and you thought YOUR Monday was bad...

Dustin had YET ANOTHER doc appointment yesterday following a late night trip to the ER on Monday. That morning he had an appointment to have some more blood drawn so they could test for a certain protein in his bloodstream. (He had been diagnosed with mono about a month ago, has residual symptoms in his system from it, and has been visiting his doc to keep tabs.) He was fine all day, just a bit of soreness in the arm from having blood drawn twice within the last 3 days, but then that night he started complaining of pain in the lower right side of his back. Chalking it up to helping his dad lift the broken garage door, he popped 2 Aleve and we headed to darts.

At the end of the night, he was feeling worse and started complaining that his left arm felt numb. I didn't believe him at first, thinking he'd just been throwing too long / too much and was over-working his muscles, so I simply told him to quit throwing.

By the time we got home, he was still complaining of the numb left arm, but symptoms had also graduated to shortness of breath / not being able to catch his breath, stabbing chest pains, and a pain in his left side around the ribs / breastbone. First instinct? Heart attack. So we hopped in the car and began the drive to St. John's.

To make a really long story short, at the ER he was given an EKG, they took 4 vials of blood, did chest X-Rays, and hooked him up to a heart monitor machine. The chest X-Rays came back normal, as did the EKG (which meant NEGATIVE for a heart attack, thank God!); his blood pressure was quite high, but he may have "inherited" the HBP from his mom, plus being nervous increased it, along with the heart rate. (101 at its highest, I believe.) The blood test came back with residual symptoms / traces of mono in his system (which we already knew), plus a higher than normal white blood cell count--which could be attributed to his body trying to fight off the remainder of the mono.

Diagnosis, according to ER? Costochondritis, which is a swelling of the cartilage that attaches the front of the ribs to the breastbone. The chest pain was due to an "unknown cause", as was the numb left arm. So they prescribed him some Motrin (to reduce the inflammation) and Vicadin (?!) for the pain. So after 4 hours in the ER, we were headed home...at 3:30 a.m.

After the visit w/ the doc yesterday, here's the complete diagnosis (according to Dr. Walls):
* Costochondritis--explains the pain around the ribcage / breastbone he was feeling, could be due to muscle overcompensation / working too fast when he was trying to catch his breath;
* Chest pain--again, due to muscle overcompensation;
* Pinched nerve--caused the left arm numbness (possibly) bc of the continual motion of throwing darts for 2 hours;
* Higher than normal level of albumin in the bloodstream. Albumin is one of the main proteins found in the blood, and his was higher than normal, but only by 0.8 points. Since it wasn't too abnormally high, the doc said it was nothing to get worked up about, and that it would eventually fall back to normal. After doing some research on webmd.com, I found that higher than normal levels of albumin are usually caused by dehydration. Or, in my hubby's case, too much soda and alcohol, and not enough water and juice.

So after 2 days of rest, plenty of liquids, and some 800 mg Ibuprofen a couple times a day, he'll be ready to return to work. (Tomorrow.) Let's just hope this ends the seemingly endless trips to the doc's office...

behind the times

The other night I finally got to see a movie that my husband has been pushing me to see since...well since forever. American History X was enthralling, and I couldn't take my eyes off the TV the whole time. It's...well, it's wow. That's the only word I can think of to describe it. It's quite the disturbing movie, especially once you think in your head, "There are people out there who actually believe in and do these things." Scary.

I've always been a fan of Edward Norton, even though I've only seen him in a couple of films. But I enjoy his work, and think he's talented as hell. He stars as Derek Vinyard, a neo-nazi skinhead whose hatred stems from the fact that his father was killed in the line of duty by a minority. After this powerful performance, I have come to the conclusion that Edward Norton is a god. He now ranks right up there with Johnny Depp.

Edward Furlong stars as Danny Vinyard, the little brother who learns from his brother's examples...and mistakes. The only other film I've really seen him in is the Terminator movies, but I think he's due a bit more credit for his talents than he is given.

