A Geeks Wet-Dream

So I wake up at 2am this morning. Not because I dreamt I was the leading man in one of Vivid's latest movies. No no! Instead, I was dreaming about running CAT5 around our entire home so we could enjoy the incredible speeds of wired networking. And boy did I struggle to get back to sleep after that! What's wrong with me?

Living on O2

Photo 11
Originally uploaded by Macknal.

So this is what it has come down to. Oxygen at home in order that I don't keel over from stressing my heart because I can't take enough air into my lung. So what's involved? Well, there's a large machine in the entrance way that generates the oxygen, while a long, long tube connects to the cannula which is what is stuck on my face. I can pretty much walk anywhere in the home and drag this tubing along with me. Fun isn't it? And for when I need to get out of the house, fear not, I get to carry a portable unit that should give me about 8 hours supply. The good thing is that when I'm sedentary, I typically don't need to be connected. Now if only they (Dependicare) will deliver the portable unit then I can actually get out of the house!

Easter Sunday

IMG_4416
Originally uploaded by Macknal.

I know this is going to be hard for some of you to believe. Danny is almost four years old and today marks his first Easter celebration. Maybe celebration is too strong a word since all it involved was an Easter Egg hunt in the grandparents back garden, and when all was said and done, the big event for the day was a trip to the Kohl Children's Museum. Nevertheless, we thought it important enough to capture.

Health Scare

This past Tuesday was my regular monthly CT-scan and followup with Dr. Bonomi at Rush University Hospital. It's usually a five hour affair. I get the scan, get a blood test and wait for the esteemed doctor to give me the news that "all is stable!" and "we'll see you in a month." This Tuesday didn't go according to plan. First off, Dr. Bonomi was off sick (doctors do get sick from time to time). But mainly, my scans came back with some terrible news:

• Tumors have grown in my lung.
  
• Tumors are now evident in my liver.
  
• Lung capacity is evidently reduced.
  
• A blood clot exists in my inferior vena cava.
  

The blood clot was a huge concern for the doctors and nurses working my case. So much so that they admitted me to the hospital immediately; I needed blood thinners to get rid of the clot and I needed to be observed so that I wouldn't have any major bleeding issues. Additionally I needed more tests; the lung window was not sufficient to get a good view of the clot and the liver mets.

Additionally, because I was on a drug trial and things weren't working, I was pulled off the trial and informed that I would begin another round of chemotherapy next week. BUMMER!

During the next day, after the necessary scans it turns out the blood clot was a false alarm. Great news and no more huge concern. Sadly though, the liver mets are there so maybe a little concern for how things are going to pan out.

I feel like I've been down this road before...

Rent: School Friendly Edition

One of the benefits of being a teacher is that you get invited to enjoy certain school events for gratis. And of course, this benefit carries over to the spouse on certain occasions as it did last night when we enjoyed dinner and the show "Rent" (the school friendly edition) at Loyola Academy. Now sadly we never did get to see the production on Broadway, we did get to enjoy the DVD and all I can say is the kids at Loyola blew us away with their version of the production. Tweaked a little from the original to make it appropriate for teenagers on stage, the story is intact and so are the songs and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the leads will be future American Idols.

The dinner was also rather enjoyable too!