Holiday Toy Packaging A Christmas ConspiracY!

Its a conspiracy i saY! Why in this amazingly confusing world do companies believe they need to package toys and pretty much lock them inside the packaging with Zip-ties, Wires, Chains and cables.  I swear some of my daughters toys she got for Christmas had an extra pound of straps holding the toy to the piece of cardboard in the package.

Why do they do this? i mean i get it, i understand the companies want the product to not move round and they want it to look perfect in the package. They also dont want the item to get damaged but Come on noW they are going way overboard.  I know this isn't new to this year but i have seen such an over abundance of tie downs in Kids toys this year that ha got me all riled up.  Here is an interesting article with some opinions on the topic. http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/142918 .  Now please before you go an say DUh Kortney they need the straps, I know they need the straps but i just don't think they need so many. Reduce the strapping by like 50% and make it so parents are not spending 20 minutes opening each Xmas present for their child.  Maybe make it o i don't need to go searching through a tool bag to find bolt cutters and tin snips? I guess parents could always go through and open all the gifts beforehand and save time but what kid does not enjoy Unwrapping a gift and handing it to mommy/daddy and asking them to "open please"    Good times! Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Holidays!!! Here is another interesting Webpage about Toy  packaging


Oh and Happy New Year from your Mostest Favorite Guy with a girls name!(kortney)

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First Follow up with Doc 12-19-2012

Good morning folks! How in the Holly BerrY ARE  u!?  I had my first follow up appointment with Dr fallon yesterday.Dr fallon was happy with everything and gave me the all clear to start putting weight slowly on my left hip and leg.  It actually feels really good to bear weight on my left leg. The leg goes a little numb but Is getting better every time i get up. I still have to use crutches for a week and a half more but they are more or less just there to take a little bit f weight off the leg. Around December 10th Melissa had told me my truck had a flat tire so yesterday we bought a tire inflater at CAPS. Well guess what, it was a a 250 PSI Inflator and do you think it inflated my flat tire?   huh? Do you?

Nope, It didnt inflate the tire at all. I had it on for about 20 minutes and there was no change in the tire at all.  Now i know for future reference that those tiny tire inflators are not meant to pump up a huge truck tire from totally flat. I guess i gotta remove the tire and bring it to tire warehouse. So if anyone has a portable air compressor or a really good Inflator i can borrow i would much appreciate it!   With christmas just on the horizon ( 6 days away!) its nice that i can move around a bit more and do more around the house. Today we plan on wrapping gifts finally and getting stuff ready for kaylee. I was also cleared to drive the truck again but that wont be happening until i fix the flat tire.  So Happy  Holidays and Merry Christmas to all our friends, Family and everyone we know out there! May 2013 bring lots of great opportunities and health for your families!

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Hip Hop! Hip Hop Anonymous! 7 Days Post Surgery Update!

yes sir/mam! It is 7 days after my hip surgery and im starting to understand all the forum posts and blogs i spent hour upon hour reading before my surgerY.  The area that was repaired in my hip has such a small supply of blood that healing in that area takes forever. And by forever i mean probably a year to feel like i never had surgery. I can honestly say that i feel different now though and its good pain that i feel daily as opposed to before surgery dealing with testicle pain and limping daily.   I'm glad i had it done but i feel like such a burden having melissa wait on me like a waitress all day. I have been getting up and moving around but im not so eager to do so after last night :}.  You should see my end table next to my chair it looks like a trash can vomited all over the place. Melissa is never impressed when she comes to collect my trash :).

I was returning to my chair and had stopped to lean backwards and sit down when i lost my balance started falling forward and put weight on my left leg to save me from falling. WEll that didn't work because my left leg was not happy and i cris-crossed my crutches and fell in the corner by my chair in the living room.  It felt like something tore and  now i'm back to how i felt around day 2 or 3.  Lesson learned..... Get some damn skills and learn how to use crutches.   I want to say i'm just so happy with the people who have helped out  during this mess and you know who you are! I sometimes catch myself smiling when thinking about all the new friends we have and family that we are lucky enough to have live close by. A couple people have asked me what my favorite tv shows are so here goes! I am a regular tv viewer of anything on discovery but my favorite shows are American chopper/orange county choppers, gold rush, Jungle gold, moonshiners and myth busters. The only other shows i'm a regular watcher of are The walking dead, Revolution  and I've  just started watching american horror story season 1 online. If you like to watch freaky mind blowing stuff check out American horror story! It reminds me alot of that old show on HBO Tales from the crypt.   So to sum up my next few days i plan to sit in the recliner and watch TV and play catch with kaylee with her favorite purple ball and take a couple naps. I DO NOT plan on falling anymore because falling after a HIP surgery is pretty much not a good idea and just sets the healing process back.  LONG LIVE YENTROK ETTENREF !!!!! How cool is it that my name backwards actually sounds kinda neat? lol lUv iT!  

