Home of the Medically Fragile!!

[Vassili Zaitzev]

Christ! After reading everybody else's, suddenly my nail incident doesn't seem so bad.

[gumbyk]

I broke my thumb making dry ice bombs once.

It had to be reconstructed with pins and screws.

But that's nothing compared to Catch's issues.

[Butters]

I never had to deal with congenital maladies like some here but I tried to make up for it in other ways...

I was pronounced dead at the age of 3 after eating a bottle of my father's 'nerve pills'(whatever those were...) The only reason I'm here is because a young female intern refused to give up on me while her superior was out giving my parents the bad news.

At the age of 6, I spent most of a week in a coma after being stung nearly to death by a swarm of hornets. I then had to get shots every week for a year in an attempt to immunize me from their stings. It was years before I lost my phobia for needles.

I had both my wrists broke playing soccer when a big kid kicked the ball while I was on the ground hanging onto it. That made for a lousy summer vacation. The following winter, I had my left achilles tendon severed by an opposing players skates when I was playing hockey (goalie). I still have the artificial fibers in my leg that they used to reattach the ends. I was 9 or 10.

I was hit head-on by a car on my bike when I was 12. I only needed 36 stitches in my head and a hole in my lower leg patched up, but I pretty much wrecked the car (smashed the bumper, grill, hood. windshield, and caved in the trunk when I landed on it ) Less than a year later I was hit from behind while riding my sister's bike, and had to get skin grafts on my right forearm and elbow.

I slammed into a big spruce tree on my motocrosser when I was 19. I came to choking and gagging on my teeth with my helmet broke in half (still had the styrofoam liner on my head) I'd also fractured my skull, cheekbone and upper and lower jaw. I could feel something hurting between my left hip and ribs and felt something hard. It was a big sliver of slate, and when I pulled it out, the blood started shooting out in spurts. After stuffing my T-shirt into the hole, I got back on my twisted up bike and tried to ride home. I'd go a little ways, and then wake up on the ground. Then I'd have to get back on the bike and try again...I don't know how many times this happened before I reached the highway and was found by a passing driver. Getting all the broken tooth stumps pulled out wasn't much fun either.

About two years later I ran into a stray Holstein at night on my 750 Kaw. I was going about 60mph, killed the cow, and broke my wrist(again), collarbone, 3 ribs, and had a severe concussion. The worst part was putting up with all the friggin' cow jokes and being nick-named 'Burger King' by my so-called pals

a few years later I was rear-ended at a light by some bonehead going about 40 mph. I hit the car in front of me, my seat snapped off the floor, and I broke my wrist (again), some different ribs this time, my collar bone (again), screwed up my back and neck and got another concussion!

So if I seem a bit dim at times, please...be kind

JL

[vikingBerserker]

Wow Butters, we need to start calling you Lucky. (BTW, I think I would give your guardian angel a payraise!)

[javlin]

Originally Posted by Butters

I never had to deal with congenital maladies like some here but I tried to make up for it in other ways...

I was pronounced dead at the age of 3 after eating a bottle of my father's 'nerve pills'(whatever those were...) The only reason I'm here is because a young female intern refused to give up on me while her superior was out giving my parents the bad news.

At the age of 6, I spent most of a week in a coma after being stung nearly to death by a swarm of hornets. I then had to get shots every week for a year in an attempt to immunize me from their stings. It was years before I lost my phobia for needles.

I had both my wrists broke playing soccer when a big kid kicked the ball while I was on the ground hanging onto it. That made for a lousy summer vacation. The following winter, I had my left achilles tendon severed by an opposing players skates when I was playing hockey (goalie). I still have the artificial fibers in my leg that they used to reattach the ends. I was 9 or 10.

I was hit head-on by a car on my bike when I was 12. I only needed 36 stitches in my head and a hole in my lower leg patched up, but I pretty much wrecked the car (smashed the bumper, grill, hood. windshield, and caved in the trunk when I landed on it ) Less than a year later I was hit from behind while riding my sister's bike, and had to get skin grafts on my right forearm and elbow.

