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My oldest son, along with some of his friends, have worked very hard to make a movie called Hoagie. All bias aside, it’s good. No, it’s excellent!
Their production company is called Pennsylvania People. They are currently running a campaign on Indiegogo trying to raise the funds needed to premiere Hoagie in a Philadelphia movie theater. As of the writing of this post, they are just over halfway to their goal. If you can make a contribution, it would be greatly appreciated–and be sure to check out the perks they are offering in return! Just go HERE to learn more!
Below you will find the trailer for Hoagie. I hope that you enjoy!
About sixteen years ago, I was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in both hands. The symptoms alone are not enough to earn you a diagnosis, as many of you may be aware. You must endure two medical tests, which, in my humble opinion, are pretty barbaric! For more information about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, check out online nursing classes that can teach you the conditions and diseases that cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Image from U.S. National Library of Medicine.
At that time, my right hand was the worst, so, after wearing a brace for several weeks (which was a major pain in the butt), I finally had surgery (Carpal Tunnel Release). The brace helped my left hand enough that I was mostly symptom-free until just a few months ago.
Since about November, it has progressively gotten worse; it often wakes me during the night (sometimes it is very painful), and the thumb and first three fingers often become numb/tingly/painful off-and-on throughout the day. It’s interfering with my daily activities, so I spoke to my doctor about it. Unfortunately, I had to have the archaic diagnostic tests again. (Yeah, I was dreading it.)
So, about two weeks ago, I went to a neurologist for the testing. First, there was the increasingly uncomfortable nerve conduction velocity (NCV) procedure, where they ran electrical current through various positions on my hand and arm. At first, it wasn’t as bad as I’d remembered, and I even mentioned that to the doctor. Perhaps that was a mistake. The shocks got stronger. I survived.
Next up was the Electromyography (EMG). I’m certain this has been used as a method of torture–and possibly still is. This is when they inserted a needle into the muscles of my hand and arm, and had me contract the muscle (ouch!) to measure how well the muscles react to nerve stimulation. This was the worst of the two tests by far. I don’t care to repeat either one ever again!
This is the machine that inflicts the torture (with the doctor's help).
At the end of all this, the doctor confirmed what I already knew: I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Now I have to wait until my doctor receives the neurologist’s report so that we can discuss the next step. Personally, I’d rather get the surgery over with sooner rather than later (and prevent me from going through these tests again in the future!). We shall see.
Have any of you had Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? How did you treat it? How are you now? I’d love to hear!
Recently, Tim and I were watching an episode of King of Queens. Carrie (the wife) was trying to hide the fact that she was happy with her job from her husband, because, for some reason, it bothered him. I turned to Tim and said, “I can’t imagine having a partner who would be so unsupportive.” A few seconds later, I added, “Oh, wait. Yes I can.”
I was married to my ex-husband for over twenty years, and he rarely (if ever) encouraged me to pursue my goals or dreams. In fact, he often tried to make me feel like a fool for evening thinking about whatever it was. I remember a time when I wanted to take gemology courses. His reaction was something like, “What? Are you crazy?!” (By the way, that reaction is what finalized my decision to go ahead and take the courses.)
In almost six years, I cannot remember any instance where Tim tried to discourage me from trying something I wanted to try. In fact, there are times I would have talked myself out of it if he hadn’t encouraged me (going to college is an excellent example).
In that time, Tim has also apparently helped me begin to forget what it was like to live with someone who, for whatever reason, found it difficult to be supportive. That realization felt damn good, and made me even more grateful for the relationship that Tim and I have. It isn’t perfect (though it is at times!), but it’s so much healthier than what I’ve experienced in my past.
Life is so much better when two people work together, believe in each other, and encourage one another to pursue what makes them happy. That is love.
Someone shared this quote with me recently, and this seems like an appropriate time and place to share it:
“Every woman’s heart has different instructions. They’re written in her eyes, in her smile, through her actions, and in her tears. She just has to find someone who cares enough to read them.”
I am blessed. He cares enough to read them–and he not only understands them, he’s helping me to rewrite them.
