Apparently, I need to see some more doctors. My loving, helpful, but annoying friends have been harping at me about stopping riding. (Because I keep being generally miserable about it.) "Just have spinal surgery" they say. "I had three and I ride just fine." I was feeling kind of bad, and kind of sad, and kind of mad. Because what the hell do they know? Have they been to the neurosurgeon with me? Have they gasped in agonizing pain when the back stabs? Have they suffered through hours of torture in the car because the back can't handle bumpy roads anymore?
But then I googled facet arthrosis surgery. And also some other things. Did you know they can pretty much replace a joint in your back? Not stab it with iron bars so it never moves again, but actually replace it with something else that moves very much like a normal spine? I watched videos of spines with hardware in them, bending all around. And I thought about how nice it would be to have a functional back again. And to be able to ride my horse.
Going by the video, they shave off the ends of your vertebrae and put new fake ends on. And do something or other to the disk. Trim it, or replace it, depending. And they put some kind of miracle joint off to the side.
My mom's recovery from spinal surgery was fairly horrifying, so I'm not fooling myself that I would have a quick and/or easy recovery. But if I got another, say, ten years of reasonably normal use, would that be worth a couple weeks of agony? Maybe yes. I mean, I got ten years of normal vision out of Lasik and that was worth it. Plus in 10 years Pluto would be 23 and started to get slower.
I don't particularly want to go to the neurosurgeon all the way out in Annapolis, though. It's not like there aren't doctors hiding in every crevice of Greenbelt. I'd like to find somebody closer to home. Especially as it seems likely that neurosurgical consulting is going to be a repeat thing for me.
First, though, I have a new patient appointment next week with a regular doc. I actually like my old doc, but her office staff is horrendous. Just to get test results I'd often have to call several times and finally drive over and stand in their office until they gave me the paper. And they completely failed to get me authorizations for medical testing this year. I finally paid out of pocket because I didn't have any more time or patience to screw around. This doctor was recommended by a good friend, and she also vouched for the office staff.
I have made a list of my medications, and my various bizarre ailments (think zebras, doc.) So I figure I'll go in there, smile, bombard him with all my weird health problems, show him my xrays, and ask for a referral to a neurosurgeon. Piece of cake, right?
If this works out, and I do find a doc who can and will fix my back, and I endure PT and get better and can ride again, I'll have my friends to thank. Thanks for being a pain, guys! It was helpful. Eventually.
Showing posts with label stupid spine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stupid spine. Show all posts
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Monday, July 2, 2012
I'm leaving on a train tomorrow
You know what is no fun? Is living in the mid-Atlantic in summer with no air conditioning. That derecho knocked out our power and I got to spend several unpleasant days with the two dogs and four cats, and all of us suffered. Just sitting still, I had sweat rolling off of me.
The power went out at 11:30 or so on Friday night, and came back on at 3:30 Monday morning. That doesn't sound like very long in retrospect, but it felt like forever right then. And I couldn't open the fridge or freezer, where all the yummy stuff is. I pretty much ate granola bars. I didn't even want the granola bars. It was too hot to be hungry. What I wanted was a huge cold drink with a lot of ice. Instead I drank 90 degree 0 calorie PowerAde because we had some in the sunroom.
Man.
Anyway, that's over. Now it's time to go hiking. I decided to go ahead and do a trail journal again. It's kind of a last minute decision. I am not promising journalistic excellence.
This link probably works.
I've spent much of the last two weeks clutching my right arm which hurt a lot for something that didn't even get scraped. I finally got an MRI on Friday, and got the results today. I have arthritis. The arthritis got irritated and pinched a nerve. This is an improvement over the two previously proposed options, which were a herniation of a previously bulging disk, or a brain tumor (because I also have increased migraines and dizziness). So arthritis is looking pretty good at the moment. Although, last year's MRI of my neck only showed one bulging disk, and this one shows four. I am self destructing quickly. I'm now up to eight bulging disks.
I might get all wacky and try acupuncture. Or something. But first I'm going hiking.
The power went out at 11:30 or so on Friday night, and came back on at 3:30 Monday morning. That doesn't sound like very long in retrospect, but it felt like forever right then. And I couldn't open the fridge or freezer, where all the yummy stuff is. I pretty much ate granola bars. I didn't even want the granola bars. It was too hot to be hungry. What I wanted was a huge cold drink with a lot of ice. Instead I drank 90 degree 0 calorie PowerAde because we had some in the sunroom.
Man.
Anyway, that's over. Now it's time to go hiking. I decided to go ahead and do a trail journal again. It's kind of a last minute decision. I am not promising journalistic excellence.
This link probably works.
I've spent much of the last two weeks clutching my right arm which hurt a lot for something that didn't even get scraped. I finally got an MRI on Friday, and got the results today. I have arthritis. The arthritis got irritated and pinched a nerve. This is an improvement over the two previously proposed options, which were a herniation of a previously bulging disk, or a brain tumor (because I also have increased migraines and dizziness). So arthritis is looking pretty good at the moment. Although, last year's MRI of my neck only showed one bulging disk, and this one shows four. I am self destructing quickly. I'm now up to eight bulging disks.
I might get all wacky and try acupuncture. Or something. But first I'm going hiking.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
I'm just going to go to bed and pretend nothing exists
My old pal, degenerative disk disease, reared his ugly head today. I'm moving carefully and wincing (and probably making noises) whenever the pain shoots down. I hope it settles down by the weekend, when I'm hoping to do a fair bit of mileage on the AT. Or, lay on the sofa watching documentaries. I guess.
Stupid spine.
Stupid spine.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
You know that thing where you reach back and grab your ankles? Are you supposed to scream when you do that?
Man, yoga kicked my butt tonight.
Just thought I'd throw that out there. We had a substitute for our substitute. Our main teacher hasn't actually been to yoga for the last two sessions, as she is unfortunately having chemo. Well, better than the alternative, I guess. Anyway tonight's teacher wanted to do several moves that involve pulling your leg back toward your butt and also arching your back, and my body no longer does that. When it tries to, the leg muscles go into spasm. At least now I feel it happening and stop before I get a full on charlie horse. It's a good thing yoga isn't a contest, because if it were I would have come in last today.
I'm kinda hungry these days, because I'm trying to lose weight again. Every round of dieting I lose a few pounds and then plateau. So here's to a few pounds. The neuro doc says the best thing I can do for my back is get down to the lowest weight I possibly can. I keep plugging away at it, a few pounds at a time. If I end up with at totally rockin' bod as a side effect, I wouldn't sneer at it. It's like buying the safe, fuel efficient car that just turns out to have the coolest lines and the best radio. But mostly I just want my spine to stop being stupid.
That, and my brain. JD told me tonight that he's asked me to do something several times, and I have no memory of it, whatsoever. And it's something that I want, and have pestered *him* about, in the past. It bothers me that I can't remember. Usually things that I've forgotten completely are much farther back in my past.
I haven't even hit my head recently. That I recall.
Just thought I'd throw that out there. We had a substitute for our substitute. Our main teacher hasn't actually been to yoga for the last two sessions, as she is unfortunately having chemo. Well, better than the alternative, I guess. Anyway tonight's teacher wanted to do several moves that involve pulling your leg back toward your butt and also arching your back, and my body no longer does that. When it tries to, the leg muscles go into spasm. At least now I feel it happening and stop before I get a full on charlie horse. It's a good thing yoga isn't a contest, because if it were I would have come in last today.
I'm kinda hungry these days, because I'm trying to lose weight again. Every round of dieting I lose a few pounds and then plateau. So here's to a few pounds. The neuro doc says the best thing I can do for my back is get down to the lowest weight I possibly can. I keep plugging away at it, a few pounds at a time. If I end up with at totally rockin' bod as a side effect, I wouldn't sneer at it. It's like buying the safe, fuel efficient car that just turns out to have the coolest lines and the best radio. But mostly I just want my spine to stop being stupid.
That, and my brain. JD told me tonight that he's asked me to do something several times, and I have no memory of it, whatsoever. And it's something that I want, and have pestered *him* about, in the past. It bothers me that I can't remember. Usually things that I've forgotten completely are much farther back in my past.
I haven't even hit my head recently. That I recall.
