Have you ever been seriously sick? Mind or body, share your really sick stories with me

I'd had a very sick childhood myself

*I was diagnosed with ADD when I was 13 or 15
* I had a very grave case of appendicits when I was 9 or 12
* I suffered of chronic depression when I was 27 or 29
* I thought I had cancer. But they made some analyses on me and found nothing
* I was diagnosed with poor eyesight the same year I was diagnosed with ADD (I use granny glasses now)
* I had a mild case of tubercolosis about seven years ago.

Because of all of this, my hair is premareturely gray.

Anyway, anyone with Really Sick Stories

Damn. This is a depressing thread. What the hell. Maybe this will lighten it up. In 2000, after avoiding getting tested for almost a year when I had terrible stomach pain, I was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer at age 34. My prognosis wasn't good. 5 years later, I'm cancer free, and my doctors tell me there is no good reason that I'm still alive. Now I live every day like it's my last. I go on vacation at least every 2 months. I buy anything and everything I want. When I'm having a bad day, I just tell myself I should be happy to still be here having a bad day.

What the f--k?

Who the hell is this depressing guy?


DS

lunatic?

EB,

In the words of Kris Kristofferson, "Don't let the bastards get you down."

I'll give you a bizarre one. In April of this year, my brother (age 61) suffered a condition called Boorhave (sp.?)Syndrome. Never heard of it? Neither did we or the chief of surgery at the hospital he went to.

The story: Butch is retired, but very active in his community and church. He was helping an elderly couple clean up their house from spring flooding of the Delaware River. The rugs and furniture were moldy and smelly from all the water. Butch wasn't feeling well that day to start with and the mold made him nauseous. He went outside to vomit. While doing so, a stabbing pain struck him in the chest and weakened him so that he collapsed to the ground. Co-volunteers rushed to his aid and one of being a paramedic thought he was having a heart attack. 911 was called and within a half hour he was on his way to the hospital.

At the hospital he was met by the emergency room doctor who happened to be a surgeon who had worked in Manhattan's Presbyterian Hospital. He believed the symptoms to be that of a ruptured esophagus. A rare occurence in healthy people, but more common in homeless alcoholics, which was his experience. Butch was conscious, but in extreme pain. He could not breathe comfortably and was stuck in a fetal position. The dr. explained that surgery was necessary immediately. If not treated within 24 hours, the mortality rate is 60-70%. If not treated at all, 95% fatal. Within 6 hours Butch was under the knife.

The rupture was worse than expected. The first attempt to repair it was an incision from the sternum to below the belly button. The rupture was not accessible. A second incision was made in the back between the ribs. The rupture was located behind the heart.

During vomiting, the bile and other digestive acids were propelled into the chest cavity causing a "septic" condition. This is what kills you. The cavity is literally burned and infection sets in. The operation was basically successful, but it took 6 weeks for the repaird rupture to stop leaking. When I saw Butch he was on a respirator, 2 IV drips and 4 drains coming from his chest cavity. A healthy, vibrant man one minute, on the verge of death the next.

It took 6 weeks before Butch was released from the hospital. The rupture was jagged and it leaked for that long. Butch was fed through his nose. By mid June he was walking around his yard and doing easy chores. By July 4 he was eating normal and we shared a beer. On August 6 he was on the altar as deacon for my daughter's wedding. Today he is at the beach, hopefully riding the waves.

The lesson I learned; don't throw up. Medically, what happened to him is called a neuro-muscular incoordination. I guess you never know.

Now wouldn't Pay no mind to this poster, he is just striving for attention. be better? :p

Glad to hear your brother is doing so well, MC!


To everyone else: Lets give this new guy a chance.

There's been plenty of that on the board. Besides, isn't variety the spice of life?

I can't stop laughing at the term granny glasses. Poor thing.

Just Lou, is that story true? Forgive my question; just you've never mentioned it before, and given the riotous fun everyone's having here, I didn't know if you were being serious or not.

Welcome to the boards Eustachius Brown. Do you own a pizzeria too?

Mick

Watch it, Mick. :p

MaryCas,

That's fantastic that your borther is doing ok now! So when are you going to tell us about your daughter's wedding?

"Don MaryCas, I'd be honored and greatful, if you told me about your daughters wedding, on the day of your daughter's wedding. And may their first child, be a masculine child!"


Don Cardi

What the f--k?

Who the hell is this depressing guy?


DS [/b][/quote]Ahhh, I just think he's trying to have a little fun with us, that's all.


Don Cardi

Wow, MC that's a very scary story. Glad it turned out good for your brother and your family.

My family and I have been extremely fortunate in my life thus far. My father suffered a heart attack about 5 years ago at about 80 but seems to be doing very well now thank God. That was probably the only major life/death type sickness(knock wood).

