Overseas (Finally)
Just letting everyone know I made it to Singapore ok after a bit of adventure, but that is part of traveling. When I woke up Wednesday morning I found out that all flights out of San Diego were canceled due to fog! I called United and they could get me Tokyo that day, but I would miss my connecting flight there. It was still quite early in the day so my mom called into to work and took the day off so we could drive up to Los Angeles and catch the flight I was originally supposed to be on. That worked out fine and the rest of the flights had no issues. Certainly woke me up quickly after a late night.
I headed into the downtown/river area of Singapore today to wonder around and get my bearings. Its an interesting mix of skyscrapers and old buildings with even more new ones going up. Everyone here speaks English so it has been quite easy to get around. I came back for a quick nap and just woke up 5 hours later at 10:30pm so maybe the nap wasn’t a good idea after all. Looks like I’ll be up a while, especially since my body is telling me its 7:30am. Maybe a few beers will help me fall back asleep sometime tonight??? Sounds like its worth a try. Until later.
Brian
Still Alive and Doing OK
Wow, I can’t believe my last update was in September. A lot has been going on then although not much traveling – at least compared to what I had planned. I’ll pick up where I last left off to fill in the blank and on my new plans.
First off I am doing well after my troubles and hospitalizations for my back. I was on IV antibiotics until the end of October and they were able to get rid of the infection. My back is straight again, see the picture from August to remember where I was. In November I started doing physical therapy twice a week to regain my range of motion and general flexibility. After two months where I could barely walk and certainly couldn’t bend over things had tightened up quite a bit. There was some general tightness in the muscles that hadn’t been used in a while at first, but after a couple of weeks I started to see improvement. This continued steadily and I was able to take a trip to Australia in December.
The original plan was for my parents and sister to meet me in Australia for two weeks during my extended stay there. Obviously, that plan had changed and I had cancelled those tickets and bought a new one just to Sydney and back. I figured it would be a good chance to see how my back did and help me to figure out what was going to happen next. I did a three week trip starting Dec 15 and came back on Jan 4. We all flew into Sydney and rented a car for the first week.
We drove down to Melbourne along the coast, staying in two small towns along the way. The second of those was in Phillip Island where they have a penguin parade. Every day at sunset the little penguins (that is their actual name) come out of the ocean and after gathering up enough courage waddle as fast as they can across the beach to the grassy area behind it where their nests are. It was their mating season so they were very active and we got to see hundreds of them at a very close distance. There is a boardwalk set up with floodlights to look at them and no cameras are allowed.
We stayed two nights in Melbourne where we enjoyed some of the outdoor cafes tucked away in their alleyways and did most of our souvenir shopping at the Victoria Market while we were there. I went out our last night there and found one of the little hidden pubs that they have with live music most of the night. It was neat getting to see it, very different from the US, there wasn’t a sign anywhere on the outside that it was a business and you had to walk down a couple of alleyways to get there. If I hadn’t seen a bunch of people loitering about and then gotten a strong whiff of alcohol I never would have known.
That reminds me of another huge difference between the countries. We were there at Christmas time and while they celebrate it, it is nothing like here. You would see a few decorations around, maybe a string of lights on a house occasionally, but that was about it. Not like here where Christmas is coming at you from every direction from the beginning of November. It was a nice way to do it although I would guess that it will become more commercialized there instead of things here going back to that.
From Melbourne we headed back to Sydney stopping one night in one of their wine country areas to stay the night. We got to a few wineries before they closed to test them out and to purchase a few bottles to bring with us. I was a bit wiped out that night from all the driving and being out the night before, but my parents and sister me a nice couple from Australia that they stayed up with in the bar for a while.
We got back to Sydney on the 23rd and stayed at a nice two-bedroom apartment just on the north side of the Sydney harbor. The location worked out great as the public transportation takes you anywhere you need to go quite quickly. That was all we used in Sydney buses, trains, and ferries. They have a weekly pass you can buy for about $30 that gives you unlimited use of all of them, definitely a good deal.