Monday, December 5, 2011
The dog and I make a fine, gimpy pair
I haven't talked about the dog very much lately. She did very well all summer, recovering from her extreme bout with inflammatory bowel disease. Last month we tapered her off of steroids (on the vet's advice and schedule), while leaving her on the other drug she was taking.
In the last two weeks, unfortunately, she hasn't been feeling very well. Either she needs to stay on steroids, or it's time to change her food again (as the doc predicted we would probably need to, about six months from when we started her on duck and potato food.) We're going to go visit our veterinarian tomorrow to talk about it. I hate to see her hurting. She moans and groans, moves very very slowly, and has little appetite. It's hard to watch. The disease waxes and wanes, so some days she feels better. It's easy to pretend she's fine on those days. But when she's at the foot of my bed, groaning in her sleep, it makes me sad. I hope we can come to a happy medium with the disease again, after a change in diet and medication.
For myself, I'm pondering life with degenerative disk disease. I've been doing some reading in equestrian forums. There are plenty of people with problems just like mine. Many of them ride. Many of them ride but say it hurts, or that their legs go numb. I don't want that. Most of them say that finding the right saddle makes a huge difference. I hadn't even considered the saddle issue.
I've been very good about not riding when I'm already hurting, and riding only at a walk. I haven't gone jogging at all (well, barring several steps at the metro a few weeks ago.) And the damage from the disease is still spreading. I'm not sure my activity (or lack thereof) makes as much difference to the progression of the disease as I thought it did. If the disease is going to get worse regardless, maybe I should enjoy what I can do now, while I can still do it. Some time when Pluto is feeling very sedate, I'm going to try a few strides of trot to see what happens.
In January when my insurance changes I hope to get into physical therapy. I'm also contemplating acupuncture. Apparently it can be quite effective in this instance. The description I've read is that while it doesn't heal your back damage, it teaches your body to ignore the pain. Kind of like painkillers, but without the organ damage.
In the last two weeks, unfortunately, she hasn't been feeling very well. Either she needs to stay on steroids, or it's time to change her food again (as the doc predicted we would probably need to, about six months from when we started her on duck and potato food.) We're going to go visit our veterinarian tomorrow to talk about it. I hate to see her hurting. She moans and groans, moves very very slowly, and has little appetite. It's hard to watch. The disease waxes and wanes, so some days she feels better. It's easy to pretend she's fine on those days. But when she's at the foot of my bed, groaning in her sleep, it makes me sad. I hope we can come to a happy medium with the disease again, after a change in diet and medication.
For myself, I'm pondering life with degenerative disk disease. I've been doing some reading in equestrian forums. There are plenty of people with problems just like mine. Many of them ride. Many of them ride but say it hurts, or that their legs go numb. I don't want that. Most of them say that finding the right saddle makes a huge difference. I hadn't even considered the saddle issue.
I've been very good about not riding when I'm already hurting, and riding only at a walk. I haven't gone jogging at all (well, barring several steps at the metro a few weeks ago.) And the damage from the disease is still spreading. I'm not sure my activity (or lack thereof) makes as much difference to the progression of the disease as I thought it did. If the disease is going to get worse regardless, maybe I should enjoy what I can do now, while I can still do it. Some time when Pluto is feeling very sedate, I'm going to try a few strides of trot to see what happens.
In January when my insurance changes I hope to get into physical therapy. I'm also contemplating acupuncture. Apparently it can be quite effective in this instance. The description I've read is that while it doesn't heal your back damage, it teaches your body to ignore the pain. Kind of like painkillers, but without the organ damage.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Why I was hanging around HUD at 6 pm yesterday
Last night JD and I got seriously misplaced in DC. WHY IS IT A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE FOUR SIXTH AND E INTERSECTIONS IN A CITY? WHY?
Before we left I googled and mapped and generally oriented myself. Then, as we were driving away from the house, JD decided he wanted to go to a different metro station. Yay. When we have 30 seconds to decide before making the turn. So, I went to his preferred metro station.
Unfortunately, on the train I was looking at the map, and I said "Hey, why don't we get off at this other metro station? The walk looks okay and we wouldn't have to trek east as far." And JD looked it up on google maps and it was near Sixth and E SW, which was where we were going. I checked my calendar entry to be sure. We'd just approach from the south, not the north.
But when we got there, we couldn't find the building entrance. Weird.. also, we couldn't find the restaurants we expected. We settled for McDonald's and then went back to tackle the building entrance issue again. And that's when JD discovered that we really wanted to be at Sixth and E *NW*. I had written it down wrong. Had we gone to the originally planned metro station it wouldn't have mattered, as that WAS the right place.
So, we got back on the metro and road it a few stops and made it to the meeting late. But before we got there, a train arrived as we were still walking up to it, and we ran to get onto it. You remember that I don't run anymore? Because I'm not supposed to? Because my spine sucks? Yeah. I wasn't thinking about that. In the back of my head, I could still run in an emergency. In my head, it would take more than a few seconds of running to hurt myself.
Not so much, as it turns out.
When I got on the train I realized that I had totally effed myself. And I remembered the last time I had felt this particular pain, and how long it took to feel better afterward. It is not a fast healing process. Oh, I was steamed. Two minutes! Another train would have been along in two minutes! For two minutes I bought myself weeks of pain.
We went to the meeting and I paid attention as best I could, and then they declared that they were adjourning around the corner to the local beer and steak place. Not me. I was done. Toast. Stick a fork in me. I snappishly announced that I was not following them, and I headed for the Metro. Given that we hadn't had a chance to speak, JD had no idea what was going on in my head until I started bawling while we waited underground for the train. The prospect of weeks of pain plus no horseback riding hit me like a ton of bricks. Or like my spine bouncing while I ran. One of those.
Also, I perhaps neglected to mention that I fell headfirst, downhill on Saturday. I landed on my head and my shoulder. I wasn't going fast (I was trying to step over a log and the maneuver went drastically wrong) but I ended up in a position which neither my head nor my shoulder are really trained for. The lump on my head is nearly gone, but my neck is kind of pissed off about the whole thing.
So, yeah. Just waiting for an arrow in the back to irritate my other ungood spinal area, and then the set of irritated spinal bits will be complete.
Before we left I googled and mapped and generally oriented myself. Then, as we were driving away from the house, JD decided he wanted to go to a different metro station. Yay. When we have 30 seconds to decide before making the turn. So, I went to his preferred metro station.
Unfortunately, on the train I was looking at the map, and I said "Hey, why don't we get off at this other metro station? The walk looks okay and we wouldn't have to trek east as far." And JD looked it up on google maps and it was near Sixth and E SW, which was where we were going. I checked my calendar entry to be sure. We'd just approach from the south, not the north.
But when we got there, we couldn't find the building entrance. Weird.. also, we couldn't find the restaurants we expected. We settled for McDonald's and then went back to tackle the building entrance issue again. And that's when JD discovered that we really wanted to be at Sixth and E *NW*. I had written it down wrong. Had we gone to the originally planned metro station it wouldn't have mattered, as that WAS the right place.
So, we got back on the metro and road it a few stops and made it to the meeting late. But before we got there, a train arrived as we were still walking up to it, and we ran to get onto it. You remember that I don't run anymore? Because I'm not supposed to? Because my spine sucks? Yeah. I wasn't thinking about that. In the back of my head, I could still run in an emergency. In my head, it would take more than a few seconds of running to hurt myself.
Not so much, as it turns out.
When I got on the train I realized that I had totally effed myself. And I remembered the last time I had felt this particular pain, and how long it took to feel better afterward. It is not a fast healing process. Oh, I was steamed. Two minutes! Another train would have been along in two minutes! For two minutes I bought myself weeks of pain.
We went to the meeting and I paid attention as best I could, and then they declared that they were adjourning around the corner to the local beer and steak place. Not me. I was done. Toast. Stick a fork in me. I snappishly announced that I was not following them, and I headed for the Metro. Given that we hadn't had a chance to speak, JD had no idea what was going on in my head until I started bawling while we waited underground for the train. The prospect of weeks of pain plus no horseback riding hit me like a ton of bricks. Or like my spine bouncing while I ran. One of those.
