Home of the Medically Fragile!!

Ok, here's the deal, if you have a cool or interesting/somewhat nasty medical story or background, post it up here.

Myself, I have a brain surgery to my credit, 3 L.P. shunts (2 failed quickly, third is still in my spine), and some other stuff I'll share in depth later.

How about you all?

Only one I have is getting my foot looked at when I was ten, stepped on a nail. Glad they didn't have to do a tetnus shot, but my foot got prodded and poked to get the pieces of nail and shoe from the wound.

Had to be opened up and have my spleen sutured, diaphram put back on the inside of my chest cavity, stomach pulled back down to where it was supposed to be, and a garden hose put into my left lung to reinflate it after a car accident. Plus a couple broken ribs they couldn't do much for, and a broken Collar bone. Could eat much for several weeks after that as it hurt too much to have my stomach full. All I can say it thank God for Morphine after that accident.

Busted up the right shoulder in a Motorcylce accident, one operation to pin it back to where it was supposed to be, second one to remove the pin, third one to clean up bone spurs that prevented me from lowering my arm withoug major pain. Broke all the toes on my left foot in that accident as well, not much they do for broken toes. Could not use crutches either as my busted arm would not allow it.
Got to have Carpel Tunnel surgery later too as I damaged my hand/thumb when I went over the handlebars.
Scrubbing tar out of wounds after each accident was a pleasure as well.
Should probably have been killed in either of those accidents, but was too ornery to die (runs in the family).

Also spent a couple days in the Hospital with a Kidney Stone, that was the worst pain ever!!! Drink lots of water so I hopefully will never have one of those things again!

I've had a LOT.

I was born with almost un-developed sinuses, so much of what is supposed to be there isn't. That leads to constant sinus issues (ie stuffy nose and sinus infections), plus I have a deviated septum which will have to be fixed. Anyway, I've literally had 30+ sinus procedures, mostly just going REALLY high up and cleaning stuff out, which requires being put to sleep.

I also have Combined Immune Deficiency (CID) which means my immune system is pretty crappy. This has lead to all kinds of things, like being really susceptible to infections, and has caused some auto-immune stuff, like arthritis (at 18!) and LOTS of bowel issues, particularly over the past 3 years. Because of all the immune issues, I have to get IVIG which is a blood product which boosts your immune system, every 3 weeks. On top of this and other treatments that I sometimes have to get, I got and IVAD which is an IV port in your chest, and it's much more reliable than the veins in your hand. Getting one put in isn't fun, and they don't last forever, and I'm on my second. I got the first one when I was six. The procedure involves having your skin in your chest sliced open, and having the port itself where the needle goes in placed under the skin, and then a tube running from that to the heart. Painful as Hell to have put in, but certainly more than worth it, if only for the convenience of having both of your arms completely free at all times (if you're regularly having treatments of course)! The second one was worse though, as there was a pocket of fluid where the first one was that had to have a drainage bag hanging from it until it was drained. So on top of having the new IVAD in, and all the fun that goes with that, you have a drainage bag hanging from your chest.

More recently, I had to go on a feeding tube because apparently I just didn't want to digest food anymore. I actually joined the forum while I was on it as I was stuck at home very bored! I had the normal up your nose one at first, as I was only supposed to be on it for 6 weeks (it's been 2 years, was having more problems for the previous year). I didn't want to go to school with it sticking out of my face, nor was it practical, because if you ever threw up (and I did a LOT during that time), it would come with it, and you'd have to re-insert it. So I had one surgerically placed inside of my stomach, sticking out the front. That was a rather simple procedure, as it only involved a hole being drilled straight through my stomach wall. That was painful as well, as any time I went to sit up it was rather painful, but the major pain lasted for a couple days, nothing more. It was sore for a while afterwards, but as you can probably tell by now, "sore" doesn't bother me much!

The other major one is I was born a toe walker, so they sliced my achilleses to lengthen them, and now, voila! I'm not a toe-walker anymore, though my toes are slightly messed up because of it, but nothing too bad or anything that needs fixing.

Holy cow Catch. The nasal issues was bad enough, but that last bit about the Achilles put me over the edge. My one phobia in life was having my Achilles severed, yuk, makes my skin crawl. Ironic part is I've been suffering with an on and off Achilles issue for a bit over a year now.
Take care of yourself, I'm thankful for only having the temporary medical setbacks I've endured after hearing your story.

My folks thought I would be deaf when I grew up, due to the number of ear infections I had as a baby/kid. Unfortunately, they were a little bit off. I have anosmia (sp?), basically no sense of smell. And while this may be a blessing when having to change the kitty litter, it really sucks when something's burning, or the kiddo needs a new diaper, or there's a gas leak somewhere.

Still, managed to get through 6 years of Navy without anyone knowing. Or caring...which is worse.

