Today is my youngest's second birthday. It is hard to believe it has been 2 years already! He is growing like a weed and every day is a new adventure as well as some new words. It is truly amzing watching them grow from a tiny helpless being in to a walking, talking toddler. He is a great kid and loves his big brother dearly. Anytime my older son is around he is climbing all over him and rough housing.
We did not do much today as we had his birthday dinner the other night. Actually we did not do much of anything at all except a quick trip to the store and then to school to pick up my son and and his friend. They are now out of school for the next 2 weeks so we have tons planned to keep them busy.
12/21/2004
12/20/2004
Boston.com / Your Life / Health & Fitness / Diseases & Treatments / FDA issues caution for naproxen painkiller
Boston.com / Your Life / Health & Fitness / Diseases & Treatments / FDA issues caution for naproxen painkiller
So let's add yet another drug that I am on to the list of ones that have recently had warning issued by the F.D.A.
about the drugs possible link to heart trouble.
So let's add yet another drug that I am on to the list of ones that have recently had warning issued by the F.D.A.
about the drugs possible link to heart trouble.
Drugs are bad for you...
For the first time in a few weeks I was dog tired but did not go to sleep. I was too busy working on the new domain and getting some more .info domains that I lost track of time. Before I realized it my wife was home from work and it was 2am.
I want to spend some more time today getting some things for the new site and organizing. When it is done I would like to have close to 75 pages on the site with each individual issue having its own space so it can be discussed more in depth and with links to external sites with more info. I am working on the organization chart this morning and trying to make sure that the site will flow smoothly. Nothing worse then hitting a site that is difficult to navigate because the layout is awkward or even non-existent.
My back is bothering me this morning and is about a 4 right now. I am sure this is a mix of yesterdays chasing the boys around, getting to bed super late and the fact it is freezing outside. It is supposed to warm up to about 30 today but that is also the high temp for the week according to the weatherman. Looks like it might be a good week to keep the heating pad out. My foot is slightly numb but not as bad as the other day but the beginning of a migraine is here so looks like a good day for Relpax.
I did an "experiment" over the last few days and avoided as much caffeine as possible. I did not have any coffee for 5 days and I do not drink soda with caffeine in it and during this time I did not have any headaches. Yesterday I decided to have a few cups of coffee to see what would happen and this morning like I said the headache is coming. I will have to do this again though to make sure it is not just a coincidence. I would sure hate to give up my coffee in the morning as well I just bought 10lbs of my favorite beans last month.
One thing I have had to deal with through my journey with arachnoiditis is my parents. They have always been there for me and have encouraged me to be myself and they are obviously concerned with my diagnoses of arachnoiditis & spondylolisthesis. I know that when I spent the week in the hospital my parents were there everyday at least twice a day. However when ever I am around them and it is time for the meds I watch as they cringe when I take them. It goes back to my grandfather (My paternal grandfather) who died due to his dependence on drugs. He had been in a car accident in the 60's and injured badly so they had him on narcotic pain killers, most likely morphine from what I gather, but he became addicted to them and long after his need for them he was still taking them. In the early 70's he had been admitted to the hospital for I believe a detox program and one day he slipped and when he fell his skull splintered and pierced his brain killing him. I have never had the whole story told to me in one sitting or from the same person but I do know from my mother that his death was blamed on his dependence for narcotics. What my parents have told me is that they have a concern over the meds I am on and I know it stems from their experience with my grandfather. The problem I have had is getting them to understand that his dependence and my need for the pain meds are 2 different things. He only needed them short term. My need for them outweighs addiction as well I am under the constant care of a doctor who monitors my meds with me. I know it is because they care but they are part of America that needs to learn and understand more about chronic pain and its management. Without these meds I would sit in a chair for most likely the rest of my life. That would lead to a lot of things, including reduced life expectancy due to the underlying medical conditions it would create such as depression and obesity.
Anyway, they are good intentioned and I think I am slowly making progress with them. Some people have said that I should just leave the room when I have to take my meds but I see that as denying what is going on in my life. It would also do no good because then it makes it appear that you have something to hide and are sneaking off for your "fix."
I feel like taking a nap but I need to get some things done and I have gone on longer then I expected.
I want to spend some more time today getting some things for the new site and organizing. When it is done I would like to have close to 75 pages on the site with each individual issue having its own space so it can be discussed more in depth and with links to external sites with more info. I am working on the organization chart this morning and trying to make sure that the site will flow smoothly. Nothing worse then hitting a site that is difficult to navigate because the layout is awkward or even non-existent.
My back is bothering me this morning and is about a 4 right now. I am sure this is a mix of yesterdays chasing the boys around, getting to bed super late and the fact it is freezing outside. It is supposed to warm up to about 30 today but that is also the high temp for the week according to the weatherman. Looks like it might be a good week to keep the heating pad out. My foot is slightly numb but not as bad as the other day but the beginning of a migraine is here so looks like a good day for Relpax.
I did an "experiment" over the last few days and avoided as much caffeine as possible. I did not have any coffee for 5 days and I do not drink soda with caffeine in it and during this time I did not have any headaches. Yesterday I decided to have a few cups of coffee to see what would happen and this morning like I said the headache is coming. I will have to do this again though to make sure it is not just a coincidence. I would sure hate to give up my coffee in the morning as well I just bought 10lbs of my favorite beans last month.
One thing I have had to deal with through my journey with arachnoiditis is my parents. They have always been there for me and have encouraged me to be myself and they are obviously concerned with my diagnoses of arachnoiditis & spondylolisthesis. I know that when I spent the week in the hospital my parents were there everyday at least twice a day. However when ever I am around them and it is time for the meds I watch as they cringe when I take them. It goes back to my grandfather (My paternal grandfather) who died due to his dependence on drugs. He had been in a car accident in the 60's and injured badly so they had him on narcotic pain killers, most likely morphine from what I gather, but he became addicted to them and long after his need for them he was still taking them. In the early 70's he had been admitted to the hospital for I believe a detox program and one day he slipped and when he fell his skull splintered and pierced his brain killing him. I have never had the whole story told to me in one sitting or from the same person but I do know from my mother that his death was blamed on his dependence for narcotics. What my parents have told me is that they have a concern over the meds I am on and I know it stems from their experience with my grandfather. The problem I have had is getting them to understand that his dependence and my need for the pain meds are 2 different things. He only needed them short term. My need for them outweighs addiction as well I am under the constant care of a doctor who monitors my meds with me. I know it is because they care but they are part of America that needs to learn and understand more about chronic pain and its management. Without these meds I would sit in a chair for most likely the rest of my life. That would lead to a lot of things, including reduced life expectancy due to the underlying medical conditions it would create such as depression and obesity.
Anyway, they are good intentioned and I think I am slowly making progress with them. Some people have said that I should just leave the room when I have to take my meds but I see that as denying what is going on in my life. It would also do no good because then it makes it appear that you have something to hide and are sneaking off for your "fix."
I feel like taking a nap but I need to get some things done and I have gone on longer then I expected.
New URL
Well I spent a few minutes tidying up the space and even threw some very basic stuff up so that if you just navigate to ihavearachnoiditis.info you can navigate to the blog from there. I would really like to turn the site in to something of use so if you have anything you would like to see on it or if you would like to contribute to it, please let me know.
12/19/2004
Changing URL's
I figured since I own the domain and the space I might as well start using it. I will continue to post here for a bit more but I think after the holidays I will post strictly on my own URL which can be found at ihavearachnoiditis.info I think have the top level domain name with arachnoiditis in it we will get better exposure to people looking for information.
What the hell was I thinking?
Running around after the boys all day and the 10F weather has the osteoarthiritis working overtime. My lower back is quite stiff but not painful just yet. Hopefully a spell on the heating pad will aid in fighting it off until the morning.
Right now on TLC they have a show called extreme surgery and they are working on patients with scoliosis. It is interesting to watch because while the symptoms are different the method used during surgery is very similar to what I had done. I do fell bad for the patients though as they are kids going through multi-level fusion with instrumentation. I had one level done and was in a lot of pain afterwards. I can only imagine how these poor kids cope with it.
I remember about 3 or 4 months after my surgery we were out eating and I noticed the girl with her back to me had a scar very similar to mine. I did not want to be intrusive but somehow we ended up talking to the mom (I think she said something about how cute out our son is) and that led to the daughter and the scar. She was a scoliosis patient and was only 4 week post op. While I was out and about at 4 weeks I do not think I was as spry as that girl was.
I have noticed the restless leg syndrome more often as well as the "bugs" crawling on me and the itching in general, all seem to be symptoms of the arachnoiditis. As well there is some memory issues like I was telling a friend earlier. I have a difficult time remembering things all of the sudden. Simple things like conversations or where I put something. While this is something most people would say "well yea?" for me it is new. I am one of those people who keeps things organized and in the same place. Like my keys for instance. Before we had the key hooks my keys, wallet and watch all went in my hat. Since I always have a hat on outside (ballcap usually) when I head out I just grab the hat and go. Now I have trouble remembering where I put the hat with everything inside of it.
It seems that the closer we get to achieving a better quality of life through pain management the further we get with some of the associated side effects of the arachnoiditis. Not a big deal really as they are all minor symptoms, it is when they all happen at once that I am screwed. Like today I tried to catch a quick nap but as soon as I reclined the chair and shut my eyes the leg started kicking out and the itching started and when that stopped the bugs started crawling. I did finally conk out and get a quick 45 minutes in, but it was perfect. I felt rested when I got up and was able to finish the day out with the boys.
I also found a picture we took of my x-rays after my surgery 2 years ago. It is funny to look at it and see the hardware and know that it is your back and not some picture out of a textbook or another website. I will post it on the blog here in a few minutes.
Right now on TLC they have a show called extreme surgery and they are working on patients with scoliosis. It is interesting to watch because while the symptoms are different the method used during surgery is very similar to what I had done. I do fell bad for the patients though as they are kids going through multi-level fusion with instrumentation. I had one level done and was in a lot of pain afterwards. I can only imagine how these poor kids cope with it.
I remember about 3 or 4 months after my surgery we were out eating and I noticed the girl with her back to me had a scar very similar to mine. I did not want to be intrusive but somehow we ended up talking to the mom (I think she said something about how cute out our son is) and that led to the daughter and the scar. She was a scoliosis patient and was only 4 week post op. While I was out and about at 4 weeks I do not think I was as spry as that girl was.
I have noticed the restless leg syndrome more often as well as the "bugs" crawling on me and the itching in general, all seem to be symptoms of the arachnoiditis. As well there is some memory issues like I was telling a friend earlier. I have a difficult time remembering things all of the sudden. Simple things like conversations or where I put something. While this is something most people would say "well yea?" for me it is new. I am one of those people who keeps things organized and in the same place. Like my keys for instance. Before we had the key hooks my keys, wallet and watch all went in my hat. Since I always have a hat on outside (ballcap usually) when I head out I just grab the hat and go. Now I have trouble remembering where I put the hat with everything inside of it.
It seems that the closer we get to achieving a better quality of life through pain management the further we get with some of the associated side effects of the arachnoiditis. Not a big deal really as they are all minor symptoms, it is when they all happen at once that I am screwed. Like today I tried to catch a quick nap but as soon as I reclined the chair and shut my eyes the leg started kicking out and the itching started and when that stopped the bugs started crawling. I did finally conk out and get a quick 45 minutes in, but it was perfect. I felt rested when I got up and was able to finish the day out with the boys.
I also found a picture we took of my x-rays after my surgery 2 years ago. It is funny to look at it and see the hardware and know that it is your back and not some picture out of a textbook or another website. I will post it on the blog here in a few minutes.
What the F#$@ is wrong with people?
My son spent Friday night at his friends house from school (they go to Catholic school). Since we live on the border of two states some of the kids live across the river in the other state like his friend does. Not a big deal but when I spoke with the boys mom to arrange this (they called and asked us about it) we agreed they would bring the boys to my house at about 15:00. That time got changes several times during the course of Saturday and when I finally called them at 21:00 and told them to bring them over now they still did not show up until about an hour later.
Now if this had been the plan from the start it would not have been a big deal. However, I cancelled my plans so I could be here when they were to come over at 15:00 and ended up spending the whole day wondering where the heck they were. When I called to tell them to hurry up I was so frustrated it was not even funny. Being that this is my sons friend I do not want to give the kids parents a reason to say they can no longer play together but I was ready to rip in to someone about this. I know the mom is ill but 1-so am I and 2-they initiated the weekend by asking if my son could stay. I guess I expected more from a family that would think enough of their child to send him to a private school. Looks like I was WAY WRONG!
They finally dropped the boys off and I got them set up with the air mattress and the small TV for them to play X-box on. I also went out earlier in the day and got them some snack food and rootbeer (real rootbeer is naturally caffeine free) and some baked Lays. I told them to play until they were tired but no later then midnight and took the baby and went to bed myself.
They played fine today and while my son did screw up a bit overall there were no problems. Mom said she was going to do some Christmas shopping today and she would be here about 15:00 to pick up her son. Any guess on how that went???
About 14:45 I got a call saying they were on their way home from the city and that they needed to stop off at home first and then would be over. It is about an hour home from the city to my house which is 15 minutes from theirs. I figured about 2 hours and they would be here. Well about 17:30 I had to start getting dinner for my sons and myself (the Mrs had to work today) but the friend is still here. I make breakfast for dinner and decide that I should feed everyone just in case. I get everybody feed and dinner all cleaned up when they finally showed up at about 18:15 or so to pick him up.
Now, I want my son to continue to play with the friend but these parents (maybe it is just mom???) are not making a great first impression. I know my wife is not happy about it at all and she was not even here for the whole thing, so she must be really pissed to have it affect her like that. I figure what I will have to do is either explain to them next time that when we agree on a time I mean that time, not hours later. The other option is I do all the driving (which is not happening). I am a stickler for schedules and do not like being yanked around. While they were out having a good time both days, I was stuck at home wondering WTF is going on. I could have gone out and finished the shopping that I wanted to do. Arrrrggh!
Maybe it is me an my anal retentive ways about schedules?
Now if this had been the plan from the start it would not have been a big deal. However, I cancelled my plans so I could be here when they were to come over at 15:00 and ended up spending the whole day wondering where the heck they were. When I called to tell them to hurry up I was so frustrated it was not even funny. Being that this is my sons friend I do not want to give the kids parents a reason to say they can no longer play together but I was ready to rip in to someone about this. I know the mom is ill but 1-so am I and 2-they initiated the weekend by asking if my son could stay. I guess I expected more from a family that would think enough of their child to send him to a private school. Looks like I was WAY WRONG!
They finally dropped the boys off and I got them set up with the air mattress and the small TV for them to play X-box on. I also went out earlier in the day and got them some snack food and rootbeer (real rootbeer is naturally caffeine free) and some baked Lays. I told them to play until they were tired but no later then midnight and took the baby and went to bed myself.
They played fine today and while my son did screw up a bit overall there were no problems. Mom said she was going to do some Christmas shopping today and she would be here about 15:00 to pick up her son. Any guess on how that went???
About 14:45 I got a call saying they were on their way home from the city and that they needed to stop off at home first and then would be over. It is about an hour home from the city to my house which is 15 minutes from theirs. I figured about 2 hours and they would be here. Well about 17:30 I had to start getting dinner for my sons and myself (the Mrs had to work today) but the friend is still here. I make breakfast for dinner and decide that I should feed everyone just in case. I get everybody feed and dinner all cleaned up when they finally showed up at about 18:15 or so to pick him up.