Also, I perhaps neglected to mention that I fell headfirst, downhill on Saturday. I landed on my head and my shoulder. I wasn't going fast (I was trying to step over a log and the maneuver went drastically wrong) but I ended up in a position which neither my head nor my shoulder are really trained for. The lump on my head is nearly gone, but my neck is kind of pissed off about the whole thing.
So, yeah. Just waiting for an arrow in the back to irritate my other ungood spinal area, and then the set of irritated spinal bits will be complete.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
sig-beer = task accomplished
Back = ow.
Today was the first time since early September that I went out to the park for my regular weekend hike. I stopped, of course, because I caught Lyme disease again. And then after I healed, I waited for it to get cold out. I don't want to frequent Tick Central during tick season anymore.
So it had been a while. Normally, hiking doesn't bother my back. I don't know what I did differently today. Maybe nothing. Maybe it's just one of those days. Whatever the reason, my back is Cranky. Oy. So tired of juvenile angsty back. Stupid spine.
After the walking and the back spasm, I had a delightful interval of Chinese food plus getting warm. Have you noticed that it's cold out? You may not have if you don't spend time outside. If you only go between your vehicle and your car, you probably don't know what I'm talking about. But if you spend several hours at a time outside doing pretty much anything, you must have noticed. It took me two hours of hot food and hot drinks and a hot shower and a nap under three blankets to feel good and warm again.
Post-nap, JD and I metroed into the city for beer. This is something I've been doing for coming up on twenty years now. It's still the same bar, but the name has changed. And sadly the food has changed. Who ever heard of a bar that doesn't sell bar food? The closest appetizer to onion rings was risotto balls. Risotto. Balls. Seriously. I do not wear trendy hipster pants and I am not eating risotto with my beer down in the basement. Dammit.
Anyway, we went to the now-hipster bar and saw the same old friends and had the same old great time. Pretty sure my weekend is meeting its fantastic but low key goal, back issues being neither here nor there.
Today was the first time since early September that I went out to the park for my regular weekend hike. I stopped, of course, because I caught Lyme disease again. And then after I healed, I waited for it to get cold out. I don't want to frequent Tick Central during tick season anymore.
So it had been a while. Normally, hiking doesn't bother my back. I don't know what I did differently today. Maybe nothing. Maybe it's just one of those days. Whatever the reason, my back is Cranky. Oy. So tired of juvenile angsty back. Stupid spine.
After the walking and the back spasm, I had a delightful interval of Chinese food plus getting warm. Have you noticed that it's cold out? You may not have if you don't spend time outside. If you only go between your vehicle and your car, you probably don't know what I'm talking about. But if you spend several hours at a time outside doing pretty much anything, you must have noticed. It took me two hours of hot food and hot drinks and a hot shower and a nap under three blankets to feel good and warm again.
Post-nap, JD and I metroed into the city for beer. This is something I've been doing for coming up on twenty years now. It's still the same bar, but the name has changed. And sadly the food has changed. Who ever heard of a bar that doesn't sell bar food? The closest appetizer to onion rings was risotto balls. Risotto. Balls. Seriously. I do not wear trendy hipster pants and I am not eating risotto with my beer down in the basement. Dammit.
Anyway, we went to the now-hipster bar and saw the same old friends and had the same old great time. Pretty sure my weekend is meeting its fantastic but low key goal, back issues being neither here nor there.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Insert title here
Another morning sleeping until I was ready to get up. So nice. It would appear that I wake up refreshed after nine hours. Sadly, nine hours of sleep cannot always be arranged. But mostly, I think it can.
At lunch today I got a table for 10. I had 8 rsvps, and a couple of extra usually show up. Instead, we had 4. Man, I hate taking up multiple tables at a restaurant and then not using them. But, that's the sort of thing that happens. The indeterminate number of people who will show up for a meal is why the field of restaurant math was started in the first place.
I'm not going to describe my whole meal for you, but I will say that they had tapioca pearl dumplings with purple taro paste, and they were fantastic.
The weather was spectacular this morning - crisp air, clear blue skies, and wowza leaves. By the time I got out for my walk after lunch, it was cloudy. You really need sun to bring out the best in a fall afternoon. Still, I was enjoying it until my back spoke up. It's still pissed off about the reverse triangle poses on Wednesday. I cut my walk short and went back to the office, hoping that it will feel better tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to going for a hike in the snow, if the spine holds out. (It is supposed to snow tomorrow, FYI. Just an inch. Or a foot. It's kind of hard to tell right now.) My first crisp, cold, crunchy walk of the season. Love it. There is something clean about walking on new snow. The woods look different, sound different, smell different. The third snowy walk is just tedious, with the slipping and sliding. But the first one? Pure magic.
I'm also looking forward to my next backpacking trip, in two weeks. DeLee caught a bug and I don't know if she's going to be up to it, but I'm going either way. (Assuming they aren't calling for three days of 42 degrees and rain. I'm dumb, but I'm not THAT dumb.) I went ahead and ordered the Zpacks Exo backpack that I've been pondering, and there's a chance they'll get it to me in time. A long weekend's hike should tell me if I love it or hate it. If they don't get it to me in time, well.. I still have Old Faithful. I'm also looking forward to trying out my 15 degree bag. I got it after a nasty cold night's sleep last winter, but then it got warm out. I've still not had a chance to use it. Oh, I hope it's cozy!
At lunch today I got a table for 10. I had 8 rsvps, and a couple of extra usually show up. Instead, we had 4. Man, I hate taking up multiple tables at a restaurant and then not using them. But, that's the sort of thing that happens. The indeterminate number of people who will show up for a meal is why the field of restaurant math was started in the first place.
I'm not going to describe my whole meal for you, but I will say that they had tapioca pearl dumplings with purple taro paste, and they were fantastic.
The weather was spectacular this morning - crisp air, clear blue skies, and wowza leaves. By the time I got out for my walk after lunch, it was cloudy. You really need sun to bring out the best in a fall afternoon. Still, I was enjoying it until my back spoke up. It's still pissed off about the reverse triangle poses on Wednesday. I cut my walk short and went back to the office, hoping that it will feel better tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to going for a hike in the snow, if the spine holds out. (It is supposed to snow tomorrow, FYI. Just an inch. Or a foot. It's kind of hard to tell right now.) My first crisp, cold, crunchy walk of the season. Love it. There is something clean about walking on new snow. The woods look different, sound different, smell different. The third snowy walk is just tedious, with the slipping and sliding. But the first one? Pure magic.
I'm also looking forward to my next backpacking trip, in two weeks. DeLee caught a bug and I don't know if she's going to be up to it, but I'm going either way. (Assuming they aren't calling for three days of 42 degrees and rain. I'm dumb, but I'm not THAT dumb.) I went ahead and ordered the Zpacks Exo backpack that I've been pondering, and there's a chance they'll get it to me in time. A long weekend's hike should tell me if I love it or hate it. If they don't get it to me in time, well.. I still have Old Faithful. I'm also looking forward to trying out my 15 degree bag. I got it after a nasty cold night's sleep last winter, but then it got warm out. I've still not had a chance to use it. Oh, I hope it's cozy!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
My awesome app which I bet three or four people would totally want
Last night I turned off my alarm, determined to sleep until I was ready to get up. And, as a happy result, I awoke refreshed. Yay for plenty of sleep! It does a body good.
My back, however, was cranky from yoga last night. No more reverse triangle position for me. Bad, bad, bad. Today I wore a back brace and took advil. By the evening it felt a little better, but I'll be moving gingerly for a while.
At work I fixed most of the remaining problems from yesterday. Also, due my horrible memory, I unjustly emailed somebody in all caps to yell at them about doing things without telling me. He replied with a quote of the email conversation we'd had about the topic. A very detailed conversation. So I immediately replied with an apology, but A) my memory is definitely getting worse, and B) I regret all capping. Nobody deserves uppercase email.
My officemate Joe gifted me with some glitter dust he just happened to have (Joe has one of everything in the universe, somewhere. The only problem is finding it.) and so I am ready for Halloween. Sparkly vampires, ahoy! It's genius. All I have to do is sparkle. I can wear jeans and a tshirt! Of course, I will undoubtedly leave vampire dust on everything I touch all day. A small price to pay for a Halloween costume.
