Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: John MacKenzie Date: 06 Dec 10 - 11:53 AM Wahooooooooooooooo |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: Jeri Date: 06 Dec 10 - 08:44 AM I had the phone off and charging, and this morning, I got a voice mail from Tom. YES! Real honest-to-goodness audible vocal cordage! |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: GUEST,Bat Goddess in Boston Date: 06 Dec 10 - 08:30 AM ChanteyLass -- got 'em, thanks. Always travel with them. But, alas, that's not the current problem. Because of my bum knee, I can only sleep in one position -- on my back -- and that's neither my usual sleep position, nor a particularly comfortable one for me. Sleeping on my side, no matter how I prop or cushion the knee, is painful. Sooo...because I can't change positions, stress is placed on my lower back and, often, at some point the sciatic nerve is irritated and is just enough discomfort to keep me from falling back to sleep unless I sit at the table to unkink it for awhile. Actually slept fairly well last night. I think I've finally figured out the pain pill dosage. Plus a benedryl to encourage sleep -- I've not liked any prescription sleeping pill I've taken, but that usually works fine. Totally goofed off yesterday -- didn't have to go anywhere or do anything. Kept active enough so the knee wouldn't seize up, but didn't put any stress on it. All I did all day was read (finished my re-read after 45 years of "Live and Let Die" by Ian Fleming -- then started "Moonraker") and watch the Food Channel. Need to find some resident to whom to give the Vanity Fair magazine I just wrapped up so I don't have to carry it home. (Also read a couple local free magazines -- Stuff and The Improper Bostonian.) Intend to do more of the same today -- unless Kim calls and Tom can start voice therapy. Today, too, Beacon House is doing a K9 inspection for bed bugs -- prophylactic as they've never had a problem. Linn |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: John MacKenzie Date: 06 Dec 10 - 07:11 AM Goretex Shanty anybody? |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: MikeL2 Date: 06 Dec 10 - 06:33 AM hi linn & Tom I am delighted to read the recent news. It sounds as if you are now both making great progress. Having been through some of what you are experiencing I can empathise. Keep going both of you.......it's sometimes tough but you will get there. Kind Regards MikeL2 |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: dick greenhaus Date: 05 Dec 10 - 10:44 PM Tom, Once you're tuned, don't let them near you with a capo. |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: ChanteyLass Date: 05 Dec 10 - 10:12 PM Tom, keep healing. Linn, consider a sleep mask (blindfold) and wax earplugs, They are inexpensive and don't take up much room when packing. |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: kendall Date: 05 Dec 10 - 08:51 PM Keep it coming Tom. You know that brevity is the soul of wit. That's why your posts don't go on and on. |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: Charley Noble Date: 05 Dec 10 - 08:43 PM Tom and Linn- I'm curious about the "tuning." It would be intriguing if one could click a remote to adjust one's register to lead a particular song, rather than do what I do by dropping it a key or two! But having any kind of more vocal presence will certainly be welcome, even if you chew us out for the sentimental claptrap that we've been singing for months at the shanty sessions. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: maeve Date: 05 Dec 10 - 02:56 PM Thank you both for the updates, Tom and Linn. Maeve |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: gnu Date: 05 Dec 10 - 02:37 PM Better and better. What a joy! |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: GUEST,curmudgeon Date: 05 Dec 10 - 02:32 PM Second attempt. Why do strange computers always bugger things up? I'll never remember what I just wrote, except that improvement seems to be the watchword du jour; less swelling, less irritation, easier swalloing, some vocal tone. The voice is not yet as strong as it was right after the op, but is slowly coming back. Appetite is good, can eat/drink most anything I'e triedf not too hot or acidic, but I drank hotter coffee today than yesterday. Can't stay and chat more now, as I am a slow typist, and there are only three macines for the whole place. Thanks again for all the support - Tom |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: GUEST,Justine Date: 04 Dec 10 - 05:35 PM What great news from two people who deserve the best. There will be so much to celebrate in the New Year. Linn, will Tom share his sleeping pills, or at least his