Well hello, boys and girls! I just wanted to check in and see how you all were doing in this age of political and economic suckivity. I suppose it could be worse after all …
For instance … did you hear how I almost died or ended up as a vegetable? No? Well, then, come right this way and enter the Vortex of Wack-A-Doodle …
I woke up 0400 on 8/10 disoriented, dizzy, headached and shaking ….
Oh. let me back up a bit and be blunt: I have no memory from 5:00AM to about 8:00PM that day … nada. Everything I’m about to tell you is second hand knowledge given to me by wild eyed loved ones. So …
My wife followed me down stairs and that’s when my first seizure hit. Strangely, it was a walking one, my arms tucked into my chest, head pulled back, moaning and drooling. Oddly, my wife decided that calling an ambulance RIGHT NOW would be a sensible approach. The seizure ended with me almost completely disoriented as strapped into a stretcher I was loaded into an ambulance for the 40 minute drive to the area’s best hospital. This was when … well … the second seizure hit me, worse than the first. The Medico convinced my wife that the five minute drive to the local, smaller hospital was the sensible approach. My wife was convinced that sensibility had fled to an off shore island.
My wife and kids followed me there and I was swarmed by medicos trying to deal with me when … the third seizure hit. Pretty much scared the hell out of everyone around me. Meds and shouted opinions resulted in the conclusion that I was having a massive stroke, well down the list of reasonable and accommodating diagnoses. After explaining this to my family (and scaring the crap out of them again) the MD’s rushed me to a CAT scan, the purpose of which was to determine whether they had time to heli-vac me to one of the best neuro centers in the country or immediately prep me for emergency brain surgery.
Off I went spewing down the hallways in a hospital bed to the basement and a CAT scan, various medicos gathered around me to make a confirmation of the bleeding in my skull. Up came the CAT scan which revealed…
Nothing!
Various medicos were suddenly left staring at each other in wide eyed wonder. By this time I was heavily sedated after trying 5 or 6 times to physically yank the breathing tube out of my throat. A cavalcade of options and ideas were discussed, none of them with an air of certainty. The entire process of my treatment was hovering like a flash blinded hummingbird until … the miracle happened. A late fifties Indian Neurologist showed up and took charge. He evaluated me and my CAT scan and immediately rushed me to an MRI. He read swelling in the Temporal Lobe of my brain and, quite boldly, insisted that that was the result of a Herpes Encephalitis Brain Virus. The good Dr. rammed through the decision that I should immediately be put on infusions of an anti-viral med while a battery of tests were done to confirm his diagnosis.
He nailed it.
I’m thinking he may have to get yearly Christmas presents at the least. The result of his success sent me from utterly incoherent to mostly functional in less than 48 hours. It took me a while longer to fully comprehend how screwed up I was and how deeply my condition frightened my family. I have a new appreciation for that whole “ignorance is bliss” thing. This is the first major health crisis of my life so all of these experiences are new and exciting … er … let me say interesting.
I’m now being infused by my family. What is clear to me is the wonderful level of support from my family, friends and medical professionals that has followed me all along the way. My kids have split my responsibility with my oldest handling my bills, my son maintaining contact with my family and friends and my youngest taking responsibility for day to day support (which, coolly enough, involves sashaying me around in a rag top BMW. Yowza!) Dozens of friends visited me and are already lining up meals and visitations, even one who hasn’t let her cancer stop her from coming and supporting me! Cards, letters, and gifts have poured in from all over the NE. Ha, my brother banged out a hurried e-mail trying to update my family which included references to possible diagnoses like “Lime Disease” and a “Herbies Virus!”
It’s also worth mentioning that I had plans to meet a few members of the blog in NYC before my recent implosion, including Danger, Bob Reed and a few others. Geoffb sent me a gracious E-mail with a picture of his beautiful new granddaughter. JD has been in constant touch, at one point calling my cell phone and thinking he was yelling at me for trying to frighten him when … he had actually gotten my son, who sounded just like me, filling him in on my early dire circumstances. Shook him up a bit, I’d say! Danger and happyfeet and others sent me E-Mailed regards and I’m grateful that Jeff G. posted about my condition.
To all of you who expressed their care and concern and regard … thank you. It means the world to me and also to my family. Smooth seas and fair winds to you all on the coming political season!
Great news! Take care, and can’t wait for you to get posting again.
Welcome home.
Great to have you back, BJ.
nancy pelosi wants to know your funding! godspeed to you.
