So, how did my back surgery go? Well, it was supposed to be a simple one, and I guess it still was. It was supposed to be an outpatient procedure that started at 2:30 p.m., and I was initially told that I should be home by 7:00 p.m. That didn’t happen because they found a spinal fluid leak. From what I can remember (I was waking up from the anesthesia), a dissolvable patch was placed on my spine to stop the leaking. However, I needed to stay overnight because I had to lay flat in bed until the next afternoon or until my surgeon cleared me to ensure the patch stayed in place. Once I was cleared, I could sit at a 30° angle and, after a while, something more normal and even walking around.
The dogs and that damn bunny needed to be taken care of. I expected to be home early enough to feed them. I had no idea I was going to have to stay three nights in the hospital. Thankfully, BoyGeeding and DaughterGeeding were able to talk their mother into stopping by a few times per day to let the dogs out and feed them.
Laying flat on my back for about 20 hours was excruciating. I know others have gone through much worse, but this was hard for me. As if wearing compression socks wasn’t uncomfortable enough with the catheter stuck up my private, bed sores were getting to me, and I started to panic as I felt a sense of claustrophobia. I guess I was having a panic attack. I was having a hard time breathing even though I knew nothing was constricting me from doing so, and I had an oxygen line under my nose. There was talk of giving me a Xanex, but they ended up giving me Valium instead. Here’s a little something if you are interested in the difference between the two. Basically, Valium will take effect faster and is longer lasting.
I had to eat and drink during that time, lying flat on my back. It was odd, counterintuitive, and difficult. It was just a very unnatural thing to do. Thankfully, at least one elder came by to visit to help pass the time. And time, let me tell you, was monotonous and could pass fast enough.
When I got the clear to sit at 30°, I thought it was a good thing, but it triggered back spasms, and they were painful, and I had no idea if they were going to stop. I yelled at the top of my lungs for help crying out in pain because I didn’t know what to do. I like to be the “perfect patient.” You know, the kind that never complains. But I was now way past that, clinging to the side of the bed. Thankfully, the surgeon walked in, and I cryingly told him I was in the worst pain in my life. He said I shouldn’t be hurting much from this surgery, which he thought went well, but muscle spasms occurring near the area operated on can cause problems. They upped my morphine and gave me a strong muscle relaxer. I was able to calm down and thank God I was no longer hurting, but I was scared to move an inch, thinking it could start up again. Which it did about three more times as those medicines wore out.
I was told if I could walk, I could go home on Saturday. I couldn’t walk. It was so painful just trying to stand. I tried to walk again on Sunday, but no luck. Thankfully, PT came in on Sunday and Monday to work with me, and I was able to make a little progress.
It hurt when they removed my catheter. But for some reason, I am cursed with the inability to urinate on my own after anesthesia. They also said one of the qualifiers for going home was the ability to pee on my own. It simply wasn’t happening, no matter how hard I tried. I was reminded of a Beavis and Butthead episode where Beavis couldn’t or forgot how to pee. It hurts having a full bladder and not being able to get it out. So, I humbly asked the nurse for a catheter. The first one she got didn’t work; it wasn’t going through past my prostrate for some reason and was curling up. She asked me if I could feel it curling up. I told her I had no idea what that felt like; I simply just didn’t know. So she had to get another one, a different type. Thankfully, that one worked, and I had complete relief, though I wished it poured out of me much faster. Thankfully, later in the day, I could go on my own.
I wish I were loved enough to have someone there as I went through all this. But, this was an opportunity to work on adversity and resiliency.
My original ride home could no longer take me home, but thankfully, my associate pastor helped out.
It’s nice coming home after a few days and seeing how happy the dogs are to see me.
I want to tell you more, but I can’t think of them right now. If they come to me later, I’ll let you know.
The city limit sign on the side of State Highway 155 reads “POP 249.” In a town of barely 250 residents, there are 50 full-time and reserve officers in the department. That is five times the number of cops than any town its size, according to Texas Commission on Law Enforcement records.
