The AM Forum

 :(

Hi everyone. This is Tim`s wife Gloria. I just wanted to let you all know that Tim had to be taken to the hospital this morning after collapsing in our hallway. We both ended up with a nasty case of food poisoning last night, and neither of us got much sleep at all. If you`ve ever had food poisoning, I don`t need to elaborate. :-X
Anyway, it must have hit him really hard, I think he was very dehydrated and weak, he could barely walk this morning. When he came down the hall, he just collapsed and I tried for 10 minutes to get him up, but it was a no go.  I think he will be ok once they get some fluids into him, but it was still pretty scary.  I`m heading over there shortly after I can be sure the banana I just ate will stay down. :(

I`ll keep you all updated.

Oh, yeah, I think it will be a cold day in hell before either of us eats any Chinese gain!!  BLARGH

He's in our thoughts and prayers Gloria.
Food poisoning is nasty stuff, know that first hand.

All my prayers, Gloria.

Sorry to hear this. Hope he's feeling better soon.

I pray you both recover very soon-you don't need this after all that you have been through-I have had similar experiences on my overseas travels.

Chinese food? 

BTW has anyone seen my cat?
Skip

[quote author

Chinese food? 

BTW has anyone seen my cat?
Skip
[/quote]

I think we flushed him. About a dozen times in fact.

Here's hoping for a quick recovery...

Food Poisoning is pure misery... 

that sucks!! Good luck, and get well.
Just dont fall through your butt and hang yourself  :o :o

I had it a few years back from eating sushi!! After running from both ends for 3 days I was sure that I was gonna fall through my ass and hang myself!!

It took me at least 2 years before I could eat it again!!

                                                       The Slab Bacon

Best to you both, Gloria, Tim.

After all the c..rap he's had to put up with, you sure don't need more.

Tim's tough. Sounds like your just as tough.
 Rehydration will be just the ticket.

Gloria,

Give our best to Derb. Hope you both recover quickly.

Yes, food poisoning is so unfair. Especially after paying good money to them for it... :'(

I had a recent bout with it three months ago from the supermarket salad bar. It took a whole week to get over and I lost 10 pounds. I feel your pain...  ;)  It seems to be a common thing these days.

Tell the BJB we're awaiting his return.

 Best wishes,

Tom, K1JJ

I just got back from the hospital. They`re admitting Tim into the ICU. They did a chest x ray because they were concerned he might have pneumonia because he`s not breathing well.  They also tried to do a spinal tap (yikes) but after 2 tries were unsuccessful. The doc told me they were looking for any infections such as meningitis. They are just going to treat him as if he has it, which sounds really strange to me, but the treatment is lots of antibiotics, which he needs anyway, so.....

I had no idea how bad off he really was this morning. When I got to the hospital, he was burning up, had a temp of 103, and was really just out of it. The staff kept asking me if this is normal for his mental state (HA! if they only knew his REAL mental state :P)  and I kept telling them he seemed fine until after eating the noxious Chinese plot to take over America. It`s like they weren`t really listening or something.

Anyway, I am going to visit him in the morning. He`s so out of it right now, and I know he really needs sleep, I didn`t want to stay too much longer. His dad was there today with him as well.

I told him I posted on this board, but I don`t know if he remembers me telling him that or not. He`s in such a fog right now. But I will tell him again in the morning and I`ll tell him that you all send best wishes his way.


And yes, Frank, I will try my damnedest to NOT fall through my own ass and hang myself. :D

Gloria,

Are you feeling better?  You mentioned it happened last night to both of you, so if you recover soon, maybe that's a good sign for Derb. 

It's does sound logical that's it's food poisoning since both of you got sick at the same time.  Obviously, Derb's reaction to it was more intense.

Let's hope for the best.

T

Gloria,

Hang in there, be strong, our best to you and Derb.  We are all praying for your swift and sure recovery.... 

My wife and I were hit with that from a Chinese restaurant just two weeks ago - a restaurant we have been going to for years, but never again.  Thankfully we both recovered without medical attention.  It really knocks you out.  We hope you both have your health and strength back real soon!

