258) Friday Sunrise Dialysis

July 18, 2008

Friday

El Milagro:  I am driving thru the dark at 5 am to get to my dialysis session this morning cause, even though I was just in dialysis last night, I have scheduled myself this morning too so I can miss Saturday to be in Dallas for Liz's dad's yartzeit.  I awakened before the alarm went off at 4:45 and got up and got dressed quickly, thinking I would forgo coffee and my morning meds and just get over there fast and go back to sleep.  Aside from the dog's need to play I pretty much rushed thru my routine coffee-less, which kept me in a haze... kinda like what I think of as a brain fog... not as bad a condition as a "brain cloud"* but real hazy none-the-less... and it makes my mind wander thru old Tom Hanks movies, Loretta Lynn lyrics, and speakerless Matt's Dancing** around in my head... and meaningless meandering sentences tambien.  Okay.  So, I let the dog out, call her in when she starts barking in the night and don't take my meds (thinking some you shouldn't take and then have them dialyzed out... and since I don't remember which those are, I can save some $ by not taking any until afterwards).  And I think about making coffee but worry that it would be terrible to coffee up and lay wide-eyed thru morning dialysis... so, I rush out before my addled brain makes me make coffee. 

I am zipping thru the neighborhood thinking I am also hungary so I curl around the underpass at Industrial and hit my taco / donut joint and am the first person there... wait at the locked door until they see me and grab a bacon and egg taco and 6 donut holes for a pre-dialysis snack-o.  Since no one is on the road this early I can weeve around on the freeway while poring salsa on my taco and wolfing it without spilling or flipping the truck.  The donut holes are much easier.

I get to El Milagro and remember Rosie the Tech's advice about coming in the morning: "Weigh yourself and then just sit down in the waiting room cause they'll call you in when they're ready for you.... no just walking in like you usually do when you are the last person of the day to come in and your chair is always ready.  In the morning they don't like that walking in business... they come find you when your chair is ready."  

So, I do it the Rosie weigh and sit down and wait for 12.5 minutes... when two older black women come in in beautiful Caribbean moo moos and brighten the whole room, weighing in and walking thru to the treatment room.  I still sit there... thinking things like, "will they come out here to get me?... do they know I'm here?... what if the don't come out?... what if I fall asleep out here and no one comes?..." until I finally just get up and walk in too.  I see Jackie the Tech and she startles and says, "What're you doing here... we're not set up for you...(etc.) and I am about to be upset that even tho I am "on the board" they didn't look at "the board" again (which has happened in the past)... and I am about to fizzle... when someone (Margaret the Nurse?) informs Jackie that they have me set up on side 'A' and are ready for me.  Jackie comes around to that side and goes to work cannulating me and I'm connected and running by 6 am... meaning I'll get outa here by 10.

I stick in my earplug-type ear phones and listen lightly to NPR's Morning Edition.  I pull my hat down over my eyes and go back to sleep...

I wake up at 9:20 or so, to see Dr. Moritz's smiling face (remembering the recent report I heard that he is acting more friendly to folks over here) in my waking brain and focusing on his Hawaiian shirt... he is doing rounds with the new dietician whose name escapes my waking brain... 

He does stop at my station even tho they don't have my file... asking me what I am doing here and I reply about the trip to Dallas and he asks if I have scheduled my MRI yet and I say No but I will and he admonishes me for neglecting his orders... before moving on around the corner...

By 10 a newish Tech comes over to de-stick me and without much ado I am outa there, and on my way to my office for a few last minute work tasks before meeting the girls at the house and driving up to Lake Belton to pick up Shayna from GS Camp Kachina and then on up to Dallas.

Notes:  In at 75.2 and out at 74.2

*"Brain Cloud" defined online by Wikepedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/joe_Versus_the_Vocano 

** Matt's Dance found online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNF_P281Uu4

257) Hey hey Woody Guthrie, we're a singin' your song...

July 15, 2008
Tuesday

El Milagro: Just as I am walking out of the office, something comes up and I end up arriving at the center late-ish again... get seated and Big Daddy Joseph the Tech pops me and plugs me in by 4:30. I immediatly go to sleep and sleep all the way thru to 7:45 or so, when I wake up and catch the last few minutes of NOVA.

I am tired today from Shayna being at camp this week. Since she is at camp Liz and I are footloose and free and out on the town. Last night we went to Threadgills and heard Butch Hancock and Jimmy LaFave sing out their tribute to Woody Guthrie, along with a few other folks like Michael Fracaso, a fiddle player named Marcie, and a disheveled surfer dude who couldn't think of anything to play when Butch invited him up to play.  

