Hi There Fellow Q's (Ok... It's a Star Trek reference for any non-Trekkies here.)
But don't worry, I'm not here for Star Trek related talk (though I wouldn't ignore nor dismiss any should it occur *<grin>*). I suppose I can consider myself a former old timer on this list from several years ago. Haven't been on the List in maybe 5 years or so. Primarily because I've been busy with work and work-related, disability legal crap (on the down side) and participating in some of my favorite volunteer works (on the upside). However, though I haven't been here a long time, in looking at the archives, I do recognize quite a few old-timers from my past... wheelchair, DAANOO, Lori M., GHenry1, Eric Rudd, Bobbie among several others. For those who don't know me, I'm a 41-year-old, C5/6 since 1983. I fell from a tree after doing a teenaged "high wire" act for a $10 bet. I won the bet because I walked across a 30-ft wire... it's just that the that didn't include successfully making it out of the tree at the other end! Yes, life can sure sometimes be an irony. I grew up in eastern Pennsylvania just an hour or two north of Philadelphia (between Houston and Allentown for those who know PA) in what was a pretty small town, Nazareth. Accessibility was pretty much nonexistent... plus it was before the ADA (not that the the ADA has made a huge difference in ALL places! [Especially small towns]). I always have a good time in college bars when people asked where I'm from... "Nazareth," ... "Where's that?" ... "Near Bethlehem." ... "Where's Bethlehem?" ... Me, "You're kidding, haven't you ever read a Bible? It's near Egypt." (All true! At least as far as PA geography goes. But it sure does trip out half-drunk bar hoppers!) So, that gives you some idea of my sense of humor. Beyond that, I'm also a huge advocate for the disabled when it comes to employers and businesses that don't follow the ADA even after 18 years of being law. (Including my own employer... not necessarily a good thing for making friends when asking nicely has no results.) Once upon a time I found this list to be extremely informative. It's why I began calling the group here "fellow Q's." I imagine there is been many changes on the list but I'm also willing to bet the aspect of being a list full of knowledgeable people eager to give advice as well as being open to receive it qualifies this "collective" as being knowledgeable enough to be nearly "Q-like". I'm very happy to see some of my old friends are still here (BTW: any old-timers seen or heard from "breezy" lately?). I'm equally happy to see there appears to be many new people here that I might be able to call my NEW friends, as well. Being a quad for 25 years has provided me plenty of knowledge on several topics and up happy to share whatever I can to help any new quads... or old quads with new questions. Currently I've got plenty of problems I'm dealing with myself. I had a flap surgery in 2006 for a sore that was open 4.5 months. During the surgery he was found a small amount of osteomyelitis from MRSA had formed in my ishium. Within a year the surgical site RE-opened, I showed outward signs of some kind of infection, and it was found the osteo "might" not have been eliminated. I had to have another surgery to explore an unusual area seen in a CAT scan. The surgery's result was somewhere between negative and inconclusive for MRSA. Two months later, major disturbing signs of infection returned (swelling, fever, and pain indicated by dysreflexia). If I didn't have MRSA then, the surgery to find it and the open surgical site provided a perfect pathway for the staph to really hit me. A MRSA infection in the exposed tissue with directly to my hip bone and begin disintegrating the hip and femur so much that I ended up with a dislocated hip (causing the pain) because it wasn't enough stable bone to hold my femur properly in the hip socket. All this while I was in bed recovering from surgery. Since then I began hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HBOT). For anyone unfamiliar, HBOT entails being placed in a "tube" that is sealed and pumped full of 100% oxygen at 2X normal atmospheric pressure for 2 hours every day... usually for a minimum of 60 days. HBOT activates certain bone cells that eliminate dead bone and activates other cells that rebuild new bone in its place because the hyper-oxygenated atmosphere makes the body produce more blood vessels into "dead" areas. So far, I can report, so good. I'm finally beginning to sit again in my WC for the first time since the end of August, '07! I consider that successful. So far it's still a somewhat "new" type of therapy but most insurance, including Medicare, will cover it under certain circumstances. The success rate is at least 85%! I'm hopeful I'm not the other 15% given my results so far... and I'm only half way through treatments. (X-rays show no further damage since November.) I'd be interested in hearing if anybody else on the list has ever used HBOT and how well it worked for you. If nobody on the list has used HBOT and has questions about it, I'd be happy to answer whatever I can. I researched it pretty extensively before and since beginning treatments. It's a pretty fascinating topic. Okay, I suppose that's enough about me for now. Besides, I have to get going more on my taxes. I just started Friday! (Too busy with some legal papers... I'll probably write about that later, too.) So anyway, I'm happy to meet you ALL and glad to see many of my old friends are still around. Best regards to ALL! --Tod Santee Biology Teacher C5/6 since 1983 and run-of-the-mill Nutcase!