Glad to hear you are better. Great news.
Cheyenne, Comanche, Apache? Or did Dr. Gupta show up!
I tell you India is the future
Welcome back BJ! YAY!
When you say “Indian Neurologist”, should I assume “dot, not feather”?
Glad you’re back on the keyboard, BJTex. Awesome story about the forces that are marshalled when an average joe needs them.
It makes you think though; with tens of millions of dollars of high tech equipment, a first rate medical facility, a team of crack professionals from the EMTs to the Indian Nerologist, and the helo on standby should you need a twenty million dollar flying ambulance, it sounds as if you still had a close call.
Good thing we’re ditching our second-rate medical care in this country.
Great to hear that you’re doing better, BJ. I wasn’t gonna blame your ordeal on Danger, but then I had trouble walking the day we me met up in NYC and that made it obvious he brought some kind of curse with him.
That might be why he’s called Danger.
Indian Neurologist: There’s a ‘Chief’ of staff joke in there somewhere…
my arms tucked into my chest, head pulled back, moaning and drooling
How is that different than normal? Glad your racist self-loathing brown person oppressing ass is better.
I would have kind of downplayed the ‘brain herpes’ thing though. That’s just me. I’m just sayin’.
welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends! ! !
good to see the real cowboys revcovering and back in the saddle! ! ! ! !
we missed you here!
Huzzah and Hurrahs BJTex, glad to see you back and on the mend. Hope you’ll keep spending time with us during your convalescence, please. And more hoppyspittle stories too, the looking back with laughter kinds if you got ’em.
I’m glad that the nice Indian doctor fixed your brain herpes. Really glad.
On occasion good news meets me in the evening hour and triumphs over bad; this is one damn good bit of news. Tip ‘o the hat to the physician; and good to see that your recovery is well underway.
Welcome back, Beej! Stories like this are why I wear a brain condom before going online.
Woohoo!! Clapping, stomping, general rabble-rousing, BJ back in d’house!!
Take care of yourself AND DON’T YOU DARE DO THAT AGAIN!!
Seriously, I’m so glad you’re on the mend.
“Having friends like this, who’s needing enema’s”
– Good to see you back BJT. You probably didn’t miss anything. Traffic in NY is hell right now, with all the Mosque building and such.
– Stay healthy you old fascist!.
Good to hear BJ. Get well!
Didn’t I tell you to be careful where you put your brain, because you don’t now what it might catch? I didn’t? Sorry ’bout that.
Welcome back.
Way to not be dead! Woo hoo! Congrats!
Of course, you’ll kinda be dead once your wife’s relief wears off and she starts questing where your brain got its herpes.
Wow, that was scary Jeff ! I’m glad you’re doing better :-)
In all seriousness — I’m so happy that you’re recovering and it’s something treatable. Much joy to your family, too. There were prayers and whatnot and possibly a miracle or two. This is a good day. A day when everything worked out.
Brain Herpes? Goddam! I’m gonna have to clean up my thinking or I’m liable get it too.
Best,
Chuck
A friend in a truly high place.
I am glad for you and for us.
YEA! Glad to see you are alive and kicking ;)
Fabulous, BJT. This made my day…and probably your month.
The good Dr. rammed through the decision that I should immediately be put on infusions of an anti-viral med while a battery of tests were done to confirm his diagnosis.
He nailed it.
I’m suddenly picturing Dr. House with a deep tan …
Maggie’s posted this a few days ago: stuff that goes on or, why life is spooky.
A late fifties Indian Neurologist showed up and took charge.
House is Kutner? Who knew?
And congrats on the positive outcome. You sound more coherent than any troll, and I bet you could’ve outdone their coherence while in the midst of a seizure.
I am very glad you are doing so well. Right doctor with the right knowledge at the right time. God still has plans for you I’m sure.
Welcome back, BJ. Great news that you’re ok. And at least it wasn’t the brain clap. I think our trolls are suffering from that one.
Congratulations on NOT having (a) stroke(s) — infections are something they can fix nowadays, though the viral ones are tougher.
No encephalitis is trivial, and a herpes one is among the worst and most painful. Do you have a prognosis re: continued brain function? Your written piece is evidence of no great loss, if any, for which again congratulations.
Glad to have you back! Can you stay a while?
Regards,
Ric
Glad you are recovering and welcome back, BJ.
