07.03.09
Posted in Blog at 11:40 am by Andy
A little back story. I hope this will illustrate why I don’t trust doctors, but continue to go see them regularly.
I walked around for 10 years with a hernia. (I didn’t know it was a hernia at the time.) Without getting too graphic, the primary symptom was a large, sometimes painful lump in a place you REALLY don’t ever want to see anything wrong. About once a year during that time, I would go see a doctor, point to said lump and ask, “What’s up with that?” For 10 years the answer would come back, “Nothing, you’re fine.”
I should point out here that hernias are really common. REALLY common, especially for men. Like, 770,000 surgeries a year common.
Then a friend of mine got a hernia, got it diagnosed, had surgery and felt a lot better. Our conversations prompted me to think that maybe I had a hernia. So, I called for yet another appointment, only this time I added, “I think I have a hernia.”
So, I go to my appointment. As I’m taking my pants off, the doctor looks up from across the room and announces, “Yeah, that’s a hernia. Pretty big one.”
From across the room.
Ten doctors have looked at this thing over the years and told me I was fine. Then, I get it diagnosed from across the room.
So, I get a more thorough examination, schedule surgery, get a plastic screen put in my groin, kick back watching movies for a couple days, and I start feeling better. A couple months to strengthen up, and I feel better than I’ve felt in 10 years.
As annoying as it is that it took me a decade to take care of this, I did feel a lot better once it was finally treated. While 90% of the doctors I see may not believe there’s anything wrong with me, I have to keep trying, because eventually, one of them will figure it out.
That’s enough for now. It’s time to go strip paint. I know you’re jealous.
Weight: 233 lbs
Exercise: 15 minutes elliptical, stripping paint the rest of the day.
Intake:
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07.02.09
Posted in Blog at 11:03 am by Andy
I think it might be important for me to clarify my assumptions and expectations going into this little adventure.
Assumptions:
• Following the doctors’ advice to the letter is not working out very well for me. If I am to improve my health, I will have to question what I’m told and augment that advice with my own research.
• Lowering my weight will improve my back pain.
• A healthier lifestyle should lead me to feel better overall.
• Starvation is not a healthy lifestyle, despite what the doctors tell me.
Expectations:
• I will be hungry a lot of the time. This will make me grouchy.
• I will learn new things about my diet and eating habits, both positive and negative.
• I will reevaluate these expectations and goals as I go along, and I’ll probably try to convince myself that I should make them all easier. Hopefully, I’ll reread this when I do and reevaluate my reevaluation.
Short-term Goals:
• I will lose 10 pounds in July. This is aggressive, and probably too fast to be entirely healthy, but I feel it is important to my mental well-being to make significant progress quickly.
• I want to overcome the bad advice I’ve received in the past about food, exercise and health.
• I want to develop eating habits that will allow me to maintain a healthy weight without being hungry all the time.
Long-term Goals:
• I want to stop being grouchy all the time. I believe this is largely a side effect of constant pain, mild nausea and hunger; if I can improve my health, I shouldn’t be as grouchy.
• I want to reach a point in my health that I can actually enjoy a meal without analyzing every bite of it.
• I want to reach 195 pounds and maintain it. This number is not set in stone, but will be reevaluated regularly as I approach that goal. I don’t believe health can be measured by weight (or, god forbid, BMI) but this gives me an approximate measure to work towards.
• I want to be able to bike regularly (and by extension, park the car more often).
• I want to run a 5k in under 30 minutes.
Exercise: 2k run
Intake: 2260 calories, 35 grams of fat
What I ate today: banana, yogurt, muesli, coffee, english muffins, turkey breast, corn, carrots, beer, black beans and pretzels.
Now, on to the excellent comments I’ve already received on this thing.
I’m not terribly concerned about food intolerance. I have a sister who was diagnosed with celiac disease not too long ago, and she feels much better now that she can deal with it. I read up on it a little after her diagnosis, and I don’t believe that’s the answer in my case. I’m not ruling out food intolerance completely, but I’ve not learned anything yet that makes me think that’s a likely candidate, nor have I identified any suspect foods.
