AorticDissection.com

Sunday around 4:30pm

2010-01-03T16:27:00.000-08:00

I just got done doing some editing to my main website and posted another personal story today for a Patrick Gethin. You can read his story in a couple of places, it's here on my main website, http://www.aorticdissection.com/Personal%20Stories/Patrick%20Gethin.htm or you can read it on my Forum site, http://www.aorticdissection.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=901 I am so thankful to be able to post stories to it hopefully encourages others to feel strong and stay positive about life.

Speaking of life, we went to church this morning and it was packed! All the new years resolutions to get to know Jesus-all good! Anyway, the story was about Solomon the king and about starting over with a Tabula Rasa. One definition I found on the web was, Commonly attributed to John Locke, the concept of the mind as a tabula rasa, a ”blank slate” as a description of the human mind before it receives the imprint of experience, is deeply rooted in scribal culture.

What is interesting is that we use a fresh new year to start essentially all over again from various points in our lives. It's the same thing that Jesus Christ does with our SINS each day is he wipes them away with his blood that was shed on the cross for us.

It's back to work tomorrow and I am looking forward to what lies ahead in 2010. I am anxious to try and see how successful I can do in the PNW for my tennis this year. I am setting a goal of finishing in the top 5. I KNOW I can do it. I am also determined to get my weight down to 200lbs or under from 213. I am printing out my chart to write down my daily weigh ins to keep track.

Have a great first week of 2010!

Brian

Happy New Year-Saturday January 2nd, 2010

2010-01-02T19:15:00.001-08:00

Wow... What a fast year! So much happened that last year. Today, we took downt the Christmas Tree and the Boy Scouts came and picked up the tree for $5.00 bucks. We put away all the Christmas gadgets and are not ready to start decorating for Valentines Day!

This was me at my mother in law's house on Christmas morning. My son Owen could not put down his new IPOD Touch.

My wife is out with her friends tonight celebrating her birthday that was on 12/23 and they've just finally got enough time to do it.

I just stumbled across and interesting article, Is Your EMS Prepared? and it's a very interesting article about what a EMS tech has to try and figure out what the root causes of a person's chest pains are.

My kids and I are going to watch a movie now!

Take care,

Brian

New Years Eve 12/31/09 Not feeling too well!

2009-12-31T14:25:00.000-08:00

I played tennis yesterday evening and hurt my back again. I had my doctor friend (Dr. Steve) get me some painkillers and I took one percoset (sp) and I almost threw up 4 times. I just can not handle that "hard core" pain pill-I just get sick every single time. However, my Aleve wasn't doing anything. So, it's just basic Advil for me!

I know Olivia really loved her boots and she also got a new cell phone and the IPOD touch, plus more goodies... I would say a very nice Christmas for her!

Owen scored well too! He got a new cell phone (his first one) as well as an IPOD Touch and some Itunes cards and video games.

That's my daughter and son, with our new dog Tilly! She's a Golden Doodle and a fun pet to have! We love her so much as I do my kids and I am so blessed to have them all! We had a great Christmas this year too! We usually spend Christmas Eve at my folks and open our family gifts at home on Christmas Day, then head over to my wife's mom's to open more presents with her sister and their family. My son and daughter at Christmas time!

Have a happy New Year... Me and my bro at my parents.

Our Christmas card!

Me and my beautiful wife Kathleen at Christmas with the folks.

Happy Wednesday December 30th, 2009

2009-12-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

I am taking this week off and just hanging out with the family this week. Granted, I am still kind of checking my email and trying to lend a hand where needed, but I am just hanging out at home. As crazy as it sounds, still got up on Tuesday at 0445am and will get up again tomorrow at that outrageous hour to be able to play tennis at 5:30am.

The USTA season is creeping up on and I have to have 8 players by January 10th, 2010 for us to have our 4.5 team again. I am also going to be playing in my first tennis tourney of the year in Kirkland, WA from Jan 21-24th. I am hoping to make it to the finals or win that thing in the men's 45 age limit division. I then plan on playing in the tournament the following weekend in Olympia, WA for the Mike Anderson Memorial tourney. I had actually played him about 10 years ago, and he's since passed away due to cancer.

Another goal for 2010 is to get my weight down to under 200lbs. I am stuck at 213-215 and can't seem to get it lower. It doesn't help being on the 20mgs of Lexapro and 200mgs of Toporol XL. These are two of the worst drugs for having an effect on weight gain and sexual feelings-I will leave it at that.

My website, http://www.aorticdissection.com and http://www.aorticdissection.com/Forums are doing well and I am hoping that they are helping others live with the aortic dissection disease. I have over 200 stories now on my site, http://aorticdissection.com/Personal%20Stories1.htm and feel that I am blessed being able to try and give something back to help others. It's easy to get bogged down in all the negative readying, but... you have to have HOPE/FAITH and BELIEF that this all happened for a reason that YOUR life is in GOD's hands and that everything is part of the plan for you.

My kids now are expressing an interest in tennis and I am going to have to actually get them a racket so they can learn. In the past, they didn't want daddy trying to teach them. However, my daughter wants to try out for the high school team and I hope that we can get her to a level that she can at least try out. I know I can teach her and my son to be great players, like me! :)

Have a great day! Be thankful for everything!
Brian

2009-12-19T15:53:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally decided to get a scooter. I got a screaming deal on it. I am waiting for it to be shipped from Chicago. I will probably get it in the early spring time as it's not scooter weather around here. I searched and searched and finally knew deep down that if I didn't get anything other than a Vespa, I would always be wishing I had one. I also didn't want to get the scooters that you could ride on the highway either.

Work is going well and I am super busy. I really like work there! Great people to work with! I am learning a ton as well. I played tennis this morning and picked up my Lexapro prescription. I ended up not being able to cut it back to my doctor's recommendations. I am still at the 20mg daily and this stuff ain't cheap! Even with my insurance, it was $70.00 for a monthly dosage.

It's my brother and wife's birthday celebration dinner this evening. My parents take us out to the Palisades restaurant and we always have a great dinner and time. I can't wait for Christmas!

I ended up getting some different home surround sound speakers, my son claims that he didn't like my present ones I got off Ebay. They are www.fluance.com and were $199.00. They are apparently pretty decide, but I found another brand, Energy and waiting to the them. They are considerably smaller.

I am price shopping my present Verizon Wireless and home FIOS/Internet/Phone services. I told the gal at Verizon Fios I was going to leave and since Comcast is offering some pretty good deals, she said to call back on Monday to see if they will match it. If I didn't have to pay for the HG box and the 2 other boxes, that would save me almost $40.00 a month!

Have a great day!

Brian

Not So Fast-Lexapro not that easy to get off of

2009-11-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

I thought I could do it.. I had gone from 20 mgs a day to 15 mgs a day for about the last 7 days. Wow... I can NOT believe that 5 mgs would make that big of a difference. It started about 2 days ago, I have been so edgy and angry about anything... That's not me-I could not figure out why I was feeling like this. Then, I realized that my personality was getting angry and I was simply not happy and in a bad mood.

I took my meds today and then actually ended up taking an additional 10 mg pill bringing me to 25 mgs today. I feel 1000% better! Go figure! I just don't think the timing is right now to try and get off this drug during the Christmas season. It's stressful enough!

I went to the club today to try and chill out and took at hot sauna for 20 minutes and it's relaxing. I just hate being short-tempered and my kids and wife don't like that side of me either. Nor do I like it either. So, after taking the additional medication, I am feeling much happier and less stressed out.

Have a great day!

Oh yah... watched Kevin at the Champions center today on TV, great message about wearing the "armor" of GOD.

Saturday Morning... Kind of Chilly out there

2009-11-21T09:26:00.000-08:00

I just got back from playing my usual Saturday 0700am doubles and I am waiting for a lady to come by at 10:00am to pick up my Keurig coffee maker. It turns out that my wife wants some of her counter space back. So, we have to get rid of one machine and she has hers and I have mine. I had bought the Keurig for my early Tues/Thursday 5:30am tennis. I wasn't quite awake for my usual 3 shots when I made my Cappuccino with my La Piccola machine. This is a great machine!

I am still wishing I could somehow get a small scooter, but with Christmas around the corner, it's a tough sell around here. But... it's fun to be looking around. I really need to try and find one that I can NOT ride on the highway as it's just too dangerous and granted it's appealing, I had to sell my last 2 bikes because my family didn't want me riding on the highway.

Our dog Tilly is really growing into a big dog. She's a Golden Doodle and likes to chew on everything-including the carpet where out old cat left off tearing up. I need hardwood floors now!!!!

I have been really liking my new "surround sound" set up. Wow.. you should check out Fluance.com and see for yourself, a $199.00 package is great. And, check out HSU Research as well for the sub. I got the STF-2 sub woofer.

I can't believe next week is Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for what GOD has given me, my family, friend, job and being able to play tennis. I am so grate full.

I think we are going to watch a football game today and it's about a 2 hour road trip... So, I need to get ready for the day.

The joys of Lexapro-Trying to get off this stuff

2009-11-15T08:54:00.000-08:00

Well,

I am trying to get off the drug called Lexapro . I was originally prescribed it at Stanford when I went there for my claudication symptoms in my legs. After going to Standford and determining that my symptoms for my ache calves would go away, they decided that I was just a little depressed. Actually, I had never been depressed to my knowledge ever..... However, a majority of the patients who have open heart surgery, not to mention aortic dissection surgery, do have some issues with depression if they are lucky enough to make it out of the surgery.

That was back in early 2004 when I was first prescribed Lexapro. I think I started out at 10mgs a day and then soon over the years migrated up to 20 mgs. About 6 months ago, I had not been the best at taking all my Blood Pressure medications daily. After meeting with my cardiologist, Dr. Alex Sytman, he said that I would have to go on more BP meds if I didn't get my BP down. I was on average taking my medications about every 4 days. So, in order to have to take more meds, I started taking them religiously. My blood pressure has gone down and the side effects are absolutely no desire for any sexual activity. Period. Zero, Ziltch, Nada.

So, I spoke to Dr. Liang and he mentioned that I could get off the drug , but it would take a while. He said around 6 months. I met with my general physician, Dr. Steve Stukovsky on the 13th of November and he gave me a slightly more aggressive plan (around 3 months) to try. I started already and I am on my 3rd day with taking 15 mgs a day versus 20. I will keep you posted on my progress. It's also a very expensive drug to take because there's really no "generic" for it due to it's patent on the drug. However, I believe that ends within a few years. Regardless, I am wanting to just get off it completely and try to get back to feeling normal. It's also caused me to gain about 10 lbs back too! I have made a commitment to try and get back down to under 200 lbs. I am right now at 215.

Have a great day......
Brian

Got my eye on a scooter

2009-11-11T20:33:00.000-08:00

Hi,

I am deciding whether or not I can get a scooter. I had 2 motorcycles before, but my family frowned on my riding on the highway. I can completely agree with them. I am just looking for something to putt around with on a nice sunny day for a 15 minute ride and then park it. I am looking at a 2006 Vespa. I am hoping that I can work something out.

Busy day at work today. I was head down all day with various projects. Now that we are an official CLEC, the local services side of the house is an entirely new ball game and very complicated. I think people take for granted just how great it is to have local phone service and what's entailed to get it.

Got another busy day tomorrow.... Early 5:30am doubles tennis too! I can't believe it but I am playing the best tennis of my life at 47!!! Oh.. almost forgot, I got my new speakers today. A company called FLUANCE. They are out of Canada and for $199.00 they have a screaming deal on a surround sound set up. It doesn't include a sub, but... you can get one of them from HSU research and you are set.

Need to get my Lexapro pills tomorrow as I am out.... I can't wait to get off of them.

Brian

Good Friends....and some tennis this morning

2009-11-08T14:37:00.000-08:00

I played some singles this morning with one of my best friends. It was so enjoyable as we both reflected on how tennis is such a great game in life and a game that can help you in every avenue in life.

The amazing thing is that I am playing the best tennis of my life at 47 years of age and having suffered an aortic dissection on 8/22/2003.

My other goal is to get off this Lexapro crap. I have been taking 20mgs for almost 6 years now and I want off of it. My friend from Stanford has given me a "game plan" on how to weed myself off of it.

I am watching the Seahawks agains the Detroit Lions. It's a 4 point game now and the 3rd quarter is going to be starting soon!

I am interested in finding me a small scooter to cruize around on every now and then. I know that I can't get another motorcycle as my family doesn't want me on the highway.

My new surround system is comging this week and I am excited to try it out.

Have a great day!

Brian

Another "Declined" Life Insurance Policy

2009-11-07T10:03:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can not believe that I have had MetLife,Aflac and now (just received in the mail on Friday), the DECLINE of service from Banner Lilfe Insurance Company. Reason-your aortic dissection history. BS! It's been 6 years now and I have not had one issue with anything. My BP is under control, I am playing the best tennis of my life and my latest CT/Angio shows still not growth on my aorta. I am completely at a lost!

There's one small possibility, I still have a $70K policy with UNUM via my old employer MCI Telecom. And, I have an 80K through UNUM with my former employee Verizon. I am trying to see if I can upgrade my old MCI to 100K and I will let you know. Update.. I also just found a site where they specialize in "high risk" folks and I sent them an email for help.

I played the best tennis match of my life since my open heart surgery on 8/22/03. I was able to finally beat Jack two straight sets. I played extremely well and had a ton of confidence and was so excited and proud of myself for continuing to stick with it and to keep coming back fighting to find a way to win.

It's definitely fall and the leaves are sure pretty! Have a great day!
Brian

Kiss comes to our house for Halloween! Not quite!

2009-11-01T11:17:00.000-08:00

My kids and their cousins formed the newest version of KISS! I think they will give the real KISS a run for their money! They had a blast dressing up like the band. It just goes to show you how creative some kids can be for Halloween!

We had over 100 kids come to our doors last night! Granted, it rained partially, but I think it was a great turn out.

We watched some old videos today of when Owen was born and the Olivia show.. Brings back great memories!

Go Seahawks... I hope the beat Dallas today!

Brian

It's my birthday-the big 47

2009-10-23T10:29:00.001-07:00

Hello!

I am very fortunate to be celebrating my birthday today. GOD's been very good to me and I have to be honest, I have let him down numerous times and let myself get carried away on things that are not of GOD, aka sinning. I am so thankful for the support of my family for all that they had to go through when I had my operation 6 years ago. It's the miracle of life and the second chance that I got that makes each and everyday worthwhile and rewarding.

I am going to enjoy some indoor tennis today with my friend, whom I was actually playing 6 years ago when my aortic dissection occurred! Today, I am going to beat him, he's very tough, but I have beat him before!

I got us season tickets to the new Stealth Lacrosse team in Everett today and we are going to my daughter's school last home game tonight.

Take care!
Brian

Blood Pressure Meds-Expensive!

2009-09-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

I recently changed jobs and insurance providers. I had my cardiologist call in my perscriptions. I found out that my insurance company didn't want to pay for my Lexapro and Toporol XL and instead gave me what they thought were the "generic" versions. However, I discovered that the generics are not the same as these two drugs I am taking. So, I called my insurance company and got approval to get the brand names and granted they cost more, I do feel better again.

The job is going well, I really like working at X5 and love the people. It's a nice classy outfit with a great bunch of people who know how to run a phone company.

Kids are doing well in school and I can definitely feel that Fall is in the air!

I got my stringer again and have been stringing my racquet's. I have tried this tournagrip and just can't seem to get used to it... going back to my Yonex overwraps and have recently been playing with my Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16 gauge w/o the poly for the mains. I am not 100% sold that I can go back since I have been playing with a hybrid for the last couple of years!

Take care!
Brian

Dr. James Brevig and team

2009-08-30T16:46:00.001-07:00

I celebrated my 6th year anniversary on 8/22/09 as I mentioned on an early post, however, I neglected to stress the "key" reason that I was able to make it... Dr. James Brevig. He was my surgeon and to this day, I believe he'd had to work that Friday and all of the sudden at 4:45pm I come into the ER and if it hadn't been for the CT scan that saved my life as well, he might never have had to stay around and start enjoying his weekend. Luckily for me, he was still around and had a very long night ahead of him. Thanks to Dr. Brevig, I got a second chance at life.Also, my PA Sherri was excellent as well. Another key ingrediant to my success! Let me tell you, this is a top of the line surgeon and that team he's associated with, the Everett Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgical Associates are a dream team if you are going to require services for a heart condition at Everett General Hospital!

Meet Our Practitioners

The philosophy of our group is to remain the elite heart, lung, and esophageal surgical program in Washington and the Northwest, by being in the forefront with proven technology and skills resulting in the best patient care and outcomes.

Each surgeon continues to expand his knowledge of the latest techniques and procedures.

Please review their biographies as well as our team of highly trained physician assistants.

Alexander Frank Nieto, M.D.

Dr. Nieto is a native of Denver, Colorado. He received his under-graduate degree at the University of Northern Colorado. He did his general surgery residency at the University of Washington and then was on staff at the University of Washington. Dr. Nieto did his Cardiothoracic Fellowship at the University of Utah and has been practicing here in Everett since 1986.

Timothy Byrnes, M.D.

Dr. Byrnes has been in practice in Everett since 1990. He graduated from Harvard University in 1978, Magna Cum Laude in Biochemical Sciences. He attended Cornell University Medical College and graduated in 1982. He did a medical internship at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and then began a five year general surgery program at Saint Lukes Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. Following that he returned to his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin where he did a Cardiothoracic Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin.

James Brevig, M.D.

Dr. Brevig is a native of New York. He graduated from Tufts University, Massachusetts, in 1982, B.S. in Biology and Philosophy, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa. He then attended Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York where he received his medical degree in 1986 followed by a five year general surgery program at St. Lukes Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. In 1990 and 1991 he was Chief Resident, Department of General Surgery, St. Lukes Roosevelt Hospital. He completed his fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at State University of New York, Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse, New York. He joined ECTSA in 1993.

Patrick Ryan, M.D.

Dr. Ryan received his BS in Biology at the College of William and Mary in 1983. He attended Medical School at the State University of New York at Buffalo followed by a five year General Surgery Residency at Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, Massachusetts. His Cardiothoracic surgical training was completed at the State University of New York, Upstate Medical Center. He was an Assistant Professor at State University of New York in Syracuse from 1994 to 1997. He joined ECTSA in 1997.

Kimberly E. Costas, M.D.

Dr. Costas is a native of California. She attended the University of California, Davis and graduated in 1994, B.S. in Biological Sciences. She received her general surgery degree from Georgetown School of Medicine in 1998. Upon completion of her residency at the University of Washington in 2003, she moved to Sydney, Australia for a one-year registrarship in Cardio thoracic Surgery. She completed her fellowship training in Cardio thoracic Surgery at the University of Rochester, Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, New York in 2006. In August of 2006 she joined ECTSA.

Omar Habib, M.D.

Dr. Habib is a native of Illinois. He received his undergraduate degree at Northwestern University and his Doctor of Medicine degree at University of Illinois. He completed his General Surgery residency at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan in 2005. His cardiothoracic training was completed in 2007 at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Habib continued his surgical training by completing an endovascular and cardiovascular fellowship at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. He joined ECSTA in 2008.

Karen Tooley, PA-C

Karen Tooley graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program. In addition to a firm background in general medicine, Karen’s training included rotations in general surgery and internal (geriatric) medicine. Karen is an avid bicycle tourist and beginning triathlete. Karen joined ECTSA in 2001.

