The end is near

Well, the end of the year anyway.

Carrie's surgery went great. My only complaint is I didn't get a single update while she was under the knife for four hours. No stress there, eh?

Her scar is about seven inches long (18cm). She had 19 staples and a bunch of internal stitches. She came home on the 8th and the staples came out on the 17th.

She's been up and walking properly for the first time in about 2 years. Aside form some minor stiffness in the mornings and some pain from OVERDOING IT BEFORE HER RECOVERY PERIOD IS DONE she is in great shape. Hopefully after the New Year we can start going to the YMCA and hit the gym and pool a little.

Logan found out how he did in his popcorn sales. He sold the most in his troop. In fact he sold more on his own than the entire rest of the troop combined! Logan also got his book and sash this month and earned his first cub badge, Pet Care! He was very happy to get it and is looking forward to earning more.

Christmas has come and gone, thank god. I'm not much for the holidays any more. Everyone is stressed out because of the shopping, kids get annoyed because they can't or didn't get everything they wanted. Add in a tree that takes up a huge hunk of living room/family room space and all the bits and pieces of food/candy/decorations that end up on the floor and presents that get under foot.

Logan had a good Christmas though. He didn't get any new Wii games so he was a bit disappointed there but he got some good stuff he can have fun with.

Now it's only 70 days to his birthday and 71 to mine....

I might title this later....

So what's been going on? well, it's that time of year when flus and colds get passed around more than a yawn at an insomniacs convention.

Carrie, Logan and I have been passing mild cold/flu bugs back and forth. And with H1N1 always in the headlines there's always some concern about that.

Last Wednesday the three of got our vaccinations done and the last week has been hell on me. All of us had the typical sore shoulder, mine is now fine. Logan and Carrie both had mild fevers. Me? I have had moderate to high fevers off and on since. As of this posting I'm with a mild one so I must be getting better.

Pinched nerve update: Physio seems to have worked it's magic. It's been close to a month with zero issues. But this coming Tuesday I still have to for an MRI.

Carrie had her MRI done 2 weeks ago yesterday. They rushed the results to our family doctor and she called us on the Monday. Carrie has a herniated disk that's bad enough to require surgery. We were lucky enough to meet with the surgeon last Tuesday. While it's considered an elective surgery Dr. Yen was visibly relieved when Carrie agreed to the procedure.

There are concerns of course. But the biggest, paralysis, isn't an issue. The location for the herniated disk is below the point where paralysis would be a possibility. There's always the possibility of nerve damage and that this may only be a temporary fix but Carrie feels the benefits outweigh the risks.

The Hospital called Friday to set the date, December 7, 2009. Carrie's happy with that as she'll be home for Christmas. Regardless, she will only be in the Hospital for a day or two barring any complications and then it's a 6 week recovery time.

I had looked the surgery up on line and normally it's a 1-1.5" incision next to the disk. Dr. Yen will be making a 4 to 5" cut, that should give you some idea of how bad this is. He's gong to have to remove a piece of bone to get at the nerves so that he can move them out of the way better. Once they are moved he'll remove the disk.

GOOD NEWS SECTION:

Aside form being sick, Kendo is going well. Hopefully I'm recovered enough to go next week.

Logan sold $1090.00 worth of popcorn for his cub pack. He missed last week due to being sick, but this week we should find out how he did compared to the rest of the troop.

Carrie is plugging away at her newest paint by number. It's starting to look really good.

Yesterday my grandmother celebrated her 88th birthday!

I think that covers everything..... If not Blame my fever for not letting me remember.

Yup. I'm depressed.

Went to the doctor today. I was 15 minutes late for my appointment, but considering I've got 4 days with 10:30 am appointments and today was supposed to be 10:00 am it's not surprising.

It seems I've been suffering from dysthymia for many years.

Chronic depression, or dysthymia, is characterized by a long-term (two years or more) depressed mood. Chronic depression is less severe than major depression and typically does not disable the person. If you have dysthymia or chronic depression, you may also experience one or more episodes of major depression during your lifetime.

So what doesn this mean? It means that starting tomorrow I join the ranks of the medicated. She prescribed Celexa and wants me to see a councilor. Due to his schedule I may not see him until the new year. Hopefully I can get my head fixed.