Best regards,

Rick W8KHK

Yes, Tom, thanks, I am feeling much better. I had lunch today at the hospital cafeteria, kept it pretty bland, and that seemed to work. Still really tired, though.  But yeah, it hit him MUCH worse than it did me, which is weird, because I got sick before he did and he started eating before I did. Only by a few minutes, though.  His immune system ain`t what it used to be, and truthfully I don`t think it was much to brag about before. He always tells me what a kick ass immune system I must have because I almost never get sick.  We both seemed to have avoided getting colds or flu this winter, but I`d take a good old fashioned head cold over what we had last night.

The sooner you get sick the better off you are. Delay getting sick and the crap absorbs more into your system.

Hang in there Derb!

Rick,

I hate to say it, but I had Chinese tonight...  :o  Feel OK so far.

What food do you think was the culprit?  (Maybe Gloria can chime in too) 

I understand that salmanella is the most likely problem, but I'm not sure what particular food is most likely to become contaminated at a Chinese place...

T

We had pepper steak with onions, and Tai chien chicken, which is a little like General Tso`s, but not nearly as spicy. We both ate the same thing.

The leftovers are still in the fridge. I want to hurl every time I open the door.......

I`m wondering if it wasn`t the pepper steak, because I didn`t care for the taste of it, and he asked me also if I thought it tasted weird. I just thought it didn`t taste right since the chicken dish was so sweet. But now I wonder.....

Tom, I think it was the egg drop soup.  Kathy and I both had that, the only thing in common.  Kathy mentioned it tasted like "metal", indicating the stock was old.  We only had a taste of it, and pitched the rest, but that was enough to do us in for four days.  Don't have any interest in Chinese for a long time now.   But it can happen with any cuisine.  For a while we were avoiding peanut butter....

WOW. tough break. Get well soon Derb!

Hey, Why not give it to the health department and tell them it made you sick.

So Derb, you haven't considered warming up the leftovers just to be sure that the pepper steak is the culprit???  ;D

Holy Mackerel...Feel better soon yunns guys... :)

Ow wow, I haven`t heard anyone say "yunns" in like, forever!!!!!

I have taken to saying "you all", but not gone as far as to southern it up into "y`all".....not yet anyway.

Got a call from a surgeon tonight after I got home. They wanted my permission to run a central IV line into him since they have such a hard time trying to find his veins.  Hopefully he`s feeling much better in the morning, but I suspect he`s going to spend at least the weekend in the hospital.

I am going to contact the health dep`t. on Monday. They`re not open on weekends or I`d do it tomorrow. Too much going on today to worry about it.  But yeah, I`m betting we`re not the only ones who got sick.

I'll bet this problem will get more common in this economy. With food places looking for any way to cut costs to survive, extending food shelf life as long as possible is going to be a growing temptation.

T

LOL..Hello Mrs. Derb, hey hope yer feelen better...I had that one time it's YUK...no fun at all...but I would definitely make that call...

73
Jack.

You might consider a call to the local police station or better yet TV station for help.  Oh yea, nuke them with a lawyer.
The best way to deal with a problem like that is spread the word.
You might consider a visit to the place you got the food and inform them Derb is very sick and you will drop off the bill when it comes.

We had a Chinese restaurant in town where the health department discovered them butchering a road-kill deer.  It shut 'em down for good when word of that got out.

If you remember back 200 to 300 years Salt and spice was used to cover the stench of rotting meat. I pretty much avoid eating meat that has been doctored unless I do it.

Sorry to hear about this Mr. and Mrs. Derb! Glad you are feeling better Gloria and hope Tim is home and back to the work bench soon.

Rob

Hello Gloria and Tim,

Very sorry to hear of your food poisoning illnesses. Hope Tim's isn't more serious than that. However, I'd like to give you, and others following this thread, a heads up on taking antibiotics. Overdoing it can lead to serious illness, a bacterial infection of the intestines called 'C Diff', or clostridium difficele.

In normal situations there are both good and bad bacteria in the intestines. But when too much antibacteria has been ingested it destroys the good bacteria, leaving the bad bacteria surviving alone, which causes the C Diff, which is the most virulent of all infections occurring in the digestive system, sometimes fatal.

I speak of this problem first hand. In Feb 2007 I took an antibiotic during cataract surgery. Then in March I took two successive antibiotics during dental surgery. Then in April I had major spinal surgery that involved more antibiotics. That did it. I developed a very serious level of C Diff that put me close to death and kept me in the hospital for three months. Diarrhea, going at least ten times a day for more than two weeks, with the diarrhea continuing for more than six months. I have still not totally recovered.