Now, I want my son to continue to play with the friend but these parents (maybe it is just mom???) are not making a great first impression. I know my wife is not happy about it at all and she was not even here for the whole thing, so she must be really pissed to have it affect her like that. I figure what I will have to do is either explain to them next time that when we agree on a time I mean that time, not hours later. The other option is I do all the driving (which is not happening). I am a stickler for schedules and do not like being yanked around. While they were out having a good time both days, I was stuck at home wondering WTF is going on. I could have gone out and finished the shopping that I wanted to do. Arrrrggh!
Maybe it is me an my anal retentive ways about schedules?
12/18/2004
Mo. Woman Charged With Kidnapping, Murder
Yahoo! News - Mo. Woman Charged With Kidnapping, Murder
This is so sad. What could possibly be going through someone's mind that they would do something like this? I am however glad that they found the baby and it has been returned to the father. The people involved in this brutal crime deserve nothing less then the death penalty but no matter what they get they have destroyed a family and their Christmas holiday which should be a time of family and caring about each other will never be the same.
This is so sad. What could possibly be going through someone's mind that they would do something like this? I am however glad that they found the baby and it has been returned to the father. The people involved in this brutal crime deserve nothing less then the death penalty but no matter what they get they have destroyed a family and their Christmas holiday which should be a time of family and caring about each other will never be the same.
Well I got out this morning and put the garland on the front porch and the banister in the house and then got the lights on the porch as well. We then finished wrapping all the boys presents and got them under the tree. It finally is starting to look a little like Christmas and all we need is some snow, which is what I here we are supposed to be getting for Christmas.
The back is fairly sore today and I am dog tired, still! Not sure why it hurts other then maybe the cold front that is moving through. The temp dropped and the wind picked up and is now shaking the house. You can hear it creaking, which keeps reminding me of my back. Ouch! I feel good other then the back and while it is painful it is not stopping me from doing stuff today.
My son spent the night at his friends house and tonight his friend is going to stay here, so I ran to the grocery store to grab some munchies for them and stuff to make breakfast with. The store finally has center cut bacon which is much tastier and better for you then what the normal cut. I figured I would make some Belgian waffles, eggs, bacon and some hot cocoa. I have not made waffles in awhile so it will be a change of pace.
The back is fairly sore today and I am dog tired, still! Not sure why it hurts other then maybe the cold front that is moving through. The temp dropped and the wind picked up and is now shaking the house. You can hear it creaking, which keeps reminding me of my back. Ouch! I feel good other then the back and while it is painful it is not stopping me from doing stuff today.
My son spent the night at his friends house and tonight his friend is going to stay here, so I ran to the grocery store to grab some munchies for them and stuff to make breakfast with. The store finally has center cut bacon which is much tastier and better for you then what the normal cut. I figured I would make some Belgian waffles, eggs, bacon and some hot cocoa. I have not made waffles in awhile so it will be a change of pace.
It's Saturday!
I finally feel asleep about 01:30 and was up with the baby at 07:00. I do not mind only getting a short amount of sleep as I feel fine when I get up. After many years in the Army I was used to not getting much sleep, especially when in Garrison. I was stationed at Fort Irwin and married but the wait for housing back in the late 80's early 90's was very long. In the meantime I took quarters on the Marine Corps Logistic Base in Barstow, which was a good 40 miles from post (yes, this was the closest town). If PT formation was at 06:15 I had to leave the house by 04:45 to make sure I got to post on time to get over to the barracks and check on my soldiers. Final formation was usually about 17:30 but then the platoon sergeant or 1SG would have a "quick" NCO meeting that lasted until whenever. If I was lucky I would get home about 19:30 or so for dinner. It was a hard 6 years at Irwin but I would not trade them for anything else that I can think of. The people I spent that time with are some of the greatest men I have ever known. When I got out of the Army I got lucky that one of my former fellow soldiers and Company XO had left the Army and settled in the same town I did. It is hard to believe that I have known this guy for almost 16 years. Sometimes it is hard to believe that had I stayed I would be able to retire in less then 3 years from now.
The pain this morning is a good 6 but thanks to the meds it is dropping slowly but surely but the left foot is still totally numb and my left calf is starting to burn. The pain might be because I could not remember if I took the oxy last night and so I took the darvocet and tried to sleep. Normally I would have just dumped the bottle out and counted them but with the baby running around I did not feel it was a good idea. By the time I got him in bed and sleeping it was pretty late (yes, I spoil him by letting him hang out with daddy) and if I took it then it would throw off the whole schedule and I would be taking it at funky hours. I hate doing it that way because then I would have to get up at 03:00 or so to pop pills and then it is tough getting back to sleep. When I was in the hospital I would say that it was the most annoying part of my stay. You finally get to sleep, hard to do in the neuro ward, and they come in to wake you up and ask you how you feel. Arrrgh!
I thought about looking in to one of those Craftmatic Adjustable Beds to see if it might help me out. When I am napping in the recliner or on the end of the couch which also reclines, I seem to be in minimal pain when I wake up compared to sleeping in bed. I have even tried to prop myself up with pillow below my knees but after a while it is not comfortable and the lack of blood to the feet makes them hurt even more. My only concern would be that both side need to be adjustable. While sleeping in a "sitting" position would help me, I don't think my wife would enjoy it very much.
I am not sure exactly what time the oldest will be home as they are going to drive him so it is tough to say when we might head out for the store. I am hoping they are here before 11:00 o we can eat before we head out. My guess is that with only one week left until Christmas the stores are going to be a zoo. Couple that with the mall we are going to is in a town where they have been out for Christmas break since Thursday.
The pain this morning is a good 6 but thanks to the meds it is dropping slowly but surely but the left foot is still totally numb and my left calf is starting to burn. The pain might be because I could not remember if I took the oxy last night and so I took the darvocet and tried to sleep. Normally I would have just dumped the bottle out and counted them but with the baby running around I did not feel it was a good idea. By the time I got him in bed and sleeping it was pretty late (yes, I spoil him by letting him hang out with daddy) and if I took it then it would throw off the whole schedule and I would be taking it at funky hours. I hate doing it that way because then I would have to get up at 03:00 or so to pop pills and then it is tough getting back to sleep. When I was in the hospital I would say that it was the most annoying part of my stay. You finally get to sleep, hard to do in the neuro ward, and they come in to wake you up and ask you how you feel. Arrrgh!
I thought about looking in to one of those Craftmatic Adjustable Beds to see if it might help me out. When I am napping in the recliner or on the end of the couch which also reclines, I seem to be in minimal pain when I wake up compared to sleeping in bed. I have even tried to prop myself up with pillow below my knees but after a while it is not comfortable and the lack of blood to the feet makes them hurt even more. My only concern would be that both side need to be adjustable. While sleeping in a "sitting" position would help me, I don't think my wife would enjoy it very much.
I am not sure exactly what time the oldest will be home as they are going to drive him so it is tough to say when we might head out for the store. I am hoping they are here before 11:00 o we can eat before we head out. My guess is that with only one week left until Christmas the stores are going to be a zoo. Couple that with the mall we are going to is in a town where they have been out for Christmas break since Thursday.
12/17/2004
Not much going on today. The oldest is at a sleep over and my wife is at work so it is just the baby and I.
Last nights birthday dinner was nice. My family is a freaking riot to hang around and the night is usually spent ragging on someone about something we did when we were kids or the last time we were all together. Since we all live within an hour of each other we see each other pretty often.
The baby got some cool toys and books. We got him some stuff from gummylump and my mom & dad got him some things from a similar company. The got him these really neat music set with tambourine and cymbals and about 6 other instruments. It was a nice set too, not one of these cheesy $5.99 Wal-Mart specials that would get broken the second day.
We spent most of today just lounging around the house. I built another shelf in the rec room for all the boys games. They were in the map table but the baby was getting in there and pulling them all apart. I think I need to build one more for the toys and then the last one for all the DVD's so he will stay out of them as well. Putting up the shelf today was a pain in the butt though. I could not get it centered on the wall and I did not want to put in dry wall anchors or anything like that as when the shelf is full I was afraid it might tear out of the wall. It is not off center by much and if I put something on the bigger end I think it will be fine. The last thing to do will be to paint the room.
The boys also got some presents in the mail today so I think tomorrow we will head out and hit the store as they got a lot of gift certificates. The oldest wants the new Nintendo DS. He has the Game Boy Color and the Game Boy Advance but you know kids, they want the newest thing. The nice thing is they are backwards compatible so all the old games work on the newer ones. This time though he has enough in gift cards, so if he wants it he is buying it himself.
For the baby we went out this afternoon and got some of his stuff. He loves Elmo, who I CANNOT STAND, so he got yet another Elmo that makes noise. This one sings and dances but he got a bigger kick out of the fact that it has a level of some sort in it and if in the middle of the dance it goes off balance it says, "whoops!" He sat there doing that for about an hour and was laughing his butt off. When a toddler laughs it is contagious, so pretty soon he had me cracking up at him laughing at the doll.
Anyway, the pain today was ok but by about an hour or so before it was time for the next dose the pain was starting to come back. I know that time release is supposed to be constant but I am curious as to for exactly how long. The numbness in my foot is back today and it feels like it has been asleep all day. Annoying more then anything as it makes it difficult to judge when my foot is on the ground when walking. When it gets bad enough and we are out I grab a cart to walk with but I try to not go out if I do not have too. Good thing my car is an automatic because pushing the clutch could prove to be a bitch and a half.
Last nights birthday dinner was nice. My family is a freaking riot to hang around and the night is usually spent ragging on someone about something we did when we were kids or the last time we were all together. Since we all live within an hour of each other we see each other pretty often.
The baby got some cool toys and books. We got him some stuff from gummylump and my mom & dad got him some things from a similar company. The got him these really neat music set with tambourine and cymbals and about 6 other instruments. It was a nice set too, not one of these cheesy $5.99 Wal-Mart specials that would get broken the second day.
We spent most of today just lounging around the house. I built another shelf in the rec room for all the boys games. They were in the map table but the baby was getting in there and pulling them all apart. I think I need to build one more for the toys and then the last one for all the DVD's so he will stay out of them as well. Putting up the shelf today was a pain in the butt though. I could not get it centered on the wall and I did not want to put in dry wall anchors or anything like that as when the shelf is full I was afraid it might tear out of the wall. It is not off center by much and if I put something on the bigger end I think it will be fine. The last thing to do will be to paint the room.
The boys also got some presents in the mail today so I think tomorrow we will head out and hit the store as they got a lot of gift certificates. The oldest wants the new Nintendo DS. He has the Game Boy Color and the Game Boy Advance but you know kids, they want the newest thing. The nice thing is they are backwards compatible so all the old games work on the newer ones. This time though he has enough in gift cards, so if he wants it he is buying it himself.
For the baby we went out this afternoon and got some of his stuff. He loves Elmo, who I CANNOT STAND, so he got yet another Elmo that makes noise. This one sings and dances but he got a bigger kick out of the fact that it has a level of some sort in it and if in the middle of the dance it goes off balance it says, "whoops!" He sat there doing that for about an hour and was laughing his butt off. When a toddler laughs it is contagious, so pretty soon he had me cracking up at him laughing at the doll.
Anyway, the pain today was ok but by about an hour or so before it was time for the next dose the pain was starting to come back. I know that time release is supposed to be constant but I am curious as to for exactly how long. The numbness in my foot is back today and it feels like it has been asleep all day. Annoying more then anything as it makes it difficult to judge when my foot is on the ground when walking. When it gets bad enough and we are out I grab a cart to walk with but I try to not go out if I do not have too. Good thing my car is an automatic because pushing the clutch could prove to be a bitch and a half.
12/16/2004
Saw the doctor and the doctor said...
No more Monkey's jumping on the bed!
I saw the Doc this morning and she was pleased to here that the route we chose to go has so far been a good one. We talked about breakthrough and she said that I could take the darvocet when needed since I have it already. We also talked about the headaches that I was getting and how they seemed to have gone away. I thought it might be the NSAID I am taking in conjunction with everything else but she mentioned that Elavil, which I am on, is something they do use for migraines and her thoughts were that it is doing most of the work there. Which ever it is I do not care as long as it keeps doing it!!!
She did not approve the disabled placard yet. She said she had some reservations about it as I do not meet all the criteria but she does understand my concerns of the midwest winters. She is going to discuss it with the head doctor in the office and see what he thinks. While it would be a good thing for me to have in the winter I do not want them to do something that can cause them some trouble down the road.
Tonight we are having a Birthday dinner for my youngest son. He will be 2 on the 21st but everyone's schedules are pretty hectic that day so we are doing it tonight. My parents live fairly central to all of us so they let us do these things at their house. Nothing big, my brother and sister and their families then us. My brother and sister each have a 2 year old as well so I am really looking forward to the holidays this year.
I saw the Doc this morning and she was pleased to here that the route we chose to go has so far been a good one. We talked about breakthrough and she said that I could take the darvocet when needed since I have it already. We also talked about the headaches that I was getting and how they seemed to have gone away. I thought it might be the NSAID I am taking in conjunction with everything else but she mentioned that Elavil, which I am on, is something they do use for migraines and her thoughts were that it is doing most of the work there. Which ever it is I do not care as long as it keeps doing it!!!
She did not approve the disabled placard yet. She said she had some reservations about it as I do not meet all the criteria but she does understand my concerns of the midwest winters. She is going to discuss it with the head doctor in the office and see what he thinks. While it would be a good thing for me to have in the winter I do not want them to do something that can cause them some trouble down the road.
Tonight we are having a Birthday dinner for my youngest son. He will be 2 on the 21st but everyone's schedules are pretty hectic that day so we are doing it tonight. My parents live fairly central to all of us so they let us do these things at their house. Nothing big, my brother and sister and their families then us. My brother and sister each have a 2 year old as well so I am really looking forward to the holidays this year.
12/15/2004
I am not sure why but the pain this evening sucks. The knot in the small of my back is still there and I took the max dose of robaxin hoping it was just a muscle, but I would have thought it would be working by now and it is not. I took the oxy about 9 hours ago which means I have 3 hours to go before I can take it again. I am hoping they will give me something tomorrow for the breakthrough on days like this. I mean not even my recliner is comfortable right now and that sucks.
I spent the evening burning some CD's for my wife, a total of twelve of the suckers. I also downloaded a template for Word that will allow you to make a jewel case insert. It works ok but it is designed for the old style jewel cases not the new slim ones. I just cut out the pieces I needed and tossed the rest. It took me about an hour or so because I just used the desk top. I should have brought the laptop in there and the used the other desktop and I would have been done in about 20 minutes. We have 3 burners and I just used one. I could have had 3 going at a time...Oh well, lesson learned.
I spent the evening burning some CD's for my wife, a total of twelve of the suckers. I also downloaded a template for Word that will allow you to make a jewel case insert. It works ok but it is designed for the old style jewel cases not the new slim ones. I just cut out the pieces I needed and tossed the rest. It took me about an hour or so because I just used the desk top. I should have brought the laptop in there and the used the other desktop and I would have been done in about 20 minutes. We have 3 burners and I just used one. I could have had 3 going at a time...Oh well, lesson learned.