The whole show was very loose with Butch highlighting everything with his unbelievable ability to pull looseness together and play perfect guitar and inspired harmonica while remembering the words to all his and Woody's songs.  Jimmy was also playing well, although his voice was somewhat coarse from, he said, playing at the Woody-fest up in Oklahoma* for the last few days.  

As usual, Butch was amazingly charismatic and witty and generally standing out as the most "talented", yet casual musician of the group. The setting was intimate and the weather an Austinish balmy summer night.  Lizzie and I sat in the front row in an audience of about 200 of Austin's Woody Guthrie fans and Butch friends and had a fun time there.  

[Since I couldn't find any reviews of the Threadgill's Butch Show, I guess mine is it on the web for now.]

Notes:  

*Woody-fest, online at www.woodyguthrie.com 

256) Summer Saturday Movies

July 12, 2008
Saturday

El Milagro: Of note today, Connie, my original nurse from Moritz's office (BD), is working today and we are happy to see each other and catch each other up on our various happenings: she is now working at the S. Austin office and has been doing hospital dialysis part time... says it has been a year since she has been here! WOW... time flies... Amanda the bright eyed, vivacious Tech cannulates me today and is bright and cheery... taking one summer class and generally looks relaxed and I am happy she wants to devote her life to working with us kidney people.

I have worn shorts today even though it is usually very cold in the center... it is so hot out this morning that I just couldn't wear my blue jeans. Before coming over here I mowed the lawn and did my basic yard duties and on the way over I heard that the temp is already 95 at 12:15 pm... supposed to hit 101 today.

Summer is HERE in Austin, Texas (hot "music capitol of the world" today). The sweltering Texas heat can keep people away and that's okay with us who live here and bask in the shimmering scortch, like lizards on a limestone sunbaked rock. It's really been a rather cool summer so far, but the weather wizards promise us hundred degree days from now on out.

I brought my text for the fall to read, and yet I really feel like seeing what is on TV... if nothing is on I'll study... AHA! I find the newish Harry Potter movie*, which my daughter has been on me to see for ages it seems. It seems like this must be near the beginning of he movie if it follows the last one by starting as the chums are preparing to go to Hogwarts for the school year. I settle back for a good two hour watch and completely enjoy the movie without any interruption.

Afterwards I am just about to flip off my TV when I notice on another TV across the room... Robert Duval in a beautiful gus crown hat... so I just have to watch... and I do for the rest of the time I am on the machine. This show is "The Broken Trail"** and I get sucked into it's portrayal of disenfranchized Chinese and women in the old west. Turns out this is a mini-series that was on AMC and there is no way I'll see it all unless we rent it. The part I see
I like and note that I want to see the whole thing sometime. So, I am watching TV the whole four hours today, and by the time I am done, I feel like doing something active.

Notes: In at 76.3 and out at 74.5 Kgs.
* Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix, online at http://www.harrypotterorderofthephoenix.com/
** The Broken Trail, online at http://www.amctv.com/originals/brokentrail/

255) A Story of Coincidences

July 10, 2008
Thursday

El Milagro: Here's an interesting story for you: last weekend one of the techs, whose name is withheld to protect the innocent, had the following experience. This tech's neighbor has a son who just got out of prison on parole and went out to celebrate on July 4th and never came back. The man was in prison for drugs (usage?, selling?... we don't know... we are just listening to the story). So, the tech continues that the next day their friend from a nearby community, who has been on the kidney transplant list for some years now and is on dialysis in that community, comes by to see them and is all excited because he has just heard that "they" have a kidney for him... the only little concern is it is a "high risk" kidney and he isn't sure he wants to take it. He has to decide in the next few hours and doesn't know what to do so came to visit with the tech to discuss his options.

"What is a 'high risk' kidney?" I inquire... "I thought all kidneys up for grabs are checked out and healthy" Well, according to the tech, they have to get these kidneys into people so fast that they rate them based on the person they came out of, but don't always have the time to wait for an autopsy, etc. And, around the same time the tech's friend is in wonderment about taking this 'high risk' kidney, the mom of the parolee comes by to say that he died and she gave up his kidney so part of her beloved son can go on in someone else's body. The tech reports that their friend decided not to take the 'high risk' kidney, and at that time the tech thought of me... knowing how desperate I am to get a kidney. The tech hoped I wouldn't just lunge at any kidney offered, and worried that I might take that kidney.

I questioned how they were even sure of the serendipity of this 'coincidental' story of one neighbor's son dying and giving a kidney and another friend getting that same kidney, which the tech is sure is the actual story, not their own hallucination of a number of possibly unrelated events that found their way into the tech's sphere of consciousness. So it must have sounded like I was criticizing the story cause my neighbor, the quietly watching African American lady whose daughter brings her to the center is snickering about the whole interchange and my questioning the amazing coincidences.

