tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13931803814748948862024-03-08T00:28:02.855-08:00BrainCheeseMSBRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.comBlogger361125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-78038527493121883312007-05-02T01:03:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.649-07:00Peeps...Puleeze!...<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#008000 size=4>Have you noticed there just isn't much happening over here at AOL </FONT><FONT face=Verdana color=#008000 size=4>BRAINCHEESE? That's because all the fun stuff is happening over at </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#008000 size=4><A href="http://www.brain-cheese.blogspot.com">www.brain-cheese.blogspot.com</A></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#008000 size=4>Same blog, different website. Continuous cornucopia of crap...podcast of poo...Bookmark it. Do it now! (Man I love to be bossy)...see you there!</FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-70624357490268964982007-04-14T16:47:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.649-07:00"Downsize Me" Begins...<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: verdana"><FONT color=#ff8000 size=4>(If you haven't been following BRAINCHEESE at <A href="http://www.brain-cheese.blogspot.com/">www.brain-cheese.blogspot.com</A> , you've just been missing out! Come on...make the switch. This post is a follow up to one "over there"...so, if you haven't been "over there", you may be lost!)</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: verdana"> Wow! I've been missing from action for about 36 hours. I managed to finish the final inservice/teaching project at work on Thursday (**insert a big "WOOHOO" here please**), only to find myself completely debilitated AGAIN very early Friday morning by another headache...AKA, "migraine", as Dr. She Who Will Not Be Named has labeled it. It was that same pliers-squeezing-my-eyeball-pain in my left eye...THIS time, I also had numbness and a bit of a droop to the left side of my face! Talk about a happy Friday the 13th...</SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> Fortunately, I'm a fairly quick study (sometimes) and decided around 2:00AM to start loading up on the narcotics. I finally fell back to sleep around 8:00AM and was able to doze off and on all day on Friday...the pain began letting up Friday evening. Dr. SWWNBN has decided to do yet ANOTHER MRI of my noggin, but I'm not sure what (if anything) she is looking for...she may just be checking to make sure I still HAVE a brain! I suppose since this "brain pain" is brand new, she might be checking for any changes afoot.</SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> A few days ago, I wrote about possibly trying an experiment with myself being the sole participant...it was about cutting out the "Dew"/caffeine from my diet and seeing if there might be any significant and noticeable changes in my fatigue/sleep/blood pressure (and now headaches, I add). </SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> Well...as luck would have it, I was so miserable in pain and nauseated on Friday, I consumed NO caffeine whatsoever! So I decided now might be as good a time as any to get my project, "Downsize Me" under way...this should be interesting...LOL</SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> I'm going to be tracking my fatigue, hours of sleep, weight, and blood pressure for the next 28 days as I eliminate ALL caffeine from my diet...I'm already CRAVING chocolate of all things! Of course this is completely subjective (and I'm sorry to say, most PHARMACEUTICAL STUDIES are, too...they'd just like to think they're not!) and will never be published in the annals of Neurology Today. LOL Woe is me...</SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> As I weave (and maybe even heave) my way through the next 28 days, I'll be using BRAINCHEESE as a forum to document this "highly regarded study"...as always, I'll try to keep it entertaining if not down right riveting...(now I'M nearly wetting my pants laughing at that prospect!)</SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> So, here's a little video I've prepared for you as the launch pad for "DOWNSIZE ME"...and just so you know...no animals will be harmed in this study!</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></FONT><BR/> </P>
<OBJECT height=347 width=415><PARAM NAME="wmode" VALUE="opaque"><PARAM NAME="movie" VALUE="http://uncutvideo.aol.com/v0.744/en-US/uc_videoplayer.swf"><PARAM NAME="FlashVars" VALUE="&aID=154e3b1e6777f922a9de9c3cdf8e306f1&site=http://uncutvideo.aol.com/"><embed src="http://uncutvideo.aol.com/v0.744/en-US/uc_videoplayer.swf" wmode="opaque" FlashVars="&aID=154e3b1e6777f922a9de9c3cdf8e306f1&site=http://uncutvideo.aol.com/" width="415" height="347" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></OBJECT>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-65671297776002775632007-04-13T01:36:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.650-07:00A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words...<P><FONT face=Verdana size=5>Need I say more?</FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-65955297018254029102007-04-09T17:15:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.650-07:00I'm So Tired...<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0000 size=5>And if you're curious why I'm so tired, head over to <A href="http://www.brain-cheese.blogspot.com">www.brain-cheese.blogspot.com</A> to read why...truly rivoting things are happening over there! LOL But then again, I think I could make passing gas intriguing with enough "colorful" words! (But it's still just a fart, folks...)</FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-21781987339944795602007-04-08T21:56:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.650-07:00Dawn Will Show Her Crack Again...Hussy!...<P><A href="http://www.stickergiant.com/page/sg/PROD/mag_coffee/y8569"><IMG height=250 alt="Jumper Cables" src="http://www.stickergiant.com/Merchant2/imgs/250/y8569.gif" width=300 border=0/></A><BR/><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #6600cc; FONT-FAMILY: verdana">Yup...it's true. I'll be up at the crack of dawn AGAIN on Monday! Why God, why?!?</SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #6600cc; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #6600cc; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">I know why and the answer is simple...I'm easy. Fortunately, I am NOT free! I will be training the final early morning class of Management of Aggressive Behavior in the wee hours of the morning at work tomorrow. And just to pour an ample amount of salt in my wound, it IS supposed to be my day off!</SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #6600cc; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #6600cc; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">It's nearly 9:45PM on Sunday right now...I'm still up posting on a blog...I'll probably STILL be up until my "usual" bedtime, which falls somewhere between midnight and 3:00AM. The good news (if one can call it "good") is, with such little sleep in the morning, I will remain blissfully unaware and unconcerned about the training attendees...at least not until around 10:00AM when I actually DO wake up. LOL</SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #6600cc; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #6600cc; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">We also have the first round of good-bye parties for DP, my retiring boss. But, of course, this will not start at the office until 2:00PM (when I would normally be reporting for work if I was SUPPOSED to be at work...and not home ON MY DAY OFF!)...this means I will "linger" (or malinger...just depends) at the office following our training, which ends at noon. There's always lunch to eat, but two hours is a long time to kill when sleep deprived...sort of makes me WANT to kill instead.</SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #6600cc; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #6600cc; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">I cannot seem to get that totally stupid sleep aid commercial out of my head right now as I type...you know the one. Lunesta. By tomorrow evening I'll most likely be wishing I had some of that, except MY drug would be spelled "Loonesta"...fitting, eh?</SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #6600cc; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #6600cc; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Off now to prepare to go to bed so I can stare at the ceiling and chastise myself for my "simple" ways...</SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #6600cc; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN><BR/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #6600cc; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">**Note to self: Never ever agree to do something at work unless there is a substantial amount of cash involved for your time and effort. Thank You's do NOT equal cash, nor can Thank You's pay the mortgage.** </SPAN></FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-62151108351842365062007-04-08T02:03:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.650-07:00Yes, I HAD A Childhood!...