How proud am I?

My beautiful neice, the talented soul that she is has BLITZED her classes this semester..

Well done Boogie, I am exceptionally proud of you.  You are awesome and I love you very much.

Me xx

Flooding in Queanbeyan

Due to the weather conditions and flooding that is occuring in the Queanbeyan area I feel that a name change for the area is in order.

I declare that Queanbeyan is now "Bogan Atlantas"..  I feel as though this is a fit name for the area now considering the amount of bogans per litre of flood water.

Let's hope there is enough flannel to soak up all that water.

Nice November

It's November...  For various reasons I am an absolute cranky pants during all if not MOST of November.

So, I've made a pact that for the rest of November I am going to be nice.  Not saccharin sweet, but nice.. Not overly nice, but sedately nice. Not diazepam nice, but just nice.

Nice...  If I fail to be nice to you, please put your grievences in writing and I'll get back to you in December.

Regards
Me

Tuesday's visit to my new best friend, Dr H.

I gotta tell you, for a busy man he is pretty prompt.

We arrived 15 minutes early as per the instructions.. Dr H. arrived soon after, even though I had a bit of a whinge about the fact that WE are expected to be there within a certain time frame why couldn't he be?

Then I thought, well he is probably driving an unreliable BMW or Jag or something along those lines and it's broken down or his car had been stolen in an unsavory part of town and therefore he couldn't get there on time.  As I sit there thinking of all the "worst case scenario's" Dr H could be going through he walked through the door more or less spot on my appointment time. Thank god, cause the next thing on my list to think about was the fact that I may need to find another Neurologist, and this thought didn't appeal to me cause I have kinda gotten used to Dr H and his idiosyncrasies.

Very soon after he calls me in followed by my entourage of Mum and Aaron.  He informs me that he has a student Doctor with him, who doesn't seem to have an identity.

It was a lengthy consult of over an hour, with questions and answers being thrown around the room and a great slide show of my brain MRI scans with a show n tell of the lesions in my brain, including one that is about the size of a 20c piece deep in the rear right of my brain and other smaller lesions that are a tear drop shape from my central cortex.

We discussed topics from medication to renovations.. He has indicated that he didn't want to put me on medication as yet, and to see what the next MRI shows.  I have booked in for a full MRI of my brain and spinal cord on the 21st January which means over an hour in the MRI tunnel, however he has taken liberty of prescribing Valium for me in the circumstance that I cannot handle such a long period inside the machine.

He also wanted me to go for a VEP test (http://www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/healthinvestigations.asp?sid=52) which in laymans terms tests how my eyes react to my brain and vice versa.  Bad news is I don't find out the outcome of this test until after the dreaded MRI in January when I see Dr H again which will be almost 6 months after diagnosis and should give some indication as to how the condition is progressing.

Oh, and by the way, he drives a Mazda!

Statistic of the day...

Sharks will only attack you if you are wet.

Introducing Flacido Gomez Dominican

From: Sally
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2010 10:33 AM
To: Rach

How are you luv?

_____________________________________________
From: Rach
To: Sally

Yeah good… how are you going on the dark side?
_____________________________________________
From: Sally
To: Rach

Dark side is exactly that… Dark… Day four and I am not too sure. It's deafeningly quiet.
__________________________________________
From: Rach
To: Sally

LOL… just make it up Sal… it's all good! You'll be fine. I'll have to come visit you one day… I haven't been over there before :)
_____________________________________________
From: Sally
To: Rach

You are welcome anytime.
_____________________________________________
From: Rach
To: Sally

Right… well it's a date… are you in next week?
____________________________________________
From: Sally
To: Rach

Yes.. Unless:

a. I get hit by a bus
b. I go postal, which would result in you visiting me in another Government Building
c. I resign and become a monk
d. I get a sudden attack of paranoia and simply cannot leave the house
e. The cats eat me
f. I run away with the circus
g. I get a better offer
h. I am trapped in an MRI machine and the radiologist doesn't care
i. I was the 34th Chilean miner trapped 622mtrs underground and I was forgotten.. If so, please send help.
_____________________________________________
From: Rach
To: Sally

LMFAO! What about winning lotto? Doesn't that get a mention?
_____________________________________________
From: Sally
To: Rach

Oh please… Now you are just being unrealistically silly… Like that's going to happen!
_____________________________________________
From: Rach
To: Sally

LMFAO! Yep… you being the last miner is much more likely.

_____________________________________________
From: Sally
To: Rach

It could be… I am sitting down here in the dark on my mobile phone on webmail… It's been 10 weeks, they have done things to me I could never explain.. I only posed as a man so I could earn a bit more money.. Once my story is out I am going to sue that mining company for 37 million dollars for sexual assault.. Then I am going to buy a house in Spain overlooking the ocean and retire.

Can you please send me clean underwear? I am getting a bit rank and it's hard to get away from your own stench down here.

