Thursday, February 26, 2009

Thursday

...hey again everyone....
Yeah, it's been a few days since that last update....and I'm still feeling the affects of that last episode. I don't have all my strength back yet and I am still not getting very good sleep. Four hours last night.

So, I did go to PT today...and it was reeval day. When Cindie told me I had to have my reeval I knew that it would show that I have lost ground because I am so weak. I'm actually surprised how much ground I lost especially in my left leg. My strength is going to take awhile to get back where it was.

I have managed to get an appointment with a specialist for the headaches. That is good news. I only hope something comes of it and I'm able to at least get some kind of treatment initially, if not a way to eliminate them altogether. That would make me happy.

In a nutshell...that's what the last few days have been like.

I'm gonna finish off with that....but I will post some music today...I've been told by a couple of my regulars that the music is a nice touch...so...to them..Thank You..!

Todays selection....The Doors...


Till Next Time......

Sunday, February 22, 2009

An Update...???? Who missed me....??

Really, an update..? Yep...finally, after a week I do an update.
For those of you that come here everyday to check in to see what's new..I'm sorry..
It started early last week when we lost our internet for a couple of days....and then Wednesday I started with one of my migraine episodes. It started Wednesday morning waking with the headache...and then went downhill from there.
To be honest, right now I don't even remember what happened on what day..all I know is that this is the worst episode I've had so far.
Between the headache, diarrhea, vomiting, not being able to eat or barely drink anything....plus the lack of sleep..If I figured things correctly...I've gotten roughly a total of 8 hours of sleep since last Wednesday night..I was in hell. Honestly, someone could have shot me and I wouldn't have cared. Other than the trips to the bathroom, I have been damn near bedridden since.

I did manage to get up today...made it downstairs and had some toast and scrambled eggs. Showered, shaved and changed clothes...and now I am so wore out it's not funny.
I'm still having some of the stomach issues but hopefully that will pass today.

So, that's where I've been the last few days....

This update is short....I'll get back to things when I feel a bit better...

Till Next Time......

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Saturday

update...
Well, hello everyone.....todays update I'll say....nothing too dramatic to report...
I didn't update yesterday for a couple of reasons...first...not really that much to update..second,I figured I'd wait until today because today (Saturday) is Valentines Day....not that there is a specific reason to wait for Valentines Day to update...
but thirdly, today is my 9 month anniversary of TM. Three quarters of a year...
Wow....I know it sounds cliche but it seems like forever. So much has occurred in the last 9 months...when I think about it I'm amazed at how things have gone. The ups, the downs..(mostly downs) that I and the rest of my family have gone through..
There have been days that I've put my wife through hell...there have also been days that I've put myself through hell...the mental torture sometimes was worse than the TM itself.

In the beginning I had a very positive attitude and I was gonna whip this thing..and I was gonna work my butt off and get all better..and so on and so on....and then the first couple months went by...and my spirit was being beaten down...not only by my physical limitations but also my mental state. I had in the back of my mind that PT wasn't gonna do me any good...the meds weren't gonna help me....I was relegating myself to be a sorry old, self pitying SOB.

Well, I'll tell you now....I'm glad I'm over all that..!! Yeah, these past 9 months have been the roller coaster ride from hell....I like roller coasters...but this is one ride I never want to take again.
I don't know for sure what has gotten me through all of this...was it my own willingness and stubborness..? Was it the meds I'm on...? Was it the counseling..? Was it me not wanting to torture my family anymore..? Was it my wife's love and caring..? I'm really not sure..but I'm guessing it must be a combination of all of those..and either way....whatever it was...I'm glad.
Now, don't get me wrong..there are still days that are tough to get through.. but now..instead of dwelling on the past...I'm thinking about how I can make my future better. If for some reason, I can't return to a normal job...and there are still plenty of physical things going on that there is a good chance that may not happen...but, I know that I am still useful here around the house..there are still plenty of things that I can do..it may take me longer to do them, but I can still do them. I have some little hobbies that I enjoy...and I'm thinking and hoping that at some point I can turn that into something that may help contribute to the household...
So anyway, yeah....this past 9 months has seemed like a long time ago...yet it really hasn't. I look at the big picture now as far as my recovery...I was shuffling around with a walker for the first 2 or 3 months...but through my PT sessions...I've gained enough strength to start walking with a cane...and there are times I'm pretty unsteady...but instead of letting that bother me, now I laugh it off. It's funny sometimes when I'm at PT. Sometimes after a particularly rigorous session, when I go to stand up, I wobble a good bit. Cindie, my therapist jumps to grab me..she says I scare her sometimes. I laugh it off and tell her...nope, I'm fine...I just need to take a couple of steps and I get my momentum going. Cindie always worries about me when I do that though.

Well, that was a pretty reflective bit of running on I just did...wasn't it..?
If I have all this running through my head now at 9 months...geez...what's it going to be like at my one year anniversary..?

In a nutshell....I sure like the way I feel now, a lot better than I did a few months ago.
and as I write all this...there is a gentle snowfall going on outside... It's pretty.

