MORE random stuff about your day

[zoomboogity]

So... the follow-up appointment with the neurosurgeon. Great news all around. He showed me video made during the procedure. Interesting to see your own arm cut open like a grenade hit it, knowing you slept through the whole thing. Aside from that, there was a muscle blocking the nerve from properly regenerating, which was the source of the problem (you know, the thing that doctors just somehow weren't finding for three years... because they weren't looking, even when I pointed it out). One muscle was pinkish, indicating proper blood flow, the one next to it was bone-white. After the procedure, the white one was pinkish as well, which means there's hope. He also showed me a short clip where he touched the nerve with a scalpel, and my wrist automatically went up, so there's still some life in there. I also told him that when I do range-of-motion exercises with my index finger, I can feel the nerve in my arm coming back to life, which he was glad to hear.

It all bodes well for doing work on my hand in the future. He felt it best to take it a step at a time - if the first procedure didn't yield good results, the next step would just be an expensive waste of time. As for pain, which was the main objective this time, it's decreased to where a couple OTC pain relievers do the trick, whereas before even Dilaudid wouldn't help. The release in the arm has also lessened the pain in the hand. Since the surgery only involved a release, he didn't need to do a graft from my leg or anything.

What a great doctor, I'm so happy to have finally found him. The best doctors are willing to take on difficult cases like this - it's a challenge to them, helps make them even better at what they do. I see him again at the end of May, see how much things progress on their own in the meantime. Who knows, I may actually see an end to this crap. Which, after almost five years, would be nice. It sure would be a relief to not have this to deal with every day. Don't ever take your hands for granted.

[Jimbly]

Fantastic news Zoomy

[Jimbly]

Yes, I'm aware of bowls.

I assume you are aware of local colloquialisms?

Well, yeah, I'm familiar with the concept, but that's a new one for me. Seems like a slippery slope. What's next, forks as spoons, chopsticks as cheese graters? Pure madness!

A bowl was used in the consumption of said cornflakes. A plate of cornflakes is just a local expression.

[BARON CORNY DOG]

Fantastic news Zoomy

Yeah, sounds good!

[Six String]

Excellent news Zoom. Here's open a hings continue growing and improving. Great to hear of the pain relief. That is huge in my book. Getting away from narcotics can only help.

[zoomboogity]

Luckily for me (but only in retrospect), I was never on narcotics, since they just plain didn't help. I tried a few different ones, but I only got the bad effects, and the "high" didn't even feel good, so after a few days of taking them, I just didn't bother. Believe me, if they had provided any relief at all, I would have been taking them all the time... then have THAT to deal with now. So I just had to ride it out. Sure wasn't easy. You never know what you're capable of overcoming until you have no choice. When courage and prayer run out, there's always stubbornness. And spite. One way or another, we get through this.

[Six String]

Luckily for me (but only in retrospect), I was never on narcotics, since they just plain didn't help. I tried a few different ones, but I only got the bad effects, and the "high" didn't even feel good, so after a few days of taking them, I just didn't bother. Believe me, if they had provided any relief at all, I would have been taking them all the time... then have THAT to deal with now. So I just had to ride it out. Sure wasn't easy. You never know what you're capable of overcoming until you have no choice. When courage and prayer run out, there's always stubbornness. And spite. One way or another, we get through this.

I guess that was the root of why I said what I said. At least you don't have the negative effects narcotics have. There comes a time you don't even notice taking it, you only notice if you don't.

[zoomboogity]

Right. What I meant to say was that I was fortunate to experience only the bad short-term effects of the drugs, so not having them available as an option, now I don't have to deal with the long-term effects of addiction. That wasn't much consolation at the time, but I'm glad it worked out that way. I'm also relieved that the recovery doesn't involve feeling temporarily worse as nerves cam back to life, as I did with a tendon release surgery three years ago (six solid months of torture during recovery, dropping to zero pain in a matter of three or four days). I was worried about that, but I got lucky this time. Nerve and tendon pain - I don't recommend it.

[Charlie O.]

zoomb, that's fantastic news!

[Jimbly]

Madame is back in the house.

[Dr Markus]

Too much of a coffee buzz going on, getting a bit too restless.

[Phil T]

We took the furry little feller Stan to the vets this afternoon. Several days ago, Pippa noticed a lump on his right side, just above his right hip, so we monitored it over the next few days. Today it seemed bigger, so an apt was duly booked, we postponed our trip oop t'north and took him in.

I'd wondered if it was a hernia, but the nice lady vet who examined him surprised us by saying that the lump was his right kidney, though she wasn't sure why it was so prominent. She thought it may be a positional thing and down to the fact he's put weight on recently, but shaved his little leg and took a blood sample, just to be sure.

Subsequently, the blood sample was found to be ok. We now have the option of having him scanned, but for the moment, we'll keep an eye on his health, see how he goes. Currently, he's limping round, trying to shake off the plaster currently on his leg and looking baffled when he finds it's still stuck fast.

" 'Ere, oim alroight, thank 'ee for askin'..."


On other fronts, herself has some rather good news, which I'll let her tell you all about...

[Six String]

I'm going to sign the papers on my rental tomorrow so I can start planning my move and where the furniture is going. I'm putting colored dots on the pieces going and my uncle suggested assigning one of the colors to each room and use that color dot on the pieces going in that room. I've emptied out about half of the wine out and of my cabinet/storage unt. I'll finish that up Sunday or Monday. I was curious how long ot would take and exactly how many boxes I want. I not only have fragile/sensitive items like most people do, but I have a lot more of said things which s complicating my decisions on what to move myself and what the movers will touch or break. It's going to be quite an effort to get it all moved but I keep focusing on afterwards when I'll be able to sit in my new living room and listen to Tom Waits all day and night if I want.

It's going well though I have to say. Quite a relief compared to two mnths ago when this ordeal began. Pleased that it's all coming together smoothly.

[sloopjohnc]

Listening to the radio on the way to work, they had an ad for buying a FroYo! frozen yogurt franchise. It was so bad it was funny.

I had an image of some guy emailing his wife from work or coming home and announcing, "Guess what, honey? We're going to be frozen yogurt magnates!"

[Hugh]

Well they wod need a lot of cold storage, which would make them fridge magnates.

[Phil T]

Well they wod need a lot of cold storage, which would make them fridge magnates.

I wonder if they bought the milk for the yoghurt from milk sheikhs?

[sloopjohnc]

Well they wod need a lot of cold storage, which would make them fridge magnates.

[Minnie the Minx]

We've entered that special time zone known as 'waiting for local stoner kid to come and mow the lawn.'

[sloopjohnc]

We've entered that special time zone known as 'waiting for local stoner kid to come and mow the lawn.'

The movie Slackers did take place in Austin.

[BARON CORNY DOG]

We've entered that special time zone known as 'waiting for local stoner kid to come and mow the lawn.'

The movie Slackers did take place in Austin.

I habitually leave gas in the lawn mover during the winter months. This wasn't a problem back in the day, but with the ethanol or whatever is in the gas nowadays, it really does a number on the carburetor. So I had the same kid come out and mow the yard as I did when I faced this situation last year. He puts out his little ads on the "nextdoor" site and is comically hapless, considering that he has the initiative to advertise his services. It cracks me up.