French Fry Free February

I didn't really set any new resolutions for this year. It kind of sneaked up on me. But hey today starts a new month. So why not start something now. And what better way to commit yourself to something than to publicly declare your intentions. So here goes: I declare this month "French Fry Free February." If it continues into March and further that is even better. Lately my french fry intake is out of control. So I'm back on the band wagon! Check up on me to see how I'm doing, okay?

Jumper's Knee

After just one day of heavy walking on Rome's cobbled streets, I knew that something was wrong with my right knee. It had hurt for some time and was probably injured from playing racquetball. (You do remember how hazardous I am playing racquetball, right?)

Anyway when I got home I made an appointment with my primary physician and explained the problems I had been experiencing: pain just below my knee cap when walking down stairs and my right knee was supporting my weight, the feeling that might right knee might just give way and I would collapse, and then at night it would ache quite a bit. After getting the data, he decided that I needed to have an MRI on my knee. I did that the next day and on the following Monday I got a call telling me that I had a torn patellar tendon and that I needed to see an orthopedic surgeon.

I began searching on the Internet and saw knees sliced open and read accounts of the healing process taking about a year. Needless to say, I immediately panicked. After a few more days I started to realize that maybe they would only immobilize it for several weeks to let it heal. That option while not as invasive still wasn't sitting well with me. How can I function without being able to drive?!

So today I actually visited the surgeon and had all my fears wiped away. I told him I had a torn patellar tendon. He looked at me and said "no I think its a torn meniscus." He said that torn tendons normally happen for "elite athletes." I said he might be right. I certainly am no elite athlete. After looking up my MRI, he did in fact find that it was my tendon. So much for it being an injury for only elite athletes.

To get my knee back in good health he just wants me to stay away from high impact sports (eg, running, racquetball, basketball, gymnastics, etc...) I'm alright with all of those except I would love to be back playing racquetball. I was pleased to find I can still use the elliptical and bike machines. After 3 months of rest I can get back into it slowly. If the tendon is still painful then we will consider a PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) injection into the tendon area to help it heal.

He said that a Cortisone shot in this case would be a bad thing and make it hard for the tendon to heal. Also he said the surgery was a last resort.

Platelet Rich Plasma
Click here to watch a video on CNN talking about the platelet rich plasma procedure.

Every Trail - Windy Pass

My brother has a cool iPhone application that he likes to use on hikes. He used it on our last hike to the Windy Pass summit. It allows him to take photos along the way and record where the photos were taken and the path that we hiked. It's pretty cool. He uploads the files to a webserver and it creates a map like you see below.

Windy Pass

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Windy Pass Hike

On Thursday after racquetball my brother casually asked me if I would like to do a hike on Saturday with him. I thought, "Great. This would provide some quality brother-to-brother time." He explained all the details which went in one ear and out the other. All I heard was "wah wah wah wah." (Charlie Brown reference) Somehow I figured the hike should be about 4 hours. Seems like a good amount of time for a hike, right?

So Saturday came and I threw a few granola bars and some string cheese in a pack, filled my water bottles, and grabbed my inhaler. I was ready to go, right?

Ben, Dallas, and I started the hike up South Fork canyon at Big Springs. We were too far along the track until Ben spotted a beaver dam. We got off the trail and examined it, taking a few photos. On the way back I stepped in a big marshy mess of a bog and went in up to my ankle! Good way to start the hike. Fortunately not much water actually worked it's way into my shoe or that would have been hell for the rest of the hike.







The trail up to the summit was pretty step most of the way it seemed. I had a hard time realizing how steep it was until I looked back at the path we had already covered.

Now I forgot to mention that I had been sick all week. Not sick like I would stay in bed kind of sick. But I had had the sore throat, then coughing and on Saturday my nose was a running through most of the hike. So we were approaching the top and I was completely sweaty, my nose was running, and my head was pounding. The is all happening when we are about to summit "Windy Pass." So you might figure out what happens next: yep, wind. The wind was freezing. I had enjoyed the sun being behind the clouds for most of the hike but now I was starting to freeze. Just when I thought I was as miserable as I was going to get, it started to rain and thunder. Nice! So we hunkered down under pine tree just like you are supposed to when there is lightening. (sarcasm intended) Fortunately the storm passed fairly quickly and we were able to summit. The view was beautiful but I was still miserable and just wanted to find the quickest way down. Plus it had taken us 4 hours just to summit. I knew going down the way we came was going to be hell. So we opted to have my sister-in-law come and pick us up by Rock Canyon Campground. So we followed one of the man made troughs across to the other side of the canyon and picked up the trail going down. It was long. Too long but I think still a better option than going back the way we came. It took us about two hour from the summit to get to the campground and another hour or so walking on the road until we found my sister-in-law. Yay! She even brought us each a big 32 oz. Diet Coke a piece. I was in heaven! We were supposed to hike Timpanogos the next Saturday. Yeah, that's not going to happen! :)

