Posted on 02/06/2023 10:19:24 PM PST by Jim Robinson
I'm still flat on my back. The pressure sores that sent me to the hospital are almost healed, but still too painful for me to spend much time in my power chair, so I spend all my time in bed. The nurse says the wounds are now just superficial, and should be healed very soon. I do have a new spot on my bottom and on my back, but they haven't become sores yet. Hoping to spend more time in my chair each day until completely healed and to prevent more sores on my back.
My hands and arms are already very weak from muscular dystrophy and they're even weaker now after lying in bed for six months. A physical therapist is working with me on range of motion exercises to get my arms stronger again. And that's very painful, but has to be done.
I can't type on the computer while lying in bed, so I'm using speech recognition software to control the computer. The software allows me to navigate by clicking on any link on a page using voice commands. I can do almost any function using voice commands, like opening/closing files, tabs, etc. I can also click on a reply button and enter short replies, however it's almost impossible to enter anything more than just a few words, because the software makes many errors and it takes a long time to clean that up. Consequently, if I have a long post to enter, I have to call Chris in to type it in for me, as he's doing right now.
But I can do most functions in maintaining the website, and the abuse system. So I spend a lot of time now reading and bumping threads to breaking or frontpage news, and handling the abuse reporting system. One thing I cannot do is cut and paste. For example, when I receive an abuse report and a true title needs to be copied from a source, I need to call in Chris to do it for me. Chris has been a real trooper. Not only is he my primary care provider, but he's been doing all my banking/bill-paying/bookkeeping as well as my entire job while I was in the hospital, and a thousand other chores since I went to the hospital.
For about a week before going into the hospital, I was in a lot of pain. I couldn't focus on my work, couldn't eat, sleep, sit/lay in my chair for very long without excruciating pain. I was also constipated for an entire week, and I knew I was in trouble.
The evening before going into the hospital, I asked Chris and John to lift me into bed because I was in so much pain. But even in bed, there was no relief. I kept calling the boys in every five minutes or so to adjust my position, but I still couldn't get relief. They became concerned, so they decided to take me to the VA emergency room.
In the VA, they suspected that I had blocked bowels and were considering surgery. They put tubes in me to feed me and take out the waste. They also found that one of the pressure sores had gone all the way through to the bone, and that I had a sepsis infection. I don't remember very much about that period, because I was literally out of my mind. These things were told to me later.
Chris says that for the first couple weeks, the VA wouldn't allow visitors or anybody to even talk/see me. This hospital had very strict rules because of Covid. John, Chris, and Amy even considered getting a lawyer so that they could talk to me. The VA finally relented, and allowed them to visit me so they could find out what was going on - they literally had absolutely no idea what was happening to me.
I was pretty much out of it that first week and couldn't remember much, but I remember talking to the surgeon and some doctors. They were actually considering surgery for my blocked bowels, but then they decided let's try an enema. Sure enough, cleared that shit up! No surgery was required.
I also remember I couldn't sleep in that first week, and they were begging me to go to sleep, but every time I drifted off I had a repeat of some recurring nightmares. While I was having these nightmare, I knew they were nightmares, but couldn't wake myself up. I knew how they began and how they ended. And once one began, I couldn't wake myself up until it went all the way to the end.
One of the nightmares concerned a pit bull that was released in the hospital, and I could hear him running from room to room, attacking people and chomping on their bones. I knew when he got to my room (which he never did), he'd start chomping on my feet first and work his way up.
Another recurring nightmare was about being in a hospital run by terrorists, and it had a public side and back side. On the public side, they were nice as can be and took real good care of you. But on the back side, they were mean as hell and liked to torture people.
I also became very paranoid, and while slipping in and out of delirium. I had suspicions about being in a government hospital with government employees. I described some of this to John, and he said, "I don't know what they have you on man, but you are loopy!"
They started feeding me broth, and couple days later soft foods like Jello and ice cream. The best part about being in the hospital is ice cream.
There's a lot more to add, but I'll cut this short. The good news is I'm healing. The bad news is it's going to take a bit more time, but we'll get there.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and continuing support.
God bless.
+1
God bless you, Jim. You are a real trooper with a beautiful spirit. My prayers for you today at a special place.
Prayers
Glad you are getting better. And that you had a great time on your first
Camping trip in 3 years. We pray for you Jim as well as thank you and your
family for this great site. God Bless you.
Good to see you out and about! Still praying for you to get better every day.
Jim.
Prayers continue. Glad you are getting out to enjoy the outdoors!
Jim, so glad things are on the upswing for you. I know firsthand how those camping trips are good for the soul. As always, thanks for all you (and Chris) do, and prayers up for your continued progress.
Proverbs 24:16, can’t keep a good man down.
Great to hear you’re doing better, payers up.
Prayers up, Jim
L
God bless you 🙏🙏
Praise the Lord!
Prayers for you, Jim.
Jim, I LOVE your T-Shirt. (UNATHLETIC) LOL.
((((HUGS))))
BTTT American Hero Jim Robinson.
thank you for the pictures and the update.
god bless you always and keep getting stronger
Casa de Fruta?
Izzat in San Francisco?...................😜
I have a friend mile away who was hit by a drunk in the 90's and left with only very limited physical ability, that of a only a little use of arms, enough to use a elect. wheel chair. He is not a vet (thank you for your service) and has no family that helps, and has been in a cycle for years under state gov. health care, of home PCA's not showing up, and then getting bed sores, resulting in months locked in a nursing home (sometimes the ER first, and sometimes rehab last), then back to his handicapped apt. Rinse and repeat. Yet he loves to get out and about. It is a systemic problem. Yet thank God for the care he can get.
when I receive an abuse report and a true title needs to be copied from a source, I need to call in Chris to do it for me.
Meaning posters should be careful to include the actual title.
May you find the grace to handle what you must, even as an old warrior, and in the surrender and consecration of faith persevere to serve the Lord who will never lose, and will put all His enemies under His feet. Yet amid the increasingly perverse world, it is the condition of His blood-bought body of Christ that it is His primary concern, and has a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when our obedience is fulfilled. (2 Corinthians 10:6)
Ping to pray
Thanks to all, for the updates and pictures. Welcome back to the recovery zone. Progress I’m sure is much slower than you would desire, but it’s progress, and again thanks for sharing.
Jim, I’m sure the majority here would share their own physical strength with you if that was possible, but prayers can do the same thing and you have them by the thousands.
Some of us have been along for the great ride for almost as long as Jim’s signup date, and it has been an interesting and eventful ride of site survival through all kinds of challenges.
I’d wish for Freerepublic another perhaps less challenging twenty five years of survival and progress in the future. Thanks for promoting the principles of Liberty for the first twenty five and hopefully the next twenty five.
Long live the Freerepublic, both of them.
Best wishes, and God Bless you, Jim.
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