In other news...
The pinched nerve is getting better. The pins and needles continue to decline in intensity and I have full sense of touch in my fingers again.

My family doctor has cleared me for all forms of physical activity but suggested I avoid headbutts, headstands and head banging.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? Nope, but there are other problems....

My doctor scheduled me for an EMG on Sept 5. Nothing is more fun than having your hand and arm electrocuted, right? This testing lasted about 45 minutes. When the zapping stopped the specialist said it wasn't Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, it's a pinched nerve in my neck. To confirm this he took a small thing wire and inserted it into my right elbow, then the shoulder and finally the neck.

He told me it was in the C7 and that traction therapy would be my best bet and set me up with a therapist. Basically I pay someone to try and pull my head off so a nerve can go back inside the spine. He also put me in for an MRI, just to be sure it's not more sever.

Two days after I saw the specialist I get a call about therapy and I'm told I won't get in until October. JOY! at least another full month of having my arm go all pins and needles for no apparent reason. Two days later I get a call saying there's been a cancellation and asking if I'd like that spot. Sure, why not?


Last Thursday I went in. My Physiotherapist has a student with him, she from Hong Kong and isn't much bigger than my son... She was going to do the first assessment. She also tried to do some of the therapy. I know she's new at this but her touch felt more like a butterfly's wings against my skin. The he went at it. It felt like I was being hit with a hammer. My back is still sore.

On the plus side there has been a noticeable difference. I think of the pins and needles like ratio static, 0 means the radio is off, 10 is full blast. Prior to the visit it would go to ten. Now it's a 4 or 5. Hopefully with a few more visits I'll be back to my level or normal.

We've also been having some trouble with Logan. He's been stealing my cell phone and using my pay as you go time on it to access games and facebook. He's been punished for this before, talked to by both of us, yelled, grounded, privileges removed and anything else we could think of. He's completely ignored our warnings and has continued to do it. we've had grandma and various friends offer suggestion and talk to him as well with no luck.

Most recently he's had my cell for a week, Yeah, I use it a lot... He's taken it to school, showing it off and claiming it was his. Logan was warned that I'd call the police if he took it again. I argued with myself for 3 hours before I finally called them. I was sick to my stomach doing it.

In a way I was disappointed that he's only 9 because they can't arrest him but at the same time I was relieved. Constable Kenney came in on Tuesday and had a 40 minute talk with Logan. Hopefully that works.

It seems that Logan is taking my phone to try and impress this one kid in his class. We've tried to explain that this kid isn't worth having as a friend for the simple reason he's threatened to beat Logan up.

I remember being a kid and being in the same situation. No one bothered playing with that kid. Logan is overly friendly and just wants EVERYONE to be his buddy.

One of our ideas to keep him out of trouble and keep him busy was to sign him up for activities at the YMCA. Sadly all the spots were filled. So we're looking into other options.

I'm beginning to wonder if stress is the cause of the nerve pinch.....

Doctor's Visit...

I had an appointment to see the doctor today. For the last couple of months I've been having problems with my right arm/hand. Discomfort in the muscles around the armpit area, shoulder, neck and shoulder blade, light numbness in the middle finger(specifically the pad) and the fingers on either side.

All me reflexes are fine and there's no loss of range of motion, my right side does show signs of muscular tightness. So there are two potential issues: pinched nerve or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

She poked my hand with a stick and found where the numbness is and figures it's Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. So now I'm on an anti-inflammatory. This will be a while to see if it it helps. if not I get to go for an EMG, an Electromyography. I've never had one so it should be fun. Depending on the results I may need surgery.

I also had to get a second PSA done today. Both my grandfathers had prostate cancer, one beat it the other didn't, so I have a legitimate concern. Add to that I've been having some other minor symptoms the doctor had me do a PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) Test. the first one in March had elevated levels of whatever they look for and could be caused by a virus, so a second test is needed to confirm. If they are still up I get to go see a urologist.... Fun.Due to my age though cancer is at the very bottom of the list for causes.

