Archive for March, 2013

To The Pain…

Sunday, March 31st, 2013

Well, today (Saturday that is) sure sucked.

Up until today I was feeling pretty good following Monday’s surgery; the surgical site was healing up pretty well, and it felt like my front teeth were beginning to move back into a normal position that would allow my jaw to close fully & allow for proper mastication to happen, if only on one side of my mouth. Not quite there, but almost. About the only thing bugging me was the stitches, but knowing that in a day or three they would fall out soon and give some relief made that bearable. I was to the point where I really didn’t even need ibuprofen for pain control; several days’ doses of hydrocodone just sat on the shelf, and I was happy to leave it there.

But around noon today I started to get some nasty aches & pains from my lower front teeth and the right side of my mouth. At first I wrote it off to the teeth moving back into their proper position, but at some point it dawned on me that this could be another tumor rearing its ugly head and making itself known. At this point I’m not sure if that’s the case or not, but I also noticed a nice little lump around the root of number 27 that I don’t recall being so prominent before. Great.

The rest of the day was more of the same. I stuck with ibuprofen and acetaminophen throughout the day, but dipped into the hydrocodone at about midnight because it wasn’t letting up. Even with that on board, the pain woke me up again at a little before 3am. I also noticed another spot that is quite sore on the roof of my mouth; that could be something totally different, but it sure brings to light how this diagnosis has made me a bit more paranoid about these things. I also had some sinus pain later in the day, which could just be allergies — I spent a fair amount of time working outside today, and it is spring — but that pain happens to be on the same side as the sore spot on the roof of my mouth (coincidence?) I took some Sudafed to loosen things up, but it’s pretty persistent (You know what they say about paranoia; just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that everyone isn’t out to get you.) I took a second hydrocodone at about 4 am; the label says to take one or two every four to six hours as needed, and I’m feeling that it’s needed, at least if I want to get any more sleep tonight. I’ll happily let Yvonne do the Easter Sunday driving.

And here it is, Easter morning. I hope I don’t see the sun rise, but wouldn’t be surprised if I did. Either way, knowing that Jesus is risen is a reminder that even though it seems this storm is only building steam, the one thing I can count on is that God is good.

—

Just to catch up where the last post left off, Friday’s testing was interesting but uneventful. Showed up at 1:30, got checked in, got an IV stuck in my arm (good Lord, I hate those things), gave up about a dozen vials of blood for testing, and got the CT scan. This time they did the head & neck and the full torso, with an orally-administered contrast dye, and again with an IV-administered contrast dye. Then it was a long wait for a 5:30 date with the MRI. That was quite an experience; loud and cramped. Not terribly unpleasant, but I can see why they ask about claustrophobia before you go in there. It’s got to be a terrifying experience for little kids. Anyway, no results on any of that, but I have an 8 am appointment to visit with Dr. Bleeker on Monday morning. That should be an education. Thankfully I’ll have my favorite nurse and doctor-in-training along for the ride. Hoping for good news, but bracing for not… And praying a lot.

I’ve been sharing this business with family and friends, and word is getting around. Yvonne shared the news with one of the ladies in the church office, and a little while later the worship leader sends out an email to everyone on the tech team… “Today Dave Thornton received news that he has cancer. Caleb was scheduled to run camera Easter Sunday but we’d like to have him take the morning off to be with his family. Is there someone that will step in for him? Nice. Makes it sound like I’m scheduled to kick the bucket in a couple of days. He means well, but the delivery needs work; lots of it. And speaking of delivery… When I told Emily that Dr. Miller had given me the word on the diagnosis by way of a voicemail message, she was pretty shocked. Later on, she was talking about that with Yvonne and the line from Toy Story came to mind; one of the first things they teach in medical school is to deliver scary news in person, never, ever, ever by leaving a message. We thought it was pretty funny, after the fact!

Oh, and the title; it’s from a scene in the always excellent movie, The Princess Bride, and came to mind only because it hurts… The wallowing in freakish misery business doesn’t sound like my bag at all.