Music time.....
No video today....I had to scrounge around to find this song....and use my minimal computer skills to get the HTML code for this so I could embed the song here...
I hope I'm not breaking any laws....too bad if I am ...I want to post this..
Van Morrison...and Bright Side of the Road...


Till Next Time......

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Thursday

evening post...
Had my PT this morning...nothing new with that...legs were working pretty good as far as the stiffness and soreness..Did my stretches, ankle exercises and some balance beam.

Also, I had my VA appt. today to get my NEW SHOES......Yippee...

So, I sit down with the guy and he pulls them out of the box...cool, they are all white tennies...they look like a really nice athletic walking shoe. So, he pulls out all of the inserts in these things...(there are three separate inserts)

Tried the right one on with just one thin insert and the thicker heel and arch support insert. Talk about feeling like I'm walking on a cloud....oh man...
Now, for the left one since that's the leg I wear my AFO on. I tried it on with the same inserts...and I was getting some serious rubbing on the outside of my foot..So, he took everything out...and made some small trims on them ta-da...now they feel great.
He tells me...if you think this feels good...wait until you get your custom inserts...(I'm curious about them too...I mean after all...he made precise footprints of both feet in this type of collapsing foam. He set one foot on top of the foam...and then with a gentle push evenly on my foot, it slowly sank down into the foam...and recreated ever bend, wrinkle..etc...on my feet)
But, until those inserts come in...I think I'll be quite happy with these...
Oh..by the way...here's a picture of them...


Well, tomorrow is Friday the 13th......who's superstitious....????
Not me...
How about we end todays post with something from one of the great writers of Dark Gothic Stories.....
Edgar Allan Poe......and a recital of The Tell Tale Heart.


Are you still not superstitious....???

Till Next Time......

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Tuesday

update.
I was going to update yesterday because it was PT day but I also had a VA appointment yesterday afternoon, so, I figured I'd wait until today to update.
As I said...I had PT yesterday...things went a bit better than they did last Thursday...I had some of my strength back so that was good. Cindie had me on the treadmill...It had been awhile...Aaaggghhh...still having lots of trouble with the stamina and fatigue..I did 1 m.p.h for two minutes and thirty seconds...and I was wiped out. So, I know I have lots to work on there still.
Ankle exercises went okay though...
My VA appointment was with the Ortho doctor about my numb heels....basically..he took molds of my feet and they are having special inserts made for the new shoes I am getting on Thursday. The inserts won't be in for about a month though. Hopefully, the new shoes will help some and then when the inserts come in..I will be set. I'm hoping for the best but we'll see.
My new meds that my Neuro prescribed aren't really doing anything so far...He prescribed the Neurontin for my nerve pain...and so far I'm not really getting any relief there...but again..as I've said before..the pain now is something I've grown used to, it is bothersome but not unbearable. So, I'll keep taking it and see what happens. The ortho doctor also said to keep taking it...it may help with the pain in my feet too.. We'll see.
Also, the Flexeril for my leg muscles...hard to say on that right now...the cold weather has let up a bit so my legs aren't as stiff and sore as they were...I'll keep taking that too...and see what happens with the next cold snap.

That's about it for that stuff....
On with the show....
Today...I've picked something by Marillion...the song Kayleigh....one of the great pop ballads from the mid 80's...
you might remember this one....


Till Next Time......

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Saturday

update.
Just a quick one today...
About the only thing....the temperature has warmed up a bit today...Right now it's 44 degrees. I know it's going to make for a mess outside...with the slush and mud...but, today I can tell a difference in my legs...They are still stiff and sore...but not as bad as they were Thursday at PT.
Just a few more weeks....until spring begins...and the weather starts getting warmer...Ohhh man..I can't wait...!!

So, that's about all for today......

Music time....
Let's throw out some fusion jazz from the 70's...One of the most legendary bands there ever was....Mahavishnu Orchestra...


and now...the man behind the guitar in Mahvishnu Orchestra...
The legendary John Mclaughlin....Title track of his 1999 album Belo Horizante...


Till Next Time......

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Thursday

update....
Whew....what a day at PT.
Just to explain....today it is cold outside...it's still only 10 degrees...when we left this morning for PT it was 2. The short time I was outside...long enough to get from the house to the van and then from the van into the hospital...my legs were almost totally useless..So stiff...
I did my e-stim first and then Cindie stretched my legs...and she could tell...My range of movement was very minimal before the pain started setting in.
So, Cindie had me start out on the 3" high beam and try to do some leg lifts to the side and to the rear...My left leg was pathetic...No strength at all...and then when I did my ankle exercises it was the same...It was a struggle to do the exercise where I have to lift my toes...even without any weight resistance.
This is the machine I use for my ankle exercises...

My foot gets strapped in and then you can add weights on the posts if you want more resistance.

So, we're home now and my legs feel like rubber bands....they are so weak, stiff and sore......Oh boy, I can't wait for winter to be over....

