Ice cream...

Tonight I'm grateful for laughs, weak margaritas, fish-n-chips, and ice cream.  But not necessarily in that order.  But wait - perhaps in that order because you paid for the first part and I paid for the ice cream.  Yeah, so I guess in that order.  Thank god the laughs were free though - we had a LOT.

:-)

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Our blog was named as a Finalist for this year’s CBS Boston Most Valuable Blogger award in the Lifestyle & Family category!

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Nate & Amy

Lifestyle and Family Blogs « Most Valuable Blogger « CBS Boston

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CBS Boston's Most Valuable Blogger Awards 2011 Finalists Have Been Announced! Go Vote! After much deliberation and careful consideration of many nominees, CBS Boston has narrowed the field of Finalists down for this year's MVB. Voting for finalists is open now through September 9th. Let your voice b...

Dr. Barth Green

I am extremely grateful for Dr. Barth Green and his associates at the University of Miami Miller school of medicine for the work they did on my neck three weeks ago today. This is my second surgery with Dr. Green, I saw him in 2008 when my spinal cord needed untethering. Dr. Green is professor and chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery and specializes in the surgical management of complex spine and spinal cord injuries and disorders. He is also a great human being! He is courteous, genuine, engaging, and funny. Dr. Green takes time to explain every minute detail of a diagnosis or a possible surgical solution, and to answer any and all questions that patients might have for him. He pulls no punches. He will tell you if he thinks that surgery will improve the condition and will always remind you that surgery is not a guarantee. He has a great bedside manner and always greets you with a smile. When Dr. Green performs surgery on a patient he goes out of his way to meet with the family and update them personally when he is finished. He doesn't send someone else to do it.
He has dedicated himself to curing paralysis. He is co-founder of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and the University of Miami’s Global Institute for Community Health and Development, (a university-wide program focused on improving health care and advancing community development in the Western Hemisphere.) Dr. Green also co-founded Shake-A-Leg Miami with Harry Horgan in 1990 after he recruited Harry to start a year-round program in Miami.
"In January, 2010, Dr. Green led the massive medical relief effort in Haiti after a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the Caribbean country, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and critically injured. Green was on the ground within 20 hours, and he soon inaugurated a field hospital, gathered supplies and brought together hundreds of doctors and nurses to provide life-saving medical treatment to nearly 30,000 injured Haitians and perform more than 1,500 emergency surgeries. It was his long relationship with Haiti through Project Medishare, which he co-founded in 1994, that made the rapid response possible." (University of Miami Miller school of medicine newsletter, April 21, 2011)
For his dedication to neurological science and his exemplary humanitarian efforts in Haiti over the past 20 years Dr. Green received was awarded the 2011 Humanitarian Award of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
Dr. Green has reached out to countless numbers of people who have sustained spinal cord injuries. Buffalo Bills reserve tight end Kevin Everett suffered a severe spinal-cord injury in the first game of the season in 2009. Dr. Green made the bold statement  that Everett would not only walk again, but would do so within a month and a half of sustaining the injury. Dr. Green is the physician who helped develop the "modest hypothermia" treatment that was administered to Everett in the tense moments after he was injured. It took about a month longer but Green's prediction came true!

I don't have enough blog space to list all of Dr. Green's recognitions and awards, so here is a small sample:

Dr. Green received the Florida Association of Nonprofit Organization’s prestigious Lawton’s Heart Humanitarian Award in 2010 for his lifetime devotion to humanitarian causes.

He also received the Jan Pfeiffer Distinguished Service Award which recognizes members of the community who have stood out in their commitment to community involvement and service.

My surgery was a success. He removed two cervical discs, decompressed the spinal nerves in my neck, and put in a new fusion (I summed up what he did very succinctly and in layman's terms.) Hopefully I will regain some of the fine motor function that had been deteriorating over the last few years due to the compressed nerves.

What I am happiest about is the scar left from the incision. Dr. Green must really like me because whoever stitched me up did a fantastic job! My biggest fear was that I was going to be left with a big ugly scar in the front of my neck (if you don't know me very well I can be vain at times!) I was stitched up with dissolvable stitches on the inside and the wound was glued shut on the outside. The other day the glue finally came off and it revealed the thinnest of lines about 2 to 3 inches long. You can barely notice it which makes me a very happy man! I can resume my modeling career!!!

In summary, Dr. Green is the best surgeon when it comes to spine and spinal cord issues and I will not let another surgeon touch me. The only fault that I can find with the man is that he is a Miami Heat basketball fan! Unfortunately they will never win a championship because Lebron James is on that team and karma will not allow it!

Grateful for Nate... and life changing experiences

Nate, I'm grateful for YOU.  I know we're meeting for ice cream tomorrow after far too long but I wanted to let you know that today my gratitude is for you, the other best looking pi day baby on earth.  You take care of things I clearly haven't been on top of.  While I'm grateful for all of the experiences in life that change my perspective (great ones like my recent trip to Africa which kept me from this blog and my other), I'm always grateful for the small things people do that mark a turning point in life - almost imperceptable things that mark a otherwise ordinary moments in time as those that mattered.  Who knows, maybe we'll win this CBS MVB (Most Valuable Blogger) blog contest because you paid attention to the little thing of nominating us - and we'll split $50 worth of ice cream.

:-)

Spinal Headaches

Spoke to the Doc yesterday and it's NOT a migraine that I'm suffering from, it's a spinal headache which is worse! For those that don't know, spinal headaches are a rare side affect from an injection into or spinal tap from the intrathecal space in the Central Nervous System. If the hole created from the needle does not clot properly spinal fluid can bleat out of the hole. The pressure in the CNS is thrown off causing crushing headaches that are at their worst when sitting upright. The only relief is by lying down, treating it with medications and caffeine, and if the headache is not gone within a couple of days you must go to the emergency room and received what is called a "blood patch." This is when they inject your own blood into your spinal canal so that the hole that was created can properly clot.
this is my third day and I am very grateful that my headaches are dissipating and it looks like I will not have to go to the hospital which is fine with me because I have had enough of hospitals recently :)