And besides, I share with the tech that I'm ready for a kidney but I don't know if I would consider myself to be 'desperate' for a kidney. I think, when I imagine how it'll play out, that I'll want to know a lot about the the kidney 'they' offer me... and off I go into my own hallucinations about how it'll be....

I listen to NPR and hear a story about how products packaging is shrinking and how the producers (like Kellogg's) aren't telling folks... a blog to check out for anyone interested in this shrinking store boxes thing is Consummerist.com where the guy keeps track of shrinking packaging for us.

I doze and then the story tech comes up about an hour before I'm done, and reports excitedly that they just heard that another patient at this facility took that 'high risk' kidney and they didn't imagine it would get a taker and now this person has the 'high risk' kidney and what're we gonna do... etc. etc. I lay back and take this all in and reply, "Well, don't tell them they got a bad kidney..." I continue that my take it that "things happen just the way they're supposed to... and there must be a reason for what happened that we don't understand, and we don't want to mess it up for that recipient by putting out negative thoughts about their fortune... so therefore, the best you can do is to send them your positive thoughts and wishes for success."

And there you have it. Another day, another Lifealysis. As Roseanne Rosanadana would say, "It's always something!"

254) WE WIN: Medicare Bill Passes!

July 10, 2008
Thursday

Austin: See the letter I received today from Tonya thanking all of you who responded to my request to write our state senators to support the Medicare Bill that includes provisions from our last attempt to update ESRD education and assistance.

Hi Jack,
Today is a day for celebration! By a vote of 69 to 30 the United States Senate joined the House in passing a Medicare bill (HR 6331) that includes key provisions for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)—a tremendous victory for the kidney care community.

This is your victory! It is your hard work that helped ensure that key ESRD provisions were included in this bill. You have worked tirelessly to see this happen and I am happy to let you know that your hard work has paid off. Congress has listened and passed legislation that will establish pre-dialysis education and CKD prevention measures, as well as, revise the payment methodology for ESRD treatment, and provide an inflation update. It would be great for you to take a moment and share your appreciation with your Members of Congress (Click here to send your Members of Congress a letter of thanks).

I personally would like to thank you for participating in your monthly assignments and for making extra calls and sending extra emails when we needed them most. I have called upon you numerous times and you have accepted the extra work without hesitation. Your efforts in passing this bill have made and will continue to make a significant difference in the lives of your fellow dialysis patients.

Many, many thanks from the bottom of my heart,
Tonya L. Salstrom
Dialysis Patient Citizens
Deputy Director

So, sometimes contacting your legislators can make a difference! Of course our local congressman, Lloyd Doggett, was on board with the Medicare bill early on. And both Texas' Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchinson ended up voting for the bill in the Senate yesterday! This is a major shift away from their support of the Bush Administration so I applaud them for moving in the direction of a unified congress. Onward thru the fog!

253) ADD Planning

July 8, 2008
Tuesday

El Milagro: So, I drive over here from the office and park in the parking lot and gather up a newsletter to read and a book for my fall class... and, by the time I've got those together in my dialysis bag... it starts pouring down rain like it's been holding up there in those clouds all day long. If I had been two minutes earlier I'd be in there right now, dry. I wonder how long this will last I say to myself as I jump out and walk quickly to the door... I am wet and by bag is even wetter. I find my chair and dry off a little. Celeste the Nurse takes my BP and reports I have 15 minutes before my chair is ready.

I settle in to reading the new TNOYS' marketing newsletter and my mind is playing critical teacher. "Did they not even edit this thing?" I wonder what Theresa thinks and almost call her and then get a second thought and criticize myself for being so critical. I'll probably hear more about this in due time. "Big Daddy" Joseph comes up to canulate me and we are on our way.

I'm back into my routine finally. As I am looking for my notebook to make a note or two, I pull some papers out of my dialysis bag, un-clip them and get ready to make some notes... thinking they are old PAC announcement pages from a month or so ago. I start writing and then un-clip a sheet and turn it over semi-consciously... I find these are the missing evaluations from one of my workshops in Ft. Worth back on June 24th! I chuckle to myself and then feel embarrassed that I emailed the folks up there saying the evals were missing.

I have too many categories in my life to keep any real order. "How in the heck did 42 evaluation forms find their way into my dialysis bag?" Do I ever even look in this bag, beyond the red Mexican blanket and my blue and yellow pillow?

