Football hero (Troy's favorite player)

This weeks leading passer in the NFL...That's right Kurt Warner. He had not played in 10 weeks. Look for a new contract next year and a new clipboard.

Now I owe Kendell $24

Yesterday when I was driving to work I had three thoughts zipping through my head:

1. The similarities between getting a brain tumor and winning the lottery.

• You pinch yourself every 30 minutes or so and say "is this really happening"?
• People you haven't seen for a long time are in contact (this is the good part).
• Everyone is nice...really nice.

2. How am I going to find a way to see UFC 66. How am I going to talk Teresa into me paying $40 to watch a fight at 1am?

3. I really want to play poker before surgery.

So last night Teresa and I went out on a "date" and Mom watched the babies. We were minding our business playing megatouch when we got a call from Diedre inviting us to come to her house and watch the fight...We drove down to Georgia and they had a huge bon fire in the backyard...They have a great poker table and we put together a poker game while we were watching the fights.

Our date turned into Teresa sleeping on the couch and I was watching the Ortiz vs Lidell fight and playing poker...I am so romantic. We had the best time...I really like Diedre, Kendall and their family. I wish we spent more time with them. I really am liking all of our friends and families right now. I am like a walking chick flick with all of the positive thoughts about everyone in our lives.

Happy New Year...Everyone be Safe. I am off hahahahahahahahahahahaha...to all of my restaurant friends.

He really has written the book.

I keep saying that Dr. Robertson has written the book on cranial base surgery. He really has and you can buy it on amazon for $279. I guess it has to cost a little extra as less people will read this than "million little pieces".

I like sugar...so does my Mom

There are many phobias:

Claustrophobia - fear of closed in spaces
Agoraphobia - the fear of wide open spaces
triskadekaphobia- the fear of the number 13
acrophobia - the fear of heights
sucrophobia - My Mom's fear of running out of sugar. Wow...Her first day in the house I had 8 pounds of sugar. Now granted we had Christmas and made candy...But by her second day she was asking about the sugar par.

A couple of days ago she walked to the country store to buy a 5 pound bag of sugar. I came home from work and there is a big bag of sugar...????? We still had 2 pounds and she was worried about running out...SUCROPHOBIA. She has only left the house once in the last three days and it was to get sugar?

I think I am flagged at my Primary Care Doctor...I stopped by today to ask for some help with insurance stuff...I was in talking to the doctor in 10 minutes without an appointment. This has happened the last couple of times. Two medical things I have learned:
1. If you go to the ER and say you are having chest pain they will get you in right away.
2. Go to you doctors office while you have a brain tumor and you get in right away without an appointment.

Teresa and I have been doing a good job running. Teresa got a Garmin for Christmas and it is humbling to see how we are really running. 12 minute miles and 2.1miles...yikes. The other humbling thing about our run tonight was we were running downtown and I felt like we were cruising, I had the music going...zipping past people...and I look in the windows next to me and I see a big fat guy doing 12 minute miles. I feels good but we have some work to do.

I am getting nervous about Tuesday. Have a good weekend.

Restless Night

Last night I went to bed with the computer and had no chance of falling asleep. I had a zillion thoughts zipping through my head. I started to get anxious about my appointment with Robertson next Tuesday. I am trying not to be excited about it like I was with Megison. Today I am starting my work with the insurance company.

I am really ready for summer to be here and have this all be over.

See what I mean...I just read what I written above and it is all over the place. How did my son get the nickname Bubba? Are you kidding? There is nothing good that comes from people calling you Bubba...There are two pictures of people named Bubba:
1. I am a Dumb Hick who is fat with a chew and tossing a Natural Light out of my beat up old
pick-up on the way to ditching school.

2. "Why don't you throw him into the cell with Bubba"

That is it. I understand the family here in Soddy wanting some country boys but we may have the Bubba battle. I may have to get medieval before Preston turns into Cooter...He is way too close to being called Lumpy as it is. Are you joking...Here are my son's Bubba and Lumpy. I don't think so.