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The Medical Adventure Continues… ch. 3

Thursday, March 28th, 2013

This medical adventure suddenly got enormously interestinger today… I missed a call from Dr. Miller this morning, but he left a voicemail message to share with me the preliminary results that came back from the biopsy on the tumor he removed from my jaw on Monday. The results point to the presence of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Not cool in the least.

The surgery on Monday went well enough; got there bright & early at 6:45 & waited for a good half-hour for the staff to get things prepped. The doc came in, put me out, and about two hours later they wheeled me out, minus two teeth and a chunk of my jaw. I don’t remember much of anything of that part or the ride home; I do remember giving the nurses a hard time about not being able to take my teeth home as souvenirs, so they sent me home with a Siouxland Oral Surgery mug as a consolation prize. I’m told that I was pretty chatty on the ride home, but I don’t remember much of that at all; good drugs. I went straight to bed, and woke up a couple hours later feeling pretty beat up. I stayed home the rest of that day and Tuesday as well; went to work on Wednesday though, and it went well, although Yvonne wouldn’t let me drive myself, what with the hydrocodone I had been taking for pain. Today was better still, down to just acetaminophen and ibuprofen for pain; the pain is still there, but tolerable. The biggest issue is the stupid stitches. I hope they fall out soon!

During our initial consultation, Dr. Miller told us that the tumor didn’t appear to be cancerous because cancer generally goes right through a bone rather than consuming/replacing the bone as this one did, so this preliminary diagnosis was a bit of a shock. It kinda makes sense though, considering that the brown tumor is generally a side effect of a problem with the parathyroid, and I suppose that problem could be a result of the lymphoma… Just conjecture at this point, plus this is all based on a preliminary diagnosis. We’re still a week away from the final results of the biopsy.

But that preliminary result was alarming enough to Dr. Miller that he alerted my family doctor & passed the results on to him. The family doc in turn got on the horn with an oncologist right away, and I’m now scheduled to check in at Sanford tomorrow at 1:30 for a CT scan and an MRI. Dr. DeHaan, my family doc, said he was surprised at the finding; he’d never heard of something like that manifesting itself in the jaw, and neither had Dr. Bleeker, the oncologist he referred me to. We’re proceeding as though this is the real deal, so it’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out. I’m hoping that preliminary finding is wrong, but I guess it’s best to prepare for the worst.

Since that first call, I’ve been on the verge of tears every time I think about it, not so much for me but for Yvonne, and how she is going to handle all of this. Last weekend she told me that she felt we were heading into a storm, and it’s looking like she was right. She’s working today, so I decided to just wait until she gets home to tell her the news; no sense in wrecking her day at work too.

Chapter 1, and Chapter 2

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BMWotD — 1985 745i/5-speed

Wednesday, March 20th, 2013

Here’s one that came up for sale on mye28.com recently, and I would dearly love to have.

The e23 745i was never sold in the US, so every one of them is a gray-market import; in most every case the car was originally purchased by someone who really wanted one and went to extreme lengths to purchase, import and federalize the car. The e23 735i was the version sold in the US, which is built on the same platform and had similar options available, but never the turbo.

BMW monikers usually follow the engine displacement, although somewhat loosely; the 735i in the e23 lineup means it was a seven series with a 3.5 liter M30 (actually 3,430ccs, but who’s counting?), whereas the 745i had a 3,430cc m106, but BMW reasoned that the turbo added power that was equivalent to about an additional liter of displacement, so it was the 745i.

The 745i was also sold only with an automatic transmission; the current owner of this car converted it to 5-speed, and lowered the suspension. Those two items, combined with the Diamantschwarz exterior & water buffalo interior, and executive package make it pretty tempting. It just pushes all the right buttons. And $3,500 for all that in a rust-free California car? Very tempting, especially with a trip to that neck of the woods in the offing, less than a month away.

Still need to finish a couple things on this, but I wanted to get it out there.

