This collection of entries is from March 2006.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
MRI's #3 & #4OK, today's experience was totally different, and not in a good way.
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Gowns. I hate gowns. The metal in my zipper was too near the scanning sites, so I had to take my pants off and put on two gowns, one reversed of the other. Over my long-sleeve shirt. And, of course, no pants but my socks & shoes! I look like a dork, and this is going to be warm as hell...
In a nutshell - No Truck. I was in the MRI unit inside the hospital itself. That implies: older machine, older machine = "more used" = maybe not as well maintained or has more "miles" on it = LOUDER.
Holy crap, the machine was loud. I had ear plugs. Didn't help. Better sound quality headphones, less sound absorption from outside noise. Not that I could hear the music while the machine was running. I could only hear pieces of songs in the gaps between scans. And what am I hearing? "King of the Road"? WTF?
OK, so on top of loud, let's add heat. It was 69 degrees outside today, so you know that mechanical plants just can't keep up with a 30 degree swing in outside temperature, so the room was warm. Now, when you're inside a tube in a warm room, and the only means of air circulation is an internal flan blower that's just blowing room air, you know it's not as comfortable.
So lets talk comfort. I learned something about MRI's, and that they use a "coil" in their process to help... with something, I don't know, focusing the impulses... probably something like that. Anyway, the MRI's tonight were for my Thoracic and Lumbar spine sections (last night - Brain and Cervical spine). Last night, I had a whole cage that surrounded my head and sort of "locked" me into the table, It had this nice mirror arrangement so that if I looked straight ahead, instead of seeing the inside of the tube that was just inches from my face, it acted like a "periscope" and I was able to view down the length of my body, toward the door to the room. It made me comfortable and not claustrophobic. Well, tonight, no head "thingy". I had to go into the tube without my little "periscope". Great. So, they gave a bulb device to squeeze to alert them to get me out of the tube if I start to panic. Fortunately, they guy tonight (who was the tech last night that gave me the contrast dye, so we're like buddies now) did the lumbar scans first. That put me the furthest into the tube, which was good because I was almost poking out the back-end, so I could actually see parts of the ceiling behind the machine. That calmed me down, and scan proceeded without a hitch.
Except for the noise.
Then, as the scan progressed, I realized my left leg was spasming (twitching). I tried my best to stop it, but I just couldn't. I'm lucky that it started during the thoracic part, so that any movement isn't being translated to my spine. The scans are good. The tech knows it's happening, so he's checking the scans as we go. I stopped counting after 20 twitches... and it's close to double that. Then the scan were over and it was time for the contrast dye. He used the same vein in my hand and did a great job. I mentioned that I thought the pads under my knees were higher when I was out in the truck, so he built a series of cushions to get my knees higher, and we start the final scans, starting with the thoracic this time. As he's moving me, slightly, further into the tube for the scan, I realize that my knees are hitting the front of the machine!. As the scan completes and he gets on the little intercom to tell me that lumbar scan is next, I frantically try to tell him not to move the bed because all I can envision is getting jammed into the tube. He came out, pulled a few cushions out, and we finished the scans.
Did the additional pads help the twitching? No. Well, barely. It turns out that there was some movement on the scans, but it was "within limits", so the scans weren't garbage. I was soaking wet when I got out of that machine.
I made it. My head was still buzzing from the sound, something I couldn't shake for an hour.
I had to wait in the Men's Gowned area for someone to take me XRay to get the supplemental XRays, which was no issue at all. I went and changed and met Carol out in the Radiology Reception room. The room was empty - except for Carol - and basically dark. They'd shut down! Carol's watching TV alone, waiting for me! Nobody manning the desk - it was dark.
So, that's it. Done with all 4 MRI's. Glad it's over, but all of my nervousness about the process was just not knowing what it was like. That, and the fear that my legs would twitch, ruining a scan and we would have to do it all over again.
Hope I don't need to do this again soon. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 09:35 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
MRI's #1 & #2
I have four MRI's scheduled over two days.
Today is my first day of two scans. And I've never had an MRI. And I'm... nervous.
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I've heard multiple stories from people who have gone through this experience, all seem to focus on the sound and claustrophobia. I don't know if I'm claustrophobic - I mean, how tight could this thing be? And, as for the sound, how loud could it be?
My worries, in general, all center around the unknown, and my fear that I'll be in a laying in a bad position and my legs will start twitching, ruining the scan and having to rescan or worse, reschedule for another time to do it again and insurance not cover the cost.