Got my Oxy!
I got a call this morning from my doctors office letting me know I would have to come in to pick up a prescription for Oxycontin because they cannot just call it in. I was laughing as the nurse was saying this and told her I found that out last night only after they had all gone home for the day. The good thing is since this was not a refill according to the insurance company (since there was a new prescription written) I was able to pick it up a day earlier then I would have run out so now I am ahead in the pill count as it were. That means for some reason should I not be able to get a new prescription filled on time or that the pharmacy is closed that day, I can make it one day without suffering the empty bottle syndrome. I know, it sounds funny but without the pain meds you end up spending most of your day doing nothing as it hurts to move and when the headaches come it hurts to think.
We also hit Home Depot and I bought another section of pine board about 6' (1.83m) and some brackets that I will stain and then hang. I need a place in the family room to store the games because the baby keep tearing them apart if we leave them in the table drawers. Nothing like walking down in to a mess of trivial pursuit cards everywhere. Then I have to figure out which cards go to which set (thank God for color coding) and get it all done while he is still trying to tear it apart. We also must have about 6 UNO decks combined in to one by now.
I spent some more time this morning reading google hacks and stumbled across a guy who has taken the google search engine and enhanced it. It allows you to look for specific files and/or a specific domain name. http://www.faganfinder.com/google.html Check it out if you have some serious searching to do.
The pain this afternoon is moderate but ok. I have a knot in the center of the small of my back that us more uncomfortable then painful. I took some more robaxin thinking this might be a muscular issue as it is not burning pain. While I still do not have anything for breakthrough I do have some Darvocet that they said I could take if needed. Hopefully the docs kids are better and she will be in tomorrow.
My wife mentioned something I either forgot or missed during the last visit and that was our doc just finished a seminar on chronic pain so we have someone who has just had hopefully some great info steering away from the old way methods of dealing with arachoiditis, which was to not treat it because it was all in your head. She should also have my paperwork on the disabled placard for the car completed.
We also hit Home Depot and I bought another section of pine board about 6' (1.83m) and some brackets that I will stain and then hang. I need a place in the family room to store the games because the baby keep tearing them apart if we leave them in the table drawers. Nothing like walking down in to a mess of trivial pursuit cards everywhere. Then I have to figure out which cards go to which set (thank God for color coding) and get it all done while he is still trying to tear it apart. We also must have about 6 UNO decks combined in to one by now.
I spent some more time this morning reading google hacks and stumbled across a guy who has taken the google search engine and enhanced it. It allows you to look for specific files and/or a specific domain name. http://www.faganfinder.com/google.html Check it out if you have some serious searching to do.
The pain this afternoon is moderate but ok. I have a knot in the center of the small of my back that us more uncomfortable then painful. I took some more robaxin thinking this might be a muscular issue as it is not burning pain. While I still do not have anything for breakthrough I do have some Darvocet that they said I could take if needed. Hopefully the docs kids are better and she will be in tomorrow.
My wife mentioned something I either forgot or missed during the last visit and that was our doc just finished a seminar on chronic pain so we have someone who has just had hopefully some great info steering away from the old way methods of dealing with arachoiditis, which was to not treat it because it was all in your head. She should also have my paperwork on the disabled placard for the car completed.
12/14/2004
Who's on first...
I am dog tired tonight. I did not get to sleep until almost 3am last night. Not sure why because I was tired but could not fall asleep. I ended up watching a really lame movie hoping that out of shear boredom I would drift off. I did get a little extra sleep though as my wife got up with the boys and took the oldest to school and let me sleep. I figured I would catch up when they baby took his nap but that fell through when not only did he not take a nap, he was still running around the house like the energizer bunny at 8pm. I finally got him down a little after 8 and then I almost fell asleep in the recliner with him on my chest.
Since he did not take his nap I took him to the store so my wife could get some sleep before work. Of course you take him to the store and the kid turns in to a ham and has to talk to everyone he sees. So a twenty minute trip for milk and juice turns in to an hour and change. Living in a small town is a blessing and a curse. Everyone knows who we are and they all want to talk every time they see you. I does not bother me as I can out talk most people. But when you are trying to get out of there because your kid is acting up or your back is screaming for a place to sit and there is not one. However since all these people know us, when the boys are a bit older it is like having eyes all over the place. Someone will see them and if they are acting up I will know about it by the next morning.
My doctors appointment for tomorrow was canceled because the docs kids are sick. They asked if I wanted to see someone else in the office I said no problem. The girl told me to come on during walk in tomorrow morning at 8am then as all the other doctors are booked all day. Ok, so my doc is out and all her appointments were cancelled for tomorrow then that means they gave the same speech to each patient they called. Now, there is only one doctor tomorrow and walk in is from 8-9 only. So if all the patients who has appointments with my doc show up at 8am and there is only one doc on duty...I figure there would be a few people who will be there anyway and then add to that, say 1/4 of the patients with cancelled appointments there is going to be about 20 people in that hour. Unless the doc on duty is Superman, there is no way he will see everyone. I asked her to reschedule me for the next appointment with my doc, which is now Wednesday providing her kids are better. I have no problem waiting as it was only a follow up on the meds and to adjust if needed. I told the girl I would run out of the oxy tomorrow though and if they could get me a refill I would be golden. She said the nurse would call it in to my pharmacy for me and to call them before going in to make sure it was ready.
So....about 6:30pm I call the pharmacy to see if the prescription was called in. After a few minutes of listening to the worst elevator music a girl answered the phone and I explained that my doctor had called in a refill. I gave her all the info so she could look it up and when she comes back on the phone she asked which prescription it was for (I have about 9 active) and I told her it was for the oxycontin. Before I finished speaking she said there were no refills on it to which I replied that "I knew that and that my doctors office was supposed to have called in the refill". Where the disconnect was I am not sure but she came back with "your doctor cannot call in refills." "I have been having them call in refills for years" I said. She quickly came back with, "but they are not allowed to." So I am thinking to myself, what the heck is wrong with this girl when she finally figures out what she is talking about and tells me that oxycontin is not a drug that an be called in, it must be written on a doctors prescription pad. Duh, why didn't she say that in the first place??? Of course it is now close to 7pm and I know for sure that no one is in the doctors office, so I will have to call them in the morning and get someone to write it for me and then take it over there. I will have to ask my friend who works there who the heck I spoke to. Poor girl must be new.
The pain today was a bit higher then the last few days and I am sure the cold has something to do with this. We hit a high of about 26 (-3C)today but we spent most the of the day before 2pm at about 15 (-9C)degrees. I know, I have read the studies that say the cold has nothing to do with the pain from osteoarthritis or any of the other afflictions that plague us but then I am willing to bet that the people who wrote those studies don't have a single thing wrong with them. I actually turned the heat up today to 72 (22C) just to fight off the cold. I generally keep the house at 68 (20C) in the winter and 74 (23C) in the summer. I figure in the winter, especially with the price of natural gas right now, it is easier to throw on a sweatshirt or a blanket and get warm. We did look at maybe getting one of those natural gas fireplaces that has the blower on it for the backroom, as that is where it gets coldest, however the cost is not justified. A few thousand dollars would take the better part of 15-20 years to recover if gas prices stay this high. Maybe in the spring we will look at a wood fireplace or a pot bellied stove back there.
One thing I did notice or should I say did not was my left foot. It was not painfully numb like it normally is. I have not done anything different or started new meds but it was nice to not have a foot like it was on pins and needles. It let me get on the front office computer for awhile rather then having to hog the laptop. I was able to do some more work on the website, which I hope to have done in January and then I will post the URL. For right now I do have to URL's that I bought which are pointing to this blog. ihavearachnoiditis and ihavespondylolisthesis and when I am done I hope to have the sites developed into a compendium of the info that is out there on the subjects. There is a ton of great sites, but very few of them link to the others and none that I have found seem to have all the info. I am sure that they do not link because most of them are done by research hospitals and the others are done by private groups. Seems they would want to link to others and I am not sure whay they do not, but I have some ideas. While the sites were not expensive to buy and get going I am sure the traffic generated over time will eat more bandwidth then I can afford so I will have the ubiquitous googleads on them in hopes they will defray some of the costs.
Well, I have rambled on enough for now. It is time to put in a movie and relax for a bit, maybe I will grab the Three Stooges DVD I bought yesterday. Double DVD set with 8 episodes. I used to watch them with my dad when I was a kid, to bad they are not on T.V. anymore. Seems like some stations have steared away from shoes like the Stooges and Our Gang (Little Rascals) which is too bad.
Since he did not take his nap I took him to the store so my wife could get some sleep before work. Of course you take him to the store and the kid turns in to a ham and has to talk to everyone he sees. So a twenty minute trip for milk and juice turns in to an hour and change. Living in a small town is a blessing and a curse. Everyone knows who we are and they all want to talk every time they see you. I does not bother me as I can out talk most people. But when you are trying to get out of there because your kid is acting up or your back is screaming for a place to sit and there is not one. However since all these people know us, when the boys are a bit older it is like having eyes all over the place. Someone will see them and if they are acting up I will know about it by the next morning.
My doctors appointment for tomorrow was canceled because the docs kids are sick. They asked if I wanted to see someone else in the office I said no problem. The girl told me to come on during walk in tomorrow morning at 8am then as all the other doctors are booked all day. Ok, so my doc is out and all her appointments were cancelled for tomorrow then that means they gave the same speech to each patient they called. Now, there is only one doctor tomorrow and walk in is from 8-9 only. So if all the patients who has appointments with my doc show up at 8am and there is only one doc on duty...I figure there would be a few people who will be there anyway and then add to that, say 1/4 of the patients with cancelled appointments there is going to be about 20 people in that hour. Unless the doc on duty is Superman, there is no way he will see everyone. I asked her to reschedule me for the next appointment with my doc, which is now Wednesday providing her kids are better. I have no problem waiting as it was only a follow up on the meds and to adjust if needed. I told the girl I would run out of the oxy tomorrow though and if they could get me a refill I would be golden. She said the nurse would call it in to my pharmacy for me and to call them before going in to make sure it was ready.
So....about 6:30pm I call the pharmacy to see if the prescription was called in. After a few minutes of listening to the worst elevator music a girl answered the phone and I explained that my doctor had called in a refill. I gave her all the info so she could look it up and when she comes back on the phone she asked which prescription it was for (I have about 9 active) and I told her it was for the oxycontin. Before I finished speaking she said there were no refills on it to which I replied that "I knew that and that my doctors office was supposed to have called in the refill". Where the disconnect was I am not sure but she came back with "your doctor cannot call in refills." "I have been having them call in refills for years" I said. She quickly came back with, "but they are not allowed to." So I am thinking to myself, what the heck is wrong with this girl when she finally figures out what she is talking about and tells me that oxycontin is not a drug that an be called in, it must be written on a doctors prescription pad. Duh, why didn't she say that in the first place??? Of course it is now close to 7pm and I know for sure that no one is in the doctors office, so I will have to call them in the morning and get someone to write it for me and then take it over there. I will have to ask my friend who works there who the heck I spoke to. Poor girl must be new.
The pain today was a bit higher then the last few days and I am sure the cold has something to do with this. We hit a high of about 26 (-3C)today but we spent most the of the day before 2pm at about 15 (-9C)degrees. I know, I have read the studies that say the cold has nothing to do with the pain from osteoarthritis or any of the other afflictions that plague us but then I am willing to bet that the people who wrote those studies don't have a single thing wrong with them. I actually turned the heat up today to 72 (22C) just to fight off the cold. I generally keep the house at 68 (20C) in the winter and 74 (23C) in the summer. I figure in the winter, especially with the price of natural gas right now, it is easier to throw on a sweatshirt or a blanket and get warm. We did look at maybe getting one of those natural gas fireplaces that has the blower on it for the backroom, as that is where it gets coldest, however the cost is not justified. A few thousand dollars would take the better part of 15-20 years to recover if gas prices stay this high. Maybe in the spring we will look at a wood fireplace or a pot bellied stove back there.
One thing I did notice or should I say did not was my left foot. It was not painfully numb like it normally is. I have not done anything different or started new meds but it was nice to not have a foot like it was on pins and needles. It let me get on the front office computer for awhile rather then having to hog the laptop. I was able to do some more work on the website, which I hope to have done in January and then I will post the URL. For right now I do have to URL's that I bought which are pointing to this blog. ihavearachnoiditis and ihavespondylolisthesis and when I am done I hope to have the sites developed into a compendium of the info that is out there on the subjects. There is a ton of great sites, but very few of them link to the others and none that I have found seem to have all the info. I am sure that they do not link because most of them are done by research hospitals and the others are done by private groups. Seems they would want to link to others and I am not sure whay they do not, but I have some ideas. While the sites were not expensive to buy and get going I am sure the traffic generated over time will eat more bandwidth then I can afford so I will have the ubiquitous googleads on them in hopes they will defray some of the costs.
Well, I have rambled on enough for now. It is time to put in a movie and relax for a bit, maybe I will grab the Three Stooges DVD I bought yesterday. Double DVD set with 8 episodes. I used to watch them with my dad when I was a kid, to bad they are not on T.V. anymore. Seems like some stations have steared away from shoes like the Stooges and Our Gang (Little Rascals) which is too bad.
12/13/2004
Well I got the fence line fixed, kind of. I was able to get the end where they were afraid the dog would squeeze through blocked off, a 2X4 cut in half and then nailed in between the end of the fence and the garage blocked the whole thing off. I used some small lumber hangers like if you were using them for a deck and voila. The other end only needed a few zip ties to put the piece of lattice that was there back in place and to hold it. To make sure I put 3X the amount it really needed. For the chain link fence though I had to do some bending and stretching on the part that was hit by the tree. On the top of the fence I just used zip ties to hold up the fence and tomorrow or the next day I will go to Lowe's as Home Depot does not seem to carry chain link fence or any of the needed pieces. I figure one section of fence, 1 top pole and some connectors and then some work with the hack saw and I should be able to fix the whole thing.
I wanted to get it started today in case they came by from the shelter. I would hate for them to think we did not start so we do not care and then let the dog go to another home. I figure the way it is right now is good enough and as soon as I get the rest I should be able to have it all done by the weekend. Only one thing sucked about it today and that was it is 23F/-5C and I do not have a pair of gloves that are thin enough to have dexterity in while working on things. If I do the fence this weekend I will have to grab something because after an hour outside my hands were frozen solid.
Of course I paid for the fence fixing later on but not before I decided to wrap some of the presents and get them under the tree. I got about 1/3 done and that was all she wrote. I tried to do it sitting on the floor because the only table big enough is by the back room where the baby was napping. I felt fine while I was sitting down but as soon as I tried to stand up my whole lower back felt like one big muscle spasm and my legs were on fire. Guess next time I will wait until after the nap and use the table like smart people do. LOL!
I did the presents because while Christmas is right around the corner I wanted it to seem more like the Holidays for the kids. I remember how exciting it was to have the tree up and the lights outside. We did decide to tell the oldest (11) that while Saint Nicholas is real there is no Santa Claus that brings present to kids which let me wrap his and get them out. Nothing like a little "teasing" to start the holidays right. He likes to listen to music but with the garbage that is out there today makes us think twice before letting him tune the stations in. With the MP3 player we can preview and "approve" the music going on to the player. We just believe that 11 year olds (or anyone really) do not need to be listening to lyrics like "bitches and ho's" and all the other colorful adjectives they use. While some people we have told this have called us control freaks, I have seen their kids and would not call them "model citizens." A little more control at home and some lessons/discipline in authority figures might have done them some good.
