Tag Archives: infection

Glad that’s over.

Posted on by Standard Reply

I had a rough patch last year. My wife just recently shared this photo she took at the time. It hit me kind of hard.

Me in a hospital bed in September or October 2023.

I was in & out of the hospital for about 3 weeks in a month due to an infection from & complications with a drain from diverticulitis. I had my sigmoid colon and part of my rectum removed, with robot-assisted orthoscopic surgery. Recovery was rough while I was in it, but relatively quick looking back.

The local hospital staff was fantastic taking care of me, the surgeon is the greatest, I was consulted by an infectious diseases doctor on the regular, and my PCP was very helpful throughout.

Medical care and insurance get a bad rap, but because of the medical care, I am still here. It hit me recently too that this is what killed Peter Steele. When this picture was taken, I was coming down from rigors that I got after a simple procedure to remove a drain. They called the rapid response team to medicate me, pack me in ice, & do what they could to help me combat a 105° fever.

This put my wife through a lot of emotional stress. Luckily my job & her job were fantastic with the time off. The kids had questions about if I was ever coming home.

Early on, my boss & a co-worker rallied to bring a cooler full of frozen food & rotisserie chickens to lighten the burden & home. Lots of friends, family, & neighbors reached out with gift cards, food, & support. I can’t thank everyone enough for donations to a GoFundMe or something that must have been out there to help with medical bills. I will pay it forward, and the help is wholeheartedly appreciated. I am humbled by the support & care for our family.

I’m not posting this to lament or for sympathy. It’s mainly just to mentally close it out, as a reminder to be thankful for absolutely everything that I have. It was most likely the impetus for me to finally try out publishing a maze book, putting my stuff on some merchandise, and drawing a maze for my surgeon.

Make every day count. Get small medical stuff checked out before it becomes big stuff. Be there for your people.

Crop-dusting for disgusting cell-phone roaches.

Posted on by Standard 7

This Facebook status seemed quite popular.  Thought I’d blog about it, and get some more input.  There are 2 points here that seem to universally annoy us…  People talking loudly (or at all) on cell phones in public places, and people that talk about disgusting things when you’re trying to eat.

So, I'm sitting at Chick-fil-A tonight, trying to enjoy some chicken nuggets and some chicken noodle soup... and some crazy Yinzer lady is about 4 booths away screaming into her cell phone, talking about infections, site-wounds, dialysis, and MRSA. Besides it just being rude to be on your phone there in a public place... Really? Everyone around is trying to eat. I wish I could pass gas on demand. I would have made several runs (pardon the pun) past her table.

So I'm sitting at Chick-fil-A...

The original text…

So, I’m sitting at Chick-fil-A tonight, trying to enjoy some chicken nuggets and some chicken noodle soup… and some crazy Yinzer lady is about 4 booths away screaming into her cell phone, talking about infections, site-wounds, dialysis, and MRSA.

Besides it just being rude to be on your phone there in a public place…

Really? Everyone around is trying to eat. I wish I could pass gas on demand. I would have made several runs (pardon the pun) past her table.

Pus oozing from an abscess caused by bacteria—...

Image via Wikipedia

Click the pic above to magnify the first wave of comments, and if you want check out this old post for reference: Excuse me, I’m eating.

So, what’s your take on disgusting topics during meals, public cell phone users, and the unholy intersection of the two?

Chick Fil A 8pc Nuggets

Image by j.reed via Flickr

Related articles

Possible Parasitic Panacea

Posted on by Standard 3

Adult Trichuris female human whipworm PHIL 414...

Adult Trichuris female human whipworm

Thanks to one of my many Twitter food allergy friends,  @Onespot_Allergy, this incredible  yet possibly repulsing story recently came to my attention: Food Allergies And The Dirty Side Of The Hygiene Hypothesis

Basically… researchers are trying to see if parasites dropped into your guts will boost your immune system and possibly cure peanut allergies… and in turn, all food allergies.

This linked to another exciting, informative, and insane article from WCVB TV-5 complete with a video: Parasites May Cure Allergies

…Participants would swallow a small vial full of liquid with parasitic eggs once every two weeks for an undetermined period of time.

They said side effects are minimal.

“This is not a parasite that will stay and colonize,” said Castells. “They just stay there for a little bit, they have enough food for a few days, a few weeks, and they go out.”

Jouvin and Castells are particularly interested in finding study subjects with moderately serious peanut allergies. Often deadly, peanut allergies afflict millions and kill as many as 100 Americans each year.

First reaction?  Ew!  Next reaction?  Neat!  …and what the hell is a Whipworm?  Well, Wikipedia is helpful in such situations…

  • Light infestations (<100 worms) are frequently asymptomatic.
  • Heavy infestations may have bloody diarrhea.
  • Long-standing blood loss may lead to iron-deficiency anemia.
  • Rectal prolapse is possible in severe cases.
  • Vitamin A deficiency may also result due to infection.[2]

Mechanical damage to the mucosa may occur as well as toxic or inflammatory damage to the intestines of the host.

At least the first line is reassuring.  This seems a lot like how the plot to Alien started.  If it’s proven, I’ll go for it.  I’d like to make sure that I’m not allergic to Whipworms before I eat any or their eggs, though.

Also… if “cured”, I wouldn’t be going to Red Lobster any time soon, but it sure would make cross-contamination fears a thing of the past.

What do you think about this possible cure for food allergies?  Excited?  Scared?  Grossed out?  Curious?  No emotions until there are solid results?

Related articles

Excuse me, I’m eating.

Posted on by Standard 21

Over my lifetime, I’ve amassed a list of words and subjects that I’d rather not discuss while eating.  This includes dining out, eating dinner at home with my wife, with a large group, or even just snacking.

This especially applies to family gatherings.  For some reason, dinner conversation always comes around to operations, infections, and/or feces when I’m with my family, and oddly… this extends to my wife’s family too.

There are just some things I don’t want to think about or even hear mentioned while I’m shoveling food into my face.  I’m I alone in this?  Please tell me I’m not alone.  I can’t watch Dirty Jobs while I’m eating either.

Here’s a short list of words and subjects that I don’t want to hear while I’m eating…

  • Infection / Infected
  • Puss
  • Anything ending in “ectomy“
  • Bloated
  • Operation
  • Poop, diarrhea, feces, shit, crap, etc.
  • Diaper (…especially when it leads to a discussion of use and/or contents.)
  • Vomit, “Throw up”, puke, regurgitate, etc.
  • Bile
  • “Soupy” describing anything other than soup.
  • Anything describing a recent doctor’s visit.
  • Anything describing a recent dentist visit.
  • Maggot
  • Blood
  • The word “Hospital”, because it never leads to anything good.

I’m sure there are more, but these are the most offensive.  What would you add to the list?