March 18, 2016. Pensacola, Florida.
There’s no doubt about it!
MY STORY CONTINUES. Do you believe in miracles? You will after you hear this part of my story! The worst part of my nearly fatal illness and brush with death has been the idea of being tethered to a dialysis center for lengthy and unpleasant treatments three times each week for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t be able to get away for a vacation or even a long weekend. Ever. Our Great American Adventure would come to a screeching halt. We’d have to sell our motorhome and decide on a place to retire…close to a dialysis center. But wait! I got a call from my nephrologist a few days ago and he asked me to come to his office right away. He said he wanted to review some recent lab results with me. It sounded a little strange, but this is a doctor whom I like and respect, and who’s going to be a big part of my life for the next six months. When I arrived, he took me into his office and told me “You are a miracle.” He said my kidneys have recovered enough that I no longer will need dialysis! He said this kind of recovery occurs in only about one in a thousand patients! Wow!
GOD’S PLAN FOR ME. I don’t know what God’s plan is for me. That doesn’t matter right now. But defying all odds and living through the septic shock which I endured was certainly a miracle. After all, on my first day in the hospital the physicians told Florence I only had about 12 hours to live and that she should prepare for the worst. And being the one in a thousand patients whose kidneys renew enough that dialysis is no longer necessary is certainly another miracle! There must be some purpose I’m yet destined to fulfill in this life. I’m going to keep my eyes open and stay alert. I don’t want to miss what promises to be a very important opportunity for me to really help someone along my way. If that weren’t the case, I surely would have died last November.
I have so many different doctors it makes my head spin!
MEDICAL ISSUES REMAIN. I still have myriad significant medical issues. Every part of my body was oxygen-deprived last November. Accordingly, and believe it or not, I am being followed by a cardiologist, a gastroenterologist, a urologist, a neurologist, a rheumatologist, a dermatologist, a nephrologist, a pulmonologist, an opthomologist and an infectious disease doctor! I work closely with a physical therapist and an occupational therapist. My head swims just trying to keep track of appointments, lab tests and procedures. In fact, I’ve given up trying. Florence does all of that for me, and of course much more! Medicare and my secondary insurance have already paid providers well over a million dollars for my care. I still am not able to walk even close to capacity, yet after a lot of hard work I’m now able to walk short distances with just a cane. No wheelchair and no rolling walker. When I think back a few months and remember that I couldn’t even get out of bed without assistance, I realize I’ve come a long way! As a matter of fact, my vocal chords were so affected for a long time all I could do is whisper! Now I can again speak normally. Florence complains that I’m bitching and moaning just like I was before I got sick. One of my oldest friends who suffered through a similar situation years ago and has largely recovered told me to measure my progress by looking back, not forward. Sage advice.
Now what? Will our Great American Adventure continue?
WHAT’S NEXT? We’ll stay in our little apartment in Pensacola for the next six or eight months to give me time to resolve as many of my medical issues as possible. I’ll continue to work hard to regain my strength. During this time, I’ll post both narrative and pictures of some of the sights in the area. There’s a lot to see here and our friend Jon who’s lived in Pensacola forever has offered to be our tour guide. Then we’ll again pack up the RV, head down the road like gypsies and continue our Adventure for another year or so, before settling down to lead a more “normal life” during our second retirement. I’m sure when we leave Pensacola and get back on the road, I’ll start blogging as incessantly as I did before my illness. Hopefully I’ll be able to entertain you again.
THANK YOU! Under different circumstances, I wouldn’t dream of writing a blog post like this, dealing
with such personal medical issues. But I’ve received calls, texts and email messages from so many of you guys that I felt it appropriate to share my good news. Thank you, each of you, for your support during this most difficult time for me and Florence.
AND PLEASE, PLEASE REMEMBER THIS! Do something nice for yourself today! Enjoy the day. Be kind and thoughtful to others. Please heed my advice. Because you really don’t know what tomorrow will bring. You probably think you know, but my story should be ample evidence to the contrary. Tomorrow is not a given.
I’LL CONTINUE MY STORY NEXT TIME.
