Ian Tyson
In 2002 Andrew and I saw Ian Tyson at the Winnipeg Folkfest. I was so excited because I had grown up listening to Ian, and Sylvia, on televsion. That night we snuggled under a mexican blanket, while on stage Ian sang about a Navajo rug. Overhead was an endless prairie sky, a perfect experience.
A couple of years later Andrew and I, along with my parents, attended a concert of Ian’s at the Civic Centre in Prince George. The chair wasn’t as comfortable as the mexican blanket, but I enjoyed the performance.
This year Ian Tyson celebrates 50 years of performing. He will be performing at Vanier Hall on May 9th. I so want to be there. I don’t know how many more opportunities we will have to see Ian Tyson live. CBC is holding a poetry contest for two tickets. Andrew has submitted a poem for it. It was the first submission they received, and it aired yesterday morning on the radio.
The Last Song
Old Buck never made it from the stage
He fell still clutching his guitar
That ancient Gibson with the pick scarred top
And the beaded smoked hide strap
Hand made by a kookum in Saskatoon
He fell to the sound of the crowd
A field of people still cheering his last song
Still cuddling under the stars
Dreaming of trail rides
Tales told around a camp fire
Herds of red eyed cows
And Navajo blankets
His battered Stetson caught in the summer breeze
Wheeling off across the prairie
Fetching up against a patch of willows
To grieve its loss alone
Old Buck’s last song ended as he wanted
Ended the cowboy way
– Copyright 2012, Andrew Burton
When he first read me the poem I didn’t now it was for a contest. I told him I loved the poem, although I am admittedly biased, and it reminded me of Winnipeg. Then he told me about the contest.
Andrew: CBC is having a poetry contest. They wanted a cowboy poem.
Me: Makes me think of Ian Tyson
Andrew: The prize is two tickets to see Ian Tyson.
Me: Ooooh, I really want to go to that concert.
Andrew: Oh? If I win maybe I will take you.
Me: You were planning to take someone else?
Andrew: Just keeping my options open.
Me: ….. (hmmmmmm)
That is why I love this man..
Me: I am so tired of hurting on all the time.
Andrew: That’s why we need space travel.
Me: Space travel?
Andrew: Yes, so we can go to the Mermaid plant.
Me: There’s a mermaid planet?
Andrew: Yes, that is where your ancestors came from.
Me: So…the Adaptive Mermaid Syndrome?
Andrew: Yes, Aristotelian logic.
Me: Which is?
Andrew: In an infinite universe, where everything is random, whatever can exist does exist. Therefore, if Adaptive Mermaid Syndrome exists, then somewhere there is a planet where mermaids exist and they have figured out how to deal with it. We just have to figure out how to get there.
Me: So, space travel?
Andrew: Exactly.
Unless of course you believe Professor Mandelhoff…
The Bloggess Rocks And Writes A Book!
If you don’t know who Jenny Lawson aka The Bloggess is, you really should. I have been stalking following her online antics for awhile now. This is a video she made for her fans about her new book. Personally I am looking forward to reading it. If you check out her blog you will find an excerpt. Let me know what you think.
This is what I get for being a water sign…
On March 21, 2012 I woke up with a low grade headache. It wasn’t a bad headache, just a dull ache behind my eyes. As my day progressed the headache got worse. I tried taking some Ibuprofen, and then some Tramadol, but nothing seemed to touch it. Finally by later afternoon light was painful, I was nauseous and it was time for the emergency room. By this time I was thinking maybe I had a migraine. The last one I had was 20 years ago.
I got Andrew to drop me off at the hospital and sent him home. I knew it would probably be a long wait. They gave me a bed to lay on in the hallway and I put my coat over my head to block out the light. Finally I was called to go to minor treatment where a wonderful nurse put me in a room and turned out the lights.
