A Christmas miracle, of sorts. Against all odds...

[Keith H. Thompson]

Bill Your Original Post should be required reading for those of us whose response to chronic pain is to sit impatiently in a chair waiting for four hours to pass until the next dose of opiates.

[JustinD]

Hi Bill!

I don't often tell this story in it's entirety but I pray it will bring you hope that things can turn in a good direction when the tides work against you.

In 2009 I married the love of my life, and was happier than I had ever been. Secure in my life in good health and going on my 16th year with my employer in a job I loved.

In spring of 2010 I was called into a meeting with upper management and told that the board had decided that my position was better serviced by an outside contractor and given an envelope with a severance and a handshake for those 16 years.

I had not looked for job since the early 90's and was planning on retiring from that job. I found myself at the library getting resume books and standing in the unemployment line trying to figure out the convoluted process they put folks through.

After just two weeks my family doctor who I had seen just the day prior to to the layoff asked if I could come in for some additional tests as the ones he ran looked odd. After more tests, he told me I had colon cancer.

I put the job search on hold and scheduled surgery asap in which all of my large intestines were removed and the small intestines remaining were experimentally reattached directly to my rectum to avoid a colostomy.

I was to start chemo within a week. I became feverish, and was readmitted to the hospital. An ultrasound and x-rays found that the surgery site was leaking into my chest and I could die in hours if the abscess it formed was to burst and sepsis was already setting in. Two drainage tubes for infection were placed in my chest and I had bags that collected the infectious material . A Pik line was put in my right arm to my heart and a home nurse administered the strongest antibiotics throughout the day to fight it. After 2 months of this, the PIK was removed and I went in for another surgery to install the chest port for my chemo.

Chemo started a couple weeks later and to those who have done it, you know the fun. I vomited 8 hours a day and lost over 40 pounds. My wife and friends became more distant as after the initial care of a sick one, people tend to burn out. It's human nature.

I had a friend check on my wife as I was bed bound...she was having an affair with a coworker. I broached this and was told she couldn't deal with my problems. It was "too much".

I asked her to leave and was now living off disability (400 monthly) and looking for options. I was lucky enough to have been a collector my whole life. I got on eBay and started selling. I had held on to everything in life, all my childhood toys, my sports cards, clothes. It was all sold and saved us.

I was able to pay the rent, but not credit cards or car notes so my credit was destroyed. My son and I would collect returnable cans at friends and family's homes so we could eat. (usually peanut butter and jelly sandwiches)

By 2012 I was in remission. I had no short term memory from the chemo so I started walking to get the ability to move and doing mental puzzles to retrain my mind. I started with simple child find-a-word puzzles, then to crosswords and on to sudoku. Everything getting more difficult and my brain starting to work like it should. My walking started with a cane just to the stop sign 4 houses down, then the end of the street, then around the block. My son challenged me to leave the cane and in a couple months we were playing pick up basketball.

I started looking for work in mid 2012 and found temp work. It was difficult to get a great interview with a 18 month employment gap. I worked my ass off daily to make a name for myself.

The company recognized my effort and hired me in and I quickly rose through the ranks. I met a beautiful woman who worked on a neighboring team at work and was amazingly educated and open to my history.

I was promoted to leadership last year and now make more than I ever did, enjoy my work more than I ever did and have more opportunity for growth than I ever did. That lovely lady became my wife 13 months ago and we bought a beautiful home in an great neighborhood so my son can attend a prestigious school.

There is not one facet of my life that is not better than it once was prior to that low tide.

I feel for you greatly and admire the perseverance you are showing and I sincerely hope you can do the same completely and look back on your prior days as just the build to the great life you now have.

I hope me posting this is not taken as trying to steal your post at all. I just wanted to offer a positive reverse on adversity.

Without rainy days would we ever notice the sunny ones?

...here's to your future sunny days.

Good luck my friend.

[irv]

Originally Posted by the 'stache

Hey everybody,

I have a bit of an inspirational story to share with everyone, and I hope that this will help those on Net 54 who might be struggling a bit right now find strength.