I decided to "self-medicate" myself. I've got a cold and my nose is running, so I took some Sudafed and then, since I was a little "anxious" about the whole "tube" experience, I thought if I could relax (and maybe even nap), it would make things easier, so I took a couple of Tylenol PM's. So, Carol came with me just in case I was a little sleepy when it was all over.
We drove to St. Alexius and went to registration. The guy was sharp to realize I was here for the same tests over two days so he basically pre-registered me for tomorrow as well, giving me all the paperwork we needed and then he walked us back to Radiology. They have their own waiting room, behind these dark wood-trimmed windows with fabric hanging from them. Like a small library in the middle of a sterile hospital. Filled out a questionnaire and just waited... all of about 5 minutes.
The elderly lady was the MRI Tech and started walking me to the testing. We kept going down corridors and turning. It was a labyrinth or corridors and doors. Next thing I know, we're going out an external door through a temporary covered walkway (sidewalk, actually). We were going to a leased trailer, parked behind the hospital. There, inside, was a brand new GE MRI unit in the middle of this air conditioned trailer, which had a small "office" in the front that the Tech worked out of - with soundproof door and glass between the two rooms.
I was lucky - because of where the scans covered tonight - Brain and Cervical Spine - I didn't have to change clothes - I just had to make sure I got rid of any excess metal - so I dumped my change, and my belt on a counter and went into the scanning room.
She lowered the scanning table and I hopped on, and then we maneuvered my head into the what felt like a brace of some sort. She put on some headphones that sounded all mid-range and lousy and loud. She was trying to talk to me, but even though she was right next to me I couldn't hear her for the radio in the headphones and this constant "washka-washka-washka-washka" sound that the machine made at all times, even when idle. I hoped that she wasn't telling me anything important.
Then she put this cage-like thing over my head. The cool thing is, that as I lay on my back, I was actually looking into a series of mirrors that worked like a "periscope" and I could look down the length of my body, toward the door to the room. Hey, this wasn't bad! I didn't have to worry how "tight" the tube was, I could actually just look out and everything was great.
I was flat on my back, but had some kind of pad/cushion under my knees that was really comfortable. I could feel right away that I could hold this position for quite a while.
It came time to be "inserted into the tube" and that's when I realized just how tight it really was. I've always had very broad shoulders (some think it was from swimming at the YMCA when I was a kid, but maybe I was just built this way), so I had to pull my arms in and slightly lift them up to get into the tube. Still, not all THAT uncomfortable.
The Tech came on the headphones and let me know that the first scan will take about 4 minutes and don't be alarmed by the noise.
Then came the noise. Yes it was loud, but I could tell that the headphones where blocking a lot because the sounds were slightly muffled. It was still damn loud. I really can't describe the sound. I can't at all. The closest sound is a klaxon, a fire alarm. Not a bell, a horn. Going off. Next to my ears. Either every second, or continuously. For four minutes. The radio cannot be heard at all, just the sound of the machine.
And that was just one part of the scan. The scans were anywhere from 30 seconds to four minutes, and there had to be at least 5-6 of them. That would be for the brain, and then the bed would slide in, reposition, and then next series of scans would commence for the Cervical Spine. I could barely hear the radio in between scans, as I think my head is buzzing from all of the noise.
It was tedious. It was also hard to try and relax and "drift off" because of the machine that's inches from my head. And I was in good spirits because my legs were calm!
Next, the lady comes into the room and slides me out. The radio is turned off. That's when I realized that what she did was pull the plug on the cable to the headphones. But, the cable isn't a cable at all, it's just tubing. The headphones where like what are used on airliners, with the old entertainment systems that just use hollow tubes to get the sound to the earphones from speakers buried someplace else. A cleaver way to not use metal around and inside the machine!
It's now time to be injected with some kind of "contrast" dye. So, she begins the effort on trying to find a vein. In vain, unfortunately as she sticks me twice in the left arm and can't come up with a good vein. She tries my right arm, but at least doesn't stick me, She tries my right hand and fails, so she gives up and goes to find another tech.
A young guy comes in, introduces himself, shakes my hand, and starts to work on my left hand, finds a good vein, does the old alcohol swab and sticks me and feeds whatever this stuff is into my vein. It actually feels cool as if travels up my arm. Other than that nasty pain of the initial stab, I'm good to go. The table is slid back in the tube, about 3 or 4 more scans are taken in total, and I'm sliding out the tube, all finished.