At the chiropractor's this evening (for a previously but fortuitously scheduled visit) I heard the doc talking to the guy in the cubicle next to me about his bruising. Which he got JOUSTING! At Rennfest! While he was waiting to get taped up I monopolized his attention, asking all sorts of questions. (It turns out that he is friends with Barchan - somebody I've known off and on for twenty years. If you have jousted in Maryland, you've either met Barchan or you've met somebody who knows him. ) It was very interesting to hear him talk about his experience with horses and jousting. I liked him a lot - enough that if I were not married I would have checked his hand for a wedding ring. But I am, and I didn't. Instead I just had a few minutes of fascinating conversation. I love running into horse people and chatting like that.
On the way home, I saw a white fawn eating grass along the highway. There are at least twenty foot high walls along this eight to ten lane highway. There's no way he could have jumped. He must have walked the mile or two there from some stream crossing. I worried that he would try to cross the road. He might have a better chance of escaping ensquishment because he's easier to see, but deer don't have a good record when it comes to traffic safety. I felt a little sad, thinking he was probably going to get killed. Even if he survives the traffic, it's hunting season and he's eminently visible. Poor guy.
This evening seems to be that rare creature, the quiet night at home. JD is watching vintage 70's television via Netflix. I had brief thoughts of going to the library to return books, but I believe I'll settle in with a novel and enjoy the downtime.
Oh! Oh! I had an idea! I'm almost afraid to tell you. On the one hand, my idea would involve a lot of hard work, and probably very little payback. But on the other hand it's AWESOME. Okay I'll tell you but if you steal my idea you have to give me a copy of the result for free. Deal? Deal.
So, my idea is for an app. An AT app. For nerdy hikers like me. Instead of constantly fishing out bits of paper and trying to figure out where I am in relation to everything, my phone could keep track of it! It could have all the locations of the shelters, road crossings, parking, french fry stands, laundromats.. and GPS could pinpoint things, assuming you get a good signal. You could tie it in with journal writing and photo albums. It could tell you how many feet of elevation change there are between you and some arbitrary destination down the trail. It could tie in weather forecasts! It could automatically mail your mom with your camping location for the night. Oh, a hiking app sounds wonderful to me. I bet it would have TENS of users. Minimum. So, what, figure a couple thousand hours of development for forty bucks back out of iTunes app store sales? Totally worth it.
My back, however, was cranky from yoga last night. No more reverse triangle position for me. Bad, bad, bad. Today I wore a back brace and took advil. By the evening it felt a little better, but I'll be moving gingerly for a while.
At work I fixed most of the remaining problems from yesterday. Also, due my horrible memory, I unjustly emailed somebody in all caps to yell at them about doing things without telling me. He replied with a quote of the email conversation we'd had about the topic. A very detailed conversation. So I immediately replied with an apology, but A) my memory is definitely getting worse, and B) I regret all capping. Nobody deserves uppercase email.
My officemate Joe gifted me with some glitter dust he just happened to have (Joe has one of everything in the universe, somewhere. The only problem is finding it.) and so I am ready for Halloween. Sparkly vampires, ahoy! It's genius. All I have to do is sparkle. I can wear jeans and a tshirt! Of course, I will undoubtedly leave vampire dust on everything I touch all day. A small price to pay for a Halloween costume.
At the chiropractor's this evening (for a previously but fortuitously scheduled visit) I heard the doc talking to the guy in the cubicle next to me about his bruising. Which he got JOUSTING! At Rennfest! While he was waiting to get taped up I monopolized his attention, asking all sorts of questions. (It turns out that he is friends with Barchan - somebody I've known off and on for twenty years. If you have jousted in Maryland, you've either met Barchan or you've met somebody who knows him. ) It was very interesting to hear him talk about his experience with horses and jousting. I liked him a lot - enough that if I were not married I would have checked his hand for a wedding ring. But I am, and I didn't. Instead I just had a few minutes of fascinating conversation. I love running into horse people and chatting like that.
On the way home, I saw a white fawn eating grass along the highway. There are at least twenty foot high walls along this eight to ten lane highway. There's no way he could have jumped. He must have walked the mile or two there from some stream crossing. I worried that he would try to cross the road. He might have a better chance of escaping ensquishment because he's easier to see, but deer don't have a good record when it comes to traffic safety. I felt a little sad, thinking he was probably going to get killed. Even if he survives the traffic, it's hunting season and he's eminently visible. Poor guy.
This evening seems to be that rare creature, the quiet night at home. JD is watching vintage 70's television via Netflix. I had brief thoughts of going to the library to return books, but I believe I'll settle in with a novel and enjoy the downtime.
Oh! Oh! I had an idea! I'm almost afraid to tell you. On the one hand, my idea would involve a lot of hard work, and probably very little payback. But on the other hand it's AWESOME. Okay I'll tell you but if you steal my idea you have to give me a copy of the result for free. Deal? Deal.
So, my idea is for an app. An AT app. For nerdy hikers like me. Instead of constantly fishing out bits of paper and trying to figure out where I am in relation to everything, my phone could keep track of it! It could have all the locations of the shelters, road crossings, parking, french fry stands, laundromats.. and GPS could pinpoint things, assuming you get a good signal. You could tie it in with journal writing and photo albums. It could tell you how many feet of elevation change there are between you and some arbitrary destination down the trail. It could tie in weather forecasts! It could automatically mail your mom with your camping location for the night. Oh, a hiking app sounds wonderful to me. I bet it would have TENS of users. Minimum. So, what, figure a couple thousand hours of development for forty bucks back out of iTunes app store sales? Totally worth it.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
OSX can kiss my pasty white behind
OMG yall, I am so fed up with computers today. This is the second day in a row that I have argued with a recalcitrant computer. I got out the install disks, and reinstalled the OS TWICE! With different results. AND IT STILL HAS THE SAME PROBLEM!
I am drinking a lot of wine right now.
Internet, if you are an OSX sysadmin, please tell me that you have figured out how to make OSX 10.6.8 server let non-admin users ssh in. Because I could seriously use a clue. A good clue, not like the all the lame non-useful clues I have already found on the intertubes.
I spent much of my day walking up and down the stairs, two stories between my office and the data center. Carrying my backpack. It was fracking hot outside, and I barely had time to pee let alone go for a walk, so I got my hike training in while working. I was surprisingly unwearied by it. My back got a little tweaked from constantly dropping and picking up my backpack, but my legs, heart, and lungs said "enh." They need bigger mountains.
Maybe Katahdin won't kill me after all.
I know I must have looked a little odd, chugging up and down the stairs with my backpack. My dirty, fully loaded, obviously-not-a-bookbag backpack. Nobody said a WORD. The thing about NASA is that everybody there is just a little weird. You can do, say, or wear quite a bit that wouldn't fly in the outside world, and at NASA they either don't notice (because, you know, figuring out the universe and all) or they avert their eyes. (This is in the science directorates. I'm sure they would have had me arrested and carried out of the management-oriented buildings.)
FYI I am also eating chocolate now.
While I was walking around the building I noticed that we now have many "Solar Physics Laboratories". This gives me a chuckle. Like they have little suns in there, so they can do research on them more conveniently.
I have to take my fun where I can find it.
Cheers!
I am drinking a lot of wine right now.
Internet, if you are an OSX sysadmin, please tell me that you have figured out how to make OSX 10.6.8 server let non-admin users ssh in. Because I could seriously use a clue. A good clue, not like the all the lame non-useful clues I have already found on the intertubes.
I spent much of my day walking up and down the stairs, two stories between my office and the data center. Carrying my backpack. It was fracking hot outside, and I barely had time to pee let alone go for a walk, so I got my hike training in while working. I was surprisingly unwearied by it. My back got a little tweaked from constantly dropping and picking up my backpack, but my legs, heart, and lungs said "enh." They need bigger mountains.
Maybe Katahdin won't kill me after all.
I know I must have looked a little odd, chugging up and down the stairs with my backpack. My dirty, fully loaded, obviously-not-a-bookbag backpack. Nobody said a WORD. The thing about NASA is that everybody there is just a little weird. You can do, say, or wear quite a bit that wouldn't fly in the outside world, and at NASA they either don't notice (because, you know, figuring out the universe and all) or they avert their eyes. (This is in the science directorates. I'm sure they would have had me arrested and carried out of the management-oriented buildings.)
