Back in US OR!

[grinninfoole]

1) Mom is still in the rehab hospital, and the pain in her back is gone, but unfortunately she still suffers agonizing pain in her legs, and  she's actually losing some mobility in her feet.  Yesterday, she had a CAT scan to figure out what's going on, which appears to be a herniated disc with a bone fragment from the compression fracture in her t12 vertebra (which is what they fixed last week).  So, Mom 
needs more back surgery (a laminectomy) to fix the damage.  This is mostly good news, because it's a fairly routine procedure, and it will likely allow her to recover and come home.  BUT, it's serious enough that she'll need to be anesthetized, recovery from it can take a week or two even when isn't suffering from Parkinson's, osteoporosis, and somewhat frail.  

So, they just told Mom tonight at about 10 PM that on the schedule for 10 AM tomorrow, and she's kind of freaked out.  I'm already in Andover today, because Dave asked me to come back and help with taking Dad to a routine doctor's appointment.  So, I'm going to stay here another night and go with her tomorrow.  I'm glad I can help, but I'm worried I'm going to let something slip between the cracks with...

2) The Paint & Pixel Festival is THIS SATURDAY.  It's going to be a really fun, really cool show, and if you can make it out, I hope you will.  I'm stressing about because I'm arranging the panel discussions, and I still need to make a few arrangements that I should have done about a month ago.  :(   I hope that Peggy, the founder and main organizer, isn't going to crazy because I'm so behind.   Most of it's done, but there a few important details I need to finish.  Most importantly, I need to come up with proper titles, descriptions (to list in the program) and questions (to ask during the event itself).

3) I'm filling in on the next Mythspoken podcast, and I need to make time to plan what I'm going to say.  I want it to go smoothly, since I'm filling in for Mike, and Jim and I don't have the same easy chemistry.

4) I saw my doctor for my annual physical yesterday, and I'm apparently in decent health, except for being 50 to 60 pounds overweight, plus struggling with dysthymia (that's depression  that isn't so bad that I can't enjoy anything ) and a bit of ADD.  She recommended that I take my ADD meds every day, because that might stabilize and improve my moods enough that other areas of my life will be easier to manage.  (Apparently, the significant mood lift I experience from adderal is actually a sign that I do have ADD, as all your non-crazy folks just get more energetic and focused).

5) We had a great concert at the store on Monday night, the Ladies Of Ragnarok, which was three geeky ladies coming and singing nerdy songs up in the Mythos.  I have never been particularly interested by fan music before when I've bumped into it.  It seems, like fan fiction, that much of it lame, but some is actually well made, interesting and fun (albeit perhaps not to a general audience). I particularly enjoyed the Doubleclicks for their great comic stage presence (Aubrey the cellist is my new celebrity crush).  The crowd loved the show, and we got both Molly Lewis and the Doubleclicks to do an encore, so they did the mah na mah na song.  :) 

Comments

[millari.livejournal.com]

I'm glad your mom is finding a solution (hopefully) to all this pain she's been experiencing and come home. It's good that you're staying with her, because yeah, going under is frightening, even when it's routine. I am lucky enough to have never had to do it myself, but I saw my mom deal with it, and it definitely made her feel better to have us there until the last possible moment before she went under. The doctors, nurses and anesthesiologists are very nice people, but they have a job to do, and they can forget that what they do every day freaks people the hell out, and not take the time to reassure or explain what they're doing. I think having a third person there to ask questions or just remind them that someone is advocating for the patient is a good counterbalance to that effect.

Good for you for going for your annual physical. I have put mine off for months, but I do actually have one scheduled. The ADD meds do some seem to have some beneficial effects. What are your downsides to them? I know there's the long-term worry you told me about, that you could get involuntary muscle twitching and stuff like that. Are there others?

You sound so busy and stretched in different places lately, like you need a TARDIS. :(

[puszysty.livejournal.com]

I know back problems can get to be really serious, and it sounds like your mom's is on the less serious end, so that's good. Can I ask how surgery went?

[grinninfoole.livejournal.com]

She's still in pain, and she still basically can't move her legs below the knee, but it's still too early to say that operation failed.