My Sister's Wedding and Other Odds and Ends

Last Friday night, my sister got married for the second time. She is now Mrs. Thomas Craig Rayhill. I like Craig, as he is known by. He is a bit of a redneck, which worries me some, but he has never been unkind or disrespectful to me. He wants me to teach him how to play the guitar. Of course, I can only teach him the chords and some of the riffs to songs I know that I figured out how to play on my own. Right now, I don't even have any picks. I've lost all of my picks through the big hole toward the bottom of the guitar. Once they're lost in there, I can never seem to get them out. Anyway, back to my sister's wedding and my new brother-in-law. They played all the typical songs that a dj would play at a wedding dance. I got out on the floor for 4 songs, at least 2 of them slow, and that's all I could muster. They played one country song that just emphasizes how redneck my new bro is. The lyrics are sung by a male country singer and it goes to the effect that she sees "Bambi" and he sees "antlers over the mantle." Apparently, he and his brothers go shootin' from time to time. I can't imagine, but anyhow, Michelle and Craig's first dance was to the song "When You Say Nothing At All," Alison Krauss's cover version. It was perfect for them.

Saturday morning, after the wedding, I woke up to a nightmare. My kitchen sink was overflowing with thick, black water. My dad came over and siphoned out both sides of the sink and tried to use a plunger on it, but that was just the beginning of the "fun." The maintenance man was called out on an emergency basis Saturday evening, and he used a 25-foot auger to snake through the pipes, and after four hours, he could get nowhere beyond like 21 feet. Then, he called the plumbers that are contracted through the complex's advisory board to come out that night and give it a try with a power unit. They had no success either and came back the next morning, sawed into the hallway wall where my pipes are, the access panel if you will, and ended up snaking their way into my neighbor's condominium across the hall where I still don't know if any damage was done by their power unit. I haven't heard from my neighbor. Anyway, they had to come back Monday morning, thinking they were going to have to tear up the flooring in the hallway to get to the blocked pipe. Luckily, they checked my sink after doing a bit of jackhammering in the hall to find out that the vibrations from the jackhammer unclogged the pipelines. Thank God! Really! Today, Tuesday, I'm just kicking back and doing nothing and it feels great. Of course, I still have quite a bit of clean-up work to do, but I've done enough that I can at least function in the kitchen. My dad also used this plumbing mess time to put up blinds for me in the front room and two air-conditioning units, one in the bedroom window and one in the front room window. I helped some, of course. They don't turn on the condominium central air until they absolutely have to, usually some time in April. It can easily reach 80 degrees F in March during a particularly warm spell, and it gets miserable inside. I got a note from my doctor stating that I had seasonal allergies, which got the approval of the board so I could have the window units installed. More later...

After the Big Snow...

Well, I think Friday's snowstorm was the fourth largest on record for Louisville at 14.4 inches. Now it's Sunday and in the 40s with the big melt-down well underway. Actually, I can't believe how fast that much snow is evaporating. I guess it's the higher sun angle of March... about the equivalent of the first of October. It sure doesn't feel very cold out there. I felt overdressed when I went to pick up a couple of prescriptions. At this rate, the snow should be gone by some time Tuesday when the high is expected to reach into the 50s. I guess I should say all the snow should be gone except those huge snow piles in the shopping center parking lots across town.

Also, there is a relatively new music artist that I'm now fond of that has to be gay. With his lyrics and his angst, it's pretty obvious, but he makes a big production of his music. He has strings. He has choirs. I'm talking about Rufus Wainwright. I'd hate to have that name, but anyway, the music has some of the characteristics of a lot of my favorite music artists and music groups. ELO, Queen, Elton John, and ABBA are some that come to mind, at least musically. None of those sing lyrics so overtly homosexual, with the exception of a few Queen songs I can think of. But, Rufus is very talented, and I hope he goes far. He says in his liner notes that his mother is his biggest fan and thinks he can do no wrong hardly. Oh well, if my mother felt that way, she'd go to PFLAG meetings and encourage me to mingle and meet that special someone. But, I've been alone for 3 years now and with my health, I don't see that changing anytime soon. Anyway, I feel music is the love of my life, and I'm not sure I'd want to change that fact. By the way, I think I have the best parents in the world. They just have to abide by their unbending biblical moral code and I understand that. I really do. Enough for now...