<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#8000ff size=5> But if YOU want to read about it and my Easter heathen ways, you'll have to jump over to Blogspot (do I STILL need to put the link in here?!? Fine... <A href="http://brain-cheese.blogspot.com/">http://brain-cheese.blogspot.com/</A> ). </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#8000ff size=5> See you there... </FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-42316932627951545852007-04-07T18:13:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.650-07:00I Know Change Is Hard, But It's Time...<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#8000ff size=4> Why are you still here? Do you fear change soooo much you'd rather miss more PEEP postings over at <A href="http://www.brain-cheese.blogspot.com">www.brain-cheese.blogspot.com</A> ? Are you continuing to linger here as a subtle message to BrainCheese?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#8000ff size=4> Take a deep breath...now blow it out...carefully move your mouse over the above link and left click. That's right...nice and easy...you can do it! You're almost to BrainCheese on Blogspot!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#8000ff size=4> I have faith in you...LOL</FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-33071124244493652672007-04-06T16:36:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.651-07:00Switch To Blogger/Blogspot Already!!!...<FONT face=Verdana color=#808000 size=4> I'm tired...if you want today's post, you're just gonna have to bite the bullet (or me!) and hit the link to take you to <A href="http://www.brain-cheese.blogspot.com/">www.brain-cheese.blogspot.com/</A> . Just do it...LOL</FONT>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-50566776016350961932007-04-06T02:19:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.651-07:00Something Just Not Right About It...<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0080 size=4> They've been on the shelves now, probably even before the sun went down on Valentine's Day...I'm talking about those sugar-laden, little <SPAN class=correction id="">marshmallow</SPAN> things we've come to associate with <SPAN class=correction id=""><SPAN class=correction id="">Eastertime</SPAN></SPAN>. P<FONT color=#ff0080>ee</FONT>ps.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0080 size=4> When I was still young enough to believe in the Easter Bunny (and I promise NOT to digress here about my concerns of just how prolific rabbits and the <SPAN class=correction id="">resurrection</SPAN> of Jesus became a combined holiday tradition and belief! <SPAN class=correction id=""><SPAN class=correction id=""><SPAN class=correction id="">LOL</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN>), there were Peeps. These little candy treats have been around for nearly 70 years (and NO, I am not old enough to remember the "birth" of Peeps...who, by the way, are made by a company called "Just Born"). They are a part of Springtime and now even a part of Christmas and Halloween.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0080 size=4> The weirdos I work with (no, I'm NOT talking about patients here) have held long-standing traditions and beliefs about Peeps...how to eat them, when to eat them, etc. Some in my office prefer to buy their Peeps a year in advance, save them to "age" them, and then bring the Peeps out for fine dining the following year. Still others believe the "newer" tradition of Peeps shaped as bunnies is just plain WRONG...Peeps are chickens/chicks after all!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0080 size=4> One year, a few of the "brighter bulbs" in my office decided to try something new with Peeps and use them to make <SPAN class=correction id=""><SPAN class=correction id=""><SPAN class=correction id="">smores</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN>. Graham crackers and chocolate bars were collected, as well as an assortment of Peeps. But since no one had access to a campfire in our downtown office, "someone" got the bright idea to try heating the Peep <SPAN class=correction id=""><SPAN class=correction id=""><SPAN class=correction id="">smores</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN> up in the microwave. An important lesson was learned that day...marshmallow Peeps WILL explode in a microwave!! (File THAT little tidbit of information in your important trivia files.)</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0080 size=4> There is even a tradition this time of year held here in Seattle...it's called the Peep Art Show/Competition. If you look closely at the photo above, you WILL be <SPAN class=correction id="">appalled</SPAN> to see Peeps have been substituted as disciples in Leonardo d<SPAN class=correction id=""><SPAN class=correction id="">a'Vinci's</SPAN></SPAN> "The Last Supper"...or maybe you WON'T be offended?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0080 size=4> Maybe you, like me, will find humor in the political "incorrectness" and sarcasm of the photo and get back to the grass roots of what is REALLY important to remember and to celebrate during this Easter/Passover season. You DO recall what this is, don't you? </FONT><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0080 size=4>Good...now let's all take a moment of silence together and pause to remember the Easter Bunny...<SPAN class=correction id=""><SPAN class=correction id=""><SPAN class=correction id="">LOL</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0080 size=4><SPAN class=correction> Peep out, my peeps...</SPAN></FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-56007361201581638962007-04-05T00:16:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.651-07:00Take Two Aspirin And Call Me In The Morning...<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> Well, not exactly. Dr. She Who Will Not Be Named instructions were to take a handful of <SPAN class=correction id="">Verapamil</SPAN> and see if this helps my eye pain/headache!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> <SPAN class=correction id="">Yep</SPAN>...it's still here. That vise-pressing pain in my left eye. Nothing to date has helped relieve this pain and optic neuritis has been ruled "out"...rumor has it on the streets, I may just be experiencing my first <SPAN class=correction id="">MIGRAINE</SPAN>.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> I started out my day with a visit to my favorite Nurse Practitioner's office, <SPAN class=correction id="">PP</SPAN>...I had this appointment scheduled well over two months ago as it was time for my every-two-year physical. You know the "one"...where no opening on the body is left unexplored. <SPAN class=correction id="">LOL</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> I <SPAN class=correction id="">gimped</SPAN> into her office and threw myself down in a chair. My blood pressure was elevated. Her assistant asked me if this was because I was in pain? "<SPAN class=correction id="">Duh</SPAN>", almost fell out of my mouth, but I restrained my vocal chords.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> Yes, I WAS in about a class 6-7 pain mode (the worst pain I ever had in my life caused me to pass out, so that's my "10" on the pain scale). Yes, my B/P was most likely elevated to 135/100 because my left eye felt like someone had grabbed it from behind with a pair of <SPAN class=correction id="">pliers</SPAN>. I tried to be pleasant to the assistant, but I just wasn't in the mood.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> Put on the gown and strip down to the socks...was there anything in particular I needed to talk with <SPAN class=correction id="">PP</SPAN> about? Again, "<SPAN class=correction id="">duh</SPAN>", was sitting with a tremendous <SPAN class=correction id="">fidget</SPAN> on my lips...I bit my tongue as I let the assistant know I would speak directly to <SPAN class=correction id="">PP</SPAN> about my "issues", thank you very much.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> <SPAN class=correction id="">PP</SPAN> entered the room, took one look at me, and inquired "what's wrong?" I proceeded to fill her in on my litany of complaints while she dutifully responded in kind with "<SPAN class=correction id="">ahuh's</SPAN>" and "<SPAN class=correction id="">oh's</SPAN>!" to each of my rehearsed lines...after all, one cannot waste time in these appointments...it's best to go prepared with a list. <SPAN class=correction id="">LOL</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> She listened intently (which is all the more reason she remains my FAVORITE Nurse Practitioner!), took notes, and started to address each complaint systematically. She proceeded through the motions of the "physical" while I told jokes in a feeble attempt to normalize the fact my knees were up in the air and <SPAN class=correction id="">PP</SPAN>'s head was much to close to my <SPAN class=correction id="">Cha-Cha</SPAN>.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> <SPAN class=correction id="">PP</SPAN> had blood work drawn, talked to me about my <SPAN class=correction id="">peri-menopausal</SPAN> symptoms (like how quickly "<SPAN class=correction id="">duh</SPAN>" flies off my lips in fits of hormonal agitation!) and told me to wait in her office while she consulted an <SPAN class=correction id="">ophthalmologist</SPAN>. I did as I was told.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> The wait was short and she returned to my darkened room to tell me I was to go immediately to said <SPAN class=correction id="">Op</SPAN> <SPAN class=correction id="">Doc's</SPAN> office a few blocks away for an eye consult...