Hello everyone! Welcome to 2018. I can honestly say that I am glad 2017 is behind me. It was the year from Hell for me! Why do I say this you ask? Well, read further and you will understand.
I had several issues that caused me heartache last year. First of all, in June of 2016, I abruptly left my job. There were so many restrictions placed on us as Case Managers that I could not effectively do my job and help my clients. For the next 10 months I lived on my VA disability pay which was roughly $700.00 a month. It was difficult to say the least. I trimmed everything I could find, barely went out of the house and basically just Facebooked through everything. I had thought of getting another job but I had worked for over 18 years in the field of Mental Health and another 15 years in the Air Force. I just decided that I would retire when I turned 62 and that is what I did.
In February of 2017, I had some surgery to correct an issue that had been harassing me for several years. I spent some time recovering from this and started to feel better. Then on June 7th, I drove to the VA hospital in Salt Lake City for a scheduled throat operation to correct an obstruction that caused me to have difficulty using my CPAP at night. My throat would close up when I breathed out my air and I would wake up 50 to 60 times a night which was making me exhausted. I had some nasal surgery and a Uvula removal as well as widening my airway a little. The doctor didn't sugar coat anything. He warned me it was going to be very painful and he was not kidding!! That was probably the most painful surgery that I have ever had in my life! I was unable to swallow any of my medication so I ended up having it switched to liquid and put my pills in pudding and jello to get them down. He said it would be 14 days of pain and that is exactly how long it lasted!
I finally healed up from that surgery and flew back to Salt Lake VA Medical Center on the 25th of June for my checkup. I went the day before because I was to see the doctor and he only was there one day a month in the morning. I stayed at the Ramada Inn in Salt Lake as they are very good to the veterans and always take good care of me. The night of the 25 of June I walked the 5 blocks to the Village Inn for supper. I had a good meal and was on my way back to the motel to turn in for the night. One block from the motel a piece of concrete had sunken into the sidewalk and I did not see it. I stepped wrong on it and it flipped me up, bringing me down hard on my left foot, right leg and landing me very hard on my stomach. All of my things were tossed all over the road and I laid there for 15 minutes trying to get up but could not stand on my left foot. Finally, after cars sped by, not stopping to help a nice Hispanic couple stopped and picked me up off the ground and helped me get back to the the motel where I got a cab to the hospital. After several hours, I was sitting in the exam room when the doctor came in and explained that I had broken my left Metatarsal base bone in my foot. They put me in a wrap and doctored up my cuts and bruises, gave me some crutches and told me to be back at 10:00 am the next day where the surgeon would evaluate me. My throat checkup was also the next day at 3:00 pm. I made it to the hospital with the help of the VA Van Service and the doctor ended up admitting me for surgery on the 28th of June. I had to have a screw put in it and would be non weight bearing for 12 weeks!
Sitting in the hospital room, I called my husband in Billings and told him he would have to come down to pick me up and take me home. He would have to be here by the 30th of June. He was pretty worried and said he would be here. The surgery went well and the techs and doctors were all laying down bets on how long it would take! I was released on the 30th and sent back to the motel where I waited for my husband. We would stay over night and leave on the 1st of July for the drive back. The VA had given me so much equipment! I had a walker, a scooter, a frame to go around the toilet to help me get up and down and a big, bulky boot that only came off to sleep. I was not allowed to do stairs so my husband put a bed in the dining room for me and that is where I stayed. It wasn't too bad but not using my foot was pretty hard.
On the 12th of July, I was eating supper when I had severe pain in my lower stomach. I tried to ignore it thinking it was just gas or something but it got so much worse that I was screaming in pain. I started throwing up and thought that I had Appendicitis so my husband rushed me to the ER. After 5 hours there and many tests later it was determined that I was seriously ill and in grave danger of passing away. I was rushed into emergency surgery. I woke up in ICU with an ileostomy bag on my side and no lower bowel. It had all died in less than 24 hours. I was devastated! I cried for hours and even at one point in my drugged stupor, accused my husband of trying to kill me as he made the meal that started everything. I remained in ICU for 2 1/2 days and then was moved to the surgery floor where I began to learn about my new partner who would be with me for the rest of my life. I was sliced from my sternum to just above my pubic area and stapled together. The stoma nurse came every day and talked with me about my new friend and how to care for her. I spent many hours talking to God. I wanted to know why this happened to me. There were no problems like this in my family, not colon problems or cancer, absolutely nothing that would lead to this. The doctor just shook his head and stated that he was unable to tell me anything except that the whole lower bowel had suddenly died. I wanted to know why. Had the VA not made me to go all the way to Salt Lake VA for a 5 minute check up and allowed me to have it here, perhaps this would not have happened. I was pretty mad, then I was bargaining with God, asking him to wake me up from the bad dream I was in and make things OK again but it wasn't to be. It has taken me this long to finally accept my situation and start to live my new life. My diet is changed and everything I eat seems to make my new friend, whom I have named Maxine after Maxine Waters, very angry most of the time. I have had 4 times back to ER with one admission due to a blockage in my stoma. Why do I call her Maxine you ask? Well, it is just a wrinkled up old bag full of crap! The name fits her perfectly! The hardest part of everything was that I was still non weight bearing on my left foot and had my stomach cut open and stapled shut. I could barely hold my self up at one point and for several weeks, it was a challenge to get around. During this time I lost 2/3rds of my hair and that was very depressing! It happened because my body was under such stress from emergency surgery that it couldn't cope. It has now started to grow back in but is still grey!
I have begun to feel much better now. I am able to eat a little better but not much. I have learned what to do when Maxine gets mad so that I can stay out of the hospital. The surgery cost 78,000 dollars and the VA paid for the whole bill. I am very glad that I had the VA! My daughter and son in law moved to Boston in August. He started school in September. We stay in touch through Messenger on the computer. I miss them so much that sometimes I cry when I am alone. I want to see them but I know that it won't be for a long time.
I have started Dave Ramsey's financial plan to get out of debt. Hopefully, it won't take me a really long time to be debt free. I needed this a lot and as I begin my emergency fund and pay off my bills, I have gained a sense of empowerment which I have never had. I pray that I can accomplish this task. This year I made my granddaughter's birthday gifts. It is a start at least. I am paying cash for everything at this point.
I am hoping for a better year in 2018. I am praying that the politics will settle down and that our economy can get even better. I am praying for peace and also for my health. I would like a year with no health issues to worry about. I just want to become renewed in Christ and hope that He sees fit to bless me with a calm year that I can enjoy. As always, Cheers! Freedancer
