macdonaldster

Photo taken on July 22, 2015 at 07:38AM via http://ift.tt/1Ikj0Co

Photo taken on July 18, 2015 at 10:15AM via http://ift.tt/1OmeKBd

Photo taken on July 10, 2015 at 05:34PM via http://ift.tt/1eNUY59

Photo taken on July 10, 2015 at 11:34AM via http://ift.tt/1Tq68fH

I think this is a Wigalia . Probably not.

I got really sick a while ago and it took a while to get better. It was just a cold that merged into a flu but it was my first with the ostomy. Not to get too graphic but the diarrhea was crazy. Just water filling my pouch every 20 minutes. And I kept drinking to stay hydrated. This was a mistake. It fueled the process. I had this happen twice before but it was flushing something I ate that was irritating the intestinal tract. This was different and that night after work, exhausted, I did some research. Turns out you need to sip fluid (Gatorade) and eat foods that will dry your output out. Once I figured this out I was on the road to recovery. Took two days before I could drink normally without triggering more watery output. All better now. Was a thirsty time, though.

Not much to report. Ostomy problems continue but the wound seems to be healing which is more than I had originally hoped for when I first boosted the ET nurse. Better news is that my MD cleared me to stop taking blood pressure medication. I guess losing 30lbs and getting off Celebrex really can make a big difference. In auto news I topped up our power steering fluid tonight in a Canadian Tire parking lot. It made the crazy whining while steering go away but I am worried the system is leaking. I'll check the levels soon.

Our child in one year old as of this most recent Friday. This is amazing. Looking back on the part year I can't tell which part was the best. Each day had something new to marvel at. He is now done with formula so in addition to his birthday I am celebrating not have to constant wash baby bottles.

Ok, I'm officially ashamed of reddit now. I never go to the front page. There are a few subreddits I follow and that's about it. But this morning I went to /r/all and it is just this mess of swastikas and nudity. Why? Because a small minority of immature users did not like the decision that an executive made to remove hate speech groups from the site. This is crazy. First: you can find so many places to behave like a childish moron on the web. 4chan comes to mind. So take your hate speech there and get off reddit. Second: by harming reddit you are destroying what you claim to be trying to save. This whole vilification of the reddit CEO is ridiculous and childish. Please find a more constructive way to express displeasure when something you don't pay for changes in a way you don't like. Maybe complain to you parents or something?

I attended my first class at the local Tai Chi meeting place tonight and it was great. I feel really good. Like really good. I have been practicing a bit at home but class has a way of really stretching everything out. There are many different skill levels and personalities in the class. It seems like a really good group and there were lots of people there from the weekend beginner class I went to two weeks ago. I have some pretty major issues with my neck, spine, and other joints and this really gets everything working correctly. So more Dan Yus!

This morning will be my first pouch change some seeing the ET nurse and learning what she thinks is wrong with me. I have special dressing materials to use over the wound and this is also the first time I'll be using those. I am nervous about seeing what is going on there since the two times I have done this so far there was a lot of bleeding, soreness, and it has gotten much larger. With any luck, though, the dressing has helped... I'll see shortly. On a happier note we are going to see Spy Movie this afternoon and the having some dinner with my family. This will be a very relaxing day overall. Ok, time to do some dan yus. Edit: ok so the sore looks bad but about the same as Wednesday. I think the silvercell and the seal are keeping it from getting worse. The sealing didn't come off easily but I guess that means there isn't a ton of drainage. This is definitely looking like the Pyoderma Gang. that she thought it was if the internet is to be believed

So tai chi weekend was great and I've been practicing each night. Another thing I've done is cut out eating after bed. This seems to have relaunched my weight loss but at a more state pace which I am fine with. In ostomy land all is not so well. I have some kind of sore that is developing behind our just under the stoma paste and is quite large and deep. Very sore. I am at the ET clinic now to have it and a few other issues looked at. Hopefully they can help me help with this. I am sure they can. Edit - it is a Parastomal hernia and some crazy skin thing I need to see a specialist for. Sigh. At least I'm otherwise healthy!

The first day went really well. The moves are coming back slowly. Getting ready for day 2 now. I am having some problems with my ostomy appliance but it is unrelated to Tai Chi and not causing any real problems in class so far.

Has a pretty full day. Worked all day, spend dinner and playtime with the boy, then cleaned and did yard work all night. Tomorrow morning I am going to attend an all weekend Tai Chi class to get me started so I can attend weekly evening classes near by. This will be my third time enrolling in Tai Chi and I am really looking forward to it. I love exercising that physical/spirit connection. Any martial art does this and while this is a soft martial art it still trains you're mind and body to act smoothly and without thought.

As some readers (googlebot, I guess) will know I had a major operation at the end of February resulting in weight loss among other things (this was not the primary goal of the procedure). Since I have blogged about weight loss here in the past I'll update with a note that I am down 30lbs since then without trying but now the weight loss has stopped so I need to start watching what I eat again. I think this is a good sign that my body is absorbing enough nutrients again so I am ok with this. :) Chart

I might revive this blog. I have been running a small site from a vps but the novelty is wearing off. I was using it to play Dwarf Fortress but no longer have the time so I am considering getting rid of the vps, migrating my blog posts from there to here, and using Inbox/Keep/Calendar as my todo system in place of org mode. I love org mode but it is a tad bit inconvenient.

This is the third time I have written this. :) OK, I saw my surgeon for (no offence) what I hope was the last time on Wednesday. If my rectal wound isn't 100% healed in one month I will need to go back but it is looking like we are really in the homestretch at this point. The biopsy showed no problems of ANY kind other than the displaysia they already knew about (which was why we did the operation) so that is really good news! Finally, I think he is satisfied I have made as full as a recovery as I could make in the time since my surgery which makes me feel good. No infection, no hernias, no problems with the rectal wound (other than slow healing which is probably due to random home care nurses packing too tight throughout the process). In general I am really happy with my recovery, too. I am still dealing with ingrown hair issues gone wild under my bag adhesive but am no longer going to shave with a razor there and instead will use clippers or an electric razor. That shoul

(just pulling in content from my old, experimental blog) 2015-04 April 2015-04-18 Saturday Fire Makes It Good    #fun Grilling for the first time this year! Vegetable brochettes and sausages. 2015-04-16 Thursday Some Advantages    #ostomy So I have returned to work. I have an office job. We share a for with other companies. The shared bathrooms are often a nightmare (really dirty) especially after the call center there hours a new crop of people every so often. In the past I would have to monitor the hall to try to get into the bathroom right after the custodian passed through. If I had to go and all the stalls were in use or out of commission I would panic. Now I don't have to worry about this. Bathroom is filthy? No problem. I can take care of things without sitting on the filthy toilet. Bathrooms are full? No problem, I have lots of time to take care of things now. All in ask this has made working in an office much easier and has taken away s

(note: just pulling in content from my experimental and now abandoned blog) 2015-02-27 Friday surgery    #ostomy OK, this is the day of my surgery. I am feeling good about it but can't wait for it to be over so I can begin my recovery. 2015-02-25 Wednesday pre-op    #ostomy Heading over to the hospital today to do the meetings with various people prior to the operation. This is supposed to take between 2 and 4 hours. I am assuming 4 and taking reading material. I am spending the next 48 hours trying not to stress out too much and saying goodbye to favorite foods and toilet paper. 2015-02-24 Tuesday Roof Last night was sleepless. The roof was booming and sounded like it was coming down. We slept in the basement because the most weight was over our bedroom. There are a couple of brave guys up on my roof right now getting rid of the snow and ice. I am paying them to do it but I am extremely grateful they are here and they are welcome to my mon