Jer's Various Thoughts and Things

Started Grad School

2008-12-27T10:13:00.002-05:00

I started graduate school last August and I love it. This has been a goal of mine for many years and it seems like a good time to concentrate on it. I was accepted into the graduate program at WPI and hope to earn a MS degree in systems engineering. It's a lot of work for this old fella. I have to re-learn all the basics to be fluent in math and at writing papers.

It's going to consume virtually all my free time. It's very interesting though. My wife has been extremely supportive and helpful. She's the best.

The most common question that everyone asks is "why are you doing this?" - I find this to be an odd question. I love learning.

The most difficult part of the decision to commit to this graduate work was that I new I had to give up my favorite hobby. Playing lead tenor sax in the Compaq Big Band has been a great experience with a terrific group of guys and gals. I don't think anyone realizes how hard it was for me to tell them that I had to leave the band in order to focus on school, my career, and my health. They are all my friends an i didn't want to let them down.

Life goes on of course. The new lead tenor player is a fine musician and strong soloist I'm sure they are really enjoying his great talent. The band really needed a boost.

I'm still playing with the saxophone quartet (on soprano) and I need to keep my chops going!

TNA Conference in NY

2008-01-13T11:05:00.000-05:00

The next Trigeminal Neuralgia Association regional conference is in New York on Saturday May 10, 2008 http://www.fpa-support.org/events/NYC08.html.

My neurosurgeon and neurologist have been invited to speak, and I hope they do. I will definitely go with Caroline and provide as much support and feedback as I can to all those who attend.

Lucy Is Persistent

2008-01-13T10:58:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how all dogs have a diverse and unique personality. Lucy is quite a handful. She is so persistent and is constantly challenging her position in the pack, seeking an Alpha Dog status. She has become a little aggressive towards other dogs and I'm trying to train her that it's ok to play with all dogs. I think she has some fear aggression when on the leash.

I got a training collar to help train her to stay and come when called. I'm sure it will help. It will take a lot of time to get her to obey, but it will be worth it and she will be a much happier dog when she knows how to behave!

Sometimes I Wonder

2007-08-21T18:42:00.000-04:00

It's been much too long without posting some thoughts. I wish I could be more "talkative" because there is so much to talk about. Sometimes I wonder who reads the trivial things here -- friends, coworkers, old friends from high school.

We had a terrific time in Niagara Falls this summer. What an amazing place. People from all over the world were there. I think many find it a spiritual place.

Skeet shooting was a blast. I'm glad Caroline came along. I think she has a better understanding of guns and the sporting enjoyment. I knew I would love it, and in just an hour I was hooked. It will take some work to get a firearms license (training, background check, shopping, gun club membership). I've done all the homework to understand what's involved to make skeet/trap shooting a hobby, but I'm not yet committed.

I've got plenty of hobbies for now - hiking with the dog, canoing, playing in the band, photography, working on the house, ...

Lucy is very photogenic

2007-05-28T11:18:00.001-04:00

These are a couple of glamor shots of Lucy. She is an extremely active dog!

I have never seen a dog so interested in water from a hose or sprinkler. You have probably seen dogs on America's Funiest Home Videos chasing water and doing silly things with garden hoses, but you can't imagine this dog! Maybe I should send in a video and see if it makes it on the TV program.

It's hard to believe

2007-05-28T11:04:00.000-04:00

It's been so hard to believe, and I don't want to jinx it, but I have had some significant relief from my facial pain since a surgical procedure last January. I won't go into details, but I can't thank Dr. Jeffrey A. Brown enough (http://www.jeffreyabrownmd.com). I've got my life back, and have been very busy doing things that I have not been able to do for more than three years! So this blog has taken a back seat for a while. I hope to post some things that are not all health related.

The Copley Cats At the Opera House

2006-12-23T14:29:00.000-05:00

The Copley Cats had a great time entertaining guests at the Boston Opera House again this year. The Cats are terrific.

Lucy

2006-12-02T16:30:00.000-05:00

We got our new dog from the Baypath Humane Society on November 19. We named her Lucy -- it was the unanimous choice among the family. She is full of energy and I know will become a great buddy.

Time For A Dog

2006-11-11T09:22:00.000-05:00

Today I am taking Caroline to the Baypath Humane Society to get a dog. Our
best pal Risty died of bone cancer almost a year ago. I'm feeling that I
want to help a dog because of what Risty gave us. I'm sure the dog we find
will help us. That's just what dogs do -- help you more than you help them.

