Friday, September 7, 2012
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Roger Waters Performs the Wall Live!
I recently had the pleasure of seeing Roger Waters perform the Wall live at the Verizon Center in DC. Great show and it will be hard to top it in terms of effects and experience. If you are a Pink Floyd fan, definitely worth checking out.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Cannoli!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Nooshi Sushi
Stopped in this place for the second time recently to enjoy some awesome sushi. Their crab wantons with the wasabi mayo sauce is excellent!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Ain't No Class Like First
I recently had the pleasure of upgrading to first class with Virgin America. It was a great experience and as you can see above, my feet couldn't even touch the seat in front of me.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Best Pannini I've Ever Had
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Surgery for a Deviated Septum
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor a medical professional. What I am reporting is strictly from my own experience so any choices that you make as a result of this blog is completely discretionary by you. Consult your doctor for any questions or concerns.
I recently had septoplasty surgery in order to correct my deviated septum as well as a turbindectomy in order to correct my enlarged turbinates. Both of these issues were causing me to have trouble breathing through my nose. I had my procedure on February 2 and I am pretty much at 100%. The goal of this blog post is to inform you of things that I wasn't made aware of upfront. Fortunately, I was never in any pain, just a lot of discomfort.
So, here are the things that they didn't tell me that I had to figure out on my own through experience (bear in mind that people heal differently and may experience different things that I did):
1. The Cost
Be sure to have the surgery pre-approved through your insurance company to ensure that you will not have to pay for the entire ordeal out of pocket. Even with my insurance coverage, I still owed quite a lot. Certainly, it will all depend on the type of coverage that you have but when it was all said and done, I had to pay about $1,500.00, which wasn't too bad. Many people don't realize that for hospital bills, if you call and make a payment in full, they will give you a discount most of the time. I was able to get a discount on most of my bills since I paid them in full over the phone. I wasn't able to get a discount from my actual doctor because in order to get a discount from them, I had to pre-pay which I was never advised of. I would suggest checking into this method to save you some cost but be aware that pre-paying too much could cause issues with insurance coverage.
2. Defying the Odds of How Much You Can Fit in Your Nose
After my surgery, I arose with cotton based packing in each nostril (about three inches in length, about an inch to an inch an half in circumference) along with pliable, gel-based splints (at least four inches in length and just shy of an inch wide) in each nostril that were kept in place by a single stitch. Aside from that and once the packing is removed the next day and the splints about four days later (which is like giving birth through your nose) and the days and week(s) following, you have a tremendous amount of scabbing and boogers that get built up because you cannot blow your nose.
In the frequent follow-ups post-surgery, my doctor removed all kinds of scabbing and debris from my nose. Below is a picture of one of the larger scabs that the doctor removed from my nose after a ten minute battle at getting it out. Fortunately, I only experienced discomfort as he used his metal apparatus to remove everything (as pictured below).
Believe it our not, this scab was only about 1/3 of the size of the entire scab that was housed in my left nostril. My doctor wasn't able to get the whole thing out because it was so lodged up there. I had to use saline spray to keep my nostrils clear as well as an ointment to loosen the scabbing.
3. The Discomfort
I was told that I would feel discomfort but I wasn't informed how uncomfortable it really is. It is very uncomfortable and difficult to sleep because you have to be on your back and you can only breath through your mouth. You cannot breathe out of your nose at all due to the swelling, packing, splints, etc.
4. Biotene is your best friend
You have to sleep in a propped up position so I slept on the chaise on my couch. Since your nose is plugged up with the packing, splits, and drip pad, there is absolutely no way to breathe through your nose so you are forced to mouth breathe. This is okay while you are awake but when you sleep it is horrible. Your mouth gets so dry it is kind of painful. The first night, this alone prevented me from really falling asleep at all. I had to get sips of water like every ten minutes. By the second day, I discovered Biotene and used this when going to sleep and this was the difference of me sleeping so much better.
You swish with it for about 30-45 seconds before going to sleep and it causes your mouth to stay moist. It eventually wears off but it certainly makes a difference. You can pick this up at any pharmacy or any store that has mouthwash.
5. You Will Get Constipated
I was lucky enough not for this to effect me too negatively but I wasn't regular for a few days (gross I know but definitely a reality of being put under anesthesia).
