I'm back on the bicycle again, what with the rains being less than steady. It's proven easy to find myself riding fifty miles in a day, if I have several errands around town. Labor Day Weekend I spent in Seattle, for Folklife during the day and dancing with the Israeli group at night. I pulled something in the afternoon, doing a Hombo with a young woman who had recently injured her hip - she was light enough that I could provide all the support and continued dancing through the evening, but after such vigorous dancing the cartilage aches severely for days! I chose not to over-medicate, so I was pretty much incapacitated for the week (although I did pop enough vicodin and motrin to get out of bed for Tuesday dance class.)

 

This past Saturday, I got over to Bob Culpepper's for gaming, but I used the Max to get there. I took my bike on Max for the first time; it's pretty easy, and I ride just over two miles to get the 14 miles to Bob's. The board game went past midnight, so I had to ride all the way home from Gateway on the bike... about ten miles. It's really beautiful riding that time of night, and it's pretty much downhill all the way, but I wasn't able to get out Sunday or today. Tomorow, I'll get up to go out for my mail and do the other errands that have come up. Tuesdays, I get out no matter how much painkiller it takes! Last week it took 3200mg motrin and 4000mg vicodin, and I had to drive to dance class. Unless it's pouring rain, tomorrow I'll be on the bicycle: with a limit of 1600motrin and 1600mg vicodin!

Today’s traffic Court was flabbergasting. I was stopped at 12:28 AM on July 8, after flying back from two weeks vacation in Washington DC, for a “California stop”. The young Officer who cited me sat there in Court and blatantly lied about what I’d said to him during the traffic stop: if he wasn’t lying, then he has something terribly wrong with how he hears what suspects are saying! Officer Steven Wilbon’s testimony said I had cussed him out during the stop, using foul language as part of the way I talk.

 

When I use cuss words, it is only ever to discuss their inapplicability to effective communication. Under much more stressful conditions than a traffic stop, I have not been a cusser since going through naval training. Addie was forever telling folks how I’d picked up swearing during boot camp in 1974, and then stopped when I was assigned to a Sea Command in 1976. Even when Addie was dying, I didn’t cuss out the doctors who were improperly treating her; it’s just not how I handle stress or get things done. Anyone who’s seen me get stressed knows how I become cold and fiery eyed, sometimes getting tearful and silent. My voice becomes a whip, rising but becoming a steady beat to get my position across. As it happens, I didn’t even become angry enough for that to happen that night. The cross Country flight home from DC had been too tiring for me to want anything but to get inside to bed. I decided almost at once that I’d take up my arguments at Trial, rather than waste time on a young fellow who was appeared at first to just be repeating phrases that he’d learned in training, completely recalcitrant. Even so, I had to write up the incident for my defense before I could get to sleep, and extending to incident was far from my mind!

 

The Judge today found against me, saying that neither he nor I could be absolutely certain that my car wasn’t creeping during the several seconds while I was stopped and reaching down to pick up and stow my umbrella off the passenger side floor. I don’t know how that logic balances with the concept of “preponderance of evidence,” but it is how Portland judges found in every case I’ve watched at the PortlandCourthouse. The false statements by Officer Wilbon were wholly unnecessary, and surprising to say the least, but ignored by the Judge. At least I got my day in Court!

 

I spoke with Officer Wilbon after the Trial. He appears to be unrelenting as to the accuracy of his statements in Court. If he has such a slanted view, he is a danger to the public. He apparently took the statements from an affidavit he’d sworn out on the day of the incident. He had been concerned that I demanded his name and a contact number for his Precinct, as I’ve been trained to expect of a suspect. He also converted my statement that ,”that’s not how I was trained to approach a suspect,” that he put in the affidavit that I’d said “you should let me off, as a fellow officer;” which is clearly not what I’ve been trained to EVER say!