Also managed to have 5 broken bones growing up, all at different times, yet no stitches other than after a minor outpatient surgery as an adult.

Are the mentally fragile allowed to join in too?

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If we did that, Lingo, this thread would go for days! Probably safer to assume everyone here qualifies.

Bucksnort101 said:

Holy cow Catch. The nasal issues was bad enough, but that last bit about the Achilles put me over the edge. My one phobia in life was having my Achilles severed, yuk, makes my skin crawl. Ironic part is I've been suffering with an on and off Achilles issue for a bit over a year now.
Take care of yourself, I'm thankful for only having the temporary medical setbacks I've endured after hearing your story.

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Thanks Buck. Thankfully the Achilles was quick. They didn't completely sever them, they just sliced partway through, enough to allow them to stretch to a normal length. What caused your issues?

Catch22 said:

Thanks Buck. Thankfully the Achilles was quick. They didn't completely sever them, they just sliced partway through, enough to allow them to stretch to a normal length. What caused your issues?

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Stop it!!! I just got shivers down my spine just thinking of this!!!! My injury was caused running on an oval running track a year plus a couple months ago. Felt it pop on a corner, did not feel any pain and continued to jog and walk on it with no problems. Woke up that evening with a throbbing leg. Next day I could barely walk on it. Would heal and then re-injure.
Saw a PT about it last August, but have gotten lax on my strethcing exercises and it is coming back to haunt me. I can feel my Calf muscle tighten up and I know I'm going to have problems the next couple days afterwards.
I just need to get on the ball and do my stretches and strengthening exercises on a daily basis, guess I may as well start right now. No big deal just got lazy about it.

Ah I see, sports injuries are never fun! Hopefully you can get that sorted. My right knee has arthritis in it. Normally it's actually pretty good, and I don't notice it a whole lot. Having said that, the past couple years it's been bothering me more frequently, but I think some of it's my own fault. A bunch of the old high school guys get together for ball hockey frequently and I was trying to take the ball away from somebody from behind and ended up taking him and I down by accident and landed on it. It hurt, but I HAD to stop him from scoring as he's really good, so I kept playing on it for a minute or so, and it's only ball hockey for fun, nothing's on the line! My knee bothered me to the point of being almost immobile for a couple weeks! It's not so much the pain that makes me mad, it's the fact that I managed to do harm to myself doing something I enjoy.

Wow. Some interesting graphic stuff here.

All I've got is that I have Celiac Disease--the best disease I could have asked for--which is simply an autoimmune response to a protein called gluten which is found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye, kamut, and spelt. I have to eat a gluten free diet which is getting much easier these days, especially since I live near a whole foods market...tons of gluten free goodies.

I didn't know I had this condition and stopped growing when I was 12 at 5'4". I also had bone and joint pain, muscle tics, skin problems, constant cavities, etc.; conventional doctors said it was all in my head so I did my own research and read about Celiac, something we're learning more and more about all the time. I went on a gluten free diet and at nineteen years old I started growing again...

The pain went away...no more headaches...tics...acne....everything cleared like a charm. I stopped growing again in my early twenties so now I'm 5'7" and I realized that I was now able to build muscle tone like I couldn't before.

I'm glad I discovered it in time. The bone in my joints is growing back and the gluten-free diet is healthier in general anyways, so I'm happy. The only lingering problem is that the enamel on my teeth never had a chance to develop properly. They look OK, but there's nothing protecting them so I have to eventually get two full sets of verneers...EXPENSIVE.

Um, I had the worst paper cut today.....

vikingBerserker said:

Um, I had the worst paper cut today.....

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Worse than mine?...

I was born a pre-mature and had a weak immune system my whole childhood. I was always sick, had pneumonia 3 times as a kid. Also as a baby I had sinus and ear troubles. I had tubes in my ears and it popped one day and I was leaking blood like a fountain out of my ears and I had to go under and get that fixed. Now, I have terrible earwax build-up!

I also shattered the plate in my left ankle skimboarding in the sixth grade, hopped on the board fell off and it was over. While in my cast I was on crutches and got tripped in the hallways, so then I moved to a wheelchair which was awesome. After the cast came off I spent another 2 months on a brace with terrible pain and not being able to walk, had physical therapy after. Now whenever I run my ankle cracks everytime it lifts off the ground.

Some of these stories made me cringe! Luckilly, I never have had a "cool or interesting/somewhat nasty medical story or background".

Christ! After reading everybody else's, suddenly my nail incident doesn't seem so bad.

I broke my thumb making dry ice bombs once.

It had to be reconstructed with pins and screws.

But that's nothing compared to Catch's issues.

I never had to deal with congenital maladies like some here but I tried to make up for it in other ways...

I was pronounced dead at the age of 3 after eating a bottle of my father's 'nerve pills'(whatever those were...) The only reason I'm here is because a young female intern refused to give up on me while her superior was out giving my parents the bad news.

