Well, it appears that my old Blackberry Curve decided to give up on me. So, I went and upgraded to a IPhone 4.
This is going to be interesting. Small keys, big thumbs and a touchscreen is going to be fun. Remember, any typos are my fault, not the tool's. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Rough week
You ever have one of those days where it seems like it's a major fight to get out of bed and then get through the day at work? I've had one of those weeks.
It started last weekend with a stomach virus that just wiped me out. No energy, achy, no appetite. Anything and everything that I ate all weekend, disturbed my stomach. After the excitement last week (oral surgery and getting used to the dentures), I needed this weekend to be able to recharge. Even though I did next to nothing all weekend, I didn't get the recharge I needed. So, this week is dragging.
Getting up for work is hard. Takes all my will to avoid just rolling over and going back to sleep. This is another case of where my family helps me. If I was by myself, I probably would give in to the urge to find a hole and pull it in after me on days like this. Because of my family, I force myself to get up, shower, shave, and at least pretend to be functioning so that I can go to work and try to fool my coworkers into thinking that I'm coherent and functioning. They all think I'm nuts, but that's okay. I work for an Army contractor and the work environment definitely aligns with the old saying, "You don't have to be crazy to work here. It just helps." I have to provide for my family.
Some days, that's the only thing that keeps me moving.
It started last weekend with a stomach virus that just wiped me out. No energy, achy, no appetite. Anything and everything that I ate all weekend, disturbed my stomach. After the excitement last week (oral surgery and getting used to the dentures), I needed this weekend to be able to recharge. Even though I did next to nothing all weekend, I didn't get the recharge I needed. So, this week is dragging.
Getting up for work is hard. Takes all my will to avoid just rolling over and going back to sleep. This is another case of where my family helps me. If I was by myself, I probably would give in to the urge to find a hole and pull it in after me on days like this. Because of my family, I force myself to get up, shower, shave, and at least pretend to be functioning so that I can go to work and try to fool my coworkers into thinking that I'm coherent and functioning. They all think I'm nuts, but that's okay. I work for an Army contractor and the work environment definitely aligns with the old saying, "You don't have to be crazy to work here. It just helps." I have to provide for my family.
Some days, that's the only thing that keeps me moving.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
A Guy in a Skewed World: Intro to FMS
For a good number of years, I dealt with issues that baffled me. You see, my family has a history of autoimmune disease. My grandmother suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) for many years before passing away due to complications. Several years back, I started feeling chronic fatigue (often even after a full night's sleep), muscle spasms, frequent and excruciating muscle cramps, frequent muscle aches and muscle weakness.
I went to my normal doctor to see if we could figure out what was going on. With the family history and being the primary means of support for my wife and family, I was concerned about what could be happening. Fibromyalgia (FMS) is diagnosed, not through positive test results, but an elimination of other conditions. My doctor ran tests (and reran the tests) for lupus, RA, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases. Over the course of several years, the symptoms only got worse. It got to the point where I was going to work maybe 3 days out of 5 due to dealing with the symptoms. My boss was very ... lenient ... where my absenteeism was concerned. After approximately 3 years of trying to figure out what it is, my rheumatologist tested me for the 18 tender points usually associated with FMS. Out of the 18 points, I was (and still am) tender in 16 of them. She then diagnosed me with FMS. Not that having a diagnosis made life any easier, but it did set my mind at ease. I had some idea of what I was dealing with.
For those that aren't aware, Fibromyalgia Syndrome is called a syndrome for a reason. Not everyone who has FMS has all of the same symptoms. Some deal with muscle aches, sleep deprivation, depression, joint aches. Others deal with the muscle aches, muscle spasms, cramps and fatigue. Others mix and match the symptoms in different ways. That's part of why it's so difficult to diagnose FMS. It's also part of why there are still doctors today who don't believe that FMS is real. If you'd like more information on FMS, check out the nice WebMD article about it.
As a male with Fibro, I've managed to beat the odds rather dramatically. It's a disease that's currently diagnosed in females more than males. Depending on which set of statistics you pay attention to, it's either 95% or 10:1. Now, this could be a gender bias on the syndrome. My take (and this is backed up by some studies that I've managed to lose the links to), it's probably more common in men than is currently diagnosed, but due to male pigheadedness (aka machismo), help is not sought, so no diagnosis. Most of the symptoms, taken separately, are all things that men are taught to ignore or work through. Men don't admit (to themselves, much less others) that they're hurting, tired, weak or any of the other myriad symptoms. It's seen as being weak. It's seen as being less of a man. It's. Just. Not. Done. Ergo, fewer men get diagnosed with fibro.