Sherri Giragosian, PA-C

Sherri is a California state native. She worked as an operating room technician while pursuing an Associate Degree in Science. She completed her Bachelor of Science-Nursing degree at Fresno State University and then continued her studies and attended the University of California, Davis University Family Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant program. She moved to Washington in 1996 and joined ECTSA in 2001.

Kristin DeGroot, PA-C

Kristin is a native of Idaho and graduated from the University of Idaho with a BS in Biology. She attended Samuel Merritt College in California and graduated from the Physician Assistant program. Kristin joined ECTSA in 2007. She enjoys travel, skiing and fly fishing.

Martha Pao, PA-C

Martha is a native of Taiwan. Her career began as a public health nutritionist in 1991. She attended George Washington University and graduated from the Physician Assistant program in 1998. Martha worked as a physician assistant in both cardiac surgery and neurosurgery in Maryland and Washington D.C. She moved to the Everett area in 2003 and joined ECTSA in 2008. She enjoys spending time with her family.

Tiffany Yim, PA-C

Tiffany is a Washington State native and earned a Bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of Portland. She graduated from the Western University of Health Sciences physician assistant program. Tiffany worked as a physician assistant in Richland, WA prior to joining ECTSA in 2008.

Home | Meet Our Practitioners | F.A.Q's | Contact Us

My 6th Year Anniversary since my Aortic Dissection Surgery

2009-08-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's hard to believe it's been 6 years on 8/22/2009 since my aortic dissection while playing tennis at the age of 40 on 8/22/2003. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was super stressed out and had about a million things going on!

I don't know what button I hit, but my last 10 minutes of typing disappeared! LOL! Oh well, the US Open starts tomorrow and I am excited to watch the matches on TV. I remember all the 4-7pm matches on USA Today network. I am hoping that the Tennis Channel and/or ESPN2 picks up where they left off. I am hoping to sell one of my domain names this week. I could use the money and HOPE and PRAY that it goes through. I am asking $4,500.00 for the name, but... not sure if it's too high or they will take it. A car dealership wants the name.

It's my daughter's first day of High School tomorrow! WOW! Time has gone by at the speed of light, last time I checked, she was in diapers! Just kidding, but... it's an exciting time for her and I am just hoping that she enjoys it and does well there!

My son is going to go to the public school just up the street next year, we were just not seeing the benefits at his last school, or at least not the $500.00 a months worth!

Take care!
Brian T.

Remebering Debakey-Pioneering AD Surgery

2009-08-30T16:04:00.006-07:00

Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey, internationally acclaimed as the father of modern cardiovascular surgery — and considered by many to be the greatest surgeon ever — died Friday night at The Methodist Hospital in Houston. He was 99.

Methodist officials said DeBakey died of natural causes. They gave no additional details.

Medical statesman, chancellor emeritus of Baylor College of Medicine, and a surgeon at The Methodist Hospital since 1949, DeBakey trained thousands of surgeons over several generations, achieving legendary status decades before his death. During his career, he estimated he had performed more than 60,000 operations. His patients included the famous — Russian President Boris Yeltsin and movie actress Marlene Dietrich among them — and the uncelebrated.

"Dr. DeBakey singlehandedly raised the standard of medical care, teaching and research around the world," said Dr. George Noon, a cardiovascular surgeon and longtime partner of DeBakey's. "He was the greatest surgeon of the 20th century, and physicians everywhere are indebted to him for his contributions to medicine."

Debakey almost died in 2006, when he suffered an aortic aneurysm, a condition for which he pioneered the treatment. He is considered the oldest patient to have both undergone and survived surgery for it. He recovered well enough to go to Washington earlier this year to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation's two highest civilian honors.

He remained vigorous and was a player in medicine well into his 90s, performing surgeries, traveling and publishing articles in scientific journals. His large hands were steady, his hearing sharp. His personal health regimen included taking the stairs at work and a single cup of coffee in the morning.

DeBakey's death was mourned Friday night by the leaders of Methodist and Baylor. Methodist President Ron Girotto said, "He has improved the human condition and touched the lives of generations to come. We will greatly miss him." And Baylor President Dr. Peter Traber added that "he set a standard for preeminence in all areas of his life that those who knew him and worked with him are compelled to emulate. And he served as a very visible reminder of the importance of leadership and giving back to ones community."

Debakey was born in Lake Charles, La., in 1908, a month before Ford began making Model Ts and a quarter-century before the discovery of bacteria-fighting drugs. His genius helped shape surgery and health care as we know it. While still in medical school, he developed the roller pump for the heart-lung machine. DeBakey invented many of the procedures and devices — more than 50 surgical instruments — used to repair hearts and arteries today.

He is widely credited with laying the foundation for the Texas Medical Center in Houston by recruiting pre-eminent doctors and researchers and giving the city an international reputation for leading-edge health care. He was a maverick, running afoul of the Harris County Medical Society for insisting that surgeons be certified by the American Board of Surgery. At the time, it was common for general physicians to operate.

"DeBakey built a department of surgery at Baylor and at The Methodist Hospital, which was to become one of the most celebrated in the world, a galaxy of young stars," the late author Thomas Thompson wrote in 1970 in Hearts: Of Surgeons and Transplants, Miracles and Disasters Along the Cardiac Frontier. "In a city where 25 years ago there was practiced medicine of the most mediocre sort, there sprung up in a swampy area six miles south of downtown ... one of the handful of distinguished medical centers in the world."

He invented and refined ways to repair weakened or clot-obstructed blood vessels using replacements made from preserved human blood vessels, and later, with artificial ones. He is credited with the first successful surgical treatment of potentially deadly aneurysms of various parts of the aorta. He co-authored one of the earliest papers linking smoking and lung cancer in 1939.

During World War II, serving in the office of the U.S. Surgeon General, DeBakey's work led to the development of mobile surgical hospitals, called MASH units. He helped President John F. Kennedy lobby for Medicare; he recommended creation of the National Library of Medicine, subsequently authorized by Congress. In 1963 DeBakey won the Lasker Award for Clinical Research, considered the U.S. equivalent of a Nobel.

"At times he could act like the meanest man in the world. He didn't let you breathe," said Dr. John L. Ochsner of New Orleans, who trained under DeBakey and whose father, Dr. Alton Ochsner, was DeBakey's mentor at Tulane University School of Medicine. DeBakey baby-sat the four Ochsner children, including John, and let them do chin-ups on his arm.

Said John Ochsner, "The thing that made him so mad all the time was he was trying to conquer the world and every minute was so important to him. He didn't have time for frivolity at all."

Patients and their families saw him otherwise. To them, DeBakey was a healer with quiet authority who seemed to work miracles. Enfolding a patient's hands in his, the patient's face would relax, some recalled.

He was pained by the breakup in 2004 of the historic, 50-year marriage between Baylor and Methodist, which dissolved over disagreements about the future of the institutions. DeBakey said the breakup made no sense and hurt both parties. Friends described him as "heartbroken" about the split and in an interview earlier this year he said the description was not inaccurate.

In 2003, his MicroMed DeBakey LVAD was implanted in a 10-year-old girl, the youngest patient in the world to receive the device. In 2004, a special child-sized version became available for children as young as 5. DeBakey developed the device, which boosts the heart's main pumping chamber, in collaboration with heart surgeon Dr. George Noon and NASA.

"The man has an incredible mind and an incredible grasp of details," said former MicroMed CEO Travis Baugh . "He's also never stopped inventing. We are working on a project with him a new way of attaching sutures to the heart.'"

The power to intimidate and awe

In his prime — and it was an unusually lengthy prime — DeBakey, with his sharp-nosed profile and dark brown eyes, had the power to intimidate and awe his acolytes. In surgery, DeBakey was famous for his withering remarks, delivered in a velvety Louisiana drawl, directed at the anxious and ambitious residents operating alongside him.

John Ochsner recalled how, if an operation was going slowly, DeBakey might ask, ''Am I the only one here doing anything?"

Or a clumsy resident might prompt DeBakey to say, ''Do you have two left hands?"

If DeBakey was displeased by the progress of a procedure, he would remark with an air of faint disgust, ''I am surrounded by incompetence."

DeBakey's trainees cringed at his criticism but, among themselves, recounted the barbs in a sometimes dead-on imitation of the revered surgeon. Ochsner, now chairman emeritus of the Department of Surgery at Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, said DeBakey's stern manner came from a desire to prepare his students for the demanding career that lay ahead.

''He's not hard to work with if things are done right," said Noon, DeBakey's colleague of more than three decades, in a 1995 interview. ''He was hard on people who slacked off or made mistakes. But he was so busy. He had to depend on people, and he could be tough. But he was always tough for a reason."

Family roots in Lake Charles, La.

DeBakey was the eldest of five children born to Lebanese immigrants Raheehja and Shaker Morris DeBakey. Shaker Morris DeBakey was a well-to-do businessman and pharmacist in Lake Charles who invested in real estate and rice farming. Michael DeBakey grew up with his brother and three sisters in a large house two blocks from the public school with maids, butlers and gardeners.

The DeBakeys ate healthy foods — fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, seafood, rice and beans. They didn't smoke or drink. They encouraged their children to check out books from the library every week. At dinnertime, the family chatted about things that happened at the drugstore or the doings of politicians who sought out Shaker's advice.

"You could not get a word in edgewise until one of our parents announced who had the floor," DeBakey recounted to a reporter in 1997. "It was very stimulating."

Each Sunday after services at their Episcopal church, the DeBakeys would take clothing to a nearby orphanage. One time, the give-away bundle included DeBakey's favorite cap. When the youngster protested, his mother sat him down and said, "You have a lot of caps. These children have none."

"It made a great impression on me," he said.

DeBakey's mother also taught him one of his future career's essential skills — sewing. He would help her repair items headed for the orphanage. He also learned to tat, using a little bobbin to make lace. Years later, in the 1950s, DeBakey would introduce artificial arteries made from Dacron; he sewed the prototype on his wife's sewing machine using fabric purchased at Houston's downtown Foley's.

He went to medical school at Tulane after graduating as valedictorian from his high school class. During his senior medical school year, he developed the roller pump, a device which two decades later became a crucial component of the heart-lung machine used on patients during open-heart surgery.

As a surgery resident at New Orleans' Charity Hospital, DeBakey caught his first glimpse of a living human heart — pink and pulsating in the chest of a knifing victim.

''I saw it beating and it was beautiful, a work of art,'' DeBakey said in 1987. ''I still have an almost religious sense when I work on the heart. It is something God makes, and we have yet to duplicate."

Later, at Charity Hospital, DeBakey experienced a potentially catastrophic near-miss — he accidentally punched through a patient's aorta — which gave him an appreciation for the steadying influence of his mentor, Alton Ochsner.

He and Ochsner were operating in an amphitheater with a full audience of visiting surgeons. DeBakey was on one side of the patient, Ochsner on the other. DeBakey was attempting to lift up the aorta, which had been weakened by infection "when I suddenly realized, with a gripping terror, that I had entered the aorta."

DeBakey whispered this to Ochsner, who calmly instructed DeBakey to leave his finger over the hole. Ochsner stitched it up, and no one realized a near-fatal accident had occurred.

During the late 1930s, DeBakey married his first wife, Diana, a nurse he met in New Orleans. They had four sons: Michael, Ernest, Barry and Denis. When he came to Houston in 1948 to head up Baylor's surgery department, he moved his family into a home near Rice University, only five minutes from the Texas Medical Center, so he wouldn't waste time commuting. He never moved from that home.

Diana DeBakey died of a heart attack in 1972. They had been in Mexico for a medical meeting, staying with a close relative of the President of Mexico. They ate well and stayed up late, and when the DeBakeys got back home, Diana was complaining of an upset stomach.

At that time, gastrointestinal problems were not widely recognized as a heart attack symptom in women. When her discomfort worsened, DeBakey had her admitted to the hospital to find out what was wrong. While DeBakey was in surgery on someone else, he got a call that there was an emergency. When he reached his wife's bedside, she had died.

Three years after her death, DeBakey married German film actress Katrin Fehlhaber, whom he met through Frank Sinatra. They had a daughter, Olga. In 1978, DeBakey was hospitalized for smoke inhalation sustained in rescuing his daughter after a Christmas tree caught fire in his home, he told the New York Times.

A disciplined, hard-working life

The workaholic DeBakey rarely slept more than five hours a night, awaking at 5 most mornings to write research papers or read medical journals. He rarely drank, never smoked, ate sparingly — mostly salads, late in life — and didn't watch television. Lean and nearly 6 feet tall, he weighed the same as he did in 1926 when he graduated from high school — about 160 pounds. He spent much of his adult years in light-blue scrubs, and wore a pair of gleaming-white cowboy boots for the operating room. He liked to say that he conducted the presidency of Baylor between cases.

In 1948, when DeBakey came to Houston, he had turned the Baylor job down twice. The fledgling school had moved to Houston from Dallas just five years earlier, and Baylor students were scattered all over the city doing their clinical rotations, a situation that didn't appeal to DeBakey. He finally was persuaded to come when Hermann Hospital promised the school a 20-bed surgical service, according to Ruth SoRelle's history of Baylor, The Quest for Excellence.

The Hermann deal fell through, and DeBakey nearly left. But the Truman administration asked DeBakey to transfer Houston's Navy hospital into aVeterans Administration hospital, an idea championed by DeBakey that evolved into the national VA system. There, DeBakey's students started the city's first surgical residency program.

DeBakey's program was legendary for cutting its participants off from all contact with the outside world. As a DeBakey trainee, Dr. Edward Lefrak once spent 91 consecutive days on duty in the cardiovascular intensive care unit, missing the birth of one of his children, sleeping when he could in the patient recovery ward. Lefrak's rotation was supposed to last just 30 days, but DeBakey had a tendency, when things were going well, to keep arrangements unchanged.

''It was like a compliment,'' said Lefrak, medical director of cardiac surgery at the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute in Falls Church, Va. ''But then, on the other hand, it was another 30 days."

From colleagues to rivals

One of the most talked-about events of DeBakey's life was his legendary feud — more Arctic freeze than hot-tempered spat — with Dr. Denton Cooley, his one-time close collaborator. DeBakey hired Cooley in 1951 after the Houston native finished his training at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

In 1965, DeBakey participated in a federally funded program to design an artificial heart. Within a few years he had a device that some physicians felt was ready for human trials, but DeBakey believed it needed more work.

Then, to international acclaim in 1969, Cooley performed the first implantation of an artificial heart into the chest of 47-year-old Haskell Karp, a dying heart surgery patient. Karp lived with the heart in his chest 65 hours before dying shortly after a heart transplant.

Cooley's fame was quickly tarnished after DeBakey said the heart was identical to one under development in the Baylor labs, and that Cooley had used it without permission.

Cooley said he and Dr. Domingo Liotta, who also designed artificial hearts in DeBakey's lab, had built the heart privately, and that he had no choice but to use the heart because the patient's life was in jeopardy.

After the incident, the American College of Surgeons voted to censure Cooley, and, amid a dispute with the trustees of Baylor, Cooley resigned from the institution. The two men never collaborated again and rarely spoke. DeBakey changed his focus and decided funds would be better spent developing pumps to assist failing hearts. Such devices became the mainstream treatment for patients with failing hearts.

The episode ''stole DeBakey's shot at a Nobel Prize," Methodist heart surgeon Mike Reardon said in 2004. ''What Mike needed was one crowning event to make him a candidate. And that was going to be the artificial heart."

But the two buried the hatchet last year. Cooley inducted DeBakey into his surgical society and, in a surprise, DeBakey accepted, telling his former colleague he was touched by the gesture. Earlier this year, DeBakey returned the favor, granting Cooley membership in his surgical society. In April, when DeBakey was given the Congressional Gold Medal, Cooley made the trip to Washington too.

For a man who outlived most of his peers, he seemed surprisingly unphilosophical about death, appearing to view it as a personal enemy. Losing a patient put him in a black mood and set his mind spinning with thoughts of what he might have done differently.

''You fight (death) all the time, and you never really can accept it," he once said. ''You know in reality that everybody is going to die, but you try to fight it, to push it away, hold it away with your hands."

DeBakey was preceded in death by his sons, Houston lawyer Ernest O. DeBakey, who died in 2004, and Barry E. DeBakey, who died in 2007; and a brother, Dr. Ernest G. DeBakey, who died in 2006.

In addition to his wife, Katrin, and their daughter, Olga, DeBakey is survived by sons Michael DeBakey of Lima, Peru, and Denis DeBakey, of Houston; and sisters Lois and Selma DeBakey, both medical editors and linguists at Baylor.

Saturday UFC 102 getting ready to start

2009-08-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

I decided to do PayPerView this evening and watch UFC 102, there should be some good fights. I got my CT/Angio results and main Aorta has remained unchanged since my original surgery. It's now been 6 years this 8/22/09 since 8/22/2003. I am so thankful for the second chance at life.

Played some tennis with a good friend this morning, then came home and had the Banner Life Insurance nurse stop by as I am trying to get life insurance. As of late, I was turned down my Aflac and MetLife, so I am hoping to find some company that will take me.

Going to Gold Creek Church tomorrow and hoping to hear a good message. It's scary to think how close Jesus Christ return actually is!!!

Take care,
Brian

Sunday morning...what's happening with Brian

2009-07-19T05:45:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Top of the morning to you! I just returned from walking out new puppy Tilly. She is a Golden Doodle and such a sweet dog. It's amazing how a dog can add to a family! We went to the Mill Creek festible yesterday and they had dog jumping like you see on TV, it was very fun to watch. I have just been watching some tennis videos and really need to figure out what happend to my second service last Friday night against Dave Baska. I was serving for the first set a 6-5 and should have won it. It was definitely the hottest temperature of a match I have ever played in. I would guess over 100 degrees and indoors! I learned a valueable lesson-come prepared to sweat and pace yourself. For a brief momement I was thinking of giving up! The thing I like about tennis is it's a game of "going back to the drawing board" type of fun. It's a reflection on what you did right and what you need to work on. I would say my second service is something that has hurt me against tougher opponents. I was playing Phil Ansdel in the Seattle City 45's and started out great, up in the first serving well, then my service left me and my second serve was chewed up and attacked heavily. I have been studying where my first and second serves are breaking down and I am ready for an improvement (committed effort) to dig deep and bring out a better weapon. You basically live and die by your service motion and return of service. I think I actually have a pretty decent return game. I am excited about playing in the Washington State Open this year in the Men's 45 age division. I know I do well and it's time for me to put it all together.

My doctor called and I need to call and schedule my MRI. I am coming up on my 6th year anniversary. Instead of having a CT/Angio, due to the radiation content, we are switching me to a MRI. I asked the doctor if it was the "tube" one and he said yes... but, they also have the open one as well. Part of me wants to go back and get in that tube and not be scared like I was the night of my open heart surgery.

Kids are having a fun summer and taking guitar lessons and attended a soccer camp. We are going to Lake Chelan with my parents and brother's family in early August. That should be fun and a relaxing time with the family.

Have a great day!

Brian

Back to Blogging

2009-07-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I have been blogging. I guess I was thining my wordpress site would end up being my main blogging site, however, it's too much work to post comments there for me and I find this site to be easier to use. In fact, I had a nice blog before and it got deleted by me.. I tried to get it back and didn't have any luck. So... on to another one!