Sitting up was a little rough, but I eventually got my wits around me and I gathered my belongings and walked back into the hospital. I had one more stop to make - XRay. Apparently, they get an xray of the same area that's scanned so that a comparison and reference can be made. That was just as easy as walking into a room, standing sideways against a plate, firing the xray and walking out. Simple. Fast. Of course, not as high tech as my last hour was.
Yes, the scans lasted about an hour, total. They had scheduled 2 hours for me, one for each scan, just in case something happened or a scan had to be redone.
I met carol in the waiting room and we went home. I still felt a little "wired". Those Tylenol PM's had NO effect on me, as I was just too "up" and "alert" for all of this.
This wasn't a bad as I had feared. If it's the same tomorrow, I think I would even consider calling this a "cakewalk".
Let's see what tomorrow holds. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 09:14 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Winners and losers
And so my Curling season comes to a close, with a romping 7-3 victory in 7 Ends. The team finished 4-1 for the tournament, tied for First Place!. But, alas, we did not win the tournament because our only loss... was to the team tied with us. Therefore, they're the "winners".
So, in retrospect, what did I think of Curling?
Other than being resigned to the fact that it's much harder than it looks, other than having no coordination at all is a hindrance, other than being fully incapable of delivering a rock and having to rely on "The Stick" for delivery, other than not being able to master "The Stick" in just 5 short weeks...
... it was very enjoyable.
Would I do it again? Maybe. Talk to me in the fall.
posted at 11:40 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Still fighting something...Got home after work last night and was a mess. I felt drained and then i started getting the chills. Carol thought I had a fever, but we couldn't verify that because we couldn't find our thermometer. Carol made dinner and I got through that and I felt better, but then I was sweating my ass off, so who knows what's going on. I slept pretty well, so, other than an occasional cough this morning, I'm certainly better than I was last night.
Carol, in the meantime, isn't. She's been pretty uncomfortable since the surgery and the pain is just a little too disturbing her normal activity. She called the Day Surgery center and they're recommending for her to take a day off and keep her feet up. So, she's staying home today and following their recommendations.
We're a mess. We'll be fine some day, but right now - we're a mess.
posted at 08:11 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Monday, March 27, 2006
Taking the next step(s)...I mentioned sometime earlier that I'm starting a new adventure in my life - actually visiting a doctor and getting myself "fixed". No, I don't mean neutered, I mean fixing whatever is broken.
I had went for my EMG/NCV tests, now it's time for the next steps - MRI's.
I have never had an MRI before, so I'm not sure what to expect. I'm hearing everything from it's nothing, just noisy to people freaking out because of claustrophobia. I have absolutely no idea if I'm claustrophobic or not, so I'm not sure what to expect.
I called to schedule two MRI's - Brain and Spine (cervical, thoracic, & lumbar). That's what the Doctor's Orders say. What I found out is that it's actually 4 MRI's Brain, Cervical, Thoracic, and Lumbar! And they schedule an hour for each! 4 HOURS TOTAL!
We broke it into two pieces, and I'm going in Wednesday night for the first two and Thursday Night for the next two.
I don't know what to expect - anybody have any real-life experiences that want to share them with me? Enter a comment or send me an email.
I think what's worse is my blood workup that I had done last week. I have to go in for a follow-up blood test because, well, let's just say something is "askew" and I don't like it and neither does my doctor, but it's something I suspected. I just hope I can manage the whole thing with diet... here I am being fatalistic about something I don't even know what I have exactly... Crap... exercise and diet....I mean, c'mon, I haven't seen a doctor in a while and I don't exercise and I'm overweight... is it a shock that I have to exercise and diet? Well, no... I guess...
Still, I knew I would have to do something to get back "in line". It's just I'm so friggin' lazy it's hard to reconcile. I mean, potentially, changing my diet dramatically and forcing myself to carve-out some kind of time for exercise. It's life changing, I guess.
So, it's time to get my act together. Will I blog about it? Probably. Will it become a major focus of this blog? God, I hope not. It's supposed to be part of my life, not my whole life. There better be more to life than diet and exercise!
I don't need to be berated and/or hassled about this. I know I got myself here. I'm not happy about it. I don't need to be reminded of it. When I need it, Carol will take care of the motivation/admonishing/teasing, etc. All I ask is support. Actually, that goes for the entire readership out there (HA! All, what, 6 of you?) - all I ask is for your support.
posted at 02:43 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Yep... I'm coming down with something...