rum? |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: kendall Date: 04 Dec 10 - 03:54 PM Frost you say? |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: gnu Date: 04 Dec 10 - 03:47 PM It gets better and better! I like it! |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: GUEST, Bat Goddess in Boston Date: 04 Dec 10 - 02:58 PM By the way, that post was from me -- Bat Goddess in Boston. But I'll bet you figured it out. Linn |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: GUEST Date: 04 Dec 10 - 02:57 PM Glad Tom finally got a chance to check the thread and post. His writer's block dissipated (or at least was alleviated) after the first restoration procedure. Hurray for moving forward!!! This is going to be fun -- I forgot my cheaters (which usually live on the top of my head) back on top of the James Bond book in our room. Seem to be doing okay as long as I can keep my eyes way back from the screen. His sleeping pill worked a trick last night, but I slept very poorly last night. Even a double dose of benedryl didn't work. Having only one sleeping position -- on my back, upper body slightly raised, pillows under my bum knee -- is a real pain in the posterior. Literally. And the base of my spine. Plus the light of one of the street lamps found its way through the shad and directly into my eye -- and, having no option of moving, I couldn't avoid it. And the people outside conversing loudly at 2:30 in the mornng, fer-pete's-sake. Tom is feeling sooooo much better today, and looking so much better. The steroids they prescribed (one less per day for six days) started working immediately, but the swelling is complicating things such as taking the pain meds (and the host of other meds he has to take). Finally Linn |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: SINSULL Date: 04 Dec 10 - 02:19 PM Good news, Tom! I keep thinking of George Costanza's huge Gortex coat on Seinfeld. He kept knocking things over and bumping into people. Looked like the Michelin Tire man. Do we get to see the contraption once you're healed? Mary |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: GUEST,kendall Date: 04 Dec 10 - 12:52 PM Great to hear from you in person.There is only so much Linn can tell us about you, so, keep us informed first person. Ok? |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: jacqui.c Date: 04 Dec 10 - 12:25 PM Good to hear from you Tom! The self imposed dietary restrictions will go away with time - the voice will come back - probably a trade worth making right now. Keep us updated, won't you. |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: John MacKenzie Date: 04 Dec 10 - 12:12 PM Fingers firmly crossed Tom |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: Jeri Date: 04 Dec 10 - 12:12 PM Sounds good, Tom. You're back up to two cats. Sabine came out of hiding and let me know in no uncertain terms that she wanted FOOD! IN! THE! DISH!, DAMMIT! They'd cleaned out the food bowls. I cleaned out the cat box. I started a fire. Couldn't find the matches because, evidently the cats had done some redecorating. I found matches on the back of the table. Lit the fire, went to get some more wood and the cat It must be something to hear your voice after whispering for months. Enjoy the ice cream! |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: katlaughing Date: 04 Dec 10 - 12:08 PM Good to *hear* from you, Tom. A fruit smoothie with half a banana, blueberries, and raspberries, made with almond milk really helps get pills down in the AM, too. Getting in tune with Dr. Z, eh?*bg* luvyakat |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: Ebbie Date: 04 Dec 10 - 12:04 PM I LOVE happy endings! Especially at the beginnings. |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: GUEST,Guest curmudgeon Date: 04 Dec 10 - 11:39 AM Greetings to all - first time on the computerb since Wed. early a'am. Thanks ofr all the well wishing, et al. While it is great to have no dietary restrictions imposed from without, my own limitations are somewhat annoying; warm coffee -not hot, ice water, not tepid, and with only the taste of rum. Taking pills is a bit painful first thing in tjhe am, but ice cream really helps, espicially with the oxycodone, which then helps everything else. One reason there are no real restrictions is that there was no internal cutting or stitching; the gortex was "tucked" into place during which procedure I many time uttered "eeeeee," aaaaaaa," and counted from 1 to 10 while Dr. Z proceed with the "tuning." I actually had more volune right after the procedure than I do now, but the new voice should be retturning as the swelling goes down. I'll post more at some other time so as to give pthers a chance at the computer -- Thanks