Before I tell you about the Field Museum which I visited yesterday I just want to tell you something of a more personal nature. Tomorrow I will be joined by my wife for a week. And I am really looking forward to it. Sure these days you are never quite as alone given the communication tools available (Skype, FaceTime, etc) but you still can't beat that personal contact. I have missed my wife and I have missed my family and having my wife here will be very comforting. However, there is a downside. Never have both my wife and I been away from our kids for this length of time and when we have we have never been more than a couple of hours drive away. I understand that I have to do this, but I do feel guilty dragging my wife half way across the planet and away from the people that need her most just to be with me.
Well now onto the Field Museum. As far as Chicago museums go I'm batting 2 for 2 now. All the exhibits were great. The only problem was there was not enough hours in the day and I only got to see about a third of the place. But, if the remaining two thirds are as good as the first I am in for a real treat if I go back.
I did make one mistake however. I decided to pay a little extra to see the Mummy and Genghis Kahn exhibits and although they were both fantastic, educational and informative I could have spent more time in other exhibits that were just as good and required no extra funding. I have to say I loved the exhibit on the Native American Indians. If you're going to learn about that it is always best to go straight to the source. And there would be nowhere closer to the source than the heartland of the American mid-west.
In all, it was a fantastic museum and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Tomorrow I will tell you about the visit I had to the science and industry museum. Until then, stay well:)
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
It keeps rolling on...
After I had my biopsy I actually felt quite tense, a little anxious and a little flustered. I thought that going back to the hotel would not be the smartest idea as sitting down and doing nothing would merely intensify my negative emotions as I would have plenty of time to ponder the procedure. Instead I decided to distract myself by ascending the Sears Tower (ST). Sorry, the Willis Tower. Oh who cares, whatever it's called if you take my advice you'll go no where near it.
Yes, I was severely disappointed. If you visit Chitown and have a hankering to scale a tall building may I suggest the John Hancock building (JH). I will elaborate:-
Yes, I was severely disappointed. If you visit Chitown and have a hankering to scale a tall building may I suggest the John Hancock building (JH). I will elaborate:-
- The only win for ST is it's higher.
- Elevators. JH has the fastest lifts in the northern hemisphere. The express elevators in the ST were broken. The trip to the top was three lifts. If felt like someone promising you a ride in an Astin Martin DB9 and then turning up in a Toyota Kluger.
- The view is better from the JH. It is on the peripheral of the city so you can see the whole city, it is also closer to the water so you get better lake views too.
- JH has a coffee shop and bar at the top. ST does not.
- JH had better off window displays.
- JH had an informative and interesting audio tour even if it was by David Schwimmer. ST did not.
- ST did have the glass floor experience, but the JH had an outside area so you could really experience the height of the tower.
Now my experience may have been skewed because I had only two hours before had a stick in my arse. But even in hindsight, the JH was way better. After I finally descended the structure I sat down for a well earned coffee before I caught up with friends where we had dinner at the Bedford Bar, which was very nice. Then we went and watched some country and western music. Normally I am not a fan of C and W, but here they just do it so much better. The musicians were extremely talented.
On another note, I got the results of my bone marrow test and they were all good, so I don't have cancer and I am all go for next tuesday. Next time I will post my pictures atop the ST, until then, stay well:)
Biopsy
I tried to take video of my biopsy, but it didn't come out right so you're just going to have to take my written summation of events. As with most medical procedures I have I like to do my research before I go in. This time, I wished I hadn't. I decided to watch the procedure on youtube the night before which was a mistake as it meant I got a first hand glimpse of the terrifyingly large needle they used to take the biopsy and also the patient that they videoed did an awful lot of whining. Needless to say my mindset was skewed negative before I had even started.
My biopsy had been booked in for 12.30 but they wanted me to get there half an hour early for preparation. Paula arrived first, then Dr Burt followed by the pathology nurse. They had me take off my shoes and jeans then lie down on the treatment table. The first thing that they did was put in some local anaesthetic which was good as the thought of having someone drill out a portion of my bone without would be quite painful.
After the anaesthetic had been administered Dr Burt checked the area to make sure the area was suitably numbed and then he did it. He shoved a big stick in my arse. It wasn't so much painful as uncomfortable and as happens many times when I have procedures like this, I started to sweat. And not just normal sweats, big time sweats that I could feel running down my forehead.
The first thing they did was drain some of the fluid out of my bone marrow followed by the main event where he took a chunk of my bone out. It didn't hurt much at all. The most unsettling thing was the scratching sensation. I didn't like that at all. It was almost like the grinding of teeth.
And that was pretty much it. All the needles were removed, gauze was placed on the needle sight and then I was made to sit on my butt for ten minutes as a way to apply pressure. They fetched me a glass of water, and finally I was allowed to go. Now the procedure was not as bad as I had first imagined, but you certainly wouldn't do it for fun. A day later I would be lying if I said my bum was not sore, but all I have to show for it is a little red dot. I have to go back to the hospital today for more blood work and it will be a cab ride. I certainly do not feel up to walking that far. Until next time, stay well:)
My biopsy had been booked in for 12.30 but they wanted me to get there half an hour early for preparation. Paula arrived first, then Dr Burt followed by the pathology nurse. They had me take off my shoes and jeans then lie down on the treatment table. The first thing that they did was put in some local anaesthetic which was good as the thought of having someone drill out a portion of my bone without would be quite painful.