In addition to doing all the work on the fence and then the presents I feel pretty good and I did not even take my nap with the baby. It has been a long time since I have felt like this. Tomorrow I do not have much planned other then to work some more on some web stuff for my fathers company. I got Flash MX today so I am going to read the manual on developing a flash presentation and then mess around with that.
I wanted to get it started today in case they came by from the shelter. I would hate for them to think we did not start so we do not care and then let the dog go to another home. I figure the way it is right now is good enough and as soon as I get the rest I should be able to have it all done by the weekend. Only one thing sucked about it today and that was it is 23F/-5C and I do not have a pair of gloves that are thin enough to have dexterity in while working on things. If I do the fence this weekend I will have to grab something because after an hour outside my hands were frozen solid.
Of course I paid for the fence fixing later on but not before I decided to wrap some of the presents and get them under the tree. I got about 1/3 done and that was all she wrote. I tried to do it sitting on the floor because the only table big enough is by the back room where the baby was napping. I felt fine while I was sitting down but as soon as I tried to stand up my whole lower back felt like one big muscle spasm and my legs were on fire. Guess next time I will wait until after the nap and use the table like smart people do. LOL!
I did the presents because while Christmas is right around the corner I wanted it to seem more like the Holidays for the kids. I remember how exciting it was to have the tree up and the lights outside. We did decide to tell the oldest (11) that while Saint Nicholas is real there is no Santa Claus that brings present to kids which let me wrap his and get them out. Nothing like a little "teasing" to start the holidays right. He likes to listen to music but with the garbage that is out there today makes us think twice before letting him tune the stations in. With the MP3 player we can preview and "approve" the music going on to the player. We just believe that 11 year olds (or anyone really) do not need to be listening to lyrics like "bitches and ho's" and all the other colorful adjectives they use. While some people we have told this have called us control freaks, I have seen their kids and would not call them "model citizens." A little more control at home and some lessons/discipline in authority figures might have done them some good.
In addition to doing all the work on the fence and then the presents I feel pretty good and I did not even take my nap with the baby. It has been a long time since I have felt like this. Tomorrow I do not have much planned other then to work some more on some web stuff for my fathers company. I got Flash MX today so I am going to read the manual on developing a flash presentation and then mess around with that.
12/12/2004
Co-pays and spring cleaning
Out of the blue this evening I am getting the "bugs" running across my legs. It is annoying more then anything as you have to scratch it to make it stop itching. I have tried all the meds like benadryl but none of them worked or had much of an effect. It runs up mostly the thigh but I have started to get it here and there on my arms, middle of my back and sometimes on the crown of my head. I have added this to my list of things to talk with the doc about on my follow up and if all goes well we will move to 90 day follow ups.
It's not that I mind going to see the doc but every visit, even if it is follow up requires to pay the co-pay. Then if they change the meds it means I have to buy another prescription and I may not have finished the last one. Even with my co-pay some of the meds are very expensive if they have no generic equivalent or if they are not a preferred brand. I have 3 co-pay levels, $5/20/35. While most of them are in the $5 range I do have one that is $35 per week and another that is $20 every 2 weeks. That is $180 a month on two meds and when you add all the others in there I get close to about $225 each month. If you add in the co-pay to see the doc, the monthly trip to the ER (lately), the co-pay for X-ray, CT-Scan, MRI there has been months where my out of pocket hits close to $500 bucks. This year I hit my yearly deductible for my whole family in 2 months, by myself. My goal is to not do that again.
Other then that it has been a good day of low pain, mostly around the 2-3 on the 10 scale. I did notice that on days where I have low pain I tend to be more tired, even if I had a good nights sleep. I guess it is not that big of a deal though as I work from home (for myself) so my hours can be adjusted. If I need to take a nap when the baby does then it is not a big deal. Of course it is like a double edged sword. Since the pain is low and even though I am tired I feel like doing something which in turn does cause the pain level to go up some. I do like the tradeoff though as the pain will come down with a bit of a rest and the house is straightened up.
Since I have been on the new meds I have knocked out a ton of "spring cleaning" that needed to be done. With both the boys growing so fast, I went through all of their things and now have a good amount of clothes to donate and my wife went through a lot of her clothes and is donating them. Most of the baby's clothes will go to my brother and his wife as they are expecting their second child which we have been told will be a boy. No sense in them having to repurchase all the things we have already and since all my sons things are in great shape it makes no sense to throw them out. Everything else will go to the local women shelter, which is where take all our serviceable items that we have no need for. It is a good feeling knowing that they will be put to good use and that someone will be able to not have to worry about a winter coat this year. It also meant that they then have that much more money to get on their feet and out of the cycle of violence.
Tomorrow we will hit home depot and get the things needed for the fence and get that fixed and hopefully we will have the dog here in a few days.
I have also decided to change the font and size to make it easier to read. The old font and size were ok but admittidly they were probably to small.
It's not that I mind going to see the doc but every visit, even if it is follow up requires to pay the co-pay. Then if they change the meds it means I have to buy another prescription and I may not have finished the last one. Even with my co-pay some of the meds are very expensive if they have no generic equivalent or if they are not a preferred brand. I have 3 co-pay levels, $5/20/35. While most of them are in the $5 range I do have one that is $35 per week and another that is $20 every 2 weeks. That is $180 a month on two meds and when you add all the others in there I get close to about $225 each month. If you add in the co-pay to see the doc, the monthly trip to the ER (lately), the co-pay for X-ray, CT-Scan, MRI there has been months where my out of pocket hits close to $500 bucks. This year I hit my yearly deductible for my whole family in 2 months, by myself. My goal is to not do that again.
Other then that it has been a good day of low pain, mostly around the 2-3 on the 10 scale. I did notice that on days where I have low pain I tend to be more tired, even if I had a good nights sleep. I guess it is not that big of a deal though as I work from home (for myself) so my hours can be adjusted. If I need to take a nap when the baby does then it is not a big deal. Of course it is like a double edged sword. Since the pain is low and even though I am tired I feel like doing something which in turn does cause the pain level to go up some. I do like the tradeoff though as the pain will come down with a bit of a rest and the house is straightened up.
Since I have been on the new meds I have knocked out a ton of "spring cleaning" that needed to be done. With both the boys growing so fast, I went through all of their things and now have a good amount of clothes to donate and my wife went through a lot of her clothes and is donating them. Most of the baby's clothes will go to my brother and his wife as they are expecting their second child which we have been told will be a boy. No sense in them having to repurchase all the things we have already and since all my sons things are in great shape it makes no sense to throw them out. Everything else will go to the local women shelter, which is where take all our serviceable items that we have no need for. It is a good feeling knowing that they will be put to good use and that someone will be able to not have to worry about a winter coat this year. It also meant that they then have that much more money to get on their feet and out of the cycle of violence.
Tomorrow we will hit home depot and get the things needed for the fence and get that fixed and hopefully we will have the dog here in a few days.
I have also decided to change the font and size to make it easier to read. The old font and size were ok but admittidly they were probably to small.
12/11/2004
The interview...
We had the people from the animal shelter come by today and they brought the dog with him. He is an awesome dog and seemed to make himself right at home after checking things out. He climbed right up on the couch and laid down like he had been living here for years.
The people from the clinic asked us about previous pets and who our vet had been and they need to call them on Monday and check on how we took care of our pets and they also wanted us to fix some spots in the fence where they feel the dog might be able to get through. I will get those done on Monday and once they check with the vet we should be good to go.
The dog is a black lab but has a bit of something else in him as he has a white tuft on his chest. Regardless, he is a good looking dog and has been well cared for in foster care. Our kids warmed right up to him as did he to they. We did have some concerns with the baby maybe spooking the dog but that fear was quickly dismissed. They were here for about an hour and towards the end of the stay our youngest left the room and a minute or so later the dog went to investigate. I am looking forward to having a dog in the house again.
They did ask if we had a problem with a dog who liked to sleep in the bed. We had to laugh, our previous dog was a Curly Coated Retriever and about 105 lbs. He would try to sneak in to bed thinking we would not notice. He was a funny dog and it was even better during the spring during tornado season. The first clap of thunder would send him jumping in to the bed. We would hear the thunder followed by him thumping down the hall, we would barely have time to make room for him before he would thunk down. Then he would steal the blankets or stretch out to make some space for himself. So we would have myself and my wife on a queen sized bed and then the dig who would want half to himself. I am no small guy at 6' and 200lbs but I would have a thought time trying to get that dog off the bed. We finally bought him a huge pet bed pillow to sleep on and kept it at the foot of the bed. We are hoping the new dog will also want to stay in the room at night.
Anyway, some small things on the fence should be a quick fix on Monday and after they call the vet we are hoping the dog will be here on Tuesday.
The people from the clinic asked us about previous pets and who our vet had been and they need to call them on Monday and check on how we took care of our pets and they also wanted us to fix some spots in the fence where they feel the dog might be able to get through. I will get those done on Monday and once they check with the vet we should be good to go.
The dog is a black lab but has a bit of something else in him as he has a white tuft on his chest. Regardless, he is a good looking dog and has been well cared for in foster care. Our kids warmed right up to him as did he to they. We did have some concerns with the baby maybe spooking the dog but that fear was quickly dismissed. They were here for about an hour and towards the end of the stay our youngest left the room and a minute or so later the dog went to investigate. I am looking forward to having a dog in the house again.
They did ask if we had a problem with a dog who liked to sleep in the bed. We had to laugh, our previous dog was a Curly Coated Retriever and about 105 lbs. He would try to sneak in to bed thinking we would not notice. He was a funny dog and it was even better during the spring during tornado season. The first clap of thunder would send him jumping in to the bed. We would hear the thunder followed by him thumping down the hall, we would barely have time to make room for him before he would thunk down. Then he would steal the blankets or stretch out to make some space for himself. So we would have myself and my wife on a queen sized bed and then the dig who would want half to himself. I am no small guy at 6' and 200lbs but I would have a thought time trying to get that dog off the bed. We finally bought him a huge pet bed pillow to sleep on and kept it at the foot of the bed. We are hoping the new dog will also want to stay in the room at night.
Anyway, some small things on the fence should be a quick fix on Monday and after they call the vet we are hoping the dog will be here on Tuesday.
12/10/2004
A new pet is on the way...
Not a bad day, some pain towards the end of the day but more likely because I over did it trying to do all the weeks worth of laundry and clean the house. We have some people coming by in the morning to check out the house and talk to us about rescuing a Labrador retriever. We are a pet friendly family and consider them to be part of the family. We even have a list of hotels across the U.S. that accept pets in the rooms. When we travel so does the dog.
We did have a curly coated retriever that we rescued (all our pets are rescues) and when we got him he was about 4-5 years old. He was an awesome dog and loved to play with our oldest son. Being a double coated dog he hated the warm weather but give him some cold weather or some snow and you had trouble getting him to come back inside. Sadly he developed a back problem very similar to mine. We got him on some meds that really seemed to work and after 2-3 days on them he was back to himself. We were able to keep him going for about a year and a half with the meds but then he took a turn for the worst. By this time he was close to 7-8 years and when we took him to the vet they told us there was not much the could do for him. Even with surgery similar to mine they said he would be in immense pain and would probably not live very long afterwards. That was the most difficult decision I ever had to make. Having a similar back problem every part of me wanted to make him better with surgery but both the vets said the same thing and that the only humane thing to do was have him put down. I have not cried since my grandparents passed away, but when I had to walk out of that exam room and Shadow was trying to get up to follow me I was choking them back. He was a great friend and kept my family safe for man years. We will always miss him.
The lady said she would call me in the morning to come on over and talk with us. We have plenty of space for a dog as well we have a fenced yard for when he does go out, which will just be to play with the boys or go to the bathroom. We are not like my neighbor who has those little freaking yap dogs who are out from 5am until 9pm. Why have a pet if you are going to have them outside all the time? I also cannot understand why someone would want one of those small assed dogs. Even worse in when you see someone driving their car with the damned thing in their lap.
I hope they like what they see because we would really like to have another dog and like I said before, we will only take in rescues.
Anyway, I spent most of this afternoon doing all the laundry and getting it folded and put away and then followed that by doing some vacuuming in the kitchen and dinning room so I can mop it in the morning. I think it was the back and forth with the vacuum that did me in. Of course this was all on top of getting dinner made and then cleaning all the dishes and putting them away. We also hit the grocery store to get some more stuff to make pumpkin pies, which I will do tomorrow.
I was going to take my son to the movies tomorrow but when I was putting away the laundry I found that he had torn apart the pull down shade in his bathroom. They are not the greatest things and probably only a few dollars to replace. However when I asked him about what happened to it he lied to me and said it was an accident. Only problem was that it was cut in such a way that there was no way it happened like he said it did. When I showed him what I was talking about and asked him again what happened he could not say anything, so I took away the movie and told him he would have to take the broken one down, measure it and then I would take him to the store where he would use his money to replace it. He is a good kid, but like many 11 year olds he thinks he knows everything and that I have no clue what really happened. While it has been 20+ years since I was that age, I remember it very well.
Hopefully tomorrow is a little better on the pain side. I have no plans to do much more the some baking and moping the floor. After that I am going to flop in to my chair and watch a movie. I ordered Elf, Terminal & White Chicks from Blockbuster online and they should be here in the morning. Since there is no return time and the cost per month is the same as if I rented 4 movies from the store it is worth it to me. Since driving is difficult this is a great way for me to see the new releases without having to drive and risk the pain going up as well I avoid any late fees. For the price of the 4 rentals at the store I was able to get 14 movies last month that we had not seen, including a few of the Baby Einstein that we do not have for our youngest.
We did have a curly coated retriever that we rescued (all our pets are rescues) and when we got him he was about 4-5 years old. He was an awesome dog and loved to play with our oldest son. Being a double coated dog he hated the warm weather but give him some cold weather or some snow and you had trouble getting him to come back inside. Sadly he developed a back problem very similar to mine. We got him on some meds that really seemed to work and after 2-3 days on them he was back to himself. We were able to keep him going for about a year and a half with the meds but then he took a turn for the worst. By this time he was close to 7-8 years and when we took him to the vet they told us there was not much the could do for him. Even with surgery similar to mine they said he would be in immense pain and would probably not live very long afterwards. That was the most difficult decision I ever had to make. Having a similar back problem every part of me wanted to make him better with surgery but both the vets said the same thing and that the only humane thing to do was have him put down. I have not cried since my grandparents passed away, but when I had to walk out of that exam room and Shadow was trying to get up to follow me I was choking them back. He was a great friend and kept my family safe for man years. We will always miss him.
The lady said she would call me in the morning to come on over and talk with us. We have plenty of space for a dog as well we have a fenced yard for when he does go out, which will just be to play with the boys or go to the bathroom. We are not like my neighbor who has those little freaking yap dogs who are out from 5am until 9pm. Why have a pet if you are going to have them outside all the time? I also cannot understand why someone would want one of those small assed dogs. Even worse in when you see someone driving their car with the damned thing in their lap.
I hope they like what they see because we would really like to have another dog and like I said before, we will only take in rescues.