Some, or many of you might remember that I have been on medical disability for the last five years, or so. For those of you who are new, or might not remember, about nine years ago, I hurt my back while helping my then girlfriend move into her new place. While carrying the very last thing to go into the apartment, one of those old 27" tube televisions, I started to lose my grip halfway up the stairs. I bent over a little bit, and felt something snap in my back. I fractured the T-12 vertebra, a 70% compression fracture. I also tore two discs in my lower back, and they bulged out under the pressure. It was also discovered that I have spinal stenosis. I had multiple surgeries to fix my back as much as possible, but when the issues began to reappear, all the doctors could do was keep me comfortable, as I was not a candidate for multi-tiered spinal fusion or disc replacement surgery. I worked on and off for a few years until my back got so bad I could barely get out of bed, even taking Vicodin every six hours. For the better part of the last five years, I slept, went to doctors appointments, and tried to maintain my sanity. Everything that I'd worked so hard to achieve had been taken away from me. The only possible "fix" on the horizon was an experimental stem cell procedure. But, of course, insurance would not cover it. I had the money saved to pay for the procedure, but not knowing if it would work or not seemed to be too great a gamble to take. That money was my safety net if I got hurt again, so I elected to continue saving specifically for the procedure, or hope that the insurance companies would change their opinion. I made the right decision, as I shattered the femur in my left leg into six pieces not long after joining Net 54, and spent nearly a month in the hospital fighting sepsis.

About four months ago, I'd reached my boiling point. My friends were getting married, having children, traveling, getting big promotions, and generally enjoying life. I was happy for them, of course, but I wanted my own life back, and I don't think that was being selfish. I had too much to accomplish in my life. I wanted to see the world, and I wasn't going to do any of it flat on my back. So, I began reading.

It occurred to me that, instead of relying on medicine, and technology, I might be able to improve my own health. I'd always been athletic in high school, and in college (before blowing out my knee), even with the bone issue I was born with. I thought maybe I could strengthen my body to the point where I could offset some of the stress on my back, thereby lessening the pain I experienced daily. I started making changes, little ones at first. The progress was slow. Too slow. But I soldiered on. First, I stopped drinking soda. I stopped drinking everything but water. Caffeine is the overnight stockbroker's best friend, but to somebody living a sedentary lifestyle, the chemicals in the soda were destructive. The calories were empty. I started getting up in the morning to make myself breakfast. High fiber, high protein. Lots of fresh fruit (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries...every day) with my shredded wheat and lite vanilla soy milk. High in calcium for my bones. I upped my vitamin D and calcium take, under doctor supervision. I ate more vegetables, and eliminated all fast food. I ate more meals each day, in order to boost my metabolism. I started shedding weight, enough to where I could get up, and try to get some exercise. I started doing 15 minute walks. Then half an hour. Progressing slowly, I was able to get up to two hours, at a pace just short of jogging. I started doing push ups on the stairs, the incline meaning less stress on my back. I felt surprisingly good doing all this. Then, I decided to really go for it. I signed up at a local gym, and began hitting the exercise bike. 45 minutes a day, every day. That went well. 5-600 calories being burned 6 days a week, with the improvements to my diet, shed more pounds. The stress on my spine lessened. Then, I began hitting the weights six weeks ago. After my 45 minutes of cardio, I now do an hour on weight machines. And, two weeks ago, I started working with resistance bands at home to strengthen my core.

I've been able to cut my pain medication from once every six hours to once every twelve hours, and there are times when I can skip one of those. I can sleep again, most nights, without a muscle relaxer. All the additional water retention I've realized from these drugs has gone. I've shed 43 pounds from when I was on the operating table for my second back surgery, and I've lost nearly 6 inches from my waistline. I'm seeing definition in my shoulders, back, chest, arms and legs that I haven't seen since college. My left knee no longer hurts, save for some soreness after exercising. But most importantly, if I can keep this up, and make my core strong enough, I should be able to get off of pain medication completely, using only the occasional over-the-counter medication. That would mean I could get medical clearance, get off of disability, and go back to work. My firm had already told me they have my position open should I resolve the medical issues. So, my life is there for the taking once again. Everything that had been taken away from me is within reach.

