucking evil if you want my opinion. I thought it was a joke at first when Razzie sent me this, but that's a real product. Some things you should not do yourself at home. There's even a picture of what it does, but trust me, you do not want to look for that picture.


http://www.smartklamp.com/parents/thesmartklamp.html