Happy Holidays 2009

Happy Holidays Everyone, It looks like I have to do better in keeping my blog up to date since I haven't written in it since December 07. I promise to do better next year.

This has been a year that I've become very close to the medical community. Two things have kept me running to doctors and having a multitude of tests, xrays, MRIs and physical therapy for the better part of the year. In January I had a two-day bout of vertigo, and because I had had vertigo ten years ago, I decided to go to an ENT specialist to see why this happened to me again. He gave me a test to check my balance, concluded that it wasn't an ear problem and sent me to have an MRI on my head. Nothing abnormal showed up on the MRI, although there was a borderline issue with my pituitary gland. He referred me to an endocrinologist and also wanted me to see a neurologist. Both of these specialists sent me to have blood tests, neurological tests on my head, arms and legs, and another MRI. One of these blood tests showed a blood protein deficiency so I then had to see a hemotologist for this issue. These tests and doctors' visits went on for months and months. Finally by October I was told by the neurologist that he could find nothing wrong with me and that was it. The endocrinologist found nothing wrong either but wanted me to have another MRI next year which I'm not going to do. I think all of these doctors were CYAing and because I have good insurance, they thought nothing of having me take all these tests, etc.

My second medical issue was pain in my back and legs. In Jan/Feb I saw a pain management specialist who gave me a series of three epidural shots in my spine. These helped a little but I was still in pain. By May I couldn't stand the pain so I went to a neurological surgeon specializing in brain and spine surgery. The MRI he ordered showed I had a herniated disk at L4-5. He said I should have surgery but first I should try physical therapy and another epidural shot. Neither of these things worked and the pain, especially in my legs, got worse. Unfortunately, he's a very sought after surgeon and his first surgery opening wasn't until late August. I had a dilemma. I wanted to attend my 50th high school reunion in New Jersey in early October and didn't think I would be healed in time to travel back east so I postponed the surgery until I returned from the trip. To keep me going until then, I had more epidural shots in my spine and these lasted just through my trip back east. I was in mucho pain when I finally had the surgery on November 2.

I'm so happy I selected this surgeon -- he was a miracle worker. When I woke up after surgery the pain in my legs was gone. It was outpatient surgery so I was back home by late afternoon. I could walk but had pain at the incision site. Friends from Albuquerque came up to take care of me during my recovery which I appreciated very much. I was doing fine until four days later when I had a bowel blockage due to the pain pills I was taking. I ended up in the emergency room to get that taken care of. I immediately stopped taking the pain pills and a few days later I was pain free at the incision site as well. I feel like a million bucks now. It feels so good to be pain free and able to stand up straight. I now feel my age and not twenty years older.

My big challenge now is not to do anything, like bending over or lifting heavy things, to cause me to have another herniated disk. To help keep my back in good shape, I have lost 50 lbs since April and have another xx lbs to lose to be down to where I want to be. I did this by going to a diabetic nutritionist (I'm not diabetic) who put me on a good eating plan. I also read a lot about healthy eating so the 50 lbs came off quite easily. I plan to get into an exercise program next year to keep in shape.

In between doctors' visits and testing, I did do a couple of fun things during the year. In February I was invited by my friends in Albuquerque to share their time share in Puerto Vallarte, Mexico, for a week. It felt great to sit on the beach and soak up the sun and relax for a while. Vegas gets quite cold in the winter so it was nice to get away to a warmer climate.

In March I traveled to South Africa to visit Samantha and the kids for two and a half weeks. They are still living on a farm two hours east of Durban. Because it's not very comfortable for me there, we decided to take a trip by car up to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, for a week. To get to Mozambique we had to drive through Swaziland, a very small country within South Africa, where we stopped for two nights at a game reserve. Children under six could not go on a safariin this particular park, so I took Oriah with me on one while Samantha stayed behind with Kei. We saw lots of animals and got quite close to them because we were driving on a dirt road through the park. Samantha went on a walking safari the next morning which she said was fantastic. She was surrounded by elephants at one point. We then drove up to Maputo, which is a run-down dirty city, with not much to see. It reminded me of Kinshasa, Zaire, 25 years ago. Samantha thought the beaches would be better than they were so we only spent three days there. Back at the farm, we celebrated the March equinox on the 15th with a large party with people coming from all around the area. A day after my return from SA, I noticed a small bump on my big toe which turned into a very big blister a day later. I went to urgent care to have it lanced and then was referred to the burn unit at a hospital to have it treated. No one could figure out what it was but it did look like I had burned my toe.

As I mentioned above, my 50th high school reunion took place in early October. I actually attended two reunions, one at the school I graduated from and the other two weeks later at the school I had attended for three years. Everyone should attend a 50th HS reunion. I could only recognize a few of my classmates without looking at their name tags. It was fun to reunite with people I had known so long ago and to hear about their lives over the past 50 years. One of my classmates was shot down over Vietnam and was a prisoner of war for six years. There was a good turnout at each reunion and I believe there will be mini reunions every five years for those who live in the area of each high school.

I think I told you in my last Xmas letter that I was planning on moving back east as soon as I could sell my house. That plan is still on. In the ten days between the two reunions, I drove down to North and South Carolina to look at two Del Webb 55+ communities. Sun City Carolina Lakes is located about 25 miles from downtown Charlotte but is located in South Carolina. This one will be quite a large community but for now they are selling 1800 houses. It had all the facilities and amenities I was looking for and lots of interest groups to join. I saw two floor plans which I like, each was 1400 sq. ft. The other Del Webb, Carolina Preserve, in Cary, NC, is smaller but has the same amenities as Carolina Lakes. It also has the same house floor plans. I would like to be in NC, but the houses are more expensive than those in SC. However, I will move to whichever one has a house available if and when I ever sell this house. The market is still very bad out here so I'm trying to be optimistic that it will sell fast. In the meantime, I'm declutting the house by throwing away, giving away and selling some of my treasures.

Samantha and the kids, Oriah (7) and Kei (4+) are doing well. Samantha took Oriah out of school and is home schooling both of the children. She and Malcolm are separated but remain good friends. Malcolm is living on the coast and sees the children quite often. Samantha is still committed to improving the lives of the inhabitants at a nearby village.

I adopted another cat this year from the animal shelter. He's a Ragdoll type cat, which means he will grow to 20+ lbs and is very furry. He has a sweet personality and gets along well with the two female cats I adopted in 2008. I may or may not keep him because I'm worried about my back, i.e, carrying a cat of this size, with the added weight of the cage.

Well, folks this is about all for now. My New Year's resolution is to take better care of myself through exercise and healthy eating next year. I feel much better now since I lost half of the weight I needed to lose. I'm looking forward to many changes next year, including a move back east. I wish all of you the best for a happy and healthy new year.