Catching Up

So, as I was saying, I had to go to the Mayo Clinic for some consults. Then our ten year old Dell Computer died. We then with our friends Gary and Rosie went for a two week vacation in southwest Montana, camping and hiking in the mountains. That was great until two trees fell across a forest service road trapping us on Trapper mountain in the Bitterroot Range. Then we returned to Minnesota just in time to catch a horrible heat wave. Naturally our air conditioner quit working. Thus far June and July could have been a bit better....
A recurrence of my A-Fib problem after a 5 year hiatus led me back to Cardiology. A slightly revised regimen of medication seems to be working. Then it was off to Neurology where I learned that I had something special. On of those 1 in 10,000 people conditions. Lucky me. For those interested in the truly unnusual here in there own words is the Mayo Clinic description for lay people.
"Cervical dystonia, also called spasmodic torticollis, is a
painful condition in which your neck muscles contract involuntarily, causing
your head to twist or turn to one side. Cervical dystonia can also cause your
head to uncontrollably tilt forward or backward.
A rare disorder that can occur at any age, even infancy,
cervical dystonia most often occurs in middle-aged people, women more than men.
Symptoms generally begin gradually and then reach a point where they don't get
substantially worse.
There is no cure for cervical dystonia. The disorder sometimes
resolves without treatment, but sustained remissions are uncommon. Injecting
botulinum toxin into the affected muscles often reduces the signs and symptoms
of cervical dystonia. Surgery may be appropriate in a few cases
The most common type
of twisting associated with cervical dystonia is when your chin is pulled
toward your shoulder. Some people experience a combination of abnormal head
postures. A jerking motion of the head also may occur.
Most people who have
cervical dystonia also experience neck pain that can radiate into the
shoulders. The disorder also can cause headaches. In some people, the pain from
cervical dystonia can be exhausting and disabling.
In most cases of
cervical dystonia, doctors don't know why some people develop the disorder and
others don't. Some cases, however, appear to be linked to:
Head, neck or shoulder injuries."
Fortunately, the condition is more seriously annoying than seriously fatal. Botox may provide relief. What I find really discouraging is that, in my case, the involuntary head movement is to the right. And as a life long liberal I find that very hard to take .......