Anyway, I spent most of this afternoon doing all the laundry and getting it folded and put away and then followed that by doing some vacuuming in the kitchen and dinning room so I can mop it in the morning. I think it was the back and forth with the vacuum that did me in. Of course this was all on top of getting dinner made and then cleaning all the dishes and putting them away. We also hit the grocery store to get some more stuff to make pumpkin pies, which I will do tomorrow.
I was going to take my son to the movies tomorrow but when I was putting away the laundry I found that he had torn apart the pull down shade in his bathroom. They are not the greatest things and probably only a few dollars to replace. However when I asked him about what happened to it he lied to me and said it was an accident. Only problem was that it was cut in such a way that there was no way it happened like he said it did. When I showed him what I was talking about and asked him again what happened he could not say anything, so I took away the movie and told him he would have to take the broken one down, measure it and then I would take him to the store where he would use his money to replace it. He is a good kid, but like many 11 year olds he thinks he knows everything and that I have no clue what really happened. While it has been 20+ years since I was that age, I remember it very well.
Hopefully tomorrow is a little better on the pain side. I have no plans to do much more the some baking and moping the floor. After that I am going to flop in to my chair and watch a movie. I ordered Elf, Terminal & White Chicks from Blockbuster online and they should be here in the morning. Since there is no return time and the cost per month is the same as if I rented 4 movies from the store it is worth it to me. Since driving is difficult this is a great way for me to see the new releases without having to drive and risk the pain going up as well I avoid any late fees. For the price of the 4 rentals at the store I was able to get 14 movies last month that we had not seen, including a few of the Baby Einstein that we do not have for our youngest.
It's your body...
I got somewhat of a decent night sleep. I was having some trouble with my right leg with some spasms. They are not painful, they just cause my leg to act like someone is testing my reflexes and it wakes me up.
I did some reading on this as well a friend who is also living with arachnoiditis sent me some info on it, it might be something called restless leg syndrome. I will have to talk with my doc some more to see what she thinks as I do not get pain in the right leg but it is the one that has the reflex actions while the left leg does not have the reflex action, just the pain and numbness. It looks like two of the causes are caffeine and elavil. I have cut back on the caffeine but the elavil is something that I take to help me sleep. I was actually thinking of asking the doc to increase the dosage of the elavil to 50mg to help me sleep better. I guess that might not be such a good idea if it is one of the causes of the problem waking me up. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I will see what she says on the 15th.
These are some of the symptoms of the restless leg syndrome and the site shows that elavil is one suspect in the cause of this. They do list some meds that can help in controlling this including darvocet which I prefer not take because of it's tylenol content, neurontin which I will not take because of side effects and the current pending civil suit. One of the drugs they mention diazepam more commonly known as valium but I have concerns about it as well because of it is apparently considered highly addictive. I know I have talked about the pain factor negating the addiction factors but it is still a concern. The site also lists Ultram which I was on after my surgery and did not like. It is also something that can cause seizures if used in conjunction with meds like elavil. Of course if that was something she decided to prescribe we would certainly need to change the elavil as it is what is known as a Tri-Cyclic antidepressants and when taken with some other drugs it can cause seizures.
See, one aspect that having some thing like this brings to light is that you really need to get on the web and read all you can on the possible meds they have available and any contraindications they might have. Since many people see more then one doctor it gets risky getting meds. Some docs will ask what else you are on and some will not and this can be a huge problem. You would think by filling all the prescriptions at the same pharmacy the pharmacist would catch it, but they don't. I had this problem with the elavil, neurontin and ultram after my surgery. I had them prescribed by 3 different doctors and the pharmacy certainly did not catch it. When I asked the pharmacist about it he said not to worry, but it wasn't his life so why should he care? Bottom line is it is up to you to pay attention to all your meds and what harm they may cause when taken with other meds. If you think there may be contraindications between 2 make sure you talk to your doctor about it before taking them. Even then if you feel uncomfortable about taking them express this to your doctor, and if they refuse to change meds with what you think is a reasonable request then it is time to find a new doctor.
I did some reading on this as well a friend who is also living with arachnoiditis sent me some info on it, it might be something called restless leg syndrome. I will have to talk with my doc some more to see what she thinks as I do not get pain in the right leg but it is the one that has the reflex actions while the left leg does not have the reflex action, just the pain and numbness. It looks like two of the causes are caffeine and elavil. I have cut back on the caffeine but the elavil is something that I take to help me sleep. I was actually thinking of asking the doc to increase the dosage of the elavil to 50mg to help me sleep better. I guess that might not be such a good idea if it is one of the causes of the problem waking me up. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I will see what she says on the 15th.
Restless Leg Syndrome At A Glance
Restless leg syndrome is a condition marked by unpleasant leg sensations at bedtime.
Restless leg syndrome frequency leads to insomnia.
The cause of restless leg syndrome is unknown in most patients, but many conditions have been associated with it.
Treatment of restless leg syndrome is directed toward any underlying illness, if known.
Medications are available for restless leg syndrome.
These are some of the symptoms of the restless leg syndrome and the site shows that elavil is one suspect in the cause of this. They do list some meds that can help in controlling this including darvocet which I prefer not take because of it's tylenol content, neurontin which I will not take because of side effects and the current pending civil suit. One of the drugs they mention diazepam more commonly known as valium but I have concerns about it as well because of it is apparently considered highly addictive. I know I have talked about the pain factor negating the addiction factors but it is still a concern. The site also lists Ultram which I was on after my surgery and did not like. It is also something that can cause seizures if used in conjunction with meds like elavil. Of course if that was something she decided to prescribe we would certainly need to change the elavil as it is what is known as a Tri-Cyclic antidepressants and when taken with some other drugs it can cause seizures.
See, one aspect that having some thing like this brings to light is that you really need to get on the web and read all you can on the possible meds they have available and any contraindications they might have. Since many people see more then one doctor it gets risky getting meds. Some docs will ask what else you are on and some will not and this can be a huge problem. You would think by filling all the prescriptions at the same pharmacy the pharmacist would catch it, but they don't. I had this problem with the elavil, neurontin and ultram after my surgery. I had them prescribed by 3 different doctors and the pharmacy certainly did not catch it. When I asked the pharmacist about it he said not to worry, but it wasn't his life so why should he care? Bottom line is it is up to you to pay attention to all your meds and what harm they may cause when taken with other meds. If you think there may be contraindications between 2 make sure you talk to your doctor about it before taking them. Even then if you feel uncomfortable about taking them express this to your doctor, and if they refuse to change meds with what you think is a reasonable request then it is time to find a new doctor.
12/09/2004
Shooting pain...
I had a small flare up this evening, not as bad as the last one but it was enough to put me down for a bit. I was cooking dinner, Talipia with a lime and pepper seasoning, and when I stooped down to pull the pan out of the oven it got me. I finished the dinner and then sat in my chair and let the boys tear the T.V. room apart until bed time. I was not really in the mood to stop them. The flare up happened about an hour before I could take the next dose of the oxy but as soon as I finished eating I took it. Even then it was a fight to get the pain down to 5 which was a big difference though from the 8 it was when it happened.
I am upstairs now and doing much better. I got the boys to bed and now I am relaxing watching perhaps one of the greatest movies ever made, 1941. It is on Starz! right now which means it will be the edited version. If you can find it on DVD they have the directors cut which is much better. Talk about a cast of characters, Dan Akroyd, Treat Williams, Wendy Jo Sperber, Slim Pickins, Robert Stack, John Belushi and the list goes on. Still a great movie, although my 11 year old doesn't get it. LOL! Someday.
I am upstairs now and doing much better. I got the boys to bed and now I am relaxing watching perhaps one of the greatest movies ever made, 1941. It is on Starz! right now which means it will be the edited version. If you can find it on DVD they have the directors cut which is much better. Talk about a cast of characters, Dan Akroyd, Treat Williams, Wendy Jo Sperber, Slim Pickins, Robert Stack, John Belushi and the list goes on. Still a great movie, although my 11 year old doesn't get it. LOL! Someday.
Laptops' heat could hurt men's fertility
Laptops' heat could hurt men's fertility
I guess I should stop sitting in the recliner with the laptop then...
While this may be true, I really expect someone to come out with a report disputing this and then agreeing with it. I am really tired of seeing these in the news all the time. While I am sure that some people do want to hear this, it just seems that every time something is "proven" or suspected to be the cause of cancer or some other disease, someone else come along with a study showing the opposite.
Kind of like the ground meat and e coli scare. Can you get e coli from ground meat? Sure you can. You can also get it from many other things, including yourself. While there are many strains of this deadly bacteria it seems like every time it gets mentioned it is like Henny Penny running around screaming "the sky is falling." It borders on idiotic most of the time.
I don't know how many times I have been told that eating a well done burger is bad for you due to the carcinogens in the burnt meat. Of course then you have to worry about the red meat itself, especially if you are male because we all know that it sits in your digestive track for 5 years before being completely digested, during which time it can cause cancer. Then we have to worry about the burger having e coli. While the temp should have killed any bacteria, as well as flavor, there is always the risk, after all the spatula you used to flip the burger touched it before it was well done so it might have the bacteria. It boggles the mind. No matter how you slice it, dice it or top it, the burger is going to kill you. Maybe this is the cows way of getting back at us for raising them for food???
Anyway, I guess it is a good thing my wife and I decided that we have the size family that we want. Of course this could also save men some money and pain. Instead of the vasectomy, spend more time online with the laptop.
I guess I should stop sitting in the recliner with the laptop then...
While this may be true, I really expect someone to come out with a report disputing this and then agreeing with it. I am really tired of seeing these in the news all the time. While I am sure that some people do want to hear this, it just seems that every time something is "proven" or suspected to be the cause of cancer or some other disease, someone else come along with a study showing the opposite.
Kind of like the ground meat and e coli scare. Can you get e coli from ground meat? Sure you can. You can also get it from many other things, including yourself. While there are many strains of this deadly bacteria it seems like every time it gets mentioned it is like Henny Penny running around screaming "the sky is falling." It borders on idiotic most of the time.
I don't know how many times I have been told that eating a well done burger is bad for you due to the carcinogens in the burnt meat. Of course then you have to worry about the red meat itself, especially if you are male because we all know that it sits in your digestive track for 5 years before being completely digested, during which time it can cause cancer. Then we have to worry about the burger having e coli. While the temp should have killed any bacteria, as well as flavor, there is always the risk, after all the spatula you used to flip the burger touched it before it was well done so it might have the bacteria. It boggles the mind. No matter how you slice it, dice it or top it, the burger is going to kill you. Maybe this is the cows way of getting back at us for raising them for food???
Anyway, I guess it is a good thing my wife and I decided that we have the size family that we want. Of course this could also save men some money and pain. Instead of the vasectomy, spend more time online with the laptop.
Damn I am tired...
Not sure why I am so tired today as I got a good nights sleep. I woke up tired and by 10:30 I could barely keep my eyes open. I took a nap because as even just trying to watch tv was a chore. I did get some work done though before the sleep monster got me and now that I am rested I will get back to it. The baby also took his nap early which means I should be able to get him down at a reasonable hour tonight. He has been fighting it the last week or so and not going to sleep until like 22:00.
My sons Christmas concert is today but since they do not have a crying room at the church for the baby just my wife is going. She did bring the video camera to tape it for the rest of us which I will burn to a CD later on and a DVD when I get my burner for Christmas.
Pain today is manageable. I would say a low 3 with some numbness in my left foot that is annoying. It almost seems the lower the pain the number it gets but I am sure it is one of those things where it is always that numb, I just notice it more when my pain levels are low. I see the doc on the 15th and will ask if they have something other then neurontin that since we now have the pain under control we could maybe get the numbness down a bit. I would even be willing to try the medrol dose pack again since it has been several months.
My sons Christmas concert is today but since they do not have a crying room at the church for the baby just my wife is going. She did bring the video camera to tape it for the rest of us which I will burn to a CD later on and a DVD when I get my burner for Christmas.
Pain today is manageable. I would say a low 3 with some numbness in my left foot that is annoying. It almost seems the lower the pain the number it gets but I am sure it is one of those things where it is always that numb, I just notice it more when my pain levels are low. I see the doc on the 15th and will ask if they have something other then neurontin that since we now have the pain under control we could maybe get the numbness down a bit. I would even be willing to try the medrol dose pack again since it has been several months.
12/08/2004
Seems like old times...
Well I got back in to the office today and did some work. I mostly did some searches for the companies that we are trying to get business with, gathering some names and the different technologies they work with. We subscribe to site like Hoovers where I can search companies by a ton of different filters. I then enter them in to the database we run, Goldmine and start to make notes on the companies. I also did some searches for candidates which is fairly easy. We belong to several websites that have 1 million+ resumes on them with people working with the technologies we are looking for, I then start calling them to find out their needs and to qualify them for any positions we may have with our clients.
I also do other admin work for the firm and I am in the middle of designing the new company website. I have a new host that has finally provided the MySQL that I need to run the software that I would like. Now I need to work on that database. Basically it will enable us to run a site that either clients or candidates can hit and do a search of what we have to offer. Of course all basic information like names, address etc... will be blinded but the critical skills needed will be there as well as the "experience" part of the resumes. If the client/candidate find a match they can contact us and we will take it from there. Generally you do not do a lot of your business this way but even one placement a year like that takes care of the site fees and leaves some extra. The only way to make placements is to get in the office and work the phone. Certainly not a business for those who do not like to "cold call." It does not bother me so much as when I make my calls I usually have a name to start with and work it from there. If you know who you want to speak to so it is a "luke warm" call IMHO. The worst they can do is tell you to piss off or hang up on you. That does not happen a lot and most people are polite in saying no thanks. It is not like telemarketing if that is what you are thinking. When I call the candidate I am calling with the intent of helping them find the dream position, and it costs them squat. The companies we work with do not pay us unless we make the placement in which case it is a generally a 30% fee (30% of candidates first year salary) paid by the company. Since this is a contingent search it is a win/win. There is a lot more to it then this simple explanation, but basically that is what recruiters do. Luckily for me my father is the President and founder of the firm I work for. A little nepotism never hurts.
Pain level today was low but for some reason I was FREEZING for most of the day. I tried to take a nap about 5pm but froze even though I had two blankets on. My feet were the worst.
I must add though that this morning my pain level was a good 7 when I woke up. I generally am up by 06:30 with the baby but he slept until 08:00. Since I do not sleep with an alarm, I am usually awaken by his stirring around and making noise in bed. Well by 08:00 I was 2 hours past the 12 hour point for the oxy which means it had worn off and would take a bit after taking it to catch up to the pain. By 10:30 all was fine and I was working. Like I said, it felt good to be back in the office.
I also do other admin work for the firm and I am in the middle of designing the new company website. I have a new host that has finally provided the MySQL that I need to run the software that I would like. Now I need to work on that database. Basically it will enable us to run a site that either clients or candidates can hit and do a search of what we have to offer. Of course all basic information like names, address etc... will be blinded but the critical skills needed will be there as well as the "experience" part of the resumes. If the client/candidate find a match they can contact us and we will take it from there. Generally you do not do a lot of your business this way but even one placement a year like that takes care of the site fees and leaves some extra. The only way to make placements is to get in the office and work the phone. Certainly not a business for those who do not like to "cold call." It does not bother me so much as when I make my calls I usually have a name to start with and work it from there. If you know who you want to speak to so it is a "luke warm" call IMHO. The worst they can do is tell you to piss off or hang up on you. That does not happen a lot and most people are polite in saying no thanks. It is not like telemarketing if that is what you are thinking. When I call the candidate I am calling with the intent of helping them find the dream position, and it costs them squat. The companies we work with do not pay us unless we make the placement in which case it is a generally a 30% fee (30% of candidates first year salary) paid by the company. Since this is a contingent search it is a win/win. There is a lot more to it then this simple explanation, but basically that is what recruiters do. Luckily for me my father is the President and founder of the firm I work for. A little nepotism never hurts.