Lastly, I mentioned to her about depression. I don't think I am but I've had family members express concerns often enough that I figure I should find out. But since it was at the end of the visit I have to make another appointment to find out more about it. If I am diagnosed with depression I'll more than likely end up on meds for it.


Keep your fingers crossed. Mine are.

Golf? I don't think so...

So, Monday my mother picked Carrie and I up to take me golfing over on Wolfe Island. Carrie didn't play but she had a lot of fun driving the one golf cart and generally keeping my clubs out of reach. LOL.

The course is called Alston Moor golf Links, on Wolfe Island (Yeah I know I already said it. It's a 9 hole course and to play 18 holes it's only $22.00. Mondays are 2 for 1, so $22.00 covered mom and I for the 18. Carts are pretty cheap too, according to mom. We had 2 carts for 18 holes for about $2.00 more than a single cart at a "higher end" course. Par for 18 holes is 70. Mom shot a 110. Me? I shoe 121, 51 over par. Not bad really, when you consider this was like my 3rd or 4th game in 10 years, including my first ever game!

The cool thing about the course is that Wolfe Island is home to a fairly big wind farm. I knew they were building wind generators over there but I didn't realize how many, close to 100. One of which is right on the course too. DAMN! They're big!


Carrie driving the cart.

Mom drivng her cart to the 1st tee.


Mom teeing off.


Me teeing off. I only took 3 mulligans!


Attempting to chip onto the green!


The Wind Generator, up close and personal!


About to putt and trying to find the next tee box.


Mom trying to find her ball.

We had a ton of fun. Mom was trying to get on the green for the 1st hole from the 6th hole tee off. LOL I lost a few balls in the bushes and lost my hat for a bit. Carrie spent a lot of time laughing at both of us.

Now our friend Larry is wanting to come out in August to golf with us. It should be very interesting....

Moved...

Yup. We moved. Up to the third floor. Our friend Scott help me with the heavy stuff yesterday from 11 am to about 1:30pm. He was big help, thanks, man.

The worst thing to move was my computer desk. It barely fit through the apartment door and didn't fit at all in the computer room. So for now it's upended in the bedroom while we figure out what to do with it.

There are still a few things left in the old place, 2 closets of stuff, some other odds and ends and 2 air conditioners. I'm not looking forward to moving those tings. At least they are lighter than my stupid desk.

Logan seems to like his room better. It's got more light, is a bit larger and he has his toy box back in there. We had to paint it the night before we moved. When we looked at it during the day the paint was kind f a light purple color, not bad really, but Logan wanted blue. As we painted the old paint began to look REALLY pink.

Carrie and I love our new room. It's literally twice as big as the old one. As an added bonus it has a closet that doesn't need a steps tool to get into and is actually large enough for us to BOTH put our clothes in!

The Kitchen is somewhat smaller and the table needs to be out in the living room area but that ok.

The Kitchen is pretty much sorted out. We just have to figure out our bedroom layout, computer room layout and where to hang things on the walls. We also need to figure out where to put the 2 air conditioners...

The park is now OPEN!

The opening was today. Thankfully the weather was nice and warm.

When we got to the park I found Jan and talked with her briefly. It turns out she found Ronald Lavallee's wife, Pat. Pat had made some calls and had Ron's sisters and their kids show up. Jan introduced Pat and I, Pat introduced me to Leo and JP. All of us chit chatted a bit before the ceremony.

Our city counsilor, Steve Garrison, made a "short" speech, Pat went up and said a few words, Jan thanked a few people and finally Mr. Garrison (no, Mr. Hat wasn't there) said it was time to open the splash pad. All the kids that were there went in, placed their hands on the "on" button, counted down and started the water.

While the kids played I chatted with some of the other Lavallees. Most were born in and around tweed but have ties back to Sorel Quebec and to Calixa Lavallée, who wrote the Canadian National Anthem. When I heard Sorel Quebec I excused myself, went home and grabbed my family tree.

I have family from Sorel Quebec. Coincidence?

Family relations?

A normal morning consists of getting up, having coffee, checking emails, sending the kid to school, working on some online upgrading courses, sending out resumes and keeping an eye on the forum. Once in a blue moon I'll answer a phone call before noon.