We are afraid. Imagine that. Afraid of another dog that will no dought
bring fun and adventure into our lives. What memories will it bring back?
What new memories will it leave?

I'm determined to go, even though it is a "bad face day". Who knows? My
face may be licked by a new friend and feel better.

Botox Helps

2006-09-01T19:51:00.000-04:00

I had a second Botox treatment a few weeks ago. Here's an interesting observation -- while I was in the waiting area, six other people were also there to get pain relief using Botox. It really helps. It's very hard to estimate but over the past few weeks I feel there has been about a 50% reduction in the constant burning! Wow!

A Nice Perspective

2006-08-02T22:07:00.000-04:00

It was a wonderful evening as a member of the audience at the Nashua, NH,
Summer Fun concert series. The Compaq Big Band sounded great. It was nice
to sit out front and listen. A rare perspective for me (and the band)
since I usually play with the sax section.

I'm a third of the way through recovery of my shoulder surgery. Just when
I think it's fine to take off the sling and move my arm around, the pain
hits me. It's a relatively gentle reminder that I have to wait and heal
some more. Tomorrow is the first session of physical therapy.

I'm under strict doctor's orders -- no driving. Blah. But Caroline drives
me everywhere. She is so helpful.

More later.
___
Sent from my Treo 650

Lefty

2006-07-21T22:11:00.000-04:00

My shoulder is all fixed up. Dr. Christiano repaired the torn labrum, bursitis, and bone spur. Lots of rest, ice, and pain meds. I can tell it will feel much better when healed. Everyone at Leonard Morse hospital was terrific.

Caroline is amazing. She is so helpful and willing to do anything I need. I don't know what to say.

Well, at least my shoulder is on the way to recovery.

The Shoulder Is The Most Flexible Joint In The Body

2006-07-15T14:16:00.000-04:00

I'm finally getting my shoulder fixed. Somehow, about a year ago, I injured my right shoulder. I'm not sure how or exactly when, but an MRI confirms that I have a torn labrum. I'm having arthoscopic surgery next week and I'm confident the orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Christiano, will do an excellent job. I'm afraid the recovery period will be difficult. Probably lots of pain at first, and my arm will be imobilized for up to 6 weeks.

I'll try to work as much as possible. It's nice to be able to work at home sometimes.

What A Trip

2006-07-15T13:53:00.000-04:00

I returned from a tour of Great Britain with The Compaq Big Band last week. It was a great trip. We had a busy schedule of 8 gigs in 10 days. There was some time for doing the tourist thing. There were a few logistic problems and plenty of unnecessary drama, but thank goodness there were no instrument or equipment problems.

Caroline was a huge help to the band on this trip. I'll post some pictures with captions from her journal soon.

Good Face Day

2006-06-04T16:27:00.000-04:00

I've coined the phrase "good face day". It's not about appearance, like "good hair day". It's about a level of pain.

I've had several good face days recently and got a sense of how much life has been a blur over the past couple of years. I'll post more ramblings other than the status of my face!

The Copley Cats

2006-05-25T21:57:00.000-04:00

They are the best -- The Copley Cats. I finished updating their web site to look less "early 90's". I bet they had one of the first web sites for an a cappella group in the world!

Geocaching

2006-05-25T21:16:00.000-04:00

Geocaching is a great hobby/sport/interest. Caroline and I have found 32 geocaches so far. Check out http://www.geocaching.com.

Here are the states where I have found a geocache.

create your own visited states map or check out these Google Hacks.

2006-05-15T21:21:00.000-04:00

These are some earlier posts

2006-05-15T20:50:00.000-04:00

May 12, 2006

Mom

By JerryGriep

Obviously I can't think straight! I never mentioned my Mom in all the ramblings below.

It seems she spends all her waking hours searching for a cause and a cure to this insolvable nerve disorder. She even comes up with suggestions like an oxygen chamber, vitamin B12 shots, and others I can't remember right now. They are all good suggestions. Thanks Mom. Don't worry.