BTW... I am have my latest Echo Cardiogram and it appears to have remained stable and the valve leaking is also stayed the same. I have a deformed tricuspic/aortic valve. I am also coming up on my 6 year anniversary and on 8/22/2009, it will be here. I am now going to switch to a MRI instead of a CT Angio due to the amount of radiation from the CT scans... I hope my MRI goes well. My BP is also doing better now that I am taking my medications daily.

Thanks,
Brian

Wimbledon Final, Roger and Andy battle it out.

2009-07-05T03:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it's Sunday morning, July 5th, 2009 and I am watching the Roger vs Andy final. So far, it's one set a piece and looks like it's going to be a good one. Andy's playing well! We celebrated the 4th yesterday by going to the Everett Aquasox baseball game. My son and I were picked to do the "fishing for tuition" and we caught the most fish (I was the catcher and Owen the tosser). We won a $100.00 saving bond!

I have been taking my blood pressure meds everyday now as when I went in for my last Echo Cardio gram, my BP was 160/78. I get the "white coat" syndrome every time I go there. So, I am tracking my BP on a daily basis now to let the doctor know that I am controlling it. I am also trying (could be doing better) of trying to get my weight under 200lbs. I get stuck at 207-212 range, which is too high!

I am looking for another tennis racket stringer, I should have never sold my last one and now am back to trying to buy another one. I like the Laserfibre or Stringway brand and will try to see if I can land one. The AorticDissection.com site and Forum are continuing to grow daily. I am so glad that I am able to help others. I am also very thankful for my supporting doctors, Dr. David Laing from Stanford and Dr. Allen Stewart from Columbia. They are experts in the AD field and great support for the site. They are truly amazing men!

My daughter will be 14 years old this month! Wow! Time has flown by and I am so blessed to have such a beautiful and smart girl. My son turned 10 in late May and actually today we're finally getting around to shareing his b-day celebration with his cousin.

I have noticed that taken my BP meds in the morning and the one pill at night, I have been extremely tired and just have zero energy. I am hoping that I get used to this soon! I watched the video symposium from the 2008 Aortic Dissection convention and it's so true how the BP controls the pressure on the aorta and how you need to keep that down.

Work is going good and I am so glad to be working for X5, it's a great group of people! And.. most of all, it's fun! My boss is just returning from Africa and it will be interesting to catch up with him.

Oh... I almost forgot... We got a new puppy...Tilly! She's a Golden Doodle! She's actually trying to bite the keyboard or my pants right now.. She had some very sharp teeth! OK. gotta run.. Tilly's attacking me!

Brian :)

Trying to get Life Insurance with an Aortic Dissection condition

2009-05-17T16:10:00.000-07:00

Wow... I thought I had my life insurance all taken care of. I still have my two previous policies with MCI ($70K) and my Verizon at ($80K). However, my new job only offers $20K coverage. Prior to getting this $20K additional coverage and when I was out of work laid off from Verizon, I met up with a Met Life Insurance rep. I took the tests, and was supposed to be able to get the $100K or $250K policy options. However, I neglected not to go with it as I got the job with Global Crossing and they had a $50K policy. However, when I started at this new company and all they had was $20K, I went back to my MetLife Agent and asked him to see if I could use the previous one I had been approved for. Fast forward and it turns out that I had to re-apply. Great! So, I had the nurse come out again and take the blood tests and BINGO! I get the letter that not only had I not been eligible for the first policy, that they had made a mistake and that I am "declined" coverage due to my Aortic Dissection condition. So... there you have it! I am being discriminated against because of my pre-existing condition and now, if I do find coverage, I am going to probably have to pay out the ear for it. I am waiting to get my test results to see what it is exactly that I am being declined for. However, I haven't heard yet. I really feel terrible that I am not able to provide more coverage for my family. I am also going to post this to my forum and find out what other people have run into when trying to apply for Life Insurance. UPDATE: I signed up for AFLAC, a 150K policy and I am waiting to see if I get approved, it's through my work and I am hoping that I get approved. !

My tennis game is doing well, I am enjoying playing lots and our USTA team is about in the middle of the pack for the league.

Gotta run.. My daughter needs help with her iPod! :)

Brian

Working away-full steam ahead with new company!

2009-04-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe that I have been here for almost a month and an half now. Time is just flying by with this company-what a breath of fresh air. These guys have their act together and are a super bunch of fantastic folks to work with. I am so blessed to have landed here. I love my new job! I am doing a bit of everything and it keeps me on my toes. Everything around here is fast paced and exciting. I can't believe the opportunity for learning!

Back to work!

Brian :)

I get knocked down, but I get up again

2009-03-02T03:57:00.000-08:00

As many of you may know, I was laid off from VerizonBusiness, formally MCI Telecommunications on 5/2/2008. I was treated very well severeance wise and time to look for a new job. Unfortunately, I didn't find a job till late August, 2008, but Global Crossing screwed around and took another 2 month's to finally bring me on board. I started with Global Crossing on 10/20/2008 and then....

It was 2/24/2009 and I get this strange email from my boss with the email subject line titled "Brian-let's catch up" for a conference call the following morning at 0800am. That particular day the 24th, I was wondering why my boss would want to "catch up" as I was thinking to myself, "Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong?" just what exactly did she want?. Anyway, the following morning, I got on the call and it went like this, "Brian, this is Susan and I have on the line with me, Brandi, Susan doesn't say one more word and Brandi says, "Your position in Seattle has been eliminated" and please go mail back your pc and here our FedEx number to do it. Not one word from my former boss, Susan at Global Crossing. Talk about lack of professionalism? Where's the empathy? Sympathy? Just down right moral values for some one's life? It's didn't exist with her. My wife couldn't believe it either. What a lousy out fit to work for when they treat you with no respect!

After the news, I went and mailed back my pc and had to pay $16.00 to send the darn thing back as their account number didn't cover the "packing" costs. I basically took the rest of the day and started emailing my contacts about my situation and the terrible treatment and unprofessionalism I experienced working for GC. To me, I look at this as their loss and a tremendous gain for my next employeer. There's an old saying, "Champions make their own luck" and that's what I consider myself. So, I knew that they might be able to knock me down, but... I have too much talent to stay down. I started with one of my close friends who I had worked with at MCI for 10+ years. I had explained to him the situation, and like me, he was blown away too! But... little did I know, they wanted to speak with me asap and knew about my experience and desire to win. So, my friend set up an interview for me and the rest is history! I am so looking forward to this new opportunity where there is the professionals, empathy, caring people and a proven success formula already in place. The leadership of this company is outstanding and full of talent. I know that GOD had a plan for me and I believe it was "fate" that led me to this new opportunity. In retrospect, sometimes GOD leads you down paths to get you in place and prepared for bigger and better opportunities where you can really make an impact. What the ironic part was that I was actually doing that for GC in Seattle, yet they determined they needed to lay me off. I can now see what that company went bankrupt before, lousy leadership.

I am so thrilled about my new opportunity and the tremendous people that are working there! I am so thankful to be associated with a "high-class" outfit and look forward to a long term growth opportunity to be my very best.

They can knock you down, BUT.... YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE DECISION TO GET BACK UP-STRONGER AND BETTER THAN BEFORE.

Brian Tinsley

MLK Day!

2009-01-19T11:22:00.000-08:00

It's about 3:15pm in the afternoon on MLK day. I am very thankful for all the great things that MLK was able to accomplish to make our nation a better place to live in. It's sure nice to also have the day off! The way the economy is going, many folks are going to find 2009 to be one of their toughest years ever. I know that I am so blessed to have a job again after my layoff. It's so evident that you need to have a "plan B" which includes a savings plan to be able to cover your expenses for at least 6 months. I was also lucky enough to have been granted a severance package which lasted me 6 months. It's tough now as I am not making the amount of money that I had made the last 10 years.... I am going to have to really watch everything as I am trying to basically live on 50% less than our family is used to living on.

I am hoping that I do get some type of financial help with my tax refund. I need to pay off my old 401 K loan of $5K and that will save me $300.00 a month on payments. Plus, we are going to need a newer car soon! We have two vehicles with both over 150,000!

Have a great day!

Brian

Happy New Year-2009

2009-01-11T07:46:00.000-08:00

Well, it's a new year and a chance to start again with a "blank state" and really reach deep down -anddecide if this is going to be the year you really do reach those goals. Are you trying to get a promotion at work? Loose some weight? Get married... Really decide if you are going to live your life and be thankful each and every day. Why do we need this Jan 1st date to try and reinvent ourselves? Why can't we do it each day? We are so fortunate to have a room over our heads, food on the table and friends/family that care about us. I know that I am so blessed with a great new job that I was able to finally get on 10/20/2008 and really feel that GOD had this planned for me the entire time. It was a job that I really didnt' even apply for. There's a tremendous opportunity for growth here... especially with the economy the way it is, many companies will be looking to reduce their expenses and I feel lucky to have landed with this great company. The potential is tremendous!

Our USTA tennis season is getting ready to start again in Feb-09 and I am going to be the captain of the team again. What's interested is I actually just got back from playing tennis and completely trounced my buddy who I hadn't really beat in 5.5 years! It's been a long road back since my Aortic Dissection. I have continued to play tennis and feel that I am actually a better player now than before the AD. It will be 6 years on 8/22/2009. I have had to go on cholesterol medicine and actually taking some vitamin D supplements as well. My BP still gets high even with all the medication that I am on. I know that if I could get from 210 lbs to 195 lbs that would not only help my BP, but I would be quicker on the court.

I love a great cup of coffee. I have a bizarre coffee ritual. We have a Saeco Vienna Deluxe which I like to make the drink first thing in the am as I just have to press 1 button and I have a cross between drip coffee and a late. About 9am I then like to have my cappuccino and I will be making my own this year as I am getting a Gaggia Coffee to make myself my drink and save $$$ by not going to Starbucks. Around the 2-3pm, I like to have a simple cup of drip coffee. I have discovered that Keurig K cup system works really great and usually have one of them. This could be pretty expensive if I bought it all at Starbucks, which is why I make it at home now. I also discovered that drinking coffee in my Bodum glass blown cup makes the coffee/cappuccino stay hotter longer. You should try them.. You will never go back!

I hope that you make 2009 the best year ever. I am hoping to finish in the top 5 in the PNW men's 45 division this year. I KNOW I can do it! I also am going to make a point to keep more organized this year and use my trusty Franklin Planner to keep me organized. If you have any questions about an Aortic Dissection, please let me know! You can email me at brian@aorticdissection.com and we'll get you the answers.

God Bless You!

Brian

December 17th, Snowing and cold

2008-12-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

It's my brother's birthday and I just got off the phone with him. It's nice to have such a wonderful brother. I strung a racket today with my new I really like it! I even put up a website about my new stringer! I am hoping to actually play some tennis tonight, granted it's snowing, but I am thinking I'll take the Expedition out and I like driving in the snow!!! I got a call from one of my best friends and it was nice to hear from Paul. He's been with Nordstrom for 23 years! The new job is going well and I really like my new friends I work with and the company. I am now on some new medication for my cholesterol and having to take an additional medication for my high blood pressure at night. I have to wait 2 months then get it re-checked. My son keeps bugging me about my chin and tummy and he thinks it's funny.. but I don't! :)

Happy Holidays!

Brian

Sunday... A great day!

2008-11-23T09:54:00.000-08:00

It's a beautiful sunny day here in Everett, WA! I am watching the Sea-hawks and the Redskins game and decided to write a bit. I have just finished publishing my 187 personal story on my website. You can read all the stories here. You can also join the Aortic Dissection Forum and read stories as well as chat with other survivors. That link is found here.

I can't believe that Halloween is over and this week it's Thanksgiving already! Wow.. time is flying. Speaking of Halloween! My daughter was a candy corn princess and my son was a gangster. They always have so much fun trick or treating!

We are having Thanksgiving at our house this year and I think there's going to be 16 people! Everyone brings something and we do the Turkey and drinks!

My tennis game is still in the toilet. I got my Prince Graphite 107's back and have been playing with them again, but just feel that my service return and serve are not that great! I am going to try the Mid size (93) and see how I like that. If not, I am eyeing either the Head Microgel Extreme Pro or Babolat Pure Storm Tour. My stringer should be there this week too! You can see it here!

Have a great rest of the day!

Brian

Miracle Lady survives an AorticDissection

2008-11-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

I got this alert from my Google notifications about a women who experienced and AD while giving birth to her child. It's a terrible outcome for the baby, but the mother survived and was able to keep going forward with her life. The story is here and it's a great outcome for her. What's interesting is that they show a Type B dissection in the story, when it appears to actually be a type A, requiring emergency surgery. I actually agree with the doctor that there's few cases under the ages of 30, but... they are out there and I have documented them on my website as well. Those can be found here along with many other AD stories.

I feel so fortunate to be alive today thanks to Dr. James Brevig and the staff at Providence Everett General Hospital in Everett, WA. And, I am so thankful to the ER room for being able to catch it!

God Bless,

Brian Tinsley

My tennis game.. and stringing dilemma

2008-11-05T12:36:00.000-08:00

Well, after playing with my Prince Oversize 107 rackets for 25 years, I have decided to switch.. Or did I? I ordered 3 new Head MicroGel Extreme Pro's and had leather grips put on them, but never gave them a chance as I was having issues with overheads and forehands. So, after selling my Prince's on ebay, I ordered 2 more Graphites, strung one, went to the wall, hit a few balls and realized that the HMP really were my new sticks. However, I had already sold them too! So, I had to ask the buyer to listen to my story and I gave him the funds back and have been watching my rackets travel to Arkansas and now are on the way back.

Next problem... I sold my stringer too! Then, I decided to get the new Top of the Line, LaserFibre Quantum. That's what I ordered last week and was told it would ship out this Friday, 11/7/08. However, that got shipped out yesterday and left my bank account in a negative situation. I contacted the LaserFibre folks and asked them what happened? I also asked for a refund of the shipping charges as it's the least that they can do for the screw up that they caused me!

Oh.. the game of tennis! :)

Brian

Back to work... Getting back into the swing of things!

2008-11-03T16:16:00.000-08:00

Well, it's back to work for me.. finally, after being laid off on 5/2/2008, I landed my first day on the job with Global Crossing on 10/20/2008. I really like the company so far and the people are great! It's nice to be in a much smaller company than BIG BROTHER VERIZONBUSINESS. I am so happy to have a job at such a great place. The being out of the work realm was a bit tough to get back used to. I am still struggling a bit to try and stay focused. I am getting better and better each week. I also got my first paycheck and just in the nick of time!

I had my review of my Echo-Cardiogram that was done back in May/08 of this year. My doctor said that everything looked fine, still small leaking in the valves due to my "genetic" make up of a deformed bicuspid valve since birth. The nurse checked my BP and and it was 140/71. The my doctor checked it about 10 minutes later and it was 176/78. I told him that I was going to get my weight down from 212 to under 200lbs and that I would do it by Jan 1st, 2009. He said that I needed more BP meds and now I am going to be taking a pill at night. It sucks having high BP...it really does! I am on so many medications as it is, granted I take them about every 3 days on average, I need to get on the daily program - which I am going to do! I am also going to get my Excel weight charts and BP charts, put them on the bathroom walls and get focused about getting this BP thing down. We also discussed that I could go to 1 Echo per year and I told him about my CT/Angio's and how Dr. Liang thought going to MRI's would be less radiation for me. He seemed to agree. I also had a blood test for him to review and my hope is that my cholesterol is OK and I don't have to go on meds for that!

Take care!
Brian

What a Family means to me...

2008-10-12T04:13:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite pictures with my kids. It's probably two/three years old, but I just love the picture and the smiles on every one's faces. We were on vacation and stayed at this place with a great outdoor pool. I just absolutely treasure these kids that the GOOD LORD has granted me. I am so deeply blessed to have such beautiful and wonderful kids. I just love them for all eternity!

This is another favorite of mine as well, this is at Lake Intiat in Eastern Washington, on the Columbia RIver. My brother/sister in law have a nice place in the Sun Cove development and we have a blast when we go over there in the summer time. My kids just love riding in their boat and going tubing and the parade. However, there' a bit older now and the parade is still fun for them, but they'd rather just relax and kick back!

This is my brother's family and it's about 2 years ago on Christmas Eve and my parents house. I can not begin to tell you how thankful I am for my brother and his LOVING family. My brother was there for me, as well as my entire family when I was in the hospital. He was TRULY amazing and is a TRUE BLESSING from GOD! I can remember babysitting their oldest daughter, Kylie when she was just a baby!

Here's me and the kids 2 years ago at Lake Intiat again enjoying ourselves and having a blast. My beautiful wife was taking the picture. It's so pretty to watch all the stars at night here!

This is my brother and his wife at their new house, it's a beautiful house and it has a tremendous view of the mountains and water! They are wonderful!

Have a great day.... Remember your family!

Brian

I got the job! Going back to work soon....

2008-10-08T07:50:00.000-07:00

Well, after being laid off since 5/2/2008, I received word today that my paper work is all done, my background checks are completed and now I am waiting for my official start date. I am excited to be finally getting back in the working world. And.. not a minute too soon! My severance is just about gone and my UE is about to run out.

My back is still hurting since last Thursday's tennis match. Since then, I have had to go on Prednisone to help the swelling and started doing a bunch of new lower back stretches. I am also committed to making the racket switch to the Head Microgel Extreme Pro and put my Prince Graphites on ebay for someone else to enjoy. I can not look back and need to believe not only in myself, but my game and new conditioning efforts.

I am so thankful to JESUS CHRIST for allowing me this new job opportunity.

God Bless!

Brian

I got the job! Persistence is the "key"!

2008-09-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I got the call today and the offer letter is to be overnighted to me and arrive tomorrow. I am planned to start sometime around the 7th/8th of October for Global Crossing. I am so excited and just in the nick of time! I am out of my severance funds and my unemployment benefits are due to run out as well. God works in mysterious ways! I am so thankful that I am going back to work and for a great bunch of folks.

There's a lot to be said about being persistence and taking those small steps (many) in trying to get where you want to go. In the same manner, I have been working via YouTube on my decentization process about my flying. I am really fealing confident about the strides I am making here. Thanks to Dr. Fear, I am on the right track to victory.

The kids are both in socceer and it's so much fun to be able to watch them play. It's one of my favorite times of the year as I just love to watch them...grow! I don't know what hit me, but I decided I could switch tennis rackets after 25 years and that didn't work out - what was I thinking? Anyway, I am glad to be back playing with my Prince OS Graphites and will be working on my fitness to help my game get better.

I received a call from a wife of an aortic dissectiion survivor today. It sounds like he had a very similar experience to my surgery. Apparently, he's struggling and it was nice to speak with her and tell her that there is "hope" and that we can get her and her husband some expert help. This is what makes me happy is when I can give something back to others and help them.

Well, I am getting up at 4:50am to head to the club for 5:30am doubles tomorrow and playing singles tomorrow night at 8pm. Full day of tennis!

Best!

Brian

9/21/2008-Sunday

2008-09-21T08:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a few weeks since my last post. I have been busy with kids school, soccer and playing tennis. Also, I have been praying for a job to finally come to fruition. I have been told that I have the job at Global Crossing and I am very excited abut the opportunity. However, it's taking them some time to get me the actual offer letter. I am going to meet with them this Wednesday and this Monday, I am supposed to hear from another possible opportunity with ATT Wireless. I had originally applied with them, but did not get the position. I was called out of the blue a week ago about another position and interviewed with them. They are going to make their decision on Monday evening.