I've slept on and off all day. That's my body telling me something's not right. Actually, something is not the same as my normal operating status.
Yeah, the throat's gone. I've got something that's in my throat that I can't clear, so I'm just coughing all the time.
Went over to my mom's house and saw Diane & Melinda and, of course, Jackson.
I haven't written about a few things, like I haven't written any new letter to Jackson recently. Don't know why. He's changing and, up until today, I've been very paranoid that he just didn't think of me as an OK guy. Every time he looked at me, he had an odd look on his face. It wasn't a frown. He didn't look scared. He just looked confused and he just really didn't know about me - good guy or bad guy? I've seen this look before, I just can't explain it.
Today was the first day that, when Jackson looked at me, he didn't have that "look". In fact, he looked at me like anybody else (well, like Carol or my Mom at least... I mean not like Melinda or Diane). And that was the first time that I felt that he wasn't "rejecting" me... then again, I didn't really want to get too close to him since I wasn't feeling too well.
My Mom was finally feeling better. I haven't written about it here, but she's had bronchitis and pneumonia. She's been week and not eating, but she's storming back. She's taking her medication and she looks and sounds SOOOoooo much better. She hasn't been back to church - yet - to do all of her volunteering, whether it's counting the money from the weekly donations at the masses, or being on the board of the Ladies of St. Anne, or working the parish Fish Fry on Friday nights (My guess is that this is something we're not going to participating this year) She's been getting sick around this time of year for the last few years, and we think it's just because she's doing too much and is getting worn down, which drops her immune system and she just gets sick. Easter and Lent is a big time of year, so she just overextended herself. She's just having a real problem realizing that - even though she feels good "in the head" that her body is aging and it just doesn't do the things she wants it to do anymore.
Jackson started eating rice cereal, so he's starting to "grow-up". It looks like he enjoys eating, he just needs to get the mechanics down, and not unintentionally push the food out of his mouth. Practice, practice, practice.
He still has this WONDERFUL laugh, and me like an idiot, forgot my iRiver to record some of Jackson's meanderings.
He's also, umm, "squawking" a bit, where he obviously wanted to say something, and he says it out loud... dang, if you can tell what the hell it is. He thought it was important.
We all left a little early, since I was "off my feed" and Jackson's bed time was just the right time to [pack him up and get him into the car for the drive home.
posted at 09:12 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Baked Ziti with FriendsWe got a last minute invite, and Carol & I headed into the city tonight to hang with our friends B&B. We enjoy just sitting around and talking and finding out what's new in our lives. They made Baked Ziti, so we can sit around at talk Soprano's for a while - along with other things going on in the world... and in our lives. I think I've said this before, but if we were to classify us, B&B are "Movie people" and Carol & I are "TV People", so when we're over at B&B's, you can bet they've planned a movie for the night, either a rental or a cable On Demand, or, if the stars align correctly, a movie on cable. Tonight, there wasn't much of a pick, and for some reason B&B wanted to watch a movie from one of our favorite production companies - Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. We love Aardman films, and B&B never saw a Wallace and Gromit flick. I think it's safe to say that they enjoyed it.
By the time I got home, though, my throat is burning and sore. I'm coughing a bit. Oh, crap I'm coming down with something...
posted at 11:04 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Friday, March 24, 2006
Wolves 4 - Aeros 2
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Very good game tonight. Too bad Carol didn't go (she stayed at home "recuperating"). Hardly anybody from our "extended Wolves family" was there. Actually, I was glad Carol wasn't there because the guy that would have been sitting next to her and his 3 kids would have drove her nut. Drove me nuts. It was obvious that they never heard of nor heeded the "Wait For The Whistle" warning that's given in the announcements before the game.
Great intensity. Great swarming the puck, great defense in front of the net. They looked really good. Too bad we're still not in a playoff position. It may be the first time in franchise history that we'll miss the playoffs. Actually, Carol and I are planning on it - we didn't buy any postseason tickets this year. I mean, why? If we get there, we're not going anywhere, so why spend the money that we don't have?
(Boxscore - Gamesheet) « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 11:08 PM | Link | Wolves § |
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Not AverageI actually had an opportunity to walk around outside yesterday afternoon, and I did so without a jacket.
It was 49 degrees and the sun was out.