This morning was normal up to the point of getting a call at 11:00. From the City....

I'm hit with something between panic and confusion. "Why would the City call me? They must have me mistaken for someone else. I can't imagine what by-laws I could have broken, besides, wouldn't the police deal with that? Did something happen to my son? Shouldn't the school or the hospital call then? Do they think I own the building I live in and want to buy or demolish it? Maybe the landlords evicted us?"

I answer the phone, it's Jan form City Events and I'm EXTREMELY confused now. She confirms my name and address and I'm wondering if the City is planing a house party at my place.

Well, there is a Kiwanis Club park across the street from us. For the last couple of months they've been doing some upgrading there and installed a splash pad. Jan was calling to let me know the official opening will be this Friday at 3:30pm. I'm thinking that's great but a bit time consuming to call everyone on the street to let them know. Then she asks me the big question, "Since the park is named after Ronald Lavallee, your last name is Lavallee and you live on the same street am I right in thinking you are related? We're hoping a family member will be on hand for the opening ceremony."

To my knowledge I might be related to him some how. All I know for sure is it isn't an immediate relation. Due to Ron's birth date he'd be 9 years older than my father but dad is the first born so Ron isn't a first level uncle.

Grandpa was the seventh son but I don't know any of his brothers names to try and track down a relationship. I've asked dad countless times for that information and have never gotten it. Grandpa passed away in 2002 and grandma passed in 2007.

Internet searching hasn't turned up anything close to usable.

Since this morning I've been scouring the web. I went to http://www.genealogy.com and set up my family tree, asked a couple of questions on the Lavallee board http://www.genealogy.com/users/l/a/v/Keith-Lavallee/

I've also sent an email to Starbuck Manitoba to see if they have any info.

I really hope I get an answer before Friday.

2 months? Damn!

Obviously nothing has really been going on. That or I've been extremely lazy in posting.

Logan's Birthday was in March. My grandmother paid for swimming lessons which finished just this past Saturday. Logan doesn't float very well so he had some trouble with some of the skill needed to make it to level 3. We have a membership at the YMCA so we can go swimming and he can keep practicing.

Carrie's been doing fairly well. She sold her scooter and bought a cane. This means she has to walk more (which is what the Dr has said) and her hip is starting to do a bit better. Mind you she hasn't left the house in since last Friday. Last Thursday she was sitting on the front step for about 4 hours that evening and came to bed around midnight complaining she was itchy. Half asleep as i was I had said it was just bug bites. Two hours later she's up looking for calamine lotion to help with the itching.

Friday morning I look her over and she has hives covering about 15-20% of her body. We went to the drug store and pick up some antihistamine. It worked a little but by 4:00pm she was in worse shape. Off to the hospital.

She was triaged, registered and admitted pretty quickly. Logan and I weren't allowed in to see the doctor with her. By 6:00 we were on our way home. She was told it was erythema multiforme. There's no definitive cause for it but dozens of potential possibilities. They prescribed Prednisone, a corticosteroid, which has helped reduce the the rash/hives but doesn't really help with the itching. The reason she hasn't left the house is because the SUN can cause a flare up.

Here's her arm between flare ups:






Me? Still looking for work. I'll be taking a buttload of online course staring within the next week or so to add to my resume. Hopefully that helps.

Health wise I've been in the yuck. For most of May the temps have been nice and warm. May long weekend they dropped all across Canada, some places even had snow, and I ended up with a sinus cold which seems to have moved into my lungs a bit. For the last week I've been unable to breath and have been coughing up that lovely greenish goo. Oh well. That's Spring for you.

Now I just need to save a bit of cash, find a ride and go play some paintball....

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One more week....

7 days from today I turn 38. 6 days from no Logan turns 9 and in 5 he has his party.

We've both gotten a couple of early birthday gifts.

I got a new Proto Switch FS paintball mask! Add to that I got an awesome CCI Phantom for Christmas I can't wait for the local field to open up so I can go play!


Logan got a remote controlled mini helicopter from his grandma and swim suit & swim lessons from his great grandma. Carrie and I got him a new bike. we would have liked to give it to him ON his birthday but since my mom was in town last week and isn't sure she'll be able to get here next week.... and she has a vehicle for us to transport the bike.... Well, he got it a bit early.