 

I left him today after asking him how I should file a complaint that he made false statements in court. He said to make the same contact, his immediate Supervisor, as he’d provided when I demanded it after the incident. I asked him to speak with his Pastor as well as his Supervisor about what he’s done, but his response was an energetic denial and claims to be a God fearing and honest person. Before we parted, I took and shook his hand, and said “Good luck, son.”

  

March 20 was the fourth anniversary of Addie's passing to a better place. All the peacenik stuff going on was a grim reminder that the television we were watching as she went to sleep that night of March 19, 2003 was the "shock and awe" in Iraq. Maybe it urged her on her way...

 

This week was also the last for Jasper Cat. He was finally starting to lose fur in little clumps, and the tumer was interfering with the operation of his shoulders to climb onto the bed... he'd already been unable to climb to his favorite perches on my books and the computer monitor for several months. He was a trooper to the end, though, as cats usually are. He growled about going to the doctor, but was cooperative once there, just as always. He didn't have any spasms due to the injection, and just relaxed finally as he hadn't been able for so long. I'm sleeping alone now for the first time since 1971... it's lonely, and I feel odd not having someone to go home to. Jasper got me through Addie's death, and my crippling.

 

I started a monthly alotment to Muscular Dystrophy Association in memory of Addie. I am still taking dontaions for MDA at the Addie memorial website, http://addielee.aiprojects.net, anything that goes into that account is transfered to MDA the next time I log on to PayPal.

 

For those sailors out there, you can find Addie's gravesite by visiting http://addielee.aiprojects.net/hypertext/venturaroute.html, where you'll find a map showing the spot between Oxnard, CA, and Anacapa Is, where she and her mother were buried at sea.

 

In other news: I finally convinced the doctors to prescribe something for my difficulties "down south" - even though i don't have an enlarged prostrate, my decision to take viagra along with the stool softeners, successfully treeting the CES residual to my spinal cord damage, has resulted in a prescription for Cardura... Cardura is a drug that does the same thing as Viagra, but in smaller doses, including the lowering of blood pressure - with the same concerns about interactions with other drugs. Since the viagra was working, the Cardura just slipped right in with no noticable change from my perspective. --- I still don't know if either one helps with erectile disfunction, since I' still a lonely heart!

 

I'm heading for Newport, OR for Spring Break... it may be difficult to use it as a getaway, but both Joe and I can work it into our schedules. The week I get back, I'll be ushering at Profile Theater, and visiting a shut-in to let him "pick my brain" about something; he hasn't told me about what yet!

Well, it finally got here. One year after the lumbar surgery, and I have been graduated from PT - even for my neck. I'd say it's a seventy percent improvement from a year ago, even for the neck. Now, I have to figure out how to maintain this condition with Medicare questioning every visit's "improvement." They don't believe in "maintenance" - so my Therapist, Andrea, agrees I might see a therapeutic masseuse, who gets paid out of my pocket instead of by Blue Cross. Speaking with Blue Cross, they don't see why I can't continue with PT as long as I have visits left, but I probably need to find a Therapist who doesn't care what Medicare thinks. Andrea does say that if I do deteriorate due to lack of massage funds, I should get a doctor to refer me back to her for more "improvement."

 

Even though my wonderful bicycle got stolen from the lobby of my building the last Sunday in October, I have gotten a cheep new one. I got it $45 at Fred Meyer, because they couldn't sell it for full price... it's an old fashioned one speed pedal brake bike! I haven't gotten another helmet, but I have gotten a lock and wrench; it'll be another $45 or thereabouts to get lights, helmet, and gloves for this weather >;-)

Bob's photos of selected days aboard Stephen Tabor ar now a slideshow at his Google site http://picasaweb.google.com/robertnicolscribe 

 

Once you're there you click to download Picaso, which is the slideshow program. Picaso is amazing, compared to what we have for free here at MSN Spaces!

Last week I got wevaluated by Dr. Grewe about what to do about my neck. I've developed stenosis at C3 on the right and C4 on the left. Since the right is less severe, we can't figure out why the frequency symptoms on my right shoulder and arm is worse. But even so, the spastic behavior of my right hand is more scary for me.

