Checking In

A catch-all, catch-up post

There are 1,126 posts filed in Checking In (this is page 11 of 113).

Highlights of 2015: Health investment

Back to my Highlights of 2015 (it’s March, right?).

I made a lot of investments in my health in 2015. Working on Centennial Campus, I began to take regular walks around campus during lunchtime, often clocking 20 minutes or more of walking that way. When I took my new job in October, my office was within easy walking distance of my home. I began walking to work on a regular basis. Add this to a morning dog walk most weekday mornings and an occasional evening dog walk and I routinely clock over an hour of walking each day.

I also got on board with the Veterans Administration healthcare. This was spurred on by my ususal health issues that I suspect are related to my Gulf War service. As I mentioned recently, the VA has taken pretty good care of me. I am also now in the middle of a drug trial for prednisone for treating Gulf War illness, but that started in February and not 2015!
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Hallie to the rescue

During a recent school event, one of Hallie’s classmates suffered a medical emergency. While her other classmates stood around and watched, gripped with panic, Hallie leaped into action and performed first aid (the amusing thing is that up until now she considered the first aid class she took to be a waste of time). Once her friend had recovered, Hallie continued with the event as if nothing happened, and didn’t even mention it to us afterward. We were clueless when the child’s parent passed on her praise Hallie for her reaction, not knowing anything about our daughter’s quick thinking (and acting). It was only last night that we managed to pry the details out of her. To Hallie it was no big deal.
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Winter storm Jonah dumps ice on Raleigh

After watching this storm as it formed over the past week and hearing talk of potentially 13 inches of snow falling on Raleigh, all we get is ice. Sleet began falling between 6 to 9 AM before changing to freezing rain after lunch. I watched in wonder as the rain on the screen outside my window solidified into ice. I also watched he crape myrtle tree build up an impressive glaze of ice right before my eyes.

We’ve made it until 9:16 PM now without any power issues. The lights flickered a few brief times about 6:30 tonight but we’ve had no other issues. I was feeling confident this afternoon that we’d get through without any further problems but I am hearing that our neighbors down the street in Belvidere Park have just now lost power. We could be next.

I have an industrial-sized UPS that needed batteries. Anticipating power issues, I ordered a fresh set of batteries Wednesday night that got delivered less than 24 hours later. We now have two separate sources of inverter power that we can use to keep warm. The plan is to power the blower fan on our gas fireplace should we the ability to run our central heat.

It may be an interesting night. We’ll see where we stand this time tomorrow. I hope everyone else who’s dealing with the weather tonight gets through it safely and securely!

Highlights of 2015: investments in health

Waiting to get my septoplasty

Waiting to get my septoplasty

After returning from Jamaica in August 2014 with muscle twitches that wouldn’t seem to stop I decided it was time to take my health more seriously than I had been, so last year I decided to invest more in my health. I began daily walks at lunchtime at work, doing a circuit around N.C. State’s Centennial Campus for about 20 minutes a day. I installed a fitness tracking app from Google called Google Fit to help me keep pace. My goal was an hour of activity per day and I’m proud to say that I regularly exceeded this. Not only that, but I continue to exercise daily. My current job puts my office a little over a mile away, so I frequently walk or bike to work. I love doing this!

2015 was also the year I took advantage of my health care coverage from the Veteran’s Administration. I had several tests done to determine the cause of the twitching (so far nothing definitive, though several baddies have been ruled out). I have to say I’m impressed with the VA. It gets knocked quite a bit but the people are courteous, I’m always whisked back to see the doctor during my appointments, and the quality of care is good or excellent. The only real concern I have is that the majority of useful appointments must take place at the Durham VA hospital. Raleigh has a VA medical clinic but cannot perform most of the most useful tests or procedures.

Driving to Durham for VA appointments is not convenient for me. I can only imagine what veterans with fewer resources have to put up with.
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Surrendering to shootings

I watched a training video explaining what to do during an active shooter event. This is more of a “how to stay alive” video rather than any suggestion that Joe Citizen could or should take any active role against such a shooter.

I remember cringing the last time I saw this video. It depicts a horrible scene: an actor is depicting killing several people with a shotgun. The second viewing didn’t make it any easier.

As horrific as the video was, it pales in comparison to the video parents were shown by our kids’ principal during a PTA meeting last year. This video was one used by school administrators to depict how school staff would react during a shooting incident. Shots fired. Cowering teachers. Crying kids. Absolute nightmare stuff.

My jaw dropped. Is everyone actually fine with this? And … I’m expected to be fine with it, too?

While many people might just nod their heads and accept the responsibility for protecting themselves during events like these, the sheer fucking madness of it all wouldn’t let me.

No. I reject that people should accept being shotgun fodder.

I reject that the fear of being shot needs be instilled in young kids.

I reject the notion that more guns will somehow save us.

I reject that a bullet flying through the air has more rights than I do!

How can America just give up and accepts this kind of violence? How is the right answer “well, we’re all just going to have to live in fear” or “obviously we need more guns?” How did we arrive at the madness?

Is this the best we can do? Do we simply surrender to the fear? Can we as Americans admit that America has a problem and that whatever it is that we’re currently doing isn’t working?

Lawmakers in Utah introduced a bill to train middle school students in gun safety and what to do in case of an active shooter incident. Said bill sponsor, Woods Cross Republican Sen. Todd Weiler:

“I think it’s always helpful for children and adults to think through what you would do in a situation before you encounter it. Unfortunately, it is probably a necessary reality in the society we live in these days.”

Oh well, we certainly can’t do anything about our gun problem so we’ll just have to train everyone in how not to be a target.

