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going to be out of touch for a while longer

(43 posts) (15 voices)

Started 14 years ago by goodgotd
Latest reply from goodgotd

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goodgotd
Member

even managing to keep up with the daily giveaway isn't likely.

comments are a maybe, pictures real rare. I've been benched by one doctor (bp 170/120, direct quote "DON'T EXERCISE!", with a generic med to keep it no higher) on the promise to find another doctor to work on it- because she's gonna be busy finding out how badly my C-spine has fallen apart again- really much harder to type and looks like more surgery soon.

I really was hoping to get back to walking around town snapping spring flowers and posting them, chatting, etc., but instead I'll need to fade back even more than I have been.

sorry, hope to be back again.

Posted 14 years ago #
Whiterabbit-uk
Games Guru

Take care. I hope everything resolves itself soon

regards

Whiterabbit

Posted 14 years ago #
midori
Member

Take it easy and good luck to you, goodgotd... hope the surgery isn't necessary.

midori

Posted 14 years ago #
copmom
Member

goody.. thanks for the update. I hope and pray that you find a doctor that knows how to fix what you've got going on!
{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} ~ Lauri

Posted 14 years ago #
ChancesZar
Member

Wishing you all the very best, goodgotd, hope all goes well!!

Posted 14 years ago #
goodgotd
Member

thanks, folks-

alas, surgery isn't avoidable from the symptoms- c8's involved this time.

I'm waiting on an mri to find out just how much is going to be required- at a minimum, another level of fusion... but I may have wrecked another 2 discs, and I dunno if that'll mean ripping out my current 3 vertebrae plate and installing a longer plate or if they can splice an extender on.

the waiting may not be the worst part, but it sure is frustrating!

Posted 14 years ago #
copmom
Member

A friend just had replacement parts put in the back of the neck. Her problem is her bones are SO brittle the doctor said he could poke a fingernail in a bone and it indented. If she doesn't follow his orders, she could be paralyzed since it's right at the spine, plus there's a tumor growing around her spine that they couldn't mess with during this surgery.

Sure wish they'd develop a procedure where they could just take our brains and put them in a younger body!!

Posted 14 years ago #
Buckleysmom
Member

Copmom....yeh.....but then sometimes the brain's not a lot better than the body :)

Goody....will be keeping you in prayer, and Terry too. Sorry to hear you have to go through all this. Keep your chin up.
HUGS
BK

Posted 14 years ago #
Pookie
Member

goodgotd, I hope all goes well for you.

Posted 14 years ago #
delenn13
Minbari Ambassador

Goody, you take care and keep your chin up. And Terry too.

Posted 14 years ago #
Robert
StrayCat

Goody,everything's gonna be ok!
We will be thinking of you...and waiting for you to come back to the forum.
Take care.

Posted 14 years ago #
pavid
gamer extraordinaire & knowledgeable computer nerd who likes to argue, but is still a very nice guy

Wishing you all the best. Take care.

Posted 14 years ago #
Lester (Chip)
English Mod

We'll be praying for you :]

Posted 14 years ago #
Whiterabbit-uk
Games Guru

How are things Goodgotd?

Posted 14 years ago #
copmom
Member

Rabbit.. thanks for bringing back this topic. I was wondering the same thing.. Goody.. has anything new happened this past month??
At first I thought by the subject, you were talking about yourself! Are you and your family back in the UK now?

Posted 14 years ago #
Whiterabbit-uk
Games Guru

Hi copmom, yes, we returned on Thursday. I've only just got my body clock realigned to UK time, lol. We had a brilliant time and want to return soon. I was impressed with what I saw. I loved the shops, especially Walmart (lol).

My best moment was meeting one of the space shuttle astronauts and chatting. (also had a photo taken). I have vivid memories of all of the Apollo missions and some of the Gemini missions, so to visit Kennedy Space Station at Cape Canaveral was one of those things I've wanted to do virtually the whole of my life.

Posted 14 years ago #
notblocklox
retired

Stephen, it seems that you had a heavenly birthday-party ?
My best wishes!

envylox

Posted 14 years ago #
RosnSC
Member

LOL @ "envylox". Stephen, I am glad for you that you had such a wonderful time and birthday, and that you got to realize a life-long dream come true!

Goodgotd, as copmom and W'Rabbit asked, how ARE things going with you now?

