Monday, November 26, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
The Cathedral of Learning
The University of Pittsburgh has a Cathedral of Learning. A real live perpendicular gothic 42 story, 535 foot beacon of limestone and windows, that lures students and visitors alike to campus. Being in the profession, and college junkies to boot, we did not even know this amazing building existed. When we first saw the building on Sunday night, when we drove into town, we asked what was the name of the huge gothic church. We were surprised to hear it was a college building.
Today we saw some of this magnificent cathedral. The huge commons area has walk-in fireplaces, coved ceilings, wood and stone carvings and so much more. When I read Yelp! Comments about the Cathedral of Learning, many folks said it looked like their idea of Hogwarts (from Harry Potter). Not a bad analogy.
The CofL is used for classes as well as office space for the University Chancellor. It also houses the "Nationality Rooms" on the first and third floors. These rooms were created to represent the many different ethnic groups who attend the university. We visited a dozen or so of these specially decorated rooms (which also serve as classrooms) on a guided tour. There are over 35 of these special rooms to enjoy. It you find yourself in Pittsburgh and need a "gothic fix" the Cathedral of Learning has to be on your list.
By the way, the view from the 36th floor is something else!
Today we saw some of this magnificent cathedral. The huge commons area has walk-in fireplaces, coved ceilings, wood and stone carvings and so much more. When I read Yelp! Comments about the Cathedral of Learning, many folks said it looked like their idea of Hogwarts (from Harry Potter). Not a bad analogy.
The CofL is used for classes as well as office space for the University Chancellor. It also houses the "Nationality Rooms" on the first and third floors. These rooms were created to represent the many different ethnic groups who attend the university. We visited a dozen or so of these specially decorated rooms (which also serve as classrooms) on a guided tour. There are over 35 of these special rooms to enjoy. It you find yourself in Pittsburgh and need a "gothic fix" the Cathedral of Learning has to be on your list.
By the way, the view from the 36th floor is something else!
The Duquesne Incline
Before the name Pittsburgh was adopted, the area was called Duquesne, as the area was settled by French Loyalists. Today we saw a remnant of Duquesne -- The "Duquesne Incline." The Incline is a funicular railway that crawls up and down the 30 degree slope of Mt. Washington. When it was built in the 1870s, it was the only good way to get cargo up that steep mountain. Soon thereafter, it was opened for passengers as people were tired of walking up the footpath to get to their homes on the top of the mountain. Since Pittsburgh is a hilly city and getting up and down those hills in the old days was a challenge, there used to be many "inclines" but slowly they were deemed unprofitable as roads were built. Today only 2 survive, and we visited "the Duquesne" on the Monongahela River.
We rode the "Incline" up and down the mountain, enjoying the view of Pittsburgh below. The rivers and their bridges define the outlines of the city. Within the city are scores of tall buildings and a stadium or two. The view from the top is pretty good, even on a gray cloudy day.
The old building and trolley cars have been restored by a volunteer organization. In 1967 the Incline was closed down, but the locals on Mt. Washington got together and decided to keep the railway open. I loved looking at the old details still evident. The carved wood, wrought iron, cast iron stove and shiny brass plates all hark back to another time and place. BTW, if you are a senior citizen (with a Medi-Care to prove it) you can ride the train for free!
We rode the "Incline" up and down the mountain, enjoying the view of Pittsburgh below. The rivers and their bridges define the outlines of the city. Within the city are scores of tall buildings and a stadium or two. The view from the top is pretty good, even on a gray cloudy day.
The old building and trolley cars have been restored by a volunteer organization. In 1967 the Incline was closed down, but the locals on Mt. Washington got together and decided to keep the railway open. I loved looking at the old details still evident. The carved wood, wrought iron, cast iron stove and shiny brass plates all hark back to another time and place. BTW, if you are a senior citizen (with a Medi-Care to prove it) you can ride the train for free!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving
We have lots to be thankful for today. First and foremost, we are thankful to the doctors here at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. We sincerely hope their gamma knife treatment the other DrC received worked! As of now, he's in great spirits.
Lots of thank yous go to family and friends who have been so kind and thoughtful these past few months. Your support is so important.
May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Lots of thank yous go to family and friends who have been so kind and thoughtful these past few months. Your support is so important.
May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
The Science Behind The Gamma Knife--in Layman's Terms
We have been pondering how a gamma knife works. First and foremost, a knife is not used. It's a "symbolic" knife ... Its a helmet with 271 carefully placed "holes" or "tubes" that emit a very small dose of cobalt radiation.
After taking an MRI of the affected area, the doctor is able to focus each of the beams to the exact spot. Each tiny beam of radiation adds up but is never at an overdose level. In this case, the beams were all focused on the left Trigeminal nerve with the idea of irritating it. When the nerve gets irritated it tries to "heal" the irritation by forming a scar. So, in the next few months the nerve will try to create a scar and that's what we want to happen. The scar acts as a protective sheath so that when the nerve starts to "trigger pain" the scar will stop the pain from happening. That's pretty clever. What we are doing now is waiting for that protective scar to form.