This is bullshit. If we accept that mass shootings are now part of life then America has utterly failed as a society. We should just wave the white flag as we cower under the bed. It is failure. It is madness. America is toast, and we did ourselves in.

We did it to ourselves.

I’ve long been supportive of a citizen’s right to own guns but it’s not a blank check. It’s time to tighten the regulation of these killing machines. It’s past time that we talk about the “well-regulated” part of a well-regulated militia.

This is no way to live, folks. The madness has to stop.

Sinus surgery healing nicely

I am now on day eight of my septoplasty (a.k.a. surgery to fix my deviated septum). The swelling is gone now, my nose is running but there is only the faintest tinge of blood. We’ve had a few cold days here, though, and the chilly, dry air has been stinging my nose. On our family dog walk last night the pain got pretty bad until I thought to bury my face in the scarf I was wearing. Also, my nose gets tender when I stretch my mouth open (to floss my teeth, for instance). I’m thinking that all these little issues will eventually go away as nose heals.

On the plus side, I am quite able to breathe exclusively through my nose, which is nice, though I haven’t engaged in vigorous physical activity for the requested week after surgery. I have noted an improved sense of smell, which is nice. Also, I have not caught myself snoring so far, which is also good.

Bottom line: I’m doing much better than I thought I would. The pain was not nearly as bad as it could have been. My nose is obviously working better than it was and it will only get better. So far, so good!

A Constitution to pick and choose

A conservative friend recently posted the following meme image to his Facebook page. It read:

Thank you Florida, Kentucky, and Missouri, which are the first States that will require drug testing when applying for welfare. Some people are crying and calling this unconstitutional. How is this unconstitutional???? It’s OK to drug test people who work for their money, but not for those who don’t? … Re-port this if you’d like to see this done in all 50 states. If you can afford to buy drugs and extra illegal things then you can afford your own groceries.

My friend frequently posts other memes supporting the Second Amendment and other rights made possible by our Constitution. I thought it a bit disingenuous to claim to support the Constitution when it protected something important to him but not when it protected something important to someone else.

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My ridealong with the Raleigh Police Department

Ready to roll with Officer Boyd

Ready to roll with Officer Boyd

In July of 2015, I decided it was time again to take another ridealong with the Raleigh Police Department (RPD). I last did a ridealong in 2007 and learned so much about my community that I never would have learned otherwise. It seemed like a refresher was in order, so I contacted my beat officer, Officer J.D. Boyd, and we set up a Friday night to make it happen.

There were a few key differences for this ridealong compared to the last time. First, I got door-to-door service from RPD whereas last time I had to start and end at the Southeast District station. I also was afforded the use of a bulletproof vest which was not offered last time. Finally, I am a greenway volunteer with RPD and so I am not your typical citizen. I’m sort of part of the department. This means I got to do more during this ridealong than my last ridealong, but more on that in a minute.

The ridealong experience started with some prep on my part. Knowing that I would likely be up most of the night, I took a two-hour nap after work. This got me rested and alert for the ridealong. Without the nap I would’ve been toast!

Officer Boyd rolled up to my home about 9 PM and handed me my bulletproof vest to put on. I took a cue from my last ridealong and dressed nicely with a blue button-down shirt and slacks. If I was going to be meeting the public and potentially be in their homes I wanted to look professional. The vest wasn’t all that bulky but I was aware how it might get heavy if I had to wear it all the time. Once suited up, I returned outside.

Getting the lowdown on the gear

Getting the lowdown on the gear

Boyd then gave me a quick rundown of safety stuff. He handed me a waiver to sign and then described where I could find his weapons and safety equipment, should I have to help him out. This was sobering! With a pic or two taken in front of his car, I waved goodbye to the family and we departed for our first call. It was a little disturbing how happy my son was to see his dad get whisked away in a police car!
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Mostly-smooth night of sleep

I had a mostly-smooth night of sleep last night, my first since my sinus surgery. I kept my head propped up on three pillows and cranked the humidifier in my bedroom to help keep my throat from getting dry. Largely it worked. I managed to sleep by breathing sometimes through my mouth, sometimes through my nose.

My Zeo sleep tracker says my sleep score last night was about 60 and normally it scores me above 80 (and sometimes in the 100s). It also shows I didn’t get but about 2 minutes of REM sleep opposed to my typical 60-90 minutes. So I slept lightly but I did sleep.

My nose still is bleeding a bit today but the heavier bleeding of yesterday is no more. A drip or two is all I’ve had. I’ve also been flushing my sinuses every few hours with saltwater applied by bulb syringe.

Right now, my nose is congested and I’m mostly breathing through my mouth. My oxycodone is keeping the pain at bay and the wet weather outside is keeping humidity levels high all by itself. I’m happy to be eating and drinking again and have lots to keep me from being bored. Overall things are going better than I expected.

Septoplasty surgery tomorrow

Tomorrow I go under the knife for only the second time in my life. The first was my fundoplication surgery in 2003 to fix my hiatal hernia. Tomorrow’s surgery fixes my deviated septum, or in other words, sinus surgery.

As my ENT doctor, Dr. John Garside, explained, I’m one of those people who were born with an extra sinus, this one on my right side. This sinus eventually grew to the point where it shifted the septum (the divider between my sinus cavities) almost all the way over to the left side, restricting my left nostril’s breathing passage. The steps of the surgery are to remove part of the right sinus, carefully detach the tissue lining the left nostril, remove some of the left nostril’s cartilage, then put everything back together. The procedure takes about 45 minutes under general anaesthesia (likely propofol).
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