Serk down! Another Update! Latest News!

[Bret SD]

Got another batch of messages today! I think I'm the first person in many years to get messages this way, they seem baffled as to WHAT it is each time they bring me the papers... Heh...

Another update I made on social media relaying here:



Another non update update. On walkabout around campus now just to get outta my room.

I feel fine other than the 3 hoses sticking out of my side. Most of the time.

There's a meeting of the "complex cases" boffins tomorrow where they'll hash out the timing and details of my go home plan, will update once that's done and communicated to me.

Have been told I'll almost definitely go home with at least one drain and the PICC line and daily iv antibiotics that they'll teach me to administer.

They've started weaning me off the opoid pain killers which I'm mostly okay with, I don't want to like those things too much. Only needed to ask for them again a few times.

My blood sugar has been fine with no insulin the past week or so. In light of that I talked them into totally stopping the finger prick sugar tests 4 times a day. Finally the two fingers I could reliably get a blood drop from can get a break!

Oh wow! While sitting here writing this a lady walked by pushing a harp on a cart! Gave me Faire flashbacks except I don't have a stogie and a bee sting! Turns out there's a music therapy department, she gave me the info to give my nurse, just ask and can get a personal harp concert in my room!

Despite it all life is beautiful!

Good stuff Maynard.. glad to hear you're getting better. That's a loooong time in hospital, I was going nuts having to stay a second night after the incident.. lol

A great attitude is everything, I'd say you have it all.. keep walking to health and wellness, Brian! 

[Serk]

BREAKING NEWS!!!

Just got word that if tomorrow's labs look good I will be going home tomorrow, Friday 9/22... Just in time to be home for Kali 's 21st birthday on Saturday!!!

[bassman]

WooHoo !!!!   That would be fantastic.....GREAT "present" for Kali !!!   Wishing you well !

[Oss]

Wonder how many months until you can start imbibing your favorite single malt?

Here is to hoping you get to celebrate her milestone at home

[Valkorado]

 

Glad you may be getting sprung out.

[3fan4life]

GREAT NEWS on going home today!


I'm not sure if I would really like to hear harp music while in the hospital.

I think that I might find that a little disconcerting. 

[f6john]

Home, how sweet it is. Sleep in your own bed, peace and quiet, crap in your own crapper!!! Can it get any better??? Happy for you and whole family that this ordeal is winding down.

[t-man403]

BREAKING NEWS!!!

Just got word that if tomorrow's labs look good I will be going home tomorrow, Friday 9/22... Just in time to be home for Kali 's 21st birthday on Saturday!!!

Been following this from the beginning and this is wonderful news to say the least! 

[Disco]

I heard a seriously good rumor from a very well-placed source...       

[Valkorado]

I heard a seriously good rumor from a very well-placed source...       

[Serk]

I heard a seriously good rumor from a very well-placed source...       

LOL!!!

Hospital ID has been cut off.  Dobby is freeeeeee!
For those interested:
54 days, 19 hours, 0 minutes and 0 seconds can be converted to one of these units:
4,734,000 seconds
78,900 minutes
1315 hours
54 days (rounded down)
7 weeks (rounded down)
15.01% of 2023



Still a long road to hoe, but..... I'm home... Get to sleep in my own bed tonight, and if she behaves and doesn't try to eat one of my drain bags, with my favorite dog asleep on my feet...

[Willow]

 

[Valkorado]

This is good Serk.  Family helps heal.  Dogs are family.  Soak up the love (I hear German Shepherd kisses are also magically healing)!

[NewValker]

Great news!  Go easy and heal up 

Craig

[bassman]

EXCELLENT !!   

[scooperhsd]

Great News !

Cats purring is thought to aid healing also.

[carolinarider09]

Good news.   One more step forward.

[Jess from VA]

 

That is one happy face.   

[TJ]

 

[ridingron]

I heard a seriously good rumor from a very well-placed source...       

LOL!!!

