And now what did you do TODAY?

[Duggeh]

My sympathies for you and your family Chris.

[Aura]

So sorry Chris, I'm very glad you got to see him. Thinking of you and your family.

[Wmcmanus]

I'm sorry to learn of your loss, Chris. My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your family. Having been there myself, I know how rough it can be.

[MexicanDragon]

Sorry for your loss, Chris. Coming up on twenty years for me. Still rough sometimes. Hang in there.

Today I made use of the tux I had to finish buying yesterday by playing in the community band I started back up with about a month ago after a 1.5 year hiatus.

**BRENT**

[ujamerstand]

I'm sorry to learn of your loss, Chris. My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your family. Having been there myself, I know how rough it can be.

X2, my heart goes out to you and your family.

[pigmode]

I feel for you, having gone through the same thing 10 days ago. My father was also 83, and I missed his last moments by about 30 min. I absolutely dreaded the funeral but seeing family, and especially all of his friends, helped tremendously to relieve much of the grief.

[Voltron]

Today I made use of the tux I had to finish buying yesterday by playing in the community band I started back up with about a month ago after a 1.5 year hiatus.

**BRENT**

Excellent news, Brent. I want an HC ensemble one of these days.

[blessingx]

pigmode, sorry to hear also.

___________

For the Jew who wanted more Xmas tree shots, this went up a short bit ago...

[Voltron]

Wow, Ric, you really did it up. Nice.

[Pars]

Sorry for your loss pigmode.

I was very very thankful that I spent some time with him in the nursing home after Thanksgiving before I returned to Chicago.

And once again, thanks for everyone's kindness... it means a lot to me.

Edited December 19, 2011 by Pars

[Dreadhead]

Sorry for your loss Pigmode.

[jvlgato]

Sorry for your loss Pigmode.

x2

[morphsci]

Sorry for your loss Pigmode.

x3

[swt61]

x4

[Aimless1]

x5

[raffy]

x6

[shellylh]

Times seven

[guzziguy]

x8

[Torpedo]

x9

[manaox2]

My condolences for those lost.

[Absorbine_Sr]

x11

I had an "interesting" day today. For the last few days I have been nursing what I thought was an ear infection, caused most likely by sinus issues I've been having. It's been a bad season for my allergies. Then for some reason I could not put my finger on, I had a very hard time sleeping last night and only got around 2-3 hours sleep.

This morning while gargling, I noticed that the mouthwash was leaking from the right side of my mouth and going everywhere. What the fuck? Then I look at my mouth and notice I can't fully close my lips on the right side. I smile but only the left side goes up. The right side is stationary. Raise my eyebrows

and only the left goes up. And started noticing the whole right side of my face felt stiff and numb. So I went downstairs and told Debbie that I might be having a stroke.

Off to the emergency room we went. All of the ER people were great. When I described it and said stroke they were like lightning. EKG and CT scan were done in the first 30 minutes. Checking limb movement left vs. right in that same time period. They then said it was unlikely I was having a stroke. Turns out that I am suffering from Bell's Palsy, a disorder that affects a nerve in the skull and immobilizes most of the muscles on one side of the face. The reason I didn't sleep last night is probably because I cannot completely close my right eye.

So I'm home now after the ER and a visit to my family doctor. I have eye drops to keep my eye from drying out due to lack of complete blinking. I have a steroid for inflammation and an antibiotic for infection. And Valtrex in case this is something viral. I've been told it can takes days or weeks for this to clear up. If it goes more than a week my doc is sending me for physical therapy so that the left side muscles don't atrophy.

So it sucks, but it's not a stroke and that would have sucked waaaaayyyy moar. And I get to wear an eye patch when I sleep to force the eye closed. Aaaarrrrggggghhhh mateys!!

Has anyone else dealt with Bell's Palsy and if so, how long did it take you to recover?

[swt61]

Wow! Great that it wasn't a stroke Mike, but Bell's Palsy sounds a little scary too. Is this something that can and likely will re-occur?

I'm hoping for the best of all outcomes Mike. Take care and do everything the Dr. says.

[Aimless1]

WTF Mike. REALLY happy it wasn't a stroke!

From wiki "Early treatment is necessary for steroids to be effective. Most people recover spontaneously and achieve near-normal to normal functions. Many show signs of improvement as early as 10 days after the onset, even without treatment.

Often the eye in the affected side cannot be closed. The eye must be protected from drying up, or the cornea may be permanently damaged resulting in impaired vision. In some cases denture wearers experience some discomfort"

Wishing you speedy recovery and no repeat performances.

[Voltron]

That's fucked up you Palsy Pirate! Way, way less fucked up than a stroke, so that is a huge relief. Tape up the left side or your mouth (dental dam?) or use a straw for now so you don't drool half your cocktails down your neck.

[Absorbine_Sr]

I don't know about recurrence Steve, I'll have to ask my Doc when I go back in a week. Maybe some of the good Docs on here can give me an idea as well.

The most important thing to me right now is - is it acceptable to drink Manhattan's and Martini's through a straw?