The bottom line is that I just decided that I was no longer going to be held captive by these injuries. The road back to where I am now has been incredibly hard, but completely worth it. My left leg, which has a foot long titanium rod and some 14 screws, and a completely rebuilt ACL, is strong.

Christmas is the time of miracles, and when I look at how far I have come, and the odds that I have battled, I can't help but feel that this is a miracle of sorts. It's amazing what we can accomplish when we put our minds to it, and refuse to be held down. So, to you, my friends, that might be struggling right now...keep fighting. Don't give up. We are all capable of doing incredible things if only we fight for them. I'm not quite where I need to be yet, but it's only a matter of time. I'll be back at work, and then able to really start working on my vintage and pre-war collections soon.

Merry Christmas, everybody! God Bless!

Truly an inspirational story, Bill.

Congratulations on your new found joy for life again and not giving up hope!

I am going to have my son read this post to show him how quick things can change.
He is a typical 15 yr old and always sighs or gets frustrated with me when I try to teach him something concerning his body and his well being. (Proper sleep, proper diet, lifting techniques, not trying to be a hero when he is lifting/moving something (ask for help) and a variety of other things)

Thanks for sharing your story, and good luck with your future progress!

Merry Christmas.

[Joe_G.]

Inspirational Bill & Justin, keep up the good fight.

[thetruthisoutthere]

Originally Posted by the 'stache

David, I cut out salt, too. I've never been a big salt shaker guy (my father, however, is another story), but I never payed attention to sodium content in foods I bought. Now, I do, and since becoming more conscientious of salt, I find that I'm retaining a lot less water (that, and reducing the narcotic pain meds, together with exercise, has made an incredibly noticeable difference in the puffiness of my face. I look almost back to 100% normal).

The biggest change, I think, as simple as it sounds, was getting soda out of my system, and drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day. I have one of those really nice 24 oz Contigo double vacuum drink containers, and 14 hours later, if I haven't finished everything inside, there's still ice. I love my water cold, so this thing makes going through a lot of water so easy. And this water has flushed a lot of impurities out of my body. I sleep better, and feel better (and have no more caffeine headaches).

Body chemistry is such a delicate thing. Making a few simple changes can have immediate, lasting benefits. Like you had experienced, I've had a huge boost to my energy level. I don't "love" going to the gym, but I don't have any problems getting motivated to go in. After, I stop and get a 20 oz gladiator protein smoothie with blueberries and banana. Banana is a high natural sugar fruit, but my friend in Houston, who is a certified personal trainer, said for what I am doing, the benefits outweigh the sugar content. For one thing, I am able to bounce back much more quickly after a workout, as bananas reduce muscle soreness. And the anti-oxidants in berries are wonderful for health.

The 45 g of protein is great, as protein is the big fat burner. I go to Smoothie King when I haven't had my scrambled eggs with breakfast. Easy to digest whey protein is my rocket fuel, really.

Good luck with getting back to where you were. Just stay consistent, and you'll get back there.

Happy to be of some inspiration to you guys.

Bill, yours is a very inspirational story.

[Paul S]

Bill - My first hope is that you continue on with great success. Sincerely.

My second hope is that now I won't have to continue on pouring through reams of comparative stats in the Watercooler section

Keep up the good work! - Paul

[mrvster]

great and uplifting!

God Bless and great to hear

[brookdodger55]

Truly Amazing story, keep going strong, As the great Basketball coach Jimmy Vallvano once said "Don't give up, Don't ever give up. Merry Christmas and God Bless 😄

[brian1961]

Hey, Bill. Thank you for sharing with us your very moving personal journey towards getting your health and life back. Immensely inspiring.

I had to make similar adjustments when my doctor diagnosed me with Type 2 blood sugar diabetes. Power walks transformed my life and I lost almost 50 pounds. I only go 3 miles, but that's what I can handle. We have good tap water, so I really don't miss the daily Coke or 7-Up mixed with OJ.