I'm hoping to get some books (The Art Of Japanese Swordsmanship: A Manual Of Eishin-Ryu Iaido
The Art of War
Training The Samurai Mind: A Bushido Sourcebook ) or a few other paintball odds and ends.

Logan still wants more Nerf guns and probably some more Wii games.

In local news... the wading pool at the park down the street has been closed for years. Over the last 3 years there have been rumors it's going to be turned into a splash pad.

The rumor seems to be partially true at least. Friday a backhoe arrived and began digging. From what I saw they replaced a pipe and that was it. The backhoe hasn't moved since.
Everyone is hoping the pad does open this year. We've got 2 schools in the neighborhood and lots of kids that would love it. The next closest pad is a 15 minute city bus ride... I hate being on a bus with a soaked kid.

Medicine sucks.

For as long as I can remember I've had sinus issues. Basically I grew up having "Day time nostril and a night time nostril", I was only able to breath through one side of my sinus. I always thought that was normal.

About 4 years ago I had a nasty sinus cold and haven't been the same since. During the day I'm lucky if I have 30% airflow at all and at night my sinus are totally shut down. I have wicked morning breath, post nasal drip, pressure and even sore teeth. My dentist agreed with my mother that it sounds like sinusitis. So I made an appointment with my doctor to find out for sure.

Today the doctor checked me over and said my breathing is clear and my throat looks good. She suggested I start using my nasal allergy spray daily as well as a saline nasal spray. It should clear me up in about 3 months. If it doesn't then I need to go back in and she'll set me up for a CT scan of the sinus'. If the sinus' aren't overly swollen it could be polyps in there. JOY!

I also talked to her about prostate issues. No, I don't think I actually have a problem but since both my grandfathers had prostate cancer I just think it's a good idea to check it. I've also had some dribble issues for the last year too. Unfortunately(fortunately?) she doesn't do the finger up the ass test right away. She said her fingers are too short to reach to the top of the prostate shoe she recommends a PSA test.

The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is a blood test that checks the level of a certain antigen. Elevated levels don't always mean cancer, it can indicate prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (enlargement of the prostate). If the PSA comes back with elevated levels then she'll put the glove on... The PSA is a $30.00 test but it's free to get a finger up the bum? For some reason that seems backwards.

What's been going on?

Not a lot. As I said earlier I got my awesome black and pink Phantom and I'm waiting for spring to play with it.

Just before Christmas we finally managed to get into a local doctor's office and she's taking us on as patients. That will make it a lot easier than traveling to and from Belleville. Dr. Daneshmend is within walking distance of us and also has a patients only after hours clinic.

I've made my first appointment with her too. February 2 I go in to talk to her about me having sinusitis and to get a prostate check. Yeah, it's not something anyone really wants to hear about but too bad for you. For me it's a growing concern. I'm going to be 38 in 50 days, 40 is creeping up on me... Add to that both of my grandfathers suffered prostate cancer and only one beat it.

Aside from that my health is pretty good. The cold weather is stiffening my back up and having to shovel the driveway doesn't help, but that has to get done by someone.

Carrie still has whatever her flu/cold is. She's kind of moved downstairs into their extra bedroom. She's up most of the night coughing and doesn't want to disturb Logan and I. It's nice of her but the bedroom is kind of lonely. The cold is also playing hell on her back. Thankfully spring isn't too far away.

Logan is in good health as well. The cold is affecting his asthma a little. Nothing to worry about but he's clearing his throat a lot and has an occasional cough. His puffers are helping. His schooling is doing better. He's getting his homework done like he's supposed to, no notes are coming home about him goofing off in class.

Taz is great. He lost the last of his puppy teeth the other day. He's just a goofy puppy.



50 days until mine and Logan's birthdays.... He'll be 9 and I'll be 38.
What do i want for my birthday?
Well, I need new computer speakers.

A new paintball mask would be great, Proto Axis (red) or VForce Grillz (red) would be awesome, Vforce Pro-vantage would be great too.

My one and only big ticket item would be the SG-1 Prescription Goggle.

