Episodes

I went to Costco on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. On accident, of course I didn’t think about it. I went to the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. I had to position myself to avoid the glare. The Rodin, they had “The Thinker”. So, I went into the gallery and saw that and I had to kind of position myself all around it. And because you have to spend so much, because I had to spend so much time positioning myself, I couldn’t do this kind of casual looking. It really changed the way I ...

I have a wheelchair and I busted it out over the weekend. It was kind of a big deal. I’ve never ridden around in a wheelchair before. We’ve talked about it before on the podcast that I’ve got the wheelchair, but also that I’m kind of apprehensive about riding around in a wheelchair. But I did it. I was with my family. I had gone to see my cousin Amy in the hospital where she’s recovering. We talked about that last episode. And then my wife who had been in nanny in San Francisco was like, “There’...

Get The Whole Story: Please check the Microvascular Decompression tag page to hear all the updates about my MVD surgery. I record this podcast to let people know when bad things happen you don’t have to quit. You can keep going. I’ve learned things along the way. I started out thinking that I was sick but now I know that I am in recovery. My life feels totally different now I have a lot more energy and I am much more present. I’m able to think complicated thoughts. BEGIN TRANSCRIPT JOHN HOPP...

Get The Whole Story: Please check the Microvascular Decompression tag page to hear all the updates about my MVD surgery. Notes So they were like, "Something is weird. We got to put the EKG on him." But I'm like a hairy individual, you know? So they got out the trimmers, they're like, "What?" They're just like, "What do we do?" ... she says to me, she's like, "Don't worry. After we're done, I'll shave the rest." I'm like, "Hell no you won't shave the rest of my chest. Are you kidding?" I think of...

Get The Whole Story: Please check the Microvascular Decompression tag page to hear all the updates about my MVD surgery. What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast Season 3, Episode 14 Excerpt: “Flapping My Arms” One thing I did notice about the last episode is that I’m flapping my arms again. I first figured out of it about flapping my arms in episode five: “and this is kind of joking, I guess. I get nervous, you know. You know, if you ever see me like making fart noise or flapping my arms, you know,...

wtmwm s3 e12 i awoke up this morning to a familiar nausea. i’d forgotten to take my pills the night before. still can’t get it straight. got me thinkin’…. this podcast – like me – is disabled. not only a podcast about disability or adversity, CHALLENGES or perserverance, this podcast itself is disabled maybe i shouldn’t call it a podcast. but, it’s too late something not quite right. am i doing it wrong? cycles – recently, i’ve become waylaid in a cycle that whipsaws between extreme pain a...

Pain / Withdrawal Cycle Swallowing Evaluation AKA Diagnostic Fluoroscopy Had pain and went to the Nurse Practitioner .. Medication (mis-)management traps me in the the pain & withdrawal cycle. Read more for my visit to the nurse practicioner, diagnostic fluoroscopy, postlude with John John & more. BEGIN TRANSCRIPT JOHN HOPPIN: Welcome to the What’s the Matter with Me Podcast, season three, episode 11, the pain withdrawals cycle. I’m always in some kind of recovery. I saw the nurse practition...

Google’s Project Euphonia helps disabled people communicate Five weeks of mayhem, pain and drug withdrawal ALSO, Five Weeks of Mayhem, Pain &Drug Withdrawal (Picking up the pieces) TRANSCRIPT JOHN HOPPIN: Welcome to the What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast Season Three, Episode 10: Disability Technology. Coming up, Google’s Project Euphonia helps disabled people communicate. I have five weeks of mayhem, hell, pain, and drug withdrawal. I’m not kidding. It blew up my life. Stay tuned. Welcome...

“Face hurts … Tomorrow is Koko’s 3rd Birthday” Man!– I have trigeminal neuralgia, my face hurts. Ow! The kids had to go away, it hurt so bad I couldn’t handle it and I freaked out. I’ve been staring at plants in the garden. I grilled chicken for the whole family, had dinner and couldn’t eat it, because my face hurt. Tomorrow is Koko’s third birthday. Welcome to What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast, Season three, Episode nine: “Happy Birthday, Koko” Welcome to the What’s The Matter With Me? Podca...