Here is a few Pictures of the healing processor after surgery!

5 days Post Op

7 Days Post Op

3 Days post oP Update

Today is Sunday December 9th and my surgery was on thursday the 6th. Sleeping at night has been better then i had first imagined as long as i sleep in the recliner. Sleeping on my back has been the key and wedging something between the arm of the recliner and my leg to keep my leg from mowing outwards.  I have had alot of What feels like dislocation from the joint. It feels like the femur keeps popping out of the socket and back in quick when i am in certain positions. I have  read alot of material about a brace called the bledsoe brace that prevents this from happening and speeds up Post surgery healing.  Pain levels have been bearable but i have taken way too many pain pills  also.

                                I still have not gotten used to not using my left leg and find myself putting weight on it every once in a while. My hip certainly lets me know right away im doing something wrong. Im worried that too much labram was removed and i am going to have issues with dislocation, The doctor and every article ive read has hinted that there is a HIGH % that a total hip replacement will be needed shortly down the road because the fat they could not repair the labram and just had to remove it instead. Also there was Arthritis and FAI impingement. Now that i feel the difference i know that the right hip will also need the surgery. I have never ever been able to sit indian style since i was a little kid and i always ran like a complete weirdo. Now i get why, it was my range of motion being interrupted by  the misshapen bones in my hip. Grrrrrrrrrr. I am defective.  The most positive outcome from all of this is i can actually feel myself being able to sit longer where as before my back would hurt too bad to stay in one position too long. I think the hip issue was tearing my back up. Thank god i went to a new doctor and did not just continue getting surgeries for my back. How can i repair my back when im walking with a huge limp my whole life.  Sooo as i said im 3 days into my recovery and i have between 3-6 months until i should be walking limp free and hopefully pain free.   most likely after the new year i will be having the conversation with Dr Fallon about the right hip and getting that done. If anyone has any suggestions for a really good Physical therapist in the greenfield, MA area for hips feel free to shoot me an email to kortney@thekortex.com. I am open to any and all suggestions.

                Last night was my first shower since post Operation and it was very interesting to say the least. Thank goodness i am happily married and comfortable with my wife cleaning me in the shower. It could be uncomfortable if i had just met melissa a few weeks ago lol.  Many people have asked me how long i have had the hip pain and Are suprised when i say my whole life... Let me explain, i have had weird pain that limited my abilities and range of motion but only serious pain since i hurt my back in 2009.  For anyone who is contemplating getting this surgery i highly reccomend doing your research and choosing a doctor who does many of the operations each year. You really want a surgeon who knows how to repair the labram and cartilage and not just remove it. When they remove it it creates space where the femur can actually just bounce in and out of the joint and from my experience it is NOT comfortable at all.  Dr fallon explained because i did not get my hip fixed at first signs of pain it had turned into a crab meat like texture and was Non-repairable .  Also if you have access to a Constant coling/ice therapy machine like a cryocuff that is a HUGE help. I only use a ice pack and it can be a pain trrying to get it back in the freezing while holding it in my mouth and stumbling on my crutches out to the freezer.  SO over all 3 days after surgery things are going "ok" as long as i keep the weight off my left leg and i keep icing whenever possible.   We have been very lucky that during this busy time Friends and family have volunteered to deliver us dinners each evening. I never understood how much of a help this is until i was the one injured and we needed the help. It is such a HUGE helP!

Thank you A FRIEND TO FRIEND !  A Friend to friend is a local non profit group of volunteers with HUGE hearts who love helping those in need! And thank you friends and family. I feel so blessed to be so cared about. The positive vibes make me stay positive which will help me heal i believe. SUNDAY FUNDAY! well sunday watch football day! Kaylee and melissa are off to santas land and Im at home sitting in the recliner resting. I hate not being with them but know its for the better! THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!

Here is a  nice site that explains FAI Syndrome
http://www.chiropractic-books.com/Femero-Acetabular-Impingement-Syndrome.html

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Femoral acetabular impingement/ Labral tear. Can i get a what? what?