It’s a 1985 BMW 745i turbo with a 5-speed conversion. I have owned it for about a year now and have put a lot of time, money and effort in this car. Selling in order to get a smaller car and a motorcycle.

Specifics are as follows:

M106 engine – stock everything
running 6psi 252bhp (stock). You can upgrade the Chip and install a boost controller which will net ~14psi reliably. All vacuum hoses and lines have been replaced.
Cat has been removed and replaced with dual 2″ pipes (how they came from Germany). You will need some “help” from your smog guy because of this. Sebring muffler out back for a little noise.
Factory trunk spoiler installed.

Manual Conversion:
G265 2-piece transmission, very strong.
Resurfaced flywheel.
SPEC stage 2 clutch. Stiff pedal, but holds nicely. Good for daily driving.
Bosch Bypass valve routed to intake boot.
M3 shifter conversion (still need to install).
short shift lever.
wood shift knob from an e39
2.93LSD

Interior:
Executive package
Water buffalo leather. Front seats have split. All electric functions work.
Cruise control does not work.
rear armrest with radio controls (not hooked up) and passenger seat controls (which work).
Clarion head unit.
Dash has cracks, like many BMWs of this vintage.
Rear sun shade
Factory first aid kit in the trunk.
TRX spare wheel/tire

Custom coilover setup utilizing Hypercoil springs. E28 setup in the rear with bilstein sports (should be revalved or use a softer spring rate as it bounces). Front strut housings are sectioned 2″ with shortened struts (this is one of the things not yet done) and 500lb 5″ springs.

Magnetic boost control valve is upgraded to a volvo unit for Better turbo response. I paired this with 3 ports on the wastegate plugged for quicker spool up.

AC Schnitzer type 2 wheels. 17×8.5 et13 with BFG 235/45 tires. Some curb rash.

The car all around:
Drives great with no shaking or bad vibrations. Engine revs up smooth and does not hiccup under boost. Vacuum at idle is at 18-20hg (solid, no vac leaks). HVAC system was disconnected and plugged. It only blows on defrost. Microswitch needs to be fixed ($4 Radioshack part). Heater does work. A/C belt was removed. Never looked into the system, but from what I’m told it’s just a few vacuum pods and it should be functional again. Started showing signs of worn turbo seals — good escuse to upgrade the turbo wheel. Sunroof guide broken. Windshield is cracked. It was repainted by PO somewhat poorly. May be able to come back with some color correction (wetland, buff, etc). Originally Diamondshwarz. This car is not a show car. Good project while you drive it car.

Autocheck is a bit spotty. Shows over 300k miles since 2001. Not sure if this is accurate based on the amount this car has driven since then (~15k in 12 years). Only issues from autocheck are failed emissions tests in 2005 and 2007. Odometer is indicated 336k miles. I performed a valve adjustment this past week and the engine looks to be absolutely spotless. Looks more like a 100k engine than a 300k.

No rust on this car anywhere. Dry as a bone. I have the factory manual and some other paperwork that will come with the car. Spare key included. Turn-key and go. I have driven this car to San Diego and back multiple times without issue. Wouldn’t hesitate to get in and drive anywhere!

$3500

If you have any questions shoot me a PM or Call/text 818.434.2478.

Thanks for looking,
Trey

Very tempting. But speaking of e23s, here’s another that’s similarly priced, and a lot closer to home:
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And the saga continues… *

Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

Today was the day for my appointment with the oral surgeon, and we’re finally getting some answers, if not some relief. Initially they did a panoramic x-ray, but that didn’t show much of anything, so Dr. Miller ordered a 3D CT image. After having a look at that and a peek inside my mouth, he told us that what I had was likely a brown tumor;

The brown tumor is a bone lesion that arises in settings of excess osteoclast activity, such as hyperparathyroidism. It is not a true neoplasm, as the term “tumor” suggests; however, it may mimic a true neoplasm.