Even with the limitations on my activities due to the fibro, I'm still working. It's been hard. Some days, it's all I can do to climb out of bed and get ready for work. I've been blessed with a boss that's been extremely lenient and willing to work. I've come close to being fired several times, especially during the period where I didn't have a definitive name to put on what I was dealing with. There were several times where I think my boss stepped out on thin ice to give me the time to work through it. I'm glad he did. Earlier this year, I hit 16 years with the company.
I will say that a good part of why I've managed to make it and get back to a semblance normalcy is my family support system. Through it all, I've had the unconditional support of my loving wife and our children. My-in-laws and my parents have all shown considerable support over the years. Between their support and a wonderful doctor (who also happens to be one of the last old fashioned country doctors), I'm back to something that vaguely resembles a normal life. I do have to be careful in what I do because overextending is very easy. I'm back to working 19 out of 20 days. Which, as an American Male - I'm glad for it.
Looking at it, I'm looking at turning this into an extended series. Look back for more.
I went to my normal doctor to see if we could figure out what was going on. With the family history and being the primary means of support for my wife and family, I was concerned about what could be happening. Fibromyalgia (FMS) is diagnosed, not through positive test results, but an elimination of other conditions. My doctor ran tests (and reran the tests) for lupus, RA, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases. Over the course of several years, the symptoms only got worse. It got to the point where I was going to work maybe 3 days out of 5 due to dealing with the symptoms. My boss was very ... lenient ... where my absenteeism was concerned. After approximately 3 years of trying to figure out what it is, my rheumatologist tested me for the 18 tender points usually associated with FMS. Out of the 18 points, I was (and still am) tender in 16 of them. She then diagnosed me with FMS. Not that having a diagnosis made life any easier, but it did set my mind at ease. I had some idea of what I was dealing with.
For those that aren't aware, Fibromyalgia Syndrome is called a syndrome for a reason. Not everyone who has FMS has all of the same symptoms. Some deal with muscle aches, sleep deprivation, depression, joint aches. Others deal with the muscle aches, muscle spasms, cramps and fatigue. Others mix and match the symptoms in different ways. That's part of why it's so difficult to diagnose FMS. It's also part of why there are still doctors today who don't believe that FMS is real. If you'd like more information on FMS, check out the nice WebMD article about it.
As a male with Fibro, I've managed to beat the odds rather dramatically. It's a disease that's currently diagnosed in females more than males. Depending on which set of statistics you pay attention to, it's either 95% or 10:1. Now, this could be a gender bias on the syndrome. My take (and this is backed up by some studies that I've managed to lose the links to), it's probably more common in men than is currently diagnosed, but due to male pigheadedness (aka machismo), help is not sought, so no diagnosis. Most of the symptoms, taken separately, are all things that men are taught to ignore or work through. Men don't admit (to themselves, much less others) that they're hurting, tired, weak or any of the other myriad symptoms. It's seen as being weak. It's seen as being less of a man. It's. Just. Not. Done. Ergo, fewer men get diagnosed with fibro.
Even with the limitations on my activities due to the fibro, I'm still working. It's been hard. Some days, it's all I can do to climb out of bed and get ready for work. I've been blessed with a boss that's been extremely lenient and willing to work. I've come close to being fired several times, especially during the period where I didn't have a definitive name to put on what I was dealing with. There were several times where I think my boss stepped out on thin ice to give me the time to work through it. I'm glad he did. Earlier this year, I hit 16 years with the company.
I will say that a good part of why I've managed to make it and get back to a semblance normalcy is my family support system. Through it all, I've had the unconditional support of my loving wife and our children. My-in-laws and my parents have all shown considerable support over the years. Between their support and a wonderful doctor (who also happens to be one of the last old fashioned country doctors), I'm back to something that vaguely resembles a normal life. I do have to be careful in what I do because overextending is very easy. I'm back to working 19 out of 20 days. Which, as an American Male - I'm glad for it.
Looking at it, I'm looking at turning this into an extended series. Look back for more.