So, Gloria, I suggest that you closely monitor any antibotics the Drs prescribe for Tim--please don't let them give him anywhere the amount that could destroy all the good bacteria. Tim's had enough misery and doesn't deserve to get anywhere near C Diff !!!!

Get well soon, Derb,

Walt, W2DU

It's no mere coincidence that cultures native to hot tropical climates tend to have a lot of spice in their diets, while diets originating from northerly latitudes tend to be bland.

Very good advice, Walt, TNX!  Man, 6 months is some bout - glad you recovered.

We had a similar experience, but with my dog, Yaz.  Yaz picked up some kind of food poisoning and was sick with the same symptoms for about four days. After the first two days I brought him to the vet. The vet gave him three types of medicines . He also added a forth - a powder type Yogurt? for an additional 2 weeks after the antibiotics. It added the good bacteria back into his system.  He recovered very quickly after the vet visit.

I eat Yogurt every day thinking it does the same thing.

Gloria: We continue to hope for the best and always look for the latest info on The Derb!

Later -

T

Hi guys!

Well, Tim is doing better today, but still in no shape to come home.  I was informed tonight that his blood pressure was low yesterday along with everything else he had going on, due to the dehydration.  They`re probably going to try and get him up and motivating around tomorrow.

You know he`s feeling better though when he starts complaining about stuff and making typical lewd observations. Like when he complained about his catheter, he said it felt like they must have given him the John Holmes version. :D

I`ll print out this thread and take it in tomorrow to show him. He`ll like that I`m sure. 

I`ll keep you all (yunns ;D) updated!!

Hi Tom,

Yer right on in using yogurt, cuz it contains good bacteria that helps fight off the bad stuff.

Walt, W2DU, Rick's OM.

Crap, what a bummer.  Glo, give Timmy my best.

Wasn't too long ago we shared a pretty FB Chinese lunch w/y'all down in Richmond.

Hope this doesn't drive down attendance at Tom, WA3KLR's AM'ers lunch at the Easton Buffet Restaurant (Chinese) in Warrington, PA. :P

Ah Cool,...Derbs feelen better... :)

In that case, get yer Butt outta bed you ole Poop, You got werk to do... ;D

http://lunkhead.net/wavs/nyuk.wav

73
Jack.

It could be worse

Hope Derb feels better

Carl
/KPD

Glad to hear things are getting better. food poisoning is on the rise. I worked in a restaurant once and they are nasty. I got a well marinated cigarrette butt in the sauteed mushrooms once from Chinese. I guess they thought it was a stem.

Scary thing is, we all had Chinese food after the Richmond 'fest, and though the place looked a bit off, the food was great. Having also suffered from food poisoning (BBQed chicken in my case), I know firsthand it's incredibly BAD. So here's hoping the Derb gets out of it soon, and the culprit is found before others go through it too.

You're probably right, Tom - we'll see more of this going forward in these times. We're having trouble finding fresh meat at the grocery stores that don't say 'product of USA, Mexico, and Canada'. Food inspection is one of the few areas I'd like to see more gov't oversight and not just lip service.

....and that's one of the safer things you'll find.  ;D

Tim is now out of the ICU and into a regular room.  He was actually up on his feet today even though he was pretty shaky.  he seems even better than yesterday, and he tells me that his doc wants to keep him for another day just to get the test results back and continue monitoring him, etc. So I`m thinking tomorrow or Tuesday he should be ready to come home.

Great news!   :D

Wishing you both the best!


-Bruce

Yep, he`ll be back here swingin` that monkey like nobody`s biznass...... ;D

I don`t even know what he hell that means, LOL!!!

Glad that Tim is doing better, Gloria.  You be careful, too. ;D  Keep up the good fight.

And all these horror stories are beginning to make me wary of my local Chinese eatery.  Nothing bad from them in the years I've been eating from there, but I guess there's always a first time.

Gloria,

Tell Derb swingin monkeys is now illegal in CT, unless you badder than the monkey - then it's OK.   

I`m not sure, but I`m thinkin` if he started swingin` his monkee in the hospital, it might get him kicked out sooner?

Or slapped by a nurse......

Beats me...I even tried Google. ???

I once found a  Marlboro Box stuffed inside of a Long necked Budweiser.....



slimpe flied lice

klc

Maybe we should put up a Wikipedia page???

"Swinging the Munky"  is not as porno as it may sound.