Pathology
Brown tumours consist of fibrous tissue, woven bone and supporting vasculature, but no matrix. The osteoclasts consume the trabecular bone that osteoblasts lay down and this front of reparative bone deposition followed by additional resorption can expand beyond the usual shape of the bone, involving the periosteum thus causing bone pain. The characteristic brown coloration results from hemosiderin deposition into the osteolytic cysts. Hemosiderin deposition is not a distinctive feature of brown tumors; it may also be seen giant cell tumors of the bone.

Well, the pathology sure seems to fit my situation; the front of reparative bone deposition has been expanding the bone around those teeth enough to shove the teeth around to where they should not be, and making life miserable for me. The doc is reasonably sure that’s the deal, but only a biopsy will tell for sure, and that’s scheduled for next Monday. And the great part of the biopsy is that they’ll remove the tumor/lesion/whatever it is, but I’ll probably lose a couple of teeth in the process. Great. And I don’t even get to keep them, which is really too bad because I’ll probably need to get dental implants later on, and it would just make so much sense to use them for the implants… The assistant told me they are considered a biohazard, so they go to the incinerator. Too bad.

When the tumor is removed, there will likely be a sizable gap left behind; a variety of materials will be used to fill it in, and with time the other teeth ought to migrate back to their original positions. Eating will be easier, but not back to normal because of the missing teeth; later, after things heal up, and I can afford it, the option of implant-supported crowns is there. And I’ll look a bit trailer-park-ish with the missing teeth, but the fact that it’s most likely non-cancerous is enough to make me very, very thankful. I can live with trailer-park-ish; radiation & chemo therapy… I’ll pass, thanks.

Now I just need to figure out how to make it through the next few days and nights; eating will still be a challenge, but oatmeal and other soft foods aren’t all bad. The surest path to a good night’s sleep that I’ve found is two Vicoden, two ibuprofen, and my SleepRight Dental Guard. My mouth still hurts like crazy when I wake up, but things look so much better after a good restful night. Knowing that it’s not cancer, and knowing there is light at the end of the tunnel is huge. After last Thursday I was praying & hoping for the best, but bracing for the worst. I know God is good — all the time — and he will see me through whatever comes, but I still worried about my ability to cope. This won’t be an easy path, but I have some hope.

* A continuation of this post and this one.

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It’s 2am; Do You Know Where Your Pain Is?

Saturday, March 16th, 2013

I do. Right where it was a week and a day ago. But this time I have a weapon — a prescription pain killer & and a better cognizance of what’s causing the pain. Part of the issue last week was the unknown; was it just me, grinding/clenching my teeth that was the root cause of the pain, or was it something else? At least now I know that what I do or have done probably didn’t bring this on; I don’t know what the cure will bring, but I have some hope that there will be a cure. Even though I haven’t yet identified the enemy, just knowing that there is an enemy to be battled is strangely comforting.

The funny part of this is that I was just commenting to Yvonne about seven hours ago how I’d made it through most of the day with so little pain that I’d only taken two ibuprofen. But two hours after going to bed I’m wide awake again feeling like there’s a hot poker against the gums on my lower jaw, and that’s after taking a hydrocodone tablet and three ibuprofen at 10pm. Yvonne was rightfully thankful that I hadn’t had much pain, but it caused me to worry that perhaps the two teeth in question had in fact died, and the lack of pain wasn’t a good thing at all.

When thinking about the earlier bouts of pain, I wondered if anything I had done might have triggered the episodes; on at least two of those nights I had had something hot to drink before it came on and had eaten some pistachios. Tonight though the only similar food I had was a single almond. Nothing else crunchy at all, and nothing hot since about 6pm. And I went to bed with the night guard in place, so I know my teeth weren’t banging up against each other; this bout is about as spontaneous as it could be.

Not much has happened since my last post on this subject; the endodontist had promised me a call back on Thursday, but after waiting most of the day, I ended up calling his office at about 3pm. I didn’t speak with him, but was told by his assistant that he had got the software to work properly, but was still not able to determine from the micro-CT scan image what was going on. Like much that happens in the medical field, when confronted with anything outside a given specialist’s field of expertise, they are more than ready to hand you off to the next guy. And the next guy in this case is the oral surgeon, but the soonest I can get in is 3:30pm next Tuesday. Bother.