Usually my papers don't flow across my categories: the TNOYS' papers stay in my briefcase and mostly at work. My school stuff stays in a box and my home papers are spread all over the house (and garage) and only infrequently do some of them runaway from their category and hide in another category... like this year's Kerrville Program, which slipped into a stack of papers at work. Or, my board folder, which hid under the seat of my truck for awhile. But evaluations in my dialysis bag? Never happen. That's serious.

I need an assistant, it's plain to see. My life would be easier if I had a super fast scanner that I carried around to super scan all my papers. I could categorize all my papers by type and put them in color-coded boxes. Orange would be the TNOYS papers. Green? ... green would be House papers. Burnt orange; UT stuff of course. Red must be dialysis stuff. Yellow stands for letters I've written to Katie giving her parental advise... actually, I could put that advice on post-its...

So, do I need any more colored boxes? I must be missing a whole category... must look under the seat of my truck when I leave tonight. Time to watch the news.

Notes: In at 76.8 and out at 75.1 kgs.

252) KFF - Last Weekend

Quiet Valley Ranch:Here are some pics of our friends and other staff at the festival: you know who you are! The third weekend I wanted to get pics of our kitchen krew, other staff, and people we see every year and note them here, even if not by name. I walked thru the weekend with my little camera and shot people as I found them, usually trying to catch them away from their jobs, except in the case of the Security folks,
in the red t-shirts. My thought was to catch them enjoying the festival instead of working their shifts.

This weekend Michelle, Michael, Maya Papaya and their gang came and Shayna liked that. They settled above the rows of benches. The kids went swimming at the their hotel and basically we inseparable for the time they all were at the ranch.

The music highlights this weekend were Kathy Mattea and Amilia Spicer on Friday night, everyone on Saturday (Trout Fishing, Teri Hendrix, South Austin Jug Band, and Guy Forsthe), and the usual roundup of oldies on Sunday night (Wheatfield, Bobby Bridger and Anais Mitchell). Wheatfield is the original St. Elmo’s Fire, of which half became the famous Trout Fishing in America. I had never seen them play together although I know I saw St. Elmo’s Fire play at an Austin venue called Piggy’s back in the “ye olde days”… I think.

And, of course Trout played the mainstage and at the Children’s Concert… I went to the children’s concert on Sunday to see them and especially to hear them sing “pico de gallo”.

Usually Liz and Shayna cut out before the final night’s concert but this time because of the gas crisis (only bringing one vehicle) they needed to stay with me cause I don’t haul the pop-up out of the staff campground until after the whole thing is over and all the gates back there are open. It was really great to have Lizzie there for the Sunday night concert, and we sat with Bobby & Theresa and their crew and did the whole “heal in the wisdom” group sway and sing at the end, with Bobby Bridger, Bob Livingston, et. al. crooning out those words that bring us all here every year.

Again, I didn’t head to the campgrounds, but just back to the pop-up to settle in for a generous sleep. The next morning was a lazy one, taking our time taking down the camper and cleaning our site before heading out of the ranch for the last time this year. Every year I am sad to leave at the end of the fesitval, even though it cuts a huge swath in our ongoing weekend chores, hobbies, and other habits. And, every year we agree it it worth it!

251) KFF Week 2

Kerrville: Week 2 of the festival was really special for Liz. She was excited to have her family out there at the ranch: her brother and his family from London (Eric, Jo, and Theo) and her brother, Larry, from Austin all came out for the weekend, with Eric and Jo getting on the kitchen krew and Larry chilling out all weekend. Shayna brought her friend Calla too, so it was a jolly party at the Lazy 'N' Ranch (my name for our pop-up).

My weekend visit to the Dialysis Center went fine and the staff were friendly as ever, although for some reason, they thought I was coming in at 8, not 6:30 a.m. That's a sad thing to hear at 6:30 in the morning... but, they busied themselves around at setting up my chair and it was smooth sailing after that. I have been able to pick up needed supplies in town for Cari, so that makes me feel a little useful when I go in for Saturday morning dialysis.

On Saturday afternoon, while Liz and party were out swimming at our favorite swimming hole, I attended the Music to Life concert, hosted by Paul Stookey and his daughter, Liz Sunde. It was a series of folks singing their songs about changing the world, and my friend Lisa (The Therapy Sisters) won an award for writing. She is second from the left end on the top row, looking quite proud of herself. Amy Spence ("Carry the Weight of the World") and Randy Browning ("Left Wing Radical Rag") were highlights of this afternoon concert.

