About a month ago I signed up to participate in a study on the effects of weight training on heart and artery function through U of I. I inititially inquired about it because I'd get paid $100, plus I like participating in studies (fortunately I was always too fat to be in Upjohn/Pharmacia studies when I signed up for them). I also get a personal trainer for six weeks consisting of three one hour seessions per week.
The baseline testing for the study started two days ago and it's been fucking sweet. On Tuesday I had to go in for a body fat analysis test. I had to get down to my tighty whitey's and sit in what they called the "Bod Pod" which looks like a space pod out of 2001 and it measured my body fat. The door of the pod was sealed magenticaly and basically did an MRI.
Then they did a prostate check. I asked what that was for and the guy said "for the hell of it". No, just kidding.
Then yesterday I went in for the rest of the testing. I had to do about 8 different tests. I was tested on at least $1,000,000 worth of medical equipment. No shit. One piece of equipment alone cost $300,000. I won't go into all the test details but the coolest test was they used an EKG to take images on the arteries in my neck, upper arm and crotch (uh.. carotid, comething something and arterial I think). They would get a horizontal image of the artery to measure the elasticity of the artery. It was sweet watching my arteries expand and ontract as blood went through. They also recorded the sound of the blood flowing through which sounded like when you hold an LP between your hands and wobble it.
The other super cool test was measuring the speed at which blood returned to my arm after circulation was cut of and how quickly the artery recovered. They did this by cutting off the circulation in my arm using a blood pressure arm band for 5 minutes, then they did they same thing on my on my lower forearm. A mercury filled rubber band (which was connedcted to comptuters) was wrapped around the middle of my arm to measure the blood flow. After 8 minutes of the circulation being cut off to my arm they released the pressure on bith bands and blood went rushing in my arm and it was a super cool sensation.
soon you will become cyborg
dang
That IS pretty cool, and I have to say that I admire anyone who can do stuff like that and not get light headed.
There is something about anything involving veins, arteries, and other fluid-bearing tubes within the body that just makes me WOOZY. I don't know why! I tend to think that I have an un-disruptable cast-iron constitution, but when I was doing freelance research and writing for a museum designer who shall remain nameless, my readings on the lymph system required me to pause regularly and put my head between my knees so I wouldn't pass out.
Ahh yes the vagal
get my goat
http://www.compfused.com/directlink/765/
I also learned that I can
Aw.
hole in my knee
Jebus, I am the poster child for vasovagal syncope. Even doctors think I'm crazy—I can't even listen to my own diagnoses or treatment options without endeding up on the floor. Just happened when I was trying to read a Lisa Carver story last week. Don't ask. Senor, why'd you ASK to see the hole in my knee if you had this tendency? You are coockoonuts. Why does this happen to some people? One of my docs once told me it was a sort of a panic attack. And, because my life is not complete without a poll or survey, let's hear what makes YOU the faintiest. I have a particular problem with talk/thought of kidneys and uterine goings-on, and of course the sight of anything remotely internal. I'm OK with naked bones, but anything between reg'lar person and skeleton, I'm outta the pool.
TIMh, that is awesome. A personal trainer for six weeks is really awesome!
Nothing really gives my the
Nothing really gives my the fainties, but I don't like to look at innards. Those surgery programs can kiss my ass.
I know people that gag if they hafta pick up doggie doo, but I can touch just about anything as long as I can wash my hands VERY soon after.
Sometimes I will picture something bad happening, my head chopped off, kids fall in a wood chipper, whatever. That makes me, like, shake my head a little and tell myself to stop thinking like that.
I once had massive blood
like The Tree, I have a
like The Tree, I have a stout constitution. You'd be amazed at the things you can do with mere latex gloves covering your hands. I HATE to have my hands dirty so I can't muck about in some dooodooo with barehands, but with gloves I'm pretty fearless. Something about a training tape and hepatitis and hangnails that makes me wary. Also can't touch velvet and shit like that, especially in the winter.
I blame my strong tummy from watching too many Human Atrocities videos as a young adult. Fangoria used to blow my fucking bowlcutted mind waiting for scripts at the Muirs on E.Main with momma, then I realized that it was all just FX and Brian Dennehy is a fuck.
