I went to the MD today - there has been healing, but still have a way to go. Also, nasal tissues very inflamed - looks like allergic reaction. Left nostril completely sealed off.
It appears that even after surgery, I may need to do nasal rinses mulitple times a day because of allergens.
My MD encouraged my to talk to my apartment complex and ask them If I can get a top quaility A/C filter for my apartment.
My MD and I decided I would return to work part time. I will discuss this with my boss tomorrow.
I had a very strange dream last night. All I can remember now is that it involved a warehouse, which had an internal maze made from walls of cement. I wandered alot. Eventually I came to some people. I took off my coat, which was khaki in color and looked military. Examining the coat, there was something written in different places on the jacket. It was written in ink, and it was my handwriting. It appeared to be some kind of programming language, expressed as formulas that looked algebraic but also looked like a human language - but not English. I distinctly remember a sentence being written on the collar which would be on the back of my neck when I wore the jacket. These things were written on the outside of the jacket. A girl asked me what they were. I said "They are Mormon tattoos".
Monday, June 15, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Bare Feet
I went to Church today, first time in 4 weeks. I forgot to wear a nasal strip - by the 3rd hour, I was almost sound asleep.
Kofi did not come to church today. He has not paid his electrical bill - just like last year around this same time. He has not come to Church for 2 weeks in a row - because he has no power. He said today - it was because he could not iron his suit. I think that is total bullshit.
I vacuumed my room again today - got about 50% of what I picked up last time. This junk did not appear in the last 2 days - it was residual. All the gunk under the wall-to-wall carpet doesn't come up with just one vacuuming. I will keep doing it until I get very little - then it will just be maintenance.
Interesting thing - I go barefoot in my apartment most of the time now. I stopped wearing foot wear at home after my surgery. I used to NEVER go barefoot. it was uncomfortable, and my back seemed to need the support of a shoe. But I like it now. Maybe it is because I have lost so much feeling in my feet.
I have been neglecting my toes. I have not been putting lotion on them, probably for 3 weeks now. Both big toes have split open - about 1/2 inch. I noticed it yesterday, don't know how long they have been split - it is on the underside, and is hard for me to see. So I have band-aids on today. I used Neosporin last night instead of Aveeno, over all the toes and heels.
I have gotten a lot done in the last 3 days, more so than the whole 3 weeks prior. But my computer desk is still undone. I've done about 1/2 of it.
Kofi did not come to church today. He has not paid his electrical bill - just like last year around this same time. He has not come to Church for 2 weeks in a row - because he has no power. He said today - it was because he could not iron his suit. I think that is total bullshit.
I vacuumed my room again today - got about 50% of what I picked up last time. This junk did not appear in the last 2 days - it was residual. All the gunk under the wall-to-wall carpet doesn't come up with just one vacuuming. I will keep doing it until I get very little - then it will just be maintenance.
Interesting thing - I go barefoot in my apartment most of the time now. I stopped wearing foot wear at home after my surgery. I used to NEVER go barefoot. it was uncomfortable, and my back seemed to need the support of a shoe. But I like it now. Maybe it is because I have lost so much feeling in my feet.
I have been neglecting my toes. I have not been putting lotion on them, probably for 3 weeks now. Both big toes have split open - about 1/2 inch. I noticed it yesterday, don't know how long they have been split - it is on the underside, and is hard for me to see. So I have band-aids on today. I used Neosporin last night instead of Aveeno, over all the toes and heels.
I have gotten a lot done in the last 3 days, more so than the whole 3 weeks prior. But my computer desk is still undone. I've done about 1/2 of it.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Air Flow
I have slept better for 2 nights now - it is the purified air that makes the difference.
The HEPA helmet is too heavy for the CPAP machine - the CPAP machine is made in 3 sections, and it started to come apart last night. So that experiment is over.
I have 2 floor mounted HEPA room air purifiers that I have used consistently since the surgery. I bought them last year, but stopped using them because I wasn't notcing much difference.
My mind was clearer today when I woke up. My apartment has 1 1/2 baths - my bedroom has the 1/2. It's just a sink and a mirror. I saw something new in the mirror today. The mirror always seemed to be covered with dust. Yet the main batroom only got hard water spots. I saw a pattern in the dust today - in the streaks on the mirror. The dust is coming from the A/C vent.
Then I put it altogether. The venting comes in a straight line over the front door, and goes straight back to end with the vent into my bedroom. All the other vents come off of that duct shaft with shafts at right angles. So most of the air flow would come into my room. My filing cabinet sits 5 feet from that vent - a straight shot. The filling cabinet is black. It is always covered in tons of dust. But this was the only place in the house that had that much problem. There is dust in the rest of the house - but a very light film that takes a long time to build up.