I didn't walk very far, just around a parking lot at Northwest Community Hospital (Long story... Carol was in for an outpatient/day surgery kind-of-thing ...no big deal... and I had to wait around, so that's one of the things I did)
I bring this up because it's Spring. That 49 degrees is also the average for this day.
I've been bitchin' and moanin' that the weather sucks and I'm tired of it.
It's supposed to be in the 30's with snow today and the next couple of days.
See? THAT'S why I want this over with. I just want it to be AVERAGE. It doesn't have to be SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR, just AVERAGE. That's all I want.
posted at 02:17 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Voting Snafu?I'm not sure what's going on, but the Primary elections yesterday are really screwed-up in Cook County and Chicago. There's a bunch of ballots that won't be counted until after 1 pm today.
They used new voting machines yesterday (to get around the damn punch-card paper ballot "hanging chad" thing that we have been part of until this election) and they warned that - for some reason - that voting will take longer. Nobody expected this though. I Board of Elections stopped counting somewhere around 3am and "took a break" until 1 this afternoon.
Great. Now there's calls about the "integrity" of the ballots and election process because people don't "know" where some of the ballots were (or are?) and who may have had them.
i don't understand this - they're calling this a technology breakdown. I hope we'll find out more later today.
posted at 06:42 AM | Link | Current Events § |
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Curling UpdateOur little curling team is now 3-1 in our competition. Going into tonight, I didn't expect that. In fact, the game was back and forth all game, with us pulling into the lead with 3 points in the 7th end. Then - I think - we had another two in the 8th and that was it. It was down to the last rocks, too.
So now we're tied with another team. I don't know what's going to happen next week. All I know is that we can't have a playoff - that would be the week after and that's my first White Sox game! And - in my life - certain things take precedence!
posted at 11:31 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Primary VotingWe've got Primary voting today in Illinois (thank God... I couldn't take the political ads anymore, let alone the autodialiners with recorded messages, leaving them in our voice mail...)
I'm not voting.
I never vote in Primary elections because you have to declare a party and you can only vote for candidates in that party. I don't believe in that. I vote for candidates that I want, regardless of party. And I don't want to be pigeon-holed as a Republican or Democrat.
I know it's my civic duty, but it's more important to me to be free of party politics.
posted at 08:24 AM | Link | Mundane | 1 comment § |
Monday, March 20, 2006
PhysicalI had my physical today - first time in at least 4 years. It was your typical thumped-prodded-poked-and-pricked type of physical, not to mention, um, coughing and bending. I've got orders for two MRI's and a referral to a neurologist. Drawing blood wasn't a big deal today - peeing into a cup was. I had nothing - I guess I didn't drink enough water during my 12+ hours of fasting.How embarrassing. I had to drink as much water as I could, waited around the reception area reading magazines for at least half an hour before... I could leave.
How embarrassing.
posted at 12:45 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Last dayYes! It's finally here!
The last FULL day of Winter!
Going to be in the 30's all week, though. Crap. Winter - astronomically - will be over, and yet it still hangs around. It's been sunny the last couple of days. It's taunting. It's teasing. Sun. Blue Sky. I hear it calling... "Come outside... it's nice... and cold..."
Can you tell I want this over?
posted at 10:55 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Ahhh... alone on a Saturday...Carol decided to take off and go up to Gurnee Mills (after visiting Jiffy Lube) and give me most of the day to myself. I've got some audio recording and editing to do today (hint hint), so this is just a wonderful feeling. And the "Ball Boys" (Chicago White Sox) (as we call them, as opposed to our "Puck Boys" being the Chicago Wolves") are on TV this afternoon.
What a nice day. Thanks, dear!
posted at 10:59 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Friday, March 17, 2006
White, no greenSince everything was covered with a crust of snow, nothing came close to looking green on this St. Patrick's Day. Cardinal George has given general dispensation so we can eat corned beef and cabbage... as long as we do some other penance. It may be easier to lay-off the meat than to figure out a good penance.