In the meantime, I am working on my flying issue. I discovered (what I believe is my cure) a book called "Freedom From Fear: Overcoming Anxiety, Phobias and Panic"
Howard Liebgold; Paperback; $11.21. I stumbled across the book trying to help my daughter with some issues about school. I have gotten to know Dr. Liebgold via email and he's a super nice person. He struggled with phobia's for 31 years! And, he's a medical doctor! He's specializing in helping others and I would HIGHLY recommend him! One of the most helpful things, is the desensitization process. The definition is: To make emotionally insensitive or unresponsive, as by long exposure or repeated shocks. Or in other words to constantly expose yourself to the things that give you the fear/phobia/anxiety because the ONLY way to deal with fear is THROUGH IT! The desensitization process is done on a hierarchical format. Meaning, you give your phobia/anxiety levels on a scale. I can honestly tell you that I have tried everything and this is the FIRST person who I believe really understands what is going on. He should, he's been through it!

I hope to know this week about my job situation and hopefully will get the offer letter this month from Global Crossing so I can join them and get my life back on track with a great company.

Cheers!

Brian

Monday... A new fresh week... possibilities are endless!

2008-09-08T03:47:00.000-07:00

I love this beautiful picture of a ladybug. She's just relaxing there on her leaf and doesn't have any cares or worries. It seems to parallel our lives sometimes. We'd do wonders to emulate the ladybugs characteristics of calmness in our everyday lives. With school having just started - a week under our belts, things are beggining to settle down. My offer letter from my new employer is scheduled to arrive this week and I can not wait to get back to working again. There is life after MCI/VerizonBusiness - a better life with endless opportunities and destinations! Like this ladybug, if she's not content with where she happens to have landed, she can choose to move to a different leave and start again. We can do the same thing in our daily lives. As an aortic dissection survivor, once you have literally come back from the dead and now see the world through a new lens, it's amazing the real beauty that you can find. Why did it take a near death experience to ignite the true pleasure that life has to offer each and every one of this. Do you think Jesus Christ put on this earth to live in misery? Do you think we were put on this earth to have a "free ride" ? I don't believe so, each day is a mini life in itself and we need to break it down that way. Take each day one step, one breath, one praise at a time. After surviving an aortic dissection, you begin to really realize that you are given a certain number of days on this earth that GOD will allow you to live here. Each day is like a new flower spreading it's leaves and growing a bit, and it eventually becomes a beautiful piece of art work. It's being able to see the beauty in each day. Everyday that we have on this earth is a chance to make sure that we tell our loved ones... hey... I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! And to make sure that they know you are there for them unconditionally.

I know that I am personally so grateful to my LORD AND SAVIOR- JESUS CHRIST for everything that he's given me. I most of all appreciate his dying on the cross and shedding his blood for me. He died for you and he died for me. It's a free gift and it's something that EVERYONE should be thankful for!

May JESUS CHRIST come into your heart and fill you with his love, peace and joy!

Brian

Thanks to GOD and his son Jesus Christ for their continued miracles!

2008-08-25T05:23:00.000-07:00

I found this picture after reading and article today about a surgeon who had performed a three heart valve surgery on a patient. The patient was only 44 years of age. After reading the article, I researched the surgeon, Dr. David Jayakar, MD and found his website. I really and truly believe that these surgeons, who literally have the ability with the help of Jesus Christ at their side to determine our fate as to a chance to continue on living or literally, having Jesus there to say.... "It's time for he/she to come home" and I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt, that when Dr. James Brevig was doing my surgery, Jesus was there helping him along with all the prayer requests coming in asking him to guide the surgeons hand in the delicate surgery. I truly believe that our surgeons are some of the best people we have on this earth.

I received a call this Sunday morning from a man, speaking of miracles, who was giving a toast at his families Thanksgiving dinner. It was then, while standing a sharp stabbing pain hit him like a mac truck and he was sent to the hospital. He just happened to live 5 minutes from Columbia University Hospital. And, the really big miracle was that Dr. Allen Stewart just happened to be there that Thanksgiving evening checking on a patient when this gentlemen of 70+ arrived. Dr. Stewart replaced his valve with a "calf" valve and his entire aorta with a dacron tube. All this without any kidney or other issues. That's a miracle... A true miracle in which Dr. Stewart's hands worked through Jesus Christ to keep this man alive and bring him through the surgery to be able to say those perhaps forgotten, "I love you's" or items her had perhaps neglected to have done.. but now was giving a new appreciation for life.

I am so thankful for my life, my family, my friend and hopefully my new job (this Wednesday is my final interview) and really am so blessed. Many people don't make it. Many people are in the right place and the right time.. Or is it that Jesus is there with them and the surgeons? I think it's your faith and belief that your life is not controlled by you, and that the GOOD LORD is your ONLY choice as to when you will see him face to face or you will be allowed to continue to live a few more years on the earth until you are called home. These surgeons, and although extremely well trained, need that helping hand to guide them and so do you!

Brian

August 22nd, 2008 - My 5 year birthday since Aortic Dissection

2008-08-22T03:05:00.000-07:00

Well, today is my 5 year anniversary or birthday since my aortic dissection back on 8/22/2008. I remember it as if it were just yesterday. I had started out the day still trying to negotiate this "semi-wrecked" motorcycle and how much I was going to pay for this site unseen bike from my customer who happened to work at Microsoft. Then, I was also trying to line up a truck to pick it up with as well. I had planned to use my other friend at Microsoft (my former customer) truck. On top of that, I was also going to play tennis that next morning at 0700am as well. I was also playing tennis on 8/22/2003 (Friday - most AD's happen on a this day!) at 4:00pm with my usual buddy Jack. In the meantime, I had went to get some teriyaki lunch (high in sodium) and I know my blood pressure was high as this motorcycle negotiation was consuming my day. Not to mention, I was late for my 4pm tennis match and realized I had forgot my shoes, so I had to return home and grab them and hustle back. I stepped out on the court, played about 2 games and "wham" that's when my life changed forever. That's when you realize that you are not immortal and that the GOOD LORD has a plan for your life and can take you out when he's ready for you. I remember that GOD had to be looking over me as my survival was a miracle. My first miracle was that I did not take my partner's advice and have him drive me to the ER department at 5pm on a Friday afternoon in rush hour traffic. Not to mention, in and AD situation like mine, (Type A), you don't have time on your side. Had I gone that route, I could have been held up in the ER check in process and waiting in the lobby for all I know. Furthermore, when you ride with the paramedics, they get you through traffic quicker and get you right into a room - at least that's what happened to me. My second major miracle I would find out 3 years later was that in this same ER department, and the same ER doctor would see a man 54 years of age come through with similar symptoms exactly 40 days before I arrived there and get "miss-diagnosed" for an anxiety attack and essentially die in the ER room from an Type A aortic dissection. They (ER Department) flat out missed the diagnosis. Did they have that heavy on their minds when I arrived? I was 40 years old and in pretty darn good shape and healthy. I heard the 54 year old man was in good shape as well. What I would later find out is that apparently the last thing that they did was a blood test (possibly a d-dimer) that came back high for a pulmonary imbolism and that's when I remember being shot down this tube -completely inside it and they were taking pictures of my heart. I just wanted out of there! Next thing, a tall man, my surgeon, Dr. James Brevig would be telling me that I had a 50/50 chance of living due to my aortic dissection and needed surgery right away.

This day is very special to me as it reminds me just how lucky and thankful I am to be alive. It's been 5 years today and that in and of itself is another major hurdle. No matter how things might look, and in my case, being laid off on 5/2/2008 - just 6 days short of 20 years, nothing is too bad that can not be overcome with the "FAITH IN GOD" that he's got you in the palm of his right hand and is your savior. I am absolutely living proof that miracles DO happen.

Speaking of miracles.. I am also about (I believe) to land a new job, I just have one more interview to do next Wednesday and I should get it. How I found out about the opportunity was a fluke, but it turned out to be GOD'S way of using his power to find me the job that he wants me in.

Have a great day! Remember.. you have a lot to be thankful for! Don't forget it!

Brian

Having Faith... It's the ONLY way!

2008-08-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see. Hebrews 11:1. It's amazing what Faith can do for you and how we don't even know how much it goes on in our daily lives. As many of you know, I was laid off on 5/2/2008 and have been looking for a job since 5/3/2008. Up until a few days ago, I was at my wits end and really thinking that I was going to get this job with TWTelecom.com and was told that I was one of the final candidates. I was also told I would hear by Monday of last week that the decision would be made. As of 8/17/2008, I still have not been told. About a week ago, I got an email from a friend of my wife who had sent her something about things women at 45 years of age should not be doing. Anyway, I had my wife send me the email and I saw on the email header a name of a gal that my wife had played on a soccer team with a few years ago. I had actually remember meeting her and speaking with her as we both had worked on the same account, Microsoft. Well, when I got the email from my wife, I decided to email this gal and tell her what happened to me and ask her to send my resume around. On Saturday, the 16th of August, while out on the boat (my sister in laws) on Lake Entiact, I got a call froma recruiter about an opening for their Seattle market. I would have never heard about this opportunity had I not sent this gal an email about asking for help and hoping (faith) that something might become of it. It turns out that after speaking with the recruiter, they think I am perfect for the job and I have one more interview to go! I am supposed to hear from the hiring manager on Monday.

I have been watching the Olympics and they have really been exciting. We had a great few days over in Lake Chelan as well. It was 103 the last day we were there. They kids had fun! We floated down part of the Wenatchee river as well one day - that was super fun! The kids love intertubing at their aunt and uncle's house and seeing their cousin's Mathew and Adam.

I have also re-launched my website, http://www.fastman.com and I am back in business again!

**Oh yah... Listen to this, it's amazing!

Take care!

Brian

A Simple painless test could save your life

2008-08-08T04:13:00.000-07:00

I got this news article today titled, "Baby boomers may face a silent killer" and watched the video. This is a great message again to the general public to get an "ultrasound" test done.

Not only should you check for an AAA, you also should request an "echo cardiogram" or a "stress echo" as it's another very simple test that can reveal a possible issue with your heart and/or ascending aorta.

This stat alone is enough for everyone to get it done quickly!

Dr. Back says AAA is the 13th leading cause of death. Nine out of 10 patients who have AAA that ruptures will die. However, it may not be deadly if it's caught early.

My daughter had a photo shoot the other day, check this out! My neighbor is a great photographer if you are anywhere in the Seattle area, I'd recommend him. He's on my blog roll.

Still hoping to hear something today about the TWTelecom.com opportunity. I have done everything I can and it's in their hands and GOD's.

Have a great day!

Brian

The "Big Day" is tomorrow

2008-08-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

I am hoping tomorrow that I find out if I am going to be able to get my life back on track and start working again. Since being laid off on 5/2/2008, I have been kind of "off track" in that I am feeling like I have no real purpose in life without being able to work and feel like I got something accomplished. Don't get me wrong... I love being home with my family during this summer, but... after searching and searching, I am at the cusp of finally getting the job I really want - a job that a friend told me about out of the blue.

Tomorrow at 0700am in downtown Seattle I have my interview with the regional vice-president of the company for the West Coast. I am hoping that it goes well and it should as I've beenthrough a few of them lately and feel more confident after each one. I was lucky enough to have a friend on the "inside" help me with a few tips and I am feeling really best prepared and ready to sell myself and my skill set as to why I am the best candidate for the job.

I went for a long walk yesterday (played tennis too!) and today as well for over an hour and my legs are feeling better. This Friday will be two weeks since my varicose vein surgery. I am thinking that they are going to need to do something to my left leg since they were only able to get like 8 inches of my greater saphenous vein.

More to come...

Brian

Update on News Story about Gene found for detecting Acute Aortic Dissection

2008-08-01T03:48:00.000-07:00

I published this post yesterday about a press release that I received about a possible detection of a genetic link to diagnosing an "acute aortic dissection" and after further review and checking around with some of my very well known experts - I am not so sure this isn't just a bunch of BS! This has been underway here in the US for a few years and led by one of the top genetics's Dianna M. Milewicz, M.D., Ph.D.

Dianna and her team at the Department of Internal Medicine,Division of Medical Genetics,The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, have been working on this for quite some time and they published this article -Life-threatening gene defect located by UT-Houston researchers back in November 11th, 2007.

I also tried to email this person salah.mohamed@herzchir.muluebeck.de) and it didn't work. I also looked up the hospital and apparently he's not even known there.

So, it appears that this Mr. Salah Mohamed's findings are really nothing new and perhaps he himself is a mystery as well.

I am sticking with Dianna's research. By the way, you can actually sign up for the genetic testing here and get the testing done. I had this information already posted on my site, http://www.aorticdissection.com the day that this press release came out from Dianna's team back in November of 2007.

**UPDATE** This was just released today with a bit more "meat" to the original publication. And somecomments from a recognized aortic expert.

Brian Tinsley

Good News on Aortic Dissection Front

2008-07-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

Today, there's was a publication released by Salah A. Mohamed, from the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Schleswig-Holstein released about the Genetic correlation linked to the Acute Aortic Dissection disease. This is some really positive news and even if it prevents just one death , it's worth the research. However, after reading this article, the benefits could be enormous! A simple blood test that could save your life! I wrote Salah A. Mohamed an email today asking him for further information on what the name of the blood test will be called? Or how to actually go about ordering it. I will keep you posted just as soon as I hear something.

Brian

Keeping the Faith

2008-07-31T03:26:00.000-07:00

It seems that sometimes we can choose to look at life as being unfair - as if we'd been dealt a bad deck of cards. I can see how some people might choose to see this way for perhaps a day or two. But, is it really worthliving your entire life with the mindset that "Life is not fair?" Who said that life isn't fair? Why is it that we have a tendency (when things are going right) to blame others? Feel that GOD has let us down? That other people seem to get the bigger "carrots" in life and we're left with just the left overs? The real way out of that thinking is to go straight to your knees and pray for forgiveness. UNTIL, you can forgive, you simply CAN NOT beat this viciouscircle. GOD is a GOD of forgiveness and wants the best for you in life. Being content with life is a double edged sword. If you find yourself on "auto-pilot" you don't really get to learn and grow from what GOD is trying to show you. In my case, as I approach my 3rd month of having no job, I am at the "cusp" of finally getting hired again. I have three opportunities that hopefully are going to present offers either this week or Monday the 4thof August, I am supposed to hear about my opportunity with TWTelecom.com that I REALLY am hoping I get.

In life, we are certainly going to have ours "ups and downs" and it's just a matter of being able to literally bounce back up after facing a set back. As this picture depicts, you will get knocked down, but... you can bounce backand even go higher that you previously thought you could go with GOD's help and the FAITH knowing that he's got you in the palm of his right hand. I listened to a great CD yesterday and as much as I had tried to get some of those folks that were responsible for my job loss, I had not really forgiven them 100%. Yesterday, I prayed for them and forgave them. It's the ONLY way to move forward - YOU must forgive to be able to move forward.

I know that GOD is a GOD of LOVE, PEACE, JOY and HAPPINESS. It's something that we all should be very thankful for and appreciate what we have. Quit comparing yourself to others whom you might consider more fortunate than you based on "material" objects, be THANKFUL for your creation. GOD made you in his image and you are special to him and he loves you dearly. Be thankful!

Brian

The Waiting is the hardest part

2008-07-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

It's a bit of sad day around the house as I had to take our cat of 17 years into the vet today. The vet said that her "skin cancer" was too far gone and the humane thing to do was put her to sleep. She was a great cat and the entire family will miss her.

I just got done listing to Tom Petty's song, The Waiting and it's really so true.. the waiting is the hardest part - especially when it's waiting to hear if you are going to get the job you've applied for. I have literally done all that I can and it's going to happen this week - I can just feel it. GOD is really testing my patience and I MUST have the faith and belief and see it in my minds eye - this WILL happen for me!

My legs are doing better, today I was able to take off the "ace bandages" and now only have to wear the stockings until be time. It appears that my mother needs to have her one leg looked into - this is a hereditary disease.

Not sure if I am going to be able to play any tennis this week and might play some doubles on Saturday am for the first time since the surgery.

Best!

Brian

The day after my Venus Closure Procedure

2008-07-26T04:25:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday am about 0800 and I would usually be at the tennis club playing my 0700-0830am doubles which I have been playing for the last 10+ years! However, I decided to move forward with my venus closure procedure. My legs are doing pretty good, I am wishing that I didn't have to wear the ace bandages, the stockings are OK, it's just that these bandages, one on my left leg and one on my right thigh and calf are kind of tight! Oh well, I will be glad in the long run that I finally got the courage to do this and can walk into Starbucks without thinking everyone is looking at my legs. My left leg was the worst of the two.

I was searching Google this morning and came across what I consider one (if not the most) comprehenisve articles on what exactly is an "aortic dissection" and I believe everyone should read this.

This picture shows a daron tube being sewn into the arotic wall. There's also some glue that they use as well. Thanks again to Dr. Debakey! I still to this day (almost 5 years later) can not believe that I was able to survive. Especially against all the odds of having an ascending aortic dissection to begin with. You LITERALLY have to have GOD on your side and the amount of resources that have to come together to pull this surgery off - it's a monumental effort. In fact, I was reading today, that some surgeon's (in particular areas) are having a blood shortage (donors) and according to the article have to sometimes contemplate if they can do a surgery based on the amount of blood that will be required for the surgery. I have no idea how much blood it took for my operation, but I imagine a ton. You never stop and really think of those nice people that donate their blood - it's such a blessing for that critical piece of the surgery!

Here's some very interesting statistics:

Aortic dissection is the most frequently diagnosed lethal condition of the aorta and occurs nearly three times as frequently as does rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm in the United States.
Hypertension is the mechanical force most often associated with dissection and is found in greater than 75% of cases
As many as 40% of patients suffering acute aortic dissection die immediately
As many as 30% of patients ultimately diagnosed with acute dissection are first thought to have another diagnosis.
Fifty percent of patients suffering acute type A aortic dissection are dead within 48 hours.16 A conventional wisdom has evolved that acute type A dissection carries a "1% per hour" mortality. Newer data, however, reveal a different prognosis such that medical management may be considered in certain high-risk groups. In one such study, type A dissection was managed medically in 28% of patients for various reasons with a 58% in-hospital mortality.17 Regardless, this relatively high mortality demonstrates that patients surviving acute type A dissection must be quickly and aggressively diagnosed and managed

As you can see... I am a very lucky and thankful person to have been given a second chance at life. Not all of us will get that second chance at life - make sure your doing the things now that you might probably would be doing if you had to do it all over again. Don't rely on a second chance - you might not get it. Be thankful for each day, each breath, each moment - give thanks!
Brian

Where there is HOPE there are POSSIBILITIES!

2008-07-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

I found this on Google today. I thought it was perfect as I have really been enjoying my blog here. Not only am I hoping to help as many people as I possibly can learn more about diseases of the aorta, but to offer them hope - that they CAN keep going. Once you realize that you are a child of GOD, you also know that you are here on this earth to help people less fortunate than you.. Heck.. anybody for that matter. It's just an "innate" genetic code that I think I have where I want to give back as much as I can as I was so blessed to have been given my life back. Had I been 40 days earlier, I might not have made it.

