Sunday, February 19, 2012
Latest Post-Surgical News
Operation was a success; i.e., he did what he wanted to do. Whether or not--and how much--I recover critical functions remains to be seen. Am in inpatient rehab here in HSV until 27th. Meanwhile, am fitting the house for some critical things that people in wheelchairs need. I am now one of them. Erin holding up well. Dog still loves me. Have walked 250 feet very slowly with the help of a walker and helper. That's the best I can report at the moment, other than I hate hospital food. Am receiving fine medical, therapeutic and technical care. My legs are beginning to work again after three weeks of utter uselessness.
Friday, January 27, 2012
The Cause of My Problem and the Slow Recovery
Yesterday's spinal arteriogram revealed a hole in one of the blood vessels in the thoracic spine. Dr. Chan, who did the procedure, said he could have fixed the problem while in there if his probe had been a bit smaller (he went in from the groin) but, alas, that will have to wait.
Diagnosis: what I have is Foix Alajouanine Syndrome (in English, spinal dural arteriovenous fistula), a very rare condition discovered in 1926 by two Frenchmen that feels and acts like normal peripheral neuropathy but is instead the cause. My neurologist, Dr. Mulpur, has only encountered four such cases in his twenty-two years of practice. The progress of my condition can be halted by a surgical procedure going in from the back that will remove a section of the offending vein, returning the blood flow to normal, relieving the pressure on the spinal cord. This pressure is what has caused the problem from the beginning. The procedure will be performed by one of the finest specialists in the country, Dr. Dan Barrows at Emory University in Atlanta. Drs. Chan and Mulpur are working as I write to schedule an appointment that fits Erin's schedule so that we can get this done ASAP.
Prognosis: Symptoms that generally respond well to this treatment are walking difficulties and muscle strength, which believe me are my most serious problems. In other words, there is hope and a chance that I will walk unassisted again sometime in the foreseeable future (within about two years; it was slow in coming, it will be slow in leaving). I should sense improvement within several weeks after the procedure. I may not tap dance or run again, but I hope that I can at least return to shooting hoops (a whole-body endeavor, which is why I had to quit: I only had half a functioning body) and stand in front of a chorus again without leaning on the piano or using a stool. Maybe even yoga, if I can get off the floor smoothly.
***
I wish I could drive to Atlanta and have this done on Monday, but alas will have to wait on Barrow's schedule.
***
Profound thanks to Dr. Stephen Somerville in Green Bay, who saw me over Christmas, looked at all my medical records, and said "No, it's not neurological, it's spinal and it's in the thoracic spine." He was correct. Thanks to my wonderful GP, Dr. Ghanta, who ordered the MRI with contrast of the thoracic spine. Thanks to my neurologist, Dr. Mulpur, and the neuro-radiologists who read the MRI and definitively confirmed Somerville's diagnosis. Thanks to Dr. Alex Chan and Nurse Moss, who were not only professional but personable as well. Boos and hisses to the anesthesiologists, who put me out so fast that I didn't even get three seconds of '60's opiate euphoria. I had asked for thirty seconds and should have gotten it, given what those guys cost.
More anon. When I have news, you'll get it. Thanks to all the faithful: Xn, Katie, Bob, James, Pam, Joe.
Diagnosis: what I have is Foix Alajouanine Syndrome (in English, spinal dural arteriovenous fistula), a very rare condition discovered in 1926 by two Frenchmen that feels and acts like normal peripheral neuropathy but is instead the cause. My neurologist, Dr. Mulpur, has only encountered four such cases in his twenty-two years of practice. The progress of my condition can be halted by a surgical procedure going in from the back that will remove a section of the offending vein, returning the blood flow to normal, relieving the pressure on the spinal cord. This pressure is what has caused the problem from the beginning. The procedure will be performed by one of the finest specialists in the country, Dr. Dan Barrows at Emory University in Atlanta. Drs. Chan and Mulpur are working as I write to schedule an appointment that fits Erin's schedule so that we can get this done ASAP.
