I'm meeeeelllllltttttiiiiinnnnggggg...

So, Minnesota weather has been cooperating quite well for the last few days. Much nicer to play Frisbee and ball when it's not hot enough to melt the toys (and the dogs!) to the sidewalk. Today on the other hand...not so much. I remember when I LOVED hot and humid weather. That was before chemo screwed up my internal thermostat. I am now quite happy with upper 60s and don't mind when it's chilly enough for hoodies. I still ABHOR our freezing winters, and as such am looking forward to the time when I will be back home in WA! There is just something so freakishly unnatural about chipping multiple inches of ice off of your sidewalk and being warned by the National Weather Service that being outside with any amount of bare skin will result in frostbite in less time than it takes one to say "It's f***ing cold out here."

I don't have any new photos of Sae Dee to share. This one was taken the same day she came home. I know, I know...I can hear it now: "Well, WTF have you been doing then??" I have been slowly but surely cleaning the house. One might be inclined to say that a hurricane tore through here, but I assure you that is not the case. In fact, it's something far less dramatic and newsworthy: when I arrived home from WI, I was so horribly sick that the only thing I was able to do was bring in the dog food and peel my clothes off before collapsing in the recliner. My week + recovery did nothing to minimize the mess I was creating just by being gross and sick. Ted heroically brought in my luggage and sundries, but I did not have the energy to put all of that away...and there it still lies. Don't worry, my love, it will all be nice and clean by the time you arrive home; I will then be back to my usual obsessive behaviors that consist of me following you around, turning off lights and pointing my finger at things that you leave in your wake such as pens, Post-Its, and junk mail, saying "Pick that up!" I will also obsessively move your important papers to stacks in your man-cave and not remember which stack is the most recent nor will I recall where the handwritten note with an important phone number or date or address made its way to. Love me, love my OCD coupled with chemo brain. I write myself reminder notes all over the house, but forget what they meant. Ignorance is NOT bliss, I can assure you!

So...had better get back to this mess before I lose motivation and decide to order pizza and watch a House marathon. I will leave you with this fabulous picture my friend took of Cody and I after I tossed him into the water tank.

I am also accepting ideas for the re-naming of my blog. I simply cannot come up with something that is catchy enough to attract new readers, is not heinously sarcastic, and encompasses the message I wish to convey. Comment or e-mail me with your ideas!

Today...some Stuff...

So...today. Had my neurology appointment this afternoon. Dr. Giuliani (department of Neurology, University of Minnesota) spent quite a bit of time with me, and he even brought in a colleague midway through the consult. They both feel that it is important for me to see either one of the two neurologist

s that specialize in peripheral neuropathy, and that another EMG is warranted due to the progression of my symptoms. For those of you who may not know, an EMG is an electromyogram. Basically they will be placing electrodes into my muscles and around my nerves to check on how well they are functioning. It works exactly like an electrical circuit--two electrodes (needles) are placed at different ends of the nerves, and they look at things such as conduction velocity (how fast the electrical impulse is carried through the nerve), loss of electrical signal (also known as efficiency, indicating an interruption in the nerve somewhere), and how well the nerves are able to be stimulated. The symptoms seem to point to multifocal motor neuropathy, but there are a few other disease processes that could be present. Starting with the EMG is good. I will also see Dr. Perry, who is one of two peripheral neuropathy specialists here at the U. The neurology clinic here is one of the best in the nation, and Dr. Perry and his colleague Dr. Walk are two of the best in the field. The literature I have read seems to indicate these two are the end-all and be-all of peripheral neuropathy. I have apparently seen them both previously (I do recall seeing Dr. Walk, and Dr. Perry conducting one of my EMGs). So, I am scheduled for the EMG with Dr. Perry on the 21st of December, and they are trying to get me booked with him in a consult shortly afterwards. Finally, some proactivity. Dr. Giuliani was great, but he is not a specialist in this kind of issue, which is why he is referring me. He was very helpful and very honest.

That's all I really have for now! I hope everyone is doing well and getting geared up for the holidays!!