On that note, I should mention that I’ve been given a green light on blood sugar, thyroid function, blood pressure, blood oxygen and cholesterol. My “good” cholesterol is a little low because my total cholesterol is really low.
I agree that 900 calories is absurd. I reached that point when doctor after doctor told me to eat less, eat less, eat less. I barely had the energy to continue exercising, and though I still made it to the gym three times a week, I couldn’t do much once I got there. This is also when I started experiencing frequent mild nausea. That has improved since I started eating a little more. I think the nausea is largely just muted hunger.
My current plan is to try to keep it to about 2000 calories and 50 grams of fat a day. The easiest way to do that is to avoid packaged, processed foods and fill up on fruits and vegetables. I’d like to have the majority of my fat intake come from vegetable oils (mostly olive and avocado), which should help bump up my “good” cholesterol.
I’m hoping that the act of recording everything I eat will help me identify problem areas. For example, I learned yesterday that the turkey sausages I eat are much fattier than I realized. (”Healthier than pork” doesn’t always mean “healthy.”) For the 10 grams of fat in one turkey sausage, I could eat almost 2 pounds of lean turkey breast. I’d fill up faster and get a boatload of protein. This is exactly the sort of thing I want to identify.
On the happy side, I’ve also been reading up on the nutritional content of beer. There really isn’t any, but it’s not nearly as bad for you as some people would have you believe. Even a beer snob like me rarely drinks anything with more than 200 calories in it. The carbs can get a little high, but not terrible. Plus, there have been numerous studies showing that moderate alcohol consumption can be very beneficial. Long story short, a couple beers ain’t gonna hurt.
And one more thing, Sara: comment away. I know this is an area near and dear to your heart, and I trust your opinion at LEAST as much as any of the doctors I’ve seen. Much of what you wrote is directly in line with what got me to this point.
Kimsky, I remember you talking about that blood type plan. I should find out what my blood type is. That might be useful information in general.
Two of the doctors I saw recommend that I see a nutritionist. Unfortunately, that’s not covered by my insurance, and it’s painfully expensive. I’d rather find a nutritionist/dietician outside of the HMO system and see if that isn’t more palatable. Pun intended. That’s definitely on my list of things to explore.
A parting thought…
One doctor suggested that sleep apnea might be to blame. Again, sleep studies aren’t covered by insurance, and just the initial visit was almost $300. (And that’s BEFORE an overnight sleep study.) So, I started reading up on sleep apnea on my own.
Turns out that my symptoms didn’t really fit with sleep apnea. But, it did get me reading on sleep disorders in general, and it would seem I have a textbook case of chronic primary insomnia. I’ve begun self treatment for my self diagnosis, and that has proven somewhat helpful. Treatment of insomnia (without chemicals) is a slow, gradual process, so it may be several months before I really get a grip on that. But, I have every reason to believe that any improvement will be beneficial.
100 years ago, people slept 9 hours a night, accomplished what they needed to, and had more free time than we do now. Makes you wonder why we’re all in such a damn hurry all the time.
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07.01.09
Posted in Blog at 11:52 am by Andy
Ah, July… here again. Let me give you the short version of my life since last July:
Last July, I was in a lot of pain. I lived on a steady diet of muscle relaxants and pain killers. I spent my free time lying flat on a concrete floor. On the good days, I whimpered; on the bad days, I cried. I’d been visiting doctors on and off for my back pain for years, and had recently been stepping up the quest. I was seeing a chiropractor several times a month. I didn’t get any better, but I got worse more slowly. Upon reflection, I realized that I had been in pain every day for almost 20 years.
I weighed 275 pounds. I didn’t eat much, but I exercised even less. I began making a real effort to lose some weight, with limited success. It’s hard to exercise when you can’t walk very well.
Finally, in July, a brilliant Urgent Care doctor thought that perhaps after seven years of back pain without any diagnosis, I should have an X-ray. While the X-ray didn’t show anything, it was enough for him to suggest to my regular doc that I have an MRI. So, I had an MRI.
Lo and behold, the MRI revealed a herniated disk (L5-S1) and a dehydrated disk (L4-5). I was prescribed Physical Therapy (and more pills).