 

 On Wednesday of this week, I saw my PT for initial evaluation. She actually used the measuring instruments that the VA regulations require, and they never use - or at least have neveer used on me. I did have these measures done when I was still in the Navy. We started PT with a short session of neck traction, which did make my shoulder feel better. By Friday, though, the shoulder pain had returned as numb and cold.

 

I was dizzy Thursday and Friday, too. That seems to have passed today, and I'm ready to ride my bike again tomorrow.

I dropped Jasper at the Vet hospital first thing this morning. He's getting the tumer rermoved again. This is probably the last try; if it grows again, I'll have to prepare for losing him to this cancer.

 

After dropping Jasper off, I drove out to Bonneville Dam, since I haven't been out that way for a while, and wanted a feel for how far Benson Park is... it's actually right at (1 mile west of) Multnomah Falls. Bonneville Dam is 10 miles past the Park, and the Bridge of the Gods is four miles further yet. The Dam is 40 miles from my place in NW Portland. I took the tour to the 1st Power house, where they're in the process of replacing the turbines, to get an 8% boost in output, while making the turbines more fish friendly.

 

The Sturgeon Pond is really a lot bigger than I remember from the sixties when I rode out past it on the road to Idaho - on my bicycle. That was the day that the big Sturgeon were found with slashes down their side - eventually dying. I was there at 7AM, and the Sturgeon had already been found with the slashes; someone had come in during the night and just waded out into the pond, so the new pond is deeper and has a pretty trecherous bottom.

 

On the way home I stopped at the Columbia Gorge Outlet Mall, just on the west side of the Sandy River which is the west boundary of the Gorge. I actually found myself two pair of Dockers that were 44/30 in the whole Mall. I also got a bag full of books at a going out of business sale. When I got back to town, I picked up my bicycle from the shop, getting its "30 tuneup." I actually get free tuneups for a year, untill February. I discovered a nice little coffee shop on 12th and Ash, where I waited until the bike was done. Over coffee I called the Vet and agreed that Jasper should stay the weekend at the Hospital, so I set out for home with my bike.

 

I have a hard time pushing myself out the door unless I have "someone" as the reason. This Sunday, I'll be attending a pre-wedding reception at Benson Park for my oldest nephew. He's marrying a woman from New England, and they both work in Connecticut, so we're putting on a picnic on this coast for their classmates from College in Bellingham, and for his friends from him having grown up in Portland and Vancouver.

 

I plan on parking at Bonneville Dam, where parking's free, and riding my bike back to the Park (any excuse for riding the bike... I'm really not THAT cheap - usually!)

Bob and I are working on a web page about our Schooner adventure at http://www.aiprojects.net/schooner/

 

Bob has sent me several pictures, including a scan of the Tabor under sail... we didn't take any photos of the Tabor under sail, since we were always on board then - duh!

 

As Bob sends me high quality photos, I will upload them both here and to my website. In the meantime, my cellphone photos are here. I'll get a display page made up to display http://www.aiprojects.net/schooner/ images... SOON!

 

We had a marvelous time, getting sick of lobster and scallop as a steady diet (NOT!) I have several new T-shirts; I'm officially a junior light-house keeper; we stayed at some of the best bed and breakfasts on the Maine coast, in addition to our week on Stephen Tabor. We even stayed a few days in the Maine mountains, at Sunday River, before we got to Rockland-Camden where the windjammer fleet homeports.

 

It'll be up pretty soon! - keep trying http://www.aiprojects.net/schooner/

 

 

Last week seems to have stabilized things. I wasn't bedridden yesterday like in past weeks.

 

I didn't ride the bicycle out to Fulton Sunday, and that let me keep dancing later in the evening. I tried taking twice the oxycodone that I had been, and all of a sudden about 11pm the leg pain went away. By then it was all couple dances and I just found myself following the steps alone.

 

Monday's PT was easierthan it has been for a few weeks. Today I've been hanging out at my hutch, but I'm not in too much pain today below the waist. Something must have slipped Sunday night; now I hope it doesn't slip back.

