Finally, A 6 Month Update

I'm sure most of you have been wondering "what the heck is up with Greg these days?". Well, in a nutshell, it hasn't all been good.

After the diagnosis of Myoclonus in July, I started treatment and things seemed to be going ok. Then in the beginning of September, I started having heartburn that wouldn't go away. On September 18th, I was at work when it became unbearable. I went to Piedmont Hospital. I ended up having 3 angioplasties and a stent put in. I thought all would be fine but I was wrong. 3 days after being released, I was having pain again and alot of dizziness. Back to Piedmont. I was having clotting issues and the kept me on Warfin for 2 days. Once again, I felt better but not 100% yet I continued to work.
I've been walking to work because the meds make me feel "off" and I don't feel safe to drive. In addition, I've lost almost 30 pounds since September so I thought I was on the right track or so I thought.

Got to work December 5th and felt odd. Actually, I had been feeling that way for the previous 2 days but this time it was different. At about 1:30pm, the tingling and stabbing began. Once again I was off to Piedmont. More test revealed more problems. Long and short of it, had another two angioplasties and another stent put in. To top it all off, I go back in 6 weeks an have get yet another stent (they wanted to wait to see if this one would help correct the other and maybe avoid the other stent).  In addition, we're looking into the connection between the myoclonus and it's effects on other systems.

So, I continue the drug therapy and am starting the Mediterranean Diet to avoid further complications. 


Until later, I keep trudging along.


Interesting pics below-

Finally proved them wrong!

Hey,

Just thought I'd give an update on my situation. I saw the neurologist yesterday and had an EEG (electroencephalogram) which confirmed what I thought it was all along- myoclonus. It's a nervous system disorder that has 4 different levels. I'll be having some more testing to determine exactly which it is in order to treat it. 

 I was jerking all over when I arrived which was a good thing. It's like when you take your car to the mechanic because it's making a noise but when you get there it's as quiet as can be. So they hooked up all of the electrodes and started the test. Pretty simple at first but when they started the strobe light, I started flopping like a fish out of water. They increased the intensity of the strobe to the point that I almost flipped off the table. So, essentially it confirmed what I had said all along. On the downside, more DRUGS. They slow down the jerking but not completely. So , we'll see what happen from here. I'm due back at work on 8/23. Hopefully I'll be able to drive by then. I was thinking, with the new drugs, I might take The Contessa around the block this weekend. She hasn't had her legs stretched for quite some time- we'll see.

The disability insurance people are still fighting paying me saying there is not enough evidence for them to pay the claim. Hopefully this will show them that there is!

That's about it from here. 

Why hasn't Greg updated in almost 6 months?

Life challenges!

 After my last post in January, H-Pylori reared it's ugly self back to life. I guess we didn't kill it completely the first time around and I had to go through the 14 day treatment all over again- not fun. Then in February, the cellulitus reoccurred on the right side of my face. Another 10 day regimen of antibiotics followed to kill this bug.

 March 5th things got worse. I developed non-epileptic myoclonus (full body jerking) associated with my sleep apnea and severe anxiety attacks. More drugs (ugh) to control them yet now I'm pretty much a shut in because I don't know when they'll happen.
 I had a sleep study in April that showed my sleep apnea had become much worse. I had an appointment with my ENT mid-April and he found my turbinates had returned to their previous swollen state and were severely restricting my breathing. I had the reduction procedure 2 weeks later and can now breathe freely. However, I had to wait a month to heal before I could for the follow-up sleep study.
 I was able to make it to work up until last week when things got so bad I couldn't function. Driving is OUT! I can make it about a mile when the anxiety and jerking begin (had to have the car towed home once do to this).
 I'm been on medical leave since May 24th and will be on short term disability until August 23 to get these problems resolved. I'm hoping with the CPAP machine (keeps me breathing at night) that the other problems will correct themselves.

So, in a nut shell, that's why I haven't updated or spoken with anyone for quite some time. I dislike having to bore everyone with my issues and the inevitable sympathies that follow. I'm keeping a positive attitude and hoping for the best.