Prognosis: Symptoms that generally respond well to this treatment are walking difficulties and muscle strength, which believe me are my most serious problems. In other words, there is hope and a chance that I will walk unassisted again sometime in the foreseeable future (within about two years; it was slow in coming, it will be slow in leaving). I should sense improvement within several weeks after the procedure. I may not tap dance or run again, but I hope that I can at least return to shooting hoops (a whole-body endeavor, which is why I had to quit: I only had half a functioning body) and stand in front of a chorus again without leaning on the piano or using a stool. Maybe even yoga, if I can get off the floor smoothly.
***
I wish I could drive to Atlanta and have this done on Monday, but alas will have to wait on Barrow's schedule.
***
Profound thanks to Dr. Stephen Somerville in Green Bay, who saw me over Christmas, looked at all my medical records, and said "No, it's not neurological, it's spinal and it's in the thoracic spine." He was correct. Thanks to my wonderful GP, Dr. Ghanta, who ordered the MRI with contrast of the thoracic spine. Thanks to my neurologist, Dr. Mulpur, and the neuro-radiologists who read the MRI and definitively confirmed Somerville's diagnosis. Thanks to Dr. Alex Chan and Nurse Moss, who were not only professional but personable as well. Boos and hisses to the anesthesiologists, who put me out so fast that I didn't even get three seconds of '60's opiate euphoria. I had asked for thirty seconds and should have gotten it, given what those guys cost.
More anon. When I have news, you'll get it. Thanks to all the faithful: Xn, Katie, Bob, James, Pam, Joe.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Morning Briefing
My condition has worsened considerably. I can barely walk even with the walker. Am undergoing a spinal arteriogram on Thursday, which is supposed to halt the progress and begin the long slow climb back. Neurologist and three radiologists are convinced it will work. Don't know that I am; I was fooled once a year ago. Am beginning negotiations to have myself checked into Vanderbilt medical center to confirm or refute this diagnosis/prognosis, or to possibly discern other causes. This will be my fifth surgery in the past year, though one was very minor. The good thing is the 30 seconds of opiate euphoria I experience while being wheeled into the OR; I should have done the 60's in a way other than grad school, lemme tell ya. Boy, I'm clever on that gurney! Erin and her parents have been wonderful throughout this mess.
*****
In other news, the Republican field of delegates is the most disgusting, frightening thing I have experienced in my long, full life. And why we have to be treated to debate after debate of this clown-show-turned-fecal-fest is way beyond me.
This just in! Have begun negotiations to e-publish my second book. By popular demand!
Stay tuned for more if you've a mind. Breaking news at 11:00!
*****
In other news, the Republican field of delegates is the most disgusting, frightening thing I have experienced in my long, full life. And why we have to be treated to debate after debate of this clown-show-turned-fecal-fest is way beyond me.
This just in! Have begun negotiations to e-publish my second book. By popular demand!
Stay tuned for more if you've a mind. Breaking news at 11:00!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Ellington Tunes
Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Duke Ellington)
My mobility has actually worsened since my surgery in early February. Since that time, I have seen a neurosurgeon twice for a second opinion, a new neurologist twice, my orthopedic surgeon thrice, and a psychotherapist once (with, I suspect, many more times to come). I graduated from my walker to a cane during the trip to Spain in May, but recently have reverted to the walker more and more for both balance and support. Balance is especially bad, so cooking is a bitch (try slicing and dicing with one hand on the knife, the other on the counter), as is shaving and showering. And an MRI has proven that it's not my brain that's the problem, it's the weakening muscles and utterly deadened feet that cannot tell my brain where I am. In other words, neither surgery nor time has lessened the symptoms of the neuropathy; they have in fact grown worse, and there is no prognosis of where it will end, but I'm beginning to suspect it ends with a wheelchair. Oh, and I sold the pop-up camper because I simply cannot do the work anymore. (Just got back from the neurosurgeon, who said that cervical spine surgery will not correct the problem at all, and also said definitively that I will never walk normally again, no matter what I do. That's the first time that any of the professionals have confirmed what my body has known for a long time). Nevertheless, I will keep moving as much as possible, keep stretching, and keep up with leg raises and leg presses at the Y. (My upper bod looks great, btw!) And no one knows with any certainty what has caused this nor what I can do about it that I am not already doing. Nor do they know with certainty if things will improve at all, or what the prognosis is.
