Day 26 Update: Hurt Friends, PT, New Fund Amount, & Plants Attack!

Just Scroll Down to the End...

If you don't want to read my babble about inane, random topics.  This is the first breather I've had in awhile so I was indulgent and pontificated more than usual about myriad subject matter.


Orgo II was Hell Today

I bombed my Orgo II test today.  I blanked on malonic ester and acetoacetic ester syntheses!  I also forgot what potassium permanganate does.

The lecture after the test and recitation went by so slowly, it was like Chinese water torture.

The good news, was that today was the last day of Orgo lab!


The CrossFit Casualties Keep Mounting!

(Disclaimer:  CrossFit was a hobby turned obsession for me and I have a lingering suspicious that I'll go crawling back to it when I'm healed, so I have nothing against it personally but I find it disturbing how many of my friends this past month have been seriously injured either directly or indirectly from the sport and it cannot be denied, even by the most diehard CrossFitter that there seems to be a connection, however tenuous.

I also want to add and give props to my local affiliate for taking a step in the right direction.  .380 has voluntarily opted to take down the clock and chalk to de-emphasize the competition and intensity over proper form and safety.  I'm confident in saying that if you practice CrossFit just for fitness and not to compete, then you most likely will NOT get injured, but if you want to excel on a competitive level then it's my humble opinion that SERIOUS injuries, as in probably requiring orthopedic surgery, are likely at some point in your athletic career.)


Today I found out that the owner of the CrossFit box I used to attend, Dave M., has a ruptured bursa sac in his elbow! It's also infected and they think it might be staph or MRSA.  Now I don't know if this injury was due to BJJ or CrossFit (maybe a little of both) though he did say in his FB status update that he felt off during the WOD this morning and then wound up in the orthopedic surgeon later getting his sac drained off.

Turns out Dave also has been getting spinal injections...sounds familiar with what Carolyn H. had been doing prior to her lumbar surgery.

Oh and I forgot to mention in my last post that Chad D. got injured during the CrossFit Open Games last year as well.  He was doing overhead squats in Open WOD 3, I believe, and wound up pinching a nerve in his neck.  He said he was out of commission for months and every time his blood pressure elevated for any reason he would get blinding migraines.  On top of that his wife, Kamwin D., had a hernia, I suppose from weightlifting.  Then, she also had back surgery a few months ago before Chad's freak car crash accident.  (The CrossFit celebrity, Bob Harper, even had a shout-out in a short video for Chad to get better.)

Chris H., Carolyn H., Tina V*., Jake W., Kamwin D., Chad D., Dave M., Brista M., and your's truly.

Hate to say it but...WHO'S NEXT?  0_0

(*Good news is that Tina was told by her chiropractor that she won't need surgery and she doesn't have a bulging disc in her cervical vertebrae.  She just needs to rest.  I'm skeptical because I was told comforting words by a chiropractor initially too.  However, not every case is the same.)

I think people easily brush off these injuries as just a sign of getting old or bad luck...however I know plenty of "old folks," who don't have any health ailments and every action has a consequence.  I think you can only get away with punishing your body for so long until it starts to push back (Newton's Third Law.)


Watch out for Poison Ivy, Y'all!

This is totally random but my friend Stacey H. got poison ivy on her face and hands and has pustules and contact dermatitis on her face from the urushiol oil.  I've always lived in the 'burbs so I know close to nothing about Poison Ivy or sumac.

(So apparently the cut-off time for this is 10 minutes tops.  After that and the nasty urushiol oil has already absorbed into your skin signaling your immune system to attack the affected epidermal cells!

"Before Urushiol has been absorbed by the skin it can be removed with water. However, time is of great importance as 50% of urushiol is absorbed in 10min. Once Urushiol has penetrated into the skin, attempting to remove with water is inefficient. Once urushiol has been absorbed by the skin it is recognized by dendritic cells called langerhans cells that are part of the immune system, these cells then migrate to lymph nodes where they present the urushiol to T-lymphocytes and thus recruit them to the skin, once in the skin the T-lymphocytes cause pathology by producing cytokines and cytotoxic damage to the skin.")

This website is a wealth of information though.

This made me LOL:  "Note that all parts of the vine contain urushiol, including the hairs. Using a chain saw to cut down such a tree produces flying poisonous sawdust."