It's going to be a cold weekend here. When the hell is spring going to show up?
read more of this entry »
Friday, March 17, 2006: Optional Memorial of SAINT PATRICK: The optional memorial of SAINT PATRICK, March 17, 2006 falls on Friday of the second week of Lent. Because of this, Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I., has given a general dispensation from the norm to abstain from meat on this day. Please note that this dispensation is for Friday, March 17, 2006 only. On this day (Friday, March 17, 2006) Catholics in the Archdiocese of Chicago who choose to make use of this general dispensation are asked to substitute another form of penance for the Lenten Friday abstinence. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 10:28 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Just as I thought - no teethThe snow stopped. Not even an inch outside. Oh, and the only reason I saw the snow blowing sideways is because of the slight wind that was being funneled between two buildings and it looked like hell. When I actually left work, the wind wasn't bad, and the snow was those big flakes. It covered all of the tree and bush branches everywhere, while the streets were wet (thanks to ample salting by the local municipalities) and traffic wasn't really all that bad.
I had a feeling that the weather critters were just pumping-up this storm up for our area and nothing happens. Again.
posted at 08:23 PM | Link | Mundane § |
CoveredOK, the ground is covered now. That was quick. OK, maybe this is not going to be very nice...
posted at 03:24 PM | Link | Mundane § |
SidewaysAll day log - nothing.
I've had my head deep into my work and just looked up and looked out the window at the end of my row of cubes.
The big snowflakes outside are blowing sideways, left to right. I can see the start of accumulation down below in the grass and the dirt around the trees and bushes.
And so it starts...
posted at 03:02 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Where is it? Bring it on!Where's the snow?
Where's all this stuff that's supposed to cause havoc today?
C'mon, bring it on! Let's get it over with!
posted at 06:40 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Still another piece of sky fallsOh, God, here we go again...
Apparently we've a Winter Storm Warning for tonight and tomorrow. Up to 6" of snow north of us, but I'll betcha we get 1"-2".
We have had too many nice days recently that I'm done. I want this over. It's almost "Spring", for cripes sake.
C'mon. Screw the snow. Where's the sun and 50 degree temps?
posted at 02:20 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Up 2-1
We smoked our opponent in curling tonight. They conceded after 7 ends. I think the final was 10-2 We were missing our Vice Skip, Craig. His sub, though, probably could be classified as a "ringer". Yeah he's been curling for 23 years. And he's only 26. Yeah, he started when he was 3 - he's from Canada, what would you expect? I knew something was up when he walked onto the ice and - without warmup, just crouched in the hack and pushed-off - and when halfway down the sheet in perfect form.
After the game, I found out that the bar has a Canadian satellite feed (as well as DirecTV). we watched curling from Canada on TSN for an hour or so. Very entertaining.
I'm starting to fall into the game. things are very slowing starting to work the more I play.
posted at 11:16 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Couldn't study for this test
Was St. Alexius Hospital this morning for my first series of test on my legs to try to figure out why they twitch so much. I was scheduled for a Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV) and electromyography (EMG) test.
For the first time since this whole thing started years ago, somebody actually said something that made me feel "better", because at least it was something.
She (the neurologist) was doing a quick physical before we started to prodding. She started manipulating the soles of my feet to measure my reaction when my left leg twitched. She was able to recreate the twitch on command. She stopped, thought a second, and said to me "I'm going to do this test, but this test isn't... it's probably a problem higher up, in the spinal chord". (I asked later about what could it be and she said something like a disk out of line or even a vitamin deficiency, and she recommended a full spine MRI.)
So we started the NCV. I had forgotten how painful/upsetting that test is (yes, I've had them before), because they are applying POWER to the nerve, with increasing voltages. Holy crap, I just LOVE that feeling, plus having your extremity involuntarily flailing all over the table. Though the doctor always apologized for dong it, she kept doing it. The EMG is no fun as they put needle-like sensors into the skin, into the nerve, and you have to move your leg/ankle/toes to measure how well the nerve is firing. To top it off, they also have it amplified on a speaker so you can hear the nerve firing. Great. I was glad it didn't last long and I went back to work quickly.
The report should be at the Doctor's next week, in time for my physical.
posted at 09:29 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Monday, March 13, 2006
Checkin' the Doppler 3000...Let's see... it's Chicago and the weather has been changing just about every friggin' day for the past week.... Today, it's High Wind Warnings with winds up to 50-70 mph (according to a news tease I just saw on television). Saturday, the temps were in the 60's. Last night, huge storms blew through the area. A week ago yesterday was 1-2 inches of snow. Our sinuses are going nuts. Headaches galore. I just want the temperatures above, oh, let's say 47 as an arbitrary number. I'm done with Winter - give me a full-on Spring, as long as it's warm.
posted at 08:06 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Right under our noseI had a very odd thing that happened last night at the Wolves game during the First Intermission.