 

With that good news I also have severe pain in my neck and arms. With the arms, though, theres no fear of falling, and I just don't try to lift things.

It seems that I am down for Tue and Wed after using hydrocodone to dance on Sunday evening. Monday afternoon I seem pretty good for physical therapy, but by Monday evening i collapse, and can't get out of my room until Wed afternoon. Today, Wednesday, I did a bucket of laundry... I only do a bucket at a time, not a basket. That makes more trips, but the bulk isn't there to fight with.  The pain in my back wasn't the worst this week, similar to last week but more neck pain than elbow pain now.

 

I gave Bill the directions to Patty's memorial this weekend, but may have to carry his blessing, too, since his girls have events that day. Addie and i always put kids first, too.

 

I am more able to dance. I took twice the codone last Sun than previously, and it didn't seem to knock me out any further than previously.

Much has happened since my last entry. I went for a bike ride last Friday, after having missed my Thursday PT because I lay down for a nap about 5:00pm Wednesday afternoon and didn't waken again until after 6:00pm Thursday! I checked in with PT on Friday morning, and rescheduled my 6 week evaluation for yesterday (Monday) afternoon. After checking in, even though I was feeling a sore throat and itchy ears, I went for the bike ride to get in some "Thursday" therapy. I rode to Sydney's Coffee, 15th & Thurman, where I usually stop on my Sunday walk; it's one mile from home. Then I rode out Front to the junction of OR 30 and OR 26, about another 3 miles north; I walked the bike over the tracks between Front and St. Helens rode; it's a mighty steep bridge! I rode St. Helesn Rd. back home (about 3.5 miles,) stopping on 24th and Thurman for another coffee; I also stopped along the way to answer the phone and get a rest in; as I was sitting on the wall of a garden, my right arm spasmed as I flipped the phone open and I had to pull it straight with my other arm until it subsided. The spasm was accompanied by some dizziness, but it all passed while I was sitting there on the phone, so I've put it down to overdoing my first bike ride, and coming down sick. I didn't get to folk dancing this weekend, because I came down with sore throat over the weekend, but that only lasted to Sunday evening.

 

The PT assessment yesterday found me improved enough to replace Thursday PT with the bike ride permanently! That's the recommendation to Dr. Grewe, who I was supposed to see today at 3:00pm. I was seen by the PA, David, instead. We went over my improvements, the relatively longer periods of walking before the low back pain presents, the longer yet walking before the shooting pains, and the longer yet walking before the gerneral pain below the waist presents. I still can't get through a Sunday walk without the lower extremity pain, but it's only during the last leg down 23rd! - and with a couple of hydrocodone, I can even participate in folk dance one night a week! What an improvement... but I still spend the alternate days in my room recuperating between these bouts of "therapy."

 

One thig that aggravates me is that Dr. Grewe was so energetic in describing CES to me when we did my myelogram, but Doc David stresses that it's NOT CES but stenosis. That's the surgeons point of view, I guess. They want things that can be treated with their conservative laminectomy to be called stenosis at L2, even though the symptoms and the myelogram image are the same as in CES, and to use "CES" to describe only degenerative disk stenosis at L2. Syndromes, though, describe a complex of symptoms. I had the symptoms, right down to blacking out and falling, but if the cause had been a ruptured disk I woudn't have been able to get up again after the falls. My disks are all intact and my lumbar spine actually looks good compared to most folks with CES. It just peeves me when "schools" of medical thought are opposed to patient needs for support from others with symilar symptoms and suffering!

 

Well, this week I expect to ride out to Kittridge again Thursday, and do my walk and folk dancing on Sunday. I have joined the CES support group online, too; it's founders are in Britton, where the two surgical schools don't seem to be competing for patients. That's what I also found with myotonic dystrophy support, that the brittish and Canadian groups seem to be larger and better supported. It doesn't take an Act of Congress to get a disease listed with W.H.O, like it does to get one recognized in the States.

