To Wordpress 2.5, and it seems to be working. Finally, something good.
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31Mar
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28Mar
JADA - Just Another Doctor’s Appointment. I had the follow up appointment yesterday with the “first” doctor. Last time I saw him I waited 2 hours or so before getting called into a exam room, remember? This time I checked in and sat down to wait, but before I could pick up a magazine to gaze at for a couple of hours, they called me!!! Holy shit, that could ‘almost‘ make up for my last visit! So, I get weighed, get my blood pressure taken and wait in the exam room - FOR TWO HOURS for the doctor to come in.
No change in prognosis, I will see the specialist next Tuesday at Loma Linda. My blood tests were all fine! My cholesterol was again extremely good! It must be in my genes, I eat poorly! But my face locked up again and he prescribed a drug for that, Lexapro. I will look that one up and see what that is all about.
You know you are in trouble when the doctor actually says; “live for today and take any trips you ever wanted to take“. Really, I couldn’t make this up!!
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26Mar
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25Mar
WebMD has a good article about ALS:
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - Symptoms - (I’ve marked my symptoms)
The symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) include:
* Weakness or clumsiness in the hands and feet. - YES
* Gradual loss of strength of the arms and legs. - YES
* Inability to control the use of the arms and legs. - NO
* Muscle twitches (fasciculations). - YES
* A stiff, clumsy walking style. - NO
* Difficulty swallowing, speaking, and breathing. You may notice a problem with drooling. - YES, a little
* Fatigue. - Not really
* Trouble controlling your emotions. You may burst into tears or start laughing for no reason. - Not for no reason, but I am way more emotional than before - It’s embarassing
* Muscle cramps, especially at night, which may occur late in the course of the disease. - YES
* Pain during the late stages of the disease. - Not yet…It is important to remember that having muscle weakness, fatigue, stiffness, and twitching doesn’t necessarily mean that you have ALS.
The first sign of ALS is usually slight weakness in one leg, one hand, the face, or the tongue. Other problems may include increasing clumsiness and difficulty performing tasks that require precise movements of the fingers and hands. Muscle twitching may also occur. The weakness slowly spreads to the arms and legs over a period of months or years. As the nerves continue to waste away and decrease in number, the muscle cells that would normally be stimulated by those nerves also start to waste away, and the muscles weaken.
ALS is a progressive, disabling disease. Walking, speaking, eating, swallowing, breathing, and other basic functions become more difficult with time. These problems can lead to injury, illness, and other complications.
Respiratory problems are the most common serious complication of ALS. As the muscles in the throat and chest area become weak, swallowing and coughing become more difficult, which may sometimes cause food and saliva to be inhaled into the windpipe (aspiration). This may lead to pneumonia. Breathing problems tend to get worse as the disease progresses, increasing the risk of infection and respiratory failure.
Pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, lung failure, and heart failure (probably due to lack of adequate breathing as the chest muscles weaken) are the most common causes of death among people with ALS. In most cases, death will occur within 3 to 5 years after symptoms begin, although some people live for many years, even decades.
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22Mar
I had wanted to see this in the theater but never made it, so we rented it on DirecTV and I loved it, It has all the Beatles music I grew up with..
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21Mar
I am scheduled to visit a specialist at Loma Linda for a second opinion on April 1st and find out what’s next. I am looking forward to the appointment, but I am not looking forward to what he will say. Since the appointment is on April Fools Day I plan to break the ice with a joke “Why did I have to have my appointment with you on April Fools Day? You will probably say ‘you have ALS, just kidding’ - hahaha”. BUT, the neurologist will try to get me into Loma Linda sooner if he can.
Oh well, Stephen Hawkings has had ALS since 1962 and is still kicking, or at least rolling around. Here is a neat article about his theory about the Big Bang Theory. -
19Mar
This terrible disease I seem to have is named after the great baseball player for the Yankees, Lou Gehrig I should find out soon if I have it or not…
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