Posted on: Fri, May 12 2006 9:47 PM

Must Diet

By JerryGriep

I must lose weight. The various medications I have been taking for the past 2 and a half years have caused me to gain a considerable amount of weight. It may sound like I'm blaming the medication instead of dealing with self control, but it really is caused by certain drugs. Before the trigeminal neuralgia hit me, I lost 25 pounds on a great diet. It really worked and I was confident it would last a lifetime. But medication ruined all that. Now that the pain is under control (cross your fingers), I'll figure out a way to lose weight again.

Posted on: Fri, May 12 2006 8:58 PM

Good Face

By JerryGriep

I had a follow-up visit with Dr. Borodic and said that I think the Botox is really helping with the facial pain. He said I could have another set of injections as early as 3 months. Caroline will start to work with the insurance company to have this treatment covered.

As if I didn't have enough trouble returning to work... I caught a very bad cold the second day back to work. This has been a bad cold. Now Caroline has it. I'm on the rebound now.

I'm glad there are no other gigs for the month of May. It's good to have a break before the 10 day tour in the UK at the end of June.

Posted on: Fri, May 12 2006 8:50 PM

May 6, 2006

Birds

By JerryGriep

I'm sitting out on the deck enjoying the birds at the bird feeder. Caroline and I consistently see cardinals, chickadees, finches, sparrows, titmice, woodpeckers, thatchers, red-winged blackbirds, Carolina wrens, and blue jays. There are dozens of robins on the ground (they never go to the feeder).

This time in the spring, I see the male birds feed their female partner. This cardinals do this the most.

Of course there are the squirrels.

There are at least three racoons that have found the feeders and can get at them. We have to bring the feeders inside every night -- what a pain!

No humming birds yet. We have the humming bird feeder out, but it may be too early in spring.

Posted on: Sat, May 6 2006 1:14 PM

Botox!

By JerryGriep

On April 27, I went to Dr. Borodic for Botox injections. No, not to improve my appearance, but to see if the botox injections would help alleviate my facial pain. Dr. Borodic is one of the pioneers in treating facial pain using botox. He has been very successful in several people with trigeminal neuralgia.

I had 12 injections around the eyes. It has been 9 days and I think it is helping. I feel less intense burning in the face, and I think I'm less sensitive to heat and humidity. I sure hope it continues. Botox injections can be administered 6 months apart.

Posted on: Sat, May 6 2006 12:52 PM

May 4, 2006

Hello

By JerryGriep

Although I am not a verbose writer, maintaining a blog might be good for me. I have always wanted to write a diary, even though there may be gaps of several weeks or months! This first note kicks off a difficult topic -- one that will be pervasive until resolved.

My Dearest Family and Friends,

Perhaps writing this short note will somehow help me in my attempt to handle my facial pain affliction that began two and a half years ago. I know that I have been "spaced out" for a long time now [insert your joke here!]. I know you have been trying to understand the problem and have been very kind. Thank you for your concerning questions and valuable suggestions.

I have a strange type of Trigeminal Neuralgia (http://www.tna-support.org/newlook/definition.htm). Since November 17, 2003, I have suffered this bizarre, unimaginable pain around my eyes and cheeks. My symptoms involve a constant aching, burning, itching pain on both sides of the face as well as the characteristic TN electric shock sensations. This has been a diagnostic challenge to doctors because of this rare form of TN.

The past two and a half years have been a blur -- except for my surprise 40th birthday party and relaxing vacations. It's been loaded with doctors, exams, tests, scans, theories, trials, etc. I've seen the best of the best neurologists and other doctors in Boston. I've received advice from neurosurgeons in Arizona and California. I certainly have maintained an aggressive, and desparate, diagnostic regiment and set of treaments. Did you think I would ever see an acupuncturist!?

Last month, I was introduced to a fellow Raytheon employee who had trigeminal neuralgia. He called, and I answered "Hello, this is Jerry Griep." He immediately asked "Do you have trigeminal neuralgia?" I said "Yes." I'll never forget the conversation. He told me of his battle, and how he tried to keep working. It was the first time I talked directly with someone who had the same condition. He had surgery and has been pain-free for three years now. I wish it was that simple for me.

Caroline helps me in countless ways. She schedules all my medical appointments. She drives me to every single appointment and test. She mows the lawn and shovels snow. She helps wash the cars and does all those things that I naturally think I can do.

Caroline and I are planning to attend a Trigeminal Neuralgia Association Conference this September in Portland, Oregon.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Take care of your nerves!

Love,

Jer

Posted on: Thu, May 4 2006 5:42 PM