FYI I am also eating chocolate now.
While I was walking around the building I noticed that we now have many "Solar Physics Laboratories". This gives me a chuckle. Like they have little suns in there, so they can do research on them more conveniently.
I have to take my fun where I can find it.
Cheers!
 |
| Note: non-sparkling |
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Stabbity
Today was supposed to involve baking brownies, riding a horse, and going to a party. Instead, I finished (except for my Power Gels, which I still need to get) packing my maildrops for my trip. And I rested. And was cranky.
Fortunately for JD, he was off having autocross adventures, so he got to miss out on all the fun. Although he turned out to have a flat tire, and ended up A) having to race on his street tires, and B) lugging all of his street tires and jack and whatnot a quarter of a mile, over several trips. So I guess his day could have gone better.
Last night, for a lark, I packed my old Gossamer Gear pack with all my junk. I'll probably carry it for a day or two at work to see how it feels. Knowing that I'll save two pounds right off the bat makes me feel more friendly toward it. It doesn't really do load transfer so well, but when your pack is under 25 lb? Doesn't matter so much. Carrying the pack at work for a few hours on my daily walks should tell me how I really feel about it. Right now, loaded with 5 days of food, 2 liters of water, and ~16 oz of denatured alcohol, it's at 27.6 lb. And I'm staring at it, wondering what else I can afford to take out. Like, I've lived without a camp chair for most of my wanderings, do I really need one now? My back may win that argument, as it really does like lumbar support when I sit.
Unrelated, my back has been a little stabbity recently. Not "ow, that is kinda sore" like it's been for the last several months, but "OW, THAT FREAKING HURTS". The pain has been much closer to my spine. Based on my experience with carpal tunnel, where I had pain closer to my neck right before it got better again, I'm gonna say this is a good thing. Fortunately, a solid night's sleep fixes me up. And I keep relearning an important lesson, which is that I can't sit on the floor to do stuff. One of these days, that lesson is going to stick. So far, though, I keep forgetting. All I think is "Look at all the room on the floor! What a perfect place to sit and organize this ton of crap." And then several hours later STABBITY.
I'm going to bed early tonight (no stabbity today, though) in the hopes that I'll wake up refreshed and un-cranky in the morning. Probably I shouldn't have lugged my backpack around the park yesterday. The part of me that is smart enough to back off and give myself time to heal injury or illness wants to bitch-slap the part of me that is too gung-ho and stupid to listen to that wise advice.
Fortunately for JD, he was off having autocross adventures, so he got to miss out on all the fun. Although he turned out to have a flat tire, and ended up A) having to race on his street tires, and B) lugging all of his street tires and jack and whatnot a quarter of a mile, over several trips. So I guess his day could have gone better.
Last night, for a lark, I packed my old Gossamer Gear pack with all my junk. I'll probably carry it for a day or two at work to see how it feels. Knowing that I'll save two pounds right off the bat makes me feel more friendly toward it. It doesn't really do load transfer so well, but when your pack is under 25 lb? Doesn't matter so much. Carrying the pack at work for a few hours on my daily walks should tell me how I really feel about it. Right now, loaded with 5 days of food, 2 liters of water, and ~16 oz of denatured alcohol, it's at 27.6 lb. And I'm staring at it, wondering what else I can afford to take out. Like, I've lived without a camp chair for most of my wanderings, do I really need one now? My back may win that argument, as it really does like lumbar support when I sit.
Unrelated, my back has been a little stabbity recently. Not "ow, that is kinda sore" like it's been for the last several months, but "OW, THAT FREAKING HURTS". The pain has been much closer to my spine. Based on my experience with carpal tunnel, where I had pain closer to my neck right before it got better again, I'm gonna say this is a good thing. Fortunately, a solid night's sleep fixes me up. And I keep relearning an important lesson, which is that I can't sit on the floor to do stuff. One of these days, that lesson is going to stick. So far, though, I keep forgetting. All I think is "Look at all the room on the floor! What a perfect place to sit and organize this ton of crap." And then several hours later STABBITY.
I'm going to bed early tonight (no stabbity today, though) in the hopes that I'll wake up refreshed and un-cranky in the morning. Probably I shouldn't have lugged my backpack around the park yesterday. The part of me that is smart enough to back off and give myself time to heal injury or illness wants to bitch-slap the part of me that is too gung-ho and stupid to listen to that wise advice.
Friday, July 15, 2011
When did we get old?
JD and I both feel old tonight. Our backs hurt, we're tired. What the heck? It's Friday night! I didn't even want to go next door to hang out with Shirley. Now that's tired.
I came home and started fooling with my pack. I took five pounds of food out. Now I have about 7 - enough to get me to White House Landing with a stop at Abol Bridge for snacks, and some freeze dried meats for the second half of the trip, because meat is heavy.
I ran out of gumption before I got it repacked. I finally decided on a fleece shirt (vs the slightly lighter down jacket) because if I need warmth while hiking, the down jacket won't do. I'll sweat through it. So, fleece it is. I went upstairs to weigh various fleece shirts, and once again decided on my old, utilitarian grey and black one. The same one I always take. Sooner or later the poor thing will wear out, and then where will I be?
So I guess I'll be running around in the morning getting packed again, because I intend to lug the load around Greenbelt Park. I'm not feeling particularly enthused, at the moment. Perhaps after a good night's sleep.
I will say, though, that we had a really excellent dinner. Turkey bacon, a rustic country bread, leaf lettuce and insanely good tomatoes from the farmer's market. I put a little greek yogurt on mine in place of mayo, of which I am not a fan. The whole thing was so juicy that I needed a catch plate. I'm pretty sure it's the best BLT I've had in my life. I'm pretty sure we have all the makings to do it again tomorrow, too. :)
I guess if I were a really good Harry Potter fan I would be at a theatre right now, but I'm not that good of a fan. I'll try to gather up some girlfriends next weekend, when it's maybe less crowded. For now I'm going to curl up in the living room with a cat and some True Blood.
I came home and started fooling with my pack. I took five pounds of food out. Now I have about 7 - enough to get me to White House Landing with a stop at Abol Bridge for snacks, and some freeze dried meats for the second half of the trip, because meat is heavy.
I ran out of gumption before I got it repacked. I finally decided on a fleece shirt (vs the slightly lighter down jacket) because if I need warmth while hiking, the down jacket won't do. I'll sweat through it. So, fleece it is. I went upstairs to weigh various fleece shirts, and once again decided on my old, utilitarian grey and black one. The same one I always take. Sooner or later the poor thing will wear out, and then where will I be?
So I guess I'll be running around in the morning getting packed again, because I intend to lug the load around Greenbelt Park. I'm not feeling particularly enthused, at the moment. Perhaps after a good night's sleep.
I will say, though, that we had a really excellent dinner. Turkey bacon, a rustic country bread, leaf lettuce and insanely good tomatoes from the farmer's market. I put a little greek yogurt on mine in place of mayo, of which I am not a fan. The whole thing was so juicy that I needed a catch plate. I'm pretty sure it's the best BLT I've had in my life. I'm pretty sure we have all the makings to do it again tomorrow, too. :)
I guess if I were a really good Harry Potter fan I would be at a theatre right now, but I'm not that good of a fan. I'll try to gather up some girlfriends next weekend, when it's maybe less crowded. For now I'm going to curl up in the living room with a cat and some True Blood.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Real or zombie, I'm up and moving about
Hello! I'm alive. Thanks mostly to JD who did my chores last night so I could go to bed around dinnertime and sleep until my back started to hurt. I really wanted to sleep more but my back said "Nope, get out of bed." So I started telecommuting well before seven, and did you know the day goes really fast when you do that?
I was still pretty puny this morning, even with Dayquil. This evening I'm feeling much more human. 2 day illnesses worry me a bit, as in my case they seem to lead to Lyme 2 weeks later. So I'm going to up the andrographis for a while. Love me some andrographis. It's death to spirochetes.
Seeing as how I was done working in the middle of the afternoon, and also I was home, I moseyed on over to the couch and watched some True Blood. I have seasons 1-3 at home. I have watched part of season 1, all of season 3 (just recently), and now I'm starting on season 2. Possibly I might end up confused about the timeline.