At the age of 6, I spent most of a week in a coma after being stung nearly to death by a swarm of hornets. I then had to get shots every week for a year in an attempt to immunize me from their stings. It was years before I lost my phobia for needles.

I had both my wrists broke playing soccer when a big kid kicked the ball while I was on the ground hanging onto it. That made for a lousy summer vacation. The following winter, I had my left achilles tendon severed by an opposing players skates when I was playing hockey (goalie). I still have the artificial fibers in my leg that they used to reattach the ends. I was 9 or 10.

I was hit head-on by a car on my bike when I was 12. I only needed 36 stitches in my head and a hole in my lower leg patched up, but I pretty much wrecked the car (smashed the bumper, grill, hood. windshield, and caved in the trunk when I landed on it ) Less than a year later I was hit from behind while riding my sister's bike, and had to get skin grafts on my right forearm and elbow.

I slammed into a big spruce tree on my motocrosser when I was 19. I came to choking and gagging on my teeth with my helmet broke in half (still had the styrofoam liner on my head) I'd also fractured my skull, cheekbone and upper and lower jaw. I could feel something hurting between my left hip and ribs and felt something hard. It was a big sliver of slate, and when I pulled it out, the blood started shooting out in spurts. After stuffing my T-shirt into the hole, I got back on my twisted up bike and tried to ride home. I'd go a little ways, and then wake up on the ground. Then I'd have to get back on the bike and try again...I don't know how many times this happened before I reached the highway and was found by a passing driver. Getting all the broken tooth stumps pulled out wasn't much fun either.

About two years later I ran into a stray Holstein at night on my 750 Kaw. I was going about 60mph, killed the cow, and broke my wrist(again), collarbone, 3 ribs, and had a severe concussion. The worst part was putting up with all the friggin' cow jokes and being nick-named 'Burger King' by my so-called pals

a few years later I was rear-ended at a light by some bonehead going about 40 mph. I hit the car in front of me, my seat snapped off the floor, and I broke my wrist (again), some different ribs this time, my collar bone (again), screwed up my back and neck and got another concussion!

So if I seem a bit dim at times, please...be kind

JL

Wow Butters, we need to start calling you Lucky. (BTW, I think I would give your guardian angel a payraise!)

Butters said:

I never had to deal with congenital maladies like some here but I tried to make up for it in other ways...

I was pronounced dead at the age of 3 after eating a bottle of my father's 'nerve pills'(whatever those were...) The only reason I'm here is because a young female intern refused to give up on me while her superior was out giving my parents the bad news.

At the age of 6, I spent most of a week in a coma after being stung nearly to death by a swarm of hornets. I then had to get shots every week for a year in an attempt to immunize me from their stings. It was years before I lost my phobia for needles.

I had both my wrists broke playing soccer when a big kid kicked the ball while I was on the ground hanging onto it. That made for a lousy summer vacation. The following winter, I had my left achilles tendon severed by an opposing players skates when I was playing hockey (goalie). I still have the artificial fibers in my leg that they used to reattach the ends. I was 9 or 10.

I was hit head-on by a car on my bike when I was 12. I only needed 36 stitches in my head and a hole in my lower leg patched up, but I pretty much wrecked the car (smashed the bumper, grill, hood. windshield, and caved in the trunk when I landed on it ) Less than a year later I was hit from behind while riding my sister's bike, and had to get skin grafts on my right forearm and elbow.

I slammed into a big spruce tree on my motocrosser when I was 19. I came to choking and gagging on my teeth with my helmet broke in half (still had the styrofoam liner on my head) I'd also fractured my skull, cheekbone and upper and lower jaw. I could feel something hurting between my left hip and ribs and felt something hard. It was a big sliver of slate, and when I pulled it out, the blood started shooting out in spurts. After stuffing my T-shirt into the hole, I got back on my twisted up bike and tried to ride home. I'd go a little ways, and then wake up on the ground. Then I'd have to get back on the bike and try again...I don't know how many times this happened before I reached the highway and was found by a passing driver. Getting all the broken tooth stumps pulled out wasn't much fun either.

About two years later I ran into a stray Holstein at night on my 750 Kaw. I was going about 60mph, killed the cow, and broke my wrist(again), collarbone, 3 ribs, and had a severe concussion. The worst part was putting up with all the friggin' cow jokes and being nick-named 'Burger King' by my so-called pals

a few years later I was rear-ended at a light by some bonehead going about 40 mph. I hit the car in front of me, my seat snapped off the floor, and I broke my wrist (again), some different ribs this time, my collar bone (again), screwed up my back and neck and got another concussion!

So if I seem a bit dim at times, please...be kind

JL

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Now we are talking me and you could of been brothers but only one per family is the rule.Myb mother always said never a dull moment with me around .hehe