Something occurred to me today about really trusting Jesus Christ as my LORD and savior. The real issue is that when you get into the "SELF" mode you are essentially walking as if you are one with your own self. As if you are heading out in the sand with no direction as the picture illustrates. You are choosing to let the "self" try to run your life and putting the GOOD LORD on the back burner while you try to do everything yourself. There's absolutely no way to really win the race with this mentality. Sure... there might be some small victories, but they are short-lived and empty. You MUST deny the self and let the GOOD LORD run your ship. Let him be the captain of the ship and guide you to places you have never been. These pictures below also bring the point that Jesus said that he will carry us in the palm of his right hand. I believe this to literally mean that it's HIS foot prints that we see in the sand and it's relying on him to take us into different directions - directions we'd never even dreamed or thought of (lack of courage?).. Could Jesus be wanting to bring you out to sea? Literally to an area you'd never thought possible? He could be with me! Or.. did you know if you just trusted him, he'd show you the light!

I can do ALL things through CHRIST who strengthens me!

Brian

Varicose Vein Procedure.. I did it!

2008-07-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

Ok... I did it! I faced my fear of the Varicose Vein procedure today and even got both legs done at the same time! Believe me, I was looking around that "imaginary corner" finding/thinking of all the "what if's" -but, I decided (on the final table) that I could do it. I had visions of pulling out of it, but stayed focused on my belief in GOD and pushed through the fear. My legs are still a bit numb and I just got back from a walk. My right calf is hurting, however, I am 99.999% sure it'd due to the 2 ace bandages and the one compression stocking on it. My right iliac artery to begin with was "narrowed" due to my false lumen squishing it as a result of my aortic dissection.

If you are anywhere in the state of Washington and need a vein procedure done, I would HIGHLY recommend Dr. Strup at the Puget Sound Vein Center in Monroe Washington. They were fabulous! They are a very well trained team and Dr. Strup is phenomenal! Apparently, he's done more of the Venus Closure techniques that anyone on the West Coast.

I still see nothing in my gmail inbox about whether or not I am going to get offered either one of the two jobs that I am trying for. I know that these companies are busy.. but.. I need to work! If I found out next week about the new job, I imagine that it will take at least another week or two till I get on. With that news, I can plan for a small vacation hopefully with the family for a few days and look forward to starting a new career somewhere.

I will be back in touch for more updates about my vein procedure and how things are going.

Brian

Stressing over what?

2008-07-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

I am feeling the stress of the job situation, surgery tomorrow and just the fact that we've not taken a summer vacation. I am feeling guilty that I have let the family down and especially not being able to take a vacation due to my lack of work.

The strange thing is that between the job search, surgery, money situation and kids home for the summer, it's all about taking things in stride. I could let my life appear to be in a "knot" like never before... Or I can try to take things into perspective here and deal with them as they come up. While searching for this "knot" picture, I found a great article, "The Role of Stress in just about Everything," and it's a great read.

“I can’t express anger. I grow a tumor instead.”
—Woody Allen

I almost wanted (having a bit of an anger flashback) to contact those folks at Microsoft who were responsible for my getting laid off and give them a piece of my mind. But.. I decided I didn't want to waste my time. They'll get what's coming to them and their own incompetencies. It's ironic to think that these "clowns" are actually still employed there.

OK.. Onto more positive stuff... Like the weather! I am going to the Aquasox Game tomorrow night to watch and hear my daughter's friend sing the National Anthem before the game. This should be fun!

Brian

Some Tennis , Fear, and an interview in afternoon

2008-07-24T05:27:00.000-07:00

I played my usual Thursday am singles with Dr. George this morning. I lost the first set 7-5 and it was 4-4 in the 2nd when we ran out of the court time. It's amazing how your mind can wonder all over the place while in the middle of a competitive singles match. I noticed that I was feeling a bit depressed for some reason. I didn't play that bad and also was noticing the "fear" feeling of actually flying soon and having to face the "winning" of the match. I thought to myself, I am so sick and tired of fear of this that and the other running/ruining my life - I must continue to pray for strength and courage along with faith to see the "big picture" and that GOD is in control of my life. Tomorrow is my vein surgery and I've been trying to not let that creep into my psyche and take hold and get me going on some tangent that I can't do it. I AM going to get this done and face the procedure head on. Like my dad said to me a while back, "son, no matter where you are, when GOD calls you home, it's time to come home," and that's so TRUE.

No Worries

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”

~ Philippians 4:6-7

I think that this verse is the best one for me and to live by it each day and pray for FAITH.

I have an interview at 1pm today in Tukwila WA. It's a great opportunity with a great company. I hope that it goeswell. The interview process is something very new for me and it's taken me some time to get the hang of it. My main goal today is to exude confidence in not only myself, but my 20 years of experience that I can bring to this position and company. Knowledge and experience coupled with a "win/win" attitude is my goal.

Best!
Brian

Feeling Stuck? Getting Past Impasse

2008-07-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

I have this book , Getting Unstuck: How Dead Ends Become New Paths, by Timothy Butler. In this book, it talks about the "inner critic" or it even goes as far as calling it Satan.

In particular, the inner critic becomes louder and more powerful during this second phase. The inner critic is that internal naysayer that Freud called the superego; but it wasn't a new concept, it's been around as long as humanity has. In Getting Unstuck I discuss some strategies for dealing with the inner critic. This picture shows a figure and having to make a choice on which path to take. That's what it's about. A new path out of the valley of the impasse. You MUST take it!

It's at this moment of impasse that we really begin to see what we are made of. It's a time to get a new perspective - out out of body experience if you will. A chance to look back at what you have or haven't done to this point and a chance to change the course of where you will end up. This is me now... Right now.. I am in the valley and trying to find my way out and as I climb the mountain to get out, just trying to keep my eyes on the "goal" of getting out and seeing the new me at the top and where I can go with GOD's direction. At this time in my life after working the prior 20 years and now finding it a bit more difficult to find another job, I am hoping that by reaching deep down into the "soul" of my being, that my new career path has a genuine purpose for me. I don't want to just go to work - I want to make an impact, a positive one.

Reality Check-Unemployment meeting today

2008-07-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I had my official meeting today at the Unemployment office. I am assuming that this is a natural course that happens along the way of getting UE checks. I am about half way through my 26 weeks of UE and had a mandatory meeting today. They basically verify that you are doing at least 3 job searches a week - I am at about 20 and that you know about some of their resources. What I did learn today was a website, Indeed.com that is a great site to search for jobs.

I think that I am beginning to really feel like I am on the "cusp" of finally getting hired. However, part of me is literally feeling like I am going loony toons or better yet crazy from not being able to have landed a job yet. I have tried and tried, but for some reason, just haven't landed a home run yet. I consider myself very talented and today seeing some of those people trying to work on their resumes and searching - I really feel for them. A lot of those folks don't even have a computer of their own to work on. I am very fortunate to actually be in the situation with the UE and the severance package I got. Don't get me wrong, it's still the pits getting these constant "no thanks" messages. But... If you want to succeed in life.. double your failure rate! I WILL find a job soon!

Oh... I managed to get a late entry into the WA State Open Tennis Tourney. I am hoping that I will be ready to play as my surgery is this Friday, the 25th of July and I am thinking that I might actually get both legs done instead of just my left leg.

Thanks,
Brian

Great Article on Aortic Dissection "Beating A Sudden Killer"

2008-07-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

I was contacted a few months back about a young man working on his doctorate degree. He was specializing in the aortic dissection field. He started this website, IradOnLine.org and has done a great job on the site. I highly recommend it. I was actually out there myself today and came across an article by Dr. John A. Elefteriades. It was titled, "Beating A Sudden Killer" and I believe it's a very well written article that everyone should read. One of the "key" things that weight lifters need to be careful of is heavy lifting when they have the presence of any enlarge aorta due to aneurysm growing inside of them. The intense pressure put on from heavy lifting is just speeding up the process for that aneurysm to blow up or dissect. Both of these conditions are very fatal and should be treated immediately. However, how do you know if you are that weight lifter and that you might have that "something" growing inside of your aorta? Do you have a history of aneurysms in your family? Do you have a history of aortic dissections? Do you have high blood pressure? All of these questions could help you to determine if you are at risk and should perhaps lay off the "heavy lifting" as it could potentially kill you. According to this article, only 5% of these aneurysms/dissections are from Marfan's patients.

I highly recommend reading this article and educating yourself and family about these conditions.

Dr. John A. Elefteriades, M.D., F.A.C.S. can be seen at the Yale School of Surgery. This is also one of the best places to get aortic care.

Thanks,

Brian

Olivia's 13th Birthday..I love her so much!

2008-07-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

It turned out to be a beautiful day. A day for a celebration and gathering of the entire family for my daughter's 13th birthday celebration. The cake was heavenly! Thank GOD for Costco!

Wow.. I am birthday partied out! We have the entire family over for my daughter's birthday celebration today. She and her mom just left for the mall to see a movie.It's been a constant birthday celebration since the 13th of July! Oh well.. my daughter is worth it.

I am hoping that tomorrow's call with RedKnee (phone interview) goes well. I have to wait a week tohear about my other possibility with TW Telecom and I sure hope that they call! The hiring manager is on vacation and I have to wait to hear from him when he returns. I have been playing it in my mind just what a 40 hour work week is going to be like again. It's been a long time since I've had to do one. However, I sure want to get back to a "routine" and get back on to feeling good about doing a good days work. At least this job won't require a "panel" interview! I also am supposed to speak with Vodafone this week as well.

I am waiting for my new shoes to arrive and strings. I tried the NRG2 (16) with the SPPP Plasma 17 gauge and it just didn't feel like. The GOSEN OG Sheep (16) synthetic gut is WAY easier to control for me and I just have gotten so used to it... I can't change!

Time for some TV!

Brian

Famous Soccer Player Dies of AD (Slobo Ilijevski)

2008-07-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

I got my AD news today and read this article. Apparently, this "tremendously" talented soccer player died in Bellingham, WA - just an hour away from me. Slobo Ilijevski died of an aortic dissection and was taken to the near by hospital to try and save him. Unfortunately, it was GOD'S time to call him home. I don't know this guy from Adam, but I do know that he seem to be in excellent shape and was quite and athlete - and pretty young. This is a tragedy for the family and soccer community. The other major "red light" here should be to take note that if you have a history of Aortic Dissections or Aortic Aneuersym - get yourself checked out. You can run 10 miles a day, eat all the vege's and fiber till you can't see straight... but that doesn't mean that there couldn't be an enlarged aorta growing inside your body.

I figure I got about 1.5 hours sleep last night. I had to get up at 6:00am for my doubles at 7-8:30am. My daughter's 13th birthday party was last night. She had 8 of her friends sleep over and they talked to the early morning hours. I kept tossing and turning as I could hear them and my pizza dinner wasn't sitting too well. They rented a limo and went to the mall for a fashion thing.

I spent a bit of time yesterday and finally finished today my contrustion project - final section of my "paver" walkway. My hands are killing me from the cement mix and they are so dry that they fell like I need some lotion! Now, I have the entire side of my house, from the side walk all the way back to the back patio done.

We are having the family get together tomorrow for my daughter's 13th birthday and that should be fun. I haven't seen my folks in a whie and my brother either. We'll fire up the bbq and crack open a few beers and chat.

Wow.. I am super tired, suddenly the "lack of sleep" and my aching back from playing tennis 3 hours on Thursday, yesterday 1.5 and today 1.5, coupled with the paving project - I'm toast!

Hoping that my new job prospect still is working it's way through and that I get a call the last week of July (my original planned date) to notify me that I got the job!

Good day!

Brian

Aortic Dissection vs Aortic Aneursym

2008-07-18T04:36:00.000-07:00

I often times get asked this question about what the difference are between the two of these conditions. So, while working on my website today, I came across a pretty simple definition of both:

Aortic dissection refers to tear on the wall of the large vessel coming out of the heart, called the aorta. This tear causes blood to flow outside the normal area. Deterioration of the aorta's inner lining is most often seen in patients with hypertension, a congenital disorder, or those who have suffered blunt trauma (such as a car accident). It is very important to diagnose and treat this condition quickly. A number of tests are performed to determine the nature of the aorta's pathology, and we are pleased to be able to preserve the non-diseased aortic valves while repairing the diseased areas in most instances.

An aortic aneurysm is an abnormal bulge in the wall of the aorta. Although an aneurysm can develop anywhere along your aorta, it frequently occurs in the section running through your chest. Although most aneurysms are small, grow slowly and do not rupture, approximately 15,000 Americans die of a ruptured aortic aneurysm each year. Most patients learn they have an aortic aneurysm during an exam unrelated to cardiac health. Depending on the size and location of the aneurysm, it may be best to simply monitor your condition. If surgical intervention is indicated, the specific procedure will be determined by the cause of the aneurysm and its location.

What if you have an enlarged aorta right now? What do you do about it? I just found a great site, that explains a ton of information.

When is surgery indicated?

Once a thoracic aneurysm is diagnosed, routine, scheduled follow-up is necessary by an aortic specialist. Aneurysm size needs to be followed closely and surgery is warranted if there is rapid growth over a short period of time or if a critical size is reached. Follow-up typically includes CT scans or MRI's every 6-12 months.

The ascending aorta grows at a rate of 0.10 cm per year and the descending aorta at a rate of 0.20 cm per year. Should an aneurysm increase in size by 0.4cm in any one year then surgery should be performed.

Decisions regarding surgery can be made if the risk of death, dissection or rupture is known for any particular aneurysm size. This risk can then be compared to the risk of surgery. At St. Luke's-Roosevelt Aneurysm Center the operative mortality of ascending aortic aneurysm surgery is 2.3%. The mortality for aortic arch surgery increases to 5-8% and the mortality for descending thoracic aneurysm surgery is 5.5%. Below is listed the yearly risk of complications based on aortic aneurysm size.

			Aortic size
Yearly risk	> 3.5cm	>4.0cm	>5.0 cm	> 6.0cm

Rupture	0.0%	0.3%	1.7%	3.6%
Dissection	2.2%	1.5%	2.5%	3.7%
Death	5.9%	4.6%	4.8%	10.8%

Any of the above	7.2%	5.3%	6.5%	14.1%

Given these statistics it is recommended that asymptomatic ascending aortic aneurysms be resected at a size of 5.0-5.5 cm. If severe aortic insufficiency is present in the setting of a bicuspid valve, the ascending aorta should be resected when it is 4.5 cm in diameter. Descending thoracic and aortic arch aneurysms typically are resected when they exceed 6.0 cm in diameter. A patient with Marfan's syndrome typically warrants earlier intervention. Symptomatic aneurysms should be resected regardless of size.

If you need expert help, I have many great surgical references of the top experts in the aortic surgery field. I would be more than happy to help!

Best!

Brian

The big phone interview today

2008-07-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

Well, today is my big phone interview and perhaps my biggest chance so far to land a job since being laid off from VerizonBusiness on 5/2/2008. My (6 days short of 20 years) career is over and new horizons are calling my name. Granted, this hasn't been easy to land a job yet, I am still optimistic about this great chance - a chance that one of my old friends informed me of. This goes back to my old "networking" blog and how it's so imperative to keep a good contact list of folks that can help you down the road. I also happen to know another person at this company who is apparently way up the food chain and I am hoping to name drop his name as well as an "internal" reference as well.

I played 3 hours of singles tennis this morning, I was thinking I'd play doubles for 1.5 hours then my singles. However, the doubles groups didn't know I was playing with them, so I ended up hitting a few sets with a guy name Doug. Then, on to my usual Thursday am match with Dr. George. I tried mixing new "cross" strings (NRG2 16) and I just don't like the feel. So, it's back to the basics and good old Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16 gauge for my crosses.

My son had a sleep over with his cousins last night and they are going to Game Works today for some video game fun! I wish I was going too! However, my daughter is not feeling well and I am going to stay with her.

Have a great day!

Brian

Don't Quit... throw in the towel... Do it!

2008-07-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

After getting my (at least) 10th rejection email from F5 Networks today, I am try to determine if I actually want to work for a company that apparently sees no value in my services. I've applied for sales/service and technical positions there - all of which I would do a "kick ass" job at, yet... I still have only had one phone interview. Heck.. I've even met with the person in charge of the HR department and still haven't got anywhere. Originally, they told me that I was applying across to broad of a spectrum and I appreciated that and listened. So, I am now only applying in their services organization and hoping for some miracle to happen. My real question to myself is when do I draw the line and quit waisting my energy on this company? Of course the other side of me, being used to having been knocked down before tries to rally my "competitive tennis player" personality and says... "I'll be back" and will keep plugging away and trying to find a way to get hired by these guys. At the same time, I am also interested in working for a company that sees a value in me as well. I've had other companies where I have applied to at least 10 positions (Premera.com) and the same story, only I don't really get as much feedback with their recruiters, just the "no thanks" email and good ridence.

I orginally wanted to work at F5 or Premera based on those companies having been voted as some of the top places to work in Washington.

The opposite of quiting is "DO IT" as the sign says and don't allow the "negatives" to get your down. Use them to provide feedback as to the "why" you are not getting the interviews? Is it my resume perhaps? The one that I payed some "career coach" to have prepare. I actually had asked the guy at F5 if my resume was OK and he said yes. However, I am beginning to wonder. I know that I need to cater it more to the specific job requirement at hand.

I am supposed to hear from the person that is the hiring manager for the possible position that my long time friend told me about. He left him a message to call me tomorrow and hopefully this will lead to something in the "positive" direction.

Best!
Brian

I sometimes feel like I'm striking out

2008-07-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

It's hard sometimes during this "job search" that I just feel like I'm striking out. I must have applied for 10 jobs today and emailed a few of my other recruiters/contacts about prior resume submissions and their status. It's easy to have the "woe is me" attitude and think of all the negative things - like my severance dwindling down, my unemployment going to end in a few months. All these "negative" vibes have a tendency to lure over you if you let them.

I am watching pastor John Hage's message on "Living to Win" and he just made some great points on forgiveness and how it sets you free when you forgive "anyone" that's every done you wrong. Also how "leadership" demands constant achievement - don't settle what you did last week. Keep fresh, keep pleasing GOD. Oh... Learn to fly, get out of your "comfort zone" and GOD says "FLY" and reach your divine destiny! That message really hits me. Think and Act like a champion - a child of GOD. What you fear will destroy you is another great point. I decided to buy the CD's for myself!

There's not a day that I don't think about my "flying" issue and ask myself "Is this the day you're going to fly" or "Is this the day, you will overcome your fears and quit being a coward"? It's a viscous circle that I don't want to let continue - and why I am trying to face the fear head on. As the Bible clearly states, you should NOT FEAR, rather only FEAR GOD, he's got your life in the palm of his hands and he's got the plan already destined for you. A message to me, "Get off the the "Self" horse and let Jesus take the wheel as the song goes!

Speaking of fears, while just searching for something, I came across a great article here. I think it's interesting in the picture how we all feel like we are the "black" people in the picture and if we'd just face our fears, we'd become the red person (who we know deep down) is the person that we want to become and the person GOD had intended us to be. After all, FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real) is just that. It's all in our heads!

Brian

Helping others-It's the right thing to do!

