That is EXTREMELY funny, Ralph!! To me, anyway
That is EXTREMELY funny, Ralph!! To me, anyway
I’m very sorry for this long post. But writing this just makes me feel better. I hope you understand.
It’s been hit-and-miss for me on the site for the last 10 months. Three different health problems took me to some very nasty places during this time. I’m not sure if I previously wrote about some of this so I apologize if I’m repeating some parts.
In January I developed a urinary tract infection (UTI). I also started having severe abdominal pain on my left side. I was finally admitted to a hospital in February. Just before I was admitted, the UTI caused me to get a decubitus ulcer (pressure sore) about 4cm from my A-hole. I’ve had them before (UTI and ulcer) so I expected IV antibiotics and my pink slip 5 days later. However, my stomach pain increased and my appetite disappeared. I felt worse as time passed. I was losing red blood cells so they gave me 2 units of blood – I should feel better in a few days. It didn’t happen.
The UTI was healing slowly but its symptoms made the ulcer worse. Adding to misery was the fact that the nurses did not turn me from side-to-side to relieve the pressure on my ass. I ate 3 meals during my stay yet the nurses never mentioned that to any of my 7 doctors. I lost almost 30 pounds during my 8-day stay. I was pronounced “healed” and sent me home with a clean bill of health.
Once I returned to my home, the people who help me with nursing activities told me how bad I looked. I was told that the ulcer was larger and there was an odor so it was probably infected. I was shocked when I saw a cell phone picture. I called my primary physician asking for an emergency appointment with the best Wound Clinic in the DC area.
I got there the following day. I believe the measurements were 4 inches horizontal, 4 inches vertical, and 6.5 inches deep. The hole went directly to my sacrum. The doctor debrided the wound and told me I had a Stage IV ulcer. Three days later we found out that it was infected, as feared. The doctor tried oral antibiotics (they worked) and he gave me a plan to start the rehab process. It could take from 6-9-12 months or more -- depending how successful offloading my weight from the chair goes and how much protein I could ingest. I needed to grow tissue. This was mid-March.
I still couldn’t eat very much and my side still hurt. My brother and sister came to help me and my other helpers but nobody and nothing was making me feel better. I couldn’t work and I used all my Sick Leave and Annual Leave. My depression sky-rocketed.
I was treading water in June so my primary doctor increased the dosage of my thyroid medicine. I started to feel a bit better when I was hit with another UTI bout. I went to the ER on the first day that the symptoms appeared. Instead of treating me for a UTI, the doctor told me I was having a heart attack. I vehemently disagreed and left AMA (against medical advice). I went to my urologist the next day and he treated me for a UTI. I was better in 5 days. And I was starting to feel better overall.
In early July I went to the Wound Clinic for my weekly appointment. They took my blood pressure 4 times on multiple devices but the best they could get was 78/32. They told me it was too low for them to treat me. So I had to return to same ER that told me I was having a heart attack. They told me that my red blood cells were too low again. I needed another unit of blood. So I spent another night in the hospital. I felt better in the morning. I explained some of the things that happened over the previous 4-5 months and she gave me her father’s number. He’s a partner in a rather large DC firm. You never know when you’ll need a lawyer.
The ulcer reverted because of the last UTI’s symptoms. My stomach was still hurting and the nausea was coming to fruition more frequently. I felt like crap – physically and mentally. My bi-weekly paychecks were 25-50% because of my inability to work. I felt like the walls were falling in.
I went to my primary again and we again took blood. My red blood cell count was so low that I needed 2 more units ASAP. I had it done in late-July late in the week. I remember that because on the following Saturday I almost committed suicide. I’ve been in plenty of difficult situations in my life but I always made it through. But I was sitting at my kitchen table when I looked at my pain medications a few feet away. A 3+ mouth supply of 10mg Oxycontin along with a 2-month supply of Oxycodone IR (Immediate Release). I read that I’d just fall asleep and I’d not feel any pain. I’m so close to swallowing the IR and I’m crying like a baby. Obviously, I didn’t follow through. I have no idea why I stopped. Maybe there will be a Psychiatrist who will figure it out.