_____________________________________________
From: Rach
To: Sally

Let it be said that you, Sally *****, have a VIVID imagination!!!!

__________________________________________
From: Sally
To: Rach

Oh and when you report me missing to the Chilean Authorities can you please use the name Flacido Gomez Dominican? They don't know me as Sally ***** over here (who would believe that name!). I just need another week, by then the weight loss will be at it's supreme and I might be able to be put into that capsule thing without having to wrap my boobs around my neck to fit them in. Thanks.

_____________________________________________
From: Rach
To: Sally

LMFAO! No worries Flacido!!

_____________________________________________
From: Sally
To: Rach

You catch on quick; this is why I can trust you with this information.

p.s. sorry about the lack of postcards.

_____________________________________________
From: Rach
To: Sally

I am going to post this entire conversation on Facebook!

____________________________________________
From: Sally
To: Rach

I was going to change my name to Flacido on FB.. How many people will notice do you reckon? It could cause mass confusion…

I am gunna do it..
_____________________________________________
From: Rach
To: Sally

DO IT!!!

_____________________________________________
To: Rach

Done! NOW everyone will know my little secret.

_____________________________________________
From: Rach
To: Sally

You're a rebel…

_____________________________________________
From: Sally
To: Rach

I just hope no one comes to rescue me before my boobs have shrunk. Just to be on the safe side, could you please send me down some industrial strength gaffa tape or duct tape.. The tape I am using now to flatten my boobs (so I look more realistic as a blokey bloke miner) could do with a freshen up. Oh and some chocolate would be awesome, but it would have to be M&M's cause square blocks won't fit down the cylindrical food chute. Thanks again.
_____________________________________________
From: Rach
To: Sally

What about Pods? You like them!

_____________________________________________
From: Sally
To: Rach

Great idea! But will they melt? It's pretty warm down here, I figured M&M's cause they don’t melt in your hand. But pods would be awesome, just nothing with peanuts just in case I choke.. There is no one down here to give me the hyndlick manoeuvre.

____________________________________________
From: Rach
To: Sally

I have just read your email out in the office… we are all crying with laughter

Apologies for absence...

Wow, where has that month gone?

I am afraid I will not be able to remember all that has happened during my absence, however I will be able to give you some highlights.

Got a pedicure

Yup, that should just about do it.

Nah, in all seriousness... I've been a busy little porkchop..

I feel relaxed and cleansed, albeit a bit tired. I've done a lot of travelling, spent some quality time with loved ones, seen new things, killed a bird, met new friends and even found an old one in the most unusual place, but mostly I have learnt more about myself by doing some soul searching.

Eugene's teleportal machine..

Eugene is one of your Information Technology experts here in the Office.

This morning he and I had a discussion about transport and the fact that you need to take a packed lunch, clean underwear, worming tablets and deodorant to get from Point A to Point B within the Metro area.

During this discussion I suggested that maybe with his "know how" he can build a teleportal machine in his courtyard using parts from printers, dental floss etc to transport himself (and friends if need be) to places such as work, the Apple Store or other exotic cities..

As to not raise suspicion of the nosey neighbours and police helicopters, I suggested that he disguise it as an outhouse and indicated that I know where he would find some corrugated iron for said teleportal machine..

E has since told me that when he was about 50, he realised that if he went into the future he could re-cycle old computer parts and build his own printer, which also made cups of tea with biscuits.

If only more people in the world had the vision that E does..  The world would have so much less congestion :)

What are lesions?

MS does it's damage by causing the nerves in localised areas in the brain and spinal cord to lose their protective sheaths, called myelin.

At first when the myelin is being attacked, the body brings a higher blood supply to the area to fight the attack and the area becomes swollen and inflamed. These areas now become "lesions." At this point, when they are inflamed and blood engorged, they are called "active lesions."

At first the nerves, themselves, haven't changed much and they appear (and have the same density) as the healthy areas around them. The body attempt to repair the damage that is being done and sometimes these areas re-myelinate. They may disappear from the next MRI. They aren't perfect in their function, but the area may return to a normal appearance.

If the nerves do not re-myelinate and the damage continues, for a long time the lesions sit as scars. These scarred areas have damaged and dying cells in them, the blood supply shrinks, and the areas become more dense - more dense than the normal brain around them. These are the classic MS plaques and are considered old lesions. They show up as the bright areas most of us have seen in pictures and on our films.

If the attack on the myelin sheath is too strong for the immune system to repair, more and more myelin disappears and the area of nerves eventually dies. Then it contracts and scars. The blood flow is decreased to that area and the body tries to reabsorb the dead area. It becomes "less dense" then the surrounding normal nerve tissue. After a longer time - probably years - the scar can reabsorb completely and the area becomes "empty." It's called a black hole.