Life challenges will never cease.

The shelves were bare!

I hoofed it up to Publix in search of edibles. A normal 10 minute walk took about 25 with dodging all the ice. When I got there I found many things stripped bare. More proof of the panic mode Atlantans fall into when they hear the word ice!

Atlanta Ice Idiots

The street is completely frozen yet this idiot MUST get out. The guys pushed him and got him up the hill after which he slid down and hit a parked car (sorry no footage of that but I'm not that stupid to walk on ice to get the pics).

The Contessa is back!

After 141 days of separation, the Contessa is back home and looking great. The shop did a great job and honored the price they quoted even though the work done was worth much more.

                                It's good to have her home.

The Contessa Update!

The Contessa is still in the shop getting fixed. The guy is giving me a HUGE break on the cost of the repair in exchange for my patience. I'm hoping she'll be back next week.
Now, the bad part. The 8 time convicted felon that stole her is out of jail due to over-crowding.He is considered a "non-violent" criminal.  He spent a total of 60 days of his sentence in jail. I called and wrote the Assistant District Attorney, the District Attorney and even wrote to the judge that sentence him seeking an explanation. None of them responded. What am I to do you ask? I'm going to the media.

Fulton County has been under a federal order to reduce over-crowding at it's jail since 2003. They have done nothing. No new facilities built. No arraignments to transfer convicts to less populated prisons. There have been many media stories of millions of tax dollar waste in all parts of the county government. This is the angle I'm going for when sue the county for damages. If they had done their job and kept the thief in jail on his prior conviction, The Contessa would never have been stolen.  The media will help expose the thief's past and the failure on the county's part to protect it citizens. I will use this information when I go to court. If I win, I will take the money and get out of this hell hole of a city. Where to move I don't know. I know one thing for sure though, it will be north of the Mason-Dixie line.

Life's challenges never cease.

The Trial for The Contessa

The trial for the thief that stole The Contessa was June 29 and I'm very happy with the results. It was actually his arraignment to decide if we would proceed to trial. He plead guilty to the charges. After hearing that I was the 8th car theft victim of this guy, my blood began to boil. The thief , age 57, went on to say that he had had a difficult life with his drug addiction and asked for leniency and drug treatment. He said he didn't have any money- he worked in exchange for rent and $100 a week. Tough life? I don't think so buddy!
 Armed with the before and after photos, I presented my side of the case. The judge looked at the pictures and $14K repair estimate and listened. After explaining that after taxes, rent, utilities and $700 a month in medical payments, I live on about $75 a week-25% less than the criminal. That's when the whole case took an interesting twist.
The public defender questioned the amount of damage and the cost being that The Contessa is a 28 tear old car and it wasn't worth that much. The judge snapped "You've destroyed a classic car! Look what you've done (passing the pictures to the public defender and defendant). You've ruined this man's car that he's cared for for years because of your actions. You have cases going back 11 years of car thefts causing your victims great hardship. In each and every case, you were ordered to complete drug treatment provided by the court at no cost to you. Looking at you history, each and every time you were released you went for treatment one time and never returned. Mr Lewis (the defendant)- today you will learn. 20 years with 15 to serve". The public defender countered that the sentence was excessive. The judge shot back with a bit of a snarl "Shall we make it 25? Mr. Lewis' trail of victims ends today. In addition, I'm ordering that Mr. Lewis pay restitution to the victim in the amount of $14,255.86 for that damages he caused".  The gavel fell  and it was over.
Although I will probably never see a dime from this guy, it's a comfort to know that he will spend the next 15 years regretting that I showed up in court and fought back.

The Contessa is home. Even though her body is damaged, she still pops right off and drives wonderfully. The search for parts has begun in earnest to one day bring her back to her former glory.

The Contessa stolen-AGAIN!!