<SPAN class=correction id="">PP</SPAN> obviously has more "pull" in the medical community than I give her credit for! I gathered my things and again, did as I was told.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> The <SPAN class=correction id="">Op</SPAN> <SPAN class=correction id="">Doc's</SPAN> office was only a short wait before 11 year old, <SPAN class=correction id="">Doogie</SPAN> <SPAN class=correction id="">Houser</SPAN>, came out to take me to HIS darkened exam room...the poor man appeared to be young enough to be my son and I was sure I saw a glistening wetness behind his little ears (he WAS barely wet behind the ears!).</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> <SPAN class=correction id="">Doogie</SPAN>/<SPAN class=correction id="">Op</SPAN> Doc examined my eyes...he dilated my eyes (without warning, I might add), he peered inside the windows to my brain, and announced "everything looks good". I thought this was rather funny for an eye doctor to say..."looks good"...he didn't understand why I was chuckling.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> <SPAN class=correction id="">Doogie</SPAN> reassured me my optic nerves were intact in both eyes and there did not appear to be any inflammation or external cause for my pain...he needed to consult with Mother <SPAN class=correction id="">PP</SPAN>. He returned to tell me Mother <SPAN class=correction id="">PP</SPAN> wanted me to contact Dr. <SPAN class=correction id="">SWWNBN</SPAN> for follow up...I asked why? He told me he didn't know, but didn't want to get in "the middle of it". Bless his heart. I think he may have ALREADY gotten too far in the middle of things! <SPAN class=correction id="">LOL</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> I left his office to go outside with my completely blown pupils, only to discover, the one day out of the year the sun just HAD to shine in Seattle, was today. I could barely see to drive, but decided why should THIS minor event stop me from becoming a potential auto fatality? I rubbed <SPAN class=correction id="">Buddha's</SPAN> belly and got in my car, saying my prayers to the Highway Heaven and drove home. Somehow I managed to make the 15 mile trek home with only one eye open and my left eye watering like a hose.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> I promptly emailed Dr. <SPAN class=correction id="">SWWNBN</SPAN>...she promptly emailed me back. If this wasn't optic neuritis, she was placing her bets on <SPAN class=correction id="">migraine</SPAN>. I was considering leafing through the Yellow Pages to see if anyone was still performing <SPAN class=correction id="">lobotomies</SPAN>...for HER, not me!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> <SPAN class=correction id="">Migraine</SPAN>??? But I've never had a headache in my life, I proudly emailed back. There are only a few things I take such pride in and one of them is my self-proclaimed idea I have NEVER had a headache without a cause (such as concussions, meningitis, etc.)...that, and the fact I like to rub it in that my bladder works JUST fine, thank you very much! I AM a proud person, after all.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> Why in hell's name would I be experiencing my first headache/<SPAN class=correction id="">migraine</SPAN> at age 42?...my fingers were hot on the keyboard as I searched for any other plausible explanation for my pain. Dr. <SPAN class=correction id="">SWWNBN</SPAN> swiftly emailed me back (like a shot to my heart) and informed my <SPAN class=correction id="">stoopid</SPAN> self, "<SPAN class=correction id="">Migraines</SPAN> and MS are quite common". That was it. The doctor had spoken. The verdict was in...and the jury of one convicted me. I am having a <SPAN class=correction id="">migraine</SPAN>.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> I'm new to this headache world, so pardon me if I am a bit "<SPAN class=correction id="">poo</SPAN> <SPAN class=correction id="">poo</SPAN>" about this event. I DID agree to try <SPAN class=correction id="">Verapamil</SPAN> (a cardiac calcium channel blocker, I think?)...but only under duress...this pain is KILLING me! </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> OK...it's NOT actually killing me, but I'm almost to the point with it I "wish" it would! I've had many and various "pains" in my life (some in my neck, some in my <SPAN class=correction id="">arse</SPAN> <SPAN class=correction id="">LOL</SPAN>), but I've never had this type of pressure in my head before. I am learning a greater empathy for those who suffer from <SPAN class=correction id="">migraines</SPAN>...it's pretty <SPAN class=correction id="">friggin</SPAN>' miserable.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0080ff size=4> So, I'm off to drug myself with <SPAN class=correction id="">Verapamil</SPAN>, <SPAN class=correction id="">Zanaflex</SPAN>, <SPAN class=correction id="">Mirapex</SPAN>, and anything else I can find that might <SPAN class=correction id="">stupefy</SPAN> me for a few hours of sleep. And I am hoping when I wake up in the morning, this new little <SPAN class=correction id="">migraine</SPAN> friend will have relocated...I'd say maybe to YOUR house, but I wouldn't wish this kind of discomfort on anyone!...I humbly bow to you MS <SPAN class=correction id="">migraine</SPAN> suffers...</FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-54469963138216621262007-04-03T23:30:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.651-07:00The Aye's/Eyes Have It...<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#408080 size=4> It started yesterday afternoon/evening with a <SPAN class=correction id="">teary</SPAN> left eye. Since I/eye was already feeling quite "<SPAN class=correction id="">crappy</SPAN>" with restless leg symptoms in my left leg, weakness in my right, and a magnitude 6.0 quaking spasm in my lower back, I/eye didn't pay much attention to the "eye".</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#408080 size=4> This morning, I/eye awoke with a solid "ache" in both my eyes...as if my eyeballs were being squeezed in a small vise. The pain was intense, but not such that I/eye couldn't bare it...and the left eye continued to water relentlessly. I/eye couldn't ascertain if the pain was actually radiating from my eye sockets or the eyes themselves.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#408080 size=4> Dutifully (and as always), I/eye emailed Dr. She Who Will Not Be Named AFTER completing my own nursing assessment of my condition...there was no fever, no increase in pain with increased <SPAN class=correction id="">ocular</SPAN> pressure (put my head below my waist while standing), no unusual sinus drainage...nothing...except the <SPAN class=correction id="">additional</SPAN> eye pain. I/eye had been chewing on <SPAN class=correction id="">Zanaflex</SPAN>, <SPAN class=correction id="">Mirapex</SPAN>, and <SPAN class=correction id="">Advil</SPAN> for the past 24 hours like they were tic <SPAN class=correction id="">tacs</SPAN>...I/eye was being a "good" patient and resting as I/eye was told to do. Why had THIS new event now occurred?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#408080 size=4> Dr. <SPAN class=correction id="">SWWNBN</SPAN> had no explanation...did I/eye have a fever? No. Did I/eye have green <SPAN class=correction id="">snot</SPAN> blowing from my nose? No. Had I/eye ever had a cluster headache before? No. In fact, I/eye can proudly say I/eye have never had anything remotely close to the pain described by <SPAN class=correction id="">migraine</SPAN> suffers...unless one could include two concussions, a skull fracture, meningitis, or headache as a side effect from medication as a REAL headache! <SPAN class=correction id="">LOL</SPAN> The good doctor remained stumped and told me to "just rest and see how you do" (?). Like I/eye wasn't doing THAT already?!?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#408080 size=4> I/eye started taking <SPAN class=correction id="">Advil</SPAN> and <SPAN class=correction id="">Tylenol</SPAN> in a rotating, two hour pattern in an attempt to get some control over the eye pain...eventually the left eye ceased tearing as much and the pain became more localized in the left...but the pain remained too intense for my liking. I/eye substituted the <SPAN class=correction id="">Tylenol</SPAN> for 1/2 a <SPAN class=correction id="">Vicodin</SPAN>, thinking it was time to bring in the "big guns", AND I/eye emailed Dr. <SPAN class=correction id="">SWWNBN</SPAN> of my progress (or lack of it). I/eye didn't hear back from her.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#408080 size=4> Finally deciding to take matters into my own hands, I/eye researched "cluster headaches" on the Internet...I/eye feel confident in proclaiming I/eye do NOT have a cluster headache. Although some of my symptoms appear similar, the pain has not relented...this would normally occur with a cluster headache.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#408080 size=4> So I/eye remain puzzled as to what is wrong with my eye(s)...I/eye believe if this were O.N. (optic neuritis), I'd/eyed be experiencing an even worse <SPAN class=correction id="">excruciating</SPAN> pain. <SPAN class=correction id="">Sinusitis</SPAN>? Perhaps. Brain tumor? I/eye highly doubt it.