I'm surprised terrorists haven't synthesized urushiol oil and used it as a biological/chemical weapon hah.

The most insidious part of this is that besides the first image (on that website linked above), the rest look like innocuous, run of the mill weeds in your yard.  I wouldn't think twice about mowing that down with a lawn mower and then getting urushiol oil bukkake'd all over my exposed legs or whatever.

Ah well, I guess I'm not going into the country anytime soon.

Mosquitoes, poison ivy, chiggers, mites, black widows — these are a few of my least favorite things...

Oh yeah and this sneaky f*cker won't even stay the same.  Apparently as the seasons change, poison ivy does too, and not just in color but also in form:

"At this time of year, looking for three leaves will not work. The green lines indicate where two leaves have already fallen off. The asymmetric leaf shape and the color pattern are the best keys in autumn."

So for those who forget that plants are living organisms.  Realize that they too want to live as much as any other animal life form, like us.  They also have defense mechanisms to fend off predators, who view them as food.  We tend to forget this reigning complacently at the top of the food chain.

I'm not just talking about the popularly known ones like the venus flytrap or other plants that consume insects.  There's also the cassava (yucca or manioc) root, which naturally contains high level of cyanide.

From Wikipedia:  "It must be properly prepared before consumption. Improper preparation of cassava can leave enough residual cyanide to cause acute cyanide intoxication and goiters, and may even cause ataxia or partial paralysis.  Nevertheless, farmers often prefer the bitter varieties because they deter pests, animals, and thieves."

It's also well-known that many mushrooms are poisonous and contain mycotoxins that can cause convulsions, hallucinations, abdominal cramping, coma, and even death.

So next time you dig into that healthful salad, give thanks for your green friends your consuming and hope they aren't poisoning you.  I'm sure they're working on it though. ;-)  Food for thought.


The Facts & Figures


*Fund Amount (as of 10:20 PM, 4/25/12):  $2,322.77

(*Once again, this amount reflects the PayPal account money including $ already spent on surgery and fees, but excluding checks sent in the mail.)

Updated Contributors List!


Cream O' the Crop

Jorge Salhuana
David Wu
Alvin Lin
Niven Hsu
Ted Glomski
Alex Holliday
Kyuha Lee
Siby Spurgeon
Jonathan Ko

Uber-Generous Group

Jessica Wang
James Ash
Molly Wang
James Haver
Chase Park
Tina Ayala-Vance
Shawn & Stacey Hiller
Pearl Chang
Valerie Easterling
Kim Palumbarit


Gonna Get My PT On Thanks to Y'all!

You guys are amazing.  I was going to just YouTube physical therapy after I get my cast off but now maybe I can actually afford an actual PT when this is all said and done! ;-p

Day 23 Update

It's been so long since I've updated that I think I've forgotten how to do this...


What I've Been Doing...

I've been pretty absorbed in practicing the three songs for my solo guitar test on Tuesday.  I got an extension but the downside to this is that I have to play individually!  Everyone else played as a group last Thursday.

I've been practicing "Killian's Ground," "Impressions," and "Guadarme Las Vacas."  These songs only involve the 1st through the 4th strings and for "Killians" we first do tempora, then root strum, and finally play the melody twice through.  For "Impressions," I'm playing the melody while others are playing the easier (repetitive) arpeggios.  For "Guadarme Las Vacas," we will play the chords first for some measures, then continue on with the melody.  (I probably misspelled all those classical guitar techniques.)

For the most part, I've gotten this down pat except I'm afraid I'm not changing the chords fast enough for the root strum, especially when changing from A to D and then immediately to e.

Oh yeah and as for the science classes that count, I have finals just around the bend.  Meh.


E'rrbody's Gettin' Surgery!

Seriously, I don't know WTF is going on lately but it seems like every CrossFitter I know has encountered some horrible random-ass calamity or requires some type of orthopedic surgery due to insane training.