Keep Your Eye on the Racket

Keep you eye on the racket. That is what they say, right? Or was it keep your eye on the ball? Well either way, I think I was doing it wrong when this happened. While I have loved playing racquetball with my brother and nephew, it has not been without it's pains. Last Saturday I smacked myself in the eye with my own racket! Then I was smacked on the knee by my brother with his racket. But I guess that was just payback for smacking him in the neck with the ball last time. :)

Day 2

Day 3

Fun Friday with a Friend

Last week, my friend, John, was in town and the only day he was available to hang out was last Friday. So I took the day off work. Oh we had grand plans of the things we were going to squeeze into just one day. As it turned out we only accomplished 2 out of 5 activities. Who were we kidding?! It did turn out to be a fun day though.

Activity 1: I picked him up at the BYU Wilkinson Center where he was donating donating blood while on vacation. What dedication! And even though they told him no exercise, we then decided to hike Stewart Falls. :) It has been years since I did it last. I have had friends that have tried to get me to go several times over the last year and it always look as if it's about to rain so I back out. Well there was no rain this time!

Activity 2: After the hike, we went to eat at one of my favorite places to eat: Thai Drift! I had been telling John how great the massaman curry is there. Since he lives in Los Angeles, I was worried that my version of great Thai food might not match his. But I was pleased when he reported that 2 out of the 3 dishes we had, were very good. Yeah, Thai Drift!

I Must Be Getting Old

As of late I have a pain everywhere you can think of. At least that is the way I feel. Suddenly my empathy for my parents has greatly increased. They often like to see who can "out pain" the other. I have begun to think if this is what it feels like at 41, then I'm not sure I can make it to 60 or more.

First it was my back, which seems to now be on the mend. Then my ankles and knees were extremely stiff and sore especially in the mornings. When walking I have felt like an "old man" but once I got going the stiffness/pain seems to go away. So I thought if I am going to start feeling the pains of old age that maybe I need to start taking the supplements that my parents take. I broke down on my last Costco trip and purchased some glucosamine. I've been taking it for a week and it seems that my joints are responding much better. I hope I'm not jinxing myself here but I think I'm onto something!

Get the Massage

Two few weeks ago I went for my first real massage. Well it was at the massage school. Can that still be called my first real massage?

I've been a little skittish about it. I'm not entirely comfortable letting just anyone touch me. So you can see why I might be a little hesitant. But I was determined that it was something I wanted to try and that it would probably be something I would really enjoy if I could just get by the initial scare of it.

When I went to make the appointment I found out that it was 2 for 1. So initially I invited my brother to come along. When he couldn't come, my sister-in-law came instead.

Being a newbie, I didn't really know what to expect or what to tell the massage therapist that I wanted. I ended up getting a full-body massage. My lower back had really been hurting and I was hoping that a massage might just be the trick to fix it.

I got a very professional young lady who completely made me feel at ease. She talked about what would happen and then left me in the room to get ready. When she started massaging several times she asked how the pressure was. Each time I told her she could go harder. On about the 3rd time asking, I told her just to go as hard as she could and I would let her know if it got to be too much. There were a few times when I almost had to "cry uncle" but in the end I toughed it out. I thought the massage was wonderful and that I got a great student. I will definitely be back!

