Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Island Time
I find myself on an Island on the Puget Sound. A wonderful place. A place I will be living for the next 6 or 7 months. Good roads to, very wide, smooth and clean. Mary Anne is going to be on a her writing journey. I get to be on a riding journey. I go out for a nice ride this morning. Just a first ride on the roads I know up here. Highway 525 north and south. One end of the Island to the other. At the north end is Deception Pass. A little crack of a cliff that a very large body of water rushes through one way then the other with the tide. Very cool. That is about 55 miles from here. I'm not going that far today. Just an easy ride. There are a lot of rollers both ways. 50 miles should do. In the future I will take some photos and post them on a new posts. It's a perfect day. No wind. So it's a short post for now. I tried for more but keep deleteing it with my fingers. I guess I get the message. Get your ass out and ride boy!
Saturday, August 25, 2007
At first sight
I had a great ride yesterday. That's what I thought this post would be about. The roads the hills the guy that tried to pass me. All the now normal actions that can happen on any ride I go out on. I and thousands of other riders. Competitive, recreational, family and all the rest. Just chest pounding and feeling good. Tales of testosterone and endorphins. It's all good. I'm not about to complain. Not one line am I about to complain. This is another story.
This morning, after coffee, after a cheese danish, after being able to do most everything for my self. Talking to Mary Anne, loving the light she walks in. Being able to do all the things I wanted to do. Being happy to have good drugs that let me live my day in a mostly pain free way. Living in a beautiful condo in a wonderful part of town, near good roads to get my rides to the country roads. All the everyday miracles. And I feel this way most everyday. Even on days that are not so good. I still see the miracles. Today, the day I learned another true believer lost his way. Not a friend, not a fellow club rider, Not a racer I had heard about. Not any of these. Just another true believer that picks the bike up and goes out on the road to put on the miles. An every day guy. Father, husband, son, and all the rest you can think of. A rider with a helmet on. Gloves and shorts. Maybe a "powerbar" to. Just you or me. Riding in a park because he was afraid to ride on the roads. A nice well paved park with a good loop to ride in relative safety. A place you would feel safe and take your family. Your daughter or son on their first ride. Learn the way of the true believers.
Today was another sad story. A car and a bike. You can make the story up from there on your own. It's never good. A car and a bike in a park made for people. The bike always gets the worst of it. Death would be a favor in this case. No hands, no legs, no arms. A quadriplegic. It happens all the time. The car always wins. The biker always pays the price. We all keep going on. The true believers. We lost a friend today. One of the faceless millions. A rider of a bike. A family man. Your next door neighbor. He will never walk again. He will never use his hands again. You can fill in the blanks.
I am blessed, and I send my blessings to this stranger today. You are my brother, you are my friend, you are me. Bless your house and all who love you. I am a true believer and I believer in you.
This morning, after coffee, after a cheese danish, after being able to do most everything for my self. Talking to Mary Anne, loving the light she walks in. Being able to do all the things I wanted to do. Being happy to have good drugs that let me live my day in a mostly pain free way. Living in a beautiful condo in a wonderful part of town, near good roads to get my rides to the country roads. All the everyday miracles. And I feel this way most everyday. Even on days that are not so good. I still see the miracles. Today, the day I learned another true believer lost his way. Not a friend, not a fellow club rider, Not a racer I had heard about. Not any of these. Just another true believer that picks the bike up and goes out on the road to put on the miles. An every day guy. Father, husband, son, and all the rest you can think of. A rider with a helmet on. Gloves and shorts. Maybe a "powerbar" to. Just you or me. Riding in a park because he was afraid to ride on the roads. A nice well paved park with a good loop to ride in relative safety. A place you would feel safe and take your family. Your daughter or son on their first ride. Learn the way of the true believers.
Today was another sad story. A car and a bike. You can make the story up from there on your own. It's never good. A car and a bike in a park made for people. The bike always gets the worst of it. Death would be a favor in this case. No hands, no legs, no arms. A quadriplegic. It happens all the time. The car always wins. The biker always pays the price. We all keep going on. The true believers. We lost a friend today. One of the faceless millions. A rider of a bike. A family man. Your next door neighbor. He will never walk again. He will never use his hands again. You can fill in the blanks.