Hospital ID has been cut off.  Dobby is freeeeeee!
For those interested:
54 days, 19 hours, 0 minutes and 0 seconds can be converted to one of these units:
4,734,000 seconds
78,900 minutes
1315 hours
54 days (rounded down)
7 weeks (rounded down)
15.01% of 2023



Still a long road to hoe, but..... I'm home... Get to sleep in my own bed tonight, and if she behaves and doesn't try to eat one of my drain bags, with my favorite dog asleep on my feet...

It might be a long row to hoe but healing at home is better.

[old2soon]

     Gld yer home Bro!  After ALL you've been through LISTEN and HEED what those saw bones tellz ya! RIDE SAFE.

[Bret SD]

Well done! 

[Farside]

Wow, in wayyyy to long. Nice to have you out Serk. Now enjoy your Fall time reunion with your family!

[Oss]

This is the kind of news it is great to wake up to

Congrats !

[Serk]

Had an (Almost) REAL shower with real shampoo any everything yesterday, felt soooooo good, ALMOST made me forget about the drains and PICC hanging out of my corpus...



So tonight I had some prescriptions needing picked up for immediate use. Tarynn was briefly out of town on another prescription related errand (Which is a comedy of errors story for another time involving marijuana, Army bases and all kinds of fun stuff), my mom is out of town, my dad is picking Serk Jr up from his (Victorious!) sportsball game, and my car is in the shop getting a new tranny (The old fashioned kind, not the Bud Light kind.)

So what's a poor invalid with bags hanging out of his body fresh out of the hospital to do?





I did get a few funny looks standing in line, wearing Senate dress code approved athletic shorts, sandals, a full leather biker jacket with drain bags hanging out but no one said anything... (I tucked 'em into the jacket for the ride) but MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!



Okay so, pinky promise no one tells Tarynn, 'cause if she found out she'd finish the job my gall bladder started, but...

[The emperor has no clothes]

That's daring and encouraging at the same time, but be careful my friend.

(Man, that's a long time to go without a shower !)

[Valkorado]

Haha.  You're Winging it!  Both to the store, and with your marriage!  No worries, your secret is safe with us.  I'll bet it was a freaking blast, and worth the gamble.

[scooperhsd]

That's when you KNOW they love you - they give you hell for something you KNOW you shouldn't be doing  

Keep making progress on the healing.

[3fan4life]

That's when you KNOW they love you - they give you hell for something you KNOW you shouldn't be doing  

Keep making progress on the healing.

We're  guys, we are "Always" doing something that our wives think we shouldn't be doing.   

[Serk]

(Man, that's a long time to go without a shower !)

I did have very attractive 20 something nurses and techs wiping me down periodically but yeah, not the same thing as a real shower, not by a long stretch...

Haha.  You're Winging it!  Both to the store, and with your marriage!  No worries, your secret is safe with us.  I'll bet it was a freaking blast, and worth the gamble.

Oh the wind was incredible! The tires were a little low for my tastes but I didn't have the energy to fully air 'em up but rode fine... The drug store was only ~2 miles from home so wasn't like a long ride but that tiny taste of wind.....

Today I had a bad blood draw, they had to hunt for a vein and keep hunting while getting the blood, took a long time. While doing it "Honey, if I tell you something medical related promise you won't get mad? And told her...

"Um, do you think I didn't figure out the prescriptions didn't just magically appear at home? I knew what you did. Figured you'd do it sooner or later..."

That's when you KNOW they love you - they give you hell for something you KNOW you shouldn't be doing  

Keep making progress on the healing.

True true... Or they just don't wanna clean up the mess...
Doing my best on the progress... Tired today but today was a super busy day so.....

We're  guys, we are "Always" doing something that our wives think we shouldn't be doing.   

*Whistles Innocently*

[Jess from VA]

I did have very attractive 20 something nurses and techs wiping me down periodically but yeah, not the same thing as a real shower, not by a long stretch...