How the MRI Shows These Different Stages of MS Lesions

When you image these lesions with an MRI you can see different things, depending on the technique, the age (stage) of the lesion, the power of the MRI, and whether contrast is used.

The first MRI image is done without contrast. This technique will show old lesions that are big enough to be seen by the power of that MRI machine. WE KNOW that many lesions in MS are too small to be seen. If the newer, more powerful MRI with a 3 Tesla magnet is used many more lesions will be seen (by at least 25%) than on the older 1.5 Tesla machines. The classic old, scarred, mature MS lesion is a little bit oval, will have well-defined borders and will be in the white matter. Characteristic places (but not the only places) are subcortical, peri-ventricular and in the corpus callosum. The classic MS lesion will also have it's long axis perpendicular to the ventricles of the brain. Also, important and very symptomatic lesions are found in the brainstem, the cervical and the thoracic spine. The spinal cord ends at the bottom of the thoracic spine, so there is no such thing as a lumbar spinal cord lesion in the normal spine.

The scarred lesions will show up as light, bright areas. These are the classic, MS lesions or "plaques." But, with just the regular MRI image one can NOT say if it is old and dormant or if it has active inflammation in it.

Now the very old, scarred ones that have been reabsorbed will show up as a black (empty) space or black hole. If there are many of these empty areas the brain will contract around them eventually and show up as a loss of brain volume. This is also know as brain atrophy. This is particularly seen in the progressive types of MS. In brain atrophy there will be an increased space between the skull and the brain. Also the deep folds in the brain will appear widened.

However, a newly active MS lesion may not show up on a regular MRI because the area of nerves, though inflamed, is still pretty much intact and has normal brain density. On the MRI it will look like normal brain. Without contrast it won't show up and will be missed.

When the next phase of MRI is done the contrast is in the blood vessels. Anywhere the blood vessels are more dilated than usual, bringing more blood to the area, as in inflammation, the areas will "highlight" or "enhance." They show up as even brighter than the brain around them and brighter than an old, scarred lesion. So new lesions will show up as "enhancing," or "active". Also, older lesions, that have undergone a new attack right around them (also called reactivation) will show an enhancing rim or ring. When you compare the regular MRI to the Contrast MRI you can see this reactivated, old lesion.

That's how some reports can call active lesions or some report no newly enhancing lesions (these say the same thing). Also since some new ones heal they can be compared to old films and show they disappeared. In addition, between different sets of MRI done after a time has passed, the radiologist can see an increase in old and in new activity.

Might wanna take some time off work for Geoff's Prune Brownies....

Chocolate Prune Brownies


Soak 300g of prunes in 200ml of hot black tea for 3 days (or cognac or brandy)
My note:  Please ensure that you allow ample time for this to occur. Some suggestions may be to take some time off work for this part of the recipe or to put the prunes in a thermos or a crockpot just so the black tea remains hot for the whole 3 days. Alternatively you could take the prunes to work with you to ensure the tea remains hot. My mother keeps icing warm by shoving it between her breasts (in a plastic bag of course), you might get away with this practice at work.  If this is the case, it is advised not to wear a lot cut top or swimwear.  If you have no boobs, please buy a thermos.

Preheat oven to 170, grease and line rectangular cake tin (20×30x4)
My note: You might wanna do this on the 3rd day, not the first just to save energy.

Melt 300g dark choc (min 55% – I used 70%), 80g unsalted butter and 200g caster sugar in a bain marie, stirring til melted (10min). Ensure water doesn’t touch bottom of bowl. Set aside to cool.
My note: as above.

Use an electric mixer to beat in 4 eggs, one at a time.
My note:  It is unclear whether you have to use 4 separate bowls for the 4 separate eggs.. I bucked with the trend here and couldn't be bothered beating them one at a time, and I threw 'em all in together, lets face it, they are all going to be together eventually.

Sift together 55g plain flour, 40g cocoa, half tsp salt and 2 tsp of baking powder and add to chocolate mixture. Mix until combined.
My note: Combined into what? I presume this is where you add the eggs too, though the recipe isn't all that clear on where these stupid eggs come into it. However, I told you the eggs would have to come together eventually.

Add prunes and liquid, 100g sour cream and 140g of dark choc melts ( I added some pistachios cause I had used 70% choc and thought it was intense enough). Stir until just combined.
My note: Good lord!

Bake for one hour. Test it is set by placing your hand in the centre and wobbling it. Mine took more like 50 minutes.

Allow to cool in tin before turning out. Cut into pieces with a hot knife. (I found this very tricky as it started to break when I tried to turn it out).
My note:  It is NOT advised to stick the knife between your boobs to warm it up as advised above with the prunes.. It is advised to heat the knife in hot water.

Considering that PRUNES are great for those who suffer from constipation, it is advised that you may want to limit your intake of these brownies..  Otherwise, you might wanna take some more time off work.

Good luck!