I can't believe that I've spent only two days not going for a midday walk, and my back is this pissed off. It *really* doesn't like me being slack. I'm a little annoyed that I have to be active all the dang time. Sometimes it's nice to just stay in the house and veg. But apparently that is not an option now.
I was still pretty puny this morning, even with Dayquil. This evening I'm feeling much more human. 2 day illnesses worry me a bit, as in my case they seem to lead to Lyme 2 weeks later. So I'm going to up the andrographis for a while. Love me some andrographis. It's death to spirochetes.
Seeing as how I was done working in the middle of the afternoon, and also I was home, I moseyed on over to the couch and watched some True Blood. I have seasons 1-3 at home. I have watched part of season 1, all of season 3 (just recently), and now I'm starting on season 2. Possibly I might end up confused about the timeline.
I can't believe that I've spent only two days not going for a midday walk, and my back is this pissed off. It *really* doesn't like me being slack. I'm a little annoyed that I have to be active all the dang time. Sometimes it's nice to just stay in the house and veg. But apparently that is not an option now.
Friday, July 8, 2011
All's quiet on the spinal front
So I went for my neurological consultation today. The PA was very nice and helpful. She was pleased with my pain level compared to my MRI. She told me a number of useful things, like: "Your MRI never gets better." I.e. damage that happened years ago and doesn't hurt anymore, still looks bad on the scan. She told me that losing as much weight as I could would be one of the best things I could do for my back. (Yes, well, I've tried losing weight for *lots* of reasons and I'm not terribly successful. She suggested trying a nutritionist for help.) She told me that smoking is terrible for back pain, which I did not know.. but which doesn't really affect me. I'm not even around much second hand smoke.
Backpacking? Not a problem. Also, walk as much as I want. Yoga, good. Weightlifting, fine if I keep good posture and avoid things that put my back in a wacky position. She suggested swimming and water aerobics as low impact activities. I can swim just fine but I don't enjoy it that much. However I might look into it.
She said that basically I needed to chose between trail running and horseback riding. I love them both, but I love riding a lot more. Once again she said to be sure to use good posture, and to try to avoid impact to the spine. And to be mindful of my pain and call it a day early if I start hurting more. So I can ride! I mean, not cross country jumping, but I didn't do that anyway. I privately decided that sitting trot is just out, period. But I might be able to do posting if I came down very lightly. We will see. I'll start back with riding at the walk. Last time I tried it, it hurt after 20 minutes. So, maybe 20 minutes will be my limit for a while. It's better than nothing.
She also said that cortisone injections were a possibility for pain, but I don't think I'm at a level that warrants needles in my spine yet, and she agreed.
I asked for a referral for a physiatrist, which she happily gave. She was surprised and happy not to have to explain what a physiatrist is. Unfortunately, the one recommended turns out to be not in-network for me, so I'm not sure what to do at this point. I may call back next week and see if they work with any others. If not, I may just spin the dial and pick one locally, and get my GP to write a referral. Or just wait on the physiatry. My back has been feeling a bit better recently, continuing to recover from whatever started hurting in April.
Anyway, the upshot is that the neuro pro thinks I'm mostly doing the right stuff, and I can continue my lifestyle pretty much as I want to, with a tearful goodbye to trail running. The neuro liked that I am already very active and we both want to keep me that way for a long, long time.
Anyway, I'm moving on from spine anxiety to excitement about my upcoming hike. I saw a picture of the AT in the Maine woods today and it gave me a thrill down my (stupid) spine. Yay!
Backpacking? Not a problem. Also, walk as much as I want. Yoga, good. Weightlifting, fine if I keep good posture and avoid things that put my back in a wacky position. She suggested swimming and water aerobics as low impact activities. I can swim just fine but I don't enjoy it that much. However I might look into it.
She said that basically I needed to chose between trail running and horseback riding. I love them both, but I love riding a lot more. Once again she said to be sure to use good posture, and to try to avoid impact to the spine. And to be mindful of my pain and call it a day early if I start hurting more. So I can ride! I mean, not cross country jumping, but I didn't do that anyway. I privately decided that sitting trot is just out, period. But I might be able to do posting if I came down very lightly. We will see. I'll start back with riding at the walk. Last time I tried it, it hurt after 20 minutes. So, maybe 20 minutes will be my limit for a while. It's better than nothing.
She also said that cortisone injections were a possibility for pain, but I don't think I'm at a level that warrants needles in my spine yet, and she agreed.
I asked for a referral for a physiatrist, which she happily gave. She was surprised and happy not to have to explain what a physiatrist is. Unfortunately, the one recommended turns out to be not in-network for me, so I'm not sure what to do at this point. I may call back next week and see if they work with any others. If not, I may just spin the dial and pick one locally, and get my GP to write a referral. Or just wait on the physiatry. My back has been feeling a bit better recently, continuing to recover from whatever started hurting in April.
Anyway, the upshot is that the neuro pro thinks I'm mostly doing the right stuff, and I can continue my lifestyle pretty much as I want to, with a tearful goodbye to trail running. The neuro liked that I am already very active and we both want to keep me that way for a long, long time.
Anyway, I'm moving on from spine anxiety to excitement about my upcoming hike. I saw a picture of the AT in the Maine woods today and it gave me a thrill down my (stupid) spine. Yay!
Friday, July 1, 2011
The Dubarry Drunks ride drunkenly, again
Ah, the weekend. It is within my grasp. Or perhaps it is grasping me. Somebody is getting felt up, is what I'm saying.
We started our weekend in our classic way, with a meeting of the Dubarry Drunks. Crackers and cheese and wine and chatting. I realize that it is trite, but I really like it. There isn't anything I would rather do but sit with my family and neighbors and watch the world go by.
Tomorrow I'll go get Pluto his pedicure, which he won't appreciate, and then we will pick up a bushel of crabs and a whole lot of hush puppies, and we will party Maryland style. (The beer is already cooling.) And then after that? A whole lot of slack. If I don't get a nap this weekend, I will be extremely disappointed. And unrested.
The only active thing I plan to do is strap on my backpack and hike the Billygoat Trail in my trail shoes. I figure that this will tell me both how my back is doing and how well suited my trail runners are to hiking on rocks. The Billygoat Trail has rocks'a'plenty. Generally it also has too many families who should probably be on an easier trail, but I'm hoping if I get out there right around dawn, I should pretty much have the trail to myself. Or to myself and DeLee, if she is feeling up to an early morning clamber.
Oh, and I made an appointment with a neurosurgeon's physician's assistant. Wish me luck that she knows something about backpacking. Or horseback riding. Sedentary people do not have the first clue about what bodies can or should do, under normal or abnormal conditions. I went to see a podiatrist years ago who normally treated eighty year olds, and honestly he could not have been less suited to treat somebody who actually walked.
Anyway, I'm hoping for the best. Cheers!
We started our weekend in our classic way, with a meeting of the Dubarry Drunks. Crackers and cheese and wine and chatting. I realize that it is trite, but I really like it. There isn't anything I would rather do but sit with my family and neighbors and watch the world go by.
Tomorrow I'll go get Pluto his pedicure, which he won't appreciate, and then we will pick up a bushel of crabs and a whole lot of hush puppies, and we will party Maryland style. (The beer is already cooling.) And then after that? A whole lot of slack. If I don't get a nap this weekend, I will be extremely disappointed. And unrested.
The only active thing I plan to do is strap on my backpack and hike the Billygoat Trail in my trail shoes. I figure that this will tell me both how my back is doing and how well suited my trail runners are to hiking on rocks. The Billygoat Trail has rocks'a'plenty. Generally it also has too many families who should probably be on an easier trail, but I'm hoping if I get out there right around dawn, I should pretty much have the trail to myself. Or to myself and DeLee, if she is feeling up to an early morning clamber.
Oh, and I made an appointment with a neurosurgeon's physician's assistant. Wish me luck that she knows something about backpacking. Or horseback riding. Sedentary people do not have the first clue about what bodies can or should do, under normal or abnormal conditions. I went to see a podiatrist years ago who normally treated eighty year olds, and honestly he could not have been less suited to treat somebody who actually walked.