When the kids got back from swimming, Jo and Eric had to start their dinner shift and the rest of us caught the Austin Lounge Lizards in the heat of the downing sun. They did a few of their new songs, including their newly famous hit about "progenatoravox" on the new CD, The Drugs I need. Theo really liked the Lizards and I believe that before the end of the weekend he ended up with one or two of their CD's. Of course, the Lizards play out here every year and we hear plenty of them ala KUT... They are losing their fiddle player and made plenty of jokes at his expense this set.

Slaid Cleves was back on the mainstage after who knows how many years of being away. By the time Jo and Eric got off their shifts they were ready to hang it up as krew, but I did get a shot of Eric in his new cowboy hat with Theo and Uncle Larry listening to Ronny Cox. After the concert on the mainstage, Larry and the Londonites went out to visit the campfires and I turned in, getting some needed shut-eye before my Sunday breakfast stint, along with Eric, Jo, and Lizzie. Eric and Jo quickly realized why we all do breakfast kitchen krew rather than dinner. After breakfast we sat for a family photo taken by Calla at the pop-up.

So, now it's on to finding time for Week 3's post, where we'll feature the relaxing last weekend and pics of our friends on staff.

250) Kerrville Folk Fesitval '08 Report

K-ville, Texas:This year's KFF was the best yet... mostly because I was there and healthy throughout the whole three weekends. I received my dialysis each Saturday at the Kerrville Dialysis Center and the staff mostly remembered me and took very good care of me. Alas, since it is a few weeks now, I can't remember who to thank by name.

The first weekend my son, John, and I went together without Liz and the girls, and had a Father / Son "bonding" time together. We set up the new pop-up and on Friday night his pals, Sara (green shirt) and Eddie (green cup) came out for one night and they were fun to have around. The next night John worked in the staff kitchen until half way through the main concert, came out and sat with me until afterwards, and then he talked our friend Palmer (who has her own booth this year as well as working on Kitchen Krew) into going out to the campfires all night long. He did make it in time for the last call for breakfast. I miss most of my breakfast work cause of dialysis, and usually do some errands for Cari (Kitchen Krew Chief) and then help out making cookies, deserts, or some sort of thing all afternoon.

The music the first weekend was really excellent across the board: Friday night the Two High String Band played blue grass that featured several of the best of Texas, Eric Hokonan and Billy Bright (from EP). Last of the five groups t o play was Dale Watson and his rocking western band. Dale was the best I've ever seen him. After the show on the Kennedy Stage, John, Eddie, and Sara went out to the "meadow" , where musicians play all night.

I turned in and set my alarm for 4 am to get to the dialysis center by 5:30. I got there on time and they thought I was coming at 8, so it was awhile before they had my chair ready. I got poked and went back to sleep fairly quickly although this center keeps all the lights on all the time, unlike mine that turns 'em all off after people are hooked up.

I picked up some supplies for the kitchen and helped clean up after breakfast and then headed down the the Threadgill Theatre for the New Folk Concerts, a line up of new singer song-writers that competes in this nationally known contest. The music is fresh and the talent is usually quite amazing. After about an hour I saw Kim, Emma, and David come in and I visited with them for awhile.

The evening concert on Saturday featured a lot of my favorites, including Chuck Brodsky, Shake Russell, Caroline Aiken, and ended with Jimmy LaFave... who I missed cause on my dialysis day I usually pass out early... tonight Caroline ended up around 11 and I turned in.

Sunday morning I worked my whole shift, from 7 til about noon... and then worked on, making 1000 chocolate chip cookies for the dinner. When I finished I shot over to Threadgill's for the finals of the New Folk and then back to the pop-up to do a little work on the top.
Sunday's evening concert featured Sara Hickman, Eliza Gilkyson, Kevin
Welch, and my fellow El Pasoan (recently moved to Wimberly), Tom Russell.

Monday John and I relaxed most of the day and he went swimming before his shift and I took a nap. That night was the highlight of the whole weekend (the only CD I bought week 1), The Bellville Outfit; one went to Montessori and the Science Academy with John. The young woman playing the fiddle in both pics is Phoebe! She was putting up her dinner dishes and saw John washing dishes and cried, "Johnny! What are you doing here?". John replied, "Dishes?" Anyway, these kids were really something to hear. Later Jon Vesner, Albert & Gage, and the Lost Gonzo Band played to finish up the first weekend.

249) Message to Andrew

Sunday, June 29, 2008
Home

Andrew ~ I briefly discussed with Ester the concerns she has about your reluctance to begin dialysis. I only have a few things to ask you to consider.

#1: Before you make a decision about this thing we sometimes call "life-alysis" (as opposed to dialysis), please do a lot of research about the process and how it can impact whatever kidney situation you have. Look up your condition and how it responds to dialysis. Look on the Davita website for the info they have on the plusses and minusses of doing dialysis (http://www.davita.com/dialysis/). This website can answer all your questions.