New article series
While reading through posts about a woman with Fibromylagia Syndrome (FMS), I mentioned that I'm dealing with the same condition. Since it's rare for a male to be diagnosed with FMS (whether that's due to male pigheadedness or just a gender bias in the condition itself is a topic for another post), she thought the male perspective on FMS would be a little more unique. That got me to thinking about it. So, I decided that I'm going to do at least one article on what it's like to deal with FMS as a man in today's society. If I manage to survive that round of navel gazing/scab picking, I might turn it into a longer series of articles.
What do y'all think?
What do y'all think?
Monday, July 11, 2011
Next step in a long procedure ...
And sadly, it's not getting my CHP application filed with the local district court. That'll be done closer to this weekend.
Nope. What I was referring to is trying to get used to the new feel of the upper plate of dentures. All of this while trying to get over the pain and frustration of having the last of the teeth up front cut out at the same time. Weeeee.
At least the doc gave me some Vicodin. Good doc. In all this, haven't had a single issue with dry socket or even other issues after having extractions done. VERY good doc. And he understands my psychosis towards dentists (and needles) and doesn't make fun of me for them! Woot! Oh, blogging while high is sooo much easier ... on the author. Good luck reading all that!
Nope. What I was referring to is trying to get used to the new feel of the upper plate of dentures. All of this while trying to get over the pain and frustration of having the last of the teeth up front cut out at the same time. Weeeee.
At least the doc gave me some Vicodin. Good doc. In all this, haven't had a single issue with dry socket or even other issues after having extractions done. VERY good doc. And he understands my psychosis towards dentists (and needles) and doesn't make fun of me for them! Woot! Oh, blogging while high is sooo much easier ... on the author. Good luck reading all that!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!
It looks like the Army finally decided to get off it's backside and make a decision about MAJ Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood Shooter. They've decided that a general court-martial is going to be held (that wasn't in doubt). The kicker is the decision to seek the death penalty during the court-martial. For the 13 people who were murdered and the 32 wounded by this terrorist, this day is one they've been waiting on.
The guys over at Blackfive are excited about this, but are quick to remind us that the President has to sign off on any death warrant arising from the proceedings. Fortunately, by the time the trial's completed, there should be a new Commander-In-Chief.
You know, I've been thinking about the people that saw his jihadist rantings during briefings and otherwise overlooked (sometimes, rather deliberately) his radicalization. Deebow at B5 has strongly recommended that each and everyone of them get tagged as non-promotable. That's a good start. There's a part of me, however, that would rather see each and everyone of them sat down in their own courts-martial and tried as accessories to murder for each and every one of the deaths caused by MAJ Hasan. Additional charges of accessory to attempted murder should be applied to them as well for each of the 32 people that he wounded. Will this happen? I seriously doubt it. I can very easily see the Army getting their pound of flesh from Hasan (and then dumping him into an unmarked grave out on the ranges of Fort Hood) and then letting the whole event drift off into the background. I will be disappointed about it, but that's what I expect.
-- Sham
The guys over at Blackfive are excited about this, but are quick to remind us that the President has to sign off on any death warrant arising from the proceedings. Fortunately, by the time the trial's completed, there should be a new Commander-In-Chief.
You know, I've been thinking about the people that saw his jihadist rantings during briefings and otherwise overlooked (sometimes, rather deliberately) his radicalization. Deebow at B5 has strongly recommended that each and everyone of them get tagged as non-promotable. That's a good start. There's a part of me, however, that would rather see each and everyone of them sat down in their own courts-martial and tried as accessories to murder for each and every one of the deaths caused by MAJ Hasan. Additional charges of accessory to attempted murder should be applied to them as well for each of the 32 people that he wounded. Will this happen? I seriously doubt it. I can very easily see the Army getting their pound of flesh from Hasan (and then dumping him into an unmarked grave out on the ranges of Fort Hood) and then letting the whole event drift off into the background. I will be disappointed about it, but that's what I expect.
-- Sham
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Welcome aboard!
Okay, now for the obligatory "Welcome to my blog" post.
I'm going to be writing about politics, guns and gun politics. Not to mention anything else that might wander across my brain and not get caught by the filters that society appreciates that I put in place.
Anyways, welcome to my corner of the interwebz. I hope you enjoy your stay!
I'm going to be writing about politics, guns and gun politics. Not to mention anything else that might wander across my brain and not get caught by the filters that society appreciates that I put in place.
Anyways, welcome to my corner of the interwebz. I hope you enjoy your stay!
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