I am blessed, and I send my blessings to this stranger today. You are my brother, you are my friend, you are me. Bless your house and all who love you. I am a true believer and I believer in you.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Road Time
The time had come. I was driving my Van again. Why not ride my bike. So I got the #2 bike out, cleaned it up. Not that it was dirty. Lubed the chain. Checked the tires, added a little air. Put on 2 bottles of fluids. Climbed into the Competitive Cyclist jersey and bib riding shorts. Remembered to strap on the heart rate monitor. Helmet, gloves, glasses, phone, wallet, zipfizzes, a bottle of emergence meds. Wow you would think I was going to be gone for days. I was just going out for a short 35 mile or so, easy ride. Needed to see what it felt like to ride again. I've been off the bike since last Thursday. Seems longer, a lot longer.
It was the run out River Road South. A road that I should be bored with. I do the road all the time. It never bores me. It leads to some great roads in quiet country. Miles of country roads with very few cars and trucks. The trick was going to be if I could ride a strait line. With all the meds I now take that could be a challenge. So off I went. I hit the usual construction on River Road. I was being hipper careful. I was riding with so much extra care. I was afraid I would ride off the road if I made one small mistake. I was also riding in a about 95" gear. At a good clip but not breathing to hard. Must be the drugs. So I just went the first 15 miles like that. Moving good but not getting out of breath. Then the first steep hill showed up. The same hill I have climbed countless times. It went nice and easy. Stayed in the good zone. Did not get to out of breath. Must be the drugs. Moved on to a long set of rollers that brought the road to the game reserve. Saw a few riders going the other way. 2 family types out having fun. One rang their handle bar bell at me as I waved. Smiles all around. The next was a serious rider. He looked up at least. I was now on a long flat section that looped around the game reserve back to Liberty Hill. The way back home. Liberty is a longish climb, 5 miles or so. Fun climb. Some hard, some fast, then some hard again. After that it's rollers and small hills to the edge of Salem and home in 5 miles. The climbs were just great fun. I was doing the easy thing. Going at a middle pace. Going good. Going good all the time. Never out of breath. Must be the drugs. Found the last few hills and roads and turns that brought me back home to the Condo. I called Mary Anne to let her know everything was all right. 36 miles and I did not fall down. It must be the drugs.
It was the run out River Road South. A road that I should be bored with. I do the road all the time. It never bores me. It leads to some great roads in quiet country. Miles of country roads with very few cars and trucks. The trick was going to be if I could ride a strait line. With all the meds I now take that could be a challenge. So off I went. I hit the usual construction on River Road. I was being hipper careful. I was riding with so much extra care. I was afraid I would ride off the road if I made one small mistake. I was also riding in a about 95" gear. At a good clip but not breathing to hard. Must be the drugs. So I just went the first 15 miles like that. Moving good but not getting out of breath. Then the first steep hill showed up. The same hill I have climbed countless times. It went nice and easy. Stayed in the good zone. Did not get to out of breath. Must be the drugs. Moved on to a long set of rollers that brought the road to the game reserve. Saw a few riders going the other way. 2 family types out having fun. One rang their handle bar bell at me as I waved. Smiles all around. The next was a serious rider. He looked up at least. I was now on a long flat section that looped around the game reserve back to Liberty Hill. The way back home. Liberty is a longish climb, 5 miles or so. Fun climb. Some hard, some fast, then some hard again. After that it's rollers and small hills to the edge of Salem and home in 5 miles. The climbs were just great fun. I was doing the easy thing. Going at a middle pace. Going good. Going good all the time. Never out of breath. Must be the drugs. Found the last few hills and roads and turns that brought me back home to the Condo. I called Mary Anne to let her know everything was all right. 36 miles and I did not fall down. It must be the drugs.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
20K
Posts of the recent past bring me to this post. To wobbly to ride my bike. New drugs will take a bit to get used to. Pain free days a miracle. Thanks to methadone and a few other modern brews from the pharmacy.