Things Ain't What They Used to Be (Mercer Ellington--Duke's son)
Speaking of upper bod, as long as I have a conductor's chair and the piano right in front of me, I am still a killer conductor from the waist up: Arms, ears, brain, wits, eyes all work fine, in some ways better than ever. Rehearsals with Erin's groups on MigraineDays have proven that. It's just that I seriously doubt that anyone wants a guest conductor who is held upright by his butt instead of his legs. I sure hope so, because I do love the guest thing; it's like being the grandparent--you get to have a lot of fun with the kid and then hand the little sucker back as you leave. And with a check in your hand to boot!
So anyway then, stairs are a big obstacle that can only be overcome slowly, curbs are tricky, travel of any kind is increasingly arduous (I always get a wheelchair in airports, and have since travel to Taiwan last December. Five dollar tips just fly out of my pockets!)
***
There you have it. My family has known this for a few weeks and now you do, too. You can help me by referring folks here, should they inquire as to my well being. I'd appreciate that very much. It's much simpler than numerous emails, and I'm damned if I'm gonna post this on Facebook. And I may alter and amend it from time to time, so stay tuned, will ya?
One final Duke Ellington tune:
I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
My mobility has actually worsened since my surgery in early February. Since that time, I have seen a neurosurgeon twice for a second opinion, a new neurologist twice, my orthopedic surgeon thrice, and a psychotherapist once (with, I suspect, many more times to come). I graduated from my walker to a cane during the trip to Spain in May, but recently have reverted to the walker more and more for both balance and support. Balance is especially bad, so cooking is a bitch (try slicing and dicing with one hand on the knife, the other on the counter), as is shaving and showering. And an MRI has proven that it's not my brain that's the problem, it's the weakening muscles and utterly deadened feet that cannot tell my brain where I am. In other words, neither surgery nor time has lessened the symptoms of the neuropathy; they have in fact grown worse, and there is no prognosis of where it will end, but I'm beginning to suspect it ends with a wheelchair. Oh, and I sold the pop-up camper because I simply cannot do the work anymore. (Just got back from the neurosurgeon, who said that cervical spine surgery will not correct the problem at all, and also said definitively that I will never walk normally again, no matter what I do. That's the first time that any of the professionals have confirmed what my body has known for a long time). Nevertheless, I will keep moving as much as possible, keep stretching, and keep up with leg raises and leg presses at the Y. (My upper bod looks great, btw!) And no one knows with any certainty what has caused this nor what I can do about it that I am not already doing. Nor do they know with certainty if things will improve at all, or what the prognosis is.
Things Ain't What They Used to Be (Mercer Ellington--Duke's son)
Speaking of upper bod, as long as I have a conductor's chair and the piano right in front of me, I am still a killer conductor from the waist up: Arms, ears, brain, wits, eyes all work fine, in some ways better than ever. Rehearsals with Erin's groups on MigraineDays have proven that. It's just that I seriously doubt that anyone wants a guest conductor who is held upright by his butt instead of his legs. I sure hope so, because I do love the guest thing; it's like being the grandparent--you get to have a lot of fun with the kid and then hand the little sucker back as you leave. And with a check in your hand to boot!
So anyway then, stairs are a big obstacle that can only be overcome slowly, curbs are tricky, travel of any kind is increasingly arduous (I always get a wheelchair in airports, and have since travel to Taiwan last December. Five dollar tips just fly out of my pockets!)
***
There you have it. My family has known this for a few weeks and now you do, too. You can help me by referring folks here, should they inquire as to my well being. I'd appreciate that very much. It's much simpler than numerous emails, and I'm damned if I'm gonna post this on Facebook. And I may alter and amend it from time to time, so stay tuned, will ya?
One final Duke Ellington tune:
I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Big Hot Rant
Before I came to Huntsville I didn't have a lot of time for the news via the web. Since moving here I've had plenty of time. I look at THE Times, THE Post, MSNBC, CNN, sometimes even Fox, and the HuffPost just about daily. I know what I'm talking about here.
You know how it used to be: you'd get a half-dozen letters to the editor on the OpEd page of any newspaper in the country, and those would usually be evenly divided on an issue or just single shots at an issue. And some poor wretch had to sit in his smoke-clogged cubicle and edit them for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and the like.