I would like to offer you a free complimentary copy of my book, NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN. It's about post-war 1947 -1971 regional / food issues. They may hold no interest to you. Also, it's a non-traditional book, being an E-book on a CD. You're a computer wiz, and likely your computer is equipped with ADOBE READER, so you should be able to read it just fine on your screen. If you're interested, PM me with your mailing address and I promise I'll get it to you before Christmas.

If you're disinterested, fine. Regardless, I wish you the very, very best, Bill. Like me, one day at a time.

---Brian Powell

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by brian1961

Hey, Bill. Thank you for sharing with us your very moving personal journey towards getting your health and life back. Immensely inspiring.

I had to make similar adjustments when my doctor diagnosed me with Type 2 blood sugar diabetes. Power walks transformed my life and I lost almost 50 pounds. I only go 3 miles, but that's what I can handle. We have good tap water, so I really don't miss the daily Coke or 7-Up mixed with OJ.

I would like to offer you a free complimentary copy of my book, NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN. It's about post-war 1947 -1971 regional / food issues. They may hold no interest to you. Also, it's a non-traditional book, being an E-book on a CD. Your a computer wiz, and likely your computer is equipped with ADOBE READER, so you should be able to read it just fine on your screen. If youre interested, PM me with your mailing address and I promise I'll get it to you before Christmas.

If you're disinterested, fine. Regardless, I wish you the very, very best, Bill. Like me, one day at a time.

---Brian Powell

That is very cool offer Brian, Bill if I was you I would take him up on it as it is a very good book with some awesome information about the cards. I know I am very happy with the copy I purchased.

Really Brian coke with OJ? Not even vodka would make that good.

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by bnorth

That is very cool offer Brian, Bill if I was you I would take him up on it as it is a very good book with some awesome information about the cards. I know I am very happy with the copy I purchased.

Really Brian coke with OJ? Not even vodka would make that good.

Ben, thank you for the vote of confidence. It made my day.

Now to the items I used to enjoy. It was Coca-Cola, by itself. The mixed beverage was 7-UP and Orange Juice. I wholeheartedly agree---Coke and OJ sounds repulsive! I got away from drinking alcohol years ago. Among other reasons, it destroyed my brother's life. ---Brian Powell

[dabigyankeeman]

WTG Bill. Happy for you, and proud of you. This is great news.

I am trying to get myself in better shape now. You are an inspiration to me, I have been doing some of the things you have (with the eating), havent started exercising yet. Gonna work hard now!!!

I have been heavy (REALLY HEAVY) for a long time, and 1-1/2 years ago lost 100 pounds (and needed to lose another 50-70 still), then my wife was diagnosed with stage 4 metastasized cancer and from the stress I put 80 pounds back on and stopped exercising totally. Now I am down 20 pounds from eating better and really need to start slowly getting back into exercising. The stress is still here, so its hard, but I am going to do it. I'm 68 so its a little harder for me than a younger guy to lose and to get into exercising, but I know it can be done.

Again, really happy for you!!!

[brian1961]

Arnie, I am so sorry to hear about your wife. May the Lord God help you both. Honestly, the walking really revitalized my life, along with the diet / beverage adjustments. I still enjoy a few sweets and "portion management" is the constant order of the day, but the sweetened soda had to go. I'm sure the stress over your dear wife is excruciating. Thoughts and prayers for you as well as Bill Gregory. ---Brian Powell

[the 'stache]

Dustin,

Thank you! Keep pushing. I hope the progress you've made continues!


Curt,

We have to be resilient! Someday, lightning will strike, and the Brew Crew will win it all. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway. Thank you for the kind words.


Brett,

Good luck with the changes you've made, too.


Rich,

Believe me, I will be there, and soon. I've been chomping at the bit to get out there for a while. Probably once I get back to work, which I am targeting for the start of summer. If I'm around old cards, I am going to want to buy. Cashing a regular paycheck will make a lot of my collecting goals immediately attainable again.