BAM!   BAM?   BAM ....................

whatwhat? Who? What?   Woke up today around 4:30 to get ready for my surgery at cooley dickinson.  My surgery was scheduled for a 6am arrival and 8am operating room time.  Went through all the pre op stuff , shaving hip, getting IV, etc, etc.  I just want to take a moment to point out that from a patient perspective that the nurses (every nurse i encountered) during my stay at cooley dickinson hospital  was way too busy to actually care that i was in the hospital at all. I genuinely feel bad for them and know that 90% of them wish they had more time with the patients.  Dr fallon came to talk to me and after a bit of a wait off we were off to the OR. The crew in the operating was absolutely hilarious joking the whole time until the last thing i remembered (which was some funny jokes from Dr fallon.) You can tell these people LOVE their jobs. I would too  considering once the patient is asleep you can be as goofy and funny as you want. At one point the anesthesiologist said "guys calm down a little the patient is not even out yet" and i said by all means dont worry about me.  The taste you get in your mouth as the anesthesia works it way through your body is disgusting. Its like a mix of chemicals/bleach. It is aVery weird taste!

.

Its now 2pm and im home. Not too bad for a hip surgery in my opinion. Dr fallon said we will go over the details of what he found but Explained thathe took out a chunk of bone that was floating around in my hip. The bone is most likely the reason for the Tear in the labrum. That and the impingment which is just my dumb luck that i was born with a messed up hip socket.  I really need some work on my crutches but im sure ill get plenty of practice in the next month while i can not put any weight on my left leg.  Thank you melissa(my wife) for dealing with my crap! I know it has not been easy and i know i will be healing quickly! If anyone happens to have one of those pedal bikes that is easily moved around i am looooking for one to help in my rehab while sitting at home. Thank you everyone for the good lucks and the get wells. Thank you to A Friend To Friend for all you have done and the support! I can not wait to get better and get back out helping those in need! I have a date with some Ritz Crackers and some diet coke so Hasta Luigi Chicos and chicas!


KortZ! aka yentrok ettenref

Dont forget to check out my favorite sites!!
www.afriendtofriend.com
www.afriendtofriend.info
www.nakedpurpleelephantsthatsqueal.com  ok i made this one up! :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femoral_acetabular_impingement has more info about Impingment for those who are interested.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hip-labral-tear/DS00920  has more info on labral tears.

The day is coming....

Wow today is already  December 2nd can you believe it? I know i cant! My hip surgery is in 4 days YIKES! Im trying to run around and get things done that i can before im out of commision for a bit.  For anyone who cares im having a left hip arthroscopic surgery. Multiple labral tears and needs to be cleaned out and evaluated for future treatments/surgeries.

Can i just take a  moment to say that i  absolutely LOVE Garbage omelets from the Four leaf clover in Bernardston, Mass.  It has mushrooms, peppers, onions, bacon anything and everything you want! YUM YUM YUM!  I bought a gift certificate off of restaurants.com for 4 dollars that was  a $25 gift certificate. Crazy huh? you should check them out, they are always having some really good sales!  We took Mimi and Grampa out for breakfast this morning and it was just a great experience. Good food, Good atmosphere!

  I really do try and get as many blog posts done as possible but honestly i never even have a clue what to write about. Im always brain storming and trying to think of ideas. Overall im just a boring person and  not a great writer.   I mean im a pretty silly, quick witted dude but transferring my feelings and goofiness to blog format never comes out the way i want it to.

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2AM Rants and Delirium

2AM Rants and Delirium

Honestly  though? What else is there to do at 1:31am on the night after you received a Hip arthogram and the steroids will not release their grip on your awakedness!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!   I figured what the hey HEY lets get another blog post in right? RIGHT?....... R I G H T ! ! ! !  

So this is my third Injection and to be completely honest, It actually hurt quite a bit. The first 2 i received i didn't feel a thing and only side effects were High Blood sugars and Not sleeping for about 3-4 nights in a row. Here i am having that same problem now :/ but its OK because in 4 hours when Kaylee wakes up and wants to play i will lay a HUGE super thick comforter down on the floor, lay there and let her crawl all over me playing "dragons"   "playground slide"  and BARBIES! Sooo what, I enjoy playing barbies with her is that such a crime. I mean i have been home with her since she was 4 months old and we have built quite the father-daughter bond.  I would describe our relationship as a "WTF Daddy why cant you lift me up, Are you gonna play with me yet?, When is mommy coming home" Kind of relationship. She loves me to death but its like any relationship whether intimate or family when you spend too much time with a person you take things for granted. You also tend to get sick of each other (In a loving way of course). I'm in no way saying i don't enjoy my time with Kaylee im just saying sometimes it is nice when gramma comes and gets her on Sunday afternoon and The wife is at work all day and i can just watch some football and Veg out.  