Physical Therapy was great for a while. I went twice a week for sessions, and got the home version of the game to play on my own. I showed a touch of improvement, then started sliding downhill again. At this point, I was again reduced to lying on the floor. I had trouble standing, and started falling down somewhat regularly. I would purposely not drink anything, just to have fewer trips to the bathroom.
Finally, my doc thought maybe something was wrong. He suggested steroid injections to my spine. In November, I started two series of injections and my pain was reduced to a manageable level. I could stand up on my own and even walk around. I started getting some actual exercise for the first time in months. I dropped a few more pounds, and actually started to look a little thinner.
My doc suggested that I lose some weight. Thanks for noticing. I got really serious about it though, and got down to 235 pounds by Easter. My goal was to get my back in good enough shape to ride a bike again, and I was willing to do whatever I needed to do to get there. I watched my diet closely and went to the gym three times a week. I worked my way up to swimming a kilometer at a time. I still did my PT exercises four or five times a week.
I started putting on weight again. Not toned, muscular weight, but flab. I started tracking everything I ate, thinking perhaps I was eating more than I realized. Nope… I was averaging about 900 calories a day. (Most estimates said I should be LOSING weight at around 2400 calories a day, almost three times what I was eating.) My diet was very healthy: fruits, veggies, beans, some whole grains, a little meat, almost no dairy. I rarely ate sweets. Heck, I even switched to decaf most of the time. I still drank a couple beers here and there, and I still put half & half in my coffee. Those were the only two concessions I wouldn’t make.
I began to worry about other health issues: diabetes, hypothyroidism, swine flu… OK, I didn’t really worry about swine flu. But I did head back to the doctor for more tests, all of which were negative. The diagnosis? I’m fat. Um, yeah, that’s the part I told you when I came in.
So, here we are, July again. I haven’t lost any weight since Easter, though I’ve been continuously working harder and harder at it. The doctors all believe there’s nothing wrong with me other than I’M FAT. They tell me to watch what I eat and get some exercise. Um, yeah, that’s what I’ve been doing. I dropped 40 pounds, and I still feel like shit ALL THE TIME. But, they won’t listen to a word I say until I get down below 200 pounds. I spent almost $500 in office copays in the last year (and we have REALLY good insurance).
For the entire month of July, I’m going to track every single thing I eat and drink. I’m going to track my exercise. I’m going to track my weight. And I’m going to do it all right here on my blog, so there’s no room for me to cheat. If I don’t drop 10 pounds by August 1, then I will do it again for the month of August, only I’ll do it without meat, dairy, caffeine or alcohol.
I encourage all my faithful readers to comment regularly. Point out my errors. Make some armchair diagnoses. Tell me anything other than YOU’RE FAT.
So, today, Wednesday, July 1, 2009…
Weight: 236 lbs
Exercise: 25 minutes elliptical, 1/2 km swimming, a few light reps on my shoulders
Intake: 1770 calories, 39 grams of fat
What I ate today: 2 pieces of toast, 1 egg white, orange juice, banana, coffee, turkey sausage, green beans, beer and a brownie.
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04.16.09
Posted in Blog at 3:36 pm by Andy
An unfocused (and poorly edited) rant; the direct result of 4 hours in the waiting room without a computer.
Our music scene is in pretty rough shape. Is this really the same town that produced Prince, Hüsker Dü, um… I’m trying to think of some recent examples. Oh, right, there aren’t any.
I’ve been complaining about the state of the music scene for a while. Get me rolling on the topic, and I’ll subject you to a neverending diatribe against the clubs, the bands, the fans… everyone, of course, but me. I’ve remained pure, above the fray. And uninvolved.
I’ve never taken a particularly active role in my career. I don’t think of myself as a leader, though I’m not much of a follower. bands came and went, forming without me, breaking up after me. I said “yes” to every opening, even when I didn’t like the music. Then I would embrace my adopted Minnesota’s notorious passive aggression, letting my involvement wane until was off the hook.
Through it all, I played gigs. Full nights of covers, 20-minute openers, unplugged sets, smoky bars, outdoor festivals, cable access: you name it, I played it. Every show had one thing in common: whatever went wrong was someone else’s fault.
