Recovery update:
ALL====I was relaeased from the hospital yesterday afternoon.
Trying to rest---yeah right---.
I'm greatly moved by all the outpouring of love and prayers from you guys. I say that in all sincerety. I'll do my best to live up to it!
I found out that medicine is like experimental aircraft. What you dont know you dont know. As I'm told, I was given an antibiotic along with the anesthesia. This was supposed to be a fairly quick proceedure to fix 2 partially torn meniscus in my right knee, that I had quite frankly got tired of dealing wth. So, 30 minutes, in and out, go home, and in about 10 days be back to normal.
Apparently very early in the proceedure, my throat started closing, O2 levels dropping, and scared the **** out of one of the best orthropediic surgeons in the country, a long time friend, and a Hudson Hornet fanatic.
I'm told that several Doctors and surgeons went to work on me, and essentially gave me the airway to save my life. I was in an outpatient surgurical center, very close to the hospital, so I'm told that EMS trasported me to the ER, and the staff worked on me for quite a while. Quite the commotion for a hose guy.
Long story short, in trying to get an airway, they broke a couple of teeth (you gotta do what you gotta do), so I have that to deal with. Trach hole is about the size of a -10 bulkhead fitting. Guess they wanted to test Don Rivera's flow data. Seems its right on the money.
Looks like the big issue will be the trach hole, and taking care of that. So, probably no cutting teflon hose, or any of that stuff for a bit-----until I can come up with a way to get it all covered up.
In talking with the Drs, we still dont know what caused it, but have narrowed it down to the antibiotic. I'd never heard of it, nor have I ever had it in any other proceedures. They have run a series of blood tests to see what else is strange
about me, and we'll figure all of this out.
I want to express my deep appreciation to all the VAF and experimental community for the outpouring of support. Suzanne and I have been blown away by the emails, phone calls, and VAF posts. WE'll answer them all. I might take a little time, but its important for me to let you all know what you mean to us.
I found out, after the fact, that life can change in a instant. You NEVER think it can happen to you, but it happended to me, and for a while was pretty serious. So----if you havent hugged your Dr or nurse today, do it. Alot of people worked on me, and I'll probably never know all that were involved. BUT----they are the ones that gave me a second chance------to help you guys and finish my RV.
I'll keep you updated as I can.
Tom and Suzanne.