Grrrrrr dat!

Click on the top of the four video frames to the right.
I want to know how he copied all my moves!

Today, on the advice of many, I went to the dr. But because it was going to take three weeks to get in to see him, I actually saw his P.A., a good guy I've seen before. In fact, he's the one who sent me for the stress test that, it turns out, was unnecessary.
But before we go further, I did some research on the internet last night. I read two articles by docs that said the atmosphere on an airplane, even tho the cabin is pressurized, can involve atmospheric pressures significantly lower than normal. This drop in environmental pressure causes all the blood vessels in the body to dilate. If an individual is already dehydrated - for any one of a number of reasons - this means that those dilated blood vessels now have even less blood in them, and the result can be fainting! Among the causes of dehydration mentioned: diuretics used to treat high blood pressure. BINGO! Because of how early the flight was I hadn't had anything to drink since I got up a little before 4:00 a.m. Not even any Diet Coke! (imagine that!) So I figure that's exactly what happened. By 8:45 I was a quart low.
OK, now another detail. For the last 30 years or more I've had seizures, BUT ONLY when I pass out, and that ALWAYS comes as the result of a) coming down with a serious bug, or b) getting a really bad case of food poisoning from bad clams (DAMHIK). Maybe 1/2 dozen seizures total, but they're gran mals, and while I'm not aware of the seizures themselves, the feeling afterward is really, really yucky. It lasts for a day or more. Total exhaustion, weakness, etc.

OK, I go to the PA, I told him what happened and made the mistake of telling him I've had maybe a 1/2 dozen gran mals in the past, but always as the result of some precipitating issue. I told him about the dehydration gig. And that I was feeling 100% by bedtime last night (I wrote my blog mid-afternoon) so I figure my yuck was due to the seizure, not a bug.
Next thing I know he's talking about yanking my drivers license per AZ law because I have a seizure disorder. WAIT A MINUTE!! "Dude, you're about to throw our already marginal finances in the dumpster" He says it can't be dehydration because my labs from the Vegas ER show everything was OK - kidney function, etc. So my hypothesis is out the window.
Some really earnest talking on my part, he leaves the room, and comes back clearly uncomfortable. I'm to go immediately for a consult with a neurologist who is expecting me and from there for a CT scan of my head. He'll reluctantly delay yanking my license until he hears the results.
So...I spent the next 4 hours running to those two appt.s. After hearing my story and doing some tests the neurologist says, rather dismissively, "you don't have a seizure disorder." AMEN!! I have vasal vagal syncope. That's a fancy term that means that when I have a drop in blood pressure to my brain it triggers a syncope - a fainting spell. It doesn't warrant any action on my drivers license. And it doesn't warrant a CT scan of my brain - but I'm already scheduled over there. So, I went and had that done.
Oh yeah, the neurologist thinks that the dehydration hypothesis is a perfectly valid explanation, and that the IV I got in the ambulance meant any kidney function by the time they did the tests in the ER would turn up negative for dehydration.
So...I just blew a wad of $$$ on deductibles for tests I didn't need and nearly lost my license because the PA (again) overreacted.
The neurologist said, with a bit of a wink, that I shouldn't drive for a few days just to be sure, but that next time I should just drink more fluids before flying.
I'm a little on the disgusted side.

On to happier thoughts:
The amaryllis grew 1/2" overnight. Think Sherstad twins.
I downloaded the entire 409 pages of the Mitchell Report in PDF format. I plan to read all but the irrelevant stuff - the long intro and procedures part. Then I'm going to make plans to see a Little League game, the only level at which baseball is pure sport....we hope. MLB is a total farce, from top to bottom.
I worked on the curriculum this morning. I'm suddenly making good progress on that project and it has me wired to finish the first year's course.
I also worked on my S.S. lesson for that first Sunday. And I'm very wired about that! In fact, before the afternoon's debacle with the medical profession I planned to make that the core of this post. Maybe tomorrow. But I'm anxious for the 6th. We'll have lots of logistical issues to solve, and childcare is the one staring us in the face right now. But the opportunity to do something very good in a culture where .....
Oooops. I'm starting to get going on it, and there isn't room in this blog.
Over the weekend I'm going to build some shelves for the new offices of the firm for which Steve works. It will be fun to do some cabinet work. Then I'll install them Monday.

Why do 60+ year old men with gray hair bother wearing a cheap toupee?
Why do people in Buick's drive so slowly when they're in front of me?
Why does my van make really scary engine noises when I turn the radio down?

The word misogynist means "woman-hater". So what term means "man-hater"?