Donna is slowly getting better. As of lunch today she can move her arm around, wiggle her fingers, and grasp light things. This is a very large improvement over just 3 days ago when she couldn't even move her arm. Still she's getting really frustrated with this injury.

We visited our family doctor yesterday. She was very happy with Donna's improvement, but she still wants to be cautious. She scheduled an MRI for Donna on Friday, a follow up visit with her next Monday, and a consultation with a neurologist a week later. She also prescribed an antiviral medication for Donna's Bell's palsy like symptoms.

Donna is really not liking this medication though. It's making her sleepy. Its really adding to her frustrations becuase, she has to take it three times a day.

Our doctor's office visit didn't take very long at all. What took up most of our time yesterday was going through the bureaucracy of Donna's employer, a well known retail chain store. Instead of just taking the doctor's note, they made both Donna and our doctor fill out a four page form. This was just so Donna can be off work while she gets better, and without pay mind you. It was almost just as bad as when I had to call-in for Donna that first night. You had to call an 800 number, go through five minutes of voice mail hell, and then wait on hold ten minutes while they find a manager at her store for me to say, "Donna won't be coming into day." Pain in the ass.

All the stress and frustrations aside, Donna's improving every day, we are all in good spirits, and looking forward to the holiday weekend.

I just posted this over at Blog Oklahoma.

I know I said I'd be back to my regular schedule the last time I missed a podcast, but life has gotten in the way again.

If you're a regular reader of my personal blog, Program Witch Pages, you would have read, A long scary day, I posted Friday, Nov 21st. My wife suffered a serious injury to her arm. Needless to say, I spent the weekend with my wife helping her through her recovery. We have a doctor visit this afternoon, so I'll be posting an update to my blog later tonight to give you all an update.

I thank everyone for their understanding, and all the well wishes you sent Donna over the weekend. If you would like to send your well wishes to her too: just Twitter @poisonddt or leave a comment, I'll be sure she reads it.

In the meantime the podcast is on hiatus for the next few weeks.

I invite everyone to go back and listen to the last 13 or so episodes. Let me know what you think. Leave me voice mail at Drop.io/blogoklahoma, e-mail me from the contact link, post a comment, or use Twitter and @ me at Blogoklahoma.

www.blogoklahoma.com/podcast

They are really going to do it. Dr. Pepper is going to live up to its promise and give you a Dr. Pepper. Why? Because Guns N' Roses has finally released "Chinese Democracy"

Dr Pepper is making good on its promise of free soda now that the release of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is a reality.

The soft-drink maker said in March that it would give a free soda to everyone in America if the album dropped in 2008. "Chinese Democracy," infamously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale Sunday.

... Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on Dr Pepper's Web site. They'll be honored until Feb. 28.

More @ CBS News

So what would be the next promise? A free taco to everyone in America if Duke Nuke'm Forever is released by 2009?

We had a scary day yesterday.

Around 3:00am I was awakened from a call from Donna's workplace. They were worried something serious was wrong, and needed me to come get her. Upon arriving I find Donna sitting up front waiting for me. Her left arm was numb and she couldn't move it very well, and the left side of her mouth had dropped down making her speech slurred. I immediately drove her to the emergency room. Needless to say we were all thinking the very scary same thought, Donna has had a stroke.

We spent the early hours of the morning in the emergency room while they checked her out. It seemed forever for the CT scan results to come it, but the results were no signs of stroke. Donna did not have a stroke. Thank God. Even with this bit of good news, we still didn't know what's wrong.

At this point I want to add the doctors and staff at the emergency room were very nice, polite, helpful, and answered every question we were asking. So many times you hear stories about emergency room visits where the staff are stiff, the doctors act like they are better than you, and you're treated rather rudely. And yes even we've had an experience like this from a doctor some time back at another emergency room visit. At no time during our emergency room visit yesterday were we treated in a bad or uncourteous way.

Around 5:00am we were allowed to go home with orders to rest, and to get hold of our family doctor for a follow up visit. Donna had regained some mobility in her arm and her speech was better. So we went home to get some sleep. An hour and a half later I had to get up and go to work.

I had to give a PVBX class yesterday morning. Clients were flying in from all over, so I had to show up. The good thing about working where I do, I'm only a few minutes from the house. I let everyone know up front that my wife wasn't feeling well, and I might be called to take her to the doctor. I thank everyone for their understanding and well wishes the gave Donna.

Donna's mother drove in that morning to help out, so Donna wasn't alone for very long. I checked in on Donna at lunch. She was sitting in the living room watching TV, doing well, but still had very little mobility in her arm.

Now here's an odd coincidence to happen. Her new insurance just started a few days ago, but she had yet to receive her policy numbers. One of the biggest concerns she was having, adding to her anxiety of the day, was she wouldn't be covered for the hospital visit. Her new health insurance cards arrived in the mail that morning.

