“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”
Mark Twain
Yes, I’m still here. I’ve had a rough time the last couple of months but I’m still in the game. I want to thank all those folks who sent me prayers and positive vibes. It makes me feel humble to know how many people care. Thank all of you from the bottom of my heart.
I spent five days in the hospital to start the year and have had my lung cavity drained of fluid 4 times. I was in great pain in my legs and arms, so much I was using large doses of Tylenol just to function. This was accompanied by swelling in my feet and legs and a brain fog that refuses to go away. Despite many tests, CAT scans, echo tests, sonograms, x-rays, blood panels, and urine analysis, the doctors have been unable to figure out what is wrong with me. They took so many blood samples, I began referring to the nurses who took the samples as daytime vampires. They laughed at this and laughed again when I asked how much my blood was fetching on the market.
I got to look at the reports of the tests as they came up in My Chart online which I could access. I couldn’t help but notice that the first line on the CAT scan said, “No wires or tubes.” Was I relieved to find that out! Now there’s positive proof that I’m not turning into a cyborg.
My Rants in the Pants stopped being written and I’m sorry I was not able to continue. There was just too much pain and weakness. I went from walking a mile and a half a day to hardly able to get to the bathroom. It’s apparent some of you really like my rants. My fear is that after all the hard work over the last year, I’ve lost some readers. Please share my work on social media and anywhere else it might be welcome. I will try to keep them coming as much as possible.
Not all that came out of this experience was bad. It’s a boost to you psyche to find out how many people care about you. Friends have been sending me well wishes and checking in on me to see if any progress has occurred. There were also neighbors who helped me with feeding my chickens (I got rid of the ducks) and making doctor’s appointments. They walked down to get my mail and brought pellets for my pellet stove inside when I was unable to lift the bags. It just goes to show you what good friends and neighbors I am lucky to have. The world would be a better place if more people acted this way toward their fellow humans.
My three daughters were absolute stars in this little drama. My daughter in California with four kids, a husband, and two jobs dropped everything to hop on a plane so she could come help with my care. Another daughter, a single mom, who was in the process of moving, dealing with a couple of difficult kids, and searching for another job also pitched in making me meals I could just pop in the oven, cleaning, organizing, shopping- whatever needed to be done. She was living 30 miles away yet somehow found the time to help. My other daughter, a nurse practitioner, with a husband, a baby, and a job served as my medical advocate and managed to get some of the best care available for me. She also cooked, cleaned, shopped and whatever was needed even though she is living an hour’s drive from my home.
I have always been independent. In the past two months I have gone from taking care of myself to depending on others to do everything for me. It has been quite a change. This change, however, has emphasized a positive that until now, I had no idea how deep it went. Positive things often come out of negative experiences, and this experience has highlighted how much my friends and neighbors care about me. It has also shown me how much love my daughters love me. I swear they would stand shoulder to shoulder, bare knuckled against a small army to defend their dad. These remarkable women have formed a pool of love that I bask in, a pool so vast you cannot see the shores and so deep it has no bottom. I am a lucky man to have them and to have been shown once again that the only thing that matters in life is love.