Now it’s been about 50 minutes since taking two more hydrocodone tablets, and the pain is still there, but dulled. I’m feeling sleepy as all get-out, so maybe the drowsiness will overcome the pain and allow me some sleep… I think I’ll give that a go.

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Just Desserts

Friday, March 15th, 2013

Street performers… I can take ’em or leave ’em, but I don’t mess with them either. This guy on Australia’s Gold Coast did, and got exactly what he deserved. Would’ve been nice to see what followed though…

YouTube Link
via twentytwowords.com

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A New Medical Adventure

Wednesday, March 13th, 2013

Another adventure that I did not — and would not — choose is upon me. Something is up with my lower jaw, and so far I’ve stumped four dentists and an endodontist. Funny; I had never even heard of Endodontics until yesterday when a friend who happens to be a dentist referred me to one.

The whole affair began last year… I had been having some tooth sensitivity on the lower left side of my mouth for a while, and brought it up with my dentist during a checkup. The x-rays didn’t show anything at all, and a visual examination didn’t show anything out of the ordinary either. The sensitivity was a bit vague; I couldn’t say definitively which tooth it was, so he did some testing with a cold probe in an attempt to pinpoint the culprit. Still nothing definitive, so he surmised it might be soreness resulting from nighttime teeth clenching, or bruxism, and suggested I consider buying a night guard dental appliance. I didn’t think that was it; if I were grinding my teeth, would it have come up suddenly? Wouldn’t I have pain on both sides? Why only one specific area affected? Too many questions and doubts on my part to drop $400 on a piece of custom-fitted plastic that may or may not do the trick. At that visit he also checked the bite, where the upper teeth contact the lower teeth, and thought a bite adjustment would help, so did some grinding.
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“My Parents’ First Car”

Monday, March 11th, 2013

Here’s a great story…

Joe and Beverly Smith had a 1948 Plymouth convertible when they first married, but had to sell it when Joe was drafted for the Korean War. For the couple’s 60th wedding anniversary, their son Joel surprised them with a car that brought back memories. It wasn’t easy, but it was all worth it.

– via Nag on the Lake

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Outlook

Monday, March 11th, 2013

I stumbled upon this bit of prose & thought I’d stick it up here:

Outlook

Greed

    My life is full indeed of gloom.
    I’ve naught , you see, just this small room.
    I need more wealth – that’s misery.
    What joys in great renown! What glee!
    The mace and throne I long to own.
    No crown too grand for me alone.

Contentment

    My life is full indeed!
    Of gloom I’ve naught, you see.
    Just this small room I need.
    More wealth? That’s misery.
    What joy’s in great renown?
    What glee the mace and throne?
    I long to own no crown.
    Too grand for me alone.

The Pessimist

    That deep red rose – I see its thorn.
    I just ignore the scent that’s borne.
    To me it’s nothing. I deplore
    Those scratches that I got before.
    I just complain about the pain.
    A lot I think of beauty’s gain!

The Optimist

    That deep red rose I see,
    Its thorn I just ignore.
    The scent that’s borne to me –
    It’s nothing I deplore!
    Those scratches that I got –
    Before I just complain
    About the pain a lot,
    I think of beauty’s gain.

Degradation

    This skid row bum will win no more.
    He’ll strive and lose in his sad war.
    On gin he’s hooked – that demon booze!
    And now he’ll loudly sing the blues.
    He’s chased away all hope today.
    Will Spring have cheer? No – more decay.

Redemption

    This skid row bum will win!
    No more he’ll strive and lose.
    In his sad war on gin
    He’s hooked that demon booze.
    And now he’ll loudly sing,
    The blues he’s chased away.
    All hope today will spring:
    Have cheer – no more decay!

— Mary Youngquist

It’s all in the punctuation, and perspective. Or outlook.

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