2008-07-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful to be able to give something back to others. Being the recipient of a "second chance" at life, I am blessed to be able to help others. I feel it's my way of being able to give something back as GOD chose to show favor on me. Today, I received a call from a young man that is presently trying to determine what he should do about his "enlarged" aortic root and the fact that he's got a bicuspid value issue as well. (Def) A bicuspid valve is also known as the mitral valve or semi-lunar valve with only two cusps (instead of three); situated between the left atrium and left ventricle. It ensures the unidirectional flow of blood from the left atrium to the left ventricle.

In writing this "post" I discovered a person's website that is completely devoted to this type of heart valve replacement surgery. His name is Adam Pick. It appears that he's had a valve replacement surgery as well. Ok.. back to my topic of "helping others" and my original point of this post. My friend is really feeling like he's living with a "time-bomb" inside his chest and that's the last thing you want to be worrying about. In this day in age, we have numerous highly competent surgeons that do this type of valve replacement surgery. Often times, the valve can be saved and other times, a mechanical type of valve will be the only option. The main point that I can provide to this person is "resources" and a listening ear. That's what people need to know is that there's hope for them and that there's been others before them that have had to go through very similar situations. And.. guess what? They made it through and so can you!

I have spoken to hundreds of aortic dissection patients and have been so "overjoyed" to have been able to help them in some shape or form that's what makes my day!

All the best!

Brian

Varicose Veins-Going to get the surgery

2008-07-15T04:20:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful day out side as I am writing this blog at 7:43am. I just returned from my 5:30-7:00am doubles, and we had a great match. My partner and I won in a 3rd set tie-breaker. I am playing pretty good right now and hope to continue.

I signed up for the varicose vein procedure (left leg only) for the 25th July at 10:30am. I am a bit nervous, but... I will "JUST DO IT" and get it over with. It's something that needs to be done and I am going to the best guy around.

A surgeon who's done way more than anyone around this area. My surgeon is Dr. Charles R Strub at the Puget Sound Vein Center. I am having the Venus Closure done with the radio frequency versus the one with the laser. According to some, the Laser is too hot and leaves quite a bit of "bruising and swelling" -not to mention being more painful. My left leg is my worse leg in terms of looks. My greater saphenous vein is pretty much "toast" and doesn't work, so when my calves pump blood up to the heart, the saphenous vein attempts to carry it up, but it comes right back down due to faulty bunch of valves. Luckily, this vein is superficial and not really needed. Unless, you need "bypass" surgery - and in my case, since both of mine are bad, I am just praying I never need that surgery!

The venus closure technique will be partially used on my left leg and 100% on my right leg. They will need to do an additional treatment called Foam sclerotherapy - the reason is that my saphenous vein in my left leg is kind of tangled up and the device apparently for the venus closure is for a "straight" shot type of treatment. My right leg is completely straight for that procedure.

We are having my parents and brother's family over this Sunday for my daughter's 13th birthday celebration. We are anxious to see everyone and show them our new paint job on the house.

I am getting really tired of my tennis buddies asking me, "Tinsley, when are you getting a job?" or how's the interviewing going? I simply laugh it off - but I would like to tell them, "I got a job and start on "x" date.... Next question please? They are great guys, but... it's getting annoying all the time.

I have to hand it to the Word Press Blogging software. I have been a Microsoft Front Page 2003 user for many years. I originally had a blog with Google, but didn't ever like the layout. Plus, with this great theme from Brian Gardner, you can get this theme for free. I have been "blogging" for several years now and really enjoy being able to have this "outlet" as a form of therapy for me. My main goal of this site it to let "aortic dissection" survivors know that life goes on after having a dissection. And, that there is hope and others just like you who have gone through a very similar experience.

Have a great day!

Brian

A job possibility... Keeping my fingers crossed

2008-07-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

I got a call from a one of my old buddies that I had worked with for many years at MCI and Verizonbusiness about a possible job opportunity. It sounds like it might be the one. I got a few more "rejections" notices today, however, the more of those I get, that just means the "yes" is getting closer.

My job with a medical company in Bothell, Wa didn't pan out either. It was an entry level position and I was over qualified. I am also running into this with another company and their minimal salary requirements. Oh well, I am determined and WILL NOT give up. For example, I spent probably 2 hours today trying to get my SiteMap to work correctly. I was ready to throw in the towel, but gave it one more try and ... it worked! That's the attitude that you have to have in just about everything in life. As the famous quote goes, "If you want to succeed, you MUST double your failure rate" and it's so true!

I spent a good two hours studying the PMP stuff today. My topic for the day was the "time management" section. Wow.. some of this stuff is really dry and boring. I would still like to see this all the way through to the end and get my PMP certification.

It's Tuesday morning (5:30am) doubles in the morning and I am also hoping to hear from my friend about the job tomorrow. I also got another tip on a job for Vodafone. I hope to hear from them as well.

Good Night!

Brian

Monday Morning... It's a beautiful day!

2008-07-14T04:30:00.000-07:00

I discovered that there were a few more of my favorite "Olivia" drawings that I had forgot to show. This was a great Christmas one that she'd done.

It's back to reality and time to start the day searching for more job opportunities. I have an interview today at 2:00pm with a consulting firm and hope that it goes well. I also emailed a couple of my contacts over at T-Mobile and F5 Networks again about possibilities. My unemployment is at the "half way" point and that $515.00 per week is going to be running out soon - not to mention my severance is wind ling down as well. I started working right out of college and never in a million years would have thought I would a) be laid off and b) have to rely on using the unemployeement system.

I still have not heard back from the Verathon corporation about their posting for an "inside sales" rep and I even found out who their sales manager was and emailed him letting him know how excited I was about coming to work for them. I also emailed and left 3 voicemails for the recruiter w/o any response. I feel like contacting the CEO and letting them know if they've got someone who's excited about their compnay - they better make sure they follow up. I could have been their best sales person ever and they'd never get the chance to see it come to fruition as they never contacted me.

This picture titled "what not to wear" was pretty good as well. My daughter is so creative. I feel pretty sad that I can't really take the family on a summer vacation due to my not working status. Sure, I could blow more of my severance and do it, but I want to start working again and save some of the money for a "rain day" and that way, we'd have money for a vacation next year or for Christmas break.

My Starbucks craving is calling my name and it's time to head to the store. I think when I get back, I will contact Verathon directly again and try to figure out what is going on with them.

Have a great day!

Brian

Olivia's Day in Seattle-Happy 13th Birthday!

2008-07-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

We spent part of the afternoon today visiting the Pike Place Market. You see all type of people there, including the "famous" fish tossing stand. We went down to the water front as well to see the Old Curiosity Shop. Then, I took my son and friend and went to Game Works while the gals shopped. We topped off the evening with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.

My site was voting by as Blog of the day and I thought that was pretty cool to have been selected. I hope others enjoy reading my blog and it helps people.

My daughter's is 13, I can not believe it. Today's she is now officially a "teenager" and I she's so beautiful. I loved holding her hand today walking in down town Seattle. It was a great day and I am so proud to be her father. Olivia is such a special young lady with so much talent and tenacity. She's her student body president and a honor roll student. Olivia's such a blessing to me and I am so proud of her. I thank GOD for allowing her to come into my life - I cherish her so much. My life would not be complete with out her or my son Owen. My wife and I are so blessed with two healthy children.

I started out today playing some really good singles tennis and decided to not change raquets - rather get a few replacement ones. I found one on Ebay and am in the middle of working out a deal on it. I have 5 rackets now, of which 3 are ready to be handed down to the neighborhood kids to use. I also got Tennis Warehouse to send me out some new replacement strings. I was surprised about that, but they will continue to get my business because of their great service.

If you are in need of wanting to chat with another aortic dissection survivor, please be sure to let me know by emailing me or going to my FORUM to see/chat with other folks who have experienced a dissection themselves.

I hope this week finally reveals my new job career path and I can get back on track with having a full time job again. I would love to have this happen this week. I have quite a few "irons" in the fire right now and feeling pretty good that it's going to lead to an official job offer. I am still (slowly but surely) working on my studying for the pmp exam. I am hoping to take the test in the fall.

Take Care,

Brian

Thanks Dr. DeBakey, I would have never seen my daughter's 13th birthday

2008-07-13T03:37:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday morning, July 13th and as I updated my Google news section on my website, I could not help but be touched again by the impact of yet another article written by Todd Ackerman over at the Houston Chronical. This very picture here really weighs heavily on my heart - especially today as it's my daughter's 13th birthday. A day in which had it not been for the incredible intuition and forward thinking of Dr. DeBakey and the use of the "dacron tubing", I might not have seen this day. I truly thank GOD for creating such a wonderful man - a man with the knowledge that helped save my life. I would also like to commend Todd for his great articles that he's put together in the last few days trying to portray the impact that Dr. DeBakey has made to the surgical world. He's done an excellent job - the best articles that I have read on the subject. When I look at this picture, I can see that tubing there as being the "substance" that is helping hold my aorta in place. I am hoping that they research has been done on this product that it lasts along time - that it's going to hold together with the stitches that are used to attach it to my aorta root and the other side of my aorta. All these things, Dr. DeBakey already figured out and tested on several thousands of patients to ensure that my surgery would have a better chance for success. I think Dr. DeBakey's ability to tolerate the surgery himself at the age of 97 was yet another miracle and how "blessed" of a man that he truly was.

Dr. DeBakey catagorized the different type so of Aortic Dissections into three groups (mine was type 1) and years later, Stanford Univeristy would come along and come up with theirs - essentially the very similar to his definitions.

The Stanford classification divides dissections into 2 types, type A and type B.

Type A involves the ascending aorta (DeBakey types I and II); type B does not (DeBakey type III).

This system also helps delineate treatment. Usually, type A dissections require surgery, while type B dissections may be managed medically under most conditions.

The DeBakey classification divides dissections into 3 types.

Type I involves the ascending aorta, aortic arch, and descending aorta.

Type II is confined to the ascending aorta.

Type III is confined to the descending aorta distal to the left subclavian artery.
- Type III dissections are further divided into IIIa and IIIb.
- Type IIIa refers to dissections that originate distal to the left subclavian artery but extend both proximally and distally, mostly above the diaphragm.
- Type IIIb refers to dissections that originate distal to the left subclavian artery, extend only distally and may extend below the diaphragm.

In my case I had the DeBakey Type 1, where my aorta dissected right about the aortic root. This is where about 70% of these dissections occur. These are the pictures (courtesty of MGH)

I am playing some tennis this morning with my friend Jack. He's the guy that I was actually playing with that my aorta actually dissected during the match. You don't realize how a person's life can impact your own sometimes, unless you've had a situation like mine and then..... you just say, "WOW" and praise GOD for the miracle of life and that you are still alive thanks to others paving the way for you.

I have to also thank the GOOD LORD for my wife. I am so blessed to have her! One thing that I really love is when we have to put things together. She's the direction reader and I ususally do the work. Case and point, we just recently installed a LCD TV stand and last night, installed my daughter's chandaler in her bedroom. This particular light put up a fight and took us several attempts... but we worked as a team and got it working. Then, she tricked me and turned on the switch and it didn't come on. I didn't see that she'd only put the bulb half way in and everyone got a laugh as "daddy" was ready to get upset.

In summary, I MUST thank the GOOD LORD for people like Dr. DeBakey. He's the reason that I am still alive today - a reason to enjoy my daughter's 13th birthday. My daughter really wants to become an actress and is determined to give it her best shot. I will do all that I can to help her try and reach her goals in life. My goal today is to remember the great things that life has to offer and give thanks for the wonderful things that we can give back to others - something that Dr. DeBakey surely did.

Brian

Remembering Dr. DeBakey

2008-07-12T06:06:00.000-07:00

Last night we lost perhaps the greatest surgeon that this world has ever seen - at least in our life time. The impact that Dr. DeBakey had on the surgical world - it's almost impossible to measure the magnitude of his contributions. I know from my own personal experience that my aorticdissection surgery technique stemmed from Dr. DeBakey's training. The actual surgery that Dr. DeBakey pioneered, he actually underwent himself. He had an aortic anuersym where the aorta actually ruptured and had to have the dacron tubing attached.

In my case, I had the aortic dissection, where the layers of the aortic wall essentially separate and the blood flows back into the heart, where if not fixed in time with open heart surgery, the patients usually dies due to a paricardium tampenade. In either one of these conditions, you need to have the emergency surgery. And the techniques of how to do the surgery go back to the Dr. DeBakey invention of how to do them to begin with. I am so grateful for this GODLY man and great human being. Even though I never met him, his impact on surgeons like Dr. Joseph S. Coselli, have helped save thousands upon thousands of lives.

I am truly thankful for this man! He's one of the reasons that I am here today as my surgeon, Dr. James Brevig probably learned this technique while he was studying to become a surgeon himself.

Rest in peace - I am sure he is as he was such a great human being.

Brian

Friday's almost over

2008-07-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

As I am writing this post, my wife and kids are seeing the new "Journey to the Center of the Earth" movie. I decided to stay home and get caught up on some studying - which I didn't do much of! My daughter is going to be 13 on the 13th of July and OMG... I can't believe how she's become such a beautiful young lady. I am so proud of her and I love her so much.

I can remember when she was just a baby! Where has the time gone? Does she really know how much I love her? How much I care for her? How much I thank GOD for her! I remember her drawings she used to make, here's some of my favorites surrounding this posting.

We took my son's Razor scooter back today as the chain kept coming off and returned it. He paid (out of his own pocket) the $50.00 extra to get the Razor electric motorcycle. Of course, he had to have it put together right when we got home. However, it's got to charge for 18 hours! That's tough on a 9 year old who wants his toy now!

He's got his bike and has other scooters to hold him over. I just had to replace this back tire on his bike as he had been skidding a bit too much and it popped.. Oh.. the joys of being a dad.. priceless!

I ended up playing some outdoors tennis with Curt this morning and we had a great first set, but he fell apart in the second set. Speaking of tennis, I just had ordered the "champions set" from tennis warehouse, which is the same string combination that Federer uses. However, after string my mains with the Luxilon ALU Rough and about half way through the "gut" crosses, the gut looked like it was ready to break. I am thinking that it's better to buy them as the VS Gut and Luxilon versus the Wilson combined champions tour packaging. I am getting my $29.00 bucks back!

We had a BBQ tonight with my wife's sisters kids and my mother in law too! It was fun and enjoyed a burger and some hot dogs for the kids and good old fashioned corn and salad. The best thing.. was we had "dilly bars" for dessert! I love ice-cream. I have been hooked on these "skinny cows" and they are lower in fat that regular ice-cream and are great! I love the cookies n cream, but all the stores sell out of them. Go figure!

I called the Varthon corporation up and asked for the sales manager hoping to get this name. I ended up getting it and sent him an email about the position on Craig's list that I saw for an "inside sales" position. I had also left three messages for the recruiter there as well. I want them to know just how hungry I am and how committed I would be to working for them and their great company.

I think that it's important for potential employers to know something about me and the kind of person that I am. I feel very confident that I am on the verge of landing a new job soon - before the end of the month is my goal still.

I am playing my usual Saturday 0700-0830am doubles and looking forward to that. I realized today that there's competitive tennis (tournaments) to work on your ranking. Then, in my case, there's giving something back to the game as well. And that's playing with others who are rated lower than me, but it's a blessing for me to be out there to begin with so why can't I try and help them with their game and just share a few laughs as well? That's what giving back means to me!

I hope you enjoy some of my daughter's pictures. I know that I wil always treasure them as they are so near and dear to my heart.

Good night!

Brian

Watched Hopkins last night-great show!

2008-07-11T05:06:00.000-07:00

I hadn't planned on watching any tv last night, and was just went down to get my ice-water before bed. It was 10:00pm and I turned on the channel and it was the Hopkins show on ABC. I was mesmerized by the show. In fact, one of the patients had an aortic procedure done similar to mine. It's a miracle that I am still here with all the things (Planets aligning) to get this operation done successfully.

The other story was about this 19 year old boy who needed a heart transplant. The show chronicled the events that take place in order to pull this monumental event off. I was literally blown away. It's just a blessing that we have these skilled surgeons and medical professionals - like the ones at Hopkins that take care of their patients so well. In fact, almost to the point of sacrificing their marriages. As someone who's benefited from an "open heart" surgery myself and managed to not have an infection along with the procedure, I am so blessed to have made it. This show REALLY makes you see what goes on in those medical facilities. I think it's a great show and I will watch it again - it makes you appreciate life! These folks are miracle workers with help from above.

The painting is done, the new doors hinges are on, the new house numbers are on, all the lights, plants, and patio furniture are back in place. The house looks great! These guys did a great job.

I am off to play some outdoors tennis at 10:00am with my friend Curt. It's a beautiful day and it will be fun.

I need to study today for my PMP and take the next chapter exam and get my PDU's for that section.

Have a great day!

Brian

3 hours of tennis and some interviewing today

2008-07-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

I played my usual Thursday am doubles from 5:30-7:00am, then played Dr. "Steve" in some singles till 8:30am. I came home, then showered and back to Bellevue WA to do an interview with a recruiting agency about a possible position. It went well and on the way home, I got another call from another recuriter asking me about coming to see them on Monday as they have a few positions that they feel I match up well with. They seem a bit more professional than the first outfit from earlier in the day. I am looking forward to meeting with them and really feel that I am getting close to my goal of being hired before the end of July 2008.

I haven't felt much like studying today for the PMP stuff, but I know that I need to get through another chapter today. They are finishing up on the painting and I have to pay the balance to them today. The entire job was $3800.00 - they did a great job!

I am still waiting to hear back from the Doctor's office about my venus closure technique for my varicose veins and if the insurance company is going to approve the procedure. I was hoping to hear something this week. I have to get this done and just do it!

Take Care!

Brian

Networking 101- Who are the contacts that you have made?

2008-07-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

It's been over 2 months since my official departure date from Verizonbusiness. After working at the same place for nearly 20 years, you don't really think that much about YOU possibly being laid off. And, how many "networking relationships/contacts" that you have built up during those years.

What I first did was get a Google Gmail account and to start and build a list of all my "networking" contacts that might be able to help me. Granted, these are folks that I consider friends and not just people that I would try and contact to say, "hey.. I need a job" and please help! I think that networking is going back into your memory bank and remembering those "key" contacts that you have or have not stayed in touch with and figure out if they might be willing to help you. It's these type of contacts that I consider folks that are genuinely concerned about trying to help you. It's amazing how many contacts that you might have that when push comes to shove, they aren't really a big help at all. It's like a chess game trying to figure out what/where/when and why you are going to contact someone that might be able to help.

I have tried to contact many of my so called "networking friends" and have had some luck - however, still no job yet. That old say, "It's not what you know... It's who you know" is still true to this day. I have tried to rely on that and for some strange reason do feel confident that I will be landing a job before the end of this month. I am thinking that T-Mobile looks promising and I left two messages for the recruiter at Verathon today as well. That was voted as one of the top places to work in WA State.

Oh yah.. the painting continues - all windows/doors are taped shut and it's muggy in the house! I hope I can sleep tonight as I like to have the windows open and fan running. However, my wife doesn't like the fan going and usually shuts it off as I am already a sleep. My bedtime is usually around 9pm and get up at 0445 to 0500.

Brian

House Painting Starts Today

2008-07-09T05:20:00.000-07:00

I am having my house painted today. Yesterday, the did the pressure washing with the Clorox Bleach and today they are doing the taping and caulking, with the chance of actually starting the painting as well. It's been almost 10 years since this house (bought new) has been painted and it's overdue.