Pain level today was low but for some reason I was FREEZING for most of the day. I tried to take a nap about 5pm but froze even though I had two blankets on. My feet were the worst.
I must add though that this morning my pain level was a good 7 when I woke up. I generally am up by 06:30 with the baby but he slept until 08:00. Since I do not sleep with an alarm, I am usually awaken by his stirring around and making noise in bed. Well by 08:00 I was 2 hours past the 12 hour point for the oxy which means it had worn off and would take a bit after taking it to catch up to the pain. By 10:30 all was fine and I was working. Like I said, it felt good to be back in the office.
12/07/2004
Back to my old self...
I really am feeling good with the change of the meds since the last doctors visit. I am back doing things that I wanted to do but could not do. Baking and cooking have always been things I love but since the surgery standing for that long has been painful and if you bake you know that it is tough to leave the oven/kitchen for longer then a few minutes.
Well today I hit the grocery store with a craving for pumpkin pie. I bought the ingredients to make it and like usual I substitute low-fat or fat-free items as needed. A great resource for awesome food without sacrificing all the flavor we love check out Cooking Light Magazine. I got home and made the crust myself and then mixed all the ingredients and baked them.
While the pie's were in the oven I got dinner ready. I made roasted chicken with rosemary and garlic seasoning and added some carrots and potatoes to it. I love roasted carrots and I really love chicken. In fact chicken and turkey make up the bulk of the meat we eat followed by buffalo and then beef and pork. I am also very picky about the cuts that we use. I think the only recipe I have that is even close to being bad for you, which I got from Foodtv.com, is Chinese spareribs with teriyaki glaze. They are wonderful but because of the high fat content in the pork ribs I only make them 2 or 3 times a year.
Tomorrow I have Turkey mignons and will make my risotto that my wife loves. I make it using a broth made with dried porcini mushrooms that I soak overnight in some water. The mushrooms make a very hearty broth which adds some wonderful flavor to the risotto. I then add about 1/4 cup of grated asiago, parmesan and pecorino romano (that's 1/4 total divided about equal between the cheeses) which gives it some really great flavor and texture. My wife always ask me to make it for her. It is a really simple recipe and I "made" it up one day while trying to make something other then just risotto. I actually make up most of my recipes as I go along which prompted my wife to start calling me the "McGyver" of the kitchen.
Well the pumpkin pie is ready so I am going to grab a piece!!!
Well today I hit the grocery store with a craving for pumpkin pie. I bought the ingredients to make it and like usual I substitute low-fat or fat-free items as needed. A great resource for awesome food without sacrificing all the flavor we love check out Cooking Light Magazine. I got home and made the crust myself and then mixed all the ingredients and baked them.
While the pie's were in the oven I got dinner ready. I made roasted chicken with rosemary and garlic seasoning and added some carrots and potatoes to it. I love roasted carrots and I really love chicken. In fact chicken and turkey make up the bulk of the meat we eat followed by buffalo and then beef and pork. I am also very picky about the cuts that we use. I think the only recipe I have that is even close to being bad for you, which I got from Foodtv.com, is Chinese spareribs with teriyaki glaze. They are wonderful but because of the high fat content in the pork ribs I only make them 2 or 3 times a year.
Tomorrow I have Turkey mignons and will make my risotto that my wife loves. I make it using a broth made with dried porcini mushrooms that I soak overnight in some water. The mushrooms make a very hearty broth which adds some wonderful flavor to the risotto. I then add about 1/4 cup of grated asiago, parmesan and pecorino romano (that's 1/4 total divided about equal between the cheeses) which gives it some really great flavor and texture. My wife always ask me to make it for her. It is a really simple recipe and I "made" it up one day while trying to make something other then just risotto. I actually make up most of my recipes as I go along which prompted my wife to start calling me the "McGyver" of the kitchen.
Well the pumpkin pie is ready so I am going to grab a piece!!!
The wife is back...
She just got back from the doctor who agreed to look in to the requirements for the handicap placard. She said that the doctor would talk to me on the 15th when I have my next appointment. My wife showed her on the application where I thought it would apply to me (neurological disorders) and that in my state Nurse Practitioners can sign the form. She also explained my concern and that once the winter weather and ice are gone I would be happy to let it expire.
Dealing with an insurance company
When I had my spondy surgery I was covered by Blue Cross/Blue Shield and while they were not the greatest insurance company I have had they were prompt in their payments to the doctors and hospital. It was decent coverage with excellent an prescription plan but over all I would have to say my time with Met Life was bliss.
I say that BC/BS was not the greatest and in fact I used to think they were the worst but that was before we switched to Cigna. When my wife lost her job we lost our insurance through BC/BS after we could no longer afford the almost $1000 monthly premium through COBRA. We then spent about 1 year without insurance for my wife or myself. We were able to continue the boys coverage throughout the state with decent premiums (not free). When she was hired by her new employer and finished the wit period we were able to get coverage for all of us through CIGNA and for what I thought was very reasonable rates. Since she works for a national chain restaurant they got a great deal for having such a large group.
Anyway, since being picked up by CIGNA I fully understand that anything relating to my spondy is pre-existing and that by the contract it will remain so for 1 year from the date we started. Not a big deal as I do not see the doc for that anymore as the surgery fixed it.
However since being on CIGNA I was diagnosed with the arachnoiditis and it has been an insurance nightmare. They have denied all but a few claims to my doc and ALL to the hospital for x-rays, CT Scans and MRI's that I have had done. The total is just over $20K that all these people are know coming after me for. While we have done our best to pat these bills most of the companies/hospitals do not take kindly to the payment plan, they want it all.
I have spent many hours on hold listening to crappy music while talking to the people at CIGNA about this and trying to explain what is going on. I finally got through to them with the help of my primary care doctor. He sent them a letter explaining that my arachnoiditis was not pre-existing and that all my visits to him since being covered by CIGNA have been for this and not the spondy. The lady I spoke with was very pleasant and found in the pile of papers they have on me that my doctor has indeed told them I am not pre-existing. She then sent that along with all the claims denied as pre-existing back to the proper department for processing. She said the letter should fix a lot of the problems and the doctors who have filed claims should get their checks within 15 business days. I took down her name and all the info she gave me and I will call them back after the holidays to double check. If what she said is true then I should be getting some money I have paid to the doctors above and beyond my co-pay ($15 per visit) which should be a tidy little check.
Moral here? Persistence pays off. This has all reminded me of the movie/book The Rainmaker by John Grisham. It is a story of a poor family in the south who pays the premiums for a policy and then when the son is diagnosed and in need of care for leukemia they deny all the claims. The boy dies without the care he needs, although had he received it in time his chances for survival would have been 90%.
Anyway, I know the insurance companies are in business to make money for their shareholders and I do not begrudge them that. However to deny claims persistently in the hopes that the insured just say oh well and pay the fees themselves is perverse. If BC/BS had done this to me I would either not have been able to have the surgery or come up with the close to $400K that it cost over the year of care(includes about $200K for surgery & hospital stay). Our premiums are paid on time all the time and we do not ask for anything above and beyond the policies coverage, I would expect them to honor the policy from their end and pay the agreed amounts to the doctors.
Through all of this dealing with insurance companies I found out something very interesting. in order for the insurance company to agree to cover patients through that doctor or hospital, the doctor/hospital must agree to a standard payment for services. These payments differ from doctor to doctor. While BC/BC might pay $1,000 for a head CT CIGNA may only pay $600. Meanwhile if you the patient did this without insurance you would pay what the hospital really bills which will be MUCH more then what the insurance companies pay. BC/BC paid $88K for my surgery (split between the doctors service and the OR fees) by itself and I asked my neurosurgeon at that time if I had the surgery without insurance how much would it be. His fees alone (this includes his staff of nurses) would have been well over $30K and that after all the hospital fees and things like the anesthesiologist were paid you might be close to $350K just for the surgery. Since insurance companies have many patients in a given area, they can negotiate fees much lower then their actual costs. While I can agree with this as a good business practice I am astounded at how people without insurance get raked over the coals.
Do I think socialized medicine is the ticket? No, not at all because with that program comes increased taxes, and I do not mean an extra few percent but easily in to the double digits. Quality of care would drop as doctors leave the field due to lower salaries they would make, patients would have to wait much longer for care and on and on. There is a solution though that states should have the ability to negotiate with an insurance company and extend those to the people of the state. This would mean an increase of premiums paid to the company which in turns means more revenues. I do understand that it would also increase expenditures but I doubt that it would bankrupt the company in any fashion. Anyway, I have rambled long enough. These are just my thoughts and reasons why I love and hate insurance.
I say that BC/BS was not the greatest and in fact I used to think they were the worst but that was before we switched to Cigna. When my wife lost her job we lost our insurance through BC/BS after we could no longer afford the almost $1000 monthly premium through COBRA. We then spent about 1 year without insurance for my wife or myself. We were able to continue the boys coverage throughout the state with decent premiums (not free). When she was hired by her new employer and finished the wit period we were able to get coverage for all of us through CIGNA and for what I thought was very reasonable rates. Since she works for a national chain restaurant they got a great deal for having such a large group.
Anyway, since being picked up by CIGNA I fully understand that anything relating to my spondy is pre-existing and that by the contract it will remain so for 1 year from the date we started. Not a big deal as I do not see the doc for that anymore as the surgery fixed it.
However since being on CIGNA I was diagnosed with the arachnoiditis and it has been an insurance nightmare. They have denied all but a few claims to my doc and ALL to the hospital for x-rays, CT Scans and MRI's that I have had done. The total is just over $20K that all these people are know coming after me for. While we have done our best to pat these bills most of the companies/hospitals do not take kindly to the payment plan, they want it all.
I have spent many hours on hold listening to crappy music while talking to the people at CIGNA about this and trying to explain what is going on. I finally got through to them with the help of my primary care doctor. He sent them a letter explaining that my arachnoiditis was not pre-existing and that all my visits to him since being covered by CIGNA have been for this and not the spondy. The lady I spoke with was very pleasant and found in the pile of papers they have on me that my doctor has indeed told them I am not pre-existing. She then sent that along with all the claims denied as pre-existing back to the proper department for processing. She said the letter should fix a lot of the problems and the doctors who have filed claims should get their checks within 15 business days. I took down her name and all the info she gave me and I will call them back after the holidays to double check. If what she said is true then I should be getting some money I have paid to the doctors above and beyond my co-pay ($15 per visit) which should be a tidy little check.
Moral here? Persistence pays off. This has all reminded me of the movie/book The Rainmaker by John Grisham. It is a story of a poor family in the south who pays the premiums for a policy and then when the son is diagnosed and in need of care for leukemia they deny all the claims. The boy dies without the care he needs, although had he received it in time his chances for survival would have been 90%.
Anyway, I know the insurance companies are in business to make money for their shareholders and I do not begrudge them that. However to deny claims persistently in the hopes that the insured just say oh well and pay the fees themselves is perverse. If BC/BS had done this to me I would either not have been able to have the surgery or come up with the close to $400K that it cost over the year of care(includes about $200K for surgery & hospital stay). Our premiums are paid on time all the time and we do not ask for anything above and beyond the policies coverage, I would expect them to honor the policy from their end and pay the agreed amounts to the doctors.
Through all of this dealing with insurance companies I found out something very interesting. in order for the insurance company to agree to cover patients through that doctor or hospital, the doctor/hospital must agree to a standard payment for services. These payments differ from doctor to doctor. While BC/BC might pay $1,000 for a head CT CIGNA may only pay $600. Meanwhile if you the patient did this without insurance you would pay what the hospital really bills which will be MUCH more then what the insurance companies pay. BC/BC paid $88K for my surgery (split between the doctors service and the OR fees) by itself and I asked my neurosurgeon at that time if I had the surgery without insurance how much would it be. His fees alone (this includes his staff of nurses) would have been well over $30K and that after all the hospital fees and things like the anesthesiologist were paid you might be close to $350K just for the surgery. Since insurance companies have many patients in a given area, they can negotiate fees much lower then their actual costs. While I can agree with this as a good business practice I am astounded at how people without insurance get raked over the coals.
Do I think socialized medicine is the ticket? No, not at all because with that program comes increased taxes, and I do not mean an extra few percent but easily in to the double digits. Quality of care would drop as doctors leave the field due to lower salaries they would make, patients would have to wait much longer for care and on and on. There is a solution though that states should have the ability to negotiate with an insurance company and extend those to the people of the state. This would mean an increase of premiums paid to the company which in turns means more revenues. I do understand that it would also increase expenditures but I doubt that it would bankrupt the company in any fashion. Anyway, I have rambled long enough. These are just my thoughts and reasons why I love and hate insurance.
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Over the last 6 months or so I have noticed what I can only define as spasms in my legs, especially while laying down. Out of the blue my legs will twitch and sometimes they will actually kick out as if someone was testing your reflexes. It is not very painful when it happens but it is followed by a burning sensation.
For some reason I never associated this with the spondylolisthesis or the rachnoiditis but it seems that it my be a direct result of what is going on with my back.
I found the above passage which was written by Dr. Sarah Smith at this site. She has put out some great information on arachnoiditis which has helped me in my discussions with my doc's.
Another symptom of the arachnoiditis called Paresthesia, is really manifesting lately and is a sensation of spiders/bugs crawling on your skin kind of like this and this. I know there is nothing there but it is annoying and can be uncomfortable and generally after this happens the burning and pins and needles returns to the limb. It looks like for know I will just deal with it as most of the reading I am finding has the patient on neurontin but if you read this post you will see why I am reluctant to do so.
Right now my wife is heading out for her appointment with the doctor (we have the same one). I found the information on the web pertaining to my states requirements for a temporary handicap placard as well as the form I need to have signed by the doctor. I filled in the section I needed to, printed it out and signed it. My wife will bring it to the doctor and mention my concern for the winter weather and hopefully the doc will sign it. If she does then I can run over to motor vehicle and get the placard today. The cost varies by county but I should say I do not expect it to cost more then my tags. I hope she agrees with my concern and signs it. I will let you all know what she says.
This is my wife's weekend and I am looking forward to getting some "me" time today. Not much, but an hour without having to chase the baby around the house will be nice. I feel bad sometimes though. My wife is the one with the job and she does work long hours so I do my best to make sure does get some time for herself. I feel bad after she has worked 50-60 hours and finally gets some time off only to have to chase the baby around the house.
For some reason I never associated this with the spondylolisthesis or the rachnoiditis but it seems that it my be a direct result of what is going on with my back.