Ice Storm Warning Yesterday and Health News

Yes, it was another eventful winter storm yesterday. Louisville experienced sleet and freezing rain for the balance of the afternoon and evening with temperatures climbing through the 20s. Untreated roads and other pathways became a sheet of ice and very treacherous. Unlike last week's storm, which produced around 4 inches of snow before the ice began, this storm was mainly the ice... the ice being much worse than the snow. Schools and businesses shut down by the noon-time hour, then the city was basically closed for business in the afternoon. This morning around 10 AM, the temperature was still only 34 degrees F. The ice is not melting quickly as fog and light rain showers move in. Tonight, we may have a brief period of light snow before it all comes to an end.
In health news, the cardiologist specializing in pacemakers and defibrillators basically told me I need the defibrillator device. He said my heart has sufficiently weakened to the point that a bad heart rhythm could kill me at any time. The defibrillator would shock the heart back into its proper rhythm if this event occurred. I asked him about exercise, and he said that it probably would not strengthen the heart, but certainly wouldn't be a bad thing to do. I especially think so since I need to lose about 30 pounds to be average weight. Unfortunately, a bad side effect of the atypical anti-psychotic drug I take is weight gain, but I'm nowhere near the top dose. I'm taking 300 mg of Seroquel and the top dose is 800 mg. I'm just happy that I'm not hearing voices with this relatively low-dose of medication. A few weeks ago, I was taking three different anti-psychotic drugs... the Thorazine being taken mostly for sleep. Now I'm taking Chloral Hydrate syrup for sleep, the only potential risk being respiratory, not cardiac. The specialist I saw yesterday said that he would have worried about the Thorazine if I were still taking it because it could cause adverse cardiac effects. It's a good thing I stopped taking the Thorazine when I did because my dad tells me he has noticed some involuntary limb movements which could have deteriorated to tardive dyskinesia had I continued taking the Thorazine. My psychiatrist warned me of stiffness with taking the Thorazine, but not the involuntary movements. All of these drugs are potent and have the potential to help or to hurt you. I'm just glad I didn't develop the t.d. because it is potentially irreversible and people would likely treat you like you were crippled or worse. Back to the heart... the doctor is going to try and increase my heart medications to see if my cardiac output improves with them in a couple months. If not, it looks like I'm going to get the defibrillator.

Winter Storm Warning for Louisville

Well, it looks like another potentially major winter storm is likely to hit the Louisville area this evening into tomorrow morning. It looks like snow will develop around 4 pm this afternoon. Then, overnight, as warmer temperatures move into the higher levels of the atmosphere, the snow will changeover to sleet and freezing rain. Depending on the track of the low pressure system that will be bringing the inclement weather to the region, Louisville will experience a changeover to plain rain by morning. Temperatures have to rise a good 10 degrees from where they are now for that to happen. I'm a bit skeptical, but I believe the transition to rain will take place some time Tuesday morning. We may expect to see 2 to 4 inches of snow and sleet to accumulate before the changeover to freezing rain, which may coat trees and power lines with a tenth to a quarter of an inch of ice. It may be more if the transition to plain rain doesn't occur. Temperatures will top out in the 30s tomorrow, but how much above freezing will that be? I should be able to check in tomorrow morning to analyze the storm potential even more. But beforehand, a Winter Storm Warning is in effect for Louisville until noon tomorrow. The temperature means everything regarding this storm, as it does for any major winter storm. We've had no problem rising above freezing in other winter storms this season, but we'll see if this one's any different. More later...

Glasses and Cogentin

Well, I finally went to get tested for what tinted lenses I needed for my Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome. I ended up needing two different shades of grey, which will look pretty dark, but really I know it's necessary. I got my psychiatrist to write a prescription for the Irlen lenses and a diagnosis of photophobia. I'm trying to get Medicaid to pay for the lenses. They have for some people, so it's worth a try. I think the prescription and diagnosis will be taken more seriously coming from my opthalmologist, Dr. Conrad. He specializes in eye diseases, but it's great to have a psychiatrist who cares as much as Dr. Miller. He has done practically anything to help me. He prescribed Cogentin to help with the pain and throbbing in the legs. It's an anti-Parkinson's drug which helps with akathisia. It's a good thing he told me to quit taking the Thorazine when the akathisia showed up. I just hope it isn't permanent. He has told me before that it takes about 2 weeks for the drug to get out of the system. But, the Cogentin in addition to Gabapentin (Neurontin) is taking care of the pain in my legs. I hate to drive now. There's just too much discomfort in my legs. Right now, I'm using dark grey sunglasses to assist me in the meantime. It will take approximately 3 weeks to get my glasses tinted and back to me. It will have the astigmatism prescription along with the Scotopic prescription. The diagnostician said they will just look like sunglasses, but some people end up with pink or green lenses, so I'm thankful that shades of grey were my colors.