You may remember Beverly D'Angelo as Mrs. Clark Griswold, and if you are anything like me, you may have a hard time envisioning her in a more serious role. Having never seen any movies she has been in other than the Griswold / National Lampoon series, I almost doubted her in a more meaty role. But, again, I had a change of heart. She plays Mrs. Vinyard, mother to Danny & Derek, and seems to only want the best for her family, not the neo-nazi skinhead lives that her sons have fallen into.

Also Fairuza Balk, Stacy Keach, Elliott Gould, and Ethan Suplee, I highly recommend this film as a must see.

controversy

This is a picture of a billboard that is positioned along several major highways in the St. Louis area. Apparently, a group called Focus on the Family has erected these billboards due to their belief that homosexuality is both "preventable" and "treatable".

I'm sorry, but homosexuality is not an illness, it's not a disease, nor something that can be "cured". At least that's what I believe.

And, you could totally read this billboard in a different context: "I questioned homosexuality. (And became curious, and tried it, and liked it.) Change is possible. (I am now a homosexual.)
All in the eyes of the beholder, I suppose.

Anyone else have comments on this?

pleasantly surprised

I was a little nervous to go see "Much Ado About Nothing" at DB Friday night--I mean, come on, how good can a Shakespeare show actually turn out when it's performed by a cast entirely composed of highschool students? At least, those were my thoughts going in.

Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. I actually found myself leaning forward in my chair many times, getting swept up in the show, and forgetting I was watching a highschool ensemble perform the words Shakespeare had written soooo many years ago. The entire cast was good, and very enjoyable to watch, but of course I had my favorites. Marcy was fabulous as Beatrice, and Justin did an excellent job as Benedick (even though he was suffering from a case of laryngitis). Maggie was touching as Hero, especially when she was wrongfully accused of being, basically, "impure".

(Seeing as I don't have the playbill in front of me, I'm not sure of names for these next few...) The guy playing Borachio was very good, conniving, and seemed to have a pretty good master of the language--which is not easy. I did catch him grinning a couple times on stage when there was hilarity ensuing, but his performance on the whole made up for that. It happens. The kid who played (?), and later proclaimed in the show, "I am an ass!" was fabulously hilarious, and I found myself watching him simply to see what facial expressions and little movements he was going to come up with next. My mouth fell agape when one of the students sang a couple times--a capella, nonetheless!--and seemed to hit every note right on.

Mike Stagg also did a fine job as Don Pedro (?), and to be honest, I was shocked to see him in such a commanding, lead role. I have met Mike a few times, and he just didn't seem like the type of person to enjoy being on stage, much less in tights, speaking the Shakespearean language. But then again, appearances can be deceiving.

I was a little nervous also about Little Joe's performance. I have never doubted his acting ability, especially after having been in "42nd Street" with him this summer and seeing him in "Last Night of Ballyhoo", but like Joan said on her blog, I was a little nervous to see how he would handle a more serious role. To be honest (and I may be being partial here), I was blown away. That kid is such a natural, it's amazing. And even though he had told me that tech Sunday went horribly (they didn't even do the 2nd act!), and he didn't really know his lines, you couldn't tell that from Friday's performance. He seemed to be very comfortable with the language, and didn't stumble over it at all. (The same goes for all the students in the show; I don't think I really noticed any big snafus or trips over the wordiness of it all.) Like I said, I'm a bit partial with Joe because the kid's become like a 2nd little brother to me, but I congratulate him, the above-mentioned, and the entire cast of "Much Ado About Nothing." I couldn't be prouder.

And a big congrats, as always, to Jim Leibrecht, the director that can strike fear into your heart when he needs to, but who always sits back and watches the puzzle come together with a satisfied smile on his face. The Guild has done it again and (MORE THAN) "pulled it off."

who'da thunk it?

Your Career Type: Artistic

You are expressive, original, and independent. Your talents lie in your artistic abilities: creative writing, drama, crafts, music, or art. You would make an excellent: Actor - Art Teacher - Book Editor Clothes Designer - Comedian - Composer Dancer - DJ - Graphic Designer Illustrator - Musician - Sculptor The worst career options for your are conventional careers, like bank teller or secretary.

What's Your Ideal Career?