There's a phenomenon that happens to season ticketholders at sporting events. Over time, you start developing a new "clique" of friends. At first, this new "Sports Family" may be just people that you may not have started talking to, but may be made of people that you recognize game to game, and perhaps you've made nicknames for. Over time, because of your connections as fans of the team you are watching, you start talking about the team. This could take months or even seasons before that start happens. Eventually, depending on the people involved, you may start talking about other things, outside the team and the sport - maybe even personal things. It's usually by now you may learn the person's first name. It's rare to eventually find out their last name, unless your relationship starts to transcend just your sports relationship and they actually become friends.
I had one of those things happen as I was standing around with two other guys, Joe and Bob, part of the "extended family". That's when I found out that all three of us went to Gordon Technical High School - Joe graduated in '73, Bob in '78, and I graduated in '75 - which meant I was in school with both of them.
Do I remember them? Hell, no. The school was too big (the year I started - 1971 - we had 2,770 students).
Too bad my yearbooks are buried in a closet in the 2nd bedroom, impossible to get to. I need to see some pictures!
posted at 02:20 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Wolves 3 - Rivermen 4 (Shootout)
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We knew we were in trouble in the parking lot, watching people dressed-up for St. Patrick's Day pouring out of a motor coach. The team wore this year's St. Patrick's Day Jersey (which will be auctioned-off next week). I REALLY like this year's jersey.
The game was a little odd. Peoria came out very strong. Their first goal almost felt like it was a swarm that came down the ice and impossible to defend. The game was pretty physical and at least the boys seamed like they were in the game the whole way. Unfortunately, we ended regulation in a tie. Overtime was well fight but unproductive.
Then came the shootouts. I hate shootouts. I feel that our team can't defend them at all - I mean we've had six goalies this year. Their 3rd shooter was the first guy to score, and we were out when their 5th shooter scored... with nothing from us.
(Boxscore - Gamesheet) « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 11:12 PM | Link | Wolves § |
Thursday, March 09, 2006
I haven't done this in a whileHaven't been going to work at this hour for a while. And it's only 15 minutes away. I like being busy. I like the pressure (right now). Head down, doing work... can't talk...
posted at 06:24 AM | Link | Work § |
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Hey, dummy... look up!Too busy, didn't realize what time it was to go home. Wow. People are still here working... though they don't look familiar... they must come to work later and I just don't notice them...
posted at 06:06 PM | Link | Work § |
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
SkunkedI went to the Country Club tonight, with hopes of just practicing and just cheering-on the team while my substitute plays for me.
Wrong - no substitute showed up.
I was dieing out there. My stomach acid was really stirring up stuff. I'm getting better on my rock delivery, but I just can't get the weight correct. It's only my 3rd time on the ice, so what can be expected of me? More practice time?
Anyway, we lost big (9-2 maybe, I don't recall), and conceded in the 6th end.
At least that meant I had less rocks to sweep.
You know what, though? Sitting around in the bar area after the match - I actually felt better. Go figure.
posted at 11:03 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Not rightMan, I'm not feeling right today... I feel a little light-headed, a little "disconnected". I even feel a little week. It feels like my blood pressure medication is screwed-up.
How the hell am I going to sweep 48 stones tonight? I'm never gonna make it. I'll fall over or passout. I need a sub.
posted at 07:14 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Annual Oscar PartyWe actually started the day by picking-up my mom and taking her to Diane & Melinda's for lunch. Of course, it was for a Jack visit, too. Diane made some beef stew that was actually very good. Melinda made a cake that looked great, tasted fabulous. Something happened along the way, and it was the densest cake we've had - like the yellow cake turned into pound cake and the frosting turned into this wonderful almost fudge-like consistency. Too bad it was so damn heavy, because it tasted fabulous.
We left early to go to B&B's for the annual Oscar party with the usual suspects. The difference this year is that we sort of laid-off the food. It seems like we've always made too much food for this event. This year, it was pizza and some snacks and it actually worked-out well. I was really surprised at that. Maybe I didn't care because of the food we had at Diane & Melinda's.
We watched the preshow on E! and were underwhelmed by the coverage. It felt that we didn't see everyone on the red carpet. Turns out we didn't, because as we watched the ABC preshow, we saw people that didn't stop by Mr., Mizrahi (were they avoiding him, maybe? or was the director at E! just stupid enough to not even shoot these people from a distance, instead of showing us the same damn people over and over and over).