Now...to the music for the day....One song came to mind today...because..with today being so cold and such a bad day for me (my legs)...and we're supposed to start a bit of a warming trend tomorrow..which is Friday....
I said to myself..."Self, Friday is on my mind..because hopefully with the weather being a little warmer, maybe I'll get some relief..."
With that being said...here's a 1966 hit song from the Australian band, The Easybeats...
So, here they are...The Easybeats with Friday On My Mind


Till Next Time......

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Well

let's do a Wednesday morning update...
This morning was a strange morning for me...I was up at 3:30am. That hasn't happened in awhile.
My dog was to blame for it though....She woke me up because she had to go outside and potty. I did try to go back to sleep...but I was already pretty awake...and she was having problems with one of her ears...It must be bothering her because she kept shaking her head. I couldn't have gone back to sleep with all of that, even if I wanted to. So, I got up and took her into the bathroom and cleaned her ears...
That seemed to help her some.
We went downstairs and I turned on the TV and watched a rerun of Larry King Live with ex-Governor Blagojevich. What a tard that guy is...Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions but he just seems like the quintessential politician. Can't give a straight answer to just about any question.
So, I watched that, swept the floors and ran a damp mop over them...went down in the basement to my little workshop and puttered there for a short bit...and then came back up and watched the morning news...Oh, and also drank 5 cups of coffee during all of that. No, I'm not wired.. I could drink coffee right before bed and still go to sleep.
Otherwise....things are still the same old song and dance...legs are sore and stiff as all get out...The new meds my Neuro prescribed for me aren't doing anything yet...I'll give them another week and see how I feel then.

Maybe I'll try to nap today...we'll see how I hold up...with me getting up at 3:30am I ended up only getting about 4 hours of sleep. I don't feel too bad right now...but we'll see how long that lasts...especially with a couple of these new meds...they make me a bit drowsy about a half hour after I take them...which I take my first one in about a half an hour.

Ehhh...that's all for that...
On with things...music post for today...
and I'm still kind of grumpy about the whole Youtube vs music company thing...I discovered yesterday...that the music company had YouTube just pull the audio on some of the videos that were posted...the video is still there...but no sound..
so, you can still watch the videos but there is no music....it's kind of funny actually...
Well, here we go...I found something pretty interesting...
I would imagine most people will possibly recognize this song....It was the theme song from a movie that came out in 1973.
This is a bit of a different version of the song but it is still the same artist.
See if you can guess the song and the movie....


Till Next Time......

Monday, February 2, 2009

Monday

update...
It's the 2nd of February...getting closer to springtime...although that blasted Punxatawney Phil saw his shadow which means six more weeks of winter....blaaahhhhh
The Steelers won their 6th Superbowl yesterday...in a very tight and exciting game...especially the fourth quarter...They are the only team to win the Superbowl six times....
So, all is right in the world now....
Well, almost anyway...
I woke up this morning and again...my legs feel like hell....soooo stiff..
I didn't go to PT Thursday because of this...but I couldn't miss today also...so I went...Cindie did my e-stim and then she stretched me...which felt good but..aarrrgggghhh did it ever hurt...
I kind of figured that my legs had been bothering me because of all that cold weather we've been having but yesterday it was 40 degrees...I thought I'd get some relief...but Nnnnnooooooo.
Speaking of the weather...the prediction now is that the temps going to be in the mid to upper 40's at the end of the week...and then dip back down again...This is really gonna suck. Melting snow and ice, mud, wet feet...and the type of wet cold that sinks into your bones....Yyyuuucccckkkk. This weather around here is so....is so....is so....??....??....CRAPPY.....yeah, that's it...crappy..!!!
Oh well.
So, on to other things now..
Time for a music post....and I have a gripe on this...I've done a lot of searching on YouTube for a couple of years now...for old songs I had forgotten about or ones that I liked...and you can save those songs to a "favorites" list...that way you can just come back to them at a later time if you want to listen to (watch)them.
Well, it seems that with all these music companies getting their panties in a bunch...because people have posted stuff that was copyrighted..that the music companies have made YouTube pull the songs.
So, out of almost 200 songs I had saved to my favorites..I think almost half of them are no longer available because of copyright infringement.
Now, I understand this to a certain point...some artists are complaining about their royalties...and what not...but come on now...
I can see it if a person posted entire albums (Cd's) but one or two songs...nah..especially...most of the stuff I had saved was "old"...I'm talking, music from the early '60's.
These videos aren't downloadable...so I can't burn them to my computer or anything...
I find songs I liked...save them to my favorites and watch them on occasion...
So...my gripe for today....there. Now, I have to find something that's still available so that I can post it... Be back in a few while I dig around and see what I can find...
Okay...I'm back..
I found a couple to post.
The first....pretty much a one hit wonder band...Sniff N' The Tears....with their song.."Drivers Seat"
This was a great song and I believe did make it to the #1 spot on the music charts...


This song is/was done originally by a group called "The Buoys" and here, it looks like they've renamed themselves or something and from the looks of these guys...it looks like the original members...and they're still kicking around...
Anyway...this one hit wonder song is called "Timothy" and it was written by Rupert Holmes of the "Pina Colada song" fame.


Till Next Time......