Anyway, I'm hoping for the best. Cheers!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Should I really be the one doing the reassuring here?
I drove myself crazy locking down machines today. Please can it be penetration testing time now? I don't even care what the results are anymore, I just want it over with.
It turned out to be an incredibly beautiful, perfect day outside. JD and I walked to lunch and it felt like the sort of day when you would lay out beside the pool with your best friend and soak up some sun and maybe gossip. Okay, definitely gossip, and drink drinks that are so cold that condensation beads up on the side and slowly rolls down and makes a ring on the table around the can. And then maybe later, when the sun starts to throw long shadows, we would get up off of our towels on our chaise lounges with the straps across them, and we would go make some hamburgers on the grill.
That sort of day.
But, instead of doing that, I went back to work and tried not to break everything while reviewing the firewall rules and creating smaller groups of machines with more privileges, and larger groups of machines with fewer privileges. And then I drove over to my chiropractor's office and reassured her that despite my spine, I am okay. And she was relieved.
Then I drove to work and typed rapidly for a few more hours, and then I drove to yoga where I reassured my instructor that despite my spine, I am okay. Mostly. But some of those poses aren't happening anymore.
So now I'm more bendy than I was this morning, and thanks to my chiropractor my right arm isn't all numb and tingly anymore. And she recommended a good neurologist, although when I called for an appointment they put me with his PA but said she worked closely with him.. and anyway he's really a neuroSURGEON and stay away from my spine with your cutty knives you madman. I'll take the PA. I just want advice on activities to avoid or pursue with my newly discovered bulging and/or torn discs.
So, long day. But much accomplished. How bout you?
It turned out to be an incredibly beautiful, perfect day outside. JD and I walked to lunch and it felt like the sort of day when you would lay out beside the pool with your best friend and soak up some sun and maybe gossip. Okay, definitely gossip, and drink drinks that are so cold that condensation beads up on the side and slowly rolls down and makes a ring on the table around the can. And then maybe later, when the sun starts to throw long shadows, we would get up off of our towels on our chaise lounges with the straps across them, and we would go make some hamburgers on the grill.
That sort of day.
But, instead of doing that, I went back to work and tried not to break everything while reviewing the firewall rules and creating smaller groups of machines with more privileges, and larger groups of machines with fewer privileges. And then I drove over to my chiropractor's office and reassured her that despite my spine, I am okay. And she was relieved.
Then I drove to work and typed rapidly for a few more hours, and then I drove to yoga where I reassured my instructor that despite my spine, I am okay. Mostly. But some of those poses aren't happening anymore.
So now I'm more bendy than I was this morning, and thanks to my chiropractor my right arm isn't all numb and tingly anymore. And she recommended a good neurologist, although when I called for an appointment they put me with his PA but said she worked closely with him.. and anyway he's really a neuroSURGEON and stay away from my spine with your cutty knives you madman. I'll take the PA. I just want advice on activities to avoid or pursue with my newly discovered bulging and/or torn discs.
So, long day. But much accomplished. How bout you?
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
A normal day on (or near) Pluto
Pluto seems to have gotten over his fright. He was a fairly normal horse when I went out to see him today. Fairly normal for him anyway. He followed me around, shadowing my movements. He begged for cookies. He got sprayed with flyspray and complained about me putting the roll on spray on his face. Normal Pluto stuff.
The bump he always has on his left side, right where the girth goes, was pretty big. Of course, I don't intend to ride any time soon. But there is no way I can put a girth over it. I'm hoping it isn't a growth that needs to be removed, because I have no idea how you would bandage just behind the elbow.
I'm wiped out from trying to prepare all of our systems for penetration testing. At this point I just want to get it over with. I'm frazzled. They'll get in, they'll find all of our vulnerabilities, they'll yell at us, and we'll have to kowtow and fix it. Fine. Whatever. Just do it.
Today my back is being quiet and my right arm is going numb. It's never dull over here in me-ville. Makes me wonder what will happen tomorrow. Blue nose?
The bump he always has on his left side, right where the girth goes, was pretty big. Of course, I don't intend to ride any time soon. But there is no way I can put a girth over it. I'm hoping it isn't a growth that needs to be removed, because I have no idea how you would bandage just behind the elbow.
I'm wiped out from trying to prepare all of our systems for penetration testing. At this point I just want to get it over with. I'm frazzled. They'll get in, they'll find all of our vulnerabilities, they'll yell at us, and we'll have to kowtow and fix it. Fine. Whatever. Just do it.
Today my back is being quiet and my right arm is going numb. It's never dull over here in me-ville. Makes me wonder what will happen tomorrow. Blue nose?
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
This is so not going to be interesting to anybody but my Mom
I FINALLY got my MRI report today. After two days of failed attempts to fax, I asked if I could just get photocopies. And they told me to drive right over.
So, without further ado, here is the state of my spine. It looks totally good and normal except for five exceptions:
C5-6 has "subtle-to-mild, broad based central disk protrusion, without compromise of the cord or the exiting nerve roots." There is a small perineural cyst within the left neural exit foramina at C7-T1, which is neither here nor there.
T8-9 has a midl focal central disk protrusion leading to a subtle flattening of the cord. The nerve roots are fine there too.
L3-4 has subtle degenerative disk disease with a subtle broad-based left paracentral disk protrusion, casing a mild narrowing of the left lateral recess. (Whatever that means.) There is abutment of the descending left L4 nerve (without definite compromise.) It has a subannular tear in the left paracentral posterior location.
L4-5 has a broad-based right paracentral disk protrusion, causing a mild narrowing of the right lateral recess. The right L4 nerve root is abutted, with possible compromise. There is a mild degree of facet arthrosis on the right side.
L5-S1 has a moderate degree of disk space narrowing with degenerative disk disease and Modic-type II endplate changes. (Those radiologists with their wacky terminology.) There is Grade1 retrolisthesis of L5 on S1, measuring .4 cm. The disk has broad based disk protrusion, causing effacement of the anterior epidural space. (I have no idea what this means). There is no definite compromise of the exiting or descending nerve roots, but there is some abutment of the descending S1 nerve root.
So, all that medicalese? Works out to I have five bad disks, but none of them are REALLY bad. I don't have any disk fragmentation. None of the nerves is totally effed. And while I do have some spinal cord compression, it's minor.
So, I'm good. No bouncing, but I'm good.
Thursday I go see my chiropractor to review the findings, and I guess I need to find myself a friendly neurologist and physiatrist, but I'm going to take Mom's advice. Which is to stop when it hurts.
I have already given up running. And riding horses above the walk. I feel better walking than sitting, so I have NO INTENTION of giving up hiking (and you can eff off if you plan to advise it). And I will make my own determination about whether or not I can carry a backpack.
Actually I'm planning a short, rocky hike with backpack this weekend to see how it goes. I'm sure I'll let you know.
So, without further ado, here is the state of my spine. It looks totally good and normal except for five exceptions:
C5-6 has "subtle-to-mild, broad based central disk protrusion, without compromise of the cord or the exiting nerve roots." There is a small perineural cyst within the left neural exit foramina at C7-T1, which is neither here nor there.
T8-9 has a midl focal central disk protrusion leading to a subtle flattening of the cord. The nerve roots are fine there too.
L3-4 has subtle degenerative disk disease with a subtle broad-based left paracentral disk protrusion, casing a mild narrowing of the left lateral recess. (Whatever that means.) There is abutment of the descending left L4 nerve (without definite compromise.) It has a subannular tear in the left paracentral posterior location.
L4-5 has a broad-based right paracentral disk protrusion, causing a mild narrowing of the right lateral recess. The right L4 nerve root is abutted, with possible compromise. There is a mild degree of facet arthrosis on the right side.
L5-S1 has a moderate degree of disk space narrowing with degenerative disk disease and Modic-type II endplate changes. (Those radiologists with their wacky terminology.) There is Grade1 retrolisthesis of L5 on S1, measuring .4 cm. The disk has broad based disk protrusion, causing effacement of the anterior epidural space. (I have no idea what this means). There is no definite compromise of the exiting or descending nerve roots, but there is some abutment of the descending S1 nerve root.
