Ouch !

I promised myself that I would never write about this because I usually do not like people to know my personal business.  I also do not like to listen to the medical problems of others. I can only worry so much and when I worry about a lot of people at the same time it makes me ill.  I decided to write about my medical experience today because it has been four years since it happened and I have taken five Vicodin and two Clonazepam today and my head and neck are killing me. I am sure I will regret it tonight when I am trying to sleep.

Four years ago ,in December, I had a visit with my personal Physician and during a simple checkup he found ,what he thought, sounded like some blockage in my left carotid Artery in my neck. I was shocked because I had kept in shape and road my bike a minimum of 20 miles each and every day often as much as 30 to 40 a day. Often I would ride more on the weekends. I thought I was in great shape. Because my father had a stroke in his 50’s I took the Drs. advice and had a CAT Scan. The scan found a 90% blockage in that one artery only!  Heredity?

Surgery was scheduled with the best surgeon, from St E's. He did the surgery in Salem.  That night was spent in intensive care and I was released the next day with a 4 inch incision that was super glued shut. I tried to tell the Dr. that something seemed wrong but he ignored me.

The next couple of days went by with a lot of pain and swelling. I called the Dr. and he said to relax and rest my neck as much as possible. Two more days passed and I called again because my neck hurt more and started to swell." Relax and try not to move too much " he told me. A day later I called him again I and he said to give it time to heal and not to worry.

Two more days passed and I went to the ER with swelling about as big as an orange on the side of my neck.  The Dr. ordered another CAT scan. While I waited my surgeon came in and yelled at me for coming to the ER. He said having a CAT Scan was like throwing an Atomic Bomb at an ant He did say though that since he was here he would read the scan. He told me he saw a huge hematoma next to my artery. Go home and rest was his advice. It things did not improve come in again in a couple of days.

Two more days of pain and swelling passed and I went to see him in the morning. He said he would have to go back in and clean out some type of infection. I spent all day on my side taking morphine every hour until my surgery at 6:00 pm. 

I woke up feeling a lot worse than the first surgery 14 days previous.  I had to be given massive doses of antibiotics over the next week and visitors had to gown up to visit me until the infection was identified,

It was Strep and it  had to be picked up during surgery because my incision was glued shut. They sent me home with a pick line to my heart and an automatic pump to pump a powerful antibiotic in my system for another couple of weeks. I had nurses come to my home every day and carried my portable pump around. 

My neck never healed. It hurt 24 hrs. A day. A pain specialist told me that they had to scrape all of the infection from my neck nerves and muscles.  He said that because of the damage done my nerves might never heal properly. Cutting them twice within ten tays may have damaged them too much.

To make a long story shorter I was told to give it a year to heal properly. I wasn’t until later that I learned that any Malpractice suit against a Dr. or a hospital, in Ohio,  had to be made in one years’ time. They just strung me along until the year was past. In fact my surgeon told me,to my face, that he could not help me anymore and seek help elsewhere. His surgery was a success and I must have other problems yet unknown.

Here it is four yrs. later and I hurt as much today as I did after surgery. I have gone all over for relief and tried many medications and treatments.

When I hear a politician say that we have the best system in the world I laugh; and then I cry ! You would never believe the money all of this has cost me. You would never come close.