I arrived at work on Thursday at 1;20pm. I clocked in, got my water bottle and headed to the floor. I no more than got to my department when one of the lot men came running through the store screaming "Where's Greg! They're stealing his car!". We have APD officers in the store and he heard Tony screaming. He knew my car -she is unique- and called it in right away. What the idiot that stole my car didn't realize was that the brake lock I use (it's like The Club except it locks the brake pedal to the floor) meant he couldn't stop the car. He nearly hit to pedestrians who also called it in. He didn't get far before crashing through a chain link fence at the Goodyear Service Center (where I've had a lot of work done), jumped out of the still moving car and took off leaving the Contessa to crash into the building. The police were on him immediately and cuffed him. The police brought me to the scene where I was able to read him a very controlled riot act (too many witnesses for me to say what I really wanted to).
I had her battered body towed home and mourned her injuries. She goes into the shop Monday for repairs.

I was able to block the thief's appeal for bond meaning he'll sit in jail for at LEAST 2 weeks before he faces arraignment- where I will be again to block his release. I'll update with more info when available.

Life's challenges never cease.
Full pics at http://s684.photobucket.com/albums/vv207/graugorama/Car%20Theft%206%203%202010/

When it rains, it pours...

Last Sunday afternoon I started feeling weird. The left side of my face started tingling like I had had a shot of novocaine. I figured I'd slept funny during my nap and tried to forget about it but it didn't go away. Got up Monday morning for work and while shaving I felt a small bump in my left cheek. Still, I really didn't think anything of it and went to work. The problem really began when I got up Tuesday morning and found the entire left side of my face swollen and red. Off to the ER I went at 4am. It turned out to be Cellulitis- a staph infection running from the top of my ear, down to my jaw and across to the corner of my mouth. They gave me some really strong antibiotics (which make me feel worse) and to me to check with my Dr in 10 days. 
Well, here I am at day 5 and its getting a bit better. I haven't been to work (mostly out of embarrassment but also because of the Rx) and I'm bored out of my mind.  The worst part of this entire situation is the Contessa.  On the way home from the ER she started making an odd sound when idling at a light that disappeared when I accelerated. It got louder the closer I got to the apartment. I made it home ok but upon inspection I found that one of the motor mounts had broken - not something I can easily repair. So she's off to the shop on Monday for repair. 
Here I sit, face bloated, feeling like crap without a car. I'll be fine in time but the trip getting there will not be fun.


When it rains, it pours... 

Update on the Tummy Troubles

Two days after I posted about my tummy troubles, the biopsy results came back. Nothing serious but it was positive for H. Pylori (a nasty little bacteria). It feeds on stomach acid and makes the stomach think it's not producing enough acid which in turns makes it produce more (are you following this?) causing a host of issues.
Well, after a two week treatment (Prevpac) of EIGHT pills a day to kill the thing, its dead. The best part is not having to take antacids all day every day in order to function. I was finally able to have a cup of coffee without doubling over in agony.  I haven't tried alot of the foods I used to eat because, well, I've kinda lost the taste for them which is a good thing. The weight loss throughout all of this is the best part 20+ lbs. Now, if I can just keep it off.

I am hopeful this will bring an end to this saga and I can get back to living a somewhat normal life.
That's all for now.

With a bit of hope...

We may have found the problem behind all the health issues that have plagued me these past years.

On Friday the 11th, I had an EGD (Esophagogastroduodenoscopy) at Dekalb Medical. It showed that I have a Hiatal Hernia big enough to cause problems other than GERD (acid reflux) but not large enough to require surgery ( whew).
There's a lot of stuff inside the chest in that area that can be affected by this condition. One of them is the Vagus nerve (one of the longest in the body) which picks up readings from all over the body and sends the signal back to the brain. The brain, in turn, sends out commands telling various parts of the body what to do or how to react. With this type of hernia, it can press on that nerve and "short circut " things-so to speak. The brain can't figure out what's going on and sends the "fight or flight" signal to the rest of the body. Everything goes into high gear (even if you are lying down.) and throws everything out of whack. Heart rate and blood pressure go up, breathing can become difficult, and stress signals go through the roof. To sum it up, your engine is racing but the transmission is not in gear.

After all of this happens, you are left feeling exhausted (fatigue), dizzy, and heartburn like you've never imagined. This what has been going on with me for the past 3 years or so.