So - I retrofitted one of my HEPA purifiers and placed the intake directly in front of the A/C vent - mounted 7 feet over the floor. The results have been very good.
I did a slow vacuuming of my room yesterday. There is only 125 square feet of rug available to vacuum in my bedroom. The rest is under a bed and my computer chair floor mat. That small amount of rug, when vacuumed slowly, completely filled the vacuum canister with fiber and dust (30 minutes of time - max). I am going to keep doing that each day until the vacuum picks up very litttle.
I got some things done today, lots more than any other day in the last few months, but got tired pretty easily. Took 2 naps in between.
I put a new HEPA filter in the unit, plus a new carbon pre-filter. The HEPA filter needs to be changed yearly, and the carbon pre-filter every 1 to 3 months. I will be changing the pre-filter every month from now on. It is always coated with grey dust. I compared the used HEPA filter with the new one. The used one had only been used in frequently over the last year - and continuously for at least a month now. The used filter had a huge off white stain on it. I may have to change it more than just yearly.
The HEPA helmet is too heavy for the CPAP machine - the CPAP machine is made in 3 sections, and it started to come apart last night. So that experiment is over.
I have 2 floor mounted HEPA room air purifiers that I have used consistently since the surgery. I bought them last year, but stopped using them because I wasn't notcing much difference.
My mind was clearer today when I woke up. My apartment has 1 1/2 baths - my bedroom has the 1/2. It's just a sink and a mirror. I saw something new in the mirror today. The mirror always seemed to be covered with dust. Yet the main batroom only got hard water spots. I saw a pattern in the dust today - in the streaks on the mirror. The dust is coming from the A/C vent.
Then I put it altogether. The venting comes in a straight line over the front door, and goes straight back to end with the vent into my bedroom. All the other vents come off of that duct shaft with shafts at right angles. So most of the air flow would come into my room. My filing cabinet sits 5 feet from that vent - a straight shot. The filling cabinet is black. It is always covered in tons of dust. But this was the only place in the house that had that much problem. There is dust in the rest of the house - but a very light film that takes a long time to build up.
So - I retrofitted one of my HEPA purifiers and placed the intake directly in front of the A/C vent - mounted 7 feet over the floor. The results have been very good.
I did a slow vacuuming of my room yesterday. There is only 125 square feet of rug available to vacuum in my bedroom. The rest is under a bed and my computer chair floor mat. That small amount of rug, when vacuumed slowly, completely filled the vacuum canister with fiber and dust (30 minutes of time - max). I am going to keep doing that each day until the vacuum picks up very litttle.
I got some things done today, lots more than any other day in the last few months, but got tired pretty easily. Took 2 naps in between.
I put a new HEPA filter in the unit, plus a new carbon pre-filter. The HEPA filter needs to be changed yearly, and the carbon pre-filter every 1 to 3 months. I will be changing the pre-filter every month from now on. It is always coated with grey dust. I compared the used HEPA filter with the new one. The used one had only been used in frequently over the last year - and continuously for at least a month now. The used filter had a huge off white stain on it. I may have to change it more than just yearly.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Something Else is Wrong
I am not progressing at the rate I should in recuperation - so I did an experiment today. I have been thinking about purchasing a HEPA helmet for a few years - finally got one. I wore it for 3 hours, and respiration was good - not great, but it was reasonable. I took it off an hour ago. I got congested pretty quickly.
I did have a breathe-right strip on my nose when I had the helmet on, and it came off when I took the helmet off. I just put a strip back on the nose, and breathing seems the same as it was in the helmet - results seem ambiguous.
I have retrofitted the HEPA helmet so that it fits over the air intake of my CPAP machine. I am charing the helmet battery, and I will sleep with it that way tonight.
I also checked the filter on the CPAP machine. it has 2 pre-filters - a charcoal sheet and a2 inch wide foam. The foam never appears dirty, but I change it every 6 months as specified. The charcoal prefilter was full of white particulates. This is what I see with the free stading filters that I use in the apartment - but it was much worse on the CPAP charcoal filter - a much denser coat of and off-white powder.
I had some charcoal pre-filter sheet left over from a previous project, so I cut out a piece in the shape on the CPAP intake valve. It is twice as thick as the filter that comes with the CPAp unit, so I hope that this does not alter the overall pressure delivered to my lungs. I suspect not, because the filter is ebfore the pressurizing chamber - and the CPAP machines have to be designed to operate at any level or air pressure - from the highest peak in Colorado to the beach shores of California - huge range.
