Kenny ://

I have a post kind of simmering in the noodle

I went to the dr. last week and sat in the waiting room for a bit before getting to see an actual physician. I love waiting rooms. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be captive audience for anything these people have, you'd be surprised at the depth of cough going on in this place, but you also would probably be surprised at the depth (or lack thereof) of conversation going on in this place.

I'm not a pillar of brilliance when it comes to small talk so I'm certainly not putting myself in a different strata than the other waiting room peeps, but this conversation kind of made me chuckle.

Let me try to set the scene. There was someone about my mom's age, late 50's/early 60's and clearly very southern, judging by her accent. I'd be willing to bet Arkansan. If you're not southern, bear with me. We locals can tell a Georgia accent from a Tennessee accent to a Texas accent and every dialect in between after the first greeting. This woman was definitely Arkansan, and old blood Arkansan. She dropped the final consonants as only the a life long Arkansan can. "Haing ohhhhh(n). You cain' be sayin' that you ain' goin' t' skoo."

Anyway, the conversation I heard was this:

"I'm goin' t' culary academy t'Italy."
"You gone be a vetranaran?"
"No, granz, I wanna werk with foooood."

No kidding. Culinary academy in Italy. Very ambitious! Go on you goth/emo arkansas girl. You go get your cheffing on. I was honestly happy to hear "culinary" come from such an accent.

Sometimes you hear something from a completely unexpected source that just sounds so beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. For example, I have a feeling that the first record producer to ever lay eyes on Etta James thought, "Sure, I'll give you a few minutes. Then I'll expect a refund for my money" before being completely caught off guard.

It's like finding $20 in your laundry.

After you pick it up from the dry cleaners.

Diamonds in the rough, people. Diamonds in the rough.

On another note, today was the first full day of the raw diet and other than a few grumblings, I'm feeling great. Of course, there's no way in hell I'm giving up coffee in the mornings.

Danger for your herbs and minerals

Do you use Flax seed oil?  What about glucosamine sulfate for joint aches and pains?  Well, guess what, if congress gets its way, those "minerals" and "herbs" may become untested by the FDA due to a new ruling and those things will no longer be available to you. Want to pursue alternative medicine to treat a chronic symptom? You're going to have to find a certified physician to administer accupuncture or hot rock or magnet treatment.

I don't necessarily subscribe to these practices but I've always wanted to try accupuncture and, hey, if that's your thing, then  you should be allowed to pursue treatments that help you. What's next?  Massage only by certified chiropractors?  Grrrrr.

I got this email from my lovely wife today:

<snip>

There is a crisis in health freedom. On April 30, 2007 the FDA will close the public comment period on a "Guidance" which will classify every alternative practice as medicine so that only licensed physicians can carry out the procedure AND vitamins, minerals, herbs, etc., will suddenly become "untested drugs" which will be forbidden.

Bad?  Real Bad!  But public outcry can stop this assault on your health and your freedom.

Spread the word! Tell everyone in your Circle of Influence, professionals, alternative practitioners, nutrient and herb companies, everyone! Let them know how important their participation is to make sure the FDA backs off from this repressive course.

Please share this link with them and urge them to take action: http://tinyurl.com/2u7ghc

Yours in health and freedom,

Rima E. Laibow, MD
Medical Director
Natural Solutions Foundation
www.HealthFreedomUSA.org

</snip>

Maybe you all could click or send on to friends? It's important to someone you know even if it isn't to you.

Hey Jane, get me off this crazy thing called . . .

. . . [medicine]. 10 points to whomever can tell me from what movie I lifted [and inserted my own object noun] that quote from. It's a good one. No cheating, now.

Today I had a garden variety follow-up with my PCP (primary care physician) after my visit to the ER last weekend post-head-smackdown. I thought, "no big deal, he'll tap my knees, make me say 'AHHH', shine a light in my eyes and make sure there's something reflecting back and send me on my way with a clean bill of health!"

Wishful thinking, it sure is a let down when you find out you were wrong. Stupid hindsight and its 20/20-ness.

Maybe I shouldn't have answered his questions honestly but the truth is I really want the headaches to go away and would sure like to see someone shaman that shit out of there as soon as possible. So when he asked how I've been this week "Headaches gone? Nothing bothering you really?" I said, "Well, to be honest, the headaches haven't gone away except the one time during the past week I took a pain killer to make the pounding stop and the ringing in my ears has only gotten louder."

"Mmm hmm. Look, I know it's nothing, and you know it's nothing, and the fact that the back of your eyes look like there's not been any lasting damage, I still want to follow-through on checking this out thoroughly."

What's that mean? I've got to go through another CT Scan this week on top of 2 more prescription meds that I should be able to take during the day and that should help with the headaches while still allowing me to function. I think I can go ahead and go on a diet and not miss out on any calories. I'll be swallowing enough medicine to counter any deficit in food-related caloric intake.

I guess I've finally reached the age where I learn that I'm not really indestructible and it's really not a happy week for me as a result. I feel pains that I know have been there for a while, but now I engage with them, I talk to them, I complain about them to Milo when no one else is around.

Shhhh, don't tell my machismo, it thinks we've got another 20 or 30 years of manning around town.

Home life

I've never been a pill-taker, just don't get it and don't think there's necessarily a pill that can make things better for me. I guess it's my caveman-ish ways but I firmly believe change and happiness come from within through committment to it and discipline.

Then I took a knock to the head and the dr. prescribed painkillers.  Since the headaches have been so horrendous, I've actually taken a pill a few nights in a row as I'm getting ready for bed.

They make we just want to be a crease in the sheets for days on end.  I don't know if medicine induced sleep is just as good as real sleep, but I'll take it when I can get it.

Tonight I may just be worn out enough to not take anything before crashing out.

As for the head

I'm not someone I'd classify as high-maintenance. I'll give you an example. I had what an MRI last Summer revealed to be a mighty f*cked up back. L3 was horribly herniated which means that the soft tissue in my lumbar vertebra 3 had managed to push through a tear in my spinal column lining (it's not supposed to be able to do that) causing horrendous pain and making me look not unlike a question mark, L2 was/is bulging almost to the point of herniation and L1 is deteriorated so badly that sometime within the next 8-10 years I'll probably have to go through surgery to have L1 fused to my pubic bone because there won't be anything between them. BFD, right? Well, it is a BFD and if Alicia hadn't been so overly worried about me I'd still be suffering instead of having gone through some outpatient procedures to get it at least allayed.

This past weekend, however, I got the concussion (which I've already mentioned) and am having trouble forcing myself to take pills to manage the nagging migraines and dizziness. I'm just not a pill-taker.

Is it so wrong to be too macho to take a habit-forming drug just to mask the symptoms of an illness? Call me Rambo, I'll drink the pinot instead of taking a prescription.