A number of patients are diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), which is also known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I. This is characterized by severe burning pain in a limb, occurring usually after trauma or surgery. There is often an element of allodynia and hyperpathia. Autonomic effects include sudomotor (sweating) and vasomotor (vascular) abnormalities. There are changes in limb temperature, discolouration and oedema. Later stages may involve joint stiffness, loss of mobility and osteopaenia or osteoporosis (loss of bone density), as well as skin texture and hair growth changes. The frequent occurrence of this condition in arachnoiditis suggests that the RSD type symptoms are in fact a part of the arachnoiditis syndrome, rather than a separate disease entity.
I found the above passage which was written by Dr. Sarah Smith at this site. She has put out some great information on arachnoiditis which has helped me in my discussions with my doc's.
Another symptom of the arachnoiditis called Paresthesia, is really manifesting lately and is a sensation of spiders/bugs crawling on your skin kind of like this and this. I know there is nothing there but it is annoying and can be uncomfortable and generally after this happens the burning and pins and needles returns to the limb. It looks like for know I will just deal with it as most of the reading I am finding has the patient on neurontin but if you read this post you will see why I am reluctant to do so.
Right now my wife is heading out for her appointment with the doctor (we have the same one). I found the information on the web pertaining to my states requirements for a temporary handicap placard as well as the form I need to have signed by the doctor. I filled in the section I needed to, printed it out and signed it. My wife will bring it to the doctor and mention my concern for the winter weather and hopefully the doc will sign it. If she does then I can run over to motor vehicle and get the placard today. The cost varies by county but I should say I do not expect it to cost more then my tags. I hope she agrees with my concern and signs it. I will let you all know what she says.
This is my wife's weekend and I am looking forward to getting some "me" time today. Not much, but an hour without having to chase the baby around the house will be nice. I feel bad sometimes though. My wife is the one with the job and she does work long hours so I do my best to make sure does get some time for herself. I feel bad after she has worked 50-60 hours and finally gets some time off only to have to chase the baby around the house.
12/06/2004
Dumbass neighbors
Several months ago we got a new neighbor. Not quite sure what to make of them as the only time I tried to introduce myself was a few days after the moved in. I went over and talked to the guy for about 3 minutes, he just stood there like I was speaking a different language and without saying anything went back in the house. Ok, maybe they are not the talkative type.
A couple of days went by and I noticed that he seemed to be coming home from work when I was taking my son to school. I figured that explained the last conversation as it was about noon which means I probably woke him up or he was just getting ready to go to bed. They keep to themselves for the most part and the only real beef is they park in front of my house all the time taking up my space. Since we live right on the street there is no driveway but everyone has more then enough space for 2 cars in front of their house. He has one car and parks it right in front of mine which means I have to park down by the hospital and walk back. I caught up with him and asked him if he could move his car to the front of his house. He mumbled something but since then he has not parked in front of my house.
Last week they decorated their yard. For a minute I thought I was living next to the Griswald's from Christmas Vacation. I don't even need to turn the porch light on at night since it is bright enough at his house to light up half the block. White trash Christmas is here.
All in all some minor things until tonight. For the last 2 nights I have heard what sounds like someone hammering but it was short lived and I could not see where it was as the backside of the houses were dark. Tonight however I pin-pointed it. It is the dingleberry next door re-roofing his garage at 22:00. They had those big shop lights on, a table saw going cutting what appeared to be 2X4's and they were pounding away for a couple of hours on the roof itself. I cut them some slack as the noise pollution policy in my town is rarely enforced until after 21:30. I figured he would stop then, but no such luck. At 22:00 they were still pounding away and they had a new guy show up to help. I ended up calling the admin line to the jailhouse and they put me through to the police dispatch. I hate calling 911 for something this stupid so I took the long way around. Anyway, they sent a patrol car by to talk to the guy and let him know that he can't be doing that stuff this late at night. I am still shaking my head, who re-roofs at 22:00??? Does he not get a few days off during the week where he could do it during say normal hours? We understand working late hours, like I said in another post my wife works from 16:00 until about 02:00 at the restaurant.
A couple of days went by and I noticed that he seemed to be coming home from work when I was taking my son to school. I figured that explained the last conversation as it was about noon which means I probably woke him up or he was just getting ready to go to bed. They keep to themselves for the most part and the only real beef is they park in front of my house all the time taking up my space. Since we live right on the street there is no driveway but everyone has more then enough space for 2 cars in front of their house. He has one car and parks it right in front of mine which means I have to park down by the hospital and walk back. I caught up with him and asked him if he could move his car to the front of his house. He mumbled something but since then he has not parked in front of my house.
Last week they decorated their yard. For a minute I thought I was living next to the Griswald's from Christmas Vacation. I don't even need to turn the porch light on at night since it is bright enough at his house to light up half the block. White trash Christmas is here.
All in all some minor things until tonight. For the last 2 nights I have heard what sounds like someone hammering but it was short lived and I could not see where it was as the backside of the houses were dark. Tonight however I pin-pointed it. It is the dingleberry next door re-roofing his garage at 22:00. They had those big shop lights on, a table saw going cutting what appeared to be 2X4's and they were pounding away for a couple of hours on the roof itself. I cut them some slack as the noise pollution policy in my town is rarely enforced until after 21:30. I figured he would stop then, but no such luck. At 22:00 they were still pounding away and they had a new guy show up to help. I ended up calling the admin line to the jailhouse and they put me through to the police dispatch. I hate calling 911 for something this stupid so I took the long way around. Anyway, they sent a patrol car by to talk to the guy and let him know that he can't be doing that stuff this late at night. I am still shaking my head, who re-roofs at 22:00??? Does he not get a few days off during the week where he could do it during say normal hours? We understand working late hours, like I said in another post my wife works from 16:00 until about 02:00 at the restaurant.
I could get used to this
Another day with very limited pain. I would say the only thing that has not been fixed by the meds is the numbness in my left foot. I would ask the doc's for some neurontin but not after reading the reports and the hearing about the class action suit.
I also did some paperwork today and contacted a few attorneys who specialize in medical malpractice. Since it was not there prior to the ESI's, myleogram or surgery I don't think it would be hard to prove that one if not all of those actions caused it. Now I would probably not be inclined to file a malpractice suit but I was never informed of the possibility of this from any of the doctors performing the procedures. I also face the lifetime of pain, meds and inability to work in my former and chosen profession. We will see what happens as this goes along.
Tomorrow my wife has an appointment with my doctor and she is going to see about the chances of having her approve a handicap placard for the winter. I do not mind walking from the far end of the parking lot but even with the new meds the cold air can get to me. I also do not want to risk a slip and fall which will make things that much worse. Once the spring rolls around and the cold weather and ice are gone I would be glad to go back to parking wherever there is a spot.
I took the boys out for dinner this evening. Just to a local restaurant (where my wife works) which is only about a mile from the house, but I waited until the meds wore off (12 hours) and made it a quick in and out. Fortunately it is not cold out (50's) so even with the lap in the med time it was not too bad. I won't be doing this too often though as even with just the hours lapse it was enough to know it. It was nice however to get out of the house for even just an hour.
Hopefully I will hear back from the attorney's in the next few days.
I also did some paperwork today and contacted a few attorneys who specialize in medical malpractice. Since it was not there prior to the ESI's, myleogram or surgery I don't think it would be hard to prove that one if not all of those actions caused it. Now I would probably not be inclined to file a malpractice suit but I was never informed of the possibility of this from any of the doctors performing the procedures. I also face the lifetime of pain, meds and inability to work in my former and chosen profession. We will see what happens as this goes along.
Tomorrow my wife has an appointment with my doctor and she is going to see about the chances of having her approve a handicap placard for the winter. I do not mind walking from the far end of the parking lot but even with the new meds the cold air can get to me. I also do not want to risk a slip and fall which will make things that much worse. Once the spring rolls around and the cold weather and ice are gone I would be glad to go back to parking wherever there is a spot.
I took the boys out for dinner this evening. Just to a local restaurant (where my wife works) which is only about a mile from the house, but I waited until the meds wore off (12 hours) and made it a quick in and out. Fortunately it is not cold out (50's) so even with the lap in the med time it was not too bad. I won't be doing this too often though as even with just the hours lapse it was enough to know it. It was nice however to get out of the house for even just an hour.
Hopefully I will hear back from the attorney's in the next few days.
12/05/2004
Pain meds
This is some info on the more common pain meds and those prescribed for moderate to severe pain. Anyone suffering with arachnoiditis and MS have probably been through most of these or are working their way through them.
One thing with these meds is getting a doctor to understand that your pain is real and not in your head. Some people have a tough time getting that through to the doc and wind up living in pain for a long time. The pain is real and some of those people who do not get the help they need sadly they take more drastic measures.
I was fortunate and found that my family and my doc understand what I am going through and have been very responsive to my needs. The only part I have hated is going in to the docs office and asking for stronger or more meds. While I know I have a legitimate need for them it is still strange to be asking.
One thing with these meds is getting a doctor to understand that your pain is real and not in your head. Some people have a tough time getting that through to the doc and wind up living in pain for a long time. The pain is real and some of those people who do not get the help they need sadly they take more drastic measures.
I was fortunate and found that my family and my doc understand what I am going through and have been very responsive to my needs. The only part I have hated is going in to the docs office and asking for stronger or more meds. While I know I have a legitimate need for them it is still strange to be asking.
OXYCONTIN ® -- The tradename for the narcotic oxycodone hydrochloride (HCl), an opiate agonist. Oxycodone is the active ingredient in a number of other commonly prescribed pain relief medications such as Percocet, Percodan, and Tylox. These medications contain oxycodone in smaller doses and are combined with other active ingredients like aspirin or acetaminophen.
CODEINE -- Most codeine used in the U.S. is produced from morphine. Compared to morphine, codeine produces less analgesia, sedation and respiratory depression and is frequently taken orally. Codeine is medically prescribed for the relief of moderate pain. It is made into tablets either alone or in combination with aspirin or acetaminophen (Tylenol). Codeine is an effective cough suppressant and is found in a number of liquid preparations. Codeine products are also used to a lesser extent, as an injectable solution for the treatment of pain. It is by far the most widely used, naturally occurring narcotic for medical treatment in the world. Codeine products are encountered on the illicit market frequently in combination with glutethimide (Doriden) or carisoprodol (Soma).
MORPHINE -- Morphine, the principal constituent of opium, can range in concentrations from four to twenty-one percent (note: commercial opium is standardized to contain ten percent morphine). It is one of the most effective drugs known for the relief of pain, and remains the standard against which new analgesics are measured. Morphine is marketed in a variety of forms including oral solutions (Roxanol), sustained-release tablets (MSIR and MS-Contin), suppositories and injectable preparations. It may be administered orally, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, or intravenously, the latter method being the one most frequently used by addicts. Tolerance and physical dependence develop rapidly in the user. Only a small part of the morphine obtained from opium is used directly; most of it is converted to codeine and other derivatives.
HYDROCODONE -- Hydrocodone is an orally active analgesic and antitussive Schedule II narcotic which is marketed in multi-ingredient Schedule III products. The therapeutic dose of 5-10 mg is pharmacologically equivalent to 60 mg of oral morphine. Sales and production of this drug have increased significantly in recent years as have diversion and illicit use. Trade names include Anexsia, Hycodan, Hycoming, Lorcet, Lortab, Tussionex, and Vicodin. These are available as tablets, capsules and/or syrups.
VICODIN -- Vicodin combines a narcotic analgesic (painkiller) and cough reliever with a non-narcotic analgesic for the relief of moderate to moderately severe pain. Vicodin can be habit-forming, and if taken over a long period of time, the user can become mentally and physically dependent on the drug.
METHADONE -- German scientists synthesized methadone during World War II because of a shortage of morphine. Although chemically unlike morphine or heroin, methadone produces many of the same effects.
Introduced into the United States in 1947 as an analgesic (Dolophine), Methadone is primarily used today for the treatment of narcotic addiction. The effects of methadone are longer-lasting than those of morphine-based drugs. Methadone's effects can last up to 24 hours, thereby permitting administration only once a day in heroin detoxification and maintenance programs.
Methadone is almost as effective when administered orally as it is by injection. Tolerance and dependence may develop, and withdrawal symptoms, though they develop more slowly and are less severe than those of morphine and heroin, are more prolonged. Ironically, methadone used to control narcotic addiction, is frequently encountered on the illicit market and has been associated with a number of overdose deaths.
I am feeling pretty good this morning after last nights episode. I let the oldest stay up late and we watched Spider Man II and then we were in bed by 22:30 or so. I usually do not let him stay up past 21:00 but I was not sure if I would get sick again or what else might happen. He is a good kid but like a typical 11 year old boy he is somewhat lazy and will do the bare minimum and sometimes not even that.
My back was a little sore this morning but I think that was more because I should have been up by about 7:30 to take it and I did not get up until almost 8:30. I need to either change my time a bit later or set the clock so I can be up on time. I have a feeling that when I have been taking them for a bit longer I will know when I miss a dose by the detox effects. Hopefully we will avoid this!!!
Not much on the agenda today.
My back was a little sore this morning but I think that was more because I should have been up by about 7:30 to take it and I did not get up until almost 8:30. I need to either change my time a bit later or set the clock so I can be up on time. I have a feeling that when I have been taking them for a bit longer I will know when I miss a dose by the detox effects. Hopefully we will avoid this!!!
Not much on the agenda today.
12/04/2004
John Kerry excommunicated
Blogs For Bush:
I have heard about this but until the last few days I had not seen anything concrete. I am Catholic, born and raised, I was an Altar boy and my youth soccer league was through church. My wife is the past treasurer of our parish as well she has taught CCD and our son is in Catholic School. Obviously as practicing Catholics something like this is important to us. I do not intend to turn this in to a debate (though I do welcome comments) and am just expressing my views and feeling on this. It matters not that I did not vote for Kerry but if he is the Catholic he claims to be he is a poor example.
He divorced his first wife and had the marriage annulled, even though they were married in the church and had consummated the marriage (they have children). If what I have read is accurate he left her so that he could marry Theresa Heinz-Kerry. On top of all that he supports and has voted pro-choice.
If they have indeed excommunicated him then I say great!
"A consultant to the Vatican has said Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has incurred the penalty of excommunication from the Catholic Church.
The consultant made his statement in a highly unusual letter to Marc Balestrieri, a Los Angeles canon lawyer who formally sued John Kerry in ecclesiastical court for heresy.
Balestrieri, who launched his case earlier this year by filing a heresy complaint in Kerry's home archdiocese of Boston, told EWTN's 'World Over' program on Friday that he had received an unusual, indirect communication from the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding the pro-abortion stance.
That communication provides a basis, he said, to declare that any Catholic politician who says he is 'personally opposed to abortion, but supports a woman's right to choose,' incurs automatic excommunication."
I have heard about this but until the last few days I had not seen anything concrete. I am Catholic, born and raised, I was an Altar boy and my youth soccer league was through church. My wife is the past treasurer of our parish as well she has taught CCD and our son is in Catholic School. Obviously as practicing Catholics something like this is important to us. I do not intend to turn this in to a debate (though I do welcome comments) and am just expressing my views and feeling on this. It matters not that I did not vote for Kerry but if he is the Catholic he claims to be he is a poor example.
He divorced his first wife and had the marriage annulled, even though they were married in the church and had consummated the marriage (they have children). If what I have read is accurate he left her so that he could marry Theresa Heinz-Kerry. On top of all that he supports and has voted pro-choice.
If they have indeed excommunicated him then I say great!
That sucks...
