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This is a live update of Kris' progress with his surgery. |
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| I'm checking in and I know it’s been a while since I last wrote.
I try to always have a smile on my face with the SharePoint community, public and friends but I’m going to honest here. This was a hard journey for my family and myself. In the 2nd and 3rd weeks after the surgery I thought I was supper man but that was just the medication. At the 4th and 5th week the “real” healing stared, the Cerebrospinal Fluid System doesn’t magically turn normal but it can take time (uo to a year) for the brain juices (Cerebrospinal Fluid) to readjust. Is this part painful? no not for me but I didn’t understand that prior to the surgery.
 Now how’s it’s all done – The very simple explanation… The surgeon removed more than half of C1 and a quarter of C2, he put two small holes in the back of my skull and used the Dura to make sure cerebellum could expand, and lifted the cerebellum tonsils into place (sewing them up) where they would not enter the spinal column again.
This has been very hard experience I would wish on no one (physically, financially and mentally) but I want to turn this into a learning and educational experience. Most doctors have (ER, Internal MD’s/OD’s, Neurologists and RN’s) little to know experience, I’m not making this up! Based on my own personal experience I can’t even imagine what someone in a small town could going thru trying to get help for crazy symptoms caused by Chiari Malformation. I’m lucky to live within miles of so many excellent Universities and hospitals. In the end and 6 weeks later… I feel amazing compared to last year, the chocking episodes breathing issues, headaches, short term memory loss and more symptoms are gone. I had a CT yesterday and every looks good, this was great news. Oh last thing, it’s funny… I don’t remember much of anything in the hospital besides getting there and coming to reality when they took me off morphine four days later. I have bits and pieces of small memories while in recovery but I can’t put those together to make any sense of them. While I was over medicated I either tried to buy or sell something invisible to the chief of neurosurgery when he was on rounds. I’m glad to be back to the geek world, I hear there is this new SharePoint 2010 thing out. I’m just kidding I was in the technical awareness program and already working on a 2010 cert book for a while now. I off disability this coming Monday (3/1) and I am looking forward to being back at work. Thanks to all who prayed and followed me throughout this experience and for those of you who emailed me “off the record” I hope and pray you’re doing as well and I am after your surgeries.
Thanks to Mark with EndUserSharePoint.com and Heather Waterman (a very close friend). Watch out for a new article at EndUserSharePoint.com, I am behind but I promise I’ve had a good excuse. A huge thank you to my partner Stacy and Mother in Law Nene…! Cheers -- “SPK” @SharePointKris -- Kris Wagner, Chicago IL |
| Just updating everyone, I’m doing ok at two weeks… I’m not at the PC long enough to write something up huge because my neck is hurting a bit still. Every day I get stronger, every morning it hurts a less. I will tell you I the surgery was a massive success, 99% of my symptoms are gone. It’s truly amazing…!
I quit smoking (14 days now) and stopped energy drinks. The smoking thing is hard but I figure cold turkey is the only want to do it. Any who…. Happy Birthday to me today this past Monday (36)… Thanks for the happy messages I didn’t reply to…
|Thank to Mark Miller and Heather Waterman for updating the “CoverItLive” application on my blog while I was in surgery… I just went back and read all the tweets for the 1st time… It’s kind of funny..It’s 3:01am and Kris is pee’ing ;) Honestly thanks so much, you took ton of stress off Stacy. I was a bit out of it from Thursday morning until Saturday night. I’m out of work until the 25th of Feb just healing, I have a ton of PT to go thru and lots of resting…
Cheers SPK Kris Wagner |
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New Fun Laws in Illinois in 2010, the only one I care about is in bold…
Grrrrrrrrr, ok I know I shouldn’t do it but but we all do.... I think there will be more accidents?! People will be looking down.
Happy New Year -- From NBC5.com http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/New-Year-New-Laws-80418027.html 
-- Elementary and High Schools are now required to study Mexican-American History. -- The department of transportation can post signs that prohibit truckers from using loud brakes known as “jake brakes.” -- “How’s my driving” stickers, complete with area code and phone numbers, will be required for school buses. -- September becomes Brain Aneurysm Month. -- 17-year-olds will be tried in juvenile court for misdemeanors. -- Toy makers must place intricate warning labels for children’s toys that contain between 40 and 300 parts per million of lead.