As I was trying to say. I was to wobbly to ride my bike in a strait line. I did what I could. I got my walking boots on and headed out. Down to Minto Brown Park. The local runners park just down the hill from our Condo. Just had to get my body turning over. Bring the sweat up. Warm the muscles. Stretch out and feel the push again. I have worked to hard to get to the fitness I am at to just let it go. Now, I had done a hard hill walk of about 6 miles on Friday. Before, the late night attack from the monster in my head. So this was the first push since the new drugs were in play full time. Down to the park I walked. Blue jeans, work shirt, wallet, phone, hat and belt. Ready to push the body hard. As I said I could not ride a strait line on the bike so that was out. Here I was in a somewhat farm like setting. Very simple park of asphalt paths, dog fields, and that's about it. Well it's all next to a river. I just put my head down and took the longest loop I could do and added the 5K loop onto that. 15 an 5 did the 20. I simply walked as hard and fast as the body would go. It felt great. No pain. Push all the way. Never looked at a watch, or in this case the phone clock. I just marched. All the way to and from the Condo. The event was a complete success. Not as hard as a bike ride, but a great success. I did not fall down. The pain did not catch up. Smiles all around. Mary Anne was happy to. Maybe the bike will be soon.
As I was trying to say. I was to wobbly to ride my bike in a strait line. I did what I could. I got my walking boots on and headed out. Down to Minto Brown Park. The local runners park just down the hill from our Condo. Just had to get my body turning over. Bring the sweat up. Warm the muscles. Stretch out and feel the push again. I have worked to hard to get to the fitness I am at to just let it go. Now, I had done a hard hill walk of about 6 miles on Friday. Before, the late night attack from the monster in my head. So this was the first push since the new drugs were in play full time. Down to the park I walked. Blue jeans, work shirt, wallet, phone, hat and belt. Ready to push the body hard. As I said I could not ride a strait line on the bike so that was out. Here I was in a somewhat farm like setting. Very simple park of asphalt paths, dog fields, and that's about it. Well it's all next to a river. I just put my head down and took the longest loop I could do and added the 5K loop onto that. 15 an 5 did the 20. I simply walked as hard and fast as the body would go. It felt great. No pain. Push all the way. Never looked at a watch, or in this case the phone clock. I just marched. All the way to and from the Condo. The event was a complete success. Not as hard as a bike ride, but a great success. I did not fall down. The pain did not catch up. Smiles all around. Mary Anne was happy to. Maybe the bike will be soon.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Another Personal Post
So if it bores you all to much. Well you can stop right now. I started this blog as a journal. A way to keep track of the day, life, experiences, moments from this body, in this time.
The battle was on the front line. There were only 2 out comes in the events that were to unfold over the next few hours. I win or I lose. It is a desperate time. So much different than times past. Big waves, steep cliffs, desert heat, and winter mountain cold. Fast cars, bad company in dangerous places. The battles of children. This is a battle of age. A battle we will all face. Time and the limits to it. Our time. My time.
I had come to the end of the road. The last stone to the path I had always followed. There were no more points I could recognize. I was off the map. I was on a new planet. It was a desperate time. Survival was only a notion. Events had taken there own course. I was facing 2 points. The fear of not living, and the fear of living. 2 desperate and dark points on the same road. The fear of living in remarkable unrelenting pain and the fear of knowing I could not live in the pain. A thin line. When the road found me on this new planet. A place with one choice. Fear. The choice I had always walked through in my now distant past. No more were there any choices. It was fear no matter how you took it. A walk with loss no matter the direction. New lines with desperate cost. The admission to the show was going to cost the same no matter where you went. It was a dark room with out a light. Cross one line, cross the other. Both unseen. Though both needed there toll. It was all consuming, the choice. Darkness, and the hand of death. Darkness, and the hand of addiction. How strong the fight to live. The line to cross into the darkness either way. The Reaper in one corner, and addiction in the next.
I lay at the hands of death and I took the addiction.
Funny thing narcotics. Cheaper than you would think, and easy to get. For the rest of your life. Once that line is crossed, you pay a price you never knew was there. I stepped into the darkness, to see the light of day one more time.
The battle was on the front line. There were only 2 out comes in the events that were to unfold over the next few hours. I win or I lose. It is a desperate time. So much different than times past. Big waves, steep cliffs, desert heat, and winter mountain cold. Fast cars, bad company in dangerous places. The battles of children. This is a battle of age. A battle we will all face. Time and the limits to it. Our time. My time.
I had come to the end of the road. The last stone to the path I had always followed. There were no more points I could recognize. I was off the map. I was on a new planet. It was a desperate time. Survival was only a notion. Events had taken there own course. I was facing 2 points. The fear of not living, and the fear of living. 2 desperate and dark points on the same road. The fear of living in remarkable unrelenting pain and the fear of knowing I could not live in the pain. A thin line. When the road found me on this new planet. A place with one choice. Fear. The choice I had always walked through in my now distant past. No more were there any choices. It was fear no matter how you took it. A walk with loss no matter the direction. New lines with desperate cost. The admission to the show was going to cost the same no matter where you went. It was a dark room with out a light. Cross one line, cross the other. Both unseen. Though both needed there toll. It was all consuming, the choice. Darkness, and the hand of death. Darkness, and the hand of addiction. How strong the fight to live. The line to cross into the darkness either way. The Reaper in one corner, and addiction in the next.
