Rock & Roll

As many people know, I am in a rock band. I started singing with PARADOCS back in 2003. The group was started by a couple of doctors (my dad being one of them) and we have done many concerts to benefit various charities over the years. Well, this past Saturday we were asked to perform a 1.5 hour set at Cowboys to help raise money to save the historic Strand Theater on the Marietta Square. What can i say? We love to rock out for a good cause. The numbers are still coming in, but last check we raised over $7500 and I think people had a really good time, too. I know all of us in the band sure did.

While I was up there I felt pretty great. The adrenaline, the crowd cheering, music I love to sing....I held up pretty well. I got pretty dizzy once (luckily we thought ahead and had a stool nearby). I sat for a song, dizziness subsided. My worst fear was the "boa constrictor" making an appearance which would make singing quite a challenge, but he stayed away. yippee!

In the hour that followed, however, my body let me know exactly what it thought of me pretending I was a rock star...and I don't think it approved. My feet both went numb fairly soon after and have stayed numb since then. Its annoying and i just have to be careful so I don't fall or anything. Sunday morning brought the ever-popular burning leg pain and....the Boa Constrictor! I knew he would show up sooner or later, but I feel that I can't really be too mad because he let me have that hour and a half onstage without pestering me and that was pretty damn cool. So he has been hanging around for the past 2 days also. My vision is crap and trying to read for longer than 10-15 min makes me dizzy and gives me a raging headache (and my magical glasses aren't doing squat and my new magical glasses aren't ready yet! boooo!)

I was joking with my dad about having to pay the piper after a night of rockin out. Even if you dont have a neurological disease you still have to pay up if you push your body past its physical limits. I guess what is so frustrating for me is that a year ago my physical limits were more on par with a healthy 28 year old. Now they more closely resemble that of a 78 year old! hah. So I guess if I want to be a rock star for a night and sing a few songs with my band, not only do I have to rest all day beforehand but I have to rest for the 48 (72?) hours afterwards as well, not to mention pay the price of whatever painful/annoying symptoms the MonSter wants to throw at me.

So I can't feel my feet and my legs hurt like hell and my chest feels like it is in a vice and the headache is beginning from trying to write/read this entry....
But you know what?
It was still Totally worth it.
ROCK ON!