After taking an MRI of the affected area, the doctor is able to focus each of the beams to the exact spot. Each tiny beam of radiation adds up but is never at an overdose level. In this case, the beams were all focused on the left Trigeminal nerve with the idea of irritating it. When the nerve gets irritated it tries to "heal" the irritation by forming a scar. So, in the next few months the nerve will try to create a scar and that's what we want to happen. The scar acts as a protective sheath so that when the nerve starts to "trigger pain" the scar will stop the pain from happening. That's pretty clever. What we are doing now is waiting for that protective scar to form.
TN progress Mark IV
We are back at the hotel. He's been released. He's s bit groggy but everything went as planned. Now we have to wait a few months to see how well it worked.
Take a look it him in the helmet frame and now. He can take the big bandage off in a couple of hours.
Take a look it him in the helmet frame and now. He can take the big bandage off in a couple of hours.
TN Progress-- Mark III
I just had a call from the nurse. The MRI is finished and they have figured out the "treatment." He will be in the Gamma Knife procedure for an hour. (We were told it would probably last 30 minutes in the prep we had yesterday.) It's now 8:56. I'll be able to "sit" with him about 10:30.
More later
More later
TN Progress Mark II
We got up way too early this morning. Looked out the window and saw inky black skies. It was 4:30. We rarely see 4:30 yet we've been up that early twice in the past 3 days. I hope we do not make a habit of it! After dressing we found our car in the hotel parking lot and drove the 5 minutes to the hospital. Valet parking at the hospital (the only way you can park your car) had just opened. We were given a receipt for the car. All is going to plan.
Next stop was Admission and Registration on the second floor. No one was waiting so we walked right up to the clerk who had our paperwork ready. He signed a few papers, gave the clerk the required medical cards, got a wrist band, and we were sent to the Gamma Knife Waiting Room.
Surprise! We were not the first people there! 7 other folks were in the room. Next direction was to call the nurse to tell her we had arrived. About 5 minutes later the nurse came into the waiting room and gave all of us there some directions as to what was going to happen next. We all kissed and hugged our "person" good luck and they filed into the Gamma Knife room leaving the rest of us to wait. We are told they will call us with progress.
The hospital has a free wifi and some of us are using it. Others have iPods attached to their ears and -- get this -- one person is reading a real magazine! One person is making a series of calls to concerned friends and relatives.
It's now 7:35 and the phone just rang. Alas, the call is not for me, but that's all right. The wait continues.
As an aside, there's a Starbucks in the hospital and its really popular! I just had a latte and frankly, it was pretty bad! I wonder if hospital food has contaminated it!
Next stop was Admission and Registration on the second floor. No one was waiting so we walked right up to the clerk who had our paperwork ready. He signed a few papers, gave the clerk the required medical cards, got a wrist band, and we were sent to the Gamma Knife Waiting Room.
Surprise! We were not the first people there! 7 other folks were in the room. Next direction was to call the nurse to tell her we had arrived. About 5 minutes later the nurse came into the waiting room and gave all of us there some directions as to what was going to happen next. We all kissed and hugged our "person" good luck and they filed into the Gamma Knife room leaving the rest of us to wait. We are told they will call us with progress.
The hospital has a free wifi and some of us are using it. Others have iPods attached to their ears and -- get this -- one person is reading a real magazine! One person is making a series of calls to concerned friends and relatives.
It's now 7:35 and the phone just rang. Alas, the call is not for me, but that's all right. The wait continues.
As an aside, there's a Starbucks in the hospital and its really popular! I just had a latte and frankly, it was pretty bad! I wonder if hospital food has contaminated it!
Monday, November 19, 2012
TN Progress Report
We have an appointment with a gamma knife at 5:45 AM. I've been calling the procedure CyberKnife and that's wrong. This morning we met the doctor who will do the procedure as well as one of the nurses. He was also asked a series of questions about his TN; he took a blood test, and we were sent on our way.
We were going to explore Pittsburgh in the afternoon but we were both tired, so we took a nap instead. Boy, we are exciting people!
We were going to explore Pittsburgh in the afternoon but we were both tired, so we took a nap instead. Boy, we are exciting people!
Some Fun Pictures
As we were "parking" our tiny Embraer aircraft this morning at SFO, I saw a beautiful SouthWest 737 painted to look like the CA flag. The plane looked brand new as it was the shiniest plane I've ever seen!
Fast forward to Pittsburgh, and we are rolling into our hotel and what do we see...the Oscar Meyer WeinerMobile! I've never seen it before. It's in town till tomorrow...so I snapped a couple of shots tonight. I walked around this "little beauty" (it's quite long) and discovered that even the head rests and the dashboard are shaped like hotdogs in a bun. The vehicle has a standard (not commercial) vanity license plate. I wonder how many miles this well-over-a-foot- long-hotdog has on it?
