What a Ride! Update

[Guest guest]

Hello My Friends and Famiy!

I apologize for my absence...I see that I have something like 350 emails to

read...welcome to all the new folks...you have found agroup that is closer than

any family...for me it is a new family...more understanding and compassionate

than my " actual " family...I spent the first part of May on a vent in ICU damn

near death...I was purposely paralyzed because I pulled out the vent twice! I

am glad that I do not remember...As it turned out, I had a particularly nasty

infection that was seeping out through my eyes and had filled my lungs with

Pneumoniae....cognitively, I was all to hell....my CO2 levels were racing ahead

of my O2 levels...Patty finaally managed to wrestle me to the ER around

sundown...as soon as Triage saw me, they rushed me in to an exam room...the ER

Docs and nurses were immediately " all over me " ordering tests, xrays, taking

blood, trying to level-out the CO2/O2 and electrolytes.

Finally, the lead Doc asked me if I would go on a vent...

Do What?! Patty said that was my expression...when I would not answer after

repeated requests, the Doc looked at Patty and said he didn't think I had a clue

as to what was going on....then he told Patty that she needed to make the

decision to vent me...to vent me would keep me alive..to not vent would probably

mean death...remember my broken ribs? Well the doc and Patty knew that ANY

chest compresions would cause fractures to rupture internal organs leading to

painful death! Soooooooo, I was vented for nearly a week....the morning after

my admittance to ICU, the Doctor spoke with Patty about my condition...he said

that I had three major systems failing: Arteriole, Pulmonary, Kidneys....he

gave me a 10% survival rate!

Wow! At any rate, I spent a week like this with a vent. The Doctor also said

he believed that a higher power was definitely at work!!! Amen! A week later,

they removed the vent and, God brought me around, back to awareness and

life....I am very weak and still dealing with pneumoniae. I am actually in

worse condition than upon initial onset of Still's Disease.

I am sorry for the length of this email...But, it is like the Doctor

said....folks like us CANNOT afford to overlook any signs/symptoms related to

Stills...like me, I ignored the discharge from my eyes for several days beyond

which I should. I ignored several other s/s....it nearly cost me my life!

Anyway, I am very thankful to be able to report back alive...Everyone please pay

close attention to your signs and symptoms!

Many Blessings to all of you!

Larry B.