Nobody showed up? Must be the weather. Everyone left early? Must be the holidays. The bar stiffed us? They just don’t appreciate good music. I played badly? The lights were in my eyes. We sounded like rank amateurs? The sound guy* was an asshole.
So I got burned out and went the way of the trends: to the cover band world. Cover bands are doing pretty well in the Cities. I’m not anti-cover band, heck, I play with a couple now. But I (and most of the people I know in cover bands) would prefer to do something original. Unfortunately, the crowds (and the money) are in covers.
I don’t believe this is inherent, I believe it’s because the original scene has gotten lazy. If original bands approached their careers with the drive, organization and professionalism I’ve seen in the cover circuit, we would be hip-deep in world-caliber bands.
Musicians, rise up an resist! Let’s try something completely new, something that will turn the scene on its ear. I’m not talking about an all-Casio cowprog band. I’m talking about being professional. And musical. At the same time.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a band (that I may or may not have been part of) complain about the response they get from bars and patrons. “They treated us like shit!” Well, of course they did: you showed up late, talked down to the sound guy, brought in no one, got drunk, broke some glasses, played over your time slot, took too long to break down and left before the next band even started. You treated everyone else like shit first.
The first step is to get your act together. Literally and figuratively. Form your band, write your songs, and rehearse them. Then, when you’re ready, find an avenue to bring your music to the people.
The classic approach would be to record a demo, put together some basic promo, and book some shows in bars. This approach can still work if you make it. Just remember that booking the show is not the last step.
Music fans have been conditioned to believe that local music is barely listenable. If you can convince them to come to your show, they will assume the other bands on the bill will be awful. Most people believe that local music, by its very nature, is inferior to what they hear on the radio. They treat their friends’ shows like they treat their kids’ soccer games: they show up ’cause they love their kids, not to see an impressive display of athletic prowess. Sad but true.
It is your job to convince them to show up to show up and then prove them wrong.
Take control over everything you can. Start by eliminating variables. If you’re worried about the sound, find out who runs sound, meet him, maybe buy him a beer. Tell him your concerns and ask him what you can do about it. If you think the cover is too high, negotiate with the club. If you think another band on the bill is a bad fit, try to swap for a different night. If you’re worried about the draw, contact the other bands and try to work with them. In short, don’t let the show happen, make the show happen.
The work’s not over when you get to the show, either. Arrive on time and work with your sound guy for a smooth load in, set up and tear down. Introduce yourself to the bartender. Ask about their expectations from you. Thank them. Follow up afterwards: how did the night go? How can you make it better next time?
Of course, there are other options. You could go with internet distribution, live web casts, house parties, whatever. You could come up with a unique plan to get your music out there and change the industry. The general attitude remains the same: take charge, take control, take responsibility.
We’ll still have hurdles to overcome. The clubs and the media have their share of the blame for our declining scene. The fans have turned elsewhere for entertainment. They will come around if we give them a reason. Put on a show worth seeing and the clubs will host it, the media will report it, and the fans will come see it. That’s what the cover bands are doing.
*Out of the hundreds of shows I’ve played, I can count on one hand the female sound techs I’ve encountered (and still have a couple fingers left over). This is a different problem for a different discussion.
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03.02.09
Posted in Blog at 8:08 pm by Andy
Actually, it was rather nice today. Bright & sunny, not too cold, and no snow. Well, no new snow. It hasn’t snowed in a few days, but I still had to fire up the snow blower. The city crews were kind enough to bury the end of the driveway in a foot of snow and completely block the sidewalk. Smarch is when snow falls only where it’s in your way. At least I made it out into the sun for a little while.
Speaking of getting out into the sun for a while, Saturday was the Polar Bear Plunge. I (and about 500 other people) helped raise $100,000 for Special Olympics Minnesota by jumping into a frozen lake. All in all, it wasn’t so bad. I think it was far colder standing in line waiting to jump than actually jumping in the water. Getting out was pretty rough, too… the shore was awfully slippery. I’ll know better next time. If there’s a next time.
Ah, who am I kidding? I’m dumb enough to do that again. I just need to find a few suckers to sign up with me and call it a team.
