‘Twas the day after Memorial and a long one in Durham;
Starting at eight it was exam after exam.
It started out early with a fun EMG,
Something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
I was shocked by a taser and stuck with a pin
Over and over, ag’in and ag’in.
But it was over by ten and on to the next one
Which was, thankfully, a whole lot more fun.
After a snack, we went ‘cross the way
To a really fun clinic where we got to play.
It’s called Assistive Technologies, and it was chock full of toys
To help PALS communicate, and make all kinds of noise.
Voices and microphones, all kinds of devices,
Software and hardware and computer mices.
I brought home a project to teach me morse code
That the computer can translate to normal text mode.
We stopped for some lunch, and then it was time
To see the good doc and confirm it’s not Lyme.
Just as last time, we saw the whole team,
PT, OT, Nutrition, once again all were supreme.
PT was first; my strength hasn’t changed,
Save for my right thumb, which is feeling estranged.
Then came Nutrition, my weight’s in the clear.
In fact, up two pounds, must be the beer.
Following that, we saw the OT,
Not much changed there, I still can dress me.
We saw Speech earlier at the time of Technologies
Things were OK with her, which put us at ease.
So after OT it was social work’s turn.
We enjoy time with Stacey upon each return.
Once they all finished, in came the doc
By that time we were looking at four o’clock.
He gave me a once over, another test of strength
And we talked about research for quite a great length.
But first came the results of the morning’s EMG
Which were as expected and what he thought we’d see.
There’s damage to muscles all over the place
Arms, legs and back, but not really the face.
Concerning the research, the trial we’d hoped for
Has been put on hold as it may speed symptoms some more.
But there’s one on the horizon, later this year,
If all goes as planned, the beginning’s quite near.
It involves a drug that’s already been tested
But higher doses, they’re hoping, will get this thing bested.
So all and all we’re in a place that’s OK.
We’re going to deal with it on a basis day by day.
Thanks to everyone there, it’s not hard to agree
If you’re facing ALS, Duke’s a great place to be.
The next visit comes the day after Labor
When we meet once again to talk and confer.
~Brian Nikolich, May 2007
Cute!