 

I took some photos while walking my physical therapy route two weeks ago. I walked that three miles every Sunday afternoon since last summer, except while I was in Canada in September. It's been a lot easier since my lumbar surgery in November, and now I have a bicycle and plan to ride out to Fulton Community Center (just north of Burlingame.) There is folk dancing there every Sunday evening at 7:30pm... mostly Intel folks, but some of the old folk dancers I knew from Reed and when we were just starting up PCC. I danced with groups far and wide while following the weapons maker trade, but not since my own cauda equina syndrome (severe lower extremity pain) and my wife's myotonic muscular dystrophy (the most common adult muscular dystrophy) took hold of us and I retreated into less strenuous federal employment.

Last week was my first night at Fulton. I walked out there, about five miles from my place on NW 22 & Everett, and I was near collapse by the time I took a bus home at 11:11pm. It was worth it, there's nothing like the interaction with a large group (mostly women usually) trying to move together to the music. I rode over to the bike shop on NW 21 & L... today and got lights so I can ride home at night tomorrow. That left knee hurts sorely this evening, since I knelt to put the lights on seat back and handle bars. Now I just need toget the Landlord to give me a key to the room where bikes are kept here! Yes, we have a special locked bike room...

Ronald Clifford Alexander

Electro-physical Engineer

 

Give me a call: I'm at 818-292-5333, local in 503 area code.

 

The following are exerpts articles at the Online Journal at http://www.eMedicine.com:  eMedicine Specialties > Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation > Lumbar Spine Disorders:

 

#1 - I had secondary lumbo-sacral stenosis due to ligamentum flavum hypertrophy induced by trauma, perhaps aggravated by congenitally short pedicals at the lower vertebrae. The operation included L2, L3, L4, L5, and S1. Furman et al, 7/21/2004, Spinal Stenosis and Neurogenic Claudication.

"LSS arises from the following primary and secondary etiologies:

• Primary stenosis encompasses congenital malformations and developmental flaws. Congenital malformations include incomplete vertebral arch closure (spinal dysraphism), segmentation failure, achondroplasia, and osteopetrosis. Developmental flaws include early vertebral arch ossification, shortened pedicles, thoracolumbar kyphosis, apical vertebral wedging, anterior vertebral beaking (Morquio syndrome), and osseous exostosis.

• Secondary (acquired) stenosis arises from degenerative changes, iatrogenic causes, systemic processes, and trauma. Degenerative changes include central canal and lateral recess stenosis from posterior disc protrusion, zygapophyseal joint and ligamentum flavum hypertrophy, and spondylolisthesis. Iatrogenic changes result following surgical procedures such as laminectomy, fusion, and discectomy. Systemic processes that may be involved in secondary stenosis include Paget disease, fluorosis, acromegaly, neoplasm, and ankylosing spondylitis."

#2 - I should have gotten a myelogram in 1977, like the Navy Doctor in Spain prescribed, and probably should have had surgery 20 years ago, but until the runup of crushing pain this past few years since about 1992, permanent damage wasn't really likely. Maybe the response of my crushing pain to antibiotics should have been a clue, and the reduction of when I leaned forward, but the VA was taking a position that because they "lost: my records from 1978 through 1991, I had been asymptomatic during that period. All the times I went in with complaints of a band of fire at the base of my ribs and crushing pain below the waist was "undocumented", let alone the bowel and sexual unreliability! Even after I started demanding to be seen in 1998, the focus was on "pain therapy" and treatment for the induced depression until after 1998. Beeson et al, 7/27/2005, Cauda Equina Syndrome.

 

Dictionary.com definition of caudal: Of, at, or near the tail or hind parts, and of equina: ***a bundle of filaments within the vertebral canal resembling a horse's tail.