Sue

Posted 14 years ago #
Whiterabbit-uk
Games Guru

:)

Posted 14 years ago #
copmom
Member

Yes Rabbit.. a very, very happy belated birthday. What are you now, 29 + tax? LOL
Glad you got to realize your lifelong dream of going to the space center. I laughed when you said Wal-Mart.. just went there today for a few things, like printer ink, etc.
We've had a regular one here for quite some time, but then they built a new 'super' Wal-Mart about 10 miles further away and closed the first one down. Now we can get groceries there which are cheaper than the regular grocery store, gardening things, and whatever else we need all in one place. When I go there I do have a list of needed things.. don't go through the whole store or else I'd spend too much!

Posted 14 years ago #
goodgotd
Member

just found this thread had been updated- thank, everyone for your support and prayers.

tomorrow I go to the clinic to see if my blood pressure is responding to the latest medication update and to get a blood draw for enzyme analysis. I was running 140+/112, so that was a whole new problem that shook me up worse.

I hadn't realized that I hadn't updated the info here since I had my MRI and the real problem was found. It's not C8- it's worse. the C2-3 disc (just under the axis, the second bone down from the skull- the first is the atlas- see the images for more info) ruptured on the left side, pressing directly on the spinal cord from that side and is causing weakness, loss of sensation and major muscle spasms from neck to toes on the left.

The stuff is getting worse faster than I care to think about, since I won't see the neurosurgeon until the 29th of this month. If my recollection of neuroanatomy is right, anything above C3 includes heart and lungs as well as voluntary muscle control, and is quite a bit riskier both from proximity and the difficulty of access.

What, me worry?

In the meantime I've been kicked back to 30 mg/day of valium from 20/day, which has me pretty much comalyzed most of the time, so getting the things done I have to do is even more difficult and hazardous since clumsy is back to being my middle name.

keeping in touch with most everything not priority alpha plus has gone out the window- there are times I can't even use a mouse with any reliable results. scooping litterboxes and doing dishes take seriously creative scheduling. The yard work I'd hoped to take a second year swat at is just going to have to grow uninterrupted for a while.

Here's the image I sent Whiterabbit, and a later shot I got of a diagram at the clinic for reference. sorry they're mirror imaged.

latest mri showing compression

cervical spine illustration

Posted 14 years ago #
Whiterabbit-uk
Games Guru

Hi, really soory to hear things are still dire. You are in my thoughts. I can empathise with you after suffering myself. though not to the same degree that you are doing at present. If only we could grow new vertebra. :(

Take care and please do keep us updated.

Warm regards

Stephen

Posted 14 years ago #
goodgotd
Member

I'd rather have a good silicone rubber drop-in replacement for the *()*^%$(^ discs, but that's me. though drop-in bones would be right handy too, I agree.

Just to keep people up with what I've gotten shots of, here's a couple of images- and for those who can afford to download 106 megs, (this is the same archive, WR, just had to re-host it- and if somebody wants to host/post them that's fine too) there's an archive on sendspace (105 early 2009 pictures.zip) with 105 of my latest cropped images for any who wish to have a gander.

the one marked 'quarter inch bloom' is actually smaller than the blossoms of the 'small wildflowers with a soda straw' below.

My bad.

a purple poof- no, not a clue what it is, aside from pretty.

one of jim's poppys

and a couple of small wildflowers with a soda straw for scale

just for scorekeeping, this canon powershot A720 IS now has 17,107 pictures on it since last august, and still popping out really good shots even though the case plastic is a bit worn. :)

I found that the canon powershot SX110 IS is currently available for ~$250 locally, 223 at amazon- and aside from lacking an optical viewfinder (which I've used a heckuva lot less than I ever thought I would) it's got specs as good or better than the 720. not the smallest, but more compact than many other superzoom cameras.

optical stabilized in the lens, runs on a pair of AA batteries, bigger lens, bigger screen, 9 megapixel, 10x optical zoom, and minimum macro range is still 3/8 of an inch.... and support is included in the latest releases of the CHDK software, which adds overrides on optical zoom in movie mode, adds RAW image capability, extends shutter times in both directions, bracketing, scripting, and much, much more. (I'm currently using INTERVAL to do time lapse photography with the 720, and no, it doesn't void the warranty at all)

After using the earlier BC-900 for a while I also highly recommend the La Crosse Technology BC-9009 AlphaPower Battery Charger for anyone who uses AA or AAA NiMH or NiCD rechargeables. Way better than any charger that charges batteries in pairs, and the refresh feature is great for NiCads that have taken a 'set'.

link at amazon, just 40 bucks and worth twice that.