I am trying hard to not get depressed. All I want is to wake up feeling alert and rested - with some energy to apply to life.
Emily re-arranged the furniture in her nedroom today - it is a much better configuration than I had done. She is contiunue to investigate how to get established as an Event/Wedding planner. She bought some books. She has been doing research into certifications - but they appear not to be State certification. All the certificate means is that you passed a test given by a group that claims to know a lot about the business. There is some evidence that these organizations acts also as guilds - helping make connections between alumni with different/compatible skills and in providing customer referrals.
There was a terrible storm last night. There were flash floods right in my neighborhood, but I was unaffected. Heavy rain and thunder all night.
I did not get to sleep until 5AM. My body was scared to let go, for fear of not getting enough air. It was subsonscious, but I know that this was the reason I kept wanting to watch "just one more show". I was awakened by my phone 4 hours alter at 9 AM - a Text Message from some business. I slept for another 4 hours, but I was tossing and turning the whole time - not enough air, and too cold.
I did have a breathe-right strip on my nose when I had the helmet on, and it came off when I took the helmet off. I just put a strip back on the nose, and breathing seems the same as it was in the helmet - results seem ambiguous.
I have retrofitted the HEPA helmet so that it fits over the air intake of my CPAP machine. I am charing the helmet battery, and I will sleep with it that way tonight.
I also checked the filter on the CPAP machine. it has 2 pre-filters - a charcoal sheet and a2 inch wide foam. The foam never appears dirty, but I change it every 6 months as specified. The charcoal prefilter was full of white particulates. This is what I see with the free stading filters that I use in the apartment - but it was much worse on the CPAP charcoal filter - a much denser coat of and off-white powder.
I had some charcoal pre-filter sheet left over from a previous project, so I cut out a piece in the shape on the CPAP intake valve. It is twice as thick as the filter that comes with the CPAp unit, so I hope that this does not alter the overall pressure delivered to my lungs. I suspect not, because the filter is ebfore the pressurizing chamber - and the CPAP machines have to be designed to operate at any level or air pressure - from the highest peak in Colorado to the beach shores of California - huge range.
I am trying hard to not get depressed. All I want is to wake up feeling alert and rested - with some energy to apply to life.
Emily re-arranged the furniture in her nedroom today - it is a much better configuration than I had done. She is contiunue to investigate how to get established as an Event/Wedding planner. She bought some books. She has been doing research into certifications - but they appear not to be State certification. All the certificate means is that you passed a test given by a group that claims to know a lot about the business. There is some evidence that these organizations acts also as guilds - helping make connections between alumni with different/compatible skills and in providing customer referrals.
There was a terrible storm last night. There were flash floods right in my neighborhood, but I was unaffected. Heavy rain and thunder all night.
I did not get to sleep until 5AM. My body was scared to let go, for fear of not getting enough air. It was subsonscious, but I know that this was the reason I kept wanting to watch "just one more show". I was awakened by my phone 4 hours alter at 9 AM - a Text Message from some business. I slept for another 4 hours, but I was tossing and turning the whole time - not enough air, and too cold.
Strange Day
Breathing better today - a little more energy. I did an experiment just now where I willed myself to feel good. It was very good - not ecstacy, but more than just well being.
I ordered a very good bed rest pillow. When I slept in the lounge chair, my hips and lower back did not hurt at all in the morning. When I sleep on my bed, even with 13 inches of memory foam, I wake up with pain in my hips. Today, I woke up with a lot of pain in the right hip. So I experimented with different configurations of pillows on the bed and in the lounge chair. I eventually decided to commit the funds to purchase the pillow and pay for expedited shipment. I want it soon hoping that it is the last part of the formulae to prepare me to go back to work.
I started waching "instnat" movies and TV series on Netflix. I have discovered a show called "dead like me". I love it - my kind of humor.
I tried watching the original TV show "Monty Python's Flying Circus" - I couldn't stand to watch it. Same with the BBC 'Dr. Who' series with Tom Baker. I used to love the shows, to the point of obsession. Now they bore me.
I watched an episode of Outer Limits today, the new series, called "Inconstant Moon". I really liked that.
I purchased fresh ground peanut butter at Whole Foods today - I really like it. It's just peanuts - no additives, not even oil.
I got measured for a Tux Today - sent the metrics to the wedding tailor shop in California.
Even with different people not communicating to toher family members, occuring on multiple sides to my extended family, and I at pease with it today.
