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.
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.