Erik,

Yes, the progress, initially, was very slow (maddeningly so), but the last few months things have really picked up for me. So, I'm seeing the finish line, so to speak.

We did the trial for a dorsal column stimulator, where they do a temporary placements of the leads beneath the skin, but it didn't work for me. One, they couldn't get the tingling up high enough on my spine to cover the pain from T-12, and the stim unit also made my upper legs numb, even after meeting with the tech a few days after the procedure, and an adjustment to the device. I had real hopes for it, too. But I'm glad it's helped you. Thank you for the encouragement, and I hope you're able to continue enjoying the gains you've made. Getting off the Oxy is the best thing you could ever do for yourself. I can't wait to put Vicodin in my past for good!


Tom,

Yeah, I don't ever want to go under the knife unless it's absolutely necessary. I'm blessed to have a great, ultra-conservative surgeon who will not put me in the O.R. unless we've exhausted all the other possible options. I wish more doctors were like that. Sometimes, I think our society has led doctors to believe surgical intervention is the only cure, and that's so often not the case.

Keep working hard. Like you, my outlook has improved dramatically, and I have no doubt that my spirits being lifted like this is helping me to recover faster. Good luck, and thank you!


Keith,

I've been in pain for periods throughout my life because of the osteogenesis imperfecta I was born with. Some 25, or so, fractures by age 16. But this...what I've gone through, is completely different. If I broke an arm, I had to wait five weeks, and the pain would go away, and I'd be back to normal. This pain just dragged on and on, and it really got deflating. I've learned to have a whole new appreciation for others that go through this. Patience is the key. That, and understanding.


Justin,

Thank you so much for sharing what you've been through. Please, don't feel for a moment that you're "stealing my post" at all. This thread is meant to be an inspiration to others who are going through tough times of any origin, be it medical in nature, or having difficulty finding a job. And, what you've come back from is as inspiring as inspiration gets. Life is full of tests, and these bumps in the road (or, more accurately, in your case, mountains) can seem incredibly daunting, and almost impossible to overcome. I was at that stage. Being in chronic pain is the worst thing I've ever had to deal with, and there were times I wondered if my life was over. But those kinds of dim prospects for the future are often what challenges us, and helps us to find inner strength that we never knew existed. I had a quiet little talk with myself, one night as I was trying to fall asleep, and said that when I got up in the morning, I was going to start down a path to something better. I knew it would be slow, and tedious, but if anybody could fix where I was, it was me. I wanted to do it all in one day, but understood that progress had to come slowly. And now that I'm seeing myself stronger, and appearing like I've shaved ten years off my life, I'm inspired to keep going, and push myself even harder.

What you've been able to do is nothing short of remarkable. I'm so happy for you! Some people are given great things, and they take them for granted. I will never do that again, and I know that after all you've been through, againt seemingly insurmountable odds, you absolutely appreciate things more than you ever have. You deserve all the happiness you have in your life. And you're absolutely right. Without those dark days, I don't know how I could possibly notice, or fully appreciate the bright ones ahead. But rest assured, I will. This experience has completely changed my life. I feel as if I've always been a good, kind, decent human being, but it's made me better...inside, if that makes sense. I used to be reticent when it came to my personal life. And, I often kept my mouth shut instead of speaking my mind, and going after what I truly wanted. No more. I will never have a regret again. I won't be on my death bed (God willing, many, many decades from now. I'm not going quietly!!!!), and wonder 'what if'. If I want to do something, I'm doing it. When I find the right woman, 100 men won't be able to keep me from going to her. I might have already found her, time will tell. But life is a gift. Every day we are given is a gift. And, I will embrace every single one I am given, and live life to the fullest.

Good luck to you too, my friend. I hope you and your wife have a long, happy life together, Justin. God Bless, and thank you again!


Thank you, Irv. Just remember a big part of your son's expression of frustration is his age. When I was 15, I knew it all, and used to do the same when my parents tried to impart wisdom. It's amazing, to me, how much wiser they have become as I've gotten older.

Merry Christmas to you, too!!