They don't look like much but check them out: SG-1 Goggles

$299 US for the frames, a clear lens and a gray lens. You can wear them with only the strap or it can be removed and worn with arms. The lenses are ballistic grade too. I've thought about getting the transitional lenses too but that boosts the cost up to $350, so does getting gray polarized... Sigh.

Logan is in need of a new bike this year. He's just too big for his old one. He needs a new helmet to go with it. He'd also like the Guitar Hero drum set and mic. GAH!

He loves his Nerf Dart guns he got for Christmas and wants a few more of them. At least those move him towards paintball LOL!

I got it!

I went out to get the package today. The bus was running late because the roads are crappily plowed. On the plus side it was only a 5 minute wait for the bus to get back home.


Opening the box!

Beautiful body!

Beginning to assemble!

Adding the Barrel!

Me and my new black pink dust anodized CCI Phantom!

Close up of the black pink dust ano. Purty ain't she?

It seems my paintball marker collection is growing!




Here's the letter the guys from the SOPC included:



This gift just blew me away!
Thanks guys!

I'm ready to kill.

I called Shopper's Drugmart Canada Post Outlet again today. The package still isn't there. The guy gave me a phone number to a Canada Post manager, Bob Gallipeau. Before I called him I tried the customer Service line again.

They told me that according to the computer my package is at a different outlet at 100 Clergy St. That would mean it's at the Queen's University outlet. They didn't have a phone number for there. Why, I don't know. It took me 40 minutes of Googleing to find it. According to the lady I spoke to they only handle mail for Queen's. It shouldn't be there and GASP! It wasn't.

Now it's time to call the Manager's number. 18 rings later the answering machine picks up. I leave a message and as of now I'm still waiting for the call to be returned.

I wonder if I can get everyone on the Special Ops forum to join in on a letter writting campaign? I wonder if Canada Post would get the irony of that.

New Years Post #1

January 4, 2009. I guess that means the holidays are over. Good.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no Scrooge, I don't hate the Holidays. I just hate the stupidity that it generates. I guess the stupid never stops but at least it's less intense now.

Initially for Christmas gifts:
I got:
Prince of Persia: Rival Swords for the Wii
2 t-shirts
some 12g cartridges (The one from Legato hasn't arrived yet. I'm guess Tuesday next week)
Precision screwdriver set
Coffee cup with chocolates
Punisher style belt buckle
Monopoly: Star Wars Edition
new boot laces

Carrie got:
CSI game for the Wii
2 different dolphin ornaments
matching toque, mitts & scarf
Jewellry box
Sudoku book
Slippers

Logan got:
12 pair of underwear
2 shirts
2 pair of pants
mini skateboard
Pixar Cars Megablocks
mini sled
Iron man digital still camera
Digital video camera
Spongebob Squarepants electronic Yahtzee
Scrabble
Wheel of Fortune: Simpsons edition
a Bionicle
Guitar Hero World Tour
5 other Wii games
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
Batman Hotwheels track
some Bakugan things
4 Pez dispensers.

Carrie and I also got a new coffee maker and on Dec 29 I received a package containing a Sterling STP paintball pump marker.

On Dec 30 my mother and grandmother stopped in to bring their presents for Logan. A hotwheels type race track, some Wii games and some Nerf guns. Grandma took us out for lunch that day and I missed the mail man. It seems another package arrived for me. Totally unexpected.

According to the notice that was left I could pick the package up after 5pm the same day. Due to other things going on that didn't happen. The next day (Jan 31) I went in only to in out it wasn't supposed to be there until after 1 pm.It sucked but I still had to go and get some dog food anyway. Since it was stupid cold out I called before going back. It turns out my package was missing, "Try after 5pm."

5pm: still missing.

Thursday... I called not expecting much because it was a holiday. I was given the number for Canada Post's Customer Service line. Fat lot of help that was.

Called again on Friday and still nothing.

Today... Still nothing but if it were in transit like the customer service guy said it should be in on Monday, after 1 pm. I think I'll wait until after 5 just to be safe.

I'm at a point of annoyance where going down there and causing damage sounds like a good idea.....

At least i still have my new marker to play with!