I was really pleased to hear that Amy's Nic was giving driving lessons to my nephew James. Way to go Nic! I really appreciate this kindness and the closer bond you will form with James.
I ordered a very good bed rest pillow. When I slept in the lounge chair, my hips and lower back did not hurt at all in the morning. When I sleep on my bed, even with 13 inches of memory foam, I wake up with pain in my hips. Today, I woke up with a lot of pain in the right hip. So I experimented with different configurations of pillows on the bed and in the lounge chair. I eventually decided to commit the funds to purchase the pillow and pay for expedited shipment. I want it soon hoping that it is the last part of the formulae to prepare me to go back to work.
I started waching "instnat" movies and TV series on Netflix. I have discovered a show called "dead like me". I love it - my kind of humor.
I tried watching the original TV show "Monty Python's Flying Circus" - I couldn't stand to watch it. Same with the BBC 'Dr. Who' series with Tom Baker. I used to love the shows, to the point of obsession. Now they bore me.
I watched an episode of Outer Limits today, the new series, called "Inconstant Moon". I really liked that.
I purchased fresh ground peanut butter at Whole Foods today - I really like it. It's just peanuts - no additives, not even oil.
I got measured for a Tux Today - sent the metrics to the wedding tailor shop in California.
Even with different people not communicating to toher family members, occuring on multiple sides to my extended family, and I at pease with it today.
I was really pleased to hear that Amy's Nic was giving driving lessons to my nephew James. Way to go Nic! I really appreciate this kindness and the closer bond you will form with James.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
what the ...
I woke up groggy again. Not zombie groggy, but pretty groggy - feeling tired and kind of blank.
I rinsed my nose, and airflow was bettter. It washed out a few clots - bigger then normal, but not huge, and real gooey.
after 10 more minutes, I blew my nose again. Wow. A huge scab came out. 3/4 inch long - oval shaped, 1/3 inch wide, thick and hard. It came from the left nostril. The rinse did not clear that nostril, and it is still sealed off - just like old times.
The air feels cold as it passes through my nose. On occassion, some clear fluid runs out of my nose. I am not used to this. it tickles sooooo baaad that I have a sneezing fit.
I rinsed my nose, and airflow was bettter. It washed out a few clots - bigger then normal, but not huge, and real gooey.
after 10 more minutes, I blew my nose again. Wow. A huge scab came out. 3/4 inch long - oval shaped, 1/3 inch wide, thick and hard. It came from the left nostril. The rinse did not clear that nostril, and it is still sealed off - just like old times.
The air feels cold as it passes through my nose. On occassion, some clear fluid runs out of my nose. I am not used to this. it tickles sooooo baaad that I have a sneezing fit.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Still Healing
It is Sunday. Yesterday, I wok eup super groggy. I was in a fog all day, had difficulty breathing. Rinsed over 10 times that day. Today I set the alarm so I could go to Church. I only got about 6 hours sleep. I woke up more lucid, but my nose relaly hurts today. It hurts to wear my glasses. I can only waer them for about 10 minutes at a time. I have been using the computer without them, using emmory to remember where to click. I put cold compresses on my nose today, and put many cold things in my mouth, to help ease the pain.
It is Sunday night. The pain is lower. My thoughts are pretty clear. I have been trying to remember to make this entry all day - finally did it.
I am not ready to go back to work. I am having a hard time just getting little things done. I make mistakes - dumb ones - but I laugh about them. Things will get better.
Addendum: I am about to go to bed and did the last nasal rinse of the day. This is the first time, EVER, in which there was no blood. after the surgery their was a lot, but even before the surgery, there was always a little. Just now, it was all clear fluid.
It is Sunday night. The pain is lower. My thoughts are pretty clear. I have been trying to remember to make this entry all day - finally did it.
I am not ready to go back to work. I am having a hard time just getting little things done. I make mistakes - dumb ones - but I laugh about them. Things will get better.
Addendum: I am about to go to bed and did the last nasal rinse of the day. This is the first time, EVER, in which there was no blood. after the surgery their was a lot, but even before the surgery, there was always a little. Just now, it was all clear fluid.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Water weight
I am at 300 LBS again. I believe over half of this 50 LB gain is water retention. why? because there is no pain in my lumber. When I was at 300 LBS last time, my 3 herniated disks in the lumbar hurt all the time. Now they don't hurt at all - even though I stopped taking the pain meds for 2 weeks as a result of prep for surgery.
No wonder my feet are so swollen.
No wonder my feet are so swollen.
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