On Christmas day my parents got up early and went to the Sydney Bridge and did the bridgeclimb. The bridgeclimb involves walking along the top of the bridge while you are tethered to it with a support line. They stop along the way and tell you all about the bridge and the sites you can see along the way. At the top they take your picture with the group while you are about 500 feet above the water below. They both really enjoyed it and recommend it highly. From there they took the ferry to Manly beach where they met Marsha and me. So we spent Christmas afternoon on the beach along with lots of other people down under. It was strange feeling not seeing them until midday, but I could get used to celebrating Christmas on a beach very easily.
The rest of the week we did some more including a day trip to the Blue Mountains and seeing a show at the famous Opera house. We had gotten tickets for that before we went and were very glad we did. It was a bit of a variety show with their symphony and different singers and musicians coming up to play with them. There was a jazz trumpeter, James Morrison, who was absolutely amazing! He did about 6 songs throughout the show with them and also played the piano, trombone, and sax.
My family left on the 30th and I stayed one more week, which meant I was there for New Years Eve. That is the big holiday there as Sydney has fireworks everywhere for that. I heard that over 2 million people would be around the harbor that night to watch them. They start gathering in the morning to get the best locations. I wandered down to the operahouse around 6pm and was able to find a good spot still. They had two separate shows at 9 and midnight and both were excellent. I thought watching all the lcd displays from everyone’s digital cameras following the fireworks in unison was almost as entertaining.
I stayed in a hostel once I was on my own which worked out great. Everyone there was very nice and it was easy to meet new people. There were more British people there than anything partly because of a big cricket match between the Auzzies and the rest just there traveling. I was the only American I knew of in the hostel. The rest of the week I just enjoyed being on my own again after staying with my parents for several months and getting to the beach a couple more times.
On returning I felt well enough to start traveling again, but had no tickets and wasn’t sure where I wanted to go. I decided to stay in San Diego through the Super Bowl, hoping the Chargers would be in it, but those hopes were dashed several weeks ago. In the meantime I decided to go to Thailand, which was part of my original plan, and leave for Singapore on February 7. I will work my way north through Malaysia to Thailand. I plan to be there for about 7 weeks and if I’m feeling up to it go to South Africa for 6 weeks after that. My friend Michelle in Oklahoma (see May 4th entry) is going to meet me in Bangkok and travel with me for two weeks. She has never been there either and has already decided that two weeks isn’t going to be long enough to see everything she wants to, but will have to do for now.
So basically in 6 days I’ll be on the road again and am looking forward to it. Understandably, I haven’t felt like doing any updates, or even looking at this site while I was getting better. Now that I am and have another plan I’ll be sure to start sending updates again and get back to taking pictures. Somehow my camera was set to the lowest resolution for most of my time in Australia so none of those came out how I wanted them to at all. Thanks for all the support that everyone has given me while I was recovering and especially to my sister, mom, and dad for all they’ve done while I stayed with them during this. It wasn’t easy on them, or me but it was great to get to spend some time with them. Next update Thailand!
Brian
Out Again
Letting everyone know I’m back out of the hospital. They did a bone biopsy into my vertebra while I was in there to try and catch a sample of the infection to figure out what it is. Once again all of the cultures and tests have not grown anything. I’m on two antibiotics now for six weeks. One I take by mouth and the other is an IV. They put a tube in my arm that will stay there for the IV and the antibiotic line just screws onto it, no more needles for a while. I’ll go in for the IV every third day and get supplies to do it at home the other two days. Midway through the treatment I’ll go in for an MRI or CAT scan to see how the treatment is going and have a bone density scan at the end to make sure it is all gone. The antibiotics are some general treatment ones that are the doctors best guess at what will take care of it.
I’ve been doing ok ever since the first hospital stay and was even able to go to the Charger game yesterday. It was fun to be rooting for a shutout at the end of the game and not wondering if they were going to get a win. My first flight overseas was supposed to be Sunday so I need to decide if I’m going to cancel those tickets or take a guess at what changes I will need by then. Aside from that its nice to be out of the hospital and hope these drugs take care of everything.
Next Hospital Trip
Hello again,
Not much has happened in the last two weeks, primarily waiting to hear from the doctor to find out what will be happening in my life. Not much fun being a spectator to my own life when I’m supposed to be out having fun. I did finally hear from them yesterday and I will be going back into the hospital on Monday. We are pretty much on the same plan as when I was discharged, which is to do a bone biopsy to try and identify the infection. That will be done Tuesday morning and an IV line will be put in that I will go home with so I can give myself antibiotics after I leave the hospital, which should be on Thursday. They still don’t know what the infection is so I may go home with one antibiotic and have it switched once they figure it out.
