Ramblings from the outside of nowhere

Perhaps good news for some, but most probably didn’t know I was gone. Things have been hairy here lately. First, I lost my internet connection. That was no big deal, really, I’ve just became a whiz at BookWorm! I’ve spelled words I didn’t know were words.

Seems like a year has passed since I last posted here. I thought about just ending it, but then realized this little blog has helped me a lot. The positive and negative feedback I have gotten has also been supportive and made me think twice about some of the shit I have written.

The past few weeks I have spent going to the hospital to see my friend Roger. His lung collapsed and he went to the emergency room, then to Norfolk General Hospital. He was operated on by a surgical resident, who, ultimately left a hole about two inches in diameter in his left chest. He was home for about three days when he checked himself into Sentara CarePlex in Hampton. They immediately did surgery to clean out the massive infection that had developed, and now he lays in ICU, heavily sedated, with breathing and feeding tubes down his throat. He has had two dialysis treatments, but his kidneys are functioning a little. His status now is unchanged. He was already septic when got there. “Sepsis is a severe illness caused by overwhelming infection of the bloodstream by toxin-producing bacteria.”*

We have prayed for him, and keep our spirits up as best we can, but it is frightening to see him as he is. I go with his mother, who I am privileged to call friend, every day to see him.

His care at Norfolk General left much to be desired. When he was discharged from the hospital he had pneumonia, which means he should not have been discharged. Though Sentara CarePlex is part of the Norfolk General Hospital franchise, (I guess is the best word), the care there is wonderful. He now has a surgeon, lung, and kidney doctor, and a social worker on his care team. I’m hoping and praying for the best. For his last operation, he was given a 50/50 chance to survive. And he is still struggling. Without the sedation, he constantly pulls out his breathing tube, and is extremely agitated, as I probably would be myself. I miss my Roger, my friend, who has become more like a brother to me than a friend, though he seems to have an “incestuous ideation” about our relationship. Then, again, he may be trying to make an old lady feel good about herself.

God bless you Roger. God grant you recovery, health, and many more years to be the special person you are.

P.S. A special shout out to Linda Jean, Kellie, Jennifer, Bubba and Hank!! Love you all. And a big thank you to S. A. for the beautiful picture of his baby boy, Travis.

*RightHealth.com