That concern lifted from her we still had a problem. We couldn't get into to our family doctor. She was gone until Monday. Donna was forwarded to a relief doctor. That doctors office did get her records from that morning's hospital visit, and said if she worsened to go back to the emergency room, they were "too busy" to see her. Well that's what I got out of the conversation I had with Donna that afternoon.

Not long after I got home after work I took Donna back to the emergency room. She hadn't improved at all. As Donna's own anxieties grew, her symptoms just kept getting worse. There were times she couldn't move her hand at all. She was describing some feelings and pains in her arm I actually recognized. I had an accident years ago where I injured my neck and had the exact same pains in my left arm as she was describing.

We arrived at the emergency room around 6:00 PM. We were greeted by the same staff we had left that very morning, we just happened to arrive when their shift started. Another CT scan, this time they looked at her neck. This time we had to wait even longer for the CT results, hours. During this time the first doctor we saw was called away and our case was taken over by another.

The CT results came in, still no signs of a stroke, and no neck damage. Another relief to find out what it isn't.

After some more poking around and listening to some of our observations, our new conclusion: we are dealings with two different things. Donna has injured her shoulder and elbow of her left arm causing tendonitis. Judging from Donna's reaction when the doctor poked at her shoulder and elbow, I'm inclined to agree with this assessment. I'm also thinking this is it because when I could get Donna to stop fidgeting around her arm improved (a little), and when ever she would move her arm around allot her symptoms got worse.

As for her mouth the doctor thought she might be suffering from a minor case of Bell's palsy. Not really sure how both of these happened at the same time. Donna and I talked about it, and we're thinking the stress of loosing control of her arm might have triggered it. The effect is only in one corner of her mouth. The rest of her face is fine. She's describing the feeling like when you leave the dentist after some dental work. Its enough though that it is effecting her speech.

The doctor gave her a shot of pain killer and muscle relaxant, and gave her a prescription to something. (Don't remember what it was right now, I'll update when I do)

So around 10:00pm were got to come home again with orders to rest her arm, to see the doctor on Monday, and if something happens come back to the emergency room.

This brought us home after a long scary day. We are all relieved it wasn't a stroke, and we are hopefully she'll get well soon with out lasting effect.

We'll know more later. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated. (I may edit this post if I have any corrections to make)

If you would like to send your well wishes to Donna please @poisonddt at Twitter, or post a comment here.

Widget and Coco showing off their new sweaters.



It didn't take but a few minutes for Widget and Baby(the cat) to knock everything off the table.

The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd's Doug Price lost his house Friday. Fans are being asked to help him out.

On November 14, 2008, Radio Adventures Of Dr. Floyd co-creator (and the voice of Dr. Floyd) lost his house and possessions in the Sylmar, CA fire. We’re now offering and EXCLUSIVE episode of the show to those who donate $5 or more to help Doug get back on his feet. Check out www.DoctorFloyd.com/doug for more information!

PROMO #053 "Let's Help Doug!"

I've donated my $5 to help Doug out, but if you donate $10 and let Mur Lafferty know, you'll receive an exclusive audio short story from the superhero universe of her Playing For Keeps novel!

I voted over lunch. Line wasn't too bad, but every booth was full.

A line as the polls open. 7:00 AM at the Church of God, Elk City, Oklahoma.

Spring Valley - Diabetes Nutrition Daily Health Pack with Green Tea plus Lutein

Started taking these today as part of my daily diabetes regiment. I have been taking a regular multivitamin, but saw these at Walmart the other day and thought I'd give them a try. I'll take these in the morning after breakfast when I take my other diabetes medication. If I notice any difference I'll let everyone know.

Been quite a morning here at the office. Our connection to the outside world went down. So most of what I get done during the morning has been delayed until our internet connection is restored.

I'm not just sitting around though, still lots to do. I've been taking advantage of the downtime by doing some ITLnet site maintenance. It didn't take long, just shuffle some of the articles around, and do a minor tweak here and there.

I've also been working on project BUILD, a customer project. Which is likely what I'll be working on this afternoon. Can't work as much on it as I like too because I need some online sources while building on it.

Still busy as I am, I feel a little out of touch. Those minor interruptions of e-mails, phone calls, IMs, tweets, and news notices during the day, though sometimes annoying, are actually helping my coding. They keep me from getting too locked onto the screen by changing my focus from time to time. Helps with the eye strain. Without those little interruptions, I can really loose track of time (of which I need to keep for billing purposes). I remember one coding session I sat down after lunch and before I knew it everyone had left for the day.

Well enough of this little interruption, back to work, then lunch.

www.paperconsole.com