again - Tom |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: Charley Noble Date: 04 Dec 10 - 10:17 AM Linn- Thanks for your vivid descriptions of riding cabs in downtown Boston. Pleased to hear that Tom's in the recovery phase and there are fewer restrictions than discussed above. Cheerily, Charley Noble and JudyB |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: Jeri Date: 04 Dec 10 - 10:11 AM Over to feed and water cats and remove results of previous feeding and watering soon. Depending on how cold it is in the house, I may start a fire. It's probably OK, but it's cloudy and supposed to flurry, so I'll see. I hope sleeping/resting/recovering is going well. |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: jacqui.c Date: 04 Dec 10 - 08:20 AM How is Tom doing with being out of hospital and all? Here's hoping for a fast recovery and a VOICE! |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 04 Dec 10 - 07:48 AM I second all the above! |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: bbc Date: 04 Dec 10 - 07:43 AM Sorry I came to this thread so late, but I'm thankful that things are going well. You two have been through much too much in recent times. Hope you are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. love, Barbara |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: gnu Date: 04 Dec 10 - 06:18 AM Double ditto my last post!!! |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: Nancy King Date: 04 Dec 10 - 12:24 AM Sounds good! Keep mending and resting! |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: katlaughing Date: 03 Dec 10 - 10:34 PM Whatta day for cabbies! Thanks for the recounting, Linn. Hope you both get lots of quality rest and are on your way ever upwards from here. I once had a semi-truck driver tell me he'd rather drive in NYC any day than Boston! kat |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: GUEST,izo Date: 03 Dec 10 - 09:55 PM Glad to hear Tom came through everything so well,and will be getting back to normal soon. |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: GUEST,sharon Date: 03 Dec 10 - 09:47 PM Glad Tom's procedure is over and here's hoping for a perfect outcome! Love to you both! |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: Leadfingers Date: 03 Dec 10 - 09:47 PM Cup Half Full seems better than Cup Half Empty ! Good Thoughts from across the Pond ! |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: Jeri Date: 03 Dec 10 - 09:15 PM Sounds like things are going great! I imagine Tom was pretty happy with the common-sense dietary changes. |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: GUEST, Bat Goddess in Boston Date: 03 Dec 10 - 09:05 PM Sorry I couldn't update this earlier, but when I last ventured to the computer lab, there were 4 people for the 3 computers and they were all involved in a complicated political discussion. Beacon Hill is an interesting NEIGHBORHOOD and Beacon House is an interesting COMMUNITY of mostly residents in senior apartments. (Just those of us on the second floor are medical transients.) Today was the Day of the Cab Driver. When I left the lab this morning and went back to our room, I got a call on my cell from the PACU just as I was trying to call them on the land line -- come get Tom; he was being sprung. So I called Boston Cab and the cab was waiting for me when I got downstairs. At last! A cabbie who speaks English! AND he's been a musician around Boston since the '60s AND he wanted to talk about it. I had mentioned that Tom lived in the neighborhood during the Great Folk Scare of the '60s when he performed at local coffee houses and also cooked at The Turk's Head Coffeehouse. So the cabbie wanted to talk about Judy Collins and Joan Baez and the fact that when his band got together recently someone requested "Eve of Destruction" but they had never learned it. Because of clogged streets, we ended up detouring around the front of the State House so I got my first glimpse of Boston Common and the Public Garden in years, then back around unclogged streets to Cambridge St. and Mass General. Got up to the PACU on Ellison and Tom was all ready for me (well, he hadn't put street clothes on yet). Got him together -- they'd lost his socks, so he has those horrible no skid socks the hospital gives 'em -- and they even got ME a wheelchair to take us out of here. If I'd had to walk, I never could have kept up and I definitely couldn't push him through the halls. So...out to the front of the hospital where we got a cab to Dr. Z's. Dr. Z wasn't there -- he was on a flight somewhere -- but one of the other associates scoped Tom, etc. The area is a little swollen, understandably, and he has a drain that has to be left in until