tomorrow's the day most of the rest of the country springs their clocks forward cuz of daylight saving time. perhaps it's just cuz i'm a dumb hick from indiana whose known nothing different, but i don't understand daylight saving time - it doesn't matter what the clock says, there's always the same amount of daylight! and we've turned into a 24 hour society anyways, so does it really matter what the clock reads? why bother setting it forward an hour only to reverse it 6 months later? just doesn't make much sense to me...and the argument that indiana should do it because everyone else does doesn't hold much weight with me either - as moms are wont to say, "if all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you do it too..."

my bro is so cool...

I got turned on today!!! and not in that nasty, perverted way that my cow-orkers snickered at - I got the Vagus Nerve Stimulator activated!!! we're starting it out low - he set it to pulse at 25, with the magnet pulsing it at 50 - i need to call in and get the specific numbers, i think i was a bit confused about them...

anyhoo - it's set low enough that it's not affecting my voice (not yet, at least) - the sensation is like someone's got a hand around my throat, and it's throbbing...somewhat uncomfortable, but definitely not painful...and hey, if it prevents or lessens a seizure, it's well worth it! i'm sure i won't even notice it after a while...

the neurologist wants to see me again in a month to see how things are going - meanwhile i'll continue to take the same dosage of dilantin that i've been taking...i think they say to stay on the regular dose for 3 months after activation before tinkering around with lowering the pharmaceuticals - i'm still excited, regardless! here's to no seizures!!

FRED PHELPS IS A COCKSUCKER...and i don't mean that in the good, faggy type way...Mr. Rogers is in hell?!?!? ugh, Phelps just disgusts me...

So yesterday was my followup with Dr. Young (the neurosurgeon)...he checked out my incisions, said everything looked pretty good. he got some forceps and scissors and cut off the little dangly strings coming out of the end of my incisions. he said one of his techs in the OR likes to close up that way, but damn if those little dangly strings didn't bug the hell outta me! i just wanted to pluck them off - not a good idea though! they're gone now!! doc said there was a little abcess but it's fine now. i asked about the fact that the VNS is moving around when i lie down, and how that freaks me out, and he told me there's a stitch in there to hold things in place, and that it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. still a bit freaky to see a bulge where there wasn't one previously. doc says to stay outta the sun until the pinkness fades away because i'll be much more susceptible to getting it sunburned - ouch!!

i go to dr. mohan to get it turned on tomorrow at 10:30 am.

meanwhile, in today's mail...

a letter from St. Vincent's (the hospital where I had the surgery) - they're just writing to let me know that they're billing my HMO and they'll let me know how much I owe after the HMO pays...so I didn't get an itemized bill, but they did have the account balance on the letter:

$22,989.12

WOAH!!!! man, imagine if this had been inpatient!!!

happy april fool's day!

how's about a few more somewhat related links...

The Museum of Hoaxes

Discover.com

Crank Yankers

ya know, i'm alternating between being amused and offended by this Big Dogs shirt...they've definitely gotten racier with their shirts this year...

i'll hafta put this one on my "books to check out at the library" list: The Day My Butt Went Psycho!