-- Sending, receiving or reading electronic transmissions on your cell phone while driving is illegal. -- Sex offenders are barred from accessing social networking sites while on parole, probation, court supervision or supervised release. -- Sex offenders are also prohibited from using computer software to delete info from a computer they’ve used. -- All flags flown outside of government buildings must have been made in the USA. -- Retailers that sell alcoholic beverages must post a sign advising customers: "If you need assistance for substance abuse, please call the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse at 1-800-43-6154." |
|  Stacy and I both bought Second Edition Kindle’s about a year ago. I read a ton more and we have more room in the condo :) As you can see in the picture here I have a few SharePoint books. This is just a fraction of what I actually own or have in storage, on my desk or under the night stand. The device has excellent battery life and whatever you buy can be removed
from the device or moved to another supported device like an iPhone or Blackberry (coming soon). My favorite feature? You can email pdf, doc, and docx files to the device.
I took this picture on Earth Day 2009 to show some of my books and how I planned to consolidate future book purchases to my Kindle. I never had the time to get that post out so lets just call this a 2010 New Years Resolution to “Go Green”.
Most books, magazines, and blogs are available on the Kindle today. There’s a blog called "Not Always Right", if you have a Kindle or plan on getting on one subscribe to this blog, it’s hilarious and ensures you’ll get in a laugh or two a day.
 I looked at Amazon today and noticed my book “MCTS: WSS 3.0 Configuration Study Guide: Exam 70-631” is now available for the Kindle… Pretty nifty huh! Surf to MeasureUp.com and use the coupon code “1209-W” at check-out for an additional 30% off until 12/31.
Think about how much technology has advanced over the past 10 years. Our children and grandchildren will grown up without the books we hauled to and home and school. I’m sure they will use some 3D Avatar Kindle device that they will just step into like the hollow deck on the Enterprise.
Technology is Amazing… Cheers SPK – Kris Wagner |
|  Here is to a wonderful year and too so many new friends in and our of the SharePoint community. The years come and go but friendships last a life time… I’m truly thankful for everyone I've met, helped, learned from and worked with in this year.
Thank you to everyone for your posts on EndUserSharePoint.com and emails from around the world regarding my upcoming surgery on January 14th.
Stacy and I appreciate your support, every note makes all the difference in the world. More details will be coming on how to check on me.
Happy Holidays – SPK Kris Wagner
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by MIMI JUNG / KING 5 News / Posted on December 16, 2009 at 7:06 PM / Updated yesterday at 10:52 PM
Ping Back - http://www.king5.com/news/business/Seattle-company-ranks-No-3-in-best-places-to-work-in-US--79465832.html
SEATTLE - Slalom Consulting ranks number three in the nation for best places to work. It made the list behind Southwest Airlines and General Mills.
Glass Door surveyed more than 100,000 employees in 2009 and determined Slalom Consulting, a business and technology consulting firm headquartered in Seattle, is among the best companies in the country. Employees at Slalom say the secret to a happy workplace includes challenging projects, opportunity for growth and camaraderie among co-workers.
"I'm excited to go to work because of the people and the autonomy that we have to work with our clients," said Brian Jacobsen, who's been with the company for six years.
Most employees have clients who are local, which means they aren't required to travel for work. That means more time spent at home and happier employees who have a more balanced work and personal life. "I'm amazed at how many people are on boards of non-profits, involved in children's' schools, participate in family events more and because they have those other activities... they live a much richer, happier life," said Tony Rojas, president of Slalom.
Slalom was founded 15 years ago by Brad Jackson, who credits the success of the company to putting others first, instead of just thinking about the bottom line.
"If you do the right thing for your clients and employees, the revenue, the income, those things will take care of themselves," said Jackson.
Slalom has nearly 1,000 employees nationwide. It has been recognized locally as being one of the top companies to work for in the Northwest.
--- As I get ready to embark on a serious brain surgery and will be out for several months on disability I can tell you the support coming Slalom has been great… I thought this warranted a post, congrats to Tony, John, Brad, Dave, Tom and everyone at Slalom….Race to Win..!
Cheers – SPK Kris Wagner |
| Save some money on your next certification test(s). 
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Microsoft Certifications are continually evaluated and updated to ensure their relevance in the marketplace. As a result, earning a certification helps you gain knowledge about the latest developments in Microsoft technologies and platforms and enables you to demonstrate your job skills to employers. Get your voucher code for your discounted exams Get 15 to 20 percent off select Technology Specialist examsThe Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certifications provide the foundation for Microsoft Certification. These certifications are designed to validate your skills on the features and functionality of key technologies. You can show your depth of knowledge in one specific technology, earn multiple MCTS certifications to show breadth across different products, or build on the MCTS to earn a Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) credential or other Microsoft Certified Professional credentials.
** From Microsoft Learning Career Portal
Cheers SPK |
| Have you ever been at a client site and asked if Microsoft officially supports Hyper-V or VMWare X.x with the solution like SharePoint and Server 2008? The “official” answer is sometimes hard to find but it is out there.