My zune is great. I might be addicted...I really want some serious in-ear headphones and to workout just so I can listen to it or take a trip so I can watch so video on it.

Back to work

I write this morning knowing I have so much work to do this morning. We had a nice Christmas. It was great to have everyone here at our place when Anthony woke up. He was bright eyed and excited...However, this Christmas a war has been issued.

Lyn and Casey thought it would be cute to get Anthony a drum machine. Hahaha...the problem is that I love the drum machine and I am getting into trouble because I can't quit playing it.

All of the gifts were great and I love having toys to play with like my new zune and kitchen gear...I got a Food Processor so I can do a better job on making Preston's foods than I did on Anthony's. I can also make some Humus and stuff.

At dinner Russ said an awesome prayer that put me in tears...The kind I can hide because he stopped at the perfect time.

FYI...I love football.

Twas the night before christmas

Today I hired a new sous chef...her name is Mom. She mostly did dishes today as we made treats today. She did make peanut butter candy and mashed potato candy while I made cappuccino crinkles, divinity, pizza and hot cocoa. It was a good day...Teresa and I went on another run and the babies were all good. I was a butt for a little while as I seem to have put my patience in storage and I am as sensitive as Ken watching Terms of Endearment.

This may be the first Christmas in 38 years that I haven't opened any presents before Christmas. I got to watch a whole football game today...it was great! Mom was sitting with me and at the end of the game, just before overtime she asked me some questions about the game. It reminded me of watching football with Troy without the making fun of the back-up quarterback or the announcers obvious statements.

Yesterday I went to the park with Mom and Anthony. It was so fun...We went to a great playground with all kinds of slides and forts that connect with bridges and stuff...well Mom cracked her head on a board...she has a knot on her head that anyone reading this will here about...so I am just giving you a head start. It is hard to complain about a bump on your head to a guy with a tumor so she may be saving it for you.

Have Fun.

Body, mind and beer

I began my training yesterday with a run with Teresa. We did 22 minutes around a track in Soddy. I felt good at the time...However, by last night my quads were sore and this morning my whole body is sore. Ken always says "work out hard enough that we still want to work out again". It never feels like you want to go back the next day after a period of inactivity. Teresa and I have been kinda snippy at each other and decided to go out together last night. Mom watched the babies and we went to Northshore and each had a beer. She had a Purple Haze and I had a Widmer Hefe. That's right Widmer in Chattanooga. It was nice to get out and have some quality one on one time and try to understand each other. We also went to Stone Cup and had a cup of coffee...what a different scene from the morning or afternoon. It was a younger crowd but the place was filthy with cups and plates and crumbs in all the chairs. The dirt didn't bother me as much as the 3 people behind the counter...one making coffee (very good by the way. Timora and Troy would even like this place), one drinking an iced coffee just chillin' and the other cruising the internet waiting for her next customer. Anyway we had a good time and are happy for the oppertunity to get away.

Chistmas Eve on a Football Sunday??? Is this a double holiday? It is for me...Today I am making divinity and cookies, cleaning the kitchen, getting a workout in and then...Football...Then I am making a big batch of hot cocoa. Have a great holiday.

Training for surgery

In the conversation I had with Dr. Robertson's office on Wednesday they asked a lot of questions about what kind of shape I am in. Weeellllll...I have been putting a lot of thought of into getting into shape and losing the baby weight. I have trained for a triathlon, bike rides, wrestling, and just to get in shape but training for a surgery. I asked "can I run"? She said, "how about a brisk walk or light lifting"? I can't just walk. So today I have decided it is time to get off my butt and get some activity and eat better. It is Christmas and I may cheat a little Monday but I will get a little sweat everyday and minimize the sodium and sugar. I am 100% off the dew...I was doing well until last week. The fact is this may be the most important training month of my life.

