Medical Update from 9/25

So, I am told people would like to hear a medical update. Hope this isn’t too long or detailed.

A lot has occurred since the update I sent in the wee hours of September 11th.
Surgery occurred and for those friends who discredited the warnings that my pain and swelling might be equal or worse than the actual injury, you are nuts. J The pain was way worse. Let me quantify. The day or two after the injury had me taking 10 milligrams of Oxycodone every 4 hours. Within a few days, I reduced that to 5 milligrams and stretched the durations as I could. Well, after surgery I was on 20 milligrams of Oxycodone every 3 hours and for the first two days that wasn’t always enough so they gave me morphine through my IV.
Initially I was unable to move my left eye due to pain and they were worried that something was catching inside. After what seemed like a near death experience, they opened my eye and using some fancy forceps verified the eye was not trapped. WOW, was that wild.
I was able to be discharged Sunday evening, which should have put the worst behind me. Not true. By Monday evening we had to call 911 and I took an Ambulance ride to the Renton Valley ER for dehydration and intestinal distress. They gave me two units of IV and did as many tests as they thought necessary before sending me home. Again, that should have meant I was on the mend.
The nausea and intestinal distressed continued. Friday I was again admitted to Harbor View ER for dehydration and other unknown ailments. This time they checked everything: liver, gall bladder, appendix, blockages, blood, etc. They suspected a disease called Clostridium Difficile. It turns out Renton Valley had concluded the same but received a false negative when they did the test.
Without waiting for final results they prescribed two types of medicine and sent me home. The nausea and intestinal distress began to decline, if only in baby steps. Unfortunately, something new was developing. It turns out one of the medicines was attacking my mental frame of mind and I suddenly felt overwhelmed with anxiety and feelings of panic. By Monday I was given a new med and I soon felt like the sun had re-appeared in my life. Finally the healing process was ready to begin.

So, here is the engineering stuff: I have a copy of my post operative CATSCAN which shows 6 titanium plates and by my count 35 titanium screws. It also shows a biomedical material called MEDPOR in my eye socket that allows the eye to rest on something resembling tissue. I still cannot completely close my left eye due to swelling and suture so my eye tends to dry out (try sleeping with your eyes open). Consequently, my left eye sight is not very good. The Ophthalmologist assures me that it is due to the dryness. Once I can close my eye, things should return to normal. I have been able to hydrate the eye at times with eye drops and I have had momentary glimpses of what seems like full vision. The colors seem a little off but that is also likely due to the lack of hydration. Oh yah, I should mention that since my left eye lids don’t close quite right yet, you can see more of my left eye than my right. That is a little weird and un-nerving (just ask my teenager). This Sunday I get to start massaging the eye, eye lids and muscles around the eye. That should help make the lids close better and then make the eyes look more symmetrical. My wife says I look a little like Eye-gore.

All in all, I would say I am doing well and I consider myself very blessed and very lucky.
My Grandson was born while I was in never-never land and mom and baby are doing great."