Good and bad

Well, things have gotten both better and worse in the last week. I'm weaning off the brace, so I only have to wear it at night or if I'm hurting. I've been trying to stay out of it as much as possible. I'll go back to the ortho right after Christmas and he wants to release me then.

As for work, I'm still on light duty and still hating every minute of it. I miss being on 24's, and getting up early every day really sucks.

Monday, I'll be going to a funeral for a fallen firefighter. He worked for Atlanta for merely 4 months and his family was in the process of moving up here. He served 6 years as a firefighter in Macon and his funeral services will be held there. He passed away after a few days in ICU, he became disoriented in a fire last week and died from his injuries.

Black Friday

OK, I make it a point to NOT venture out of the house on black Friday. People are nuts, traffic is horrible, accidents everywhere, it's just too dangerous. I only ventured far enough out of my house to get the mail this afternoon.

I don't DO shopping very well, never have. I hate trying to figure out what family members I see 2 or 3 times each year want. Not to mention the absurd gifts they come up with for me. Perfect example, I'm not a girly girl, never have been. I live in tshirts and blue jeans, add a sweatshirt or just a thick coat in the winter. Umm, guess I should throw in that most of my wardrobe came from wally world since I'm painting such a picture for ya. OK, back on track...Last Christmas, my aunt/uncle gave me a giftcard to LL Bean (which I gave to my dad because he could use it), year before it was a knit sweater.

Now don't get me wrong, I can smile 'n nod when I get a horrible gift. I'd just sometimes rather forget the whole thing, it's such a hassle and a huge headache.

In other news, my arm is finally healing. I go to the Dr. next week and the PT folks are hoping he'll say I can start weaning off the brace.

Physical Therapy anyone?

OK, so, I was originally looking for a cartoon of a monkey fukkin a football...That's what I found and I like it better anyway. More original I guess.

So, today was my first day of physical therapy, finally. Same crap I expected when I got there, hurry up and wait. I filled out the 573 pages of info they always want (which isn't easy when you don't have an opposible thumb), and sat there, waiting my turn. Once the Dr. rescued me from the waiting room, I had to sit in a chair and wait for the 3 other guys to leave (only 2 Dr.'s....go figure). They put a nice warm pack around my wrist to "relax the muscles." I'm not sure how much that helped, but my hands were cold so it felt good.

(insert sarcasm here--> ) Yippie, my turn.

They started off by moving my hand and thumb a million different directions to see which ways made it hurt. Unfortunately, it was quite a few.  They also had me close my eyes and point to where they'd just touched my arm and hand with some special tool. It was nothing more than a clear stick with a piece of fishing line at one end to test sensitivity. I passed...so do I get a lollipop or something?

Next was an ultrasound for 5 minutes, it's supposed to help with circulation. As promised, I didn't feel a thing...other than the ice-cold gel and pressure of the ultrasound probe.

I was half-heartedly cleaned up and then my arm was massaged. All I could think was that  it hurt so good.  I think she was buttering me up, because after the massage I had to go through all of the home-therapy movements. Which HURT!!!

The last step of the day was what I've been calling electro-shock therapy. The first electrode was soaked with some pain-relieving liquid then placed from my wrist across the bottom knuckle of my thumb. The other electrode went on my forearm and they turned on the juice. It felt like pins and needles stabbing me, and itched like mad! Those 15 minutes took forever.

I was finally allowed to escape after setting up my next 4 appointments and promising not to remove the medicated electrode for 2-3 hours.

They said the PT lady that is a hand specialist will be there tomorrow, can't you feel my excitement?

Update on me, and other things

The Halloween season is FINALLY over!!!

My arm is the same, if not worse. I'm still in the process of getting approved for OJI status (worker's comp... can kiss my arse!). Because of this, I haven't even gotten anywhere close to being approved for my physical therapy, even though I've had this stupid brace on for nearly 3 weeks now. My wrist is increasingly stiff and now hurts as much without the brace as it does with it.

I've basically lost my faith in what some call "brotherhood." If this "brotherhood" actually existed, at least 1 of my "brothers" from work would have called me to see how I'm doing. My phone has remained silent, for 17 days now. I'm not counting everyone in that statement, I've had a couple friends on yahoo that occasionally ask how I'm healing.

Thanks again to my arm, I haven't been able to ride my motorcycle any. I have just enough grip (and, thankfully, a built-in flat part on the throttle) so I can slightly twist the throttle...just enough to be able to easily roll the bike back into the garage after pulling it out to run it each week.