After the anaesthetic had been administered Dr Burt checked the area to make sure the area was suitably numbed and then he did it. He shoved a big stick in my arse. It wasn't so much painful as uncomfortable and as happens many times when I have procedures like this, I started to sweat. And not just normal sweats, big time sweats that I could feel running down my forehead.
The first thing they did was drain some of the fluid out of my bone marrow followed by the main event where he took a chunk of my bone out. It didn't hurt much at all. The most unsettling thing was the scratching sensation. I didn't like that at all. It was almost like the grinding of teeth.
And that was pretty much it. All the needles were removed, gauze was placed on the needle sight and then I was made to sit on my butt for ten minutes as a way to apply pressure. They fetched me a glass of water, and finally I was allowed to go. Now the procedure was not as bad as I had first imagined, but you certainly wouldn't do it for fun. A day later I would be lying if I said my bum was not sore, but all I have to show for it is a little red dot. I have to go back to the hospital today for more blood work and it will be a cab ride. I certainly do not feel up to walking that far. Until next time, stay well:)
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Well, today is world rare disease day. Today is all about creating awareness for people with rare diseases. And what do we want? Money? No. Commitment? No. Right now all we want is for you to like their Facebook page so we can draw attention to the cause of all rare diseases. Take it from me, it can feel pretty lonely having a rare disease, but we are not alone and here is why:-
There are over 7000 diseases in the rare disease database.
350 million people suffer from a rare disease.
That's 1 in 20 or 5% of the world population.
If sufferers lived in one country it would be the 3rd largest country in the world, bigger than the USA.
Less than 5% of rare diseases have any therapies or treatments.
75% of sufferers are children.
With so many sufferers it is time we made a stand and were noticed. By liking their Facebook page you can help make a statement to governments, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, medical researchers etc... That these people are not alone and cannot be ignored. You can like the Facebook page by clicking on the link below. It will take you 30 seconds.
Stay well:)
With so many sufferers it is time we made a stand and were noticed. By liking their Facebook page you can help make a statement to governments, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, medical researchers etc... That these people are not alone and cannot be ignored. You can like the Facebook page by clicking on the link below. It will take you 30 seconds.
Stay well:)
Chi Tour
Some of the highlights of my tour of Chicago. I really like the snippet I got of the el. Stay Well:)
Update
Since I normally write about all things medical, it is nice to switch from a tourist blog and have something to report to you on my treatment. I talked to Paula today and most of the tests that had been done were back in. On the positive, the neurologist had signed off on CIDP so from a disease point of view I've got the green light.
However, on the not so positive side one of my test results raised a red flag. I have not researched it yet so I am not sure if the result was positive, negative, elevated or whatever, all I know is that it requires further investigation. So tomorrow I am going for a bone marrow biopsy to check that I don't have a myeloma.
Now I guess the big question for me is should I be worried? At the moment I don't think so. I have only talked to Paula and she could only answer most of my questions, the rest will have to wait for Dr Burt. It is my understanding that many CIDP patients test positive for this test (which is called Serum Protein Electrophoresis or SPEP) so the further test is just a precaution.
One thing I am finding kind of strange is that I only heard of the news an hour ago and I am in for the test tomorrow morning. Normally I get the go for a procedure and the test happens about a month from now. It gives me time to process all of it, do my research and prepare and this time I have all of 18 hours to prepare.
Normally I whinge about the wait, but this time I am on the polar opposite side of the fence. I am almost being rushed. But there is no way I am going to complain about it. This is way more preferential than the wait. So forgive me for rushing off, I have to go and do some work. Stay well:)
However, on the not so positive side one of my test results raised a red flag. I have not researched it yet so I am not sure if the result was positive, negative, elevated or whatever, all I know is that it requires further investigation. So tomorrow I am going for a bone marrow biopsy to check that I don't have a myeloma.
Now I guess the big question for me is should I be worried? At the moment I don't think so. I have only talked to Paula and she could only answer most of my questions, the rest will have to wait for Dr Burt. It is my understanding that many CIDP patients test positive for this test (which is called Serum Protein Electrophoresis or SPEP) so the further test is just a precaution.
One thing I am finding kind of strange is that I only heard of the news an hour ago and I am in for the test tomorrow morning. Normally I get the go for a procedure and the test happens about a month from now. It gives me time to process all of it, do my research and prepare and this time I have all of 18 hours to prepare.
Normally I whinge about the wait, but this time I am on the polar opposite side of the fence. I am almost being rushed. But there is no way I am going to complain about it. This is way more preferential than the wait. So forgive me for rushing off, I have to go and do some work. Stay well:)
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