When an emergency happens in a school, response time is critical, so Ivo Allen created 911Inform, a security software designed to connect on-site staff, dispatchers and first responders simultaneously for anything from a fight to a health issue to gun violence.“We basically connect into the phones in the building, the camera system, the HVAC, all the technology that’s in the building,” Allen said, noting schools that have implemented the technology have seen a 60% reduction in response time.In a demonstration of the technology, the system immediately picked up a 911 call made by Allen from inside a school and instantly showed where the call came from. The system allowed him to see the location of the classroom, the best route from the nearest door, and it can show live surveillance cameras.“With one touch I can lock down the building,” Allen said.
While reassigned workers remain employed, the reassignments often land them in roles with titles that are less prestigious, come with lower pay, and are more demanding.
Thanks for dropping me a line, Erin. That unexpected message brought a smile.
“Only a Sith deals with absolutes.”
Beyonce and Taylor Swift need to collaborate. Just think of the hysteria that would occur.
It’s my birthday, and I can cry if I want to turn on comments for a day if I want to. Here’s your one-day chance to tell me I’m a commie liberal, horrible father who deserves all the bad stuff that’s happened to him over the past three years and deserves to rot in Hell.
Doesn’t it bother you when I don’t make a daily weekday “Bag of Randomness” post? Does it throw off your morning and make you feel that your routine or day is off? Well, I feel that way when I don’t make a daily weekday post.
Well, today is the day, it’s time to have my third surgery (second of the year) on my back. The first, a fusion, was done in 2018. If you count my neck surgery from two years ago, then I guess you can say my spine will have been operated on a total of four times within five years.
Betting site BetOnline.ag is placing the betting line on Mr Trump’s weight at 278.5 pounds, well above his weight of 244 pounds in 2020 recorded by White House physicians.
More than 100 chaplains signed a letter urging local Texas school boards to vote against putting chaplains in public schools, calling efforts to enlist religious counselors in public classrooms “harmful” to students and families.The letter was issued just days before a bill allowing public schools to hire school chaplains becomes law in Texas, the first state in the country to pass such a measure. The legislation, which had been pushed by activists associated with Christian nationalism, gives the state’s nearly 1,200 school boards until March 1 of next year to vote on whether to employ chaplains.The letter was organized by the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and Interfaith Alliance as well as the local advocacy group Texas Impact.
Money is tight right now. Not only am I doing that juggling act of stretching a paycheck because pay periods don’t line up after joining a new company, but the divorce decree states I have to insure my kids and there can’t be a gap period. The thing is, I can’t benefit from using my new company’s health insurance until I work 30 days, then coverage will start on the first of the following month. I also have to factor in today’s surgery, counseling visits, visits to other doctors for other things, and my prescriptions. I think I’m making this convoluted. Let me try to simplify. I’m covered by my old company’s health insurance until the end of August. The kids and I will not have any coverage for September, so I need to find insurance to cover us for all of September. My new company will begin to cover me and the kids starting in October. I can shop around for insurance, but I fear a screwup and confusion with medical billing juggling three insurances. So, I think the least stressful or complicated way is to take advantage of COBRA. That means I can extend coverage using my old company’s plan, but I have to pay for it in full. As an employee for my old company, they paid a huge chunk of it and I paid the other portion, but they won’t pay now because I’m no longer there. COBRA will cost a little under $1,500 for one month. The cost of it makes me want to shop around, but I have a feeling using another insurance for a month will be a headache or disaster waiting to happen. Even though it’s the most costly route, I think I should go with COBRA considering medical billing for my surgery, prescriptions, counseling visits, and whatnot. Also regarding money, managing this website costs me about $200 a year. I may be doing it wrong or there’s probably a more affordable way to keep it up and running, but to keep things simple in my head, I just stick with this one company to keep everything in-house, even though it may be cheaper having my domain at one place and my hosting at another. What’s the point of me saying all of this? Money is going to be tight for a while and I’m considering using something like GoFundMe to help me pay the $200 to host this site and to keep you entertained. But then again, I feel bad asking for help for a hobby.
Man, I sure made that last bullet point convoluted.
As I said before, the physical recovery is challenging, but going through it alone without a loved one or family around makes it much harder. On the flip side, it’s an opportunity to build up emotional strength, work on dealing with adversity, and take a step towards resiliency. But, if all of this is considered an emotional workout, can I take a break and at least get some water?