Posted 14 years ago #
notblocklox
retired

Thanks, goody, for the update though I hoped so much it would have been better news.
And thanks for your photos - lovely flowers like always, have posted a comment on two of them.
I did not take any pictures since nearly a year now. Being moody I have not the required patience.
Best wishes to you and Terry.

Posted 14 years ago #
SeniorCitizen
Member

goodgtd wrote: "It's not C8- it's worse. the C2-3 disc (just under the axis, the second bone down from the skull- the first is the atlas- see the images for more info) ruptured on the left side, pressing directly on the spinal cord from that side and is causing weakness, loss of sensation and major muscle spasms from neck to toes on the left."

I'm a stranger on this forum thread, and though I do not know goodgtd, would like to provide my very best wishes to you and that you soon have a pain-free life. I can sympathize what you're going through and can almost feel your pain. I've 'been there, done that'. It is excrutiating at times.

And after reading what Whiterabbit wrote about the Apollo mission, I was reminded of some thoughts I've had over the years. We can put people on the moon, but we can not get rid of a human's pain or cure the common cold.

You'll be in my prayers, goodgotd, wishing for you a clean bill of health. -- Linda

Posted 14 years ago #
Whiterabbit-uk
Games Guru

Thanks to for the info on digital cameras, I'm hoping to get a good professional digital camera in the near future, something I've been 'yearning' for for quite some time. I'm still using my Kodak DX6490 (with 10x optical zoom) simply because I haven't been able to take advantage of the massive price drop I've seen in the more professional spec digital camera's. It's only 4Megapixels, but has given me good service for the past six years. It has several features that you don't find on the usual point and click digital cameras, but it doesn't have such features as interchangeable lenses and RAW capture, which I really want. When I bought it (cost me nearly $500 back then) the higher spec cameras cost a lot more than they do now, also I think the higest MegaPixel available at the time was 6MP apart from a new model that had just come out with 10MP, but that was a couple of thousand dollars. Many of these cameras have come down in price amazingly over the past six years and I can't wait to get my hands on one. :) Though I don't go out like I used to do. I was always out taking photos, but no longer :(

Posted 14 years ago #
copmom
Member

Rabbit.. I have to admit, my Olympus C4040 (4.1 megapixels)is quite old now and also cost me a pretty penny, it came close to $1,000 USD back then including the various lenses to add to it for extra zoom, macro, etc. But, know what? It's a pain adding and removing all those lenses, and remembering which ones to add first in a set of 3 with adaptors! I've found that even though I also have the Sony Cybershot, (7.2 megapixels) and a lot of that is built in.. and the Olympus is lower, it still seems to take a lot better quality shots than some of the newer ones. I also read recently that cameras are now coming out with 12 megapixel, etc., but that it really isn't necessary unless someone is planning to print out high quality POSTER size pictures .. or being used professionally, and how many of us do that? So the lower megapixels are plenty sufficient for taking good quality pictures!
I must admit, at first I always had that little sony camera in my pocket.. now it's just sitting on the kitchen counter! There have been a few times I did wish I had it on me when I saw something really pretty. Especially when there are great landscape type photos.

Posted 14 years ago #
delenn13
Minbari Ambassador

We have missed you, Goody. You take care and please know that Terri and you are in our prayers.

Posted 14 years ago #
goodgotd
Member

put your prayer machine in low gear for a long, slow haul- I suspect I'm now a victim of hmo cost-cutting, the neurosurgeon essentially said 'you aren't in danger of dying of it; goodbye, you are the weakest link'.

another month probably before I can assemble enough data just to start on a plan to find a place to put pressure on. until then, endurance is all I have.

-------------------

as far as cameras, I still suggest Canon Powershot's that are in the CHDK development list- just one of it's *smaller* tricks is RAW output- the sx110is is there, (my pick, even though the support's in beta yet- it uses AA batteries though not an A-series- my current rec for charger is the LaCross tech BC-9009, 40 clams at amazon with 4 AA & 4 AA batteries plus c and d size sleeves) the "replacement" for the a720is, the a2000is- ain't. sx110's can be had new for $220 or so, refurb a720's about that with an 8 gig card and a bit more if you want a 3 year warranty. check ebay, lots around.

I've 2 weeks to send in my 720 for an in-warranty tune-up, there's 22,071 shots on it- I'm gonna try busting 24k before I send it off..... a guy's gotta have goals.....

Posted 14 years ago #
Whiterabbit-uk
Games Guru

Hi goodgotd, nice to see you around. thanks for theadvice as well. :)

Posted 14 years ago #

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