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Message |
polygon
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Grexer Medical News
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May 7 17:12 UTC 2002 |
(1) Tomorrow, I'm having throat and nose surgery at UM Hospital, including a
tonsillectomy. Recovery is expected to take a while; I'll be out of work
for three weeks, and probably out of email and Grex contact for some part of
that time.
(2) Frank Lessa, formerly of M-Net and Grex, is in Sparrow Hospital in
Lansing -- has been there for about three weeks. He has been diagnosed with
metachromatic leukodystrophy, and is also having dialysis for unrelated
(possibly transient) kidney failure. He's in reasonably good spirits under
the circumstances, and would welcome visits (room 809-1) or calls
(517-483-3461).
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| 50 responses total. |
keesan
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response 1 of 50:
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May 9 01:09 UTC 2002 |
Larry, if you will be in the hospital for a while during recovery and feel
up to having visitors, let us know where and when. I hope you feel a lot
better afterwards, eventually. We can deliver library books.
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polygon
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response 2 of 50:
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May 9 19:49 UTC 2002 |
I was released from the hospital this morning, and am recovering at
home.
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aruba
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response 3 of 50:
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May 9 19:52 UTC 2002 |
Welcome home, Larry.
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slynne
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response 4 of 50:
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May 9 20:22 UTC 2002 |
Glad to hear it, Larry!
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mary
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response 5 of 50:
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May 10 01:07 UTC 2002 |
Wishes for a speedy recovery.
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polygon
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response 6 of 50:
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May 10 02:27 UTC 2002 |
Re 4. Frank is very grateful for the nice card you sent him.
Re 5. Thanks for being there!
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senna
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response 7 of 50:
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May 10 04:16 UTC 2002 |
Wishes for an expedient billing process.
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beeswing
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response 8 of 50:
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May 12 04:31 UTC 2002 |
A tonsillectomy too? Oy vey. Had mine out when I was 27, and was sick
for a month. Mmm, milkshakes.
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senna
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response 9 of 50:
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May 12 07:34 UTC 2002 |
My sister gets hers removed this week or next, if I recall correctly. She's
18.
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beeswing
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response 10 of 50:
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May 12 12:36 UTC 2002 |
Mine was a one-day surgery. I don't remember much of that day, except
throwing up a good 12 times or so over the course of several hours.
I don't think my throat hurt all the time, but swallowing was horrific.
Even water was an issue. I don't know where people get that ice cream
is the thing after a tonsillectomy... anything very cold or very hot is
even more painful. It was about two weeks before I could nibble on
solids. Even then, I had to cut everything up in teeny tiny pieces. My
voice slowly came back in a few weeks.
Oh, and they cauterized the surgery area as opposed to stitches. When I
was able to open my mouth wide enough to look in (about a week later)
it was gross, yet fascinating. :)
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senna
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response 11 of 50:
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May 12 17:04 UTC 2002 |
#10: You know what? If they ever suggest that I get my tonsils removed, I
think I'll say "no."
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slynne
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response 12 of 50:
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May 12 17:34 UTC 2002 |
re#6 Yeah, I got a nice email from Frank. He has to be going out of his
mind cooped up in the hospital. Blech. Larry, I'll bet you are glad to
be home. BTW, I have about a ton of books I could give you if you feel
like you are running short of reading material. :)
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utv
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response 13 of 50:
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May 12 20:45 UTC 2002 |
confidentially, i've had a great time here. geting along very well
with the nurses. got two addy's w/phone numbers so far. have had
virtually no pain at all and one unremarkable surgery. food is
good nd nutritious, a bunch of things are off my diet or limited,
but i'm not mssing them. passed up a spaghetti dinner last week
for the first time I can remember (i chse the pork chop dinner).
next time i'll choose a better keybord :)
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slynne
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response 14 of 50:
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May 12 21:20 UTC 2002 |
Hey Frank! I am glad to hear you are doing well.
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jep
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response 15 of 50:
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May 12 23:18 UTC 2002 |
I had my tonsils out when I was 7, I think.
I'm glad you're back on line at least some of the time, Larry.
I'm glad you're back, too, Frank. I'd never heard of metachromatic
leukodystrophy and am going to have to read up on that one some. It
sounds extremely serious, though. Here's from a WWW page:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/disorders/meta_leu_doc.htm
In the adult form, symptoms, which begin after age 16, may include
impaired concentration, depression, psychiatric disturbances, ataxia,
tremor, and dementia. Seizures may occur in the adult form, but are
less common than in the other forms. In all three forms mental
deterioration is usually the first sign.