In this episode, I participate in Walk MS as a walker and also as the MC. Later, I post to Reddit and it goes pretty well, even though I use the wrong word. Show notes Welcome to What’s the Matter with Me? Season 3, Episode 8: “Walk MS MC.” Coming up in this episode: last weekend I did Walk MS, I had a fundraising goal, and I raised more money than that. It was awesome. There were a lot of people with MS. I was the MC there. I stood on stage with a microphone. I posted on Reddit again, but I ...

Welcome to the What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast, Season 3, Episode 7: It’s My 40th Birthday Coming up in this episode: pain and anxiety, brain damage, the beauty of nature. Hanging out in the backyard, it’s my 40th birthday. I’m thankful to be here processing my emotions and symptoms. Come hang out with me. My name is John, I’m 39 years old, husband, and father of two, small-business owner, radio DJ, podcaster, and I have multiple sclerosis. So I made the What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast t...

Welcome to the What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast, Season 3, Episode 6: Social Isolation In which: I deal with social isolation, get interrupted by a real estate broker, I’m uninspiring, and I come out against disability porn. I realize I need a scooter again, and the National MS Society support will help. My name is John, I’m 39 years old, husband, and father of two, small-business owner, radio DJ, podcaster, and I have multiple sclerosis. So I made the What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast to s...

Welcome to the What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast: Season 3, Episode 5: Matrix of Domination Coming up, I’m afraid to get a scooter because I fear my own disability, I get ready to emcee for Walk MS, and try to understand my place in society vis a vis Race, Gender, Class, and Ability. My name is John, I’m 39 years old, husband and father of two, small business owner, radio DJ, podcaster. I have multiple sclerosis, so I make this podcast to share what I’m going through. What’s The Matter With M...

Welcome to the What’s the Matter With Me? Podcast, Season 3, Episode 4, Mobility Assistance, in which we go on a trip to Sacramento where I finally admit to myself that I need a scooter, plus fictional characters with MS. I made some new tunes and more. Stay tuned. Check it out. My name is John. I’m 39 years old, husband, and father of two, small business owner, radio DJ, podcaster, and I have multiple sclerosis, so I made this podcast to share what I’m going through. What’s the Matter With Me...

In this episode we’ll go through getting an infusion infusion noun the slow injection of a substance into a vein or tissue. Google Dictionary I was due for my Rituxan infusion, my primary multiple sclerosis (MS) medication, on January 4th. I called a week ahead. I needed to get bloodwork at a lab and approval from the insurance company. The bloodwork was no problem but the approvals were difficult. I had to be persistent. Before I knew it, I was already a month and a half late. I worried that...

Attending the MS Breakthroughs Conference Over the weekend, I attended the MS Breakthroughs event put on by the National MS Society. The keynote speaker was Jeffrey Dunn, director of the Stanford MS Center. The event promised to inform about the current-day MS Breakthroughs as well as the future of MS Research. It began with a free breakfast. The guy next to me dug in. I’d already eaten. I heard the danishes were good. Award Ceremony Someone who raised $250,00, another raised $100,000 & wrot...

Something Happened at Bill’s Cafe I order coffee and toast, John John gets pancakes. Tap on my shoulder, our host – “Excuse me sir, is that.. your underwear?” Injury in the yard I was working in the yard, fertilizing some yellow cauliflower plants. I stepped in a hole leftover from when we pulled out tomato plants and I fell to my side. It felt like i tweaked it. I was in a wheelchair or bed ridden. I had a lot of work to finish before Christmas. I was on the radio Last Friday, I hosted the...

LIVE From The Petaluma SMART Station My brace helps me to walk, but it doesn’t mean I can go out walking. I learned it the hard way yesterday when I went out in Petaluma. Live broadcast from a bench outside the Petaluma SMART Station. Sorry I’ve been away I’ve been doing events for Hoppin Hot Sauce. BJ Miller I met BJ Miller at a latke party. I have been wanting to meet him in person to this article in the New York Times from January 2017. I got to sit down right next to him and talk, it w...