#2: Beginning dialysis is scary for everyone who decides to add this time-consuming thing to their lives... AND one thing you can do is to find out everything you can about the actual process. Before I started, I visited a local dialysis center and interviewed the nurses and a few of the people on the dialysis machines. Also, I had a good friend of mine go with me the first few times and that helped my anxiety.

#3: I don't know how you are feeling, health-wise, but when I started dialysis, within a week or so, I felt completely like my old, energetic self. The toxins that are running around in your body may be making you feel depressed, run down, cranky, and worn out. Dialysis will clean your blood and you will feel better. Almost everyone on dialysis says that.

I hope reading my blog is helpful to you, and I can fully understand why people are hesitant to begin this dialysis thing. Good Luck to you! And, please contact me if you have any questions or thoughts you have. JN

248) ANNOUNCEMENT

I have been too busy to post for the past few weeks! I'm working on some posts covering the following:

Dialysis in Kerrville, Texas
The Kerrville Folk Festival ~ weekend 1 (lots of pics)
My Father / Son Bonding weekend

247) KICK KATS SOCCER

May 10, 2008
Saturday

Morning: Shayna has another tourney this weekend; a game last night that they won 2 to 1 (Starlettes) and a game this morning at 8 am that they won 4 to one (Dynamites). Shayna played aggressive defense in both games and as forward played well but still hasn't scored this season. The third game is starting right now so I'm off back to the fields to watch...

10 AM Game: Another win for the girls; three zip against the Bobcats! Now Shayna is off to a bat mitzva and then back to the fields for a 5 o'clock game. I called in to El Milagro and got a 12:30 chair, and called Ciscos* to make a reservation for a 9 am table for 10 tomorrow for a mother's day surprise for the family mothers: Liz, Joan, Jen, & Diane


El Milagro: In around 12:45, after voting for the environmentalists for city council... Amanda the Tech sticks me better than ever before. Carol the Tech announces following Joe G. to go to Cedar Park soon. I settle in to trying to find the Spurs but they aren't on yet. Settle on seeing Father of the Bride with Steve Martin and Diane Keeton for the 33rd time... love that movie...

Call about Shayna's game and they are in the championship... were down two nothing but then caught up and ended tied two, two... and now in the first of two 5 minute overtimes!

Later called again and they are now through the overtimes and doing goal kicks... still tied 2 - 2 and I am watching the end of the Iast Indiana Jones movie where they have found the chalice and the girl is about to go down into a crack in the earth, trying to reach out for the chalice...

...and now I am set to be de-clamped and head on home... will call Lizzie for an update when I get home...

Later: Well... on goal kicks, the Kick Kats WON the tournament and are the champs for their age grroup in SAYSA! WOW!

Notes: In at 76.1 and out at 74.4 kgs.
* Ciscos, online at www.rateaustin.com/austin/ciscos-restaurant-bakery/12022/ - 21k -

246) HAND UPDATE

PICS FROM TODAY'S MEETING WITH DR. LOWN:

THE GLOVE COMES OFF TO SHOW SOME COOL STITCHES!

THE FINGER IS STRAIGHT AS CAN BE!!

SO NOW HE PUT ON A PLASTER SPLINT THAT ALLOWS ME TO TYPE A BIT BETTER AND WE WAIT ANOTHER TWO WEEKS, AND THEN I GO IN ON 5/28 TO GET THE STITCHES OUT AND MEET LISA THE REHAB GIRL.

<◊><◊><◊><◊><◊><◊><◊><◊><◊><◊><◊><◊><◊><◊><◊><◊><◊>

May 8, 2008
Thursday

El Milagro: I arrive and show off my new splint… Joseph the Hulk, who has written “Big Daddy” on his clear plastic face shield, comes to stick me, so from now on we’ll call him Joseph the BD. We talk about standing up for yourself in 8th grade and ways to avoid bullies… Celeste the Nurse does my eval and checks my TB test.

Sherry the Nurse reports on her work related to my “bill” from the DC trip last fall; turns out that the ins paid and it and “…they put it in a column and then someone moved it up but it shoulda stayed back down, so she’ll move it back down, blah blah blah…” any way it is taken care of now. I thanked Sherry and now we have to get to work on FW and K-ville trips.

The sad news today is about Eddie Arnold passing on: I can’t remember a time when he wasn’t on my radio… like a Ray Charles or a Hank Williams… the voice of buttery maple syrup, according to Diana Shore. For Eddie, the world has gone away, and RIP.

