Many people have recently read my story. If you haven't please feel free to do so. I explained a few things about my life, such as some of the health problems I've had along with what led me to leave religion. A number of people reached out to me and asked me how I am currently doing. Some others have also asked why I had to say anything about my departure from religion so, here goes.
In the summer of 2017 Melissa and I went on a trip to Glacier National Park. It was a blast. On the way back we met up with her family in Island Park, Idaho. We spent a few days participating in various activities from Yellowstone to floating down Henry's Fork on a raft.
While there I picked up something that attached itself to my leg. It could have been bacteria, fungus, mold, or something else. I didn't get the chance to figure out what it was. I used some over the counter stuff and it went away. Then it came back. I used more OTC stuff and it went away. Then it came back. I scheduled an appointment with a doctor to have it looked at.
The week before the appointment my legs started to hurt, a lot, right before I went to bed. I woke up in the morning to a number of splotchy red dots all over my legs. I went into the urgent care and, if you read my story you know where this is going, I had my fourth onset of Iga Vasculitis. There was some discussion amongst the urgent care doctor and my dermatologist about how to continue and what to do. I ended up on Prednisone again (for an immunosuppressant), though just a small dose. By the time they started the steroid taper the damage was already done and I had some new open wounds. Fortunately these were small and Melissa and I were able to manage the care for them.
I had moved through some positions with my employer and was now working a job that would allow me to work from home. So I got set up to work from home and worked with my feet up for the next three months. During that time my dermatologist tried using an Rx other than the Prednisone. Eventually he attempted to get me off the Rx, but everytime he did I had a recurrence. The recurrences were not bad, just an indication that my immune system was still overactive.
During this time a study was being done nationwide on vasculitis in general. They only needed 60 participants. The study had been going on for more than four months. They hadn't yet been able to find 60 people nationwide that met the minimum requirements of the study. During one of the times we were trying to get me off the immunosuppressant I had another recurrence. This recurrence was bad enough that I was able to participate in the study. I will likely not live to see good results from the study, but where so few people go through this I hope somebody, sometime, somewhere is able to be helped from the study. It will probably be many years before any positive results are found.
Just after participating in the study I ended up with a urinary tract infection. A cousin of mine had described the crazy pain of kidney stones, and well, I bet this was right on par with that pain. A trip to the ER at 3 am, a round of antibiotics, and all was well. Four days after it was cleared through testing the infection came back. I went in yet again for another round of antibiotics.
UTI's are far more common in women, but I had the joy of two in less than two weeks. The cause of the infection is unknown, but the lack of an immune system contributed to the intensity and duration. I'll spare the details on the intensity. Just know that it sucked.
I remained on the immunosuppressant through the rest of the 2018 summer. Happily there was nothing else bad that happened...... well, no, that's not completely true. I was on a tube floating down the bear river near Mink Creek, Idaho. There was a water diverter that created a waterfall. You couldn't walk around it and really it was only a couple feet, more like a steep rapid. The person I was with had gone over the fall with his extended family at a reunion without incident, so we didn't think much of it.
Well as my luck would go my hat ended up at the bottom of the fall. While I was completing somersaults in the water, my head gently hitting the rocks, the friends I was with began to get worried because I didn't surface. While trying to figure out what to do and how to breathe only as my head went above water, I saw the handle of my tube directly above me. Or, maybe I just knew it was there because I was smacking it along with the rocks. I'm not sure. They couldn't see me because I was rotating under the tube. I was able to grab onto my tube during a rotation and pull myself out of the never ending tumble in the waterfall. Happily my only injuries were a few cuts, bruises, and a lost hat. To answer your question, no, I was not wearing a PFD.
My doctor had begun reducing the immunosuppressant near the end of the summer, a little at a time. In the early fall we went on a trip to Imperial Beach in California. I was now at a half dosage. I had been there for about two weeks and all was well. We visited Tijuana, the beach, some museums, and enjoyed watching the sunset and moonrise over the Pacific ocean. We saw dolphins swimming near the beach, tidepools, and in general had a great time. The day before we left to come home, well, those silly bumps showed up again. I went to an urgent care clinic, got some more prednisone to stop the attack, and returned home.
I only ended up with one or two open wounds that were rather small. The quick treatment prevented things from getting worse. I had to take it easy, so I did. In November Melissa and I were on a little staycation in Park City. The first morning there I woke up at about 1:00 AM to use the bathroom. Relieving myself felt a little odd, but I really didn't pay it much attention. At 2:00 AM I woke up and knew I had another UTI, my third of the year. While I don't wish a UTI on anybody, if you get one, get it during the daylight hours, not the middle of the night.
Melissa went to Walmart and purchased an OTC UTI drug. Once it was morning off we went again to the urgent care. One dip with the test strip and sure enough, I had a bacterial infection. We got the antibiotic and went on our way. That was Monday. On Thursday while at work I started to not feel so well. By early evening I really didn't feel well, my flank hurt, I was nauseas, and on the verge of fainting. We went to the urgent care, but missed them by two minutes, so it was off to the ER. Well, everybody else missed the urgent care too. This is where I truly learned about the pain scale. To me a 10 is so bad that you can't handle it. At this point you faint. Nine is crazy ,intense, stabbing, destructive pain, and eight is slightly below that. When they asked my pain scale I said eight.
I would later find that my eight is their nine. Had I said nine, or had I actually blown chunks, they would have seen me sooner, but I said eight. We arrived at the ER at 9 PM. I was finally taken back to be seen in the ER at about 12:30 AM the next day, Friday morning. After a few tests they determined that the UTI had turned into Pyelonephritis, a kidney infection. They gave me an IV antibiotic and sent me on my way with some instructions.
On Monday the next week they called me back and advised that some test results were in. The bacteria causing the infection was resistant to all oral antibiotics. I needed to get into the ER ASAP and receive some more IV antibiotics. This infection was an ESBL bacteria. Basically it's a superbug that may not be treatable. I left work and went into the ER.
When I arrived at the ER I explained what I was doing there. The admitting nurse seemed a little confused and asked me to take a seat. I could see her face through the glass as she found the note in my chart and read it. I saw her mouth move as she said "Oh, shit, we need to get him back there now!". They called me back and explained that they didn't have a room for me, but could treat me on a hospital bed in the hallway. I took it. I thought "Why wait for a room? Treat me now, please".
While they began the infusion I was doing OK. About five minutes into the IV I saw that the needle had worked its way out. Blood, saline, and antibiotic were leaking about. I was already in a fight for my life and now the IV had come out. I began hyperventilating, my face turned white, and prior to what would have been a faint I was able to notify a nurse, request my bed be lowered, and the IV fixed. The rest of the infusion went off without a hitch.
The doctor reviewed my health chart and wanted to admit me to the hospital, but due to the immunosuppressant decided against admitting me. Instead I would need to go into the hospital daily for the infusion. This would include going in on Thursday, Thanksgiving day. I ended up spending the bulk of Thanksgiving afternoon in the ER as the Infusion Center was closed for the holiday. After a terrifying week I would win, thanks to modern medicine, yet another staring contest with death. I had survived three UTI's. Just one hundred years ago people with UTI's died from the infection, pyelonephritis was basically a death sentence.
Things in my life have been fairly stable since then. I'm still on a full dose of the immunosuppressant, I did have a cyst removed from my arm, and I've spent plenty of time caring for my parents, and my back gets a bit aggravated on a regular basis. So, that's how the physical aspects of my life have gone.
Now, why did I have to say something about my departure from religion? Well, I'm getting to that, but I wanted to post this information. I'll get The Answer to Why posted as soon as I can.