It's a genetic disorder with no cure at present according to that WWW
page. Very serious indeed. I am very sorry to hear about it.
How long do you have to stay in the hospital?
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utv
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response 16 of 50:
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May 13 00:12 UTC 2002 |
Apparently I had the docs confused because I passed with flying colors
the memory tests they administered. It was the MRI (CAT scan) which
steered them toward the diagnosis. Apparently I am more colorful than
I've appeared in the past <joke>. BTW, the MRI was te weirdest test I've
ever had, I was hearing (literally) lots of noises like pings nd pongs.
I've had some neuropathy in my left foot, which I suspect is of the
diabetic variety, and was rather hypertensive when i got here. I've
lost perhaps 30-40 pounds here, mostly edema from my arms and lower
legs, and i feel great. My blood sugar is in a nice 80-110 range, BP
is moderate, i whizzed through the physical and occupational therapy
exercises. I'm hoping to be discharged Tues but I'll have to stay local
until a dialysis "slot" become available in Portland (my aunt and cousin
with whom I grew up live there).
I feel better than I've felt in a long time, people here say they don't
believe I'm the same person who was in ICU a month ago, and friends say I
look 10 years younger. I've really mellowed out and am happy to be here.
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jep
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response 17 of 50:
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May 13 01:06 UTC 2002 |
Is there a chance the diagnosis is incorrect, Frank?
You've never lacked color, and I have often wondered in recent months
what had become of you. I'm genuinely sorry to have your name turn up
next to such a dismaying diagnosis. I've found you exasperating at
times, but always wished you well, and I still do.
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jep
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response 18 of 50:
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May 13 01:07 UTC 2002 |
(I mean I wish you well. I haven't felt particularly exasperated
toward you recently. Geezopeetes, let me drop my jaw a little further
so I can get both feet in.)
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utv
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response 19 of 50:
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May 13 01:13 UTC 2002 |
I'm skepticval of the dignosis, myself. the most dismaying aspect so
far was that a nurse who seemed very interested on the 25th (and she really
looked spiffy that day) dropped me like a hot potato the next day when she
got wind of the diagnosis (several days before I did).
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jep
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response 20 of 50:
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May 13 01:21 UTC 2002 |
I hope the diagnosis is wrong. How did you take the news, when you
found out what it means? It sounds pretty terrifying to me.
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beeswing
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response 21 of 50:
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May 13 12:37 UTC 2002 |
re #11: Yeah, but I haven't had strep throat since.
Besides, it's cool to tell people that when the doctor made the first
incision, this yellow/green/white slime shot out from beneath my
tonsils! I'd been carrying all that infection in my body for who knows
how long, likely from all the episodes of strep I'd had.
I didn't know that had happened until a month later, when I had my
follow up appointment. The doctor who did the surgery said the
infection stank nearly knocked everyone in the OR out. Heh. And this is
a guy who's been doing surgeries for 30 years.
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keesan
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response 22 of 50:
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May 13 14:06 UTC 2002 |
Frank, have you been advised to modify your diet to eat less salt and protein?
My father was on dialysis for 12 years and the local dialysis patient book
used to put out its own recipe booklets. My mother would soak tunafish
overnight in plain water to get out the salt. That should help with the edema
between dialysis treatments - don't put the salt in and you don't get the
water retention as badly. Doctors nowadays don't seem to think patients will
follow diets so they give them drugs instead. My next door neighbor said she
was feeling dizzy from some new blood pressure drug they gave her to remove
salt from her body. They never told her to eat less salt!
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polygon
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response 23 of 50:
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May 13 17:46 UTC 2002 |
I have created a blog (weblog) with accounts of my surgery and recovery,
and perhaps eventually with commentary on politics and architecture and
other matters. It's called "Polygon, the Dancing Bear", and located at
http://www.potifos.com/polygon
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utv
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response 24 of 50:
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May 13 18:12 UTC 2002 |
re #20: the diagnosis was a relief compared with what i had been imagining,
as I was fearing a short/medium terminal prognosis (one nurse slipped up and
asked if I had heard "the bad news" - there's othing like hearing of the
existence of bad news without knowing the specifics).
re #22: i'd already guessed at the need to avoid salt and protein, i've
been consciously watching what I ingest and also watching my blood sugar.
in the short term, i needed protein badly because so much had been
depleted in recent weeks.
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