Fast forward to Pittsburgh, and we are rolling into our hotel and what do we see...the Oscar Meyer WeinerMobile! I've never seen it before. It's in town till tomorrow...so I snapped a couple of shots tonight. I walked around this "little beauty" (it's quite long) and discovered that even the head rests and the dashboard are shaped like hotdogs in a bun. The vehicle has a standard (not commercial) vanity license plate. I wonder how many miles this well-over-a-foot- long-hotdog has on it?
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Flying High
We just boarded United Flight 716 headed for IAD. IAD stands for International Airport Dulles...so we are flying to Washington, DC. IAD is one of my least favorite airports, but that's how we are getting to Pittsburgh.
We are flying in a relatively new craft and we are sitting in Row 1 where there is room and service. The only way to go! Our 5 hour flight across the country should be comfy. As I look at our controls, I see we have a seat that folds down flat to make a "bed." We have a private TV screen with a host of programs to watch, various plug/USB outlets for laptops, iPads and the like, not to mention 3 compartments for storing extra stuff, 2 pillows and a comforter. This is a far cry from cattle car in the back!
Pittsburgh here we come! We check into the hospital at 11 AM tomorrow morning.
11PM: we are in Pittsburgh. Our flight from IAD was delayed about 4 hours. We ate a meal (who knows which one given all the time changes) then sat down and waited while chatting with some nice folks from Pittsburgh. I received directions to the hotel and the hospital. But I decided to use Apple Maps to get me to the hotel. Mistake!!! Hey Steve Jobs---you need to beam down to the folks at Apple a fix for the iPhone map program. The current iteration is not very good!
We are flying in a relatively new craft and we are sitting in Row 1 where there is room and service. The only way to go! Our 5 hour flight across the country should be comfy. As I look at our controls, I see we have a seat that folds down flat to make a "bed." We have a private TV screen with a host of programs to watch, various plug/USB outlets for laptops, iPads and the like, not to mention 3 compartments for storing extra stuff, 2 pillows and a comforter. This is a far cry from cattle car in the back!
Pittsburgh here we come! We check into the hospital at 11 AM tomorrow morning.
11PM: we are in Pittsburgh. Our flight from IAD was delayed about 4 hours. We ate a meal (who knows which one given all the time changes) then sat down and waited while chatting with some nice folks from Pittsburgh. I received directions to the hotel and the hospital. But I decided to use Apple Maps to get me to the hotel. Mistake!!! Hey Steve Jobs---you need to beam down to the folks at Apple a fix for the iPhone map program. The current iteration is not very good!
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Slow Progress
The shower is done! The vanity is done! The bathroom is not! The grab bar was installed on Thursday along with a towel bar that "lives" on the back wall. We tried to install the other towel bars, but unfortunately one of the plastic brackets broke. Moen is sending me more brackets. The flooring is somewhere between North Carolina and California and will be installed on December 14 (if all goes to plan). Then, and only then, will the room be ready for paint.
In the meantime I've made cushions for the window seat and 2 benches, as well as a valance for the bathroom window...and I have changed the bedding and drapes to match the new color scheme. It all takes time.
However, before the bathroom gets finished, we have to deal with another problem. The other DrC is having a CyberKnife "surgery" for his Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) on November 20. We are flying to Pittsburgh, PA as that's the "Mayo Clinic" for TN. Google CyberKnife and find out all about it. The name sounds scary, but when you read about it you will find its a non-invasive procedure. He should be out of the hospital one day later.
We plan to stay in Pittsburgh for a few more days, just in case anything else is needed, and then we are going to fly to Florida and board the Emerald Princess for a Caribbean cruise. If that name sounds familiar, that's the ship we were on for the last cruise. The cruise has been on the books for about a year. When the hospital gave us the date for surgery, I said "I'll cancel our cruise," and they said "NO, it will be good for him." So we are going on the cruise!
Watch this space to find out more about the "surgery" and the cruise.
In the meantime I've made cushions for the window seat and 2 benches, as well as a valance for the bathroom window...and I have changed the bedding and drapes to match the new color scheme. It all takes time.
However, before the bathroom gets finished, we have to deal with another problem. The other DrC is having a CyberKnife "surgery" for his Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) on November 20. We are flying to Pittsburgh, PA as that's the "Mayo Clinic" for TN. Google CyberKnife and find out all about it. The name sounds scary, but when you read about it you will find its a non-invasive procedure. He should be out of the hospital one day later.
We plan to stay in Pittsburgh for a few more days, just in case anything else is needed, and then we are going to fly to Florida and board the Emerald Princess for a Caribbean cruise. If that name sounds familiar, that's the ship we were on for the last cruise. The cruise has been on the books for about a year. When the hospital gave us the date for surgery, I said "I'll cancel our cruise," and they said "NO, it will be good for him." So we are going on the cruise!
Watch this space to find out more about the "surgery" and the cruise.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Shower Update
The shower is finished. It looks great. Now we have to do all the finishing touches. It's good to have a project. 
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