I lay at the hands of death and I took the addiction.
Funny thing narcotics. Cheaper than you would think, and easy to get. For the rest of your life. Once that line is crossed, you pay a price you never knew was there. I stepped into the darkness, to see the light of day one more time.
Friday, August 17, 2007
New Post is Right!
It's been far to long between this post and the last post about a wonderful little Boa hiding in a used truck. There have been many events. Some are the daily kind of fun and some bigger. The event that I am writing about is a review of a past post with new information.
Trigeminal neuralgia or TN is a bastard living inside my head and many others to. It's a nerve that comes out of the side of your head that controls one or the other side of the face. As I get older the nerve sheath is pounded by the blood vessel next to it where both come out of the skull. The pounding of the blood vessel on the nerve sheath, destroys the sheath over time if the 2 are to close to each other. Once the nerve sheath is destroyed frightful pain comes next. Lightning strikes in the head on the side that has the problem. Doctors consider this kind of pain the worst pain in the human body. I have this pain on an hourly bases. Tn is a monster you live with. Neurologist have pain medications, actually anti convolution medications. It's strong stuff that works for a while. It will not work forever. I use Tegretol, and have been using it for 5 years. I have reached the end of it's useful life. It has been a frightful experience. Coming to the point where the pain just can not be managed by what I am used to. You know, just take another one. That was the way for so long. Now I could take a handful, and tegretol will do little or nothing. During this time I have had several frightful attacks. Just horrible pain. I even have methadone or synthetic morphine for emergency's. I took some for the first time in 5 years. Imagine, taking morphine everyday!!! No way. Well it was time to go see Dr. Bell the neurologist in Vancouver Wa. See if there was any hope for a med over having a hole burded in my head to separate the nerve and the blood vessel. I was using the #1 med for TN, and had tried most of the rest. Dr. Bell was my last hope. Long story short Dr. Bell offered a new med, Kappra. There were 2 others new meds to. We just had to try and see what would work. Free samples are great!! This new med WORKS! Kicks my butt, but it takes all the pain away. First time I have been pain free in months and months. I mean no pain at all. Now mind you I can barley walk. Normal for these meds. You get used to them in a few days. First few though you are just hammered. I brushed my teeth for the first time in 6 weeks. I gargled to. I shaved without pain for I do not remember how long. I ate with ease. I could not walk so great, but wow no pain. Also no morphine. So I have my fingers crossed this med will work for a long time. That I will have a lot of pain free days and hours. That I will not have to become an addict to morphine. I also hope I can walk and ride a strait line soon.
Now, there's more. Mary Anne, the woman and love of my life. She has dealt with this. Put up with me. I could not drive myself to the Doctor anymore. She handled a lot of details I just could not deal with. I was that far gone. Pain ruled the day, the hour and the minute. I was not such a nice patient. Just was over the limit. Thank goodness I am blessed to be married to a Goddess. I was a bad passenger. I was a bad friend. I was a bad husband. I was a bad most everything. Mary Anne saw through it all. I know I hurt her feelings several time. What a schmuck I was. I'm sorry Mary Anne, I love you without question. I only hope you can put up with me.