 

"Pathophysiology: CES may result from any lesion that compresses CE nerve roots. These nerve roots are particularly susceptible to injury, since they have a poorly developed epineurium. When well developed, as in peripheral nerves, they protect against compressive and tensile stresses. The microvascular systems of nerve roots have a region of relative hypovascularity in their proximal third. Increased vascular permeability and subsequent diffusion from the surrounding cerebral spinal fluid supplement the nutritional supply. This property of increased permeability may be related to the tendency toward edema formation of the nerve roots, which may result in edema compounding initial and sometimes seemingly slight injury.

Frequency:

• Low back pain

• Acute or chronic radiating pain

• Unilateral or bilateral lower extremity motor and/or sensory abnormality

• Bowel and/or bladder dysfunction

• Usually with associated saddle (perineal) anesthesia (examiner can inquire if toilet paper feels different when wiping)

• Bladder dysfunction may present as incontinence, but often presents earlier as difficulty starting or stopping a stream of urine.

History:

• Low back pain

• Acute or chronic radiating pain

• Unilateral or bilateral lower extremity motor and/or sensory abnormality

• Bowel and/or bladder dysfunction

• Usually with associated saddle (perineal) anesthesia (examiner can inquire if toilet paper feels different when wiping)

• Bladder dysfunction may present as incontinence, but often presents earlier as difficulty starting or stopping a stream of urine.

Physical:

• Pain often is localized to the low back; local tenderness to palpation or percussion may be present.

• Reflex abnormalities may be present; they typically include loss or diminution of reflexes. Hyperactive reflexes may signal spinal cord involvement and exclude the diagnosis of CES.

• Pain in the legs (or radiating to the legs) is characteristic of CES.

• Sensory abnormality may be present in the perineal area or lower extremities. Light touch in the perineal area should be tested.

• Muscle weakness may be present in muscles supplied by affected roots. Muscle wasting may occur if CES is chronic.

• Poor anal sphincter tone is characteristic of CES.

• Babinski sign or other signs of upper motor neuron involvement suggest a diagnosis other than CES, possibly a diagnosis of spinal cord compression.

• Anesthetic areas may show skin breakdown.

• Alteration in bladder function may be assessed empirically by obtaining urine via catheterization. A significant volume with little or no urge to void, or as a post-void residual, may indicate bladder dysfunction.

Causes:

• Trauma

• Lumbar disc disease

• Abscess

• Spinal anesthesia

• Tumor, metastatic, or CNS elements

• Late-stage ankylosing spondylitis

• Idiopathic"

#3 - Schreiber et al, 12/5/2005, Spinal Cord Injuries.

 

"Pathophysiology: The spinal cord is divided into 31 segments, each with a pair of anterior (motor) and dorsal (sensory) spinal nerve roots. On each side, the anterior and dorsal nerve roots combine to form the spinal nerve as it exits from the vertebral column through the neuroforamina. The spinal cord extends from the base of the skull and terminates near the lower margin of the L1 vertebral body. Thereafter, the spinal canal contains the lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal spinal nerves that comprise the cauda equina. Therefore, injuries below L1 are not considered SCIs because they involve the segmental spinal nerves and/or cauda equina. Spinal injuries proximal to L1, above the termination of the spinal cord, often involve a combination of spinal cord lesions and segmental root or spinal nerve injuries."

 

#4 - Gondim et al, 3/2/2005, Spinal Cord Trauma and Related Diseases.

 

"Cauda equina and conus medullaris syndromes

Patients with lesions affecting only the cauda equina can present with a polyradiculopathy with pain, radicular sensory changes, asymmetric lower motor neuron–type leg weakness, and sphincter disturbances. This can be difficult to distinguish from involvement of the lumbosacral plexus or multiple nerves. Lesions affecting only the conus medullaris cause early disturbance of bowel/bladder function.

Physical: Motor weakness (especially paraparesis or quadriparesis) can be flaccid in the acute phase or when the anterior horn is involved. Identification of affected muscle and the sensory level helps with injury localization.

Reflexes are lost immediately after SCI. Superficial abdominal reflexes are elicited by running a semisharp stimulus in any abdominal quadrant (upper quadrants are best) toward the umbilicus. Then, umbilical movement toward the stimulus (ie, abdominal muscle contraction in that quadrant) is observed."