Tell me about it.  The first (and only) hospital nurse to give me bed baths became my first wife.  She offered to give a full body wash, but I passed acting too shy, but really I knew for a fact I was going to produce uncontrollable wood if that happened.  I was 20 something.

Still, it was much better than a real shower. 

I mean, she had a great personality too. 

Good thing you already have a wife.   

[Valkorado]

Prolly just a wee dram would be okay.  Just a wee one, or three!   

[flsix]

Soooo good to see that you are finally home and enjoying life outside of a hospital room.
May the healing continue.

[Serk]

I've had a few folks reach out to me asking how I'm doing lately, so figured an update post is past due...

I'm still home, still have drains, the PICC line and daily antibiotic infusions (And near constant pain from the drains ).

Tarynn has been an absolute rock star keeping all my appointments, meds, procedures, infusions, drain maintenance etc on track!

Yesterday had to go in for a "drain study" (Thus the hospital gown) but luckily it was outpatient so went home afterwards. They put a X-ray on me and shoot contrast solution up the drain to make sure it's still where they want it; for now it was so they didn't replace anything inside me, however they did replace the drain bag itself from a large Foley to a smaller JP drain.

Try as I might I couldn't talk 'em into just taking the drains out, at least not yet. Still no guess at a timeframe as to when that might happen, which is hard for me to deal with but I'll get through it.

Per the frequent CT scans the abscess is shrinking, just painfully slowly, and as of yet the risk of open surgery to just remove it isn't worth it (Or so they say, I might disagree a bit.)

So yeah. I'm getting along, inching towards recovery but it's an extremely slow (Frustratingly so!) process.....

[scooperhsd]

Keep your chin up, Big Guy !  At least you're still alive to complain about it

PS - Aren't wives awesome ?

[Oss]

Hang tough big guy

Glad things are moving the right way for you

[Valkorado]

Thanks for the update Serk.  Sorry you're still a bit tethered up with tubes and drains and hate hearing about your steady pain.  I hope they can find some non-addictive solutions.

I really do swear by curcumin (turmeric) with black pepper extract for general pain relief. There are many brands available.  It just seems to ease inflammation for me multi systemically.  It's part of my daily routine and I really notice it if I go without.

Maybe more controversial, I've also used essiac tea with some positive results.  Some consider it plain voodoo but I think there's something to it.  There are numerous claims of tumor and abscess shrinkage (possibly), and even cancer diagnosis reversals (doubtfully).  It tastes pretty awful but honey and lemon helps a bit.  Miracle claims aside, in my experience it is very soothing and has helped me in the past when fighting through agonizing diverticulitis pain.

Again, just a couple suggestions.  Of course I ain't no doc and didn't even sleep at a Holiday Inn last night so ask first.  Glad to hear you're progressing, at home with loved ones and are maintaining a good attitude.  You'll beat this.

[Serk]

Hope I'm not oversharing here, but if I put it on new social media, figure I'll mirror it over to legacy social media as well:

Minor health update and milestone - My infectious disease doctor (Dr. Spak, pronounced, yes, as Dr. Spock) made the call to switch me off IV antibiotics and onto oral, meaning my PICC line got pulled yesterday. That whole purple line ran from my arm to just outside my heart the last few months.

While it's a nice milestone and definitely progress in the right direction, that also means blood draws or contrast for CT scans will require sticking me now, but progress is progress, so.....

Still no update on when the drainage tubes go, it's producing a LOT of gunk lately so doubtful it'll be anytime soon, but, as Shrek says "Better out than in I always say" as far as the gunk...

As she has been through this whole thing Tarynn has been incredible putting up with my idiosyncrasies, supporting me and helping me through this. Love you hon!

[RNFWP]

Thanks for sharing / keeping us updated.
"progress is progress" sounds like good news to me.
...and the wife's still with ya... 

[carolinarider09]

Thanks for the update and as stated above, progress is progress. 

As long as it is a forward move, it's good.