Eventually a student doctor came in to do an examine. After she was done, her supervisor came in to check a few more things. At this point they told me they weren’t sure what was causing the headache and light sensitivity. It wasn’t a migraine or tension headache. It was possible that a new drug I was taking, Tegretol, was causing the headaches, but she didn’t want me to stop taking it. She debated ordering a ct scan, but by this time it was 8pm and the ER was packed. She decided to give me some IV fluids, along with Toredol and Maxeran to alleviate some of the pain. They warned me at this time that due to drug shortages, I was getting one of their last two vials of Toredol. Bad news for me, since I can’t have opiates. Once the pain was eased they said I could go home. The doctor told me I needed to see my doctor for follow up.
The next morning I didn’t have a headache, but I called my doctor to make an appointment for the following week. Friday night we went to see “The Hunger Games”, halfway through the movie it felt like a knife went into the corner of my left eye. By the time the movie was over I had a headache, couldn’t stand light and was having stabbing pains in the corner of my eye. I didn’t see any point in the ER so we went home. At home I swallowed a Tramadol, two extra strength Ibuprofen, a couple of Robaxacet, and a Gravol tablet. Then I wrapped a towel around my head and went to bed for a couple of hours. The headache eventually eased, but over the next few days I continued to get them. I still went to work on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, but I was finding the flourescent lights way too bright.
Finally I had my doctor’s appointment on Tuesday afternoon and saw one of the young residents. By this point I was noticing a difference in my left eye, it seemed to be further forward and there was a constant feeling of pressure behind it. I was also having blurred vision on that side. It was decided that a ct scan was needed to see what was going on. She didn’t feel it had anything to do with the Tegretol, but that I could discontinue it if I wanted to at this point. They told me to make an appointment as soon as the ct scan was done. Thursday morning I had the ct scan and phoned my doctor’s office in the afternoon to make an appointment. They were just downloading the report and told me they wanted to see me at 9:15 am Friday morning.
Friday morning I once again saw the young resident who had ordered the ct scan. She asked a few questions about the headaches and then told me the ct scan had shown a problem. I had “water on the brain” or hydrocephalus. Something was causing a build up of fluid in one of the ventricles. The headaches and vision problems were because of pressure from the excess fluid. The ct scan hadn’t shown what was causing the blockage, but they didn’t see any tumours or bleeds. Dr. Carlson, the resident, kept telling me how sorry she was. That I had already been through so much and this latest development must be very overwhelming. An order was writtien for an MRI with constrast and marked urgent, and I was told if the headaches worsened or changed to go into emegency, otherwise they wanted to see me after the MRI. I was also being referred to a neurologist and would be having surgery to relieve the pressure when all the tests were done.
Friday night there was a couple of stabbing pains in my right eye, and suddenly the vision on that side blurred. A few minutes later the headache kicked in. I swallowed some Ibuprofen, which did nothing, so off to the ER we went. At the ER I was seen by Dr Roe who reviewed the ct scan results. He was concerned that the pressure was possibley starting to damage my optic nerves. He managed to get me some Toredol, they had gotten a bit more, and told me he wanted me to come back in the morning to see an opthamologist. We finally got home at 1:30 am.
Saturday morning I was back at the hospital to see Dr. Roche. She did some vision tests and assured me that so far my optic nerves were undamaged. The blurred vision should improve once the pressure in my brain is relieved. She did feel I had some changes in colour perception and field of vision and wanted more tests on Monday or Tuesday. I was to call the hospital Monday morning to see when my MRI was, and then I was to call her office to book more vision tests.
So here I am. My life once again on hold waiting for doctor’s to decide my fate. I told Andrew that apparently my brain shares my love of baths. We decided that the real problem though is that I am an Aquarian, and of course there is the whole Adaptive Mermaid Sydrome thing.
Sports Solve Everything.
I just to the “UBC – Chronic Pain Needs Assessment” survey, and now I am pissed off. It is obvious whoever wrote the survery doesn’t get it. The questions are of the type where you can disagree, partly agree, etc. I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Lupus and/or Mixed Connective Tissue Disorder, and an opiate intolerance. These are some of the questions, or rather statements, they want an opinion on. I am going to give what I would like to answer, but they just want you to check a box on whether or not you agree.
I worry all the time about whether the pain will end
Actually I know the pain won’t end, so there is no point worrying about that.
I feel like I can’t go on
Well the options are go on or…..and I am not there yet.
It’s terrible and I think it’s never going to end
It isn’t going to end. There is no “think” about it.