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#408080 size=4> I(eye)'m getting ready now to go load up on as many medications as I/eye think it will take to tranquilize this elephant and try to get some sleep...between my back/legs and my eye pain, I/eye anticipate sleep will be somewhat elusive for me. I/eye DO see my favorite nurse practitioner, <SPAN class=correction id="">PP</SPAN>, tomorrow, so I(eye)'m hoping she can help me sort out this mystery pain (along with looking in every other <SPAN class=correction id="">orifice</SPAN> for my every-two-year physical exam!)...and maybe she will be able to figure out if this episode is a real relapse or secondary to some other illness/infection.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#408080 size=4> We'll "see"...or maybe NOT if this eye pain worsens!...</FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-32728371902494054642007-04-02T15:34:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.652-07:00Trying Not To Get My Panties In A Knot...<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: verdana"><FONT size=4>It's not been a "great" day thus far...as many of you know (or could at least guess), I have been putting in some very long hours at my job these past, three weeks. I seemed to be doing OK with the increased time and stress until Thursday of last week. And that's when the ol' MS began to show signs of return, like a dormant volcano puffing plumes of smoke in the air.</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4>At first, I thought I could continue to just ignore it or, at the very minimum, work "around" it. But those of you with MS know, it is NOT a disease that takes kindly to being IGNORED! I started having a return of the creepy restless leg feelings in my left leg and the fatigue became dayumed near overwhelming...but still, I marched onward...limping a bit, but still onward. LOL</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4>By Saturday, my nervous system went on overload and demanded I pay closer attention to it...so I did...sort of. I took the day off from work and tried to rest my body physically, thinking one day away from the stresses of work might just appease the MS gods. I have learned (repeatedly and the hard way) there is little that will satisfy the MS gods once they decide to pay me a visit, and this weekend was just a slap-in-the-face reminder of that fact.</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4>I did make it in to work on Sunday, but not without a big struggle. My left leg demanded I keep it in constant motion and the Mirapex I started on Friday evening had done little to soothe the agitation in my leg...I think the MS gods see this drug as little more than "candy".</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4>Last night, I slept horribly and restlessly, frequently waking up because of pains in my lower back and legs. When I crawled out of bed this morning, my legs felt like tubes of jello, wiggling and shaking, as if mocking my attempts to MAKE them work in their normal patterns. It felt like someone had stolen MY legs in the night and replaced them with some kind of soft plastic ones! My lower back felt as if it was the only thing holding me up...but not in a "good way"...the MS gods had also replaced my lower back muscles with a 4-inch-wide, tight rubber band and attached each end to a hip bone. And while they were at it, the gods zapped my "mojo"...walking to the bathroom felt like a deep breathing experience (and not the kind of deep breathing YOU are thinking, MDMHVONPA!).</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4>Dutifully (and with slight panic rising in my chest) I emailed Dr. She Who Will Not Be Named. I have no really good reason for this, except fear. I know there is little she can do for me, but still I WANT her to do something! Oh...and I want her to do something YESTERDAY about it...that's just how I am. LOL</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4>She did her "usual" precursory questions back and forth via email, finally settling on telling me to "just get some rest". Dayum her! I finally had to email her back to say I would "try not to get my panties in a wad just yet" and follow her instructions...rest.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4>I called my work this morning (quite late for me to contact them) after a tearful bout of "acceptance" and requested my boss replace me on the schedule this afternoon if they could...I was and AM in no shape to be making legal decisions on another's behalf...I am staying home to lick my own wounds once again today.</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4>I don't know if those of you who read BrainCheese and also have Multiple Sclerosis go through this, too...that initial (and sometimes lasting) panic feeling and frantic mind game of "Is it a relapse or not?" I do...and I DO it EVERY TIME.</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4>In the deep, dark crevasse of my mind (three lesions to the left and just below the cerebellum), there is a little voice chiding me saying, "Well, what did you EXPECT, dumb-ass?" And I know this nasty, little voice has merit...what DID I expect???</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4>Once again, I know I "expected" my body to behave in the ways I remember it could and did BEFORE the MS diagnosis...when I felt invincible and strong. AND, post-Novantrone infusion I DID have about three weeks of a flight into wellness, feeling as if my MS had finally gone into remission after months of struggle.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4>But since the MS gods have been visiting me, I regret my silly expectations now...I'm not sure WHEN I will learn this very simple lesson...I must always be "mindful" of the MS gods and their potential fury. I must pay better homage to this body they inhabit now, lest they rumble in anger and displeasure. </FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #666600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4>I'm off to iron my panties now in a feeble attempt to keep them knot-less...</FONT></SPAN></DIV>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-58795435028798881962007-03-31T22:04:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.652-07:00You'd Just Be Missing Out If You Don't Follow The Link...<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0000ff size=4> Having grown weary and short on time, I have decided the AOL-ers will just have to click on Brain-Cheese at Blogger to read the most recent post! Besides, the post titled: <FONT color=#008000><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><STRONG>Happy(?) April Fool's Day...I Think?...</STRONG></FONT> </FONT>has an Easter Egg embedded in it at the end of the post. I simply cannot disappoint those on Blogger by double posting a treasured Easter Egg here on AOL now, can I? LOL</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0000ff size=4> Hit this link, and you should be directed right over to Brain-Cheese on Blogger: <A href="http://brain-cheese.blogspot.com/">http://brain-cheese.blogspot.com/</A></FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-61067617453590350072007-03-30T21:30:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.652-07:00I Broke It...<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0000a0 size=4> It happened so quickly...we were demonstrating a self-defense technique to the class and I was on the floor. "T", my partner in training crime, was holding the kick bag and pretending to be my attacker...I was "pretending" to be a victim on the ground, about to be assaulted with a knife. We had done this maneuver before together...we were the "trainers", not the trainees after all...skilled and aware of the safety issues of the class.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0000a0 size=4> I gave a solid blow to her knee in the direction of the kick bag (with my allegedly weak leg) and that's when it happened. My foot slipped up under the kick bag and connected with "T's" knee, nearly buckling the leg.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0000a0 size=4> There wasn't any swelling initially..."T" remained a trooper and returned later in the day to instruct ANOTHER 4 hour session with our coworkers...but the "knee" was very sore. I hung my head, feeling like an idiot who had just sternly instructed my coworkers (the trainees) on the issues of SAFETY while in the course, the need for careful attention to detail, and to NOT injure one another.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0000a0 size=4> "T" called me today while I was in a 9 hour Union meeting. There's a crack in her bone...not fractured through, but cracked. She can't walk on the leg and the doctor has instructed her to stay off of it to give it time to "heal".</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0000a0 size=4> She tells me, "Well, that technique really works cuz this is proof. I'm supposed to stay off my leg and it should heal just fine."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#0000a0 size=4> Unfortunately, while she's going home to heal, I feel like a heel...</FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-82011464043885684532007-03-28T19:35:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.652-07:00No Rest For The Wicked...