We felt the show was great. Jon Stewart did a WONDERFUL job and really looked comfortable throughout the show. Extremely happy Clooney got an award, shocked but happy the Crash got Best Picture.
Even more shocked that the show moved quickly and ended at a time that actually seemed EARLY compared to prior years. And why the hell do they have to play music throughout every speech? Maybe I wouldn't mind it as much if it wasn't as hot as it was - it needed to be under a little bit more compared to the speaker's volume.
The show is STILL TOO STUFFY. I want something more Golden Globe-y. Maybe they need to go back to the dinner party atmosphere of decades ago.
posted at 11:43 PM | Link | Friends § |
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Wolves 6 - Americans 4
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Help me...
I was just here 24 hours ago... it's a ll a blur... why do I insist on following and supporting this losing team...
The biggest surprise of all, other than nobody that normally sits near us actually showed-up for the game (they were probably getting as overwhelmed as us), was that the Wolves re-signed long-time defenseman Bob Nardella, who was dressed and played tonight.
In what is becoming too familiar - starting goalie Tuomas Tarkki gave up 2 real easy goals and was replaced with Michael Garnett, who was slightly better.
It was a struggle, but the "new" team showed-up we we actually won.
Hate to say this, but even with 11,994 people there, it was nice not having Brad and Jen in front of us, letting us stretch out a bit...
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posted at 10:51 PM | Link | Wolves | 1 comment § |
Friday, March 03, 2006
Wolves 5 - Griffins 2
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It's been just 48 hours ago since we've been here, watching the Wolves give a typical losing performance.
Tonight, we're facing an old nemesis who used to be in our division, but now leads our conference a full 30 points ahead of us (we're 12th behind them). We don't see them as often as we used to, so this rivalry can't be in the same shape.
We score first. No big deal, we've been there before. We score again. OK, a little different. The referee tonight - Francois St. Laurent - starts calling really tacky penalties. We have 3 guys in the box, and we get through the period without giving up a goal.
The usually flat 2nd period goes halfway before the Griffins score a goal, but then we get one back. There's a lot of holding, pushing, shoving, boarding and things progress where they slowly get out of hand. Yes, the old rivalry is still there. It gets bad enough when their goalie Joey MacDonald takes down one of our guys after getting bumped into. He gets our guy on the ice and starts pummeling him in the head with his blocker.
This is really out of control, but we come out on top 5-2. How can it be that we can't beat teams that are worse than us but we beat the Conference leader? How schizophrenic is this team?
What made the experience all the worse was the guy sitting next to Carol who was frenetically jumping up and down in his seat all night and yelling odd things at the ref ("go back to Walmart" "you missed your short bus" "go back to Canada you hoser") and few obscenities along the way that made the whole section uneasy.
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posted at 11:14 PM | Link | Wolves § |
Thursday, March 02, 2006
I forgot about yesterday
I guess it's been long enough ago that it just didn't hit me yesterday.
You know. Yesterday.
March 1st.
Know where I used to work years ago? During the Great Internet Boom?
Yes, marchFIRST.
Those were the days. So long ago...
posted at 10:09 AM | Link | Work § |
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Wolves 2 - Moose 5
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First period - the boys look OK, they keep the puck in the offensive zone most of the time and just seem to control the game. We outshot them 17-9, though we were tied 1-1. Second period - totally different team shows up on ice. We still outshoot them 15-9, but now we're losing 4-1 and our starting goalie Tuomas Tarkki is replaced with Michael Garnett, who gets booed when he comes on the ice because the fans don't trust him.
We lose 5-2 and "old man" Wade Flaherty had 39 saves.
Of course, even though there was only 4321 people there, the fans that showed-up were there to torment Jimmy Roy.
Let me just say that, yes we did and this could be the last trip for Jimmy to "The Wolves Den".
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posted at 10:26 PM | Link | Wolves § |
Game On!YEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!
Sitting at my desk and listening to baseball on the radio!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK, it's preseaon.
OK, it's a different station covering the games.
OK, it's a different broadcast team covering the games.
But, it's baseball!!!!
posted at 02:04 PM | Link | White Sox § |
*nose wiggle* x 2"Rabbit, Rabbit!"
(It's Times 2 because of the two because of our two resident rabbits!) Could it be "White Rabbit" or Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit!?
posted at 06:55 AM | Link | Memes § |
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