Doc appointment went well, ND tomorrow!...

I saw one of my surgeons today. He's a really good guy, genuinely cares, and answers all of my questions, no matter how haphazard or long-winded they are, and without making me feel stupid for asking something that's maybe not terribly relevant. His assistant is super nice, too, and we got to talk for a few minutes. It's always good to feel listened to and cared for by doctors. A healthy detachment is fine, but that doesn't mean that they should be aloof. Knowing that they all care (and pretty much all of my regular docs are cool this way) really helps to put me at ease with my situation. I feel that they're doing all that they can to help me, and when they can't, they help me find others who can.


We went over the MRI from last week and the overall tumor situation. Everything is stable. If the tumors have grown, it's not by much. It's hard to be exactly precise because each scan has slightly different images. There's nothing drastically different. The chiari malformation was specifically looked at. All the fluids seem to be flowing nicely, but my cerebellum does definitely hang down a bit lower than normal (which is what a chiari malformation is). It's possible that this contributes to my troubled throat function, but it's more likely that the tumor affects the cranial nerve that controls that. There is a surgery to help correct the malformation, and my surgeon will confer with my neurologist about it, but, at this point, it looks like we'll just keep an eye on it. The surgery basically entails reshaping my skull a bit at the base to alleviate any pressure on the cerebellum. While it is a big deal, and has its risks, it maybe seems a bit scarier than it sounds because it involves my skull and brain and all that.

After the appointment, my mom drove me to pick up a pizza from Papa Murphy's for tonight. They make the pizza, then you take it home and actually bake it. Because of that, I was able to use my food stamps to buy it, which worked out for me. It feels good to contribute a little, especially when I'm being treated to the game. After getting the pizza (sausage and pepperoni is what they wanted...add mushrooms, and that's my usual order, so it works out), I got a few things at the grocery store. Being financially challenged (or, more bluntly, being all but broke), I'm planning on packing a lunch to take with me. I'll just make a couple turkey sandwiches and bring some chips and carrots to go with those. Next up was a little lunch from McDonald's dollar menu, to go, then home.

I still have a few things to get together before I get picked up tonight. I'll round up my meds, clothes, toiletries,  and the food, and I'll shower here in a little while, too. Then I'll get picked up tonight. We'll eat, maybe watch a movie and/or play a couple games for a bit. We'll be heading out of here at 7AM, so we should get to campus by 11AM. Hopefully the traffic isn't too bad and we arrive a little earlier. I haven't been on campus since 2002, and there are lots of new buildings that I want to check out. I'll be working on a to do list and a map here shortly. I'm hoping to meet some friends who'll be up for the game, too. So far, I've arranged to see one. We'll be in front of Sorin, my old dorm, at 12:45PM just before the band plays at Bond Hall (which was usually my wake up call as a student as it's just behind the dorm). The plan is to get to the Stadium around 1:45PM for the 2:30PM start. Well, TV coverage starts at 2:30PM, the actual kickoff won't be until about 2:45PM or so.

I'm really excited to be going back. It's been way too long. It's just been tough being sick and broke and all that. I can't believe it's been 8 years. It'll be nice to reconnect a bit. It's a special place, surely to me, and it's been a big part of my life. I'm looking forward to it being a more active part, even if just for a few hours. If you're going to be on campus, let me know and we'll meet up!

GO IRISH!!!
-B

Pretty decent day...

I got some stuff done today. I went to the doctor, got some medicine refills, explained the tumor treatment plan situation (I will be getting into that soon on here), and got a flu shot. My arm was sore for a little bit, but it's fine now. It had been a little while since I'd seen this particular doctor, so it was nice to catch up a bit. She's really nice and cool and you can tell that she really cares. She's yelled at me a lot to do (or to stop doing) stuff. She even asked me if I were dating. I told her that I was trying, doing the online thing (more on that another time, too). I talked a little about how dating is hard--I'm sick, broke, poor, don't drive, and live with my parents--and she replied that I don't have to get married. I got the distinct impression that she was telling me that I needed to get laid...lol...and I can't say that I disagree :P. Maybe I should have asked her for a prescription for that to see if works...what do you think? :D

After coming home and eating lunch, I made a few calls. I should get a couple replies tomorrow for appointments for tumor stuff. It sounds like they want a bunch of new MRI scans, so I'll be getting zapped for most of the day (several hours, anyway) if they do it all at once. I usually try to sleep during those, so it's not a big deal. I'm not claustrophobic or anything. That's not to say that I'll enjoy having my head immobilized and being stuck in the machine, but there are worse things.

I did the usual web surfing and some chatting before crashing and taking a nap. My hours have been extra weird the last while, and it's catching up with me. This headache medicine isn't helping with that, but oh well. Just as I fell asleep, I got a call from a case manager of my insurance plan (Healthy Indiana Plan). She was just checking in to make sure my asthma is under control (it is), then we got into the tumor stuff and ridiculousness of how I was treating by the clinic in Phoenix. It was nice to hear the shock in her voice as I explained things. There's nothing she can do about it (that's all on the Phoenix assholes), but she was sympathetic. I then went back to bed until my friend Miss TMI/Miss Incredible Pizza called me around 8PM. I was in the process of getting up, anyway, so she didn't disturb me at all, not even with our conversation ;). It was actually very nice to talk to her and hear how happy she was. I'm glad things are going well for her, she really deserves it!

I heated up the spaghetti my parents made, watched a good Monday Night Football game, and messed around on the web some more as I chatted a bit. Even though it got hard to keep up with everyone when I had 4 conversations going at once, I enjoyed the time with each person. I do feel a little bad that I couldn't give each one my full attention, partially from still being a little tired to go along with 4 open windows, but I prefer that over having no one to talk with. A couple of my chat partners were gals I just met online, so it was nice getting to know them a little.

Despite being so tired and not feeling the best, I'll take days like today. I got some stuff done, made some new friends, and didn't feel like complete crap. And I'm still here to tell you about it, so there's that. Tuesday is looking to be productive, too. I hope to have those medical appointments scheduled, or at least to get updated on their progress. The UFC itinerary for the events leading up to the fights comes out tomorrow, too. I'll be able to see when the weigh-ins are and if there is anything else going on that I'll be able to attend. From what I hear, there is a lot of free stuff that they do, and I'd like to go to as much of that as I can. It's looking like I won't be able to attend the fights, but I'll be watching somewhere, for sure. If anyone wants to hang out Saturday night, let me know.

Have a rockin' Tuesday,
-B