Catching Up!

Wow, time flies when you are having fun!  Sorry it has been so long since I last updated my blog.  It has been a busy 2 weeks...  Here's a summary.

FUN

We had a wonderful time with the Knudson Clan in Newland, NC from 8/8-8/13.  You can see the pictures from our 5 days together on my Facebook Page under the Knudson Family Reunion 2014 Album.  Thanks to Allyson Cooksey for allowing us to use her Cooksey Mountain House!  I'll have a separate post just about the trip.

We did some planning for our September Knudson Men trip while we were together and have a basic itinerary for our road trip across Colorado:

• Thursday 9/4 - Dad and I arrive in Denver around 4:30PM, hope to have dinner with dad's Cousin Charlie and wife Helen.  Chuck gets in around midnight.
• Friday 9/5 - Meet up with Chuck and have breakfast and spend the morning with Charlie and Helen.  May try to visit the family cemetery and have our picture taken in front of Knudson Hall on the Denver University campus, named for Grandpa Clarence.  We'll leave Friday afternoon and drive to Grand Junction.
• Saturday 9/6 - Visit Uncle Frank and Aunt Geneva Cooley and cousin Frank and wife Margie.
• Sunday 9/7 - Visit Uncle Frank and Aunt Geneva Cooley and cousin Frank and wife Margie.  Drive to Crested Butte, CO in the afternoon.
• Monday 9/8 - Explore Crested Butte.
• Tuesday 9/9 - Explore Crested Butte.  Leave in the afternoon to drive to Granby.
• Wednesday 9/10 - Enter Rocky Mountain National Park from the back entrance and drive the Trail Ridge Road to Estes Park for the night.
• Thursday 9/11 - Explore RMNP.
• Friday 9/12 - Drive back to Denver.  Drop Chuck off at the airport.  Visit with Charlie and Helen.
• Saturday 9/13 - Dad and I fly home.

We went to State College this past weekend to see Jean and Kelly.  Didn't do much, relaxed and visited.  We probably won't get back up there until after my Knudson Men vacation. 

Bucket List - We (Mel H and I) rescheduled our tandem skydiving to this coming Saturday morning.  Hope to have better weather than 2 weekends ago when they called and cancelled.  YIPPEE!  Can't wait to freefall and then float down to the ground - a dream come true!  I'll have a video to show that I actually did it. :)

MEDICAL

Went back to work on Thursday.  Friday I had my second acupuncture treatment, and it seems to be helping some.  The muscle spasms in my arms don't seem to be as constant and are of lesser strength.  That is good, because the intense spasming will wear out my motor neurons faster.  I go back again for my third treatment tomorrow (Tuesday) and will continue until I can't derive any more benefit. 

I am seeing a Chinese medical doctor who specializes in acupuncture and has offices on both the east shore and west shore.  She has suggested that I try some Chinese herbs also, but I need to consult with my doctor first.  Some of the needles hurt, most don't.  Dr. Williams figures out the placement, then taps the needle in.  Usually that is the worst, but sometimes they hurt longer.  She put four in my face/nose to try to improve my chronic sinusitis.  It does seem to help someWhen she twirls the needles after 15-30 minutes that occasionally hurts.  Friday I was there for over 90 minutes over my lunch hour and late to my afternoon meeting at the PA Turnpike Commission.

I went to the lab today to have blood drawn for the third time since starting on Rilutek/Riluzole.  I started taking glycopyrrolate medicine last night because my salivation has increased over the past month, one of the ALS symptoms.  Side effects include double vision and dizziness, so I am starting with a low dose to see how my body tolerates it and if I have any issues.

While in Newland, NC, I found out about the ALS Ice Bucket mania from my sister Amy.  It is amazing how much money has been raised so quickly, all of it going for ALS research!  Several of my friends have mentioned me (Andrea M.) or done it my name (Amy B., Jon C.).  T HA N K   Y O U! 

Amy challenged me, so I went to Lowes and bought a 5-gallon bucket tonight.  I will make another large donation and will have Kim videotape me when I dump the icy water over my head this week.  My friend Karen M. is participating in a Walk to Defeat ALS in D.C. 

If you are reading this, please accept my challenge to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness and funding for ALS research to defeat this terrible disease and help find treatments and a cure.

The Department of Labor and Industry Office of Vocational Rehabilitation is providing 5 hours of consulting to help with my speech issues.  It is very challenging to be in the IT Consulting business and be successful as a Project Manager when you can't communicate verbally.  I am meeting with Schanzenbach next Wednesday to start exploring assistive technologies.

WORK

Just two work items.  The City of Charleston asked for a new PM for their stormwater project because they can't understand what I am saying when I talk on the phone.  I don't blame them at all and respect their decision.  I have a bad case of mush mouth.  It has been a difficult project and I will be glad to pass the stress on to another Baker PM. 

Some good news on the proposal I worked on last month, we were selected for negotiations, and I am the designated PM for the 18 month initiative.

Also working on my long term disability claim package for Northwestern Mutual.  They ask for a lot of documentation, and I need to get documents to all of the doctors who I worked with (3) in the past few months.  Paul advised that I would be better off filing the paperwork now whether I accept any disability payments any time soon or not since NMFN may pay my future insurance premiums.

Received a package from Gannett Fleming last week offering a one-time lump sum payout on my pension, so we will consolidate and roll that money over to NMFN.  Will make it easier to have fewer but larger retirement income accounts for Kim and me and we'll have more control over the funding stream instead of the monthly payment from the pension plan.