Now about that brain herpes thing, I hear you can get that from unprotected reading of too many troll comments, or just about any comment on Yahoo News for that matter. Like TSI’s comment #18, we should all be practicing “safe” surfing on the web and in the blogs, so let’s use those brain condoms and wrap those rascals, people!
A herbies virus, eh? I’d stay away from volkswagons if I were you. It will be good to have you back!
Looks like Rush was onto something when he covered his mic in a condom.
Liberalism is a (contagious) mental disease.
Glad to see you have shaken off the virus and are recovering.
http://www.herbiemania.com/marchmontpenny2.jpg
Glad to have you back, BJ! Very good to know that you didn’t have a stroke.
Hi, guys and girls! I’m very grateful to be back and writing. The alternative was a feeding tube, near as I can tell.
A few off the wall observations based upon the above experience:
1) Spinal taps are teh suck … period … end of discussion.
2) The number of things they had to finally eliminate from my diagnosis is teh trackage of suck. Meningitis, Hepatitis B & C, Lyme Disease, Encephalitis, and a dozen or more equally mind numbing conditions.
3) Let me reveal this: Brandywine Hospital, PA provided wonderful care, from doctors to nurses to aides to behavioral and psychological and occupational therapists. The only thing that sucked (beyond the spinal tap, which is its unavoidable nature) was the food, which was hideous. I simply don’t have time to list all of the people who made a positive impact on my recovery.
4) My home church is riding up to my door with fine, fine food, baybee!!
5) My energy level is very slowly recovering. I won’t be driving until next Tuesday at the earliest. I’m walking on level ground, a little more every day. Up and down stair climbing? Teh suck!
6) Strangely the worse lingering condition is my severely bitten tongue. Lot’s of salt water and honey rinsing going on.
7) Of all of the things that others are covering, my youngest daughter’s boyfriend, a big time lawyer in NYC, volunteered to make himself responsible to make sure all of my medical coverage is paid. I can pretty much guarantee that he will squeeze every blood red cent from my insurance company causing me to cackle maniacally.
That’s all for now. Thanks to all for all of your prayers, well wishes and trash talking.
Heh! Lime Disease!
You said Herpes; an impossible white disease. What a joker. That is all.
Oh, and best wishes.
Good to see you back on track, BJT – I was hoping it was “Lime Disease” as in too many gin gimlets!
Glad to hear you are sitting up and taking nourishment-that’s some serious bad juju. Steady on.
BJ, you are not allowed to lose brain cells except by visiting here. Don’t let it happen again.
I hear you can catch brain herpes from thor posts.
Well, ok, but what’s the prognosis? Herpes encephalitis brain virus sounds like a wee problem.
How ’bout them Phils??
Boy, BJ, you scared us all. Glad to hear you’re on the mend.
Not all herpes are bad, guys, c’mon. This is just an example of a severe lack of education with regards to the herpes community.
Therefore, I am proposing a 15 story Herpes Outreach Center and Racquet Club to be built on BJTexas’s forehead. I am awaiting funding from the Anal Fissure people and hope to begin construction by end of 2nd quarter 2011.
In even more seriousness, great to see you back on the front lines Beej. Come to find out, my emails of support and concern didn’t reach you due to a slight typo in the address. Sadly, someone who goes by “BJ Massachusetts” thinks he only has days to live. Live and learn, no harm, no foul, etc. etc.
so glad to hear/ great news!
I have a personal request: Would anyone who owns a fully operating copy of The alpuccino Cognitive Dipstick Translation of Tertiary Functioning Calamities feel free to forward it to me … stat!!??
My father came down with the same thing last March (he’s mostly over it now), and I’ve seen how nasty it can be. Glad to hear you’re doing better, and I hope things continue to improve for you!
Think the sets ‘fully operating copy’ and ‘The alppuccino Cognitive Dipstick Translation of Tertiary Functioning Calamities’ do not intersect. Good to hear you’re improving, BJ. Did the burgundy battle badger appear at any time during the episode?
Golem14: Any information about what your father went through with the same condition would be greatly appreciated: bjtexs (at) gmail (dot) com. Anybody else who has specific experience with a Herpes virus in the brain well … my sympathies and I’ll take your testimony.
Nazdar: Turns out the battle badger was a closet peace activist working as a frame polisher in a Soho gallery. Just because he claims to appreciate abstract art doesn’t give him strip creds or nothin’.
BJTex:
Just got a message out to you; hope it helps. I don’t know that the doctors made an absolute diagnosis of herpes, but that was what they settled on. (When my dad heard the word “herpes”, his reaction was “WHAAAAAT??”)