It's an old CB phrase that referred to either your own modulation on your peak reading wattmeter -  or the other guy's S-meter, as it swung wildly under  modulation. (on AM)  A big munky swing is a good thang... ;)

Commonly used today, I think The Derb was the first one to introduce it to the AM ham crowd. 

T

I have never had a serious case of food poisoning that I know of.  But while I was teaching school, the last day of the school year they always had a luncheon for the staff.  I taught classes at two schools, so I had my choice of which one to attend.  One year I made the lucky choice, because about half the staff at the other school was stricken with food poisoning from some pork or chicken barbecue, and several had to be hospitalised.  It was a hot day, and one of the school administrators picked up the barbecue at a local establishment and brought it to the luncheon site.  Evidently, it had just enough time in the hot trunk of the car during the trip across town for stuff to start growing in it.

I have had a case or two of the flu and some hellacious hangovers in my day, but thankfully, never any serious food poisoning.

Hope you are soon back on your feet, Derb.

It's MUNKY. Not Monkey.

Then "Munky" it is.

We better contact Mr. Webster to stake our claim before someone names it to a new asteroid or swamp slug... ;D

T

I thought I had had food poisoning.

Then I got it.

Rich

In 1979 I was traveling around the country on a motorcycle, Rochester, NY to Anchorage AK, to San Diego CA, and back. In September I was working my way down the Alcan Highway ahead of the snow to Haines Alaska to catch the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry back down to the lower 48. I got to Haines in late afternoon for a ferry boarding at 4am the next day. Set up my tent at the campground and went to a local restaurant for a meal. I ordered a cheeseburger, fries and a glass of milk.

When the milk came it was watery and tasted odd and my immediate thought was "Oh this is Carnation powedered milk mixed not very well with water." and set it aside. It tasted just like that, not 'bad'. Wrong! By 9pm I was heaving. By midnight I was spewing at both ends 2-3 times per hour. A 4 am I was a feverish sodden shaky mess but managed to manhandle the Suzuki on board and under the stairwell with the other bikes and retire to the lounging chair that 'deck passage' bought you instead of a room. I spent the next 2 days shivering and sweating on the way to tacoma. Other folks were lounging in their bathing suits in the sun, I was huddled on the chair in my hoodie and gloves and hat 'sweating it out'. No doctor on board and I'm not sure what he could have done for me anyway. Around the 3rd day i was able to start eating lightly again and by the end of the trip on the 4th afternoon I was more or less functional and taking interest in life again. No fun at all. I've had it twice more through the years, once while on a business trip in Scottsdale, and once at home.

I'm attaching 3 pics. One is of the motorcycle up along the Canadian highway just before getting on the ferry Matanuska going north. The second is of the tent down in the Kenai peninsula outside of Hope Alaska, and the third is of the 'deck passage' area on the Malaspina. Our deck passage chairs were under there at night with infared heaters in the ceiling. Pretty cool group of deck passengers. On the trip up we had a lot of musicians including me with my guitar. On the way down the group had even more musicians, include *two* cellists with their instruments. They put on a show one night, and we all played music each night on the deck.

Good memories, despite the food poisoning.

 
That captures it perfectly...

I was in XE land on business about 6 years ago. I have traveled to MX and  China a few times so I am pretty careful about the usual precautions

On Monday I had a take out taco of some sort from a local shop. Took one bite and it tasted nasty. I immediately gave up and went without.

Tuesday I began to feel a little off and by 5 PM I had the worst headache. By 3 AM life was not a pleasant thing. I spent 4 days in the hotel room and lost 20+ lbs.
The details are best left out.

It was a long flight home from MX City to CT, but "uneventful". There was nothing left! My local Dr. told me to drink copious amounts of Gatorade.

It was many trips back down there before I dared to try anything that was not completely boiled, broiled or baked.

As Rich indicated,once you have really had it you know how awful it is. It is the sickest I have ever felt.

Get better Derb. that is miserable

Hi again guys.  Mrs. Derb here.....



I have some bad news about Tim.  His doctor wanted to "talk to both of us together" today. That never sounds good. So she tells us they are pretty sure he has a rare form of meningitis, Listeria meningitis.  They did a CT scan on his head tonight but won`t know the results until tomorrow. Also took more samples of stuff for more testing, but she didn`t expect anything to show up because of all the antibiotics he`s already been on. Said she had consulted with another doc in Morgantown or somewhere and after she explained Tim`s symptoms, he told her he has Listerial meningitis and they better start treating him for it.  From what I`ve been reading up on tonight, timely treatment is of the essence, but I guess it is with any meningitis.