Paul,

Ha! Now that I'm starting to really feel better, you'll have to traipse through even more statistical analyses! I have yet begun to...um, analyze. In all seriousness, though, I will try to make my points more perfunctory in nature! Thank you for the well wishes!! Have a great Christmas!


Brian,

Thank you for the kind words, and congratulations on making the changes needed to get your diabetes more manageable. 3 miles might not sound like a lot to some, but to somebody who's been pretty much stuck in bed for five years, trust me, I know that's one hell of a trek. You're doing what you need for you. Your body has responded, and that's all that matters. When I'm at the gym, I have to constantly remind myself I'm there to make myself better, and it's not a competition. There are plenty of balloon chests walking around that can bench a million pounds, and, sometimes I wish I could do that. But I keep myself grounded. Slow and steady wins the race, for me (and does so safely!)

I will pm you, because your book does interest me, tremendously, actually. Thank you for the kind offer. I think so many of the medical issues people in our country face are because of misinformation, and just laziness when it comes to eating right. Even twenty years ago, we didn't face the obesity epidemic that we do now. We've become a fast food nation, and when I was first dealing with these back issue, I admit that I was part of that group. Standing up to cook was incredibly painful, so I had dinner delivered, or I grabbed fast food. Part was out of necessity, but also part due to my own laziness. There were more healthful options available, but I didn't look into them because I was in denial. I looked at myself one day in the mirror, and was horrified. "What have I done to myself?" That was the beginning of the changes. Dropping soda from my diet completely was one of the smartest things I've ever done, and when I started to see pounds dropping (and felt better), it all kind of snowballed in a good way. Sometimes, it's just that simple, too.

I had a sip of Coke a few weeks ago, and I almost threw up. It's amazing how our body adjusts to things like sweetness, saltiness, etc, when removed from our diet. It was overpowering, like drinking sugar syrup. I thought to myself, "I used to drink 5-6 cans....of THIS...every night?"


Arnie,

First of all, I, too, am so sorry to hear about your wife's cancer. Some day, hopefully soon, that terrible disease will be eradicated. I can't even imagine what you are going through in trying to care for her, and take care of yourself at the same time. If my story provides even the smallest bit of inspiration, then I am very happy. That means a lot to me.

I've found that the best way to make changes that will continue benefiting you for years to come is to make those changes slowly. As I mentioned earlier, it's easy to want to "take on the world", so to speak, and do everything at once. But too much at once becomes exhausting, and there's no way you, I, or anybody could keep those changes up over time. You've got a special situation because of your wife's cancer. That adds a level of stress I can't understand. Take it one day at a time, and keep focused on where you want to get to (and stay). You've done this once before with losing the weight. You can do it again. Talk with your doctor, and make sure they clear everything you do. Very important. Good luck to you. I am pulling for you, and hope that they're able to keep your wife as comfortable as possible.


To anybody I didn't respond to directly, I thank you, all, for your encouragement. Net 54 is a special place. We might bicker with one another when it comes to things going on within our hobby, but there are a lot of great people here. It's like a big family, to me, and why I keep coming here long after I've quite other forums.

I look forward to getting to some of your shows, Rich. Lots of you guys I want to meet and know in person. That's a goal for 2017, and one I will make.

Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas, everybody!

[dabigyankeeman]

Thanks so much to Bill and Brian for your words, inspiration, and caring.

Good luck to you guys, and lets all get ourselves in shape!!

[Exhibitman]

Great topic and post, Bill, and everyone else for chiming in. We are all just bags of chemicals and water, and inevitably the mix will get screwed up somehow. I take inspiration from weird sources, like this quote from Rocky Balboa:

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that!"

I've had my own year of inspiration. In late March, life finally put the wood to my testicles. I've always approached health and diet with good intentions but a WTF attitude. Now, I could blame a lot of my failures on stress eating, but the truth is I love to eat and love to eat crappy stuff especially. I have a junk food junkie's palate. Oh, and lots of caffeine too. Didn't seem to bother me, or so I thought.