One little bit of good news today: I got a call for a job interview on Friday. It wouldn’t be a very glamorous or high-paying job, but it would be a lot of fun. We’ll see what happens.
That’s it for now. With the couple of exceptions noted above, the last few days have been pretty uneventful. I think I need a little more regular, a little less decaf. It’s far too easy to slip into a gray haze of apathy on these chilly mornings.
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02.22.09
Posted in Blog at 1:33 pm by Andy
OK, I’ve been wanting to write something on this subject for a while, and I just hadn’t gotten around to it. Last night, I was once again forced to leave a really nice party early, and it annoyed me enough to finally do this. I should add, though, that this is in no way meant to be an attack on pet owners, simply an attempt at greater understanding.
1. Everybody is different. Every animal is different. Every day is different. Just because I could hang out at Dick’s house yesterday without a problem doesn’t mean I can hang out at Jane’s house today without a problem.
2. Just because your sister’s boyfriend—who has REALLY bad allergies—didn’t mind Captain Mittens doesn’t mean I’ll be OK.
3. When I get to your house, I’m drugged. I try to get drugged up at least an hour before I arrive. I’m not having a bad time, I’m simply stoned.
4. Sometimes, I can’t stay long at all. No really, it was a lovely party, but my throat is closing, and I should be on my way.
5. When I leave your house, I have to strip off everything I’m wearing, put it in the laundry and take a long shower. I don’t mind, but just understand that my night is not over when I leave your place, so I may be leaving early.
6. I appreciate that you put the cat in the bedroom and vacuumed before I got here; it does help. However, unless you have a really nice vacuum with a microscopic filter, vacuumed all the carpet, rugs, upholstery and linens, wiped down the walls and ceiling, mopped the floors and sealed the cat in a completely isolated room, it’s no guarantee that I won’t still be breaking out in hives in 3 minutes. Pet dander is like radiation: removing the source doesn’t eliminate the danger.
7. You may have accepted the fact that everything you eat and drink will have hair in it. I haven’t. Please keep that in mind when you toss the fur-and-slobber-covered Frisbee over the buffet line. Seriously, that happened once.
8. I’m not criticizing your housekeeping, really, I’m not. I’ve been in homes that were meticulously cleaned daily and still had horrible allergy attacks. I’ve been in homes that were disgusting to behold with giant balls of fur in every corner and been fine. It’s not you, it’s me.
9. Sometimes, I may be feeling OK, but I just don’t feel comfortable blowing my nose every 2 minutes at your house. Call me old-fashioned, but at some point, I think it’s better manners for me to simply go home than to subject you to a never-ending orchestra of sinus gurgling.
10. No, your cat is not different. Just like every parent believes their child is above average, every cat owner I’ve ever met believes their cat is somehow an exception to everything. “Señor Furrypants isn’t like other cats, he has his own personality and everything. I just know you’ll love him!” It’s not a question of whether or not I LIKE your cat (dog, parakeet, weasel, marmot, koala), it’s a question of whether or not the makeup of his saliva reacts badly with my immune system.
BONUS: A few facts about allergies:
• There is no relationship between the pet’s hair length and allergen production.
• There is also no such thing as a non-allergenic breed.
• Allergens can be brought into places where a pet has never been on the hair and clothing of pet owners.
• Unless special steps are taken, pet dander can remain in a home for up to six months after the pet has been removed.
Long story short, don’t take it personally, but if you have a pet, I may not ever be able to hang out at your place for more than a few minutes. I’m not alone; roughly 10% of the population is allergic to animals to some degree. And I don’t have it as bad as some people.
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02.19.09
Posted in Blog at 9:57 am by Andy
OK, I have nothing to write about here, but I’m making a conscious effort to write something every day, just to keep my brain limber. Or make my brain limber. Or at least prevent my brain from turning into lumber.
2009 has not really gotten off to a fantastic start. Health issues, employment issues, band issues… I’ve got issues. That probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone, but there it is. On the positive side, I’ve lost over 30 pounds since this summer (and counting!) Next time I see a doctor about my back, he won’t be able to diagnose me with a dismissive, “You’re fat.” Learning to take a more active role in my health is helping me to take a more active role elsewhere. Which leads me back to my attempt to write something everyday, even if it’s random stream-of-consciousness blather.