I slammed into a big spruce tree on my motocrosser when I was 19. I came to choking and gagging on my teeth with my helmet broke in half (still had the styrofoam liner on my head) I'd also fractured my skull, cheekbone and upper and lower jaw. I could feel something hurting between my left hip and ribs and felt something hard. It was a big sliver of slate, and when I pulled it out, the blood started shooting out in spurts. After stuffing my T-shirt into the hole, I got back on my twisted up bike and tried to ride home. I'd go a little ways, and then wake up on the ground. Then I'd have to get back on the bike and try again...I don't know how many times this happened before I reached the highway and was found by a passing driver. Getting all the broken tooth stumps pulled out wasn't much fun either.

About two years later I ran into a stray Holstein at night on my 750 Kaw. I was going about 60mph, killed the cow, and broke my wrist(again), collarbone, 3 ribs, and had a severe concussion. The worst part was putting up with all the friggin' cow jokes and being nick-named 'Burger King' by my so-called pals

a few years later I was rear-ended at a light by some bonehead going about 40 mph. I hit the car in front of me, my seat snapped off the floor, and I broke my wrist (again), some different ribs this time, my collar bone (again), screwed up my back and neck and got another concussion!

So if I seem a bit dim at times, please...be kind

JL

Now we are talking me and you could of been brothers but only one per family is the rule.Myb mother always said never a dull moment with me around .hehe

[wheelsup_cavu]

Makes my broken nose (several times) a non event.
I kept using my nose to stop a baseball and not my glove.


Wheels

[Njaco]

My one major medical condition is I have suffered for 20 years with Cluster Headaches. These are NOT migraines but the exact opposite. They center over one eye and the pain is god-awful! I become totally incompacitated. They are the least known type of headache yet considered the most painful. Suicides have been reported because of these. They come about 4-6 times a day for about a month or two andthen disappear for a year or more. The last attack was in January and before that was September 07. I used oxygen (have an 'H' tank and a portable) and great amounts of percocet.

I'm gonna regret this.

The only other condition I have is a phobia. A true phobia. I have seizures when this happens and have had ambulances called. And you must take into account what I do for a living. I have dealt with buffalo, 210 lb vicious mastifs, 15 ft snakes, rabid animals that are attacking you, anything that crawls or moves.

Now keeping that in mind, my phobia is......

I have a fear of caterpillars! I'll wait until the laughing stops. hmmmmmm...... Something from my childhood about the wriggly things sets me off. I shut down if I see one, even on TV. Its actually funny, all the slobbering and shakes. I should start charging 25 cents for the shows I give. I have thought about going on the "Maury Show' to maybe cure it.

Now back to our regularily scheduled thread......

[Doughboy]

"The only other condition I have is a phobia. A true phobia. I have seizures when this happens and have had ambulances called. And you must take into account what I do for a living. I have dealt with buffalo, 210 lb vicious mastifs, 15 ft snakes, rabid animals that are attacking you, anything that crawls or moves.

Now keeping that in mind, my phobia is......

I have a fear of caterpillars! I'll wait until the laughing stops. hmmmmmm...... Something from my childhood about the wriggly things sets me off. I shut down if I see one, even on TV. Its actually funny, all the slobbering and shakes. I should start charging 25 cents for the shows I give. I have thought about going on the "Maury Show' to maybe cure it.

Now back to our regularily scheduled thread...... "


I'm sorry, but this is hilarious.

[Njaco]

I knew it would be!

[Bucksnort101]

That's really weird, caterpillars go figure.
Well, I knew all the talk about Achilles problems was going to come back and haunt me. Blew it out again last night, didn't even feel it go, just woke up with a throbbing sensation in my leg. Walk, and even sitting today is painful.
Not the biggest issue in the world but it is getting tiresome after dealing with it for over a year and thinking I was getting past the major pain issue I had several month ago.
Looks like I'll have to borrow the neighbors chainsaw later tonight!

[Catch22]

Ouch Buck, and Butters, holy crap! That's some bad luck!

[MacArther]

Ok, here's a more fully developed listing of my issues (sans the jaw-surgery stuff), with simplified definitions included. Also, on that note, I was not expecting the amount of replies this thread has gotten so far, but I'm glad to see I'm not the only one on this site with medical issues.