So, all that medicalese? Works out to I have five bad disks, but none of them are REALLY bad. I don't have any disk fragmentation. None of the nerves is totally effed. And while I do have some spinal cord compression, it's minor.
So, I'm good. No bouncing, but I'm good.
Thursday I go see my chiropractor to review the findings, and I guess I need to find myself a friendly neurologist and physiatrist, but I'm going to take Mom's advice. Which is to stop when it hurts.
I have already given up running. And riding horses above the walk. I feel better walking than sitting, so I have NO INTENTION of giving up hiking (and you can eff off if you plan to advise it). And I will make my own determination about whether or not I can carry a backpack.
Actually I'm planning a short, rocky hike with backpack this weekend to see how it goes. I'm sure I'll let you know.
Monday, June 27, 2011
:(
I am currently having a meltdown because the doctor's office has my MRI results, has promised to fax them, and has not in fact faxed them. Talk amongst yourselves.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
I am totally calm, cool, and copacetic
Also I am drugged to the gills.
When I woke up this morning, I felt nervous. After the nine million people in my life, both personal and medically professional, telling me it was a BIG HUGE DEAL to get my whole spine MRI-ed at once, and also my knowledge of my own claustrophobia creeping in, I was on edge. My heart was racing. This worked well for getting some stuff done at high speed (dishes and laundry for instance) but it did not bode well for my MRI experience.
"Self," I said. "Get a grip. On your bottle of Xanax." And I went into the kitchen and did so. And the Xanax helped a lot.
Now, I don't take a lot of Xanax. My prescription is for .5 mg tablets. For comparison, the vet prescribed 1 mg tablets for our cat. To be fair, the cat got totally wasted on 1 mg and we reduced his dose, but he weighed ten pounds at that point.. and I weigh considerably more. I am only a lightweight in the pharmaceutical department.
I got the prescription last year for two reasons: traveling (hello I hate flying) and dealing with NASA bureaucracy while trying to move our offices and datacenter out of the physical facilities and network they'd been in for 17 years. The latter was actually worse.
Anyway, out of something like 30 pills, I probably had 27 left. I think I had been taking them in halves. But I was feeling pretty revved up so I took a whole (WHOLE!) .5 mg and was on my merry way. I figured I'd be at the radiologist's office before it kicked in, and I was right. I was totally coherent and pleasant to the (very nice, capable, professional) front desk attendant. And I was totally coherent when talking to the MRI tech. And I was probably pretty coherent while the first MRI (out of three) was happening.
Somewhere around the second I started getting a little drifty.
I think I slept through most of the third one. I told her I was feeling sleepy, and she said I couldn't sleep if I were going to snore, because that could make my spine move. So I tried really hard to stay awake, but since that 45 minutes passed in 5 minutes, I'm thinking I missed some time. And occasionally I noticed the sounds of heavy breathing in that tube with me. The sounds stopped whenever I started paying attention though.
FYI? The new 3T MRI is REALLY LOUD. They gave me earplugs to wear, but it was still loud enough that I could feel it inside of me. And they didn't play me any soothing music, either, not that I would have been awake enough to appreciate it.
If you're claustrophobic? Definitely keep your eyes closed in the tube. I closed my eyes before I went in and pretty much kept them closed. I looked a couple of times but then I could feel my claustrophobia starting to overwhelm my Xanax so I chose to look at the insides of my eyelids instead.
Oh, and everybody who said it was a huge deal to be still for that long? You suck at being still. I *excel* at lying around being slack, and I didn't have a problem. I did do some yoga breathing but that was more due to the tiny, coffin-like space I was in than any issue with lying still.
After that I drove, slowly and carefully, to my office. Which fortunately was about two miles away. There I told my boss that my brain was basically offline for the day and not to expect much. And then I was dopey for the rest of the day.
I even felt too washed out to go to yoga. I came home. You know it's bad if I skip yoga.
Somewhere during the day I acquired a new Verizon iPhone 4, courtesy of JD. There was really nothing wrong with my old phone, but I wanted a smartphone that would work in more of the woods than my old AT&T iPhone. So, iPhone 4 it was. It took approximately forever to start working but now it does, and I think it will be a fine replacement providing it didn't take any damage when JD dropped it as soon as it came out of the package.
In addition to the actually getting signal part, I hope that the new battery will hold charge for longer. The phone is not sporting a sexy Buffy the Vampire Slayer skin like my old phone did. I'm pondering replacing it. Or maybe I'll just add some Hello Kitty Duck Tape (tm).
Oh, and I forgot the other huge benny of this phone! It has a camera on both sides. That means that those arms-length photos I take whenever I'm hiking alone? I will now be able to tell that my head is in the frame!
When I woke up this morning, I felt nervous. After the nine million people in my life, both personal and medically professional, telling me it was a BIG HUGE DEAL to get my whole spine MRI-ed at once, and also my knowledge of my own claustrophobia creeping in, I was on edge. My heart was racing. This worked well for getting some stuff done at high speed (dishes and laundry for instance) but it did not bode well for my MRI experience.
"Self," I said. "Get a grip. On your bottle of Xanax." And I went into the kitchen and did so. And the Xanax helped a lot.
Now, I don't take a lot of Xanax. My prescription is for .5 mg tablets. For comparison, the vet prescribed 1 mg tablets for our cat. To be fair, the cat got totally wasted on 1 mg and we reduced his dose, but he weighed ten pounds at that point.. and I weigh considerably more. I am only a lightweight in the pharmaceutical department.
I got the prescription last year for two reasons: traveling (hello I hate flying) and dealing with NASA bureaucracy while trying to move our offices and datacenter out of the physical facilities and network they'd been in for 17 years. The latter was actually worse.
Anyway, out of something like 30 pills, I probably had 27 left. I think I had been taking them in halves. But I was feeling pretty revved up so I took a whole (WHOLE!) .5 mg and was on my merry way. I figured I'd be at the radiologist's office before it kicked in, and I was right. I was totally coherent and pleasant to the (very nice, capable, professional) front desk attendant. And I was totally coherent when talking to the MRI tech. And I was probably pretty coherent while the first MRI (out of three) was happening.
Somewhere around the second I started getting a little drifty.
I think I slept through most of the third one. I told her I was feeling sleepy, and she said I couldn't sleep if I were going to snore, because that could make my spine move. So I tried really hard to stay awake, but since that 45 minutes passed in 5 minutes, I'm thinking I missed some time. And occasionally I noticed the sounds of heavy breathing in that tube with me. The sounds stopped whenever I started paying attention though.
FYI? The new 3T MRI is REALLY LOUD. They gave me earplugs to wear, but it was still loud enough that I could feel it inside of me. And they didn't play me any soothing music, either, not that I would have been awake enough to appreciate it.
If you're claustrophobic? Definitely keep your eyes closed in the tube. I closed my eyes before I went in and pretty much kept them closed. I looked a couple of times but then I could feel my claustrophobia starting to overwhelm my Xanax so I chose to look at the insides of my eyelids instead.
Oh, and everybody who said it was a huge deal to be still for that long? You suck at being still. I *excel* at lying around being slack, and I didn't have a problem. I did do some yoga breathing but that was more due to the tiny, coffin-like space I was in than any issue with lying still.
After that I drove, slowly and carefully, to my office. Which fortunately was about two miles away. There I told my boss that my brain was basically offline for the day and not to expect much. And then I was dopey for the rest of the day.
I even felt too washed out to go to yoga. I came home. You know it's bad if I skip yoga.
Somewhere during the day I acquired a new Verizon iPhone 4, courtesy of JD. There was really nothing wrong with my old phone, but I wanted a smartphone that would work in more of the woods than my old AT&T iPhone. So, iPhone 4 it was. It took approximately forever to start working but now it does, and I think it will be a fine replacement providing it didn't take any damage when JD dropped it as soon as it came out of the package.
In addition to the actually getting signal part, I hope that the new battery will hold charge for longer. The phone is not sporting a sexy Buffy the Vampire Slayer skin like my old phone did. I'm pondering replacing it. Or maybe I'll just add some Hello Kitty Duck Tape (tm).
Oh, and I forgot the other huge benny of this phone! It has a camera on both sides. That means that those arms-length photos I take whenever I'm hiking alone? I will now be able to tell that my head is in the frame!
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