<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0000 size=4> Peggy used to say that...my mother, that is. "No rest for the wicked". To this day, I have no idea what exactly that saying meant coming from her! LOL</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0000 size=4> All I know is I must have racked up some "wicked" points in the past few months because I've had no REST at all these last few weeks...my job has been extremely fast-paced and relentless lately and I am nearly "too pooped to pop" (another "Pegism"...she had some good ones, didn't she?!?).</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0000 size=4> Tomorrow morning, I return to work at the crack of dawn (7:30AM) to present two, 4 hour training sessions ON MY DAY OFF, I might add. I will literally be at work from 7:30 in the morning to 11:00PM at night...you may now make wagers on exactly how "wicked" I have been recently...LOL.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0000 size=4> I have become so tired recently, I find myself waking up each morning and saying the MS Prayer...you know the one..."Dear God, please don't give me a relapse of my multiple sclerosis today. And if you must, please let it kill me."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0000 size=4> I very much doubt between now and Saturday I will find the time to post anything on either BrainCheese sites (you AOL-ers REALLY need to get on board and switch to the dark side of BrainCheese at Blogspot: <A href="http://www.brain-cheese.blogspot.com/">http://www.brain-cheese.blogspot.com/</A> )...I also have an all day meeting to attend starting at 9:00AM on Friday. As I have told Corrine via a private email, "I imagine I will be ass-spanking insane by the time this month is over"!!! Well, at least I work in the business of "insane", so it <STRONG>IS</STRONG> familiar territory...</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0000 size=4> So, I'm off to go about my "wicked" ways...I have some typing and an outline to get completed before dawn shows her gnarly face in the morning. I imagine by 11:00PM tomorrow I will feel as if I have been "rode hard, and put up wet". Someone should really thank my mother for these God-awful sayings...anybody have a Ouija Board handy so we can call her??...LOL...</FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-39147464983415213372007-03-28T00:42:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.653-07:00Just So You Know...<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#ff8000 size=4> If for some strange reason, you are still lurking over here at AOL to read BrainCheese, you <STRONG><FONT color=#ff8040>ARE</FONT></STRONG> missing <FONT color=#008000>E</FONT><FONT color=#ffff00>a</FONT><FONT color=#000080>s</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000>t</FONT><FONT color=#ff00ff>e</FONT><FONT color=#8080ff>r</FONT> <FONT color=#ff0000>E</FONT><FONT color=#0000ff>g</FONT><FONT color=#ff80ff>g</FONT> #2 at BrainCheese on Blogspot...and believe me ladies (and I apologize now, gentlemen!), EE #2 is a keeper!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#ff8000 size=4> Head over there now at <A href="http://brain-cheese.blogspot.com/">http://brain-cheese.blogspot.com/</A></FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-49984140135284664552007-03-27T22:17:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.653-07:00My Source Of Entertainment...<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #330099; FONT-FAMILY: verdana"><FONT size=4> Well, my life has been worn down to little more than sleeping, eating, and going to work...and, of course, reading OTHER people's blogs! These blogs (note links to the left) have become my primary source of entertainment as I sludge my way through this grueling work period. And, BRAINCHEESE will be celebrating (or ducking for cover) a one year anniversary this week...I believe it was March 31st, 2006, I began spreading my cornucopia of crap on the Internet on the AOL Journals site (and moving completely to Blogspot soon!).</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #330099; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4> I appreciate "all y'all" out there, with and without Multiple Sclerosis, who keep me informed, laughing, crying, and generally exercising my brain muscles via the reading of your blogs. I was really new to this type of communication when BRAINCHEESE was born (or spat out on the wall...either image seems to do justice). But I have learned a great deal from YOUR writings, so I want to formally say "thank you" for taking the time to write as often as you do.</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
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<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #330099; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4> Blogging became quite popular as the Internet grew to be much more accessible to so many people around the world. I went recently to Wikipedia to look up the word "blog" because I wasn't certain I could really use it as a VERB...but as you can see below, I guess I can! Here's a snippet from Wiki:</FONT></SPAN> </DIV><BR/>
<DIV></DIV><BR/>
<DIV>A blog is a <A title="User-generated content" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User-generated_content"><FONT color=#6131bd>user-generated</FONT></A> website where entries are made in <A title=Journal href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journal"><FONT color=#6131bd>journal</FONT></A> style and displayed in a reverse <A title="Chronological order" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronological_order"><FONT color=#6131bd>chronological order</FONT></A>.<BR/>Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of most early blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual although some focus on <A title=Photograph href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photograph"><FONT color=#6131bd>photographs</FONT></A> (<A title=Photoblog href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoblog"><FONT color=#6131bd>photoblog</FONT></A>), <A title=Sketchblog href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sketchblog"><FONT color=#6131bd>sketchblog</FONT></A>, <A title=Video href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video"><FONT color=#6131bd>videos</FONT></A> (<A title=Vlog href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlog"><FONT color=#6131bd>vlog</FONT></A>), or <A title=Audio href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio"><FONT color=#6131bd>audio</FONT></A> (<A title=Podcasting href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting"><FONT color=#6131bd>podcasting</FONT></A>), and are part of a wider network of <A title="Social media" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media"><FONT color=#6131bd>social media</FONT></A>.<BR/>The term "blog" is a <A title=Portmanteau href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portmanteau"><FONT color=#6131bd>portmanteau</FONT></A>, or, in other words, a blend of the words web and log (Web log). "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.</DIV><BR/>
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<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #330099; FONT-FAMILY: verdana"><FONT size=4> Glad ol' Wiki could clear THAT one up for me!</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #330099; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #330099; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4> I've also stumbled (quite literally) upon several of you bloggers out there by hitting your links when you have left comments on BRAINCHEESE...a few of my more recent favorites have been <STRONG>Marie's Muses</STRONG> (a wonderfully, positive and upbeat chef in England, who's blog will add pounds to your middle just by looking at the pictures!); <STRONG>Funky Mango</STRONG> (who I will admit I JUST started reading today via backtrack link...but hey, Funky...I can't seem to register to leave comments on YOUR site. Is it just me and my complete computer illiteracy?!?); <STRONG>Miss Chris</STRONG> down in the scorching desert of Arizona (how DO you survive that heat with the MS??); <STRONG>Jaime</STRONG> across the Cascades here in Washington State (sorry to hear the Novantrone isn't "holding" you longer...hang in there); <STRONG>Suzy in Chicago</STRONG>, who I believe may now be registered in the Witness Protection Program as her blog entries have been far too FEW for my liking (**hint hint**); <STRONG>MDMHVONPA</STRONG>, super dad with MS, who may have run away with <STRONG>Suzy in Chicago</STRONG> because he has not posted in over a week (send up a flare, dear man!); <STRONG>Mumma4evr </STRONG>on AOL, who's life with her children, going to school to become a massage therapist, and just plain living brings a smile to my face every day; dear <STRONG>Zee in Portland, OR</STRONG>, who has one of the cutest little dogs and sharpest wit I've ever seen (for someone with MS holes in your brain, that is!); <STRONG>Lauren in California</STRONG>, who manages to keep us all abreast of the latest Tysabri news and her triumphs with the MS drug; <STRONG>Trevis</STRONG> over at HealthTalk...now there's a great chef with MS who knows how to write excellent prose for the masses!; <STRONG>Charles at MSBPODCAST</STRONG>, who gets around to more blogs than I think even I do, and always has some great stuff to say (and listen to via podcast!); and there are a few others who's names and sites escape me right now (bite me...I have MS!...I can't be expected to remember ALL of you under blogging pressure!).</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR/>
