mistergpicklez's blog

#351 - More stuff

Well, I found out that I have acid reflux, mild allergies (pollen), and a severely deviated septum.  That's in the nose.  It has nothing to do with my backside...

The doctor visit

The whole thing ended up costing me around $300.  $40 for the copay and $260 for the "scope".  More on that later.

I decided to go to an allergy/sleep/ear, nose, and throat specialist to try and get diagnosed with sleep apnea and/or narcolepsy.  As many of you know, I snore VERY loudly.  I've had really loud snorers like the Masher and even Master C tell me that I'm unbelievably loud.  Every once in a while I'll wake up with the taste of vomit in my mouth, too.  (That's the acid reflux.)

I'm scheduled for the sleep clinic sometime next week.  This is where they put electrodes all over your body and you're supposed to fall asleep and they measure whatever it is they measure.  Unfortunately, I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to fall asleep with all that stuff on me.  I'm also pretty sure they frown on rubbing one out to relax.

At any rate the visit started as normal.  Someone took my blood pressure and measured my pulse while someone else asked me a bunch of questions.  Pretty standard.  At the end of the questions, the medical assistant used a miniature hose to spray some anesthesia into my sinus cavity.  It tasted pretty bad and it made my front teeth go numb. 

The doctor came in and reviewed my questionairre and made some light conversation and asked me to elaborate on some of my answers.  He looked in my ears and nose with the normal doctor flashlight thing.  He even did the classic "Open your mouth and say 'Aahhhh'," with the tongue depresser.  He made note that my tonsils were inflamed which was a sign of allergies.  He then grabbed a cylindrical device about the size of a small handheld tactical light.  It had a long flexible wire attached to it.  He told me to tilt my head back and relax.  He then started feeding the wire into my nose.  As he did so, he would look into the cylinder and make comments:

"A lot of mucus."

"Your septum is twisted waaayyyy to the right."

"Yup, you have acid reflux.  Your throat is slightly inflammed and I see acid burns."

The whole experience was sort of weird.  I could feel the wire in the back of my throat.  Also, I thought I might freak out with having something like that shoved into one of my orifaces, but apparently, I was OK with it. (I'm sure BabySteps will comment with "Is it Saturday night already?")

He prescribed me some kind of daily pill for the acid reflux and gave me a sheet that told me that I needed to elevate the head of the bed, avoid eating 2 hours or less before bedtime, avoid eating chocolate and fatty foods, and avoid drinking alcohol.  Sounds like he doesn't want me to have any fun at all.  He also prescribed me Nasonex and told me to squirt it up my nose an hour or so before bedtime.  Both prescriptions were $30 each.  Yay.

So already, I'm near the $500 mark for this one visit.  I have a $1000 deductible and then there is only 80/20 after that.  I have no idea how much the sleep clinic will cost and I'm guessing the surgery will be over $3K.  Sucks to be me right now, but I'm keeping things in perspective.  At least I'm not doing chemo like my mom.

 

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#350 - News

I'm sure many of you in the blogosphere has wondered what's happened to ol' Picklez.  Well, here's an update:

General

I'm in good health.  I had some suspect moles removed and I am getting the stitches out on Tuesday.  Lab results will be in too.  Hopefully, nothing will be cancerous.  I've also got an appointment with a Sleep specialist.  Maybe I can get this sleep apnea officially diagnosed and properly fixed (surgery or machine).  Work isn't too hectic and there might be an opportunity for me to move up to Supervisor.  I'll have to interview for it because it is in the Maintenance department.  I figure, "What the heck".

Divorce

May 5th is my next court date and it looks like there will be another delay.  Not my fault.  (None of it was, really).  That's all I have to say about that.

House

In the process of the divorce, I finally have all of the Boss' possessions down in the basement (ready to be moved out).  I have some new furniture and the place is looking pretty decent.  I might even have guests over...

Karate

I'm finally over a personal feud I've been having with another "instructor".  By "over" I mean that I've come to terms with the fact that I'm going to have to respectfully set this guy straight and let him know that he has no power or authority over me.  I wasn't going to even talk to this guy originally, but after much soul searching and discussion with my friends, I realize that I have to be the bigger person (yet again), take it on the chin, and just tell the guy where I stand.  My rep has already been slightly damaged by this whole thing, but I think that it is something that is easily overcome.

Spiritual

I've come to terms with my faith and I actually joined a church.  Sounds weird, but I think I've found some peace of mind and I actually enjoy going to church now.  I'm not saying I'll be there every week for 4 hours and teaching Sunday school, but I like the pastor and the general atmosphere is pretty laid back.  Heck, they even got me to join the choir...

Financial

Things seem to be on a little bit of an upturn.  I've got a DJ gig in May and maybe that will lead to more...  I also got an inquiry about a private Self-Defense seminar, but I haven't heard back on that.

Family

Things aren't so great in this department.  My mom was diagnosed with cancer and she begins chemo next week.  It's 4 treatments over 12 weeks.  We were hoping that she wouldn't have to do the chemo, but the doctor says it's necessary.  "Nuke it from orbit.  It's the only way to be sure."

As most people know, when a person undergoes chemotherapy, they lose all their hair.  My mom will be one of those people.  Ironically, she and my sister donated a bunch of their hair to "Locks of Love".  I told her she should call them and see if they can track down the wig with her hair in it.  Also, a lot of people show support by shaving their head.  Well, I normally shave my head so I told my mom I would grow my hair out.  She knows this will drive me crazy so she agreed.  That being said, I'll be wearing a hat for the next 12 or so weeks.  Believe me, you don't want to see the crazy Hawaiian afro...

 

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QP#50 - Looks like a fun game

Sam-jackson-guess-who

I don't know why I like Samuel Jackson so much.  I think it's because he does what he wants and he doesn't care what people think.  Whether it's Pulp Fiction, Mississippi Burning, Star Wars, or Snakes on a Plane, once he commits it's "On Like Donkey Kong".

 

THAT IS ALL