However, when I was 3 years old, I was at my great aunt's house with a lot of relatives. Back then they did the cooking in the basement. I was a the top of the steps with my sister and we started a "got you last" type game evidently slugging each other in the arm. I lost my balance fell down the steps. The horrible part was that my aunt was coming up the steps with a huge pan of boiling water she just took off the stove. You guessed it. I tumbled down right into the scorching water. I'm told I had 2nd degree burns all over my body and was bandaged from head to toe.

Funny (or good) thing is, I don't remember it. I remember very vaguely being at the top of the steps, but not the fall. The doctors too were amazed (I'm told) that it didn't leave one scar.

TIS

As much as we think about doctors they don't know it all.

Glad to hear you beat their prognosis!

Very true. I thought I had an ulcer and was drinking Mylanta by the quart. I didn't want to go the hospital for tests, and was hoping it "would just go away". It didn't, and by the time I got tested I was so sick, I should be dead today. My stupidity almost cost me my life, but saved my brother's.
He's more stubborn than me, and wasn't feeling well last year. He only went and got checked because of what I went through, and they found a tumor in his colon. Luckily he was only stage 1, not stage 3 like me. He should be ok. He just finished his 6 months of chemo.

As much as we think about doctors they don't know it all.

Glad to hear you beat their prognosis! [/b][/quote]Thanks. Colon cancer is a very aggressive cancer, and usually has to be caught before there are any symptoms. Otherwise it spreads to the liver, lungs, brain, etc, very quickly. I had symptoms for almost a year. My cancer had spread to my lymph nodes, but only by a miracle it wasn't in my liver or lungs yet. I guess I'm not that easy to kill.

JL Isn't surviving cancer great?? I was diagnosed with a form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma January '04. I did chemo for six months, when the doctor declared me in remission, and have been clean ever since. I was lucky that they caught it in stage 1A, and it had not advanced any further. Somebody sent me one of those chain emails recently that asks a bunch of questions, like what's your favorite color, music, etc. and one of the questions was "What's your favorite day of the year?" and my answer was "EVERY DAY!!".

We lost my dad to colon cancer, so I'm glad to hear you and your brother are doing well. My mother survived ovarian cancer, which is like a billion to one shot. She and I are just tough Sicilians, I guess.

TIS - how awful to hear about your childhood experience, but what a great recovery. And no scars! Amazing!

MC - Glad that your brother was able to be there for your daughter's wedding. What a lovely gift.

SB: Glad you and your mom survived too.

JL and SB,

Beating the Big Bastard - that's great. I have two friends who are fighting the fight. I'm a prayer guy and my wife is a super-prayer lady. We've been sending many vibes upstairs for our friends. I'll add you to the maintenance prayer group.

TIS,

We know you are super Godmother, but surviving a burn like that malorki.

MC, Thank you so much. Every good thought and prayer is welcome.

Disguisting, yet true:

I heard a story which my dad heard from a friend of his in the service. It was about a woman who was living with boyfriend. She met with her gynecologist for a routine check-up. After examination, he diagnosed her with a disease. A disease which originated from dead people. After tracking things, they realized that she was catching this disease from her boyfriend (via sex). Her boyfriend worked at a morge. After figuring things out, it was reported to the authorities and he was pinched by the local police.

Now that's a sick story!

Ummm, yep. It don't get much sicker than that, bro.

Nothing wrong with me Yet

Okay, that's pretty damn sick!

Anyway - lots of sad stories and close calls here so far. Well, I guess my worst one so far is almost drowning to death as a kid. We were playing in the pool, and I'm not really sure what actually happened, but all I remember is at one point I went under (and I'm a great swimmer), and the next moment, I'm outside the pool with a towel around me as my mom's yelling at my older brother. Hmm. Amazing how we're always potentially just moments away from life-altering (or -ending) moments!

That's why every day is important. Cuz you never know!

I've been cheating death since the day I was born. I was almost 3 months premature, and weighed about 4 lbs. Nowadays, it's not too big a deal, but back in 1965 odds of survival were a lot less.

Me, too -- but I think I was WAY smaller... and less than a year later...

Me, too -- but I think I was WAY smaller... and less than a year later... [/b][/quote]Interesting. I'll have to ask my mother how much I actually weighed. I'm pretty sure it was 4 lbs. We can have a contest, who was smaller.

I was probabably much smaller then... what's your height/weight now? Actually, I don't think that matters years later, but might look that up... hmm...

I'm 5'11", 190 LBS. I'm thin build, so I really should lose 10 LBS.

Not many cases of horrible sickness for me. The worst I ever felt was when I fell down a staircase and dislocated my right foot.