I always yell at the TV for those who commit a murder-suicide. I call them cowards. They are cheaters. And in the end, I am neither of those. I am so thankful that I didn’t put my family through any foolishness. There are billions of people much worse off than me. Because of my job, I had to tell my supervisor. He supported me and gave me some potential resources for the future.
This episode happened in late-July. I adjusted my diet since then and my stomach ailments have slowly dissipated. My ulcer is healing nicely. My doctors are pleased with the healing progress and have told me that complete healing could be as soon as 3 months. The depression remains but I have been reading and thinking but I feel strong and confident that I can overcome any negative thoughts.
I shared these events with 2 tdt.org members and I thank them sincerely for their support and friendship. I look forward to reading more threads and catching up on buying SK books.
Johnny, I'm glad you are on the mend, albeit slowly. Those UTIs are a real bitch. I came close to dying last year because of one and a concurrent bad case of sepsis in my left leg. I'm SO glad you're still with us. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
John
I too am so very pleased you are still with us.....Our talks are some of the best I've ever had.....keep a positive outlook...there is a lot ahead of you.
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Damn, johnny, that’s a hell of a year. Stay strong and keep on that upslope. It’s great to hear from you.
Looking for:
- Philtrum Press Eyes of the Dragon RED #165
- Fine Viking Eyes of the Dragon proof
You already went through a lot of hard times and you didn't give up. Just continue and you will see the end of it, things will get better.
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CLUB STEPHEN KING (french website about STEPHEN KING, since 1992) : on : Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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I wish you the best of luck all the way from Europe, J.! Stay strong!
It's wonderful that you can post your story Johnny, I sincerely hope that your battle through this will inspire others who are suffering long term illness and see that there can be light at the end of the tunnel and it is always worth fighting on.
Stay strong and keep positive
"A real limited edition, far from being an expensive autograph stapled to a novel, is a treasure. And like all treasures do, it transforms the responsible owner into a caretaker, and being a caretaker of something as fragile and easily destroyed as ideas and images is not a bad thing but a good one...and so is the re-evaluation of what books are and what they do that necessarily follows." - Stephen King
Best of luck in your continued recovery, Johnny!
You don't know my kind.....You don't my mind.....Dark necessities are part of my design.....
All,
My sincere thanks for many well-wishes in this thread, in the PMs, and on the phone. Your sentiments give me energy, hope and an overall positive attitude. I wish I had the freedom to attend signings so I could meet you all. That would be as much of a treat as a signed book. My thanks, again.
Best,
John
John,
I am very glad that you won your fight with sepsis (and the UTI). Sepsis is a terrible diagnosis and you have to be a tough son-of-a-gun to survive that fight. Keep fighting! You are one of the reasons why this is the best SK (and other topics) site/reference library in the world!
Best always,
John
John wishing you all the best. And a successful road to recovery.
Hey, my wife is wondering how to ship original art throught the post : if for instance you order an original painting by Whelan or someone else, do yous know how is it being sent? Rolled in a tube / else?
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CLUB STEPHEN KING (french website about STEPHEN KING, since 1992) : on : Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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It is a delicate task. They are very good at it. I take the art... wrap it a LOT in bubble wrap and tape the hell out of it. Then I place it in a box full of packing peanuts. Then re-enforce the sides and tape the hell out of that. IT is 1 or 1... so you do not want it to be hurt or damaged at all.
HELP ME FIND
Insomnia #459
ANY S/L #459
Most original art is not rolled.
Stay Strong Johnny007, good MOJO headed your way.......
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CLUB STEPHEN KING (french website about STEPHEN KING, since 1992) : on : Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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It can be shipped framed (if the seller framed it as part of the purchase price), or shipped unframed. Most original paintings are done on stretched canvas, or a board, so they already have some rigidity.
Here are instructions on how to pack a painting
thanks
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CLUB STEPHEN KING (french website about STEPHEN KING, since 1992) : on : Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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