Jake, a crossfit trainer at an affiliate in Plano, tore his bicep and has bone spurs and requires surgery.  He told me it was probably due to lots of "overhead movements" but primarily due to carrying Atlas stones, but that was way back in December during a local CrossFit competition.  (I had suspected that it was due to tons of snatches (I know that sounds wrong) or butterfly pull-ups or curls?)  The problem is that he's a past addict and cannot take any painkillers, so I really don't know how he's going to be able to handle that post-surgery pain.  I think he's really underestimating how much it's going to hurt.  And keeping your arm completely immobilized is not easy!  So any slight movement is going to send waves of intense pain through his body.  I suggested just getting piss-ass-stupidly drunk off his poison of choice but he says he's given up alcohol as well.  I told him that we all need our vices and he's too young to be a saint already!

Anyways, Carolyn, someone who has been certified in level 1 CrossFit, is also going to need surgery.  Her's is on her spine though!  She says her doctor is very good though.  He better be, since one little slip or nick at one of those hundreds of thousands of nerves running through your spinal cord and you're paralyzed for life.  (I can't imagine being that surgeon having that amount of mind-numbing pressure; I don't know if I would be able to do it.  Surgeons are amazing people, truly.  And spinal surgeons even more so.)  She has 3 bulging discs in her lumbar region.  It happened many years ago during US Air Force training and a fully grown man fell over a 15 ft wall and landed right on her neck.  She's been scaling her WODs but I can't imagine not treating something for that long.  She said she's been having injections in her back but now the pain is unbearable.

I've mentioned this before but Chad, my CrossFit evening trainer at the local CF box I used to attend, was in a freak car crash.  Apparently, he was at a stop sign when someone slammed into him from behind and pushed his car out front and then some other car slammed into him from the side.  His car was totalled and had to be cut into and he was medi-flighted out to a hospital, where he was in the neurological ICU.  Like Carolyn, he's also an Air Force veteran.  However, his wife and her friends have been organizing fundraising events and is even selling his Harley Davidson bike for at least 11 grand, so the medical bills MUST be high.  If our nation can't even take care of its veterans anymore, it's a sad day in 'merica.  (Update 12:30 AM, I found out through Facebook that the car wash fundraiser / auction event was wildly successful and they managed to raise more than $20,000!  That's amazing.)

Then there's Chris, who I used to CrossFit with.  He got surgery on his rotator cuff around a month ago and is still doing physical therapy now.  I saw a photo of him and his face looks rather gaunt.  We were both trying to gain weight prior to all this.  I was doing the GOMAD protocol and he was using a traditional weight gainer supplement.  I think we both were making good progress but that's all been for naught with the injury and subsequent surgery and inactivity.

Now there's Tina.  I used to CrossFit with her at another local CrossFit affiliate in TX.  She had been complaining of shoulder issues for a very long time but now it's her neck that's giving her issues.  She had borrowed someone else's muscle relaxers medication (I advised against it) but it's been giving her gastrointestinal discomfort.  She hopes that she won't require surgery.  She's been hitting the WODs really hard as of late.

For older surgeries, there's Brista, who made it to the Crossfit Regional competition last year and this year.  She had surgery on her shoulder last year.  Not to be left out, her husband, Jonathan, had a box jump incident (not as bad as mine) where he went to the ER for stitches.


I'm Not Invincible After All

All this is hammering home the ominous message my orthopedic surgeon told me about how doing exercises similar to CrossFit is just asking for future surgeries.  I'm not sure I've sworn off all such exercise entirely (because I'm a dumbass) but I've definitely decided I'm no longer INVINCIBLE and I need to be more cautious and smart when it comes to exercise.  I've treated my body like I'll never get hurt for too long.  I used to do back handsprings in the yard where I landed hard on the side of my neck and not even thought too much about it.  Those days are over.


Vicodin Depletes Your Liver's Glutathione Stores!

I was reading more about the side effects of Hydrocodone and Acetaminophen (5/500 mg) the other day and realized that it's not just constipation I should be worried about! LOL

Apparently, acetaminophen (aka Tylenol or Paracetamol for international readers) also depletes your body of its most important endogenous antioxidant — glutathione!
(Well, it actually recycles other antioxidants, but it's known as the "mother of all antioxidants.")

According to Wikipedia, acetaminophen is added with hydrocodone to help with analgesic effects but also to discourage additive behaviors because it can lead to fatal liver toxicity!  Maybe it's just me, but I think they are better ways to discourage "recreational drug use" besides killing someone through liver failure!