Kaylee has been having some really hard times with missing mommy the last few weeks because its just worked out that either kaylees at school, melissa is working, Kaylees sleeping or something is going on.  their schedules are just not lining up lately and kaylee repeatedly expresses her yearning for mommy.  The other day we  missed mommyWife so much we drove up to hagars farm stand/store and got some fried dough with maple cream for Melissa and her coworkers.  I gotta tell you if you have not tried Hagars Fried dough then get out and try it! It is THE BEST in this area.  I also tried a goat meatball at Hagars and cant say that was exactly super awesomely delicious. It tasted  alot like dirty bison meat rolled down a Huge hill of manure. YUMMMMY!!!!  the lady did say it was leaner then chicken and one of the healthiest red meats there is..   Maybe i could put enough BBQ sauce on it to make it edible i dont know, and i don't think ill be trying it anytime sooN!

Looks can be deceiving! 

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BLOG BLOG BLOG@! 11-4-2012

                 

                    Oh my I am starting a NEW blog again? lol... I was trying to decide if i was going to move all my old blog posts over and add them to this site but decided I wanted a new fresh start to my blog. And what better time to start then now.  I just finished up my 18 month straight program at Porter and Chester, Melissa has started working on her bachelors and masters from elms college.   I go on December 6th for a Arthroscopic hip surgery and am really hoping that is my Kick start i need to get back to work.


                      For anyone who never read my old blog or doesn't know exactly whats going on i will  give a REAL quick rundown of the past 3 years in my life.  I worked at c&s for 10 years and hurt my back outside of work. I ended up having Lots of herniated discs and pinched nerves. I had a lumbar fusion which was successful in eliminating the Shooting nerve pain down the right leg.  The Nerve pain on the left remained and I told the doctors it was still there. After 8 months of serious pain i landed in the ER one night in more pain then I've ever had. After tons of tests and almost being sent home i had a VERY bad infection that was in the blood, tissues and instrumentation of the Fusion site. I spend 14 days in the hospital and Was sent home to do 2 months of home IV Antibiotics... Good times :/.    From then to now its been TONS Of PT and tons of doctors appointments and I'm sick of it all. I was sent for MRI of my hip because it was killing me and i have walked with a limp since 2009. The MRI showed multiple Tears on my labrum in my left hip and it showed my top of the femur is shaped weird and destroying the hip socket. The surgery on DEC 6th will be to reshape the femur and repair the labrum! I'm pretty excited for this surgery and holding lots of hope that it will Get me to where i can start walking more and maybe even jogging to get my back better.  I think the most important thing someone needs to accept when they are dealing with Chronic pain is that you will never be pain free. So don't strive to be pain free. I have learned so many ways to adjust my life around my back issues. Going to school was the best thing i could have ever done because it kept me from wasting away at home and having my brain go into hibernation.  My long term goal is to own my own company, I have dabbled with it a bit in the past and hope to get it going within the next 10 years.  

                   

                             While checking my  face book one day i  stumbled across a group called a friend to friend that was just starting out(or seemed to be).  I instantly fell in love with the mission of this group. They were all about helping families and individuals who are facing a life limiting illness, injury or anything else that's effecting them badly. It has been one of my values my whole life that if you have extra, even if it is only a few dollars or a few minutes of your time that there is other people out there who could use that more than i could.  I remember when i first got hurt we needed financial help for like 3 weeks while i was waiting for Long tern disability to kick in and No groups would say yes to helping us. i was paying cobra Insurance HUGE premiums to go see doctors what felt like was daily.  A FRIEND TO FRIEND is around for people like me during my hard time who need help to get back on our feet.  That's why i will spend the rest of my life helping as many people as i can to just make it in life!  I know one of the hardest things to do when you are already down is accept help but if you have worked your butt off your whole life or been an overall "good" person there is no reason to feel bad about getting help for a short period to get you back on your feet.  If you are curious about A FRIEND TO FRIEND check them out here WWW.AFRIENDTOFRIEND.COM .  Interested in volunteering your time to help others?  Email A FRIEND TO FRIEND now at info@afriendtofriend.com EMAIL F2F


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