Ok, just sitting here and enjoying some time relaxing when out of the blue my stomach turns and I have to vomit. Unlike last time this was not preceded by a headache or anything else. In fact I felt fine before and right after and I cannot think of anything I might have eaten that was bad or anything that I drank as I have only had one soda and everything else has been water today.
Today was a decent day as far as pain. My back was fine but for some reason my left leg was killing me. It was a pain that I have not had before either. It was not like the numbness and burning I usually get but more like I hit my thigh on the corner of a table or something, maybe a charlie horse I guess would be a better explanation.
So now it is back to the regular Saturday night routine of Cops and then America's Most Wanted.
Today was a decent day as far as pain. My back was fine but for some reason my left leg was killing me. It was a pain that I have not had before either. It was not like the numbness and burning I usually get but more like I hit my thigh on the corner of a table or something, maybe a charlie horse I guess would be a better explanation.
So now it is back to the regular Saturday night routine of Cops and then America's Most Wanted.
What can you do about it?
With new technology there are many kits now available for in home testing if you suspect someone of using/abusing drugs. It was not but a few years back that these tests were expensive and had to be done under lab conditions. I was trained by the Army to be a member of it's ADAPC program. I was on a staff of several NCO's within my unit who were advisors to the commanding officer on drug policies within the Army as well we were the ones who at his direction conducted drug testing within the unit. It was a very interesting program.
I did a search on google using "at home drug kits" and found many of them available online as well as at your local pharmacy and places like Wal-Mart. They are simple tests to conduct and they cover many of the drugs in use. This site has a kit for oxy and according to the site it looks like they also have tests for valium and methadone.
This site has some of the warning signs of drug abuse but in the end if you suspect someone you love or care about is hurting themselves by using drugs you should seek professional help in intervention. I do not think this is something people should do on their own. Knowing the symptoms is great but you need a trained professional to help them. You should also not be afraid to help them by going with them and being as understanding as possible. They need someone they can trust to help them get through this. Not many people make a recovery on their own nor do they make it if the people who care about them turn their backs on them.
This site has some explanations of what the DEA drug schedule is with examples of the drugs that are in each level. While this site lists some of the federal penalties that can be imposed for having these drugs illegal.
It simply amazes me what people are willing to risk both with their health and legally to have these drugs. It really makes you wonder what the heck is going through their minds.
I did a search on google using "at home drug kits" and found many of them available online as well as at your local pharmacy and places like Wal-Mart. They are simple tests to conduct and they cover many of the drugs in use. This site has a kit for oxy and according to the site it looks like they also have tests for valium and methadone.
This site has some of the warning signs of drug abuse but in the end if you suspect someone you love or care about is hurting themselves by using drugs you should seek professional help in intervention. I do not think this is something people should do on their own. Knowing the symptoms is great but you need a trained professional to help them. You should also not be afraid to help them by going with them and being as understanding as possible. They need someone they can trust to help them get through this. Not many people make a recovery on their own nor do they make it if the people who care about them turn their backs on them.
This site has some explanations of what the DEA drug schedule is with examples of the drugs that are in each level. While this site lists some of the federal penalties that can be imposed for having these drugs illegal.
It simply amazes me what people are willing to risk both with their health and legally to have these drugs. It really makes you wonder what the heck is going through their minds.
Oxy abuse and other random ramblings
So I have been surfing the web looking for information on what exactly is oxycontin and how it works. I am one of those science freaks who loves to know how things work. I never did well in math or science but I am a whiz at both. I dealt craps and cards in a casino for several years where understanding odds is important as well as multiplication of payouts can bury you in craps and then I thought myself biology and chemistry so I could run the brewery.
Anyway, I have come across some of the sites that are informative but many of the sites out there like this one are very anti oxy. I understand that with narcotics there is going to be someone who abuses it but many if these sites are blaming the manufacturers rather then those who abuse the drug.
I have a big problem with that and it is a problem that permeates our society in many areas. It seems many people have forgotten that they are the ones responsible for themselves. It is like people who have sued the gun industry when a firearm is used to kill. Hell, we might as well start in on the automobile industry, God knows how many people cars kill each year but I bet it is more then guns.
It makes you wonder what is really going on in some peoples minds. Where is the line drawn between personal responsibility and culpability of the pharmaceutical industry? While the industry should monitor the drugs they make and educate the public as the to the nature of the drug, that is where I would draw the line. They are not the ones who make it easy to get the drugs or force people to abuse them. Casinos are not held liable if someone loses their life savings.
What about the pharmacies who dispense these drugs? What about the doctor who wrote the prescription? If we blame the drug company what about these people? After all aren't they the ones who really put the drugs in to the hands of the abusers? What about the person who got the prescription legally and then sold or gave it to their friends? How come they are not being blamed.
Pharmacies are probably the biggest problem in this equation. I have been on some form of narcotics for almost 2 years. I have never abused them and have had no problems with taking them for extended periods and stopping without the psychological addiction, which is the biggest problem with abusers. In my time having to take these pain meds I have switched pharmacies twice because of problems with my meds.
One pharmacy claimed I called in a refill and then picked it up. They claim that I did this 4 days after my last refill, which is not something I would have done because I had a 2 week supply and called them in on day 10. They also had instructions from me to check ID and only release them to myself or my wife. My wife was home with me all day on the day in question. I filed a police report and switched my meds. Turns out someone I know worked for that company and later informed me that they had to fire someone for doing this to several patients like myself who were being prescribed strong narcotics. This also happened at another pharmacy a year or so later. This time I spoke with the head pharmacist who admitted that it is a problem with their industry and try as they might to prevent it from happening it is difficult to do. Security cameras are a great tool, but they cannot see everything that goes on and nothing stops the person working the counter from grabbing a bag of meds and giving it to someone posing as a customer. I was shocked when he said this. Having worked in the casinos I know they have high speed state of the art equipment for this but the pharmacies are to tight fisted to spend the money on it. It is cheaper to either ignore the problem or just pay the lawsuits that come along.
Sorry for the rambling but across this country too many people no longer are responsible for themselves. They bring lawsuits for everything that happens to them even if a little common sense could have prevented it. Think back to the lawsuit some women won against McDonalds for spilling coffee on herself and causing a burn. Please, give me a break. Even sadder is that courts and juries are agreeing with the lawsuits and awarding monstrous cash settlements. Sometimes the companies don't even let it go to court as it is cheaper to fork over a few hundred thousand then it is to go to court.
In the end this all costs us that much more. When people stop owning up to their own mistakes or stupidity we all pay for it. Drug abuse is never the persons fault, it is the giant drug companies who make the products. It is the DEA and INS's fault for allowing illicit drugs to make it across our borders, not the people who voted down the funding for the war on drugs.
Ok, I am done ranting. I am not even sure I was able to stay focused on this one. I tend to go off on tangents but I think you get my point here. It is up to the person to be responsible for themselves.
Anyway, I have come across some of the sites that are informative but many of the sites out there like this one are very anti oxy. I understand that with narcotics there is going to be someone who abuses it but many if these sites are blaming the manufacturers rather then those who abuse the drug.
I have a big problem with that and it is a problem that permeates our society in many areas. It seems many people have forgotten that they are the ones responsible for themselves. It is like people who have sued the gun industry when a firearm is used to kill. Hell, we might as well start in on the automobile industry, God knows how many people cars kill each year but I bet it is more then guns.
It makes you wonder what is really going on in some peoples minds. Where is the line drawn between personal responsibility and culpability of the pharmaceutical industry? While the industry should monitor the drugs they make and educate the public as the to the nature of the drug, that is where I would draw the line. They are not the ones who make it easy to get the drugs or force people to abuse them. Casinos are not held liable if someone loses their life savings.
What about the pharmacies who dispense these drugs? What about the doctor who wrote the prescription? If we blame the drug company what about these people? After all aren't they the ones who really put the drugs in to the hands of the abusers? What about the person who got the prescription legally and then sold or gave it to their friends? How come they are not being blamed.
Pharmacies are probably the biggest problem in this equation. I have been on some form of narcotics for almost 2 years. I have never abused them and have had no problems with taking them for extended periods and stopping without the psychological addiction, which is the biggest problem with abusers. In my time having to take these pain meds I have switched pharmacies twice because of problems with my meds.
One pharmacy claimed I called in a refill and then picked it up. They claim that I did this 4 days after my last refill, which is not something I would have done because I had a 2 week supply and called them in on day 10. They also had instructions from me to check ID and only release them to myself or my wife. My wife was home with me all day on the day in question. I filed a police report and switched my meds. Turns out someone I know worked for that company and later informed me that they had to fire someone for doing this to several patients like myself who were being prescribed strong narcotics. This also happened at another pharmacy a year or so later. This time I spoke with the head pharmacist who admitted that it is a problem with their industry and try as they might to prevent it from happening it is difficult to do. Security cameras are a great tool, but they cannot see everything that goes on and nothing stops the person working the counter from grabbing a bag of meds and giving it to someone posing as a customer. I was shocked when he said this. Having worked in the casinos I know they have high speed state of the art equipment for this but the pharmacies are to tight fisted to spend the money on it. It is cheaper to either ignore the problem or just pay the lawsuits that come along.
Sorry for the rambling but across this country too many people no longer are responsible for themselves. They bring lawsuits for everything that happens to them even if a little common sense could have prevented it. Think back to the lawsuit some women won against McDonalds for spilling coffee on herself and causing a burn. Please, give me a break. Even sadder is that courts and juries are agreeing with the lawsuits and awarding monstrous cash settlements. Sometimes the companies don't even let it go to court as it is cheaper to fork over a few hundred thousand then it is to go to court.
In the end this all costs us that much more. When people stop owning up to their own mistakes or stupidity we all pay for it. Drug abuse is never the persons fault, it is the giant drug companies who make the products. It is the DEA and INS's fault for allowing illicit drugs to make it across our borders, not the people who voted down the funding for the war on drugs.
Ok, I am done ranting. I am not even sure I was able to stay focused on this one. I tend to go off on tangents but I think you get my point here. It is up to the person to be responsible for themselves.
12/03/2004
Well it was another good day. I did have some breakthrough pain last night but it was not so severe that I did not get back to sleep. I talked to the nurse practitioner about it and she said to keep track of it and we will discuss it when I come in on the 15th. If need be we she will either adjust the meds or prescribe something just for the breakthrough.
I felt good enough that I finished cleaning up my office and even vacuumed it all out. After re-arranging the desks and tables it really needed it. I then even cooked lunch as I had invited my parents over today. While they live close by and we have dinner together often, lunch is a rare treat since we are always running in different directions. My dad had business in town so I made lasagna for them. It was a good lunch and I enjoy getting to spend time with my folks.
Tomorrow I am going to run to Circuit City and grab a DVD burner. I saw they had some of the internal ones on sale for $40. I would prefer the external but they are all running $170+ right now and if I can get one for the desk top that does the same thing for $130 less then I will just have to suffer with it. I want to start burning all the video I have taken with the miniDV so I can send them to my inlaws. I am sure they would like to see what is going on. They only live a few hours away but their work schedule makes it difficult for all of us to get together monthly.
I also took out some of the Christmas decorations today and will spend some of tomorrow and Sunday getting them out and hanging some of the lights. I need to find more of the chili pepper lights! I like them and found some on sale after the season at target but I still need some more. I found some but they are all going for $15+ and I am not paying that for a string of lights.
Well it is bedtime, my eyes are dropping and my pillow is calling me.
I felt good enough that I finished cleaning up my office and even vacuumed it all out. After re-arranging the desks and tables it really needed it. I then even cooked lunch as I had invited my parents over today. While they live close by and we have dinner together often, lunch is a rare treat since we are always running in different directions. My dad had business in town so I made lasagna for them. It was a good lunch and I enjoy getting to spend time with my folks.
Tomorrow I am going to run to Circuit City and grab a DVD burner. I saw they had some of the internal ones on sale for $40. I would prefer the external but they are all running $170+ right now and if I can get one for the desk top that does the same thing for $130 less then I will just have to suffer with it. I want to start burning all the video I have taken with the miniDV so I can send them to my inlaws. I am sure they would like to see what is going on. They only live a few hours away but their work schedule makes it difficult for all of us to get together monthly.
I also took out some of the Christmas decorations today and will spend some of tomorrow and Sunday getting them out and hanging some of the lights. I need to find more of the chili pepper lights! I like them and found some on sale after the season at target but I still need some more. I found some but they are all going for $15+ and I am not paying that for a string of lights.
Well it is bedtime, my eyes are dropping and my pillow is calling me.
12/02/2004
A good day, finally...
Well I like the new meds. I was up and about today and even did some cleaning in my office without having much pain. Had I tried this last week I would have been in the recliner in pain. I rearranged my office and got down behind the desk to clean up the clutter of lines that are behind all computers. Since I work from home and have several computers and printers the tangle was reminiscent of Christmas tree lights in the basement.
Speaking of lights, tomorrow I will break out the decorations after I finish some cleaning in the office. I do not put much up outdoors as I hate the "cluttered" look as well as the icicle lights that are popular. I prefer 1 color (blue) and then I just like them around the trim of the house. I also put some red bow's around the columns on the porch. Simple but elegant in my humble opinion.
For the tree we will buy an artificial one this year. While I like live trees they have become to expensive and no one has the good fir trees I like. I also have a set of 3 trees that I bought from Michaels last year that are pretty cool. I have some chili pepper lights for them and they go in my office. I also have the nativity scene that my parents gave us a few years ago that I put under the trees. I am looking forward to Christmas.
My wife also mentioned that I not only seemed to be moving better today but that my mood seems to be much better as well. I hope this is something that will continue with the oxy. While I am not to thrilled about the physical withdrawal symptoms that I will have to go through someday I am willing to deal with that if the tradeoff is that I feel this good even just most of the time.
One drawback to the oxy is that I will need to monitor when I am down the last few pills and call the refill in. When they wrote the prescription they only gave me a month supply with no refills. I have had trouble with the pharmacy getting my prescriptions refilled in time so if I call it in a day or two in advance it should not be a problem. The good thing is that should I not get it in time and have some problems I live a few doors down from the hospital/ER.
Speaking of lights, tomorrow I will break out the decorations after I finish some cleaning in the office. I do not put much up outdoors as I hate the "cluttered" look as well as the icicle lights that are popular. I prefer 1 color (blue) and then I just like them around the trim of the house. I also put some red bow's around the columns on the porch. Simple but elegant in my humble opinion.
For the tree we will buy an artificial one this year. While I like live trees they have become to expensive and no one has the good fir trees I like. I also have a set of 3 trees that I bought from Michaels last year that are pretty cool. I have some chili pepper lights for them and they go in my office. I also have the nativity scene that my parents gave us a few years ago that I put under the trees. I am looking forward to Christmas.
My wife also mentioned that I not only seemed to be moving better today but that my mood seems to be much better as well. I hope this is something that will continue with the oxy. While I am not to thrilled about the physical withdrawal symptoms that I will have to go through someday I am willing to deal with that if the tradeoff is that I feel this good even just most of the time.
One drawback to the oxy is that I will need to monitor when I am down the last few pills and call the refill in. When they wrote the prescription they only gave me a month supply with no refills. I have had trouble with the pharmacy getting my prescriptions refilled in time so if I call it in a day or two in advance it should not be a problem. The good thing is that should I not get it in time and have some problems I live a few doors down from the hospital/ER.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)