For some time I'd been sleeping poorly, peeing a lot, getting headaches, just generally not doing great, but deluding myself the whole time that it was normal. The last weekend in March really brought it all to a screeching halt. I burned the candle both ends. I had family stuff and late nights Friday and Saturday, then I performed in a show on Sunday and was so adrenalized from the performance that I couldn't get to sleep for hours. Monday morning I got to work and was really just checking chat boards and messing around when I felt sharp pains in my chest, followed by pressure in my head and a flush. My pulse also felt thready. I googled "heart attack symptoms" and found that I was matching four of eleven, so I got my ass over to the hospital, which is 5 minutes from the office. What followed was 48 hours of hell as they bled, poked, prodded, stressed, injected, nuked and imaged me. With long periods of waiting around on a gurney or bed so uncomfortable that you could use it to torture terrorists, wondering if I'd really just f***ed myself permanently. Bottom line: no MI and no heart blockages but high blood pressure and pre-diabetes [borderline out of control blood sugar]. When I walked in my BP was 190/140, which is sky-high. Since high BP is often w/o symptoms, I got very lucky that I felt angina before I blew out a gasket somewhere.

Since then I am on to BP meds and a very strict low carb paleo diet, no caffeine, lots of yoga. My weight before this went down was as high as 284#; today 253#. My MD is optimistic that if I stick with it this time, I will be able to drop the tonnage over the next year or two and get off most or all of the meds.

I have adapted to the lifestyle changes. My family is happier with me for sure since I feel better, look better, and don't go through the intense blood sugar driven mood swings like I used to. My trip to NYC and AC for the National this year was an certainly eye-opener. I ate my way through Manhattan BUT only eating things that were on my diet. Net weight gain when I got home: zero! My blood work is getting better too.

[brian1961]

Adam, I'm glad you made it to a hospital. That was one close call. Congratulations on your steady recovery and adjustments--way to go.

Thank you sincerely for the beautiful quote from ROCKY BALBOA.

Bill's inspiring story got me out for one of my 3-mile walks last night, on the streets this time; sidewalks were still snowy and slippery.... It's been cold and usually I don't go out when it's 22, but I dressed for the occasion and found it exhilarating. Not implying you must walk; as an ex-long distance runner, I had to accept it was too painful for me to run any more. Being 60 at the time, I had to come to grips with my own limitations.

I'm on daily maintenance meds and a stricter diet. At least I can still power-walk, anyway! Wishing you the very best, Adam. One day at a time, man.

---Brian Powell

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by the 'stache

Hey everybody,

I have a bit of an inspirational story to share with everyone, and I hope that this will help those on Net 54 who might be struggling a bit right now find strength.

Some, or many of you might remember that I have been on medical disability for the last five years, or so. For those of you who are new, or might not remember, about nine years ago, I hurt my back while helping my then girlfriend move into her new place. While carrying the very last thing to go into the apartment, one of those old 27" tube televisions, I started to lose my grip halfway up the stairs. I bent over a little bit, and felt something snap in my back. I fractured the T-12 vertebra, a 70% compression fracture. I also tore two discs in my lower back, and they bulged out under the pressure. It was also discovered that I have spinal stenosis. I had multiple surgeries to fix my back as much as possible, but when the issues began to reappear, all the doctors could do was keep me comfortable, as I was not a candidate for multi-tiered spinal fusion or disc replacement surgery. I worked on and off for a few years until my back got so bad I could barely get out of bed, even taking Vicodin every six hours. For the better part of the last five years, I slept, went to doctors appointments, and tried to maintain my sanity. Everything that I'd worked so hard to achieve had been taken away from me. The only possible "fix" on the horizon was an experimental stem cell procedure. But, of course, insurance would not cover it. I had the money saved to pay for the procedure, but not knowing if it would work or not seemed to be too great a gamble to take. That money was my safety net if I got hurt again, so I elected to continue saving specifically for the procedure, or hope that the insurance companies would change their opinion. I made the right decision, as I shattered the femur in my left leg into six pieces not long after joining Net 54, and spent nearly a month in the hospital fighting sepsis.