Now, I have to take blame for some- well a lot- of this. Smoking is one of the big things that irratates the stomach. This will be a tough habit to quit. Pasta, most breads, and even liquor were easy to give up. But having smoked for 35 years, it is so ingrained in my daily life, change will be difficult. Diet is another adjustment that will help control flare ups which means giving up some favorites (the demons in disguise) that irritate.  Stress at work will also have to be addressed and regulated.

Now that I know the cause of this, I will take steps to correct it. Difficult- YES. Impossible- NO.

I hope this has been informative and enlightening. I know it opened my eyes.

Some Fun Things To Ponder

*UNANSWERED QUESTIONS*

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If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea...
 Does that mean that one enjoys it?

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There are three religious truths:
Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.  Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the Leader of the Christian Faith.  Baptists do not recognize each other in the liquor store or at Hooters

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If people from Poland are called Poles, then why aren't people from Holland called Holes?

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Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
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If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*

Why do croutons come in airtight packages?
Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?

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*Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a race car is not called a racist?

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Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety-one?

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If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, then doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

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 If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?

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Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?

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What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
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I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me, they're cramming for their final exam .
 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons
and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use. Toothpicks?

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Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office?
What are we supposed to do, write to them?  Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?

 *~*~! *~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*

If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 *You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.

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 *Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?
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 *If a cow snorted when it laughed would milk come out of her nose?

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?

AND FINALLY....

As income tax time approaches, did you ever notice that when you put the two words 'The' and 'IRS' together it spells 'THEIRS'?

Enjoy a laugh every day!

Eye test

I

Well, its been awhile...

Been sometime since I posted. Things are different around here without Sacha but I'm getting used to it- kinda quite though.

I've finally started eating better and it's amazing how much money you save when you don't buy all the junk that you usually do. I'm talking no pasta, white bread, cheese, pizza prepared sauces, soda, sugar, candy, cured meats or cold cuts, and a whole lot of other stuff. My mantra is "if you can't pronounce the ingredients- don't eat it!". Just read the labels on some of the stuff in your cupboard- you'll be shocked! The best part of all of this is the weight loss. I've dropped 12 pounds without even trying. It just shows what all the chemical crap that's in our food can do to us.

On a lighter note, I've finally replaced my comforter set. Sacha always loved sleeping on my bed. I, however, was never allowed to share it with her. I always washed them regularly but never replaced because her claws would catch and snag here and there. So here it is- ooooooooooo aahhhhhhh (I need to replace the art- it's old too)

That's about it from Atlanta. Exciting huh?

Sacha C. Maus 1995-2009

Sacha Maus concluded her role as friend and companion on July 18, 2009.

In the beginning, life was difficult for Sacha. Her original owners didn't realize that the cute, wrinkled puppy would grow as large as she did. She was confined to an 8 X 10 screened porch for 4.5 years which made her shy and distrustful of people.
At the time of her rescue, she was bald, thin and frightened. With good food, lots of love and treats, she became a princess that greeted everyone she met with a sniff and a nudge.
She would stand greet whenever you entered the room even though toward the end her arthritis slowed her standing. But she always made it up to say "Hey- good to see you".

Sacha will be missed.

When you won't admit it...

You improvise ! It seems they make the print so small these days- damn it! I know there will come a time to admit it and get glasses. But not just yet! Such is life...

What do you do when the freezer doesn't freeze?

You could call the repairman and wait or (being me) you take it apart and figure out what's wrong. Thanks to the Internet for it charts and blueprints, I was able to get this mess cleared up. Now I have a new problem- it's too cold. Such is life...

MKP1 Conference Atlanta 2009

It's always nice to have visitors. You get to see parts of the city you rarely visit.
Great discussions and ideas for future endeavors flowed freely.

A good time was had by all.

UPDATE Painting

Sometimes, no matter how much you plan, you come up short. 1 gallon just didn't make it- damn it!

Thankfully, there are now 8 oz tintable tubs of paint available and I was able to finish.

Such is the challenge of life. It doesn't always turn out as planned yet things seem to work their way out.