My job change coincided with the significant changes at The TICKET. It all kinda works out for me, though. It’s not fun listening to the station from 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. During that time, I can really focus on my new job (and squeeze in some blogging).
I never buy shoes online because I want to try on my shoes first. However, I saw that DSW had a 20% off sale and they gave me a birthday coupon. With certain folks telling me I need to treat myself more often and work on self-care, and since I’m working on trying new things, I thought, why not? There’s only one shoe that fits me perfectly and feels as if it were already broken in right out of the box, a Merrel hiking shoe with a wide width. The only problem is that I don’t think they are stylish. When I was married I loved the feeling that I no longer needed to dress to impress. I could choose comfort over style. But now, I’m trying to be mindful of what I look like. All of that to say, DSW sent me two left shoes in two different colors. Here’s a photo, and for some reason I added my bunny to the photo.
For the longest time, I thought DSW stood for Dallas Shoe Warehouse. It’s actually Designer Shoe Warehouse.
Recently I had a date I was really looking forward to, but it became a major letdown. Messaging each other through the dating app was great, they were substantive and flirtatious. There was a lot of chemistry between us. But when we met in person, it was as if we never communicated. The fun, kind, and flirtatious woman I was messaging online was stoic and businesslike. Per the conversation, she’s been divorced for about the same time as me but put dating aside until now, and I was her very first date. After we agreed we weren’t going to start a relationship, we then had a lot of great conversations critiquing each other’s online profile and how we initially acted towards each other at the start of the date. It was neat (and an honor) to talk to someone who was willing to put her guard down.
Chris Farley was initially chosen to portray Shrek, but tragically, he passed away before the film's completion. He managed to record 85% of his lines before his untimely demise in December 1997. Leaked footage of Farley's portrayal exists. Subsequently, Mike Myers stepped in to… pic.twitter.com/gn9t9U65tk
Serious question, does former President Donald Trump use some type of bail bondsman or does he just fronts the cash himself? I ask because I’m ignorant when it comes to this sort of stuff. Your world frightens and confuses me. I’m just a Caveman. I fell in some ice and later got thawed out by your scientists. Your world frightens and confuses me. Sometimes the honking horns of your traffic make me want to get out of my BMW and run off into the hills or whatever.
Yesterday, the blogging lawyer out of Wise County used the word or acronym “BOLO” on his blog. Perturbed, had to look it up. I don’t really understand your Congress, or your system of checks and balances.. because, as I said during the campaign – I’m just a caveman! I fell on some ice and later got thawed out by scientists. But there is one thing I do know – we must do everything in our power to lower the Capitol Gains Tax. Thank you!
It seems like The Ticket knows that Gordon Keith is the star of the show station and doing what it can to make appearances on all the shows to drive up ratings. I think he’s the most influential person at the station, and Bob Sturm is a very, very close second.
Jordan scored 50 or more points 31 times in his career. Wilt Chamberlain had 45 in one season.
Why am I posting about basketball stats when we are on the verge of football season?
Posted inPersonal|Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, August 23, 2023
At least for now, I’m not going to refer to it as X, I’m still going to call it Twitter, because this is America and I’m using my First Amendment right (or something like that). Now that we have that clear and out of the way, here’s an interesting Twitter battle between a Fox and Friends Weekend host who is also a popular podcaster (at least that’s what the word is on the streets if you know what I mean) and Bob Sturm about all things, a popular song. #TeamSturm
Bob’s old co-host (at least his lawyer) was in court yesterday. Here are the results, per the TICKET’s Reddit page.
no more podcasts until the next hearing on the 29th, post court-ordered mediation
previously posted podcasts and YT videos can remain
no more talking about the lawsuit, the Ticket, or Cumulus
NHTSA now recommends the technique known as “9 and 3”. Place your left hand on the left portion of the steering wheel in a location approximate to where the nine would be if the wheel was a clock. Your right hand should be placed on the right portion of the wheel where the three would be located. These recommendations are quite flexible, but keep in mind that10 and 2 o’clock is no longer recommended because it can be dangerous in vehicles with smaller steering wheels and equipped with airbags.
Posted inPersonal|Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, August 22, 2023