From Drugs.com, under the "Hepatic" subtitle :

"Alcoholic patients may develop hepatotoxicity after even modest doses of acetaminophen. In healthy patients, approximately 15 grams of acetaminophen is necessary to deplete liver glutathione stores by 70% in a 70 kg person. However, hepatotoxicity has been reported following smaller doses. Glutathione concentrations may be repleted by the antidote N-acetylcysteine. One case report has suggested that hypothermia may also be beneficial in decreasing liver damage during overdose."


Chicken Legs

It's also rather frightening to see how fast muscle atrophies.  I can visibly see the dramatic difference between my right thigh and left thigh now.  Both legs have lost a lot of mass but my right leg looks so emaciated, like an AIDs victim's leg...well not really but nearly.


On to Biznass...


To my surprise, people are still donating to the fund!  THANK YOU SO MUCH, Y'ALL!  Because honestly, even though the surgery is over, follow-up visits are still breaking the bank!

Just last week I had a short follow-up visit with the doc, where he took out some staples and put on a cast and bam!  That was $300.  I, then had to plead for a discount, and like 25 minutes later it was reduced I think $15 bucks or so.  Barely even worth it.

Meanwhile, my doc is going on a vacation to Italy and the French riviera.  Then when he comes back I'm going to have to change my cast again in order to change the angle of my foot.  This means a new cast and I'm assuming another $300 bucks spent! Lucky me!

Then, eventually I'll have to get a boot.  Maybe I'll just tell them I'll buy one off e-bay LOL.

After all that, I don't have any idea how much physical therapy sessions will cost without insurance.


The New Cast!

I'm really glad my leg is metal-free now and while my leg feels like it's 10-15 lbs heavier, any progress is welcome.


The Figures!


Expenses So Far*:  $3,685.00

The Breakdown: Faith Surgical Center Fees: $2,000
Surgeon's Fee (with the 30% discount): $878.00
Anesthesiologist Fee: $250.00
Orthopedic Consultation Fee: $125.00
Previous Ortho. Office Visit: $78.00
Crutches: $32.00
Prescription Meds: $22.00
Dr.'s Follow-up Visit (staples removal & cast):  $300.00 

(*Not including the next follow-up on May 8th and then the future physical therapy sessions.)

Current Fund Amount*:  $2,278.88

(* Amount including the money spent for surgery and follow-up visits so far but excluding the checks received in the mail from family friends.  I'm keeping track since PayPal displays all transactions made in the account.)

I am thrilled at breaking that 2 grand barrier!  It's been sub-2 grand for a very long time.


Updated (4/22/12, 9:30 PM) Contributors' List

List of Cream of the Crop Top Contributors (Triple Digit Donations): 

Jorge Salhuana
David Wu
Ted Glomski
Alexander Holliday
Alvin Lin
Siby Spurgeon
Kyuha Lee
Jonathan Ko
Niven Hsu

Extremely Generous Contributors (very close to the cream of the crop): 

Jessica Wang
Shawn & Stacey Hiller
Valerie Easterling
Molly Wang
Christina Ayala-Vance
Chase Park
James Haver
Kim Palumbarit
Pearl Chang

Once again, if you don't see your name here yet.  Don't fret.  I will soon put up a comprehensive list (unless you object) without these categories.  I also appreciate all those who helped me out in non-monetary ways.


Can't Thank Y'all Enough

I am so grateful for my generous friends.  When Ted Glomski suggested I set up this fundraiser online using PayPal, I told him that I'm not going to be able to raise even $100 dollars.  Little did I know that in a week I would get more than $1500 and even though it's slowed dramatically in a few more weeks after that, I've garnered more than 2 grand now.  I'm amazed by everyone's out-pouring of kindness for their fellow human being.

Day 3 Update

FREE BEER:

Alex Holliday, my brother from another mother, has agreed to provide FREE BEER to anyone who donates to the cause! Definitely take advantage of that amazing deal. (Unfortunately for us stateside folks, his restaurant, "The Drunken Monkey," is located in Taipei, Taiwan near Guting MRT station. So as for you expats and locals on the island of debauchery and hedonism — I'm definitely jealous!)
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My (Pathetic) Personal Efforts at Paying Off Surgery Expenses:

I went to the Collin County Health Dept.'s Indigent Health Services this morning in McKinney and was basically told that I would most likely qualify due to my income level but a case worker can take up to 14 days to evaluate an application. And then after approval I would have to see their approved physician and then that physician would decide whether or not I needed surgery; I can't afford to wait that long.