My car is back in the shop, for the 4th time in as many months. It's been the same problem every time, P0400-EGR flow problem. This time, I contacted the service manager at the dealership directly and basically lit a fire under his arse. He seems prepared to "get to the bottom of this," but is he ready to deal with me??? The first time, they cleaned the EGR ports. 2nd, they replaced the vacuum hose (thinking they accidently skewered it the first time). 3rd, they say it's the exhaust manifold (I went to my regular shop due to prices....they didn't address the fact that the original code was thrown too). Now, the light came on again and I first took my car to my shop to see if it was the same code. After pulling the code, they cleared it so the check engine light went off. I shifted my car to the dealership and they don't seem to believe the p0400 code was thrown since it isn't in the memory anymore. Instead, they said that when they hooked it up to pull any codes, it had a p1000 code...something to do with the emissions. Umm...HELLO?!? My car just passed emissions with flying colors 3 months ago!!! Not to mention that if the light was off...there wouldn't be any codes to pull!

On the lighter side, I got the notion stuck in my head a few days ago...I couldn't resist myself ....Must....Beat.....a.....claw-machine!!!!!! So, off to Dave 'n Buster's we went. I ended up with 2 bracelets, 1 bling-bling necklace, 2 doberman puppies, 1 green frog, 1 my little pony, 1 grey/white cat, and about 800 tickets. I already had a bunch of tickets saved, so we got a t-shirt and 2 different types of thermal mugs.

Time to go hang out with my boyfriend's parents, they're up here for a HAM radio fest.

Be safe out there.

Ouch...tendonitis sucks

After 9 days of pain and numbness, I finally went to the Dr. yesterday. As it turns out, I have tendonitis.

Before you start to fuss at me, let me first say that I am an EMT, and therefore, I make a horrible patient. Everyone in the medical field will agree with that.

I was going to simply get a Dr. to look at me the next time I dropped off a patient at the ER, but luck kept me on either an engine or my kelly-day and I never made it to the ER. I finally decided my arm wasn't healing and that it was time to do something.

The orthopedics place I found is great, they were busy, but I was in and out in 2 hours. The Dr. is nice, and deals with quite a few firefighters...So he understood my work predicament.

So here I sit, my right arm (I'm right-handed...so this sucks) is in a brace that immobilizes my thumb, I have a prescription for pain pills (that carry side effects of dizziness and drowziness), and I have to do physical therapy anywhere from 3-9 weeks. The brace is my main problem, there's no way that I'll be able to get medical or fire gloves over it, and I'm not supposed to take it off. Tomorrow will be my "D-day," where will they put me? What can/ can't I do? What will Chief say? Will I just be put on the squad as usual or will I be put on light duty and sent to the academy?

Too many questions and too much uncertainty...

Take care

I got a HARLEY!!!!

WooHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

I finally went ahead and did it, I bought a 2002 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic.  It's got a custom paint job that's host to ghosted flames, ghosted skulls, ghosted harley logo, and is marbled candy-apple red. It has more chrome than I know what to do with. The guy had parts sent to a chrome shop because the dealership doesn't offer them in chrome. The motor has had a lot of work and has that classic "po-ta-to" sound all the old harley guys drool over. It is a very beautiful bike. My dad is planning to upgrade a few things on his '04 softail classic to match some of the nicer features I have (like a tiny pad built into my throttle to rest your hand on).

I'll update on how I'm doing once I go take the riding academy class the H-D dealerships offer.

Reflections-part 1

No matter how bad you want to forget it, you will always remember where you were on that day. You will always remember that day asking yourself "Please god, is this over yet?” You will always remember seeing 2, 110 story buildings crash to the ground knowing thousands were on the inside including rescuers.

I like many others, was scared. I like many others, was glued to CNN for hours. I like many others, cried for the first time in a while on that day. I like many others, still cry when we hear another story about that day.

I can not imagine trying to make a choice to either burn to death or to jump from 60 or 70 stories up and go out my way. I can not image being in plane knowing I am fixing to crash into the Pentagon and there is nothing I can do about it. I can not imagine addressing the United States as the President and assuring them everything is going to be all right.

8:45 A.M. EDT A hijacked passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston, Massachusetts, crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center. starts to burn. It had set off from Boston en route to Los Angeles with 92 people on board. President Bush was talking to a group of students in Sarasota, Florida, when he learned the horrific news.

9:03 A.M. EDT As Americans are watching the tragic events of the plane striking the north tower, we believed it was an accident. That's when United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into south tower of Trade Center causing a devastating explosion. It had departed from Boston for Los Angeles with 65 passengers and crew members on board. Both buildings are now burning.