It don't work that way electronically. You get sometimes thousands, usually hundreds, often scores of commenters on any article whatever. And they are not edited, nuh-uh, nossiree, Bob.
Used to be, in the days of newspapers and electric media, that I was disappointed in my people, based solely on reading--or listening to--the news. I'm no longer disappointed. I have fallen into utter contempt for the vast majority of my people. Their unedited posts reveal not only bad grammar, no punctuation/capitalization and bad spelling, but that they are brainwashed or ignorant (it's hard to be both), stupid and venal. And the dumber they are, the meaner they are. Most of these people are poor white Republicans who have swallowed the RightWing bromide that they might become rich any day now; all they need to do is work harder, God love 'em. These are the folks who are 'taking their country back' from that 'condescending,' 'arrogant,' 'narcissistic' 'man-child' in the White House. They don't care about spending or debts or 'houses in fiscal order' or taxes or anything; they just want that You-Know-What and his big-ass wife and that party run by Jezebel gone. And soon.
I've found that most of the letters to the Times are very well-written and well thought out, whether I agree with them or not. As are those written into the HuffPost, usually. But all other letters to all other outlets are truly something to behold, courtesy rules notwithstanding. And I gotta tell ya: in general, and by quite a margin, those on the Left spell, punctuate, and obviously think better than the represented Conservatives, who most often resort to name-calling ('Odumbo') and in many other ways just play with their own feces. Liberals are smarter than Conservatives, is what I'm saying; and conservatives don't have an original idea in their heads; they're quoting the same talking points that they hear from the air-heads on Fox or in DittoHeadLand. They're unquestioning--and obedient--as all get out, which of course is what the Lords of the coming, Renewed Middle Ages want: nice little serfs who know their place in the scheme of things.
Dredge up H.L. Mencken, P.T. Barnum, Bill Maher, George Carlin and Elmer Gantry on the state of the American soul and brain if you want. You could probably add a few of your own by now, too.
Among other things, the DebtCeiling Debacle revealed, though, that it isn't really the economy that's in trouble, it's the state of the collective American frontal cortex. By and large, this country is f****** stupid.
You know how it used to be: you'd get a half-dozen letters to the editor on the OpEd page of any newspaper in the country, and those would usually be evenly divided on an issue or just single shots at an issue. And some poor wretch had to sit in his smoke-clogged cubicle and edit them for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and the like.
It don't work that way electronically. You get sometimes thousands, usually hundreds, often scores of commenters on any article whatever. And they are not edited, nuh-uh, nossiree, Bob.
Used to be, in the days of newspapers and electric media, that I was disappointed in my people, based solely on reading--or listening to--the news. I'm no longer disappointed. I have fallen into utter contempt for the vast majority of my people. Their unedited posts reveal not only bad grammar, no punctuation/capitalization and bad spelling, but that they are brainwashed or ignorant (it's hard to be both), stupid and venal. And the dumber they are, the meaner they are. Most of these people are poor white Republicans who have swallowed the RightWing bromide that they might become rich any day now; all they need to do is work harder, God love 'em. These are the folks who are 'taking their country back' from that 'condescending,' 'arrogant,' 'narcissistic' 'man-child' in the White House. They don't care about spending or debts or 'houses in fiscal order' or taxes or anything; they just want that You-Know-What and his big-ass wife and that party run by Jezebel gone. And soon.
I've found that most of the letters to the Times are very well-written and well thought out, whether I agree with them or not. As are those written into the HuffPost, usually. But all other letters to all other outlets are truly something to behold, courtesy rules notwithstanding. And I gotta tell ya: in general, and by quite a margin, those on the Left spell, punctuate, and obviously think better than the represented Conservatives, who most often resort to name-calling ('Odumbo') and in many other ways just play with their own feces. Liberals are smarter than Conservatives, is what I'm saying; and conservatives don't have an original idea in their heads; they're quoting the same talking points that they hear from the air-heads on Fox or in DittoHeadLand. They're unquestioning--and obedient--as all get out, which of course is what the Lords of the coming, Renewed Middle Ages want: nice little serfs who know their place in the scheme of things.