I’m just glad to know when things will be happening and moving forward. My back has not reverted nearly as much as thought it would and have just felt a little tightness here and there. The doctors would probably have me wait a little longer for the biopsy, but my other ongoing medical issue with ulcerative colitis is hitting me hard right now. I’ve basically decided to have surgery to remove my colon and be done with that once and for all, but can’t do anything there with the infection in my spine. So that is why I’m going back next week. I will also see a doctor about my colon while I’m in the hospital. As you can see I’ll be here for a while having all this work done and recovering.
In my last post I did forget to mention that I got to see my dog again since my parents were taking care of her. She has been a great companion to have during the day since I haven’t had much energy for going out. I’m trying not to watch much tv during the day and doing will there. Mainly lots of reading, sudoku, and a few naps. Now I’ll have to watch the Chargers open up Monday night from the hospital though. Might be safer since my friends can get rowdy during the games anyways.
I did make to the horse races with JJ last week and we both left with money in our wallets, always a plus. Aside from one quick clothes shopping trip as my needs have changed slightly from living on the road I’ve just been catching up with a few friends and laying low. I won’t have internet access at the hospital, but can use my cell phone so give a call if you like, however it should be a quick stay. I’ll let you know how it went once I’m out.
B
An Overdue, but Crucial Update
Well, where to being … guess it should be from where I last left off. Marsha moved into a great new house and already completed some big painting projects involving her bedroom, the living room, and dining room. I got to sit around and watch her paint then watch the paint dry while I spent a miserable couple of weeks on her couch due to the fact that my back was getting worse instead of better. She has taken on an unplanned, but welcome roommate, her former next-door neighbor from her old condo for a few months. They get along great and were already missing each other in the week after the move. She had a couple of dinner parties there while I was there and will be hosting many more I’m sure. Read more
Hanging Out
Not a whole lot new in the last week. I’ve been going to the chiropractor, but haven’t seen much improvement in the back. It varies quite a bit throughout the day. Don’t know what I would be doing without the pool and spa at the apartment complex here. That is the first place I head to in morning to get going and hit it one more time in the afternoon. The left side is still too stiff/painful to be adjusted and has led to a significant lean on my upper body. My left shoulder is straight in line with my left hip while the right shoulder is leaning about 4 inches outside my right hip. I’ve tried different methods of sitting and trying to hold it straight, but they haven’t worked yet. I’m going to a osteopathic doctor this afternoon and see what he says.
I thought things were headed in the right direction over the weekend, but stiffened back up Sunday and Monday. Thankfully Saturday was my best day and I went to the Portland Brewfest. I really don’t think that I did anything there to aggravate it and it wasn’t just because of the beers that I felt better either. They had 72 different types there and I tried quite a few of them. Saw in the paper on Monday that they estimated 55,000 people came out over the weekend. Lots of lines for beer, but they do have lots of porta-pottys, or Honey Buckets as they call them here. Also, it was about 25 degrees cooler than last year which wade it much more comfortable. We took my sister’s camera, but unfortunately it died during the event and I don’t think it is coming back.
Marsha was supposed to be moving into her new house over the weekend, but the closing on where she is living now has been delayed so she is hoping to get the keys for her new place today. The little delays are getting annoying and stressful for her. She has to work at least part of the next three days which will make for some longs ones once the moving and unpacking begins. Should just be one load of big stuff in a u-haul tomorrow and a few trips in my car and hers in between now and then. I haven’t been able to help at all which hasn’t been easy for me or her.
After the doctors appointment today I will start trying to figure out when I’ll be leaving here. The leading candidate right now is to fly to San Diego instead of driving and spend some extra time there getting better. I’ve seen a lot of the country between here and there, but these last couple of weeks have been so different than what I wanted it is tough to give up on the rest of the travel in the US. If that is what it takes to be able to do the overseas portion then I that is what I’ll do though. Heads up to those of you in/near San Diego I’m planning a party on September 22 for a going away/early bday party, more details to follow.