1. Scoliosis: The spine should look straight when viewed either by X-ray imaging, where most people’s spines are shown to only curve from front to back (as when viewed from the side). However, scoliosis is a curvature of the spine to either or both sides laterally. I have a slight case of scoliosis, although I am watched carefully because of the possibility of a medicine or other condition I have interacting negatively with my scoliosis.

2. Arnold Chiari Malformation: A rare genetic disorder in which some parts of the brain form abnormally. (Fratt 2005) Part of the cerebellum (in my case) squeezed down through a part of the skull that had not formed correctly. This in turn, inhibited the flow of cranial and spinal fluids both to and from the brain. In my case, this caused the brain either to be pushed upon by fluid that could not readily escape. This lead to massive headaches that required me to take pain medicine, lay flat somewhere dark and quiet, and have a cold pack on my head. Thus, I am not stretching the truth when I say that migraines look like a walk in the park compared to Chiari headaches.

3. Pseudo Tumor Cerebri: This was the reason why I have a Lumbar Peritoneal shunt in the first place. The basic symptoms are similar to Arnold Chiari Malformation, in that there is an increase in pressure in the skull.

4. Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome: The basic gist of this problem is that my kidneys have extreme difficulty distinguishing protein from things that actually need to be filtered out of the body. Therefore I have a amount of protein in my blood whenever I have a relapse because the protein has been disposed of through my urine due to the malfunctioning part of my kidneys. This is usually a disease associated with younger children, because most cases are resolved during the onset of puberty but mine has yet to clear up.

5. Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: I personally have the inattentive form of this disorder. This means that I have trouble with organization, distractibility, and in my case extreme short term memory problems. Other problems that I have are losing homework, and trouble with finishing assignments both during school hours and at home.

6. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: My personal obsessive item is that I have to be early or on time to everything, otherwise I think I shouldn’t show up.

7. Depression: I have had some rough times with depression, although thankfully there was always someone who caught the warning signs (because I was usually too far gone to notice them myself). Depression means that when I get really depressed, and not just a passing sorrowful moment, I “go into hibernation” so to speak. In this case, I lie in bed, thinking of all my mistakes, with the lights out, and sleep excessively. Also, I loose interest in most things, preferring to just stew in my thoughts. Thankfully, I have only had one instance where I displayed suicidal tendencies, and even then I knew that if I did something like that (suicide), I couldn’t bear the hurt I would inflict upon those who cared for me.

8. Intermittent Urinary Tract Bleeding: This basically happens when I stress myself too much, push my body too far without proper hydration, or at the onset or during an illness. This problem came as a result of the steroids I took for Pseudo Tumor Cerebri, which effectively scarred the inner portion of my bladder. This is more of a nuisance than a real issue at the moment, because the method of getting my bladder scar free would give me 2 months of use, before I would have to resort to machines to urinate.

9. Petit Mal Seizures: This is when the firing pattern of the brains electrical signals increase to an unusual amount. My “normal” seizures were called “absence” seizures, because effectively it was like I was fine, but my mind was on vacation. Externally, there was little that would alert someone of one of these occurring, aside from a blank stare, lack of movement, and lack of response to questions or speaking. This seems noticeable, but in my early academic career I was very shy, and very quiet so it was looked over for some time, especially because the “absence” seizures last 30 seconds or less. Then I had what is known as a Grand Mal Seizure, which is the form almost everyone knows of. This being the person suddenly tipping forward and convulsing. I came home one day from 3rd grade, walked in the door and said “Mom, everything is purple….” and then collapsed. I had experienced an “aura” which is the warning of the impending Grand Mal Seizure. Thankfully, I have not had a Grand Mal Seizure since that incident.

10. Acne: I have come a long way since high school in terms of controlling my acne, but I still have it. Acne is where pores on the skin become clogged with dirt, dead skin cells, and finally bacteria. This clogged area then forms a pimple, as the body tries to isolate the area, and expel the foreign material.

[Njaco]

Mac, I know what you mean about the headaches. Although different than what I suffer, migraines are nothing compared to ours.

#6 sounds exactly like me. And I get real antsy if I'm going somewhere with someone and they are running late. I climb the walls!

[MacArther]

My mom kinda has the same obsession with time, although my dad is kinda the opposite, in that he was almost late for his own honeymoon!!!

[Njaco]

sounds like my ex. She drove me nuts with that!