Anyway, the weather has calmed down after the tornado outbreak Tuesday and the prior Tuesday. It looks like we're going into a much quieter weather pattern over the next two weeks. It will be significantly cooler, but not brutally cold (except Sunday,) when we get a quick shot of arctic air from Canada. It's getting to the time of year that arctic plunges in temperatures don't last very long. The wind will be gusty Sunday, so it will feel frigid. Most of the day will see temperatures in the 20s with wind chills getting as cold as the single digits. High temperatures will be in the 40s and 50s for much of the next two weeks. That is near to slightly above normal, average highs being in the mid 40s. More later...

Summer-Like Temperatures and Thorazine Withdrawal

Well, it's almost 2 AM, and it's very "sticky" in the condo. It's 67 degrees F outside, feeling more like a summer morning. I wish I had air conditioning because I would be using it now for sure. I slept about 4 hours before I got on the computer. I realize I haven't blogged in a while, so I thought I'd write about it. I developed akathisia on the Thorazine that was helping me sleep, so my psychiatrist took me off the drug "cold turkey." Since then, I've had residual side effects. Mostly I've been experiencing pain in my legs. It has improved somewhat, but the doctor told me to take Benadryl for the anticholinergic effects, which should help the pain. It is very difficult to drive my car with this discomfort in my legs. I don't think it's dangerous for me to drive, but it is uncomfortable to say the least. I hope this pain goes away because I realize the Thorazine was damaging my dopamine receptors. What I'm experiencing now is psuedo-Parkinson's symptoms. Anyway, a lot of people are praying for me, and I know that the power of prayer is potentially life-changing and very real.
This summer-like weather Louisville is having today may result in a severe weather outbreak this evening. There's a significant potential for damaging winds, and even a slight risk of isolated tornadoes. Personally, I'm looking forward to high temperatures returning to the 40s. At least we probably won't see the 7 degrees F again that we saw on the morning of January 20th as an arctic air mass enveloped the region. According to the two-week forecast, the arctic air should remain bottled up in Alaska and Canada, and above-normal temperatures should dominate most of the lower 48. Again, I don't think we'll see temperatures in the 70s again in the two-week period ahead, but there could be a lot of 50s, more like what is average a month from now... and quite a bit of rain is in that outlook as well.

Another Night of Little Sleep and Glasses

I am so frustrated. Even with some pretty potent prescription drugs, I can't sleep. Well, I did get a bit over two hours, but that just isn't enough, not for anybody. I'm doing all I can to improve my cardiovascular output by walking daily and taking my medications. My decreased ejection fraction makes me tired as it is, and on February 7th, I see a cardiologist who specializes in pacemakers and defibrillators. If a pacemaker increases my energy levels during the day, I'm all for it. But, if the insomnia doesn't abate, I'm likely going to feel pretty lousy anyway. Sometimes I just wish somebody would knock me over the head with some blunt metallic object so that I can pass out. I don't want to use this blog to complain about not sleeping all the time, but it's a determining factor in how I'm going to feel each and every day. I've had two cups of coffee or I wouldn't even be blogging this morning.

Today, I go to Bardstown, Kentucky to test different colored lenses by trying to read something with the various shades. If the color is right, reading will be smooth and easy, not choppy or uncomfortable. Once the right color is established, my prescription glasses will be sent off to be tinted. I will miss them while they're gone. My vision is so much better now that I have corrective lenses. Of course, I've written about this in a previous blog. The coloring of the lenses block out certain wavelengths of light that interfere with one's visual processing so that they can read better and have improved depth perception, among other things. It's a rather painstaking process to discover what the right color is, but I imagine I will start with what worked in 1996. I really have a feeling it's changed. I was told all the prescription drugs, the chemicals I put into my body can change the wavelengths of light to which I'm sensitive. I will find out soon enough. More later...