F.U. C.I.P.D

Fuck you Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. Fuck you.

In April I was almost ready to run my 30th marathon. In the rest of 2014 I probably would've run by 31st and maybe two more. 

Instead I spent May June and July in a hospital bed. I had my blood filtered through a hole in my carotid artery. I had chemotherapy.  I learned what an EMG test is, Google it, I needed three of them.

I asked my doctors, top doctors, what would have happened to me if I was out of shape?I They said that being in marathon shape help me survive.  Survive?!  That made sense to me. I always felt it was important to stay fit because some random crappy thing could happen to anyone. People get hit by truck's people get cancer people get really sick and if you're not fit it could be the last thing that happens to you.

I spend July, August and a chunk of September in a rehab facility. Really a nursing home with the gym. Not so much fun but I regained enough strength to go home.

I didn't know how wonderful it would be to be home till I was separated from my home. The hospital was like a prison with an indeterminate sentence. I hated being separated from my family. Being visited sucked,I wanted to be home with my family

Now I'm home I'm with my family and I have a little bit of control over my life. I can't do everything I want to do but I do understand that I have a long road ahead of me. I don't know how long the road is but I know all I have to do is keep moving at a steady pace and I'll get there.

Good riddance 2014.

Bring on 2015

This was my happy thought

I was in four different hospitals in over four months and often thought of myself in this very spot. I'm under the Meadowport arch in Prospect Park.

It's good to be home.

From and including: Wednesday, May 7, 2014
To, but not including Thursday, September 18, 2014

Result: 134 days

It is 134 days from the start date to the end date, but not including the end date

Or 4 months, 11 days excluding the end date

Alternative time units

134 days can be converted to one of these units:

• 11,577,600 seconds
• 192,960 minutes
• 3216 hours
• 134 days
• 19 weeks (rounded down)

Get on up

Sometime in the next 24 to 36 hours you're going to feel the need to go to the bathroom. You're going to get up, go to an appropriate place, take off an appropriate amount of clothing, sit down for an appropriate amount of time, and when you're done you're going to clean yourself. Hopefully get up and wash your hands leave the room and move on with life.

If you are a believer thank your God that you can do this without pressing a button, and calling for help, using a sliding board and a commode chair that was specifically adjusted for your height. If you're not a believer just don't take taking a shit for granted.

Chemo-date

Its been 11 weeks in the hospital and I've met a lot of people, and I've had a lot of roommates. Sometimes were only separated by a curtain, so I can't help but overhear the caring conversations between husbands and wives.

I'm just saying if you're going to get sick its good to be married.

So if you haven't met me and only know me from my blog you might think I'm a single dad. But I'm not. My wife just prefers to be left out of the blogespeare.  A couple of weeks ago I had to endure chemotherapy. I thought the worst part was going to be that I had to be quarantined. Visits from my friends have really been wonderful. However being quarantined was the best part. I never knew it would take chemotherapy to actually spend some quality time with my wife.

Who knew?

P.S. the chemo didn't make me sick, but I decided to get a crew cut in advance of possibly loosing my hair.

P.P.S. we don't know yet if the chemo actually worked.

A moment of politics

I have been watching TV and it seems people are freaking out because some helpless children were sent by their desperate parents for a better life in the United States.

It makes me think of the p.c.t. (personal care technicians ) who take care of my, well... personal needs while I'm in rehab now. They're all immigrants and I've gotten to know them. There all working double shifts because there children are all in medical school. I also know more then a handful of people who spent more then 100 thousand dollars to adopt.

I'm also good friends with a handful of totally illegal aliens who are model citizens and would do anything to make it real but there was nothing for them to do.

So why are people waving signs at children in school buses that say "rule of law"? What law are they even talking about?

Typed by Sabrina.

It just occurred to me that if I were to get better tomorrow I would paint a flag on my car drive to Texas and try to adopt a baby maybe I could start a movement of compassion

Family and friends help too

99% of the reason I didn't lose my mind is the wonderful care from the staff.
The other 1% is the Xanax.

Successfully got through chemo and left the staff at the hospital this note as I returned to rehab.

What Is a stronger word for thank you?

For the nurses and aides who treat me better than many people treat their own children.

For the therapists who routinely get hurt so I won't get hurt.

For the people who bring me my meals and treat me better than any waiter ever did.

For the people who clean my room who see me once a week and know my name.

For the doctors who work tirelessly to fix me.

To the Recreational Therapist who came in on a Saturday and helped me type this.

To the medical schools who taught one young nurse how to properly diagnose me and got me to go to the hospital immediately.

Lawrence O'Donnell said it better than me, but I would have used the whole hour.



Later I will write things that may make you laugh and things that have made me cry.

What You Shouldn't Have To Know Because You Are Not Me.

Guillian-Barre Syndrome

More later when I can type.

it is like I was on my last long run before a marathon and I got hit by  a truck, then the ambulace got hit by a truck.

Good news - Bad News from the dentest

This wont hurt so much because you already had root canal on that tooth.

 This is what I looked like.......