I had a scare last weekend. On Wednesday 2/1, My knee started "catching" as I walked. By Thursday's PT I thought it was just part of the normal shooting down through my hip and knee. By Saturday I couldn't put weight on it, and the knee felt like it was crushed but good - except that there was no pain from touching it, poking it, pressing on it, etc... so it had to be just part of the resolutin of the spinal injury?

 

I stayed in through Sunday, but by Monday morning it was back to like it had been Thursday. I called for an appointment with Nurse Curtis-Klinger, PA, at the VA, wanting to discuss whether to expect this sort of thing as the spinal mess resloves itself. I had called Dr. Grewe's office and they said that Nurse David, PA, would call me, but the call never came. Tuesday morning at the VA, Curtis-Klinger gave me a cock and bull story about how I was just being whiney, and she had better things to do with her time than discuss the results of her referral of my surgery to outside the VA. I should talk it out with them! After some cajolling, she did feel around on my knee, and said that I probably had a subluxed patella, and she didn't know shy it would set off major pain throughout the knee, and especially on the back. She dismissed me with instructions to just tell my physical therapist to give me some exercises for it.

 

Today, Andrea gave me some exercises for it. She also made clear that the pain was not typical of a subluxed patella. The outer thigh on that (left) leg is still numb to the tough, and will feel as if freezing or tingle at times, so there's damage there from the spinal cord injury yet. There is probably an "echo" effect that made what should be a minor thing become so extremely painful.

I haven't updated since my operation on 11/30/2005. I had L2 to S1 opened up and reamed out. There should be room now for the nerves coming out of the bottom of my spinal cord to hang free of each other down to their exits from the spinal collumn. I learned that the spinal cord actually ends above L1, and the nerve roots for the lumbar and sacrum have to all hang down from its bottom. The injury I got in the Navy has been crushing these nerves together, which is why I've felt like I've had a truck sitting on my legs for all these years.

 

The operation immediately relieved that "crushed below the waiste" feeling. When I get shooting pains down my legs now, I don't black out, but I still get the shooting pains. Physical therapy seems to be improving the low back pain that I still have, but last Wednesday my left knee started feeling like it was crushed again. At first it was just a shooting through the knee, but became constant by Friday when I couldn't bend it without severe pain. Today it's been resolving again, so it's just one of the same old things that I've been getting swince my injury. I'll probably be able to do my physical therapy again by Monday without pain... those nerve endings shifted and caused this. I was warned that these things would continue happening as my injury resolved, perhaps for as much as a year.

 

 

I just wanted to get this started. I'll be heading up to British Columbia in a couple weeks, so I've labeled it Travel. With my retirement, that seems to be my main interest.

 

I've arranged small rooms at resorts in Long Beach, and Seaside on the way back from Victoria. After three days of rest and relaxation from my physical therapy, I want to just tour down the Olympic Coastline.

 

When I get home, I'll be meeting Bob Nicol at Union Station... on 10/1/2005. He'll be taking RandR in Portland in respite from the stresses of his wife being in a Nursing Home. Bob will be here about 10 days.I'll show him the video of Addie's burial at sea with her mother, so he'll know what may be needed by Linda and he in some future.

 

I've named this The Addie Files, since those who know me are used to my rants being called that... as I sent out daily emails under that nom while Addie was in nursing care.

 

I want to end this by sending love and prayers to the hurricane victims. I've been without electric power for a week twice now in my life, and can't imagine so much worse in New Orleans... maybe that's why the Presidential declaration was so late in coming, and federal aid held up thereby. It's just so hard to imagine. But my time as a FEMA Emergency Response Evealuator makes it clear that we knew the levies would not withstand ove 116 knot surges, and the request for Declaration went in over a day before the levies failed, time enough to save many of those folks if it had gotten a presidential signature in the two to four hour time-frame we responders expect from the Whitehouse!

 

Love and Prayers!

Ronnie Alexander