Bowling last night

Last night Teresa went to bowling with me. It is the first time she has gone to bowling with me for a long time. I stunk...620...losing all my games. I really wasn't relaxed. I have been bowling well this year averaging 220 all year and cashing in everything. My mother made an observation earlier in the year when I told her I was bowling well she said, "maybe its because you have less stress in your life". I started to note that the more relaxed and less stress I had the better I bowled. Maybe there is a connection.

It was nice to have Mom here to watch the babies...we got some very positive news yesterday.

I spoke with Dr. Robertson's office in Memphis and they favor that my tumor is benign and think I could be out of the hospital in a week or so. I learned the following:

• Surgery 6-10 hours
• wake me up in recovery
• ICU 24-72 hours
• Move to floor and walk within a day
• go home soon.

Dr. Robertson only does base skull tumors (over 500). I think we should start a pool on the surgury date... $5 a person and have prizes for closest to date of surgery and hours in ICU...you know the fun stuff like when people have babies.

Roller Coaster

As a child I loved roller coasters. Ken and I used to talk and try to "crack each other up"...a term he claims to have coined. As an adult trying to figure out what is going to happen with my brain surgery it stinks. Here is the 14 day roller coaster:
November29- Get dizzy and blurred vision...Teresa makes me go to the doctor. I get a CT and
they say I have an abnormal variance. The doctor said he would bet me $1,000
it was nothing. I agreed and would not take the bet.
November30- I feel fine...I only go to the follow-up because of Teresa. I knew I was fine. I
went through all the testing and was told I need to eat better. No way!!! I
agreed to get a MRI only to prove I was fine.
December 1st- I notified my family that I was going through some testing. The theme was I am
fine don't worry.
December 4th- Get the MRI. Radiologist missed my vain and burns my arm with Iodine.
December 6th- We get the call. Teresa gets the call...you know the call. We are given an appointment with Dr. Megison for December 21st. Teresa's sister
Ann-Marie was fantastic. She drove 2 hours to our house and sent a copy
of our results to Richmond,VA where she has some friends in Neuro.
December 7th- We begin trying to get an earlier appointment. We get encouraging news from
Virginia that it is a tumor that will require surgery. We believe it is going to
a fairly straight forward and are encouraged by all the great things we have
heard about Dr. Megison.
December 8th - 12th- We call Dr. Megison's office 12 times along with help from Erlanger and
Lyn's father and whoever else called. We get an appointment with Dr Megison.
December 13th-We get to see Dr. Megison. We heard he was mean...but who cares...he is the
best. Dr. Megison entered the room like...he was the king. He put my picture
up and gave us the bleakest of pictures. He showed us the location and told
us there on only 5 people that could operate and blah...It was bad. We were
referred to Dr. Jon Robertson the President of everything brain surgery.
After googling Dr. Wizard we felt good about him being the best brain surgeon
around.
December 14th- Ken came from Iowa and my mother made arrangements to come for a month.

I hate to skip ahead but today I spoke with Dr. Robertson's office. I am scheduled at 1:30pm on
January 2nd. I will fill in the blanks later. I am going bowling.

My first blog

Hey everyone,
I thought it might be helpful for myself to create a BLOG. I am up early every morning and spend a lot of time reflecting and wasting time on the Internet looking at football, bowling and brains. I have always enjoyed learning new things and writing out my thoughts...so why not BLOG. I am starting this BLOG due to my health findings / Brain Tumor. I may write things that may look like am not taking things serious. However, I am as scared as any reasonable person would be after the shock of finding out you have a mass in your skull. Lets be real, my life is most everything I have dreamed about (without the room full of money and being geographically close to my family). My wife is everything I have desired from fun to be with to an excellent mother. I have two fantastic babies and my work is very satisfying. I will use this forum to share my thoughts of what it is like emotionally and update new information about the tumor without getting to graphic. I will try to not go more than a couple days at a time without Blogging. This is part of my therapy.