Smartie's It'll Do Bar & Grill #60

Open 24/7? So, kind of like Lindsay Lohan, right?

Anyway, I thought I'd mention it here because I really didn't want to make a thread out of it: I haven't been active for awhile because one of my disks herniated and I was trapped in bed for months. I could post for awhile, but I could only do it on my back on my iPad. After a couple months, I had back surgery, but that didn't take, so I had a steroid injection done. THAT did me in, because I ended up with a staph infection, and I was in agony. I mean it, the only parts of my body NOT in pain were my arms and I could not get into any position where I wasn't in severe pain. Worse, my spinal fluid was leaking out and that meant lifting my head caused the absolute WORST headache ever. I cannot even begin to describe the agony that caused.

Anyway, I had surgery to correct THAT surgery and it took and for THAT I thank GOD - I mean it too. I was miserable lying in bed, away from my family, friends, and work. And the days turned to weeks - all of them where I'm unable to get up or do anything. Just days and days of not even having the slightest interest in living. It got to the point where - well, I wasn't suicidal, but I would wish that an airplane would lose power and crash into my hospital bed. Or a high-speed chase would end with the suspects car crashing into my room and running me over. That's how miserable I was. It was like being trapped in prison, but the prison was my own body. Absolute misery. And the antibiotics I was on, they got rid of the staph infection but they also got rid of the bacteria you use to digest food, so I ended up vomiting so much I lost fifty pounds. I'm not sure anything made it past my stomach for several weeks. But I was so depressed for so long - I had no interest in TV, music, posting - anything. All I wanted to do was have the pain go away. But I couldn't live and I couldn't die - I was in a state of merely existing. It's Hell. And when my family and friends visited, I was either so depressed OR out of it they couldn't help. My wide didn't know what to do but she kept everything going and even completely cleaned out the house so well that no bacteria would dare show up when I got home. In fact, her and my son along with mom essentially renovated the whole house for me. Meanwhile, they would tell me how lonely the place was without me, how even our cats seemed depressed. It was NOT a good time.

Thankfully, I recovered. It took a long time. I mean, I still remember a week after being released from the hospital, walking around the cul-de-sac I live on and being absolutely proud of myself. I remember mom getting me a new ergonomic chair (that I'm sitting in now) after I had been home a week. That was the first time I actually sat back at my desk and was able to really go on the computer again so of course I started surfing the net like I used to - and my wife and son were like, ah, THERE'S the old Stuart Wolfe we remember! AND I remember going back to church services and my pastor pointing to me before the service began and saying "You want to see a miracle? THAT'S as miracle!" Well, he also said he wouldn't recommend my diet plan to anyone else either lol! Anyway - I've been back to work for a while now but I'm never going to be 100%, I still get sore sometimes if I stand for too long. But I'm still glad I'm able to function. I'm at the point now where I've gone about two weeks without taking a hydrocodone where I used to need four a day just to deal with everything. I rototilled the front lawn and put a new one in. I can do my hobbies again. I can play online again. And I eventually started posting again too. I couldn't QUITE sit in a comfortable way to do so at first - kind of hard to explain, just take my word for it on that one - but now I'm more-or-less back to normal. And let me tell you, I owe a LOT of it to Mrs. Wolfe. How she dealt with me, the house, the whole situation - I still don't know where she got the strength to do it. I have the best woman in the world.

In any event, while I would occasionally post, I still - I wasn't sure what to do. I missed this forum, but wasn't really interested in much. Then the election came and I thought, what the heck - now's as good a time as any to return.

So, here I am!

 

Welcome back. Sorry you had such an ordeal.

On the bright side, you lost 50 lbs and you have a great family.

 

What an ordeal indeed! Welcome back, darlin. And thx for posting your story here. Should make us all realize how lucky we are to have reasonably good health... it's definitely everything, isn't it?

 

Good Lord, yes.

I'll say one other thing. Thank God I'm not, but I can understand now how easily someone can get addicted to painkillers. The amount of pain I was in at one point, I would have done almost anything for it to go away. My doctor gave me a high-five when I showed him how few pills I had taken last time I was there.

I've kind of regained some of it back, but mostly in the legs and arms. I wasn't walking or ambulatory in any way for many months, and they started to atrophy. I quite literally had to relearn how to walk. I joked with my wife how I had the worst of all worlds: The strength of a baby, muscles coming in painfully like a teenager, and the speed of an old man. NOT a pretty sight! But yeah, my family is the best!

 

Evenin, folks. Spent the last couple of days in deep East Texas -- which is a whole 'nuther world from Big D.

Breakfast this morning:



(still have ashtrays on the tables)

Woulda posted sooner, but there was NO CELL SERVICE. Who knew there was still such wilderness in the Great State of Texas?

 

HEY! Somebody slipped some 'funny' tobacco in my pack! Gimme a six-pack, a bag of burgers, a bag of fires and 3 or four Hershey bars.

 

Any waltzers in the crowd?

[video=youtube;hK_qrg4Jz20]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK_qrg4Jz20[/video]

- - - Updated - - -

Where do you think you are, Colorado?

(and some fried chicken & a pepsi)

 

I think I was there but I can't remember....Yeah, I'll take the fried chicken and a 12 pack of pepsi...(No 'diet' either) Hey, can you get that Mexican Pepsi...They use real sugar still.

 

Absolutely... every grocery store in my neighborhood sells mexican pepsi & coke... and everything in between. Not sure what some of that stuff is. And still have no idea what they do with the cactus leaves they buy. One of those things I don't care enough about to look it up... but think about it everytime I see it.

"WTF you gonna do with THAT?"

 

Good morning all and Happy Veterans Day!

http://www.noisyroom.net/blog/vetsday2014.jpg

 

Good morning everyone!!! Happy Veterans Day!

[video=youtube;irZmknvOB4I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irZmknvOB4I[/video]

 

Give it a try Smartie and tell us about the dish you make. http://youtu.be/A9Ufyv7pliY

 

Those on the early end of the line are probably....well never mind. I won't get political. *sigh*

 

Hiya, Daise. Sure had me some backroad Texas adventures over the weekend. I visited places I didn't know existed.

 

I'd like to move out that direction before I retire, after my 13 year old finishes school.

 

This part of my clan avoids Dallas like the plague... so the only way to see them is trek deep into the East Texas woods. 18 miles to Walmart. (there are, however, 2 Dairy Queens between) Now that's the stix.

Definitely a different lifestyle in those little towns. I know Lake Fork was less than 100 yds from where I was staying, but I never saw the water. Thought I saw the Bogey Creek monster once, but it was just a cow.

LOL

City girl here.

 

My company is based in Terrell. If I ever take an office position(only if I have to), it would be nice to live within 30 miles of the office.

 

Good morning. Welcome to a Wednesday that feels like a Monday.

How bout some breakfast?

 

duplicate

 

You see the most interesting things on back roads but Texas back roads are an adventure.

 

Morning, Daise. Brrrr, cold outside. Our first taste of winter.

 

Morning all. Texas is great no matter where you are. Lots to be explored. I can just picture smartie trying to do without all the conveniences. City slickers, pfffffffff.
What's y'all have for breakfast? Should I whip up an omelet or two?

 

Omelet will work, Shang. Chop, chop... hungry here.

 

Ain't it so...

 

Here you are.