In other news, the Polar Bear Plunge is rapidly approaching. I’m pleased to say I reached my fundraising goal of $200, and there’s still more than a week to go! So, if you haven’t already pledged your support, go here and throw down a couple bucks. Drink the crappy office coffee instead of buying the delicious stuff for one day, and send $3 to the Special Olympics. It adds up.
Well, it’s nearly 10:00, and I’ve spent the entire morning trying to clean up and upgrade my WordPress and FaceBook to play nice together. We’ll see if it works.
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02.03.09
Posted in Blog at 8:44 am by Andy
OK, just a quick post today to spread the word about the Polar Bear Plunge. At the end of February, I’ll be jumping into a frozen lake to raise money for the Special Olympics. I think I’ve already e-mailed pretty much everyone who reads this blog, but in case I missed someone, click here to pledge:
http://www.andymcclure.com/polar
As an extra incentive, anyone who pledges $50 or more can specify a message to write on my back when I go. Keep in mind this is a family-friendly event, and I reserve the right to reject any messages that I deem inappropriate. I’ll do my best to get a photo of your message before it goes in the water.
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01.16.09
Posted in Blog at 1:20 pm by Andy
I can’t believe I haven’t written anything since September. I know time flies, but really, this is ridiculous. I’m not going to make excuses for it, I’m just a little surprised.
You may be asking yourself, “What the heck has Andy been doing for the last 4 months?” If that’s the case, you really need a hobby or something. But, if the best hobby you can come up with is reading this blog, well, here you go…
I’ve been obscenely busy not working. I’ve recently come to the conclusion that I’m just not going to look for a job for a while. The market is slim at best, I’m still not sure if I could even go back to my old career and there’s plenty to keep me busy around the house. Granted, there are projects that simply aren’t going to happen when it’s -20° outside, but just sweeping up all the salt is enough to kill a few hours a week.
Of course, we still need money. If you’ve figured out how to get around that, please, let me know. Fortunately for me, I can make more money playing these days than I could with a real job. Unfortunately for me, “more” still means “not that much.”
In other news, the struggle to overcome back pain continues. I’m now taking some pretty scary anti-seizure meds and I’m meeting with a surgeon in a couple weeks to see if a trip under the knife will help. I’m still feeling a lot better than I did 6 months ago, but I’m still living a fairly limited lifestyle.
OK, that’s all for now. I know, I know, this was a pretty dry entry, but I just wanted to shake off the cobwebs. Deal with it.
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09.12.08
Posted in Blog at 7:58 am by Andy
I’m sure the world has enough political bloggers, and I have no desire to join their ranks. There are plenty of people better informed than I flooding the internet with commentary. I simply want to throw out a couple thoughts as we go into this next election.
First and foremost, if you don’t know what you’re saying, it might be better if you didn’t say anything. This year, more than any other, I’ve noticed the words conservative, liberal, Republican and Democrat being understood less and less. Are all Democrats liberal? Are all conservatives Republican? Is George Bush a good conservative? A good Republican? What do you call someone with beliefs that don’t fit a convenient label? I’m going to do my best to vote for candidates this year, not parties… and certainly not labels.
Right along with that, please try to avoid voting based on a single issue. This is a complex world we live in with complex issues. Any vaguely intelligent voter cannot possibly sum up their entire being with a black-or-white stance on a single issue, nor can a candidate.
Want to end our dependence on foreign oil? Stop using it. Park your car once in a while. Invest in alternative energy. Ride a bike. Adjust your thermostat by a couple degrees. Recycle. Bring your own bag. I’m not saying we should all go live in the woods, but we could all do better to use less oil (and coal and natural gas and everything else). Me included.
The planet will be fine. We may not.
That’s all. Just a couple things to have in the back of your head next time you’re skimming CNN. And above all, think for yourself.
Oh, and if you find yourself unable to pick a candidate, go ahead and write my name in. I’m sure I could do better than some of these jokers.
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