Nurses to the Rescue

Tonight at the gym I witnessed a scary incident. I was about 15 minutes into my cardio routine on the elliptical machine when the girl on the treadmill in front of me started behaving strangely. The girl began looking to her right and then started turning around. Initially I thought she was doing one of those tricky maneuvers and was going to run backwards. But she was looking up at the ceiling and before long she fell off the treadmill. Then I thought that maybe she had just fallen and was going to get up. I have seen people fall before and they are generally a little embarrassed and hope that no one noticed. So I kept exercising not wanting to draw too much attention to her. But she just laid there and was obviously out of it. I was definitely at a loss as to what to do. I panicked. Fortunately the gym was packed and several girls rushed over to help take care of her. The one girl obviously knew what she was doing. She later explained to the gym staff that she was a certified nurse. She started taking her vitals while others notified the gyms staff who then called the paramedics. I was so glad that there was someone there that knew what to do. They got her comfortable and kept talking to her. Then they moved her to her side when she started foaming at the mouth. (I don't know if that is the right term but that is what it looked like.) Soon the paramedics arrived to take care of her the nurse and the other helpers quietly faded into the background. Eventually the girl came around with some oxygen from the paramedics and some rest.

I thought, how great that someone who has those skills is willing to step up and help when it is needed. It reminded me of my sisters who are also nurses. I know that they also have helped out in similar situations at a moment's notice. I admire that and tonight I was especially grateful for the nurse who helped. Thank you, nurses!

Geefle and Gonk

Last Thursday I worked out my back and bicep muscles for the first time in quite a while. I didn't hold back and they started to ache yesterday. When I woke up this morning they were really quite sore. I was having a hard time straightening out my arms and it reminded me of a few of the muppets on Sesame Street, one of which could not bend his arms. (The exact opposite of my problem. In case you are now confused.) So I thought I would Google and see if I could find any reference to those muppets. Sure enough. Here's the whole skit exactly as I remembered it. Thought you might enjoy it too.

The Dangers of Racquetball

As you probably know I have been playing racquetball with my nephew. It has been a lot of fun. But it had also reminded me that I am getting older. Between my "racquetball shoulder," pulling a glut, and my tender ankle, I am wondering if I am up to this. I'm hoping they will all go away as I play more. All of these have been self inflicted injuries but on Saturday I received my second direct racquetball to the body. The previous week my nephew smacked me in the arm with the ball. I had a nice bruise from that one. This time he slammed the ball into my side. When I showered this morning, this is what I noticed. Maybe it would help if I wasn't such a large target!

Racquetball Shoulder

After a break of playing racquetball for something like 10 years, I decided to give it a try again. Actually my nephew invited me to play with him. We both just renewed our memberships at Gold's Gym and he has been working out regularly. Meanwhile I have had a hard time getting there as often as I should. Playing racquetball sounded like a nice change of pace from the regular cardio machines and lifting weights. So I agreed to it and we played around noon on Saturday. Before the day was over, I was already starting to ache. I forgot that it could be a good workout in addition to just being fun. My gluts and my shoulder took the brunt of the damage. Since the initial shock to my system, my gluts have recovered but my shoulder still has yet to feel good. I've got racquetball shoulder. At least that is my self diagnosis. Never heard of it but I'm pretty sure it exists and that I have it. :) I'm just hoping that I recover in time for the next round on Wednesday!

Stem Cell Donation - 2002

For a long time now I have been meaning to write up my experience as a stem cell donor. Today as I was thumbing through a stack of photos (before we went digital), I found a bunch of photos from that time. And it awakened my desire to write about it. This account as best as I can recall the story. And since it happened over six years ago, there may be some missing pieces or facts that I don’t have quite correct. If you are aware of any errors please let me know.

In the summer of 2002 my oldest sister and her husband were living in Flagstaff, Arizona. They were in the process of building a home and my brother-in-law lost his job. Shortly after that my sister had gone in to see the doctor because of a sore lump on her hip. She was quickly diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and it was fast growing.

Early on when they considered treatments, one of the options was to receive a stem cell transplant. The doctors indicated that a sibling would be the best donor if one of us was a match. So all five of us were tested but only two of us were matches. I shouldn’t really say only because to have two matches was really a great percentage. I and my youngest sister were both matches. Since my youngest sister works in a hospital and had done that for years, she had probably been exposed to illnesses which made her a less desirable donor. The doctors also said that it would actually be better to have a male donor so that they could track how well it was working. A male donor would be easier to track in a female because of the Y chromosome.

