Time For A Haircut, Dealing With Aging Parents

I gave in today and got rid of the hair, no more cool guy status, no more skate rats calling me dude.  It will be cooler, temperature wise and a good bit easier to take care of.  It's was getting harder to do the hair in the shower, holding my arms up, especially the right, was wearing me out.  Now I'm built for speed, in and out, that's my motto!

This whole ordeal with the inlaws is a surreal nightmare, to say the least!  How life can change in 6 short months, for everyone.  Don't want to say the mother in law is the least affected, but with her memory and cognitive issues she seems to have adapted well?  It's the father in law we are concerned with, from drastic weight loss, to losing his get up and go.  Hard to watch, particularly when they were such active, vibrant people.

Multiple Sclerosis, Back Pain, Depression, and IV Steroids

Can you say exacerbation? I can, but I needed spell check to make sure it was spelled right. I am in full bloom with one right not, waiting to hear from the nurse tomorrow with a time to put another IV in. A lot going on, a rhizotomy scheduled for tomorrow, feeling bad, physically and emotionally, fatter than a sumo wrestler, I tell ya, a lot! Add to it subtropical weather and I'm finished. Find out tomorrow if the doc will do the rhizotomy whilst in an episode, hope so, been hoping to have this done for a good while.

Church Garden Tilled, And A Spring Cold Thanks To The Boy

Got the church garden underway, got the 20x20 plot tilled, composted and tilled again. That being said it will still be like trying to grow something on a parking lot! I forget sometimes that Perry Hall was settled because of its clay and gravel, at least I think why that's why it was settled? Church is having an outdoor cleanup tomorrow, and a few of the garden people are going to start putting plants in the ground. It will be a matter of time before we are cursing the lack of rain, and trying to figure out how to get rid of the bunnies, can't wait!

I remember thinking what germ factories little kids are, spreading their pathogens all over the place. The boy, now 19, still has a knack for it. He developed an upper respiratory thing, sending out mushroom clouds of death all over the house, and yes I got it too. Don't think I actually caught it from him, but I'm certainly not taking the blame for it. I avoided being sick all winter, hand washing, avoiding human contact, and using my Neti pot. I did that while volunteering all winter at the homeless shelter. I guess the combination of the spring allergy season, the boy sounding like he belonged in the TB ward, and bad luck all joined in a perfect storm type of thing, I need to be institutionalized!

MRI Shows More Demyelination From Multiple Sclerosis, 2 Torn Disks in My Back

Got the results back from the second MRI today, more cheery news. The neuro says I have a narrowing of the spinal cord, she told me that's common in MS patients, lucky me, I have a skinny spine. There are a few spots on the lumbar, all new, and a certain amount of an increase on spots in the thoracic. Thing that interested me were the 2 torn discs down at L-4, L-5? I will be making some phone calls to see what that's all about tomorrow.

Boy Bowls 2 800 Series In One Day, and Weight Reaching Critical Mass

The boy had a great day bowling today, was in 2 different leagues. We got a message as we were leaving church, he bowled another 800 series this morning, a 816. We sent him a text, you don't talk to your kids anymore, you text, told him how proud we were. Came home ate lunch, watched the Ravens play, go Ravens! The boy called a few hours later, he did it again, a 805! 2 800+ series in one day, he is the man.

Been having oogy feelings lately, feel kind of like I'm going to pass out, get real flushed, turn blood red, blood pressure soars. I need to do something, I know it, but it's gotten so hard to do, losing weight is no fun. I'm a big guy, always have been, but I'm too big, have to drop some tonnage. Have to start pushing myself away from the table, sitting on my exercise bike and watch the news, something. Always thought I'd get shot by a jealous husband on my 100th birthday, not explode in my chair before my 50th.

Idiosyncrasies, Broken Back, and MS Is a Thief

Idiosyncrasies are fun to look at, we all have them, some are good, some will drive ya crazy. The sister used to click her tongue, making the mother want to kill her! The grandfather used to do a triple take, so do the uncles, I think I do it too? The girl rolls her eyes, I now know how mom felt. She had her faced pierced a few months ago, I noticed she is still running her tongue over the back, asked her if it bothered her She rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen. We'll talk when she gets home from work.

Back is broken, tried positive thinking, looking on the bright side, all that crap, but the surgery didn't do it. I'm in pain all the time, the kind of pain that I imagine when people talk about tooth pain. The father tells me he had this everyday, had it playing tennis, sitting in a boat, doing just about anything. He also always tells me he would have been famous if he had my size, so I'm not as tough as him, and I wasted my size. Anyway, I'm looking for the surgeon to either take the disk out, or kill the nerve, do something so I don't waste what time I have left for walking because my back won't let me move. I'm not worried about long term, I'm living in the moment.