It’s awful and I feel that it overwhelms me
Sometimes, but the choices are put up with it, or……
I feel I can’t stand it any more
How many different ways do you want to state this one? Read the above response.
I become afraid that the pain will get worse
Considering the fact that the pain has increased every year I have lived, I think this one is kind of moot.
I keep thinking of other painful events
Try not to actually. Just too depressing.
I anxiously want the pain to go away
Wtf? I would like it to go away. Is it causing me anxiety? Not really, I know it isn’t going to so……
I can’t seem to keep it out of my mind
Considering every step I take is painful, that any repetitive movements cause inflammation and pain….I am aware of it, does it keep me from doing some things no. Is it possible to completely ignor it, no.
I keep thinking about how badly I want the pain to stop
Considering the definition of “chronic” I don’t think this is likely, so not something I usually think about.
There’s nothing I can do to reduce the intensity of the pain
Actually hot baths help, but I haven’t figured out how to live in a bathtub yet.
I wonder whether something serious might happen
WTF? Chronic pain isn’t serious? I don’t have to wonder, I am already there.
And of course I just love some of the yes and no questions
During your lifetime have you experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse?
Somehow I dont’ think sexual abuse had anything to do with a genetic disorder. I come from a crappy gene pool, and hurt long before the sexual abuse.
So after I finished taking the survery I decided to take a look at their resources, and got even more pissed. I listened to one arrogant, condescending doctor talk about the need for physical activity, because inactivity makes the pain worse you know. Everybody experiences pain you know, 80 year olds hurt all the time. They just ignore it.
The videos and resources have lovely titles that imply the pain is all in your head. You just need to ignore it, reduce your stress, get physically fit. Sports solve everything. Tell that to my feet.
I was removed from Phys Ed way back in 8th grade because of injuries caused by the physical activity. Jumping rope caused my first knee dislocation at 5 years old. I had operations on the right knee at 6 and 8, on the left at 10 and 12. I have a leak in the synovial on the left knee which means it goes dry if I am on it too much. Both feet have nerve damage that results in constant pain. Then of course there is the hypermobile pubic symphysis. The ligaments holding my pubic bone together are too lax. That means it somes causes me to be off balance. Oh yes, physical activity is going to make it all better.
I ride my bike when I can, while wearing a belt that holds my pelvic bones in place. Can’t ride up hills though, and have to be careful not to twist my knees. Water feels good, but when you have unstable joints swimming is difficult. I just enjoy the weightlessness that renders me almost pain free for a time.
Why I am getting a Gardasil Vaccination…
At 8:30 this morning I was getting a colposcopy. This is something I have to have done several times a year to check for VIN and biospys any new areas that may have appeared. I was fortunate today, no biopsies were necessary. I have two areas affected by VIN I near the vaginal entrance, but they have not grown or gotten worse since the last checkup. We check again in six months.
So far HPV has cost me my cervix and the majority of my minor labia. I was 24 when they removed my cervix and uterus, 46 when they removed the minor labia. So, why am I getting a Gardasil vaccination if I am already infected with HPV?
In a previous post I mentioned a Yahoo group I am part of called Gyn-Gals. Some of the Gyn-Gals occasionally post interesting studies and research taking place all over the world. We have all been following some research on a possible vaccine in the Netherlands, it is showing promise in clearing the virus, but it will not be available for some time yet. Some of the information coming in pertains to Gardasil. Gardasil is not meant to “cure” the HPV virii it protects against, but in some cases it does. The boost to the immune system is allowing some to fight off the virus.
Andrew and I have discussed this many times over the last year. It is an expensive drug, around $400, and probably not covered by our extended medical Today I asked the gynecologist about both Cervarix and Gardasil vaccinations for someone like me. He recommended I get the Gardasil vaccination. Although I am almost 49 and past the age ranges usually prescribed the drug, he believes it may be effective in helping me fight the virus. I think that if it will prevent me from facing further mutilation to my genitals, it is worth the financial cost. Andrew agrees.
So, Monday morning at 9:30am I go see my family doctor to get the vaccine. Hopefully I am one of the lucky ones.