I just received a call about a position at a large cellular company in my area looking for a Cisco ICM/Routing specialist and I hope to get an interview for it. I might not be an expert in everything, but through my experience at VB and working on the Microsoft account, I think I could do well there.

I also applied at a company called Verathon - a medical device company here in Bothell, Wa. I am hoping as well to hear from them as their products look outstanding. I am on the "cusp" as to where my next career will lead me. I am hoping that it's either going to be in the healthcare field and if not, most likely, it will be in some type of "telecom" related field. After 20 years in the telecommunications field and at the age of 45, it's hard to start from ground zero in a new field. But.... The GOOD LORD WILL prevail in helping me find the job that he feels I will do the best. I am also still hoping for something at F5 Networks as well.

It looks like it's going to be a great day for painting!

I am working on my pmp exam and signed up for the www.pmstudy.com on line course for 2 months to get my 35 (PDU's) classroom hours of experience. At the same time, I am still reading my book, and speaking of books, my PMBOK guide is supposed to be in at the bookstore today. I had called them yesterday and they said that they had one for me and it would be on hold. I got there and there was a book on hold, but not for me! It turns out that they had a "used" one at their main store and instead of the $50.00 for the new, I am getting the used for $20.00 and I just had to wait one day!

Brian

Home Depot vs Lowes and my trip to Starbucks

2008-07-08T04:21:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!

I started out today playing my usual 0530-7:00am doubles. My partner and I won this morning in 3 sets. I had a piece of my garage door trim that I need to replace, so I took the board with me to Home Depot this morning thinking I'd replace it there. As I entered the store, I walked by 2 cashiers that didn't even acknowledge me. Then, I went back to the wood section and for 15 minutes going up and down the isles tried to find a matching piece. The entire time, not a sign of a HD employee. After, almost 20 minutes, I walked out the same entrance, by the same cashiers... again, not even a "good morning" or "can I help you find something" at all. The time was around 7:00am-7:20am that I was in their store.

Customer Service Grade for Home Depot=F-

So, I proceeded to go up the street and give Lowe's a shot. I should have originally gone their first as they were closer to the tennis club to begin with. I entered the Lowe's entrance (Lumbar Yard area) and an actual customer said hello to me as he was leaving. Then, as I walked in, the cashier said "good morning" and I told her what I was looking for by showing her my piece of wood that I had in my hand. She said that there might be some trim that would work down isle 25. So, I went down to the isle and started looking. I noticed that there was an actual Lowe's employee back in this area and he had to have seen me at least twice, but... (and here's where Lowe's gets a lower grade), the employee never bothered to ask me if I needed help. I found a piece of wood, it cost $4.96 and I brought it up to the same cashier that I originally saw on the way in. She couldn't read the tag on the end of the piece of wood and I told her the price, however, she couldn't find it and just charged my $4.53 and with tax it came out to about $4.96. Transaction completed!

Customer Service Grade for Lowes=C+

In summary, I'm convinced that neither one of these places figure that legitimate customers are coming through the door at this hour. Rather, it's just the daily contractor types that know where everything already is. However, they both need to realize that "any" customer that comes through their doors needs to be greeted immediately as Lowe's did do.

Ok.. With my piece of wood in hand, off to Starbucks to get my morning cappuccino. Prior to today, I was on a streak of 5-5 with the Starbucks at the local Top Foods. Since the Starbucks near Lowe's was close by, I decided to give them a try. And.. I got the drink made properly. However, while the person was ringing me up, he asked me, "would you like to fill out an on-line survey" and gave my my receipt with how to fill it out on-line. What in the heck is Starbucks trying to do here? This a "major" phopah in my opinion. The fact that they are asking for a survey=something is wrong with Starbucks. And.. I agree completely. First of all, don't ask the customers, who just spent way too much money on a coffee drink to now take more time out of their day to fill out some random survey that has "zero" affect on the service that they will get from Starbucks or the drink that they make. If you want "real-time" results, have the customer fill out a quick 5 question (check the box) questionaire and drop it off in a "suggesstion box" versus trying to get them to fill out and on-line survey. Starbucks is in a lot of trouble now with their "lack of attention to details" and are having to close a ton of stores. Their main problem is this: The can not make a consistant drink. Period. As much as I would like to believe that they can, they just have not developed a module for producing a "double short cappaccino" among other drinks. This is where they need better training. These folks in the black aprons, they are not better at making drinks than the green apron barista's. Back to the drawing board Starbucks.

Have a great day!

Brian

New Game Plan for Job Search

2008-07-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

I had my interview with the recruiters at F5 Networks today. They were very classy and professional people. I loved the building that F5 is in and the few folks that I met, I thought were great! (that's the Chineese symbol for Wisdom). I gained a lot today about how to find a job.

So, my plan is to not apply for every job that becomes available at F5, rather continue to look daily for new postings that might appear that are geared toward my qualifications. In the meantime, (and I believe F5 is worth the wait), I am going to focus on studying and passing the PMP exam. I have a really good book that I am using for a study guide now, it's http://www.headfirstlabs.com/books/hfpmp/ and so far, only in about 100 pages, I really like the format. I might also try the Cheetah crash course, but that's $2K that I would have to spend out of own pocket.

I learned another valuable lesson today about applying for jobs and that is, don't apply for too many jobs across too wide of an area - it just means your fishing for anything and the recruiters don't like to see that. It weakens your position and it's so true - I was guilty of trying that approach and learned form some constructive criticism, it's not the best way to get a job with a company you REALLY want to work at. Also, don't bombard the recruiters either with emails asking for "anything new that fits my qualifications" or "keep me posted" as those things only weaken your position as well.

All in all, I am excited about trying to land a job at F5 Networks in the hopefully near future as I continue to study for my PMP exam and pass it!

Brian

Monday July 7th, 2008=Reality, I have no job...yet

2008-07-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

Ok,

It's Monday and it's back to reality. I was laid off on 5/2/2008 from VerizonBusiness. Oh well, there's so much more to life than this small impasse in my life. At 45 years of age, it's amazing how so many things are coming to the forefront of my life and the direction that I will now go forward in.

What's really amazing is that I am still alive and approaching my 5 year anniversary (8/22/2008) upon which I will celebrate my many blessings. When it's all said and done, I think that it's very important that we realize just how fortunate we are to actually have a roof over our head, food on the table, clothes to wear, the ability to walk, speak, hear and among other things, experience great friends and family. It's high time that we as Americans give thanks for our troops that are busting their "blanks" over in Iraq so that we can live a life of "Freedom" and take everything for granted that is humanly possible. It's sad.. but it's true.. we are just down right not appreciative of all the amenities that we have as US citizens. Moreover, the fact that we blessed to have a GOD who loves us and forgives us!

Why is it that everyone wants more and more and is never happy with what GOD has already blessed them with? Isn't it true that we all just want to be loved and know that we are put on this earth to help others? I find it appalling that we let our kids watch these 16 birthday shows on MTV of how these rich families spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a 16th birthday. When, we should be seeing a 16 year old going to a homeless shelter and offering to donate their birthday funds to providing meals to that institution for an entire year! I am just saying, we have our priorities all screwed up. I don't know about you, but I like to help others. I like the feeling that I get when I got to McDonald's and bring 50 double cheeseburgers to the Everett Gospel Mission instead of blowing that $50.00 bucks on something I don't really need. And the best part, I don't have to tell anyone about it, GOD sees what has been done...and that's all it really matters.

I do have some good news, I am going down to F5 Networks today and meeting with the recruiters. I am hoping and praying that something positive (like landing a job) comes from this meeting today. I am THINKING POSITIVE that it will!

I got the lawn mowed yesterday and still am in shock over that Wimbledon final. And, that great UFC fight. I also got a glimpse of some of the US Olympic Trials and that was great too!

I am also so blessed to have such a wonderful mother and father. I still (every Sunday evening) call my mom and check in with her. She's such a wonderful (GOD LOVING) person that has a heart for serving GOD. I love my parents so much and appreciate the ability and wisdom that they still provide me to this day. Thanks GOD for them!

Have a great day!

Brian

What a Wimbledon Final-Nadal pulls it out!

2008-07-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

Wow,

That's all I can say about the final - the longest in Wimbledon history. A match that realistically should have been won by Nadal earlier. However, when Fed came back to get it to the 5th set after fighting off 2 MP's and then being down 5-2 in the breaker - I thought he was destined to get #6.

Even with the HD revolution, it's hard to see the spin on Nadal's balls and the nasty spin on his serve and ground strokes. I know that Roger was disappointed, but Nadal dug down so deep and pulled it out. Congrats to both for the best tennis match I've ever seen!

I need to mow the lawn today and although I really don't want to... I need to or face the wrath of having to do it later and that just means more bags to empty!

Thanks,

Brian

Breakfast at Wimbledon - and a little rain/wind

2008-07-06T02:46:00.000-07:00

I got up early today to watch the Men's final at Wimbledon (Fed against Nadal) and we have a bit of a rain delay. Not a problem, just grab some more coffee and get a quick post in. I believe that Federer will win this match, perhaps in 3 straight. It went 5 sets last year and Fed was lucky to win. However, a "champion" has another gear - he finds out what's in the bottom of that heart.

Speaking of hearts.... I did the "pay per view" for the first time last night and watched UFC 86. It had some great fights and was topped off with the "main event" between Quinton "rampage" Jackson and Forrest Griffen. I actually had never heard of this Forrest guy and the last fight that I had watched was the WEC on Versus with Uriah Faber and Jens Pulver. That fight was great and went the distance. And, so did the main event at UFC 86. The fans were treated to a great fight. I think that Forrest fought a great fight, very strategic (even the 3rd round) and was able to get a unanimous decision and the belt for the World Champion at the 205 weight class. If I could loose 5 lbs, I'd be in that class too! Well, not really, I'm a tennis player!

I hope next week is a positive one in which I will finally get a new job and can my life back on track with working full time. This looking for a job really is not fun and I don't wish it on anyone. If you are employed, all the best to you and be on the look out for the "shoulder tap" that YOU could be next. Fail to plan - plan to fail. Have a back up plan, resumes already in place so that you are prepared.

All the best!

BST

4th of July-Baseball and Fireworks

2008-07-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

Well,

We (my wife, Olivia and Owen) went to the Mariners game yesterday at 1:00pm at Safeco Field. We got the tickets from a season ticket holder off CraigsList and they were great seats! This was the first game that I can recall staying to the very end of the game. The Mariners beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1. It was hot and a lot of interesting fans. It's fun just doing some people watching. We also got to see a few foul balls land near us as we were about 17 rows behind the Mariners dugout and that's where a lefty pitcher had a bunch of the right-handed batters hitting the foul balls. We really enjoyed the game.

After the game, we were orginally going to stay down and watch the Ivar's fireworks show. However, we decided to go grab some dinner at Chinook's in Ballard and then went home. My son asked me to get some fireworks, so we hopped in the car and went to the local corner stand.

The stands are a cash only business and we hit the ATM machine first. With $60.00 bucks in our hands we went there. We ended up getting over $100.00 worth of stuff for only $60.00 and then went home and waited for the sun to go down. Man, what a fireworks show we had. It was a blast and out neighbor brought out some of his from last year and we proceded to blow up the entire neighborhood for about an hour. Of course, yours truly had to get out in the rain this morning and I spent over an hour cleaning up the street and sidewalks - all in the name of fun! I think that everyone enjoyed the fireworks.

I missed the Women's Singles final this am between the Williams sisters and turned on the TV just as they showed Venus running around with the trophy. It was a great win for her. She's a tremendous champion and so is her sister. And.... they won the doubles too! I know Serena would have loved to win, but it was Venuses time to win. Still, in head to head, Serena has more Grand Slams. I wish the tennis community would really appreciate what talented girls these Williams sisters really are.

The men's final will be tomorrow am and it's going to be "breakfast at Wimbledon" for me and I Will be up for the match at 0600am pst tomorrow.

We went to the beach the other day and I found a really cool stick that I thought I'd used to help reach my bird feeders. My feeders are 12 feet high on my custom feeder pole that I had build by a welding shop.

I really love the beach and the sound of the waves. It's a calming sound and the smell of the sea air just does something to you. This was down at a beach in Mukilteo Washington, in an area called Picnic Point. My wife used to go there when she was a kid and it's a great place to go and relax on a hot day.

As you can see, I had my Washington State Open tennis T-Shirt on from last year. I lost to a guy in the first round that I should have beat. In fact, in the Seattle City, he got beat two straight by the guy that I beat in 3 sets to win the tournament for a second straight year. I am looking forward to the Wa State Open this year and have been trying to practice some outdoor matches. I have been going back and forth about a racket change and I am leaning on trying to got to a smaller head and even perhaps a smaller grip size for a change.

I am really still a bit angry at Starta8.com's inability to show professionalism and respond to me about why I didn't get their customer service manager position. I find it utterly disrespectful that they didn't take the time to offer me any constructive criticism. I am actually glad as I would NOT work for a company like this who's people don't even say "thank you" for interviewing with them - at least 3 of them didn't and they are NOT that busy to do that. Moving on to bigger and better things...

It's been 5/2/2008 that I was officially laid off from Verizonbusiness - all due to some incompetent Microsoft employees that I took the blame for. Part of me really wants to let those idiots know what they have done to me and my family. However, they were all miserable people that I dealt with and are not happy. So, I'll let them wallow in their own misery and hit the "delete" button in my brain about wanting to really give them a piece of my mind.

I am beginning to wonder how my Life Insurance is going to turn out with Met-Life. I applied for a $250k policy and had the "in-home" nurse come by last week for the urine/blood and miscellaneous 100 other questions. As and aortic dissection survivor, I will be curious to see how this tracks throughout their systems and if it spits out a "reject" or "yes..we'll take em" and then come up with the monthly premiums. I know many other AD survivors are looking for life insurance or Long Term Care.

We have some new neighbors. What I mean is that we have the same pair of birds build a nest each year under our roof eaves near the front of the house. You can open the towel closet door and hear the baby's chirping. However, in addition to this family, it appears we have a new family that's moved in very close to my den window. And, I can see/hear them at work on their nest or perhaps taking care of their new born chicks already as well. I thought about putting a web-cam out their to watch the repeat customers and document them building and raising their chicks for next year. Might be worth doing.

Still haven't heard from AFV about the video I sent them of our trip to San Diego, CA. I had tape a male bull drinking a females (urine) and then putting on a huge -what looked like -grin! We all laughed and I sent the tape into them about a month ago. It might be too offensive for that "rated G" show.

Take care,

Brian

A trip back in time.... the Drive in Movie!

2008-07-04T03:52:00.000-07:00

Wow.. I'll bet it's been 25+ years since I have been to the drive in. The last time I can recall was in high school. We went to see "Wally" and we took the Expedition. It's amazing how many people were at the drive in last night! The second feature was "Get Smart" and we'd seen it with the exception of my daughter. However, I could not get comfortable in that Expedition and literally never even saw the movie, I just laid between my two kids and tried to sleep - which didn't happen.

It's the 4th of July today and I am so thankful for our Indepence! We are a blessed country and so fortunate to live in the US. That reminds me... I will hang up my new US Flag that I have in the garage - still in it's package ready to be flying high!

We might go to the Mariners game today for something to do. I am playing tennis at 8:30-10:00am with my friend Joe C. The men's semi-finals are on today at noon in all time zones and I think the Nadal match will be quick, but really want to see how Safin does against Roger.

I am bidding on a new racket myself. It's been 20+ years that I have played with the Original Prince Graphite OS. Granted, they still make it and it's a great racket - perhaps the best of all time! However, I have a one-handed back hand and am playing more doubles, so the 100 (mid plus) head size will be a down grade from the (107) oversize. Also, the top tennis pros that have one handed back hands, with the exception of Roger, use the Head Microgel Extreme Pro.

I sent the folks at Strata8.com an email asking what were the reasons that I didn't get the job and/or to provide me with some constructive criticism on what I can improve on. I spoke with my mom yesterday about this and she said to leave it alone - that you'd already sent them the email and not to pesture them. As much as I know she's right... I am a bit pissed off to put it bluntly that they don't have the respect to at least follow up.

Happy 4th of July!

Brian

Through every adversity comes a seed of equal or greater value!

2008-07-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

My wife told me about a "routing specialist" position at Nintendo that I had actually applied for before. I had told the recruiter that I was not interested due to it being a "contract" position and with no benefits. I am covered for my health benefits through my severance package with VerizonBusiness until 2/2/2009. So, I contacted Nintendo directly and just spoke with the new recruiter and he said I had good timing and was forwarding my updated resume and project history to the hiring manager. I am hoping to get a call about an interview.

My friend Jack wants to play some tennis this evening at 5:30pm outdoors. It's extremely muggy today and humid. However, based on today's event with the news about the rejection from Starta8.com, I am looking forward to getting out some aggression!

BST

No go at Strata8.com for me!

2008-07-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

After spending an hour on a phone interview and then 4 hours of in person interviews with various folks at Strata8.com, I got that email that we all hate to see:

Hi Brian,

Thank you for taking the time to interview with us this week. It was a great opportunity for our team to meet with you, learn about your background and discuss the Customer Service Manager position.

This past week, we have had the opportunity to visit with a number of other individuals with a variety of backgrounds and experiences and we have decided to pursue another candidate at this time.

Again, thank you for taking the time to meet with the Strata8 team and for the interest you expressed in the position.

We wish you the best of luck in your job search.

HR Department

So, my take on this entire situation, "It's their loss and my gain" in that the GOOD LORD has something better for me in store. In fact, I just got a call from F5 Networks - the place I originally wanted to go to work for in the first place! I realize that I might have to start at the bottom, but I WANT TO WORK!

Every no I get just means I am getting closer to YES -YOU are hired!

BST

Self Improvement=Self Confidence

2008-07-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

I am working on my Fear of Flying. One of the CD's that I found was from the Virgin Atlantic's http://www.flyingwithoutfear.info website. The CD is by David Landau - Psychotherapist and it's a great CD. It's called "Confidence & Relaxation. I HIGHLY recommend it as it really relaxes you. In fact, I sometimes can't make it through the entire CD w/o falling a sleep. Today, I fast forward to about the middle of it and listed to the "confidence" building section.

I also found this link about a fear of flying customer named Sarah. It was a story about her first flight, http://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/content/articles/2004/10/25/my_first_flight_feature.shtml. There's also audio (upper right hand corner) about all her conversations along the way. Hopefully, this will be me too someday soon!

Cheers!

Brian

Starbucks Coffee-Consistantly inconsistant

2008-07-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am addicted to Starbucks coffee. I have been drinking a double short free pour cappuccino for many years now. However, I can go into 5 different Starbucks on any given day and get 5 different versions of a cappuccino. It appears to me that Starbucks does not properly train their employees how to make cappucino's correctly. Even the baristas that are in the new black aprons - they still don't always do it better either. I often times will go to the local Chevron station and get a great drip cup of coffee for half the price. Yet, everyday, I try to strategically figure out which location has the barista's working that I have gotten a good cappuccino from before.