But I’m getting ahead of myself here. In order to even have a need for a stem cell donor, they first were going to have to kill my sister’s immune system. She was treated with two different cocktails of chemotherapy and neither of them was working all that well. It was during the second type of chemo that my brother and I traveled down to visit. After all we were not sure what was going to happen to her and things were not looking good at the time. We got there after my other two sisters and my niece had been there helping take care of her and she was in the hospital for another dose of chemo. I remember during this time I would look at her and it would just make me sad. I don’t know if it was from the chemo or the pain meds or what but I would look in her and eyes and I could tell that she just wasn’t even there. Much later we talked to her about our visit and she really had no recollection that we were even there. All of this was going on while they lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment, were building a home, and were out of work. It was a lot to handle all at once. They didn’t have room for us to stay with them at the apartment, so we stayed in town at a motel. (And that is an entire story all on it’s own!)

When we left Flagstaff, I wasn’t feeling really hopeful. She was in so much pain and it seemed that the chemo just wasn’t going to work for her. But it wasn’t too long after getting home that the doctors put her on a third cocktail of chemo. They were not hopeful and shared that fact with the family. So everyone was pretty surprised when the third kind did the trick. Finally her cancer was responding to the treatment!

A few weeks later, I flew down to Phoenix where she and her family picked me up and we headed Tucson where she would receive the stem cell transplant. I needed to go down for tests to make sure that I was healthy enough to donate and she was down for other tests as well. They ran a battery of tests on me and they all came out just fine. So I was all set to donate. The doctor commented on how clean my tests were and how unusual that was too for someone of my age. (I was 34 at the time.) They also mentioned that from my heart rate that I must be an athlete. That was the only time I have been confused like that!

I flew home to Utah and just waited until the I heard the news that they were ready for me. My youngest sister scheduled a stay at a condo in Tucson for myself, my parents, herself, and her daughter to stay during the time of the donation. My oldest sister and her family were staying a facility provided by the hospital. We knew that we would be there for a week. I was at a fairly new job but the guys I worked with were so good. They told me just to take as much time as I needed. It was so nice not to have to worry about that too.

It was December by the time we all got down to Tucson. We met with the doctors initially to go over any questions and find out what exactly we needed to do. My part began by getting Neupogen injections twice every day. I received these shots to build up the stem cells in my blood stream. The side effect of that is that you begin to ache. They said it would make you feel like you had the flu, which was true only magnified several times. Fortunately they gave me a little Percoset to deal with that and it did the job.



Before I could donate they also wanted to check my veins. After all they might need to poke them several days in a row. It was decided that the best route would be to install a catheter in my neck rather than trying to find an available vein each day. It was a little funny because in the process of inserting a catheter they needed to give me an IV. They poked both arms several times and finally decided to call in the expert who put it in the top of my hand.




With the catheter in place, I was all set. Meanwhile the chemo was working great on my sister and they were about ready to harvest the stem cells. It ended up that I needed to donate for two days. What they did is this, I would go into the hospital and recline in a big chair and they would hook up this machine to my newly installed catheter. They would then cycle my blood out through the catheter into the machine that could separate the stem cells, clean the blood, and then it would go back into my veins. The first day I think I spent 4 hours sitting there doing it but the next day didn’t take as long to get the amount needed. When I was done and looked at the bag it sure didn’t look like much of anything but it was apparently just what she needed.



The next day, the chemo had done it’s job and my sister was largely without an immune system. They gave her an IV with the collected stem cells just like she was receiving blood. They didn’t give her the entire amount that they collected just in case they needed to give her some later. It’s been a long and bump road for her ever since the cancer. But overall she seems to be doing very well. After all it’s over six years later and we still have her around.



The doctors said that in a lot of time cases can’t find a donor or that family are unwilling to even be tested. For me, it was such an easy thing and any one of my siblings would gladly have done it. I’m glad that I was able to help and that it worked so well.

How Do You Give Yourself Ear Drops?

Last Friday my ear started to hurt. I was telling my mom about it. You know how moms like to inspect these things. So I let her check it over. She couldn't see anything wrong but suggested that maybe I had an earache. I haven't had one of those since I was a little kid. The thought would have never even crossed my mind. (Apparently!) After a few days of trying some herbal remedies and endurance, I decided to go to the doctor. And sure enough I have an ear infection causing the earache. So I was reading about the drops that have been prescribed for me to use. I have to get two drops in my left ear twice a day. Not only that but I need to make sure that the dropper doesn't touch my ear or else it will no longer be sterile and could introduce infection. So this is my big question: How do I (living alone) give myself ear drops twice a day without the dropper touching me ear? And how do I make sure that I get two drops? No really, how do I do that? Any ideas are more than welcome.