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<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #330099; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4> So, as I near the one year anniversary of BRAINCHEESE, I am looking back through previous entries (because I HAVE to, to move them over to Blogspot) and wondering with amusement what twists and turns THIS blog may take in the next 12 months. I appreciate all of you loyal readers (both of you!) and hope my hands, heart, and health continue to sustain me through another blogging year.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-23577048751008005452007-03-26T19:58:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.653-07:00Rocket Science Strikes Again...<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0080 size=4> It's official...Anna Nicole Smith died from an accidental, polydrug overdose. I NEVER would have guessed that in a million years.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0080 size=5>**THUD**</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0080 size=4> For the love of God, I am sick of hearing about this poor woman's life! I would be curious to know how many thousands of dollars it has taken to determine that she DIED FROM A PRESCRIPTIVE DRUG OVERDOSE. If only "they" would have called ME, I could have saved people a hella load of money on that final report...and I am neither a pathologist nor a rocket scientist. LOL</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0080 size=4> It amazes me the stories that "entertain" us (focusing mostly on American culture now) these days...dramatic, bizarre, freak-show-type tales of other people's lives. I guess this is why reality TV is sooo popular in our culture, too. Our OWN lives have become so mundane and boring, we must rely on the tragedies of others (and I'm sorry, but every contestant on any reality TV show is a "tragedy"!) to entertain us or feel better about ourselves in some sick sort of way.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0080 size=4> For instance, we now have TV shows about midgets, obese people trying to lose weight for money, celebrities trying to lose weight for money, kids singing with the dream to become an "American Idol" but usually ending up humiliated on national television, stupid women trying to win the "love" of a bachelor for cash, and the list goes on and on.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0080 size=4> Let's face it folks...we are ALL fat, stupid, ugly, untalented, graceless, irritating slobs to some degree if that's what we choose to <STRONG><EM>see in other people around us</EM></STRONG>. We will never be any more than what we choose to believe is REALITY about our neighbor. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0080 size=4> Maybe that's why so many of "us" are killing ourselves these days from "accidental drug overdoses"...just a thought...</FONT> </P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-50924245943173098372007-03-25T20:51:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.653-07:00On The Move...<DIV class=post-body>
<P><SPAN style="COLOR: #ff6600"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: verdana"><FONT size=4> Yeah, I know...I threatened you "peeps" with a move of <SPAN class=blsp-spelling-error id=SPELLING_ERROR_8>BRAINCHEESE</SPAN> over to Blogspot.com...and I <STRONG>AM </STRONG>in the process of trying to transfer every last, <SPAN class=blsp-spelling-error id=SPELLING_ERROR_9>freakin</SPAN>' piece of rambling prose over to that "other" site! I imagine this move will take another six months at the rate I'm going...</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN>
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<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #ff6600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4> But I <STRONG>DO</STRONG> intend to eventually be posting solely at that "other" site once I get all of the files and pictures transferred from AOL (and for those of you actually <STRONG>READING</STRONG> this post right <STRONG>NOW</STRONG> on <SPAN class=blsp-spelling-error id=SPELLING_ERROR_10>Blogspot</SPAN>, you should be completely confused and disoriented to what I am talking about! <SPAN class=blsp-spelling-error id=SPELLING_ERROR_11>LOL</SPAN>) I've decided as "incentive" (and this is a pretty grandiose notion) to get more of you reading over on the <SPAN class=blsp-spelling-error id=SPELLING_ERROR_12>Blogspot</SPAN> site, I will return to RESPONDING to comments left "over there"...I know I was doing this at one of the quieter moments in my life over HERE on AOL (that lasted all of five minutes!)...I also know this idea might be the final straw that drives you FROM reading <SPAN class=blsp-spelling-error id=SPELLING_ERROR_13>BrainCheese</SPAN>! <SPAN class=blsp-spelling-error id=SPELLING_ERROR_14>LOL</SPAN></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #ff6600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4> I may also start posting what I call "Easter Eggs" on <SPAN class=blsp-spelling-error id=SPELLING_ERROR_15>Blogspot</SPAN>...just to tease and entice you further. These will be tiny posts about something completely minor and brain-numbing...but they WON'T get posted on AOL! You really wouldn't want to miss that now, would you?!?</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #ff6600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT size=4> So, will I be seeing you soon at </FONT></SPAN><A href="http://brain-cheese.blogspot.com/"><FONT color=#6131bd>http://brain-cheese.blogspot.com/</FONT></A> <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #ff6600; FONT-FAMILY: verdana"><FONT size=4>? It is my dying wish...<SPAN class=blsp-spelling-error id=SPELLING_ERROR_16>LOL</SPAN>...</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #ff6600; FONT-FAMILY: verdana"><FONT color=#008040 size=2>Sunday, March 25, 2007, 10:20PM:</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #ff6600; FONT-FAMILY: verdana"><FONT color=#008040>(What are you still lurking over HERE for? Easter Egg #1 is already posted at <A href="http://brain-cheese.blogspot.com/">http://brain-cheese.blogspot.com/</A> titled, "I Peed With Barbara Jordan"!!!)</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV style="CLEAR: both"></DIV></DIV>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-56225763094776745712007-03-24T22:06:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.653-07:00Can You Hear Me Now?...<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff80c0 size=4> Anybody else sick of those Verizon commercials?!? I can't wait until that commercial guy who walks around in those silly things really DOES start to have hearing problems...and not just because of his cell phone connection! But, I rant for not...</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff80c0 size=4> Actually, the title of this post is to elicit feedback from all of you loyal CHEESE readers (that would be all two of you) regarding hearing problems and Multiple Sclerosis. Generally speaking (and posing an extremely simplified version of a complex question), do <STRONG><FONT color=#ff0080>YOU</FONT></STRONG> have any difficulties with your hearing because of your MS?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff80c0 size=4> My personal quest to unravel this mystery stems from my own curiosity...that, and a vague response from Dr. She Who Will Not Be Named regarding this issue! It began as follows:</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff80c0 size=4> About two weeks ago (maybe more, maybe less...I'm not much for attention to details when it comes to symptoms and time LOL), I started noticing these brief periods of "buzzing" in my left ear. I have frequently had "issues" with my left ear since childhood (i.e., multiple ear infections, some hearing loss, occasional pain, etc.), so my first notice of this occurring was more of a "Hey...that's odd" type of thought. Not wanting to be an alarmist, I'd just sort of "note" it, and carry on.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff80c0 size=4> Then the buzzing episodes began occurring almost daily, very briefly, no pain, and no real reason to think I wasn't just experiencing some bizarre allergy or head cold development. Now, I am experiencing this buzzing several times a day. It's not exactly tinnitis (ringing in the ears), but literally more like a white noise, buzzing sound that seems to mute my hearing slightly. It is as if the sounds around me are having to travel under water before I hear them. (I know, I know...now I really AM starting to "sound" like a lunatic!) It's truly no more than an annoyance and the episodes only last for a few seconds to minutes...but, it IS bugging me!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff80c0 size=4> I emailed Dr. SWWNBN a question about MS and hearing problems and she responded, "potentially" MS could cause this and that I needed to see an Ear/Nose/Throat doctor. I not-so-gently reminded her I just SAW an ENT that SHE sent me to in January and my ears checked out just fine!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff80c0 size=4> So, I've now decided to pose this question to the REAL experts...all y'all who read my blathering crap and have MS! Have YOU had any trouble with your hearing caused by MS and/or experienced a similar symptom? I KNOW more than two of you with MS read this cornucopia of crap, so please throw me a friggin' bone here and leave a comment...I'd love to <FONT color=#ff0080><STRONG>HEAR</STRONG></FONT> (yuck yuck) from you!...</FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-75977310855201339242007-03-23T21:15:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.654-07:00It's Amazing How The "Other Half" Lives...<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#800080 size=4> My mother used to refer to the "other half" a lot...her "other half" (my father) and "THE other half", meaning people with money. I'm speaking of neither of those "other half-s" in this post. </FONT><FONT face=Verdana color=#800080 size=4>I'm talking about the unusual breed of "DAY PEOPLE"...the other half.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#800080 size=4> As I mentioned earlier this week, I am being punished (I'm still searching for the culprit responsible LOL) by having to work a string of daytime shifts at my job. I refer to it as "punishment" because I am just not a daytime/morning person...never have been, doubt I ever will be.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#800080 size=4> My best hours of functioning on the 24 hour clock are generally anytime between 12PM and 12AM. I can't even claim to be fully alert and oriented until around 10:00AM! LOL And my entire work life, I have somehow managed to get (and keep) jobs that afforded me this afternoon scheduling. It's also a much more convenient work schedule for someone who suffers from chronic bouts of insomnia...it just works for me.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#800080 size=4> The past two mornings, I have had the extremely unpleasant and distasteful horror of waking to the loud, bleeping of an alarm clock...I hate alarm clocks. But I hate being late for work even more, so I have had to rely on this disgusting technology to insure my arrival at my place of employment "on time". Rarely do I ever have to set an alarm clock when I'm working with MY "other half"...the afternoon and evening people who carry on the same tasks as the morning folks, but just later in the day. And I will be blessed with these "day folks" presence for at least 3 more mornings in a row...I'm nearly SICK with "delight" over the prospect of an alarm for three more days. LOL</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#800080 size=4> I've noticed several differences between "the other half" and my crew of derelict, evening worker bees. First of all, day people are grumpy...and I really can't blame them! Who in their right mind would be "cheerful" having to show up day after day, after being awakened by an alarm, throw down a quart of coffee just to act civilized, and THEN try to be pleasant? I certainly wouldn't be.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#800080 size=4> The "other half" also seem to become much more involved in the politics of the job...they spend several minutes to many hours a day discussing and cussing with administrative figures about this and that. We evening people have the wonderful pleasure of avoiding most contact with the "suits" (what we refer to as our administration group)...consequently, we seem to get more of the actual WORK done during our time at the office.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#800080 size=4> The "other half" contends with miserable morning traffic, but they also have 100 bus routes to choose when coming and leaving work. When I drive my three miles to work around 2:00PM in the afternoon, my biggest "jam" is generally found when a school bus decides to unload a group of kids on their way home at the end of the day (yes, school does let out quite early here in Seattle!). But I have very limited bus choices, especially when returning home at midnight...unless I want to stand on the corner downtown with a crowd of drunks and deviants.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#800080 size=4> The "other half" gets all of the good parking. I suppose they SHOULD since they get to work dayum near in the dark! But, then again, I ALWAYS leave in the dark, too, so...LOL</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#800080 size=4> The "other half" almost always gets to leave work on time...and I've discovered that's because THIS "other half" (again, my evening peeps!) comes in dutifully to RELIEVE them...every day...day after day...like clock work. I find it somehow comforting to know someone ELSE will be coming in to clean up or finish whatever mess I have started or created. This must be a luxury to the "other half"...LOL</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#800080 size=4> The "other half" always seems to have time and takes time for lunch...it's a union rule I guess. LOL When working anytime before 2:00PM, it is sanctioned that a sit down meal MUST occur. MY "other half" is lucky if we get to cram down a cold beverage and a bag of chips while running in between cases some evenings. Sitting down to eat has seemed odd to my digestive system these past two days. LOL</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#800080 size=4> I guess if it weren't for the TIMING of working the day hours, I could grow to ENJOY the shift's many perks. If only I could somehow convince Congress to completely revamp our commerce system...but hey, there's always hope! They did sneak in that crappy Day Light Saving time change earlier this year by government vote...LOL...</FONT></P>
<P> </P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-61477598756050458252007-03-22T23:35:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.654-07:00Are We Breaking #2 Of The Ten Commandments?...<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#804040 size=4> Mkay...somebody pu-leeze explain to me all of this "American Idol" hype! I simply don't get it...</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#804040 size=4> Teenaged KIDS go on national television to be judged by the American public whether or not they meet the "high" standards of the American people to be considered an American Idol...the extremely intelligent American public TEXT MESSAGES or CALLS in their vote and only one of these young lost souls gets crowned "THE" American Idol.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#804040 size=4> I'm sorry to have to inform you of this, but I'm pretty sure most of those votes are coming from a trailer park located somewhere in an extremely remote part of the country...where huge, flat-screened TVs are more important than feeding the children...just as long as the 3x4 screen fits nicely on the single wide, tin wall and it doesn't cause the trailer to tilt TOO much to one side!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#804040 size=4> Oh...and if YOU happen to be a fan of this show, OF COURSE I am not talking about YOU (unless you ARE living in the double-wide, missing several teeth, and truly believe seeing young kids humiliated on national TV is a "hoot").</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#804040 size=4> As they say in the "biz", that's entertainment...</FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-49693223571355230612007-03-21T19:48:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.654-07:00I'm Just Not A Morning Person...<BR/>
<DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: #ff9900; FONT-FAMILY: lucida grande"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=4> I have witnessed my fair share of sunsets in my past 42 years walking around on this fine earth...but I have to admit, I haven't seen many sunrises. And the reason I haven't viewed much of that grand, bright star rising in the early sky is for this very simple reason</FONT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 180%"><FONT size=6><STRONG>: </STRONG>I am not a morning person</FONT></SPAN></FONT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%"><FONT size=5><FONT face=Verdana>!!!</FONT> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: #ff9900; FONT-FAMILY: lucida grande"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><FONT size=4> I did awaken around 5:00AM, only to discover a cold front had traveled through the valley and left a near freezing chill in the air...this did not "encourage" me in any way to leave the confines of my body-heated tent and head outside for my 10 mile drive up the mountain in the dark! But, since the freezing temperature (and this was July folks!) had already awakened my bladder, I was forced to unzip the tent fly and head out anyway...rather than simply wet myself and go back to sleep...LOL</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: #ff9900; FONT-FAMILY: lucida grande"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><FONT size=4> The harrowing drive up the two-laned mountain road in the dark was enough to cause me to want to turn back and dive for cover into my sleeping bag...but I forged ahead. Once at the spot on the mountain called "Sunrise", I exited my car, only to discover the higher elevation not only brought a much more icy chill to the air, but the "air" itself had turned into a wind that was whipping it's way around the mountain and the valleys. But still, I remained determined.</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: #ff9900; FONT-FAMILY: lucida grande"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><FONT size=4> Standing in the freezing cold, I waited...and I waited. Until finally a small sliver of light began to push through a small bank of clouds and the clouds began to change colors from blue, to pink, to yellow, then white. An artist could not have captured the scene and done it justice...it was truly beautiful. And then the sun came...in all her glory.