Tonite are my shows but I also want to see the Spurs and Hornets, who my dad is afraid are gonna bury his spurs… “they’re too young and too fast” he frets, “and they’re down two games…”… so, I want to catch part of it so we can talk about it later.

Here’s the TV run-down: Survivor ~ the women trick the last boy into giving uo immunity and then they throw his ass right off the island, which he deserves btw, for being so stupid! Gray’s Anatomy ~ more of the same round robin soap. LOST: coming on when I get home. Spurs ~ they never get the pre-game hoopla done before I am unhooked, clamped up, unclamped, bandaged up, and ready to go… I think it is 4 to 0 when I leave… but hey… they are in SA, so they gotta win this one, right? They are the CHAMPS!

Notes: In at 78.4 and out at 74.6 Kgs.
Eddie Arnold’s website: http://www.eddyarnold.com/
New Readers: For an INDEX, click January 2008 on the Sidebar and page down to post # 207.

245) POST HAND SURGERY

May 6, 2008
Tuesday

El Milagro: TODAY I ROLL IN HERE AT 4:30, HAVING LOST TRACK OF TIME AT WORK AGAIN. I’M TYPING IN ALL CAPS CAUSE I’M NOW A REGHT-HANDED LEFTY… SINCE MY RIGHT HAND LOOKS LIKE I’M WEARING A BOXING GLOVE. I DECIDED TO USE ALL CAPS (ALA STEVE BEWSEY) INSTEAD OF NO CAPS (ALA ee cummings) CAUSE IT’S EASIER THAN TRYING TO USE THE SHIFT BAR ALL THE TINE.

ROSIE THE TECH STICKS ME.
CAROL THE TECH MOTHERS ME: SETTING UP ALL MY PARAPHENALIA AND EVEN ROOTING AROUND IN MY BAG FOR SOME CANDY AND PLACING IT ON THE CHAIR-TABLE WHERE I CAN REACH IT.
A NEW NURSE GUY DOES MY NURSING EVAL.

ROWDER THE DOC COMES BY FOR THE DRIVE BY AND I TELL HIM ABOUT MY APPT WITH MORITZ AND ASK IF HE’S OK WITH THAT…”SURE; IT’S ONE LESS PATIENT ON MT LIST!” HE QUIPS. HE IS ALSO CURIOUS ABOUT MY HAND AND I TELL HIM IT WAS A SLICE JOB FOR DUPY’S DISEASE AND HE KNOWS THE CONDITION AND MAKES A NOTE IN MY RECORD.

JEN THE DIETICIAN STROLLS UP AND MAKES SOME JOKES… AND THEN GIVES ME MY CURRENT LABS… PHOS IS BACK TO 4.2, WHICH IS REGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF TE ACCEPTABLE RANGE OF 3.5 – 5.5.

SHERRY THE SOCIAL WORKER COMES UP AND WE DISCUSS THE ONGOING BILL SITUATION FROM MY TRIP TO DC LAST FALL AND MY BP GOES UP TO 151/75 JUST TALKING TO HER ABOUT IT… SHE IS ON MY SIDE AND VOLUNTEERS TO CALL TONYA ABOUT THE WHOLE THING. I THANK HER!

I AM SOMEWHAT WORN OUT TODAY… SO I AM GONNA CRASH OUT FOR A NICE SNOOZE AND WRITE ON SOMETIME LATER…

ONWARD THRU THE HAZE.

Notes: In at 78.5 and out at 75.5 Kgs.
New Readers: For an INDEX, click January 2008 on the Sidebar and page down to post # 207.

244) Dupuytren's Disease?

May 3, 2008
Saturday

Morning: Liz is out with her girlfriends for the weekend at Rocky River Ranch, kicking back and enjoying themselves without kids and hubbies. Shayna and I have a Soccer Tournament today and tomorrow: 3 games today and 2 tomorrow... so, I'll be going to dialysis at my regular 4 o'clock time and the coach will take Shayna to her last game and deliver her to Calla afterwards.

This is also my last weekend for doing two-handed work around here for awhile, since I'm having hand surgery for Dupuytren's Disease*! Nope... I never heard of it either but I do have it and it is time to do something about it cause I can't really shake hands anymore cause of my atrophied tendon in my little finger. I don't know how all the rest of you 60 year olds are doing, but it seems that I am just falling apart. I actually noticed this shrinking tendon thing a few years ago and at one time mentioned it to the doctor (Clark Race) who injects my index finger joint with Hyalgan for arthritis every three or four months. Dr Race said he could fix my atrophied finger but by the time I relented, he looked at it and said, "This is a job for the hand doctor!" and referred me to Dr. Era Lown. Now I have an appt for this hand surgery on Monday because we want it to get done and healed by Memorial Day weekend when we work at the folk festival. I talked to the pre-surgery interview nurse and she suggested I ask the anethesiologist for a kind of knock-out that'll not impact my going to see Lyle Lovett and Guy Clark** at 8 pm (my anniversary gift to Lizzie).