Dredge up H.L. Mencken, P.T. Barnum, Bill Maher, George Carlin and Elmer Gantry on the state of the American soul and brain if you want. You could probably add a few of your own by now, too.
Among other things, the DebtCeiling Debacle revealed, though, that it isn't really the economy that's in trouble, it's the state of the collective American frontal cortex. By and large, this country is f****** stupid.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Coming soon to a weblog near you . . .
. . . a post by me about the pernicious effects (on me) of comments by readers to news releases on the internet. It ain't pretty, folks.
(BTW, knee arthroscopic surgery to right meniscus (48 hours ago) went pretty well, but mobility severely hampered: I'm really slow, even with the walker. Today, though, I can put a bit of weight on the knee as I scrape around the house. Minor pain yesterday, none yet today, 48 hours later).
(BTW, knee arthroscopic surgery to right meniscus (48 hours ago) went pretty well, but mobility severely hampered: I'm really slow, even with the walker. Today, though, I can put a bit of weight on the knee as I scrape around the house. Minor pain yesterday, none yet today, 48 hours later).
Friday, July 15, 2011
Politics Again . . .
. . . and it's about time, say you, being tired of all that failing health crap you've been reading on these pages. Actually, its about politics and money.
***
So, see, my mind was wandering around the other day and I noted that most if not all of the rabidly conservative billionaires started with inherited money, the Kochs (pronounce any way you like) and Richard Scaife among them. In other words, they didn't earn their original wealth at all, but garnered it simply by being separated from the placenta and drawing a breath. The rest was easy. That's how the Bushies got their money, too.
The three most famous wildly liberal billionaires, on the other hand worked for their money, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and George Soros among them.
Interesting, yes? Wish I could do some kind of survey and find out how many rich conservatives simply inherited (rich liberals, I've noticed feel a certain degree of noblesse oblige that most conservatives don't).
Anyway, I'll bet most of them. I've often said that the only way to riches is either through inheritance or theft. Simple thrift, competence, hard work, and morality will not get you there, yet skeendie seven million middle class and poor, brainwashed Republicans think that they, too, can become rich so they refuse to raise taxes on the rich, despite Warren Buffet's insistence on doing so ('Why should I be taxed at a lower rate than my secretary?')
One of the nice things about retirement is I don't have to withhold political opinions as I did while a professor. But even then, on a tour where to pass bus-time I allowed ten questions from the chorus, I was asked what my political party was and why. My response? Here:
'I'm a Democrat because I have observed that it is the party that truly cares about those of us who have to work for a living.'
That was in the early '80s, I think, during the reign of St. Ronnie (though his canonization by the Right Wing--for all the wrong reasons--came much later).
I was right then and I'm right now.
***
So, see, my mind was wandering around the other day and I noted that most if not all of the rabidly conservative billionaires started with inherited money, the Kochs (pronounce any way you like) and Richard Scaife among them. In other words, they didn't earn their original wealth at all, but garnered it simply by being separated from the placenta and drawing a breath. The rest was easy. That's how the Bushies got their money, too.
The three most famous wildly liberal billionaires, on the other hand worked for their money, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and George Soros among them.
Interesting, yes? Wish I could do some kind of survey and find out how many rich conservatives simply inherited (rich liberals, I've noticed feel a certain degree of noblesse oblige that most conservatives don't).
Anyway, I'll bet most of them. I've often said that the only way to riches is either through inheritance or theft. Simple thrift, competence, hard work, and morality will not get you there, yet skeendie seven million middle class and poor, brainwashed Republicans think that they, too, can become rich so they refuse to raise taxes on the rich, despite Warren Buffet's insistence on doing so ('Why should I be taxed at a lower rate than my secretary?')
One of the nice things about retirement is I don't have to withhold political opinions as I did while a professor. But even then, on a tour where to pass bus-time I allowed ten questions from the chorus, I was asked what my political party was and why. My response? Here:
'I'm a Democrat because I have observed that it is the party that truly cares about those of us who have to work for a living.'
That was in the early '80s, I think, during the reign of St. Ronnie (though his canonization by the Right Wing--for all the wrong reasons--came much later).
I was right then and I'm right now.
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