For instance today, I went to my local Top Foods Starbucks. They guy ringing up the drinks (a black apron dude) knows how to make them. However, the barista making the drinks looked new to me. And, she appeared to not have a smile on her face. I figured.. OK.. rookie, here goes another waste of $3.00+ for a lousy drink. I stepped up to the bar and asked her how it was going. She said, "I am not in a bad mood", and I thought that was interesting and she asked me how I was doing. I told her, "OK" and that I was a bit bummed that I didn't get to play my morning tennis match - I was stood up today.

To make a long story short, the cappuccino was above average, not perfect, but acceptable.

Thanks again!

Brian :)

My Fear of Flying-

2008-07-03T05:11:00.000-07:00

I have struggled with FOF for almost 15 years and have let it literally prevent me from moving forward in my career. And now being laid off, trying to search for new jobs has been very stressful. When I search the Job Postings, I first look for "Travel Required?" and if so, I move on.

I finally contacted Captain Ron Neilsen and ordered his program along with my own personal battle of what it is that is really holding me back? Is it a fear of death? Is it a fear of plunging 30,000 feet to my death and that I can't fathom the 30 seconds of horror that I would experience? Wait a minute! I am a Christian! I have already survived being literally dead (except my brain) for 45 minutes while they cut out part of my aorta. Perhaps the real question is" Are you really actually afraid to die" and not necessarily afraid to fly?

As a Christian, this is a viciuos circle that I got around in my mind every day. It's really a matter of FAITH and the entire Christian religion is based on FAITH. I TRULY believe that Jesus Christ is my LORD AND SAVIOR. Yet, why do I literally say to GOD, "GOD, you are not big enough" to handle my fear of flying/dying and I am trying to rely on my "self" still to figure this out. Well, Brian.. it's not working nor will it EVER work.

At 45 years of age, this major impasse of losing my job and now trying to find a new one is really shedding some light on my life and just who/what/where/why I am here.

I like John MacArthur at Grace To You (gtw.org) and I just found a great article:

Face Tomorrow Hopefully

At times you can lose focus on your security after death and tremble over tomorrow. God, in His fatherly compassion for our child-like weaknesses, has given us biblical instruction on how to deal with that kind of worry and anxiety. Matthew 6:25-34 contains tailor-made instruction for peace and contentment. In that passage, Jesus gives us three reasons for not worrying about this life: Worry is unnecessary because of our Father, uncharacteristic because of our faith, and unwise because of our future.

Unnecessary Because of Our Father. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they (vv. 25-26)?

Uncharacteristic Because of Our Faith. And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith (vv. 27-30)!

Unwise Because of Our Future. Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (vv.31-34)

Face Today Actively

Just as Matthew 6 is Jesus’ great statement on worry, Philippians 4 is the apostle Paul’s charter on how to avoid anxiety. The teaching is clear, compelling, and direct. In Philippians 4:6–9, Paul says not to worry, but he doesn’t leave you there. He helps you fill the vacuum by directing you toward positive steps: right praying, right thinking, and right action.

Right Praying. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (vv. 6-7).

Right Thinking. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things (v. 8).

Right Living. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you (v. 9).

Reflect on God’s truth expressed in those verses, meditate on the Bible—especially the Psalms—and you will find your heart settled by a kind of peace that abides no matter what circumstances or uncertainties come your way.

** I WILL get over this FEAR issue and it will be by FAITH in GOD and that there's nothing I can't do. As Paul says, "I can do ALL things through CHRIST who strengthens me" Phil 10:13.

Best!

Brian

It's Thursday and it's raining today

2008-07-03T03:53:00.000-07:00

It was some serious lightning and thunder last night. I was up and even though I was in bed, I was watching the flashes and was looking forward to playing tennis this morning with George at 0700am. However, I got to the club and no George.

I am hoping to get my other website, http://www.aorticdissection.com revamped with a new WP theme and perhaps even professionally done. I would like to get it easier to read and navigate.

I will still continue to search for more jobs today and at the same time, keeping my fingers crossed about the other opportunity. I am feeling that by the end of this July 2008, I will be working again.

I am and have always been a big fan of customer service and feel that "good customer" service is still something lacking in many areas. I am hoping to expand more on this "critical" subject in further posts.

Ok.. time to look for some more jobs on line. It's raining at Wimbledon now and the last quarterfinal match is in the 5th set, those players are waiting to play Nadal and will get beat!

Take care,
Brian

Just contacted by a recruiter for a position with ATT Wireless

2008-07-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

I was called and told that I might need to show up for an interview tomorrow morning for a project manager type of role for ATT Wirless in Redmond, WA. I have a couple of friends who work there already and told the recruiter to use them as references.

Keeping fingers crossed!

Brian

Watching some good tennis!

2008-07-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

Gasquet versus Murray match, just started watching, Gasquet is 2 sets to love lead and it's 5-5 in the third and Murray's had about 5 Ad In points. Murray goes up 6-5 in the 3rd.

I applied for (actually emailed) the folks at Integratelecom for a director job. I am hoping to hear from them soon. I also emailed the F5 folks and my contacts at ATT Wireless and Intermec. And, Shelly at T-Mobile as well.

I listened to my Flight Harmonizer CD last night and it's helping me. I am getting closer to flying soon!

Thanks,
Brian

I think I am going to settle with this Word Press theme!

2008-07-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

I have been going in circles trying to decide what new WordPress theme I was going to use for my own personal domain name, http://www.briantinsley.com and had been going back and forth between a couple of them. This one I like as it's more of a static home page with a drop down menu functionality.

Once you get the hang of hosting your own Word Press themes and domain names, you can change themes really easy.

This is a great site that's FREE! Great work!

Do you need to have more than one blog?

2008-07-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

I am trying to determine this myself. I got this wild hair that I would use my domain name, http://www.briantinsley.com as a new site for me. However, I have my other blog, http://www.aorticdissection.com/Blog and keep that one updated as well.

The purpose of this blog is strictly going to be about my personal experiences in all aspects of life. Right now, my main goals are to get a new job and to get over my fear of flying. These are my two major impasses in my life right now. Oh.. I almost forgot, my other is to get my varicose veins fixed in both legs and that is in progress right now, just waiting for the insurance approval.

At 45 years of age, many things are happening in my life that I feel are going to have significant impacts on my future success. It's all for the good and improvement of Brian Tinsley.

Chat soon!

Brian

My interview is over-whooosh! 4 hours!

2008-07-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

I had my 4 hours of back to back interviews today with hopefully (fingers crossed) of the new company that I will go and run their customer service organization. Rather, I would be building that organization from the ground up. It was a great time to meet these folks. Very talented group of individuals and I hope to become part of their team.

I ran into a great article while doing some research on my WordPress blogging them. This is a handy article to reference: http://www.copyblogger.com/5-common-mistakes-that-make-you-look-dumb/ It's so true how many times these things get mixed up.

I am hoping that everyone has a great day!

Brian

I had my interview today with Strata8.com

2008-07-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

I met with the team at Strata8.com and had 4 hours of interviews. It was great! I am hoping that I get the job and the chance to help them build the customer service organization from the ground up. There is a ton of talent folks there and it's going to be a great challenge for me.
Thanks,
Brian

Monday Morning-Looks like another beautiful day

2008-06-30T02:56:00.000-07:00

It's about 6:45am and I am sipping my morning coffee and I can hear the sounds of the sprinkler in the front yard through the noise of the fan blowing in the den window. The air feels kind of cool as the rest of the house is 80 degrees!

I am playing tennis at 0800am outside this morning with my friend Curt. My interview is tomorrow and I need to get my hair cut today and do a bit more preparing for the interview.

I listened to the "flight harmonizer cd" again last night before bed and I am really feeling confident that this is going to work. I've got to essentially be my own coach and allow the "positive" side (Jesus) run my life and focus on the cross for all that it promises and the protection that it provides.

We still haven't figured out what we are going to do about the 4th of July yet. Or normal plans of going to my sister in law's place, it didn't work this time.

Got an email from a worried aortic customer today who is trying to find a surgeon and I sent off a couple of emails today to my experts to get him help. His cardiologist mentioned the Cleveland Clinic which is an excellent place. However, there's quite a few other places that have tremendous surgeons as well.

I can not believe that it's the last day of June! Wow, summer is flying by really fast.

We got a patio set yesterday from Fred Meyer and had dinner out on it last night. I am thinking that I will try to find an umbrella for it today. I was also thinking of one of those little portable fire kits - but... I am not sure if they are that great and how much usage it would get?

Have a great day! Be thankful for EVERYTHING that GOD has blessed you with.

Brian

Just had my conference call with Captain Ron Neilsen

2008-06-29T07:07:00.000-07:00

I wanted to say that I am so thankful for Captain Ron and his assistant, Barbara for setting up this conference call with Brook as well. It was a great positive experience for me and I truly appreciate it. I am feeling more confident each day. Check them out at http://www.Fearless-Flight.com and get help.

I played tennis this morning and it's supposed to be 90 degrees today here in Everett, WA. Wow, that's hot and it's already 11:00am and I am sweating just writing this post up in my den area.

I am getting ready for my interview on Tuesday and can't wait to start there. (Thinking positive that they are going to like me and hire me). I have a 90 day trial period in that I don't get benefits.

I am meeting with an "at home" nurse from Met-Life to try and apply for a 250K Life insurance policy. I have a few tests that they have to run as well as gather my medical records.

We had a BBQ last night at our neighbors and we had some wine. My friend makes the win in his garage. Check out, http://www.furiouncellars.com and see his wines. They are great!

Thanks,
Brian

Oh.. I got my other site, http://www.briantinsley.com working, but have a lot more to do there!

Almost 10pm on Thursday evening-long day!

2008-06-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

I played tennis with my friend George Haughn. He beat me 6-4-7-5 today. I served like crap and was a bit tired, I had 2 beers yesterday at dinner! Light weight! And, we played at 0700am versus our usual 05:15am start time. Oh yah... I didn't sleep that well either. Ok..enough excuses!

I got the Webinar from the fearlessflying.com site and started listening/watching the presentation. It's about 2.5 hours and I got through the first 30 minutes. I am really believing that this will be the final step. I am possibly going to be speaking with Ron Neilsen and another fellow student who sounds a lot like me and was able to overcome his fear and get on a plane.

I received my interview schedule for my postion of Client Services Manager at Strata8.com and I hope that everything goes well. I am looking forward to the opportunity to really make a difference there!

I still have some other irons in the fire, but nothing as hot as this prospect. They are in Bellevue, WA and it would not be that bad of a commute for me.

I screwed around with some other Word Press theme today and finally got it to work, but decided that it's too much work and I really think this one works just fine and I am sticking with it.

I sold my Total Gym today and my ladder to the same guy. As much as I had wanted to keep the Total Gym, it as too big for the garage and the kids all got on it and abused it. So, it's down the road and I am trying to obtain my VisionQuest HRT 3600 bike again. That's what I really need! I have weights at the club, a ton of them and the exercise bike would be great and my wife liked the last one that I had too! There's a guy in San Diego that has one and I am trying to figure out how to ship it up here relatively cheap.

Good night!

Brian

I am finally going to do something about my flying issues

2008-06-25T06:37:00.000-07:00

I purchased the Fearless Flight Kit from captain Ron Nielsen and wrote him an email explaining my situation and how it's been since I've been on a jet liner. I am approaching 15 years I bet! My son was crying the other night as he wants to go to Hawaii so bad or just go on a vacation. It's taken a toll on my wife and daughter as well that their dad is a coward. Well... No More! I am sick and tired of this once and for all!

I am trying to find a new job and most of these jobs require some travel. In the past, I would just skip those and that would be the first thing that I would scan for in the job requirements section. That's crazy! I don't want to be 75 years old sitting in my rest home wishing that I had gone on some vacations instead of living in constant fear of what "might" happen, versus reality of just being in GOD and having the FAITH to believe that GOD IS WATCHING over me and that everyone will die some day and that it's not up to me to pick that date/time, it's me living in the palm of GOD'S hand and to keep my eyes focused on the CROSS.

I am really feeling and hoping that this will work out with captain Ron. I am also hoping that my interview with Strata8.com goes well. I had my phone interview yesterday and am looking forward to meeting them in person. I believe that this is a tremendous opportunity for me to excel there.

I can do ALL things through CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME! That is the verse that I am re-dedicating my life to. Paul said "ALL" things, not some thing and not others, but ALL things through CHRIST who strengthens me! If GOD is for me, WHO can be against me?

Played some singles today and split sets with my friend Dr. Steve. He's a great guy! I also met with Dr. Strup about my Varicose veins and we have a plan of attack on how to fix them. I am waiting for my insurance approval. It's going to be 6 weeks out that I am supposed to where the stockings first. I hope that United Health Care approves it.

Take care!

Brian

Still trying to find that job!

2008-06-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

I had what I thought was the perfect job, but come to find out the territory was in Chicago, even though the position was based out of Redmond Wa. So, that's been a bit of a downer today. I took my son to get his frog a bigger tank and we ended up getting 2 more fish and a new tank for him. He paid for it this time!

My daughter leaves for 4 days to go with a friend to their lake property. I will miss her! I love her and my entire family so, so, so much!

I have another phone interview tomorrow with a company called Strata8.com and I hope that this goes well. I also applied for a job at Boeing, Intermec, TMobile and a few others today.

My wife is really feeling the stress of me not working and it's getting to my family and me personally as it's the most stressful time of my life. I hate this not having a life where I go to work everyday and feel confident about my ability to provide for my family. This is a tremendous burden that I have got to find a way out of. I know that GOD is testing my patience and has something out there for me! I am hoping and praying that a job comes to fruition soon! My blood pressure is starting to rise!

Well, our tennis season is over, we lost in the first round of the playoffs 5-0, nobody even won a match! I also lost in the quarters of the Seattle City Realestate gals 45's draw to David Larsen. He ended up winning it over a guy name Chris Romeny who took out the best player in our draw, or at least on paper hand a national 45 ranking, Howard Mendel. Oh well, Howard must have had a bad day, but I've seen Romney play and he's good too!

I got my HD TV set finally going and it's a real treat watching this HD serious on when we went to the Moon. I can not even fathom how incredible our space program is and what we've been able to accomplish and those who have perished as a result of pushing the envelope.

Bye for now! Got to watch my "when we landed on the moon" program and playing early tennis tomorrow. I am also going to have my varicose veins look at by Dr. Strup in Monroe, apparently he's the resident vein expert around here.

Brian

Interview at 12:30pm today with Free and Clear

2008-06-18T06:50:00.000-07:00

I applied for a project management position with this company and have an interview (phone) today at 12:30. I am hoping it goes well. The company, http://www.freeclear.comis about how to help big companies get their employees help to quit smoking. It's completely non-telecom related and would be a breath of fresh air. I sent in my application to the http://www.pmi.orggroup for the pmp certification program. I got approved and now I am studying for the exam. In fact, I just paid $1850 to take the Velocitech 3 day PMP Prep Course in hopes that it will help me pass the exam. I was involved a many projects while at MCI/Verizonbusiness and I think that this certification will help open more doors.

I can honestly look back at all the projects that I have been involved with and it's hundreds and for the life of me, less than 1% were done with MS Project. Most were just done with a simple Excel spread sheet for tracking action items. I hope that this class will help me with future projects/employment opportunities.

I am in the Seattle City Real Estate Gals Men's 45's this weekend. I think I am the #3 seed. I am hoping to win this tournament. I am also in the USTA 4.5 Play offs this same weekend as well. It should be a busy weekend of tennis!

Thanks,

Brian

Monday Morning-Cloudy outside

2008-06-09T03:35:00.000-07:00

Well,

It's Monday am and I just got done filing my UE for last week. I am hoping that this week something's going to pan out that GOD will show me where I am going to be working. I have a few irons in the fire and hopefully, it's going to happen this week.

I also ended up winning the Seattle City 4.5 Tennis Tourney again. That's two years in a row! I had a really great tournament and played well. I am scheduled to play in the Seattle City Mens 45 age division tournament this June 16-22nd. I hope to win that and have the talent to do it. I am truly a singles player and my doubles is just not near as good of a game.

We lost our last USTA league match to Nordstrom Tennis team last night 3-2. It was very close and in fact, our #2 singles player lost in a 3rd set tie breaker. My partner had to pull out in the first game of the 2nd set due to a pulled hamstring muscle. We will play this team in the first round of the playoffs.

Have a great week!

Brian

Thursday evening on 6/5/2008-It's been a few days since posting

2008-06-05T16:41:00.000-07:00

I have not been in the mood lately to post my activities, however, I feel it's time to get caught back up.

Still working on trying to land a job. I have a few options that look promising and I am hoping and praying that something gives before the end of this month. I am hoping that the WWT job works out with the help of my friend John. I bought the CEO's book, the 52 lessons learned from the Bible and I am presently reading it. It's a tremendous book, full of wonderful principles from the Bible.

I am in the Seattle City NTRP 4.5 tennis tourney and made it so far to the Semi-finals and play this Saturday at 0900am. I am going to win that match and hopefully meet my friend in the finals and beat him to be the repeat champion as I won the event last year.

Our USTA 4.5 team also has our last match this Sunday and we've already clinched a playoff spot.

I don't know if you watch the little people show on TLC, but I just got an update from Google about one of their friends dying of an AD. I am very sorry to hear about that.

I got my cholesterol test back and my HDL is at 205 and should be under 200. I need to let my cardiologist know about this as well as schedule an appt with him about the review on my latest Echo cardiogram.

I am also having the U of W vein expert, Dr. Torrance Andrews look at my varicose veins and have another appointment with him next Friday after my appt Wednesday at the Vascular lab for testing. When I originally met with him, he wheeled in a portable Ultrasound device and confirmed that the root cause of my left leg was the saphenous vein and it's inability to carry blood back up to the heart due to faulty valves. This is the superficial vein that is not really needed, so I am going to get it fixed with the laser treatment and move on with my life.

Have a great evening!

Brian

TGIF

2008-05-30T03:32:00.000-07:00

Morning,

I see the news that the actor Harvey Korman died of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. I guess it was amazing that he survived for the 4 months after it. I remember my folks used to watch the CBS show and he and Tim Conway were so funny! He will be missed!

I am still working towards either the Philips/ATT Wireless or WTT positions. I am going to have a phone interview with Nintendo today about a "contract routing specialist" position, however, I would prefer a full time job. I am trying to figure out some way to get on at Philips as an entry level position, however, I am feeling that the pay is going to be too low for me to be able to do it-I hope not.

The recruiter is sending my information in to WTT and I actually have a meeting with John on Monday about the other WTT possibility.

I have my varicose vein appointment with Dr. R. Torrance Andrews today and playing tennis at 2pm w/Joe today. I also need to go to the DMV and get the form for the release of interest for my old CR-V I sold.

It's my son's best of elementary this evening, so that will be fun! Oh.. my daughter who is almost 13 got her bike last night (The Pink Betty) and she loves it!

Have a great day!
Brian S. Tinsley

Tuesday Morning

2008-05-27T03:26:00.000-07:00

Just got back from some Tuesday 5:30-7:00am doubles. I don't really know if I like playing doubles, I much prefer singles by a mile!

I just got this article that is very important to read. It's called 7 pains to take seriously. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/citylife/2008-05/27/content_6714947.htm

I am going to be meeting with the Philips Sales Director today at noon and I am hoping to hear from the WWT person as well as an update on the ATT wireless position. Between these 3, something is going to come up soon!

I might go look at at boat this evening as well. We have always wanted a boat for the family and I think I might have found one.

Have a great day!

Brian