Wed. morning -- looks like he has a white textured goiter. Got prescriptions for antibiotics and painkillers, consulted with Kim who is getting in touch with Dr. Z about whether voice therapy can/should be started Monday or Tuesday (since we really have no other plans than hanging out). She'll let us know. By the way, Tom has NO dietary restrictions (other than common sense) -- if it's irritating to eat, don't eat it. He can even have coffee, I guess, but he won't want it for a few days. (Or weak so it's not uncomfortable.) AND there are no vocal restrictions, but until the swelling goes down and he relearns how to use the muscles where the right cord used to be, etc., he's still not up to "normal" volume. So we left there and went across Cambridge St. to fill the Rxs at Rite-Aid -- which didn't stock the antibiotic. Soooo...a painful, slow walk down Cambridge St. to CVS where we got everything we needed. Back out on the street for a cab back to Beacon House. Now THIS was the entertaining ride! Streets on the Hill are very, very narrow. There are narrow brick sidewalks that no one uses -- they walk in the street. There's parking on one side and delivery trucks, etc. often block the way. Confronted with a large truck blocking Myrtle St., our cabbie took stock of the situation and decided to squeeze past -- between truck, sidewalk, fenced in tree, etc. Slowly, very slowly, constantly recalculating and making minor corrections. When the side mirror made tight contact with the truck, he first adjusted the mirror, then discovered the truck's fiber glass (or something) side could be pushed in slightly while he inched past. One more minute course recalculation, compensation and, Voila! Free at last! Free at last! He's the Man! What an accomplished display of driving -- he got a bigger tip out of it, too. Worth it for the entertainment. Had lunch from Beacon Pizza again -- and it was my new favorite flavor of all time: Alfredo spinach and bacon. Wonderful. Also enough (out of a small pizza) left for another meal. I think we both took a nap this afternoon. I know I did. The exertions of this morning wore me out. The Press Room session should be over for the evening, so this post should be here when friends get home and check the computer. But from here until Wednesday morning, it will be mostly hanging out. We're seeing Dr. Z 8:30 on Wed., so we'll be out of there in time to get the 11 a.m. train back home. I'll keep checking here and posting, though, don't worry. Linn |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: gnu Date: 03 Dec 10 - 01:17 PM Glad to hear the good news. Looking forward to more of the same. |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: John MacKenzie Date: 03 Dec 10 - 12:26 PM Ooh, remember you said that, and not me :) |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: SINSULL Date: 03 Dec 10 - 11:43 AM Or the Rubber Ducky, John? |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: Nancy King Date: 03 Dec 10 - 11:04 AM Sounds like things are going pretty well! That's good! Linn, I hope you're getting a chance for a little bit of rest between appointments. You certainly deserve it! Tom, you take it easy too -- and do what Dr. Z says! I'll be thinking of you both -- Nancy |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: SINSULL Date: 03 Dec 10 - 10:08 AM Glad the surgery went well. Tom. Now rest and recover and get home ASAP. Hospitals are not a good place to be sick. Mary |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: John MacKenzie Date: 03 Dec 10 - 08:49 AM If Mel Tormé was known as The Velvet Fog, could Tom become The GoreTex Fog ? |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 03 Dec 10 - 08:37 AM good news so far & more to come. |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: GUEST,Bat Goddess in Boston Date: 03 Dec 10 - 08:08 AM For what it's worth, I slept better and longer and in less pain. (And that's without the pain meds which didn't seem to be doing much.) I'll call Tom in the PACU in a little less than an hour. Linn |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: John MacKenzie Date: 03 Dec 10 - 05:23 AM Well thinghs sound positive, and I'm pleased to hear that. Curmudging is a good sign. |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: Charley Noble Date: 02 Dec 10 - 09:42 PM Linn- Thanks for the update. We needed that! Charley Noble |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: katlaughing Date: 02 Dec 10 - 09:31 PM {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} to you both and to Dr. Z! |
Subject: RE: BS: Curmudgeon: Voice Restoration, Part 2 From: AllisonA(Animaterra) Date: 02 Dec 10 - 07:16 PM Love to you, dear Linn- wine and chocolate, you deserve it! |