5. Someone to care for you
It is best to have someone be there to help you on four two or three days. Fortunately, my girlfriend took good care of me. You could probably get by on your own but it would be much more difficult. It is not my intention to scare people away from this type of surgery but merely to make you aware to give you a heads up as to what you have to go through. I didn't do much reading online beforehand because you always run across horror stories. People are more likely to write about their negative experiences online than positive. Now about three and half months out from surgery, I can breathe much better through my nose and I can say that it was definitely worth it.
I recently had septoplasty surgery in order to correct my deviated septum as well as a turbindectomy in order to correct my enlarged turbinates. Both of these issues were causing me to have trouble breathing through my nose. I had my procedure on February 2 and I am pretty much at 100%. The goal of this blog post is to inform you of things that I wasn't made aware of upfront. Fortunately, I was never in any pain, just a lot of discomfort.
So, here are the things that they didn't tell me that I had to figure out on my own through experience (bear in mind that people heal differently and may experience different things that I did):
1. The Cost
Be sure to have the surgery pre-approved through your insurance company to ensure that you will not have to pay for the entire ordeal out of pocket. Even with my insurance coverage, I still owed quite a lot. Certainly, it will all depend on the type of coverage that you have but when it was all said and done, I had to pay about $1,500.00, which wasn't too bad. Many people don't realize that for hospital bills, if you call and make a payment in full, they will give you a discount most of the time. I was able to get a discount on most of my bills since I paid them in full over the phone. I wasn't able to get a discount from my actual doctor because in order to get a discount from them, I had to pre-pay which I was never advised of. I would suggest checking into this method to save you some cost but be aware that pre-paying too much could cause issues with insurance coverage.
2. Defying the Odds of How Much You Can Fit in Your Nose
After my surgery, I arose with cotton based packing in each nostril (about three inches in length, about an inch to an inch an half in circumference) along with pliable, gel-based splints (at least four inches in length and just shy of an inch wide) in each nostril that were kept in place by a single stitch. Aside from that and once the packing is removed the next day and the splints about four days later (which is like giving birth through your nose) and the days and week(s) following, you have a tremendous amount of scabbing and boogers that get built up because you cannot blow your nose.
In the frequent follow-ups post-surgery, my doctor removed all kinds of scabbing and debris from my nose. Below is a picture of one of the larger scabs that the doctor removed from my nose after a ten minute battle at getting it out. Fortunately, I only experienced discomfort as he used his metal apparatus to remove everything (as pictured below).
3. The Discomfort
I was told that I would feel discomfort but I wasn't informed how uncomfortable it really is. It is very uncomfortable and difficult to sleep because you have to be on your back and you can only breath through your mouth. You cannot breathe out of your nose at all due to the swelling, packing, splints, etc.
4. Biotene is your best friend
You have to sleep in a propped up position so I slept on the chaise on my couch. Since your nose is plugged up with the packing, splits, and drip pad, there is absolutely no way to breathe through your nose so you are forced to mouth breathe. This is okay while you are awake but when you sleep it is horrible. Your mouth gets so dry it is kind of painful. The first night, this alone prevented me from really falling asleep at all. I had to get sips of water like every ten minutes. By the second day, I discovered Biotene and used this when going to sleep and this was the difference of me sleeping so much better.
You swish with it for about 30-45 seconds before going to sleep and it causes your mouth to stay moist. It eventually wears off but it certainly makes a difference. You can pick this up at any pharmacy or any store that has mouthwash.
5. You Will Get Constipated
I was lucky enough not for this to effect me too negatively but I wasn't regular for a few days (gross I know but definitely a reality of being put under anesthesia).
5. Someone to care for you
It is best to have someone be there to help you on four two or three days. Fortunately, my girlfriend took good care of me. You could probably get by on your own but it would be much more difficult. It is not my intention to scare people away from this type of surgery but merely to make you aware to give you a heads up as to what you have to go through. I didn't do much reading online beforehand because you always run across horror stories. People are more likely to write about their negative experiences online than positive. Now about three and half months out from surgery, I can breathe much better through my nose and I can say that it was definitely worth it.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
New Fashion?
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Honey Baked Ham and Cafe
I stopped by this joint today in Winchester, VA. Delicious sandwiches and hams, too!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
What the Heck?
I found this weird thing in the parking lot of my school. It looks like a combination of a mouse and lizard. Really strange. Sorry for the unclear image, it was dark out.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Au Bon Pain
This place isn't new or a secret but it is pretty good. I got the clam chowder and a sesame seed bread stick while on a layover in Dallas, TX.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Fresh Fish
Be sure to visit the blog everyday to feed the fish or they will die! Check them out --->
Friday, January 6, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Sweet Frog - Frozen Yogurt
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
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