</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: #ff9900; FONT-FAMILY: lucida grande"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><FONT size=4> I often tell this tale of standing at Sunrise to watch the sun rise because, not only was it a most exquisite scene, but the mere fact I was <STRONG>present</STRONG> for it should be chronicled as a small miracle! I just don't "do" mornings without a dayum good reason.</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: #ff9900; FONT-FAMILY: lucida grande"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><FONT size=4> And this brings me to my point of this post as I DO have one! Tomorrow morning (Thursday), I will be at my place of employment at the crack of dawn (and not only do I NOT want to see her "crack", I don't even know who "dawn" is!)...I will be presenting the second round of a workshop series with dear "T", and neither of us are in any way happy about this. It's not because we don't WANT to fulfill this obligation...it's just this MORNING thing!</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: #ff9900; FONT-FAMILY: lucida grande"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><FONT size=4> The presentation begins at 8:00AM...and since I don't typically awaken fully until around 10:00AM, I imagine things could get "interesting"...LOL I will be armed with my version of stout coffee (Mountain Dew) and will hopefully remain upright the entire 4 hours of the presentation. I DO hope no one will be expecting any humor or gymnastics as I am quite certain I will be lacking in both areas!</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: #ff9900; FONT-FAMILY: lucida grande"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><FONT size=4> And just to add insult to injury, I am also scheduled to work 4 more DAY TIME SHIFTS immediately following tomorrow! I'm not certain who exactly I "pissed" off to pull this type of punishing duty, but I am groveling an apology as I type... </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-41169401370886245012007-03-20T20:45:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.654-07:00All's Well That Ends Well...Or Something Like That!...<FONT face=Verdana size=4><SPAN style="COLOR: #993300; FONT-FAMILY: verdana"> Well, it appears by all practical purposes, today was a <SPAN style="COLOR: #ff0000">RED LETTER</SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: #993300"> day! I received word via carrier pigeon that my "comparison mammo" was just fine...no need for ultrasounds, no repeat testing, and I am to just carry on as if my initial ALARMING notice was no big deal. And, considering my "ta ta's" remain intact (last check anyway!), I feel this is good news. LOL</SPAN></SPAN><BR/>
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<P><SPAN style="COLOR: #993300; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> I also had the pleasure (or discomfort...it's a matter of perspective) of a visit to Dr. She Who Will Not Be Named today. She looked at me rather puzzled as to why I was in her office...I considered the odds of getting her to change my diagnosis from Multiple Sclerosis to...oh, I don't know...maybe a benign brain tumor, but then her memory snapped back into place (it really should worry me that my neurologist has to ASK me why I am in her office!). It was my first Novantrone infusion follow up...she remembered after all.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="COLOR: #993300; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> I seemed to have passed my neuro exam without much cheating on my part...I DO study for these events...always trying to master new ways of keeping my EDSS score (Expanded Disability Status Scale) on the low side! LOL In my dealings with Dr. SWWNBN, I find it is best to "control" the amount of information/data I provide for her...lest she suggest bright ideas I have no intention of carrying out...for example STEROIDS or NEW MEDICATIONS!</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="COLOR: #993300; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> I believe after our first year of working together, Dr. SWWNBN has learned she must suggest things to me in a manner which, I then in turn, believe her suggestion was MY idea. She told me today she "knew better than to suggest Solumedrol" for my current complaints/concerns/annoyances. I strongly agreed. After my last go round with the potent steroid, I have taken a vow of "steroid celibacy"...refusing to consent to the drug unless under drastic circumstance...such as blindness, total paralysis, or any near death experiences! LOL AND, my current set of complaints simply do not rate high enough on my discomfort scale at this time to warrant consideration of a "drastic circumstance".</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="COLOR: #993300; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> I have found myself once again settling into that horrible place of fatigue. Having had a recent burst of energy following my Novantrone dose, I was reminded what my energy level USED to be...and, I must say, I rather miss my more "peppy" side. Dr. SWWNBN and I bantered over the idea of taking Amantidine or Provigil for my fatigue. I reminded her I still have a full bottle of 100 Amantidine (which I never took after filling the script!) from my previous neurologist and I simply wasn't "keen" on the idea of more medication. She skillfully (and I now believe somewhat manipulatively, too) argued the benefit of the drug versus side effects, placed me in her neurologist hypnotic trance, and I walked out agreeing to TRY the dayum drug for at least a week! Fortunately, the effects of her mesmerizing spell have worn off throughout the day, and I am once again leaning toward NOT adding another pill to my mix...especially right now during one of the busiest times in work life. We'll see...(But I doubt it...Mum's the word!)</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="COLOR: #993300; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> So, I am off to bed soon (which translates into "sometime in the next 6-10 hours") to try to get some rest with the help of my friends, Xanax and Klonopin...I have not been sleeping well at all, and this only adds to my already fatigued feeling. I have a very busy and extremely LONG work week ahead of me. (And by the way, if I work MORE than 7 days in a row, can this really be called a "work week"? Feedback please...LOL)</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="COLOR: #993300; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> For those of you that I have been remiss in leaving comments on YOUR blogs, please know you are definitely being "watched" by me (AKA, I am reading your posts)...I don't know if this should comfort or alarm you...LOL...</SPAN><BR/></P></FONT>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393180381474894886.post-89976373660945601152007-03-20T00:56:00.000-07:002008-10-10T10:24:55.655-07:00I Hear You Knockin', But You Can't Come In...<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#808080 size=4> Who sang that song anyway? The title of this post, that is? I can only assume it was some strong-willed person with an investment to keep "something" out...LOL </FONT><FONT face=Verdana color=#808080 size=4>I have adopted that song as my theme for this week...that's right...I hear <STRONG>YOU </STRONG>(MS) knocking, but you can't come in!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#808080 size=4> It started as just a few pebbles being thrown at my windows...MS tossed me a bit of fatigue and some calf stiffness/spasticity a week or so ago. When I didn't throw open my shades and peek out at it, MS decided to become a bit more "persistent" in gaining my attention...this past week my dear friend upped the anti on the fatigue in an exhausting attempt to gain notice. But still, I paid it no mind.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#808080 size=4> Over this past weekend, my lifetime buddy has been screaming that famous quote from the movie "Fatal Attraction"...you know the one...where the lovely (but a bit deranged) Glenn Close yells at Michael Douglas, "I will <STRONG>NOT</STRONG> be ignored!" MS began raising a bit more ruckus outside my door...I plugged my ears and did the ol' "La la la la" thing. LOL</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#808080 size=4> By Sunday evening, there came sounds of frantic thunder pounding by my MS friend...shock waves of electricity bolting down my arms if I moved my head/neck in a certain way (what I can only imagine is L'Hermitte's Sign)...actually, I find this phenomenon kind of "cool" in a sick and twisted sort of way!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#808080 size=4> And finally today, the grand finale'...pain in my left arm radiating into my hand.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#808080 size=4> "OK, OK!", I'm yelling. "I HEAR you. But I'm not letting you in. Just slip a note under the door and I'll get back to you."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana color=#808080 size=4>**Note to self: If this little coup works, I'll try this tactic on door to door proselytizers and sales people.**</FONT></P>BRAINCHEESEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04478852688645497036noreply@blogger.com1