I was thinking today of all the things I used to be able to do that would shock people that just met me. There was a time I could dunk a basketball. Used to be able to walk on my hands. I could hit a softball a mile, right or left handed. I know how to juggle. Loved to dance, played semi-pro football, and indoor lacrosse. Painted the parents house, 2 story colonial while still in high school. Did all the brick patio work here at this house, plus all the landscaping. I could cut a deck of cards with one hand and roll coins between my fingers. I wish that guy didn't have to go away.

Short Legs, Eye Doctor Needed, and Visiting the Folks

I need my legs to be 1/2 inch longer, need to figure out how to make that happen. I'm almost 7 feet tall, but I have very short legs, built kind of like a penguin. I need to have my shoes on to keep my feet from dangling off the end of the chair. The shoes are just enough to make contact with the floor, keeping my knees from killing me. I am still pissing and moaning about my chair, can't figure out what to get. If the chair is low enough for my feet to touch the floor in my support hose, it kills me trying to stand up. I won't even tell the story of the time we went Davenport shopping and the salesperson looked at the wife, and said, you obviously need a wide seat! It was weeks before that particular sales clerk ate solid food again.

Feeling pretty good today, all things considered. I just decided that my eye issues are either an allergy, or some type of exotic infection. Asked the wife if I should go to WalMart to have someone look at my eyes, she thinks maybe another choice would be better. I had an issue with infection and steroids once before. The first time I took prednisone, I also had impacted wisdom teeth, but didn't know it. We were at the beach, that knob under my tongue, it swelled like a basketball, really gross. Is it happening again, just in my face? Maybe my face isn't fat, it's just swollen, now don't you feel bad for making fun of me?

Thinking I'll go down the parents house for a few days later this month? The wife has to go to the beach for a week on business, I don't want to stay here and interfere with the kegger the kids are planning. She was already staying with the parents, so they are expecting company. They like the wife better than they like me, don't blame them, she's pretty special, just glad they let me stay there too. Like I said, missed going down for the sister's 50th birthday, so it would be nice to see everyone. I do better with 3 or 4 days on a trip than I do with the quick overnighters. It would be nice to see the family.

Tivo Problems, Still Not Over Exacerbation, and House Refinance Tomorrow

I am in Tivo hell! We have Comcast for our cable, they sent out a note telling us we needed to upgrade all of our equipment to receive the new digital signal. Having a hard time getting everything back in step. I can Tivo things if the TV is off, but if it's on, I have to watch that channel. I got the wife all excited to watch a movie the other night, told her I would Tivo it until she was ready. She finished what she was doing, got all her things ready, came into the home theater room, or as some call it, the living room. I fired up the Tivo, started the movie, and it was the Orioles getting beat by someone. I need to do some research.

My eyes are still on strike, along with my blood pressure. The eyes have a chance of being my glasses, though I don't think so, the blood pressure is probably related to the steroids, or it's my fat ass, who knows? I'm on my step down dose of oral prednisone, so I'm hoping I'm still coming out of this thing. My eyes are bothering me, not use to this whole aging thing, at least the numbness feels better right now. I'm trying to not make plans for this to fail, but I'm nervous what it means if it does, and more than a little scared. I'm using my upbeat attitude to conquer this, even if it kills me!

We go to settlement on the house tomorrow, we refinanced to 4.75, good for us. We are switching away from scary old Mr. Potters big bank and putting our money into that warm Bailey savings and loan. Trying our best to stay local, stay small, stay smart. OK, me staying smart is way past due, but we can try. Working towards living long enough to pay the house off in my lifetime, without having to live to 138! 15 years and this place is mine, just in time to retire! It's nice to have options, glad to be able to take some control of something in my life, and be thankful for it.

Arrowhead Hunt, Hand Paralysis, and What Stops Next

Went out today, searched for arrowheads at a new building sight down by the river. Doesn't that have a quaint, small town sound to it? We actually live in an incredibly none country area. Yeah, we have open spaces, deer, saw a tiger once, honest, but it's not country anymore. You can't swing a dead lawyer around without hitting a new development, but we do have rivers, just not right here. So, anyway, spent the day out, made it go faster, I just have to figure out where to go tomorrow? Actually, I have a MRI in the morning, have to go to the airport at some point, need to figure out when, so I will plan where to go Friday.

Right hand is giving me a fit. Not really, a fit to me is when it hurts, mine is dead. Ever see the Carol Burnett episode where Tim Conway is the dentist? It's a classic, he accidentally injects his hand with novacaine? Funny stuff. Not so funny when that's what you feel like everyday, but what are you going to do? I can't write, eat, I can't even scratch my ass with my right hand anymore. Had somebody ask me why I always scratched my ass, told them I was the only one that new where it itched! Not enjoying this new paralysis, not a little bit.