About four months ago, I'd reached my boiling point. My friends were getting married, having children, traveling, getting big promotions, and generally enjoying life. I was happy for them, of course, but I wanted my own life back, and I don't think that was being selfish. I had too much to accomplish in my life. I wanted to see the world, and I wasn't going to do any of it flat on my back. So, I began reading.

It occurred to me that, instead of relying on medicine, and technology, I might be able to improve my own health. I'd always been athletic in high school, and in college (before blowing out my knee), even with the bone issue I was born with. I thought maybe I could strengthen my body to the point where I could offset some of the stress on my back, thereby lessening the pain I experienced daily. I started making changes, little ones at first. The progress was slow. Too slow. But I soldiered on. First, I stopped drinking soda. I stopped drinking everything but water. Caffeine is the overnight stockbroker's best friend, but to somebody living a sedentary lifestyle, the chemicals in the soda were destructive. The calories were empty. I started getting up in the morning to make myself breakfast. High fiber, high protein. Lots of fresh fruit (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries...every day) with my shredded wheat and lite vanilla soy milk. High in calcium for my bones. I upped my vitamin D and calcium take, under doctor supervision. I ate more vegetables, and eliminated all fast food. I ate more meals each day, in order to boost my metabolism. I started shedding weight, enough to where I could get up, and try to get some exercise. I started doing 15 minute walks. Then half an hour. Progressing slowly, I was able to get up to two hours, at a pace just short of jogging. I started doing push ups on the stairs, the incline meaning less stress on my back. I felt surprisingly good doing all this. Then, I decided to really go for it. I signed up at a local gym, and began hitting the exercise bike. 45 minutes a day, every day. That went well. 5-600 calories being burned 6 days a week, with the improvements to my diet, shed more pounds. The stress on my spine lessened. Then, I began hitting the weights six weeks ago. After my 45 minutes of cardio, I now do an hour on weight machines. And, two weeks ago, I started working with resistance bands at home to strengthen my core.

I've been able to cut my pain medication from once every six hours to once every twelve hours, and there are times when I can skip one of those. I can sleep again, most nights, without a muscle relaxer. All the additional water retention I've realized from these drugs has gone. I've shed 43 pounds from when I was on the operating table for my second back surgery, and I've lost nearly 6 inches from my waistline. I'm seeing definition in my shoulders, back, chest, arms and legs that I haven't seen since college. My left knee no longer hurts, save for some soreness after exercising. But most importantly, if I can keep this up, and make my core strong enough, I should be able to get off of pain medication completely, using only the occasional over-the-counter medication. That would mean I could get medical clearance, get off of disability, and go back to work. My firm had already told me they have my position open should I resolve the medical issues. So, my life is there for the taking once again. Everything that had been taken away from me is within reach.

The bottom line is that I just decided that I was no longer going to be held captive by these injuries. The road back to where I am now has been incredibly hard, but completely worth it. My left leg, which has a foot long titanium rod and some 14 screws, and a completely rebuilt ACL, is strong.

Christmas is the time of miracles, and when I look at how far I have come, and the odds that I have battled, I can't help but feel that this is a miracle of sorts. It's amazing what we can accomplish when we put our minds to it, and refuse to be held down. So, to you, my friends, that might be struggling right now...keep fighting. Don't give up. We are all capable of doing incredible things if only we fight for them. I'm not quite where I need to be yet, but it's only a matter of time. I'll be back at work, and then able to really start working on my vintage and pre-war collections soon.

Merry Christmas, everybody! God Bless!

Just seeing your thread Bill and I'm so glad to hear things are moving in a positive direction for you... or more precisely, that you are moving things in a positive direction. All the best going forward. I hope to soon be hearing that you're back working, continuing to improve physically, and picking up some nice new cards.

Separately, seems the Pack are following your lead. That game vs Seattle must have felt nice.

[MVSNYC]

Bill, Justin, Adam...et al,

Congrats and thank you for sharing your very uplifting stories. As I embark on a weight loss plan myself, I'll refer to this thread for inspiration.

Best-
Michael