Trigeminal neuralgia or TN is a bastard living inside my head and many others to. It's a nerve that comes out of the side of your head that controls one or the other side of the face. As I get older the nerve sheath is pounded by the blood vessel next to it where both come out of the skull. The pounding of the blood vessel on the nerve sheath, destroys the sheath over time if the 2 are to close to each other. Once the nerve sheath is destroyed frightful pain comes next. Lightning strikes in the head on the side that has the problem. Doctors consider this kind of pain the worst pain in the human body. I have this pain on an hourly bases. Tn is a monster you live with. Neurologist have pain medications, actually anti convolution medications. It's strong stuff that works for a while. It will not work forever. I use Tegretol, and have been using it for 5 years. I have reached the end of it's useful life. It has been a frightful experience. Coming to the point where the pain just can not be managed by what I am used to. You know, just take another one. That was the way for so long. Now I could take a handful, and tegretol will do little or nothing. During this time I have had several frightful attacks. Just horrible pain. I even have methadone or synthetic morphine for emergency's. I took some for the first time in 5 years. Imagine, taking morphine everyday!!! No way. Well it was time to go see Dr. Bell the neurologist in Vancouver Wa. See if there was any hope for a med over having a hole burded in my head to separate the nerve and the blood vessel. I was using the #1 med for TN, and had tried most of the rest. Dr. Bell was my last hope. Long story short Dr. Bell offered a new med, Kappra. There were 2 others new meds to. We just had to try and see what would work. Free samples are great!! This new med WORKS! Kicks my butt, but it takes all the pain away. First time I have been pain free in months and months. I mean no pain at all. Now mind you I can barley walk. Normal for these meds. You get used to them in a few days. First few though you are just hammered. I brushed my teeth for the first time in 6 weeks. I gargled to. I shaved without pain for I do not remember how long. I ate with ease. I could not walk so great, but wow no pain. Also no morphine. So I have my fingers crossed this med will work for a long time. That I will have a lot of pain free days and hours. That I will not have to become an addict to morphine. I also hope I can walk and ride a strait line soon.
Now, there's more. Mary Anne, the woman and love of my life. She has dealt with this. Put up with me. I could not drive myself to the Doctor anymore. She handled a lot of details I just could not deal with. I was that far gone. Pain ruled the day, the hour and the minute. I was not such a nice patient. Just was over the limit. Thank goodness I am blessed to be married to a Goddess. I was a bad passenger. I was a bad friend. I was a bad husband. I was a bad most everything. Mary Anne saw through it all. I know I hurt her feelings several time. What a schmuck I was. I'm sorry Mary Anne, I love you without question. I only hope you can put up with me.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Boa Revisited
Truck Boa has some new information. Mary Anne and I went to visit Kurtis and Jessica and see their new baby son, Arie Amos Drake. 3 days old today. Born on Sunday. What a beautiful little boy. Mom is doing great. Dad seems a little, well getting used to the wonderful new energy in the house. It is a lot to take on. Both parents are going to be great.
The news along with the birth, is Kurtis is the one who had the truck with a snake living in it. The snake of an earlier post. A nice boa that was escaping a bad life. Kurtis gave me photos. Also the little Boa as given to a reptile program. He will be doing class room work in the area. I think a good life may be in this little snakes future. So here are some photos of the day Kurtis and I managed to get the Boa out of the truck.
Monday, August 6, 2007
I'm Dancing in the street
Recently I was given the news from a doctor that my cholesterol is WAY TO HIGH. Over all Cholesterol was 290. Just Bad. I went on a lower cholesterol campaign. I mean if it had the big "C" in it, it was gone! The local men's shelter had a good dinner that night.
Well, now it's less than 3 months later. I have stuck to the plan. No butter, no fatty red meat, not much red meat at all. No cheese, no foods with almost any cholesterol. If I say I'm going to do it, I almost always do. When it comes to fighting age, and bad health. So the news, as you might guess is good. No, it's not good. It's outstanding! My new readings on my blood panel are normal almost everywhere. Over all Cholesterol is now 208 (normal is <200), down from 290. Just from changing the food "I do not, eat". Adding a few new things to eat that lower the big "C". No oats thought! Apple juice, albacore tuna, almond butter, chicken no skin, lots of olive oil, garlic pills, coffee and non fat half and half, high quality margarine un-cooked. There's is more to. The point is I did all this with out DRUGS!! The doctor was just pushing cholesterol drugs on me like a cheap drug lord on the street. He never believed I could bring my over all # down more than 15 to 25 points with just changing my food. Ha!!!
Here's the numbers. I'm proud of them.
Over all then 290
Over all now 208 (that's 82 points in less than 3 months, EAT THAT DR. KNOW IT ALL)
HDL then 88.0 (that's the HDL of a GOD, well a 30 year old marathon runner)
HDL now 78.0 (that's still a great number)
LDL then 183 (not that good)
LDL now 114 (normal is 74-131)
My ratios, LDL divided by HDL is fantastic, then and now!
Hey folks you can do this to. The drugs are just horrible for lowering cholesterol. Very very bad on the liver. Your liver goes bad you DIE! Food is the key. I am genetically predisposed to have high cholesterol. I did this with food in less than 3 months. You can to. If you what to know more write me.
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