So, anyway, I finished painting the top of the pop-up yesterday and want to finish the inside ceiling this weekend, along with attending Shayna's soccer games... busy weekend again.

Noon: First game down, the Kick Kats' first loss of the season, to a San Antonio team; the Comets, 4 to 2.

Mid-afternoon: Second game down, Kick Kats' second loss of the season, to an Austin team; Blue Rush, 3 to 1. Maybe its a good thing I'm missing the third game of the day!

El Milagro: Got here on time... sitting in the front corner by the window, where I can see out on the parking lot and the whole room. Jason the Tech cannulates me with his usual style and Jo the Nurse does my nursing evaluation as we discuss parents and soccer tourneys.

I turn on the TV and find the 134th Kentucky Derby on NBC. Somehow I find it every year and have watched the two minute race for the roses almost every year. I remember watching it with Shayna the Horse Lover and chuckle at her picking winners based on the colors they sport, or their names. These horses have wonderful names; this year there is Big Brown, Z Fortune, Cool Coalman, Bob Black Jack, Eight Belles, Smooth Air, and Colonel John (who won the Santa Anna). I recall too, years ago, when my friend Albert had a commission to paint some of those thoroughbreds for someone and he produced some very colourful paintings that I really liked... I wonder what became of those paintings? (Al: if you read this, send my a photo of one of those for this blog) So, after several hours of TV time preparing for the 2-minute race, the race is on, and the announcer screams as Big Brown comes up on the outside and races out ahead of everyone except Eight Belles the filly. The filly is second by a few lengths! ...OUCH! She goes down... it doesn't look good. They finally report having to put her down cause of two broken ankles... what a sad day for her people.

Also, today is Pete Seeger's 89th birthday so I must tip my hat to this great activist who has reminded me throughout my life that there are always people to be spoken out for and causes to remember.

After the race and some Pete Seeger on Folkways, I turn to a movie to relax with and find The Incident, starring Walter Matthau and Susie Blakely***. Let me tell you about Susie Blakely... she was one of the kids that hung around briefly with the "in crowd" at the Ft. Bliss Officer's Club pool in the summers of '64 and '65, best I recall. I remember her as a fiercely motivated teenager who used to claim that her career goal was to become a famous actress. Actually, that is my hallucinatory memory... she might have not been that seemingly arrogant... she wasn't really overly outspoken about her dreams, but I do remember a few conversations at an umbrella-ed table out in front of the snack bar Dale, Jay and I worked in where we talked about going to California... me talking about a dream of going there to learn to surf, and her about acting. I also remember several of the guy lifeguards having various designs on her body, but she really wouldn't have any of that. She was protective of herself and not involved with the girls acting seductive and "cute" for playing up to the coolest guys kind of trip... she was more aloof and somehow seemed to me to be more interesting: later, as the women's movement was developing, I remember thinking back to her as an independent person who was my idea of a woman being liberated. And most of the guys who hung around the pool, and the lifeguards of that mid-sixties era didn't take well to women who were breaking away from "playing the game". I remember several guys remarking that she needed someone to put her in her place, and some who poo poo'd her statements about chasing her dreams of acting.

So, anyway, whenever I see her in a movie (she was in Rich Man, Poor Man) I take the time to watch it, simply because it is neat to see someone one once knew in the movies. And BTW, they have her age wrong on Wikepedia: I swear she was only a year younger than Dale and Tom and us who graduated in '65! She was born in '48, not '52. '52 would make her the same age as my little brother, and he and his crew were "little kids" in the days I am remembering.

So, this movie with her and Walter Matthau is worth watching... about a lawyer defending a Nazi in the post war years of the late '40's. Great era CARS too. I actually get to watch the whole movie and then I'm done with my dialysis. As we used to say back then, "Caio!"

Notes: In at 75.5 and out at 74.3 Kgs.
*Dupuyten's Disease, retrieved online May 3 from The Austin Hand Group,s website, http://www.austinhandgroup.com/injuries/dupuytrens.html
**Guy, Joe, John, and Lyle, retrieved online May 3 from the Paramount Theatre website, http://www.austintheatre.org/site/Calendar/1544269710?view=Detail&id=15062
***Susan Blakely, retrieved online May 3 from Wikepedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Blakely