My Motorcycle Injuries

One of my sisters-in law is facing a very difficult time with her mother. Her mom is in the hospital ICU with multiple health issues and has been subjected to several medical and surgical procedures. She has been placed on pain medication and is a little confused as a result. I realize that every ordeal comes with its own details according to the people involved and all of the specific circumstances, but I feel as though there are certain similarities to my past. She faces her own battle, and I don't want to sound presumptuous, but I do feel that there are enough similarities to my situation eight years ago that allow for me to comment. If I were asked for advice on what it is that my sister-in-law (or you) should consider when dealing with her mother's time in the hospital, these few points would be my simple advice. 1.     Be certain to inform her of major details concerning her medical care. Don’t allow her to get lost within the maze of things being done to her body. S...

I get so tired of being tired. I woke up about four times last night. I haven't slept right since the accident, and last night was super annoying because I kept falling back asleep (lightly) and then waking up after just a little while. I got out of bed this morning and went through my exercise routine. It only took about forty-five minutes. Next up was breakfast, a ton of typing for my job, and working on some online Christmas shopping. I then had lunch, followed by some gardening work out in the front yard of my house. When I was finished I came inside to do some more online browsing. Sounds mundane, yes? Why then do I feel as though I've been hiking in the Andes for a week with no food or shelter? I hate the thought of going to bed tonight because I can't stand the torment involved in "sorta" sleeping. I feel so sore and burned out physically that it's starting to effect my mental aptitude. In other words, I'm feeling as though my mental state just isn...

I went to see an orthopedic hand specialist today. I had to answer a host of invasive questions along with having my hand x-rayed. I liked the guy, but I'm really not too confident about where I'm going with this. My hand has developed a trigger finger from the tendon damage that occurred in the accident, and I also experience a great deal of painful discomfort from nerve damage. He gave me a shot in hopes of avoiding surgery for the trigger finger, and he gave me a referral for a neurologist in order to have the nerve damage tested. Today is Columbus Day and no one answered the phone as I attempted to make an appointment, so I assume that the neurologist stayed home to play with her dogs Nina, Pinta, and little Santa Maria. Anyway, the orthopedic surgeon told me that the test results from the neurologist will allow him to determine if he can help me with the nerve damage or not. So...a fifty dollar deductible payment later, and what I have is several questionnaires filled out,...

I wrote in my last blog entry (see here) that I was thinking of going to an orthopedic hand specialist some time in the future with an eye toward having some type of procedure done at the beginning of next summer. I wrote that I wasn't really certain as to whether or not I would actually pull the trigger on that game plan. Well, I've pretty much emptied the cartridge. I actually made an appointment with a local and reputable surgeon for this coming Monday. I filled out all of the online paperwork today and paid the deductible required for the visit. In a sense I can't believe that I've done this, but in another sense I find myself hoping that this guy can actually work his medical voodoo and make things better for me with a hand/wrist that has been a source of irritation for almost eight years now. It's just that I really hate going to doctors, and filling out all of the info on his questionnaire today was irritating enough without even stepping into his office.  I...

If you spend some time reading through this blog, you’ll find that I am very much against medical things. You know...like surgeons, hospitals, drugs, cotton swabs, whatever. I can’t stand any of it. Sitting in a waiting room is a drag, but making it into the examination room is even worse. Pain relief pills? Save them for an arts and crafts project. My absolute dislike of anything having to do with the medical profession is what makes the topic of this blog entry so odd. The thing is that I've been thinking of seeing a hand specialist a couple of months into the coming new year because my hand has been such a mess between the nerve damage and tendon problems. I had planned (tentatively and hesitantly) to go at the start of the year because any potential surgery would have to take place within an eight week window of time in the summer. I take care of my niece throughout the year but I get a break from my childcare duties in the summer. I figured that occupational therapy would foll...

I broke my diabetic diet for a short while several weeks ago for my birthday. I had a nice birthday, and the celebration for it lasted a week or so. Yeah, party animals. During that time I ate anything and everything that I wanted to eat, but the strange thing is that I didn't really enjoy much of it. I honestly thought that I would enjoy engorging myself with countless carbohydrates, and I looked forward to doing it, but the truth is that the only thing that I can remember truly enjoying during that time was some milkshakes that I had over several days. The rest of the stuff just made me feel overly full and very much dissatisfied. I've had diabetes pretty much since the motorcycle accident, and eating has become an act of drudgery since. I eat because I have to eat in order to sustain life, but that's about it. That's why I don't really understand the fact that I don't enjoy the unlimited diet when I go off of the whole carb-watch thing. Mysteries serve a purp...

Perhaps the following statement falls under the TMI category...but I always view time in blocks. It's usually divided by either three or four months. I do this with my personal budget, with personal goals, and with the way in which I view a year. I never see it as, let's say 2021, but rather as January through April. Because of this, I have entered into a time slot now that involves the upcoming holiday season along with a winding down of the year itself. These time periods alter the way in which I see things and deal with my day to day patterns. It's probably a little weird, but if you go ahead and search throughout this blog beyond this one entry you'll discover that I'm a cross between freak and dork. But hey, at least I've still got my good looks. I was offered some time off yesterday by my sister-in-law to get some surgical work done on my body. I take care of her daughter throughout the workweek. I declined her offer because the though of surgery just does...