This form is not the viral kind that is spread from person to person, it is picked up in contaminated food (CHINESE food, perhaps???)))  She actually thinks it is likely it was the Chinese we had. In normal people (not that I consider myself all THAT normal) like myself :P it pretty much runs it`s course usually in under 24 hours and is fought off by your immune system. In people like Tim, who are immunocompromised, (or babies or very old people) it takes hold and they can`t fight it off, and the bacteria can multiply.

Now I know why they were making a fuss about meningitis, but when I asked a doc about it, he didn`t explain it to me like that.

So I called the local health dep.`t today and gave them the story, but this was before I got the meningitis news.  She gave me the usual rundown of questions about where we had eaten and what we had eaten in the last 5 days (like I`m gonna remember that far back), where we had gone, do we have pets, are they sick, on and on...
She said since they had no other complaints about anyone being sick from this place, it was probably not going to be treated as a major public health concern, but they would be interested to know how Tim`s test results came out. His doc is calling them tomorrow, and they are gonna sit up and take notice this time.  They may want to test the food too, so it`s a good thing I kept it, even tho it makes me sick just looking at it.

Oh, yeah, then she tells us that was the GOOD news....WTF?????????

The bad news, according to her, is that Tim will spend the next 2 to 3 weeks in the hospital since they must give him ampicillin every 4 hours around the clock.  I know that`s not good news, but I thought it was the better than telling us what he actually has.  Of course, Tim wanted to know what the worst case scenario was, and she said that there is a 20% chance of death.  She is very hopeful that he will recover, though, since he has already shown steady improvement.

I have been reading up on this stuff tonight, and I don`t like what she didn`t tell us, like possible side effects (seizures, mental confusion, memory loss, all things he is ALREADY dealing with) as well as personality changes, mood swings, and some other stuff I can`t remember right now...
Also I have read that in some cases, where the patient already is immunocompromised, they have shown steady improvement until about 2 weeks into the treatment, and then suddenly crashed.  I`m gonna talk to her about the chances of that happening when I can get her alone.

I think I should stop researching now. Tim wants me to print out some stuff about it and take it to him. If he were here he would spend hours looking up everything he could find.

If anyone wants to send him a card, I know he`d really enjoy that. The hospital address is:

Jefferson Memorial Hospital
300 S Preston  St.
Ranson WV  25438
room#  216
Timothy West

I will get his phone number tomorrow. I didn`t think he was up to answering the phone, so I didn`t make note of it, but we put the table it is on right beside his bed, so he can reach it easier.

Thanks again, everyone, for all your positive thoughts. Keep `em coming.  :)

Glo

DAMN! Does it ever end? Sorry to hear this. Hope The Derb is feeling well soon again.

Hang in there.

Glo,

Don't trust the doctors.

The internet is your friend now.
Start with Wikipedia and check out what they say about this Listeria and Meningitis as well. Follow the links... learn as much as they know, otherwise you're at their mercy.

They MAKE MISTAKES - constantly.

This isn't TV. They miss things, misdiagnose, use the wrong meds.
Some of them are wack job ego nuts, others are insecure jerks, others still are just plain ignorant despite the white coat and beside manner or title. On rare occasion you find one that cares and may have the right information.

Believe me, they look stuff up in a book and then come back to you as if they know what the heck they are talking about at least 50% of the time...

I say this from personal first hand experience over time.

Learn all you can as fast as possible. Question the bastards, and don't take no for an answer.

Hope Derb comes through... he was just starting to look like he was on a roll again with the Gonset Linear project too...

Keep us posted.

                   _-_-bear

Thanks for the update, Gloria.

I was hoping he would be home and on the air soon - and now this.

Tell Derb we're all thinking of him.

T

I sure hope the DERB gets well soon! I'm sure he will, he's such a great guy (from what I know of him on the BBS) and he's not the kind of person to shrink from challenges. We'll keep him and you Gloria in our prayers daily.

Listeriosis, eh?   Not good.    I'm praying for you, Derb.  You don't need this.

Hello Mrs. Derb,

Hey Hang in there man, WOW...floored me but good...wholly smokes...

one extreme to the other...sheeze..