9:17 A.M. EDT
The Federal Aviation Administration shuts down all New York City area airports.

9:21 A.M. EDT
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey orders all bridges and tunnels in the New York area closed.

9:29 A.M. EDT
First reports of casualties pour in. More than 50,000 workers are based at the Trade Center. 

9:30 A.M. EDT
President George Bush declares: "We have had a national tragedy. Two planes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country."

9:40 A.M. EDT
The FAA halts all flight operations at U.S. airports, the first time in U.S. history that air traffic nationwide has been halted.

9:43 A.M. EDT
American Airlines Flight 77, carrying 64 people from Washington to Los Angeles, crashes into the Pentagon in Washington, sending up a huge plume of smoke. Evacuation begins immediately. The nerve center of US military bursts into flames and portion of one side of the five-sided structure collapses.

9:45 A.M. EDT
The White House evacuates.

9:57 A.M. EDT
Bush departs from Florida.

9:58 A.M. EDT
Emergency dispatcher in Pennsylvania, Lisa Jefferson took the 911 call from Todd Beamer, a passenger on United Flight 93 saying "We are being hijacked, we being hijacked!" and "Some of us passengers' plan on over powering the hijackers".

United Airlines Flight 93 was the only hijacked airliner not to strike the terrorist's intended target. Many passengers called family members by on board and cell phones. During those calls they learned other hijacked airliners had struck the World Trade Center. These heroic souls agreed they would not allow their airliner to do the same. So, they told family members they were going to rush the hijackers and do what ever it takes to prevent this from happening. As we all know now, these brave people succeeded. They willingly sacrificed their own lives to save the lives of many others. God Bless each one of these Godsends for their unselfish act of ultimate heroism.

10:05 A.M. EDT
The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses, plummeting into the streets below. A massive cloud of dust and debris forms and slowly drifts away from the building.

10:08 A.M. EDT
Secret Service agents armed with automatic rifles are deployed into Lafayette Park across from the White House.

10:10 A.M. EDT
A portion of the Pentagon collapses.

10:13 A.M. EDT
United Airlines Flight 93, also hijacked, crashes in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh.

10:18 A.M. EDT
The United Nations building evacuates, including 4,700 people from the headquarters building and 7,000 total from UNICEF and U.N. development programs.

10:22 A.M. EDT
In Washington, the State and Justice departments are evacuated, along with the World Bank.

10:24 A.M. EDT
The FAA reports that all inbound transatlantic aircraft flying into the United States are being diverted to Canada.

10:28 A.M. EDT
The World Trade Center's north tower collapses from the top down as if it were being peeled apart, releasing a tremendous cloud of debris and smoke.

10:45 A.M. EDT
All federal office buildings in Washington are evacuated.

10:46 A.M. EDT
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell cuts short his trip to Latin America to return to the United States.

10:48 A.M. EDT
Police confirm the plane crash in Pennsylvania.

United Airlines Flight 93 was carrying at least 45 passengers when the Boeing 757 took off from Newark, NJ, enroute to San Francisco when it crashed in a wooded area 12 miles north of Somerset, Pa. Authorities said there were no survivors. The crash was one of four reported by United and American Airlines. Radar showed the San Francisco-bound Boeing 757 from Newark, N.J., had nearly reached Cleveland when it made a sharp left turn and headed back toward Pennsylvania, crashing in a grassy field edged by woods about80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. 

10:53 A.M. EDT New York's primary elections, scheduled for Tuesday, are postponed.

11:02 A.M. EDT
New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani urges New Yorkers to stay at home and orders an evacuation of the area south of Canal Street.

11:16 A.M. EDT CNN reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing emergency response teams in a precautionary move. 11:18 A.M. EDT American Airlines reports it has lost two aircraft. American Flight 11, a Boeing 767 flying from Boston to Los Angeles, had 81 passengers and 11 crew aboard. Flight 77, a Boeing 757 en route from Washington's Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles, had 58 passengers and six crew members aboard. Flight 11 slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Flight 77 hit the Pentagon.

11:26 A.M. EDT
United Airlines reports that United Flight 93, en route from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, California, has crashed in Pennsylvania. The airline also says that it is "deeply concerned" about United Flight 175.

11:59 A.M. EDT
United Airlines confirms that Flight 175, from Boston to Los Angeles, has crashed with 56 passengers and nine crew members aboard. It hit the World Trade Center's south tower.

12:04 P.M. EDT
Los Angeles International Airport, the destination of three of the crashed airplanes, is evacuated.

12:15 P.M. EDT
San Francisco International Airport is evacuated and shut down. The airport was the destination of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania.