Still Getting Better - Again...

Well, since my last post, the symptoms of the dreaded C.diff have went away life is improving yet again. I posted a Mayo Clinic document that discussed the C.diff in detail on the email. One of the folks that I sent it to, sent it to her friends, and one of those friends wrote back to me. She had also had the dreaded C.diff and said that the most important thing to do to get rid of it was to get into Pro-Biotics. I tracked it down and it is basically various food and health products that help to rebuild the normal bacterial environment in your digestive system. I tracked down a product a Walgreens that is easy to swallow and is suppose to have 2.5 Billion Live Cultures in it. Anyway, I have been taking it and all the C.diff symptoms have went away - so far...

I still have the nerve based pains in my left thigh. I have been taking the nerve medicine that my surgeon prescribed. They seem to migrate from having periodic sharp pains to a lower grade but lasting sort of pain. It is supposedly caused by the fluid buildup somewhere in my left thigh that was a result of the incision during the operation. I understand it will dissipate with time but it sure hurts when it happens.

Late Thursday afternoon, it was feeling a lot better and I decided to try and play pool, on my league teem. I had told my teammate that I wasn't going to play the day before and had to stop the substitute from showing up, which all worked out. I played well. I couldn't stand very well, but I did play well. And, my nerve pains didn't freak out much while I was out. I only won 2 of my 4 games, but one of them I ran the table and scratched on the 8-ball. I also did get another valid table run.

The really bummer part of pool what that because I couldn't play last week, I went from 14th place in the individual standings to 30th place. Since the league is not over, the playoffs start and I almost missed the top-shooters tournament that only takes the top 32 players. If I would have not played that night, I would have probably been 60th and been out of the playoffs for sure.

Our team came in 10th I think so we have to start the playoffs on Thursday. If we loose, we play again Friday night. But, if we win, we don't play again until next Thursday. Unless I get real sick again, I am going to be there.

We have finally done all of the old inventory recall and replacement. It ended up being about $ 2,500 worth of product replacement - Ouch. But, in the long run, I am glad to have all that old product out of the distribution channel. The new product, with the new packaging and instruction booklet is much better all around and it will all be worth it in the long run.

This economy is really starting to cause nasty things to happen all around. A lot of our dealers have backed off on their needle orders and I am trying to gather a number of new dealers. We also sent a full set of samples to a distributor in Australia. I hope that comes through. Its a pain to send products overseas but they could sell a lot of product as its a big deal 'down under'.

I am again feeling good and just hope that all the bad stuff is finally going away. I would probably feel even better, but this same thing happened a couple of times before during, this whole sickness, and it all came back again.

Hopefully all 2.5 Billion of those little bacteria helpers, I am taking every day, will finally break the cycle of the dreaded C.diff once and for all. I sure hope so. In that Mayo Clinic document, one of the solutions for prolonged continuation of the C.diff was to have 'stool transplant from a family member'... After Pam read the paper, she offered to be the provider - Ha, Ha... I have never even heard of a stool transplant. It all sounds like a total bunch of crap to me...

There is more than one way to skin a Cat...

In the continuing saga of my Medical Fiasco, there have been some real twists in the last couple of days. I did a bunch of research on this C.diff hospital bacteria and it all makes a little more sense now. I also got some feedback from an email I sent out about PRO-BIOTICS, which are supplements that help regrow all of the stuff that is usually in your colon and that help control the rampant C.diff bacteria. I tracked down some of the supplements a couple of days ago and it seems to be working quite well. I am free, again, of the constant fever and runs symptoms of C.diff.

I realized why the C.diff seems to happen after every hospital visit. The massive doses of antibiotics that are given through the IV each time you go to the hospital basically re-invigorate the C.diff each time.

I also learned that a C.diff spore can live on a 'clean' hospital surface for many months and if a person touches it, they have it. And, since most folks in the hospital are on the antibiotics, it can just go crazy with your insides. So, I think I will wear gloves when I go into the hospital from now on. The TV controller or bed buttons could give it to you from a patient that was there months before...

C.diff has a number of treatments that I was 'impressed' with. The most bazaar was doing a stool transplant with a family member. I am still having trouble with that one...

Anyway, to get back to my story. Tuesday night, I was starting to feel better and the dishwasher has been down for a few days. I know how to fix them and it requires taking the bottom one out and removing all the moisture from the electronics in the base of the unit. It requires that you get down and squat and on your knees to do all the stuff you have to do. In the middle of this work, I must have done something to my surgical area and got a very sharp hot burning pain in my left thigh. It was strong enough to drop me to the floor and almost passed out. it lasted for a few minutes. I was almost done with the job, so I was able to finish it with only a couple more lighter pains. Throughout the rest of the night, I kept having these sharp stabbing pains when I moved my leg the 'wrong' way.

The next day I called the doctor and he had me come down to get yet another Ultrasound test. It was basically a CYA to be sure that the surgery went ok. They found a pocket of liquid in there, which is suppose to be normal, and figured out that it was pushing on my nerves that were causing all the thigh pain. I then went to the surgeon's office, which is in the same building, and he tried to extract some fluid with a needle and did a lot of pushing on it all. He also gave me yet another drug to try an resolve my new nerve generated pains.

Now, instead of being a stabbing pain that occurred when I moved certain ways, the pain is now changed to when I am standing up. I can basically stand up for about 1 minute before it gets crazy bad.

So, to get back to the title of this story, which I had some difficulty using as I am a great cat lover, I am now for the third time, limited to about one room of movement. The other times it was from my left leg not having enough blood flow and starving for oxygen. This time it is from nerve generated pain.

So, now if you reread the title it will probably make more sense...

I had to again cancel my playing pool tonight, which is the last match of the league season, I think. I was doing quite well, but now it is all gone to hell. Maybe I will be well when they start the playoffs in a couple of weeks, or not.

The doctor says these nerve pills will work in a few days, so we will just have to see how it goes. I can press on one spot by my incision and cause the pain to happen. I just wish I could fine someplace to push to make it stop...

Well, I need to go back to bed as that is the only place that I don't feel the pain now. So, that is all that is fit to print here in DaHo...

Back to Abnormal...

Well, I have recovered from the third operation, more or less. At least the physical pain parts of it. But, the bacterial infection that I have had since around 12/15/08 is still with me. I have had a low grade fever and the runs for 4-5 days now and the antibiotics don't seem to be phasing it.

I thought it was finally under control yesterday. From about 2pm or so yesterday, until 7:30am this morning, it cleared up. Pam was going to stay home again, if it wasn't gone and spend the day trying to get the doctors up to speed about what a bunch of crap this all is. She can be very good a such things, when needed. So, we agreed that if it was still good when she got up for work this morning, that it was probably finally over and she should go to work.

Well, about an hour after she left for work, it came back again - its pretty sneaky crap. You can only have soooo much fun with the runs... I have had it for over half of the time since it started months ago.

I am at a complete loss as to what is going on at this point. Nothing seems to work and I just keep getting sicker and sicker...

With Three you get Egg Roll...

Well, I did end up having the third operation on Thursday night. So, that is three operations in three months...

What had happened was that the bypass stent has a mesh screen in it and it was getting clogged with some blood clots. This caused the blood flow to my left leg to be greatly reduced, which was causing the symptoms I was experiencing. We got to the hospital about 2pm and had a the tests and I went straight to pre-op from there. I was operated on about 5pm and was in my room by 7 or so.

We got a private room because I have the C-Diff bug. They put a roll-a-way bed in for Pam to use. And, as usual, they come in every 1/2 hour or so to check on the trash or check on me, which makes for a very long and tiring night. We left the hospital about 10 am the next morning.

I am sure glad it didn't turn into a long drawn out hospital stay as it did last time. I don't think I could have taken that again. Right now, I feel pretty good, if I can get these runs stopped. Anytime I walk, the front of my left thigh, from my hip to my knee, feels like it is on fire. I guess they sliced some nerve or something as that was the side they opened up again to do the mesh cleaning job.

So, now I am on Plavix, along with about 15 other meds. The Plavix is suppose to thin out the blood so the clots won't plug the mesh up anymore. Somehow, I don't remember them telling me that if we did the bypass that there would be this problem with the mesh getting plugged up...

But, we have met a lot of new friends that work at the hospital. The Cardio-Vascular technician that does the tests is coming over today to bring his computer for Pam to fix this weekend.

Anyway, I am going back to bed now, but all is good for the moment here in DaHo...

Extra...Extra...Extra...

In a late development, Pam just called and said that she had talked to the surgeon and that we are suppose to be down to the hospital at 2pm today. They are going to do some more tests to see why my left leg is still so weak. And, if there is a problem, I will be operated on tonight...

I assume that for the femoral-femoral bypass to not be working right, means that something is definitely way wrong and needs to be fixed quickly...

I cannot begin to explain how much I don't want to go back into the hospital again, or have another surgery. The last experience was such a horror and all. But, at least I am taking the antibiotics and won't have all that awful stuff happening again for days on end.

So, I the plan is to let everybody know what is happening. Pam or I will be posting the latest info here, probably tomorrow...

Too Fast On The Gun...

In my last episode of this blog, I was saying how happy I was about me finally being free of the nasty C-Diff (I first thought is was C-Stat) hospital bug. I have been off of the antibiotics for over two weeks and was feeling good.

Well, three days later, starting this Monday I started having the same symptoms again.Along with a lot of concern (read fear) about what was probably to come. It started out pretty slow at first, but the symptoms kept coming and yesterday, Pam took the day off and we went to the doctor who subscribed the antibiotic needed to kill it. The medicine is pretty nasty stuff in itself. It taste awful, like a very strong metallic taste and I cannot drink any alcohol for the next two weeks. Which is no big deal, as I have only had a few drinks the whole month of January and really didn't miss it too much.

But, anyway, I am hopefully on the mend again and wondering when this is going to stop. In the hospital, the surgeon said that his wife had it before, and she had to go through 3 or 4 regimes of antibiotics to finally get it resolved.

The other problem is that it seems that my left leg - the one without proper blood supply for over a month - seems to be getting the same type of problems again. Yesterday, I had to use one of those electric powered carts at Costco. It was disgusting to me conceptually, but was the only option I had. I don't know if this recent wreaking of my stamina in my left leg has something to do with the the C-Diff's return, or what is going on. Right now, I can walk about 1 block or less on level ground before I start getting the pains in my left thigh.

This whole thing from the first planned procedure on 12/2/08 has been a total disaster and I don't think we are at the end of this road yet. I have got get the treadmill setup again upstairs so I can do more stress tests on it and not go anywhere if I have serious problems.

I am suppose to go to Southern California in about 4 weeks to attend a big fishing show and unless this whole leg mess gets resolved before then, I won't be able to go. I probably couldn't make it to the front door of the show from the parking lot, let alone walk/work it for 5 days...

I am not a happy camper about all this at all. And, it where I am now, is the new me, I will really be upset, as I am close to being walker or wheelchair bound...

On a happier note, business is going well. We recalled all the old unsold inventory form all our dealers and are replacing it with the new products. This is going to cost us about $ 3K or so, but is a small bump in the overall scheme of changing the business from a little garage cottage business into one with international presence.We don't want our old products being sold and discussed when the new products and new packaging and instructional booklet is such a superior improvement all the way around.

Now that the new products are getting out to our dealers and we are getting feedback from them on it, everybody loves it as we knew they would. I have re-starting our marketing campaign again and are acquiring a lot of new dealers. We have to do this on a controlled basis so we don't get more new business than they can handle at this point. We were hoping to be further along in our new business partners acquisition, but my medical problems has had a serious impact on those activities so far.

I did play pool last week and did pretty well. I am now 13th in the individual standings. I should be a lot higher, but have not been playing this league to win all the time. Sometimes when I have a difficult shot, I will try and shoot it, instead of leaving my opponent a safety that he couldn't make. This has cost me many of the games that I have lost. I think there are only three more weeks of play until the league ends.

We finally found Pam's late Christmas present. Her Wii system with the exercise package and the guitar hero band set. She has been going crazy on it. She does about 45 minutes of exercises every day on it and now that she has the guitar hero thing, she plays it anytime she can. I don't know how its going to work out yet, as right now its setup in the living room and that is where we watch TV from. If she continues to use it as much, we will have to relocate it to somewhere that it doesn't interfere with life. I don't know how its all going to work out yet...

Well, I have things to do and pills to take, SO that is all for right now from DaHo...