I then had to rush off to class in Frisco but there was a traffic accident on the highway on US-75 and traffic crawled to a halt. Took nearly an hour to get to Frisco. I forgot about that one stretch of 35 mph zone though a neighborhood and these Frisco cops were OUT of their squad cars hidden in the bushes by a small neighborhood road with their radar guns! They caught me going at 47 mph in a 35 mph zone. I didn't even realize what happened at first when they signalled me to pull over... When it rains, it pours.

Then, that afternoon I went in person to Plano Medical Center today (since the financial aid folks were not answering their phones) and found out that their hospital fees are dramatically cheaper than Methodist Richardson Medical Center; however, this would mean I need to find another orthopaedic surgeon all over again (one that can operate at PMC) and then have a consultation and then schedule a surgery date. Delaying the surgery may not be wise though.

Currently, I have this Thursday morning as the surgery date but if I choose to save $ and go to PMC that means the Methodist doc won't be available for surgery (if things fall apart) until April 17th (ironically my birthday) and that would be too late. That would mean about 5 weeks from the time of my surgery increasing chances of complications.

It's a lot to think about.  I honestly cannot wait for this to end.  It's ridiculous that Methodist Richardson Medical Center is charging nearly 3x the price as Plano Medical Center when I believe they are both owned by HCA. Also, that they don't even have a process to refer specialists for patients.  I was even pushed in a wheelchair by a PMC greeter to the ER to ask for a referral to an orthopaedic surgeon and they just told me to look it up myself online (even though the website doesn't list sub-specialities for orthopaedic surgeons; they told me to call them then).

Oh even worse, I was coming downstairs when I accidentally stumbled and hurt my injured foot. Now I'm wearing the ankle brace again and it hurts to walk (there wasn't much pain before).  I'm hoping another minor tendon wasn't ruptured.  Hence, I accepted being wheeled around in a wheelchair when offered hah.
 ______________________________________________


Well, enough depressing issues to discuss.

Moving on to Why This Fundraising Effort is Still Alive and Kicking!


(Tentative*) Fund Goal Amount: $7,500

 (*Dr.'s office still hasn't given me the exact cost of the anesthesiologist and I was too busy running errands and getting speeding tickets to call and ask before they closed at 2 PM.)

Current Fund Amount: $1,560.00 (as of 6:50 PM)


The donations have slowed somewhat but I'm still keeping hope as larger donations are coming in just at a slower rate.

Also, the T-shirt design is going to take longer than expected since the talent has informed me, rather brusquely, that the deadline I set was unreasonable and inhumane.  I guess I'm not dealing with sweatshop laborers. :-p  So designs will most likely be submitted one week from now.  This means that donations and T-shirt sales will most likely continue post-surgery due to the imminent surgery date and postponement of T-shirt sales.  (Obviously, the top contributors will be mailed T-shirts after they are made.)  In the meantime, donations are still encouraged.


Updated list of Top Contributors (Triple Digit Donations):


*
Jorge Salhuana
David Wu
Jonathan Ko
Alexander Holliday
Kyuha Lee
Siby Spurgeon


(*Once again, let me know if you wish to have your surname removed or wish to remain anonymous.  I will eventually post everyone's names even those donating $5, unless there are objections.  There were also quite a number of contributions that were very close to triple digits and I may post those names for recognition as well.)


I cannot thank y'all enough!  This has been a very trying process and I'd think I'd have a nervous breakdown if not for the support and love I feel from my friends and even strangers.


When Push Comes to Shove:

I'm really impressed and honored by how my friends are pulling through by contributing with their unique talents.  Laura Ng has decided to contribute not with her purse but with her artistic talents.  Alex Holliday has decided to show his generosity through a substantial donation as well as using his successful restaurant in order to raise awareness as well as create monetary as well as gastronomic incentive.   Even another close friend, Ted Glomski, who used his tech saavy to introduce me to the notion of fundraising with PayPal.  Jonathan Ko, another tech whiz, helped raise awareness for the cause by posting on Reddit (click on that hyperlink, and 'upvote!' =)).

The creativity and ingenuity of my friends never ceases to amaze me, which is why through this sh*tstorm, I can still keep heart.