You can use the Microsoft Server Virtualization Validation Program website to look at released products and the various platforms already supported. Note: If a product is not supported on the SVVP website that of course doesn’t mean it won’t run but if you were to call Microsoft support for a SharePoint Server 2007 on Windows Server 2008 R2 or another product that hasn’t gone to RTM status you might be told… It’s not supported and to rebuild using a supported solution. 
SVVP Support Policy Wizard - http://www.windowsservercatalog.com/svvp.aspx?svvppage=svvpwizard.htm |
| You may have heard about health problems I’ve had so I wanted to pass along the real deal and help you understand what’s going on with me. As I step into this long story I’d like to tell you I appreciate your support and concern. Thanks to Mark work putting this up at http://www.endusersharepoint.com/ What’s going on in my head…?My symptoms for a while have been severe migraines, shooting pain up and down my back and legs, numbness in my legs and hands, loss of hot cold sensations (meaning I can’t feel if something is hot or cold all the time), more recently my face is going numb in a few stops, and some short term memory loss (I think ;). Some of these I’ve had for years and some are fairly new (within the past months). So, my doctor requested a MRI of my spine (lumbar) and discovered an abnormality in my thoracic spine. The MRI showed a cyst (syrinx is the medical term) from T2 – T9, and it’s formed in the center of the spinal cord. The condition I have is called Syringomyelia caused by a birth defect of the brain called Chiari Malformation Type 1. What is Chiari:I have Chiari Malformation Type 1, some symptoms people with Chiari can experience include numbness, fine motor skills, speech problems and some cogitative issues, and a loss of hot cold sensation if the condition progresses. It’s rare that someone with Chiari ever becomes symptomatic but for those who do they are often misdiagnosed with diseases like M.S. (Muscular Sclerosis) or Fibromyalgia or most often just told they’re hypochondriacs. The easiest way to explain the disorder is by showing you an image of the brain and someone with Chiari and a cyst caused as a result of the Chiari (*this image is from the ASCA.org website).
 Here you can see the herniated cerebella tonsils and the syrinx (Syringomyelia), in the image look for the purple line at the base of the skull – anything below that line is considered not good and should be above the line. The syrinx in this image is larger than mine, I have 2 but the good news is they are much smaller.
Chiari is believed to be caused by the skull not fully developing at birth and in my case my skull is too small for my brain and cerebellum. As a result everything is crammed together in this small area of the brain. As I’ve grown older the bottom of the cerebellum tonsils have moved down enough into my cervical spinal area to cause a blockage and redirection of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) thus creating the cysts.
In people without the disorder the CSF protects the brain and normally drains around the spinal cord and is dissolved into the blood stream by moving to the brain via the 3rd and 4th ventricles. In my case there is a slowing of the flow within the 4th ventricle causing a backup and pressure in the brain. Surgery:Surgery is the only cure for my condition, there is simply no way around it. I will not go into the details of the procedure but tell you it’s planning for January 14th at the University of Chicago. The facility has some of the most advanced technologies for brain surgery’s available today. They also have a top notch post op ICU staffed with neurosurgeons, post op is just as important as the surgery it’s self in my case… Recovery:I wouldn’t expect to see me at a user’s group meeting, help in the forums or plan any events at least from Jan until March…. I’ll be resting, going thru physical therapy and really just Chillaxing with Netflix on the Ruko while I heal… What I’m thinking:I believe I’ll come out of this a stronger and better person. This type of illness gives you a different type of outlook on what’s important in life. I can’t begin to explain the feelings you go thru when you know you’re going to have brain surgery and without it the situation could become much worse…. I’m not the most relaxed person in the world but of course I have a pill for that. I have an amazing support system, Stacy (my partner and best friend of 9 years), my parents, friends and our pups. I have excellent neurosurgeon known throughout the World and he’s an expert in Chiari surgeries. This has been a very rough year for both of us; in one year Stacy and I have been thru what most people go thru over a span of 10 years… 2010 is going to be a new year with nothing but good energy. So that’s the deal… Here’s to the holidays, family and our health! Thanks for reading and for your support.
More information on Chiari Malformation
– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold-Chiari_malformation
– http://www.asap.org/chiari-malformation.html
– http://www.spineuniverse.com/article/chiari-malformation-4489.html
- http://www.wacma.com/ From Mark Miller It goes without saying that Kris will be in my thoughts through the holiday season. You can leave a comment for him below. If you’d like to send a personal note, here’s his mailing address:
Kris Wagner
1055 West. Bryn Mawr Ave,
F-210
Chicago, IL |
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