The single most atrocious thing I've seen is the Budd Dwyer suicide at his press conference to profess his innocence, that he didn't really recieve a $300,000 palm greasin as State Treasurer. *don't read any further* Remember those lemonade and fruit punch drink dispensers that were at Dunkin Donuts and various coffee joints? The gentle flow of percolatin fruit punch, think of that shooting out of a man's mouth and nose. Sheeeeeeeeeesh.
I have never watched any of
I have never watched any of those Faces Of Death things. Wouldn't faint, I but wouldn't forget.
I am haunted to this day by a photo (I won't even decribe for you) that I saw when foolishly checking out Rotten.com about 5 years ago.
Can't go there at all, I'm askeered!
now I feel like a nancy-girl!
…not a knock against our Nanners, it's just a colloquialism…
Most things do not disturb. I am not bothered by the sight of blood, really. It has to do with the tubular network that carries it throughout the body. Why? i don't know. Circulatory systems, and the thought of anything being inserted into/removed from same makes me woozy. Needless to say, i am one of the many a-holes who has never donated blood. I'm afraid I'd hurl. My parents make up for my blood-hoarding by donating as often as possible. They have lapel pins attesting to their dedication and whatnot.
Poop? It reeks, but it's not a big deal. Blood? Eh, so what. Particularly my own. Vom? Well, that's a day-to-day thing. Like all Siamese, our Endora is puke-a-licious. I can go for months on end swabbing it off the floor with nothing more than annoyance, and then suddenly one day when I least expect it, I'll lean over to mop up her latest contribution to the chaos of our home and suddenly will be overtaken with the sensation that I'm about to add my own expellant to hers. How come? maybe it's hormone-related?
Also: mayonnaise. Not as bad a hair-trigger as it once was, but STILL.
Dang. There was something else that Scott brought up recently that really disturbed me in the middle of dinner, but I can't think of what it was.
Pus? Was it Pus?
nope
I have to admit that THAT probably wouldn't put me off my chow. Huh. What was it?!
Ditto
Ditto on that Rotten.com pic Tree. I went there skipping through the links from the church of the subgenius and saw one pic titled "this is why we don't ride motorcycles" I was NOT prepaired for what I saw and I won't go any further. …and I haven't been back since.
When I first moved out to the country I raised chickens for a couple of years, got a few roosters from a friend who's wife would no longer let him slaughter them… yummy… so gutz and all make me a little squeemish, but I get over it quick. During a crisis situation I'm all business until the imediate need is passed, then I'll relax and freak out a bit. But I won't give blood again for a while I think because I went all light-headed and they started treating me for shock… I don't mind sharing my body tissues, some more than other, but I didn't like that nosumatall.
Working at Arr O Eye hardied
Ping?
Surprisingly, no. The
I've started the training
I've started the training part of the study. In the beginning of January I redid the baseline testing again. Part of it entails getting some blood drawn. As the phlebotomist was pushing my blood from the syringe into the test tube, the plastic tube on the syringe burst and my blood went flying across the room.
The training is solely weight lifting. I thought there would be other exercises for some reason. It's going a lot smoother than I expected seeing as I haven't lifted weights since gym class in 1989. I've done it for 2 weeks so far. I go 3 times a week and have 45 minute-1 hour long sessions. The lifting sessions went fine but I was incredibly sore last week. After the first session I felt like I had Parkinson's. As I was walking home I felt like I was walking super jerky and I didn't trust my coordination.
I feel some positive effects already. My flexibility has improved and I have more muscle tone. I also have a different perspective on weight lifters and bodybuilders. My experiences with them up to this point have been 100% negative. (I relayed one run in with body builders to Scoop Wedel for a Gazette story). The lead trainer is obviously no box of rocks seeing as this is for his doctoral thesis in Kinesiology. His assistants are all on the U of I power lifting team. They are actually really friendly and helpful. I initially called one guy Porterhouse (to myself that is) because he was a big beefy guy yet could string a sentence together without starting it with "Buhhh". Now I call him by his actual name.
I've got 4 weeks to go yet.
whoo hoo!
Wow! even your blood is