Tell the Derb we are thinking of him
Carl
/KPD

Tim and Gloria ... all possible best wishes coming your way ... many prayers for a full recovery ... John

Bear.
You have obviously had some regrettable encounters with doctors.  But please don't condemn the entire profession.   
The internet is not peer-reviewed, and trying to be your own doctor can be dangerous.  The important thing is to find a good doctor, one whom you can trust.  And there is always the "other opinion", if needed, or if you have reasons to doubt or question a physician's advice or judgement.

My very best wishes to Derb for a speedy and complete recovery.

73
Steve WA2DTW

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. My step son had the same and recovered. He had a tough time of it. His hobby is taxidermy and there was some suspicion that he got the infection from preparing a deer for stuffing.

Here'e to his speedy recovery

YUP Gloria
YUNNS is definitely a Pennsyltucky word. More like around the Pittsburgh area.

Get well and deifintley get the food poisining admin involved.

Watch for DERB'S parents, I remember them from the Balto-Wash days and they were up in age.
My incident with a 911 call and 3 day hospital stay wasn't food poisining but some really nasty stomach virus going around town. I fainted a couple of times in the bathroom banging my head on something along the way. Not goodness.
I'll be praying for YUNNS

Fred

Hang in there derb we are pulling for you.
I guess that expllains why he didn't get sick right away.

Dang, Glo...

Hope Derb does better real soon, tell him lhb is counting on hearing him soon on the ether...

Wow.  When I first read this, I was stunned. I kept thinking how unfair it seemed.

God willing, he'll be out of the hospital, and back up and running soon.

I'll keep you both in my prayers.

Hi Mrs. "The Derb", I hope he starts turning around for the better real soon.

Do yourself a favor and just stay away from the Chinese food for the rest of your lives. We used to do the hvac service in about a dozen different joints around the area and they all had one thing in common. A generally nasty way of storing they're food. I had to repair a walk-in freezer that was dead for 2 days before they finally called for service. They had food still inside the now room temp refer box all packed in with ice and otherwise open to the air. (aka, food stored at 40deg instead of the necessary 0deg F..)

I had another where the rooftop unit was leaking condensate water all over the ceiling in they're back room where they kept the food. Every box in that room was wet with condensate and I surely didn't see anything getting walked to the dumpster. (This condensate is the moisture the air conditioning removes from the room air where the customers are sitting. Think about it.)

The outright worst thing I've seen is the dishwasher cleaning something in the sink, then just wiping his hands on a once white, now brown rag, and getting back into mixing a giant bowl of some unknown substance. :-X

It's not just Chinese restaurants either. But that's for another post.

Again, I hope the D starts getting better soon, and heed Bears post above, it's good advise.

Jared

Doctors are far from perfect, and It's a good idea to research and understand the health problems you have, but there is a lot of stuff on the Internet that shouldn't be believed either.

I have a brother-in-law who nearly died recently because he decided his doctors didn't know what they were doing, and he didn't need to take his blood pressure meds, that just vitamins and herbs would keep his pressure under control. He believed all the BS about doctors being in league with pharma companies trying to bilk you for the cost of medications.

Well, he had a hemorrhage and ended up in the ER with blood pressure off the chart.

If the hemorrhage had been in his brain, he would have been a goner.

I think when it comes to doctors you should take Reagan's advice:

"Trust, but verify"

I'm not a doc -- just a simple EE, but I read up on Listeria infections after reading this thread. One comment was that it often has a 10+ day gestation period, so it's possible it wasn't the Chinese food but something else he ate up to a couple weeks earlier.

But then I read that on an Internet site, so who knows if it's valid.

Well, guys, here`s the latest news:

Monday they were almost certain he had Lysterial meningitis and began treating him for it. They were also planning another spinal tap for Tuesday.  By Tuesday morning, they were talking about having him transferred back to Georgetown University Hospital in DC (where he was sent initially after they discovered the mass on his brain 3 years ago). Georgetown has a contagious diseases unit that would be better equipped to deal with Tim.  By Tuesday afternoon, they decided he probably does NOT have Lysteria, but they are treating him for it just in case, and now they think his cancer is making a comeback, and that the illness we both had was just some sort of bug that is going around (lots of sick school kids around here in the last 2 weeks). It just so happened that his trip to the hospital has gotten them looking at his brain again, and that this time the cancer is starting to return.  So they say.