Changing Plans
Hitting my first troubles on my trip because of my back and it is making up for how well it had been going. After seeing the chiropractor on Thursday I drove to Deadwood, South Dakota and found a hotel near there. I couldn’t see trying to set up my tent or sleep on the floor. I was right. I took a nap after I got there and could hardly move the rest of the night. Actually felt much better in the morning, but still nothing close to right. I went into Deadwood walked around a little, played a few hands of blackjack, and had lunch. From there I drove into Wyoming.
Stayed that night in the back of my truck which was ok after I loosened up from the drive. When I first arrived after only a 4 hour drive I needed a set of hiking sticks (canes) just to go pay the registration fee. I stayed within arms distance of my truck the rest of the time to lean on except to go to the bathroom. It was a beautiful campsite in a canyon next to a stream, but couldn’t really enjoy it. The next morning I drove to Cody, WY. About 50 miles from Yellowstone I was planning on going there Monday after seeing another chiropractor.
Saturday night my plans changed. I woke up about 1 am and thought I may have to go the bathroom. Knowing it would take me a little while I started moving. Finally got on my hands and knees and then had no way to open the tent since I couldn’t lift up a hand without falling over in pain. Finally got back on a side opened the tent and crawled out. Then I couldn’t stand up or get a shirt on. Finally found an air conditioner that I used to pull myself up and stumbled on, slowly. Bottom line, it took about 30 minutes to get up and go maybe 100 yards. Considering that with my ulcerative colitis I often get 1-2 minutes notice for the bathroom I knew that wasn’t going to work and decided to head for my sister’s in Portland.
It was what I knew I had to do, but not what I wanted to do, as I had just gotten to the Rockies and was looking forward to spending some time there. Yellowstone as mentioned and Aug 1 I had a 5 day backpacking trip in Glacier Nation Park, Montana that I set up several months ago. However, feeling the way I am I wasn’t going to be doing any of that anyway. At least in Portland I will have a bed, someone to give me a hand, and could get my back taken care of. I crawled around taking down my tent and made a few trips to the car and took of at 2:15am.
I drove 950 miles to Marsha’s on Sunday in 17.5 hours. My back felt surprisingly good for the drive and only started tightening back up the last hour. I was even bitter during the drive about feeling so good and wondered if I was getting better. After an hour out of the car and the ensuing night I’m not second guessing myself anymore and know that I made the right decision. My sister is moving in a week, but took me in and even though I won’t be much help packing is happy to have a pickup to use for the move.
I went through some beautiful country on Sunday that I had never seen before. After one pass just outside of Missoula I had a 90 mile decline through a canyon in Idaho. I swear there was not even a hint up uphill for the first 70 miles. A few people were on loaded up bikes heading down and then I saw people going up. No way could I imagine pedaling uphill for 90 miles straight. I didn’t make any scenic stops or try for scenic roads even since it was such a long day. Maybe I’ll get a chance to go back through there at the end of my year, but I hadn’t made it my first 29 years so who knows.
The pattern for the pain is that about an hour after I wake up it starts to loosen and that is as good as it gets, the rest of the day it gets tighter and my mobility goes down. Kind of depressing thought while eating your cereal, knowing that is as good as I will feel that day. Sleeping lasts for 1-2 hours before I wake up think about how to change positions, do that slowly, and try to fall back asleep.
I went to another chiropractor this morning, although there are none in Portland under my plan so I have to go up to Washington. Today he did about the same stuff as the first guy. He said it is definitely way out of line, but that it is so swollen and tight that he can’t do all the adjustments yet. I just need to take it easy and ice it. All the pain is in my lower back which is good that it is not in my legs which would mean disc trouble. I had planned on getting to Portland in about two weeks and staying for 1-2 weeks. Not sure how long I’ll be here now a few weeks I’m guessing so that I can get this taken care of. One positive note is that I will get to attend Portland’s Brewfest this weekend, in a wheelchair if I have to! I went last year and had a lot of fun I’m told.
Hopefully I’ll use this time to go through the pictures I’ve taken and maybe see some more of Oregon, but my “job” now is getting better. I’m going back to the doc tomorrow and as often as it takes after that. At least everyday is still Friday!
B