The things that have fallen to the side so far have been tough. I bellow about things, my way of dealing with my life, but also my way of preparing the people around me for my life. I know there are people that have done incredible things, all with limited, or in the case of that Hawking guy, no mobility. I'm not one of those people! It's a tough realization that you have limited to no marketable job skills, but I don't. Thing is, I didn't before. I eked out an existence, a living, mostly due to my physical stature. Being confident that you could take down anything on 2 legs with your bare hands doesn't translate well to most job descriptions, especially because that too is gone. I guess my point is, I'm not looking forward to the future, not the one I see before me. If I could, I'd cross my fingers for a better outcome.

Family Visit, The Wife's Jewelry, and Weight Woes

The sister came by with one of the nieces, always good to see them. They were in town over night, stayed with the brother, stopped by on their way home for lunch. We went to one of the local ptomaine taverns, had our daily allocation of grease. Would have liked to have more then the time we had, but I've learned to be happy with what you get. Probably won't see them until the holidays, not too sure I will see them then, so I'm almost sorry I mentioned how much my sister looks like the one grandmother! Went over like a fart in church, but she does. The only one who resembles her more is the father, just with more hair!

The wife thought she lost her jewelry in Vegas, or on the plane, or someplace. She had me look all over the house, it's easy to spot, she keeps her jewelry in freezer bags. I searched high and low, nothing to be found. She was only worried about one thing, a gold watch she had from the children of a skating program she ran for years. I told her, this is why I don't lavish expensive rocks on her, she'd only loose them! Like so many times, my humor went right over her head, must have, because she didn't laugh? All's well, she found it, so her outfits won't have to go unaccessorized!

I hear you're supposed to limit meat portions to the size of your fist? Times like this I wish I had bigger hands! I need to get serious about eating better, really need to drop 5 or 90 lbs! Called to make an appointment for a MRI and the girl ask my weight. I told her about 300 lbs, and she wanted to know if I meant about 298, or 302? I said I was sorry, I was 301. She thanked me and went on with the rest of her questions. Anyway, I'd like to get down to a respectable weight by October when we renew our vows. I'm thinking in the 270's would be nice, I'd love to be down in the teens, but I wasn't driving the last time I was that small. People are always shocked to find out I weigh that much, most times they guess I'm around 290!

Lost My Stuff, DMV Hassles, and My Hobbit House

Had my dentist appointment today, didn't go. It wasn't a decision I made for myself, couldn't find my keys or my wallet. Normally I would laugh something like that off, not give it a second thought, but things are beginning to not be so funny anymore. I not only couldn't remember where my stuff was, I couldn't remember the last time I needed it. When did I drive last, I can't remember? Turns out they were in a bag I took last Thursday when I had the injection in my back, but I didn't know where that particular bag was anyway. I'm not driving very much, I knew that, but it's bad when you can't remember when you drove last.

I suppose when the boy gets his license, I will drive even less, mainly because he will probably take my truck, but partly because I don't have anywhere to go. I called today, again, to see if the boy has gotten clearance to drive from the department of motor vehicles. Because of his epilepsy, they have to OK it, with a doctors recommendation. I get that, I agree with that, but they have had it since the beginning of May, decide already, better yet, return my call! He goes back to school 8/15, I was hoping he had his regular license by then, not to mention his learners.

I finally know what I would do with my life if given the chance. I would create a Hobbit like house, complete with those nifty little round doors like Bilbo Baggins had. I'm trying to figure out how to throw one of these little beauties in the back yard right now, without the wife making me live in it! Hey, I know, a place for my chickens to live! That's right, forgot, not allowed to have those either. Ya have to admit, it would be a cool place to sit, ponder, and smoke a ton of the halfling weed, whatever that was? For now, I'll just be happy reading about it, though I must say, that gets old after all these years.

Eye Issues, Veggies, and Cool New Pool Cleaner

Woke up this morning, just to through a twist into things, I couldn't see. Nothing wrong with my vision, nothing new at least, couldn't get my eyes open. I've got to stop sleeping in my bullseye pajamas, this is getting ridiculous! I don't know if it's conjunctivitis, or if this nagging sore throat has spread infection to my whole head? Either way, I'm not real happy about this. I scheduled a care free weekend, and this ain't it!

Went yesterday to pick up our weekly share of vegetables from our friends CSA experiment. We got the staples for this time of year, red, white and blush potatoes. Yellow and green squash, cucumbers, onions, green peppers. We got the most delicious looking carrots I've ever seen. I wonder if there is anything you can do with carrot greens? They look so tempting, I'll have to search for something online to do with them, wore my juicer out, so no carrot juice. I'm getting ready to have a couple of the eggs we got yesterday, out of this world! They got a new batch of laying hens, about a week old, the wife didn't let me bring a few of those home, but I'm working on her!

We went and bought the Hayward Aqua Bug pool cleaner yesterday, looks just like a ladybug. It said you can install it, and use it in 10 minutes, and they were right. We hooked the hoses up, hooked it to the filter, and presto, it vacuumed the pool. I like it when it works that way, though I don't have a taste of it very often. We not only got what we wanted, but it was on sale, swish! I think I'm finished with the pool this year, buying things I mean, now it's time to enjoy it.