Thanks a lot everybody for the nice words. I feel the same about all of you!. I owe rep to Shooting Arts & The 420 trooper, but it says more has to be spread around first.
One funny story that may make you laugh....That much balleyhooed surgery was done to take out the bone around my spine in the L5-S1 area. It had 3 fractures that were growing back & cutting into the soft tissue.
2 surgeons did a laminectomy, a facelectomy with multiple foraminotomies, transverse inner fusion with cage & autograft and bilateral intertransverse autograft....and on & on. Bottom line is they took the bone off around my spine, replaced it with harvested bones from my lamina's, ect, molded and cut it to fit around the spine, put a nylon tight cage around it, drilled holes into both hips so titanium bracket rod scould be place in the hips to hold the brackets around my spine, then they put plastic inserts in to where some of my discs used to be and then fused it all together with nice big screws.
Here's the funny story...I had to donate 4 units of my own blood prior to the surgery. Went to the blod bank & after the paperwork, a nurse took me into the donar room. While I'm laying in that big barber chair, she asks "Are you skweemish at all?"
I answred "Listen, I ain't trying to boast or brag or impress you, but I been a policeman since 1981, a Sgt since 1995 and I was on our County Drug Task Force for 10 years. I seen and done everything related to lots of blood and gore. Plus, I was an amateu boxer with 39 fights, 4 kickboxing fights, hundreds of streetfights and a thousand or so scuffles. Bottom line, I'm the toughest guy you ever had in this chair."
Naturally, her mouth was open a little with the blank stare. Then she said "Oh, a macho man, huh?' I said "No, but they don't come tougher."
There was no tension, as we were both talking relaxed and friendly.
Here's what happened....
Nurse- "I'm going to put this needle in now & you'll feel a big pinch."
Me-' I didn't even feel it."
Nurse- "Still playing macho man, huh?"
Me-"Ain't playing."
Nurse- "Oh honey, you're doing good, you're really gushing. Good veins. Feeling OK?"
Me- "Never felt beter."
Nurse- "Ok honey, I'll be back to check on you soon."
I'm squeezing that rubber ball as hard as I can with no let up. I'm racing the blood out to see how quick I can empty it out.....
Nurse comes back- "Oh honey, you're just about done! How you feeling?"
Me- "I ain't never felt better."
Nurse- "Ok, great job! I'm taking out the needle now and after I put this bandage over the hole, I want you to raise your arm & hold the bandage tight against your arm, OK?" "Terry?" Terry?"
Nurse- "COLD TOWELS! WE NEED COLD TOWELS HERE!"
Now I can HEAR her, I just can't ANSWER her cause I'm so sleepy. I just want to take a nap.
In seconds, 1 nurse had an ice bag behind my head neck & held another one on top my head. Another nurse was rubbing 2 cold & wet wash cloths over my face and neck calling "Terrrry....Terrrry....." like she's calling out her kids in a game of hide & seek. Another nurse puts a refigerated wet towel under my shirt and is rubbing my belly & chest. One last nurse has my ankles in her hands & she's pumping my lower legs back & forth trying to get some blood flowing I guess. It feels like I'm dreaming when "Flora", the 80+ year old volunteer jams a straw in my mouth and yells "Suck it! Suck it! It's Gatorade, suck it!" Soon as I take a couple of hits, she SMASHES a lemon cookie in my mouth & grinds the thing into pieces yelling "Chew it! Chew it!" Crumbs are done my shirt and I'm coming to with all these women staring down at me....
Me-"Man, I got so sleepy I just wanted to take a little nap."
Nurse-"No honey, Mr. "They don't come tougher FAINTED!"
Me-"I didn't faint, I fell asleep."
Nurse- "No honey, you FAINTED!"
Well, next 3 times I donated, I was told to drink lots of water. I had a nurse assigned to sit with me the whole time. She sat there with her arms crossed just looking at me and asking every 30 seconds or so "Are you still with us?" I told her I think I am....
No other problems any other time. But we laughed a lot about that everytime I was there. I made some new friends.
When I told Brandie I fell asleep, she started yelling "YOU FAINTED! I can't believe YOU fainted! Wait till I tell everybody!" And she spent the next several days telling our family and friends doing just that.
One last tidbit for those who want to know....the nurse who removed my cathator made me laugh when she did it cause when she pulled it out, it looked like she tried to start a lawn mower! It didn't hurt at all till I had to tinkle later on. Remember when "Godzilla" hit "Mothra" with the death ray out of his mouth??? It felt sort of like like for 2 days!
Thanks for allowing me to share some non-pool stories here.