I told Tim that if they are right about this, maybe this whole illness thing was someone`s way of getting him in to have his brain looked at before the cancer gets worse. He wasn`t due for another MRI  for at least another month, maybe longer.

I am still having doubts that the cancer is back, since the last MRI was so good.  But it has been 3 years now since the diagnosis, and Tim has been  increasingly worried lately that the time was right for that to happen. That`s what most statistics show, anyhow.  :(


I have read everyone`s posts since my last post, and I certainly appreciate everyone`s advice. At this point, I don`t know what to think.  I was so certain it was the Lysteria also (which it still could be) but now they have me thinking, maybe it is the big C word....

I have to take him up to Martinsburg today so he can get an MRI done, they had a last minute opening and squeezed him in. They won`t transport him, though, I have to if we want it done today. Bunch of freakin` morons.....

I`ll keep the updates coming as I get them.

Thanks for the update, Gloria. Thoughts and prayers are with you both through this. You're probably right, but always better to play it safe.

Gloria,
        My prayers are out to the both of you!

        Very Best Regards,
                                Joe Cro N3IBX

Hi Gloria,

 Diana an I know what your going through, go here, go there, jump through the hoops and Then Wait...the waiting is the killer part...I was supposed to start Chemo two weeks ago , No, we need more tests...go see this guy...man it tries the patience...

Hang in there kid, I gotta feeling it's gona pan out it's just a little set back...

73
Jack.

Gloria,
Remember it's only a license to"practice" medicine.Best of everything to you and the Derb...Lee,N2UDF>

Hi again everyone,


Well, the last time I posted, Tim was about to get an MRI.  He got it, and thankfully the cancer hasn`t  started growing again. So that hasn`t changed, but now they feel that his MRI shows evidence that he`s had one or more "mini" strokes.  They shipped him to Winchester Medical Center on Friday so that he could get some sort of test done that involves putting a scope down his throat to search for little blood clots that may or may not be spreading around from the stroke(s).  The doc he saw there didn`t feel he had  actually had a stroke, but after another CT scan, he said the results were positive for a stroke, so they were going to begin more tests.

  Oh, yeah, they also STILL believe he had Listeria, since he responded so well to the treatment.  I actually contacted a lab down in southern VA that does food testing, and they told me that based on how sick we both got after eating the Chinese food, it could NOT have been listeria, since the incubation period is much longer than a few hours. It`s at least 3 days. He says Tim could have picked up listeria somewhere else, and it had not activated yet, and that the Chinese food probably had salmonella or staph (eeewwww) in it, and that could have set off the listeria. Which explains why Tim got sicker instead of better. So I guess the Chinese are off the hook  for now, especially since the food is so old (yes, it`s STILL in the fridge, in 2 garbage bags in a drawer at the bottom) that they probably couldn`t test it anyway.  And he told me to ALWAYS freeze the food in question, which is completely contrary to what the board of health told me.  Does ANYBODY know what the hell they`re talking about anymore??????? ::)

Tim was NOT pleased to hear the stroke news, but I tried to tell him that people live just fine after strokes all the time, even after much worse than he`s apparently had. His must have been so slight that neither of us can remember when it might have occurred.  And the treatment? Baby aspirin every day.  I think he can handle that, it should be the one drug that doesn`t make him fall asleep.  They might put him on Plavix, also, if they determine that he has any buildup in his carotid arteries. He is feeling much better physically, though. 

They might be letting him come home as early as this week sometime, but of course we`re not holding our breath.  If anyone would like the phone number directly to his room, just pm me and I`ll let you have it. I don`t know if board rules permit posting stuff like that, and don`t know if it  would be a good idea anyway. 

Oh, BTW, he does have computer access in his room, if that`s what you wanna call it. The interface is sooooooo idiotic that it frustrates the hell out of a person to even try to type in a password. The keyboard is set up to type all in caps (no, caps lock is NOT on) and you have to hit the shift key to type small letters. The "mouse" is a round button, not a ball, but a button that you kind of run your finger around on and push and hold down to move the cursor, and it moves really sloooowwww. Anyhow, Tim wanted to throw the whole keyboard through the screen, that`s how annoying it was. I tried it, and I could see his point. I`m sure it`s set up that way on purpose to discourage people from using it.

So that`s it for now. I`ll post more news when I have it.