I want to
thank all of you who have reached out to check on me as I deal with my back
issues. It really means a lot to me.
The
problem(s) I am having is a ruptured disc in my lower spine and spinal degeneration.
The docs can explain it better than I can but basically the disc/debris are
impacting a nerve which is causing excruciating pain in my right leg. Some days
are better than others, but at times it can feel like I dipped my leg in a deep
fat fryer, and all I can do is bury my head in a pillow and scream…and I’m the
guy who doesn’t even know I cut myself at work until I see the blood on the
floor.
Now I know
what you women might be thinking. Well, if the pain is even remotely close to
what child birth feels like, I am so, so sorry, Lisa. It won’t happen again I
promise ;-) (it’s a joke ok?)
Since I
have already had two fusions in my neck, I am trying to tough it out as best I
can in the hopes it will heal over time and avoid another surgery. The docs say
I’ve got a 50/50 chance so I’m going for it.
We are currently
attacking this with a combination of chiropractic care and medication. We are
working towards physical therapy, but we have to get the pain under control
first…without so many drugs.
My
chiropractor is Dr. Tracy Watson at Cary Chiropractic. He’s awesome; a straight
shooter – no BS kinda guy. He doesn’t sugar-coat anything and makes no promises
that he can’t deliver on. He has also gone above and beyond what I would have
ever expected from a doctor by seeing me on Saturdays and Sundays when he is
normally closed, and even hand delivering my MRI results to me at work. I was,
at first, seeing him twice a day. I’m down to about twice a week now. I
genuinely feel better each time I leave his office, but given the physical
damage there is only so much he can do over a short period of time (a little
over a month). I need to slow down and take it easy to give the disc time to
heal…which is really hard for me.
My neurosurgeon
is Dr. Robert Lacin at Rex Neurosurgery. He’s the surgeon who did my previous
fusions. He’s great too. I went to see him early on for his opinion. He
believes there to be a chance that I could heal without surgery and encouraged
me to try. To me, a surgeon who recommends not surgery just yet says a lot
about his character and integrity. He prescribed oral steroids which helped, but
didn’t last.
He then recommended
that I see Dr. Singh over at Cary Orthopedics for a direct steroid injection to
the affected area on my spine. I had the first treatment today and am currently
resting in bed….blogging…..because daytime TV stinks! ;-) Seriously – umpteen thousand
channels and nothing on. I can only watch Sportscenter so many times.
My first
impression of Dr. Singh is, “wow”. A doctor who actually spends time reviewing
your reports, X-rays and MRIs with you and explaining everything in detail and in
a way that a guy like me can understand. He demonstrated a genuine compassion
for my well-being and really worked hard to make sure I was comfortable throughout
the treatment - not to mention that working a needle through my spine via X-ray
is pretty dang impressive! But on the outside I was like, “Ya, well, I need to
use a bore-scope every now and then to my job too.” ;-) He was impressed….sort
of….maybe not.
I will have
at least one more injection if not two more. Keep your fingers crossed! And
thanks again for everyone’s thoughts and prayers!
Enough of
that, let’s talk about something fun! Pop Quiz; what is the most awesome word
that is spelled the same both forwards and backwards? RACECAR! A few of you
have asked how long until Roger Penske calls….ok, so maybe no you didn’t ask
that, but you have asked how my season went.
We finished
7th in points out of 23 with a best finish of 3rd. We
started the season late and missed the last race of the season due to my back.
I started 5 of 11 races so I’m pretty pleased with the results all things
considered. I’m really looking forward to running the full season – and for a
championship - next year, but honestly I’d just be as thrilled to get my first
win. Championships come with wins.
Thanks so
much to everyone who helped in the pits – especially my brother, Dan and Darryl
– and for all my fans for coming out to cheer me on. Ya’ll are the best!
Ok – enough
about me, let’s talk about you, Cary.
I am pleased
to report that Cary has reached an agreement with the Amberwood apartment
complex to replace the trees that were cut down and repair the damage to the
buffers that occurred a few months ago.
The gist of
the agreement states that:
·
Amberwood
agrees to the Town of Cary’s re-vegetation plan
·
Amberwood
will deposit $40,000 into an escrow account to ensure they comply with the
re-vegetation plan which will begin next month and includes the planting of 110
trees and over 130 shrubs
·
Upon
completion of the re-vegetation plan, Cary will refund to Amberwood $30,000. $10,000
will remain to cover maintenance costs and replace any dead vegetation
·
Cary
will waive the $70,000 fine accessed to Amberwood.
The last
one was a little tough for some on the council to swallow at first – myself included.
The feeling was not only should Amberwood repair the damage they did, but that there
should be some form of punishment for violating the town’s ordinances.
That said,
the reality is that this would have ended up in the courts. Sure, we might have
won – but at what cost? Not to mention that the fine(s) would have gone to the
court system and not the re-vegetation plan. And in the end our goal was to
right the wrong that was done. This agreement does that.
In other
good news – at our most recent meeting, the council approved the bid award for
Cary Fire Station #2 in Downtown. The project includes the construction of a
new 13,395 square foot 2-story, 2-bay fire station and associated site
improvements located at 601 E. Chatham Street. Construction of this project is
scheduled to begin this winter and take approximately a year to complete.
 |
| Cary Fire Station #2 |
As part of
the station relocation plan, the existing Fire Station #2 will remain open and
convert a ladder or rescue company resource to an engine company resource to better
serve the Walnut Street corridor.
Early voting begins Thursday, October 23 at the Herb Young Community Center in
Downtown Cary and runs until November 1st. You can vote early in
person on weekdays from 11-7, Saturdays from 9-1 and Sunday from 1-5. Please
also know you do NOT need a picture ID to vote yet. That law doesn’t take
effect until the 2016 elections. But don’t let the grass grow under your feet
if you don’t have a picture ID yet – you only have about 740 days to get one
for FREE before you need it.
Vote early
or vote on Election Day, November 4th. Just make sure you vote! The
direction of our state and nation depend on it.
Please also
consider attending Cary’s annual Veteran’s Luncheon on November 7th
from 11:30-1 also at the Herb Young Community Center downtown. This event is
always a wonderful tribute to those who have served in our nation’s armed
forces. While the event is free, given its popularity the town is asking for
folks to pre-register so that they have an accurate head count for the event.
Council member Jack Smith will also be speaking at the event, so if you want to
hear what things were like during WWI, you won’t want to miss it. ;-) Hi, Jack!
Love ya man! ;-)
The town
also has quite a few Halloween events coming up – you can learn more about
those here. Which BTW, if you aren’t getting the town’s email alerts, you really
ought to sign up for them so that you are better informed of what’s going on in
and around Cary. You can sign up here.
Oh, and
last but not least, if you happen to see a neon green egg around town without a
side of ham, it’s not a lost Dr. Seuss prop or an alien spaceship. It’s just Lori. Are you really surprised? ;-) I say it needs a little more bling – like maybe
racing stripes and spinners and a bigger battery…or two. Let’s see what this
thing can do! LOL…. How about it, Lori! ;-)
That’s about
all for now. As always, thanks for reading!