BJ, keep your head out of those dirty toilet seats, OK?
Ha, SW, stop peddling the concept that the only way to get a Herpes Virus is by abandoning sanitation in ones everyday life.
I’m insulted, I tells ya!
Herbies virus? Makes sense, Lindsay Lohan was in the last one.
That makes two of us.
Let me reiterate – very glad to see that the setback did not injure your funnybone. Keep it up, my friend.
And by keep it up, I mean, your good nature in general, not your funnybone.
And by funnybone I don’t mean that bone either.
Too much too soon?
“Too much too soon?”
So waking with wood is diagnostic now? Damn.
Morning wood. When you have to do a handstand so you can aim your piss in the toilet.
Fear not. i’ve mastered the across the room piss with no spillage. Seriously, i mean it.
Stop looking at me that way. I HAVE A BRAIN VIRUS FER CRIMINY SAKES!!!
I HAVE A BRAIN VIRUS FER CRIMINY SAKES!!!
Oh, great. Now we’ve got Zombie BJ.
It is a challenge to get the proper arc when attempting the across the room piss.
Coinage! Z’BJT it is.
best to have a pair of goggles handy
You’re never going to live down the “Brain Herpes” thing, I’m afraid. You might as well start practicing your explanatory story.
Congrats on coming through it all with your mind and sense of humor intact (or at least no worse than before). The guys at Brandywine are good, indeed. They put my little brother back together after he flipped Dad’s truck into a cornfield out around Atglen in the 90s. I’m not sure whether to thank them or curse them, given the headaches he’s caused me since…
I think my old college roommate pledged at ZBJT. Good parties.
Wow. Welcome back. We should be thankful that everything transpired to bring you and that doctor together at the right time. I’m one of those medico types and I sure would like to ask that guy just what made him jump to that diagnosis, there are a whole mess of things that can cause encephalitis.
Did they positively identify the viral culprit? Because the shingles/chickenpox virus, varicella zoster, is also a known cause, and thankfully responds to the same medications. Which bears keeping in mind if you are one those cursed with shingles (and especially if you also have known immune problems.)
I wonder about unknown immune problems with shingles TD, with shingles being a sort of early indicator? My pop had shingles, then was diagnosed with leukemia a few months later (8 mos, I think), causing me to look backwards.
I think we already established the virus as Solanum, ThomasD. Poor BJ.
Oh, holy crap. Sorry to hear of your travails, and nice to hear that everything seems to be coming out well in the end.
Sdferr any new infection, or re-activation of an old condition might be an indicator of immune problems. I’m not up on the latest standards for working-up a new case of shingles, but do know that it involves a general concern for immune function. The problem is that, without more specific signs or symptoms, the immune system is just too vast to adequately evaluate (at least not without tremendous expense and possibly unnecessary intrusiveness.)
Your father’s shingles may have been an early indicator of immune dysfunction caused by leukemia, but it is also conceivable that your father’s leukemia was just another consequence of an already weakened immune system.
BJTex,
Congrats on the return to the real world.
Having been through a couple of seizures and comas myself, I know all too well how disorienting it can be.
I was fortunate compared to you, though, as I didn’t have some weird brain virus that took me down.
Thanks ThomasD.
Minos’ maze was a pretty good image from the get-go, but this life science stuff puts it to shame.
Just to be clear: I had no, nada, nil symptoms of anything related to a Herpes Encephalitis other than some occasional lightheadedness during the month before crash. I’m going to guess that makes the neuro’s relatively quick diagnosis all the more remarkable.
But who or what a’e ya kickin’ Z’BJT?
If it is Solanum should this post be titled ‘Alive and Kicking?’
Christ on a crutch, BJTex!
Glad to hear you are mending but damn! Don’t do that again.
God bless you, son.
Wow, it’s nice to know that if I get sick enough i’ll hear from Mikey NTH and ahem.
sdferr: Z’BJT??
Does that stand for Zoinks B J Texs ?
See 65
BJ, damn! What a scare, my friend.
Hope your recovery is speedy and complete.
83 didn’t come out right. I meant to say that I really, really appreciate the good words from Mikey nNTH and ahem.
As for sdferr … BRAIIIIIIIINS!!!!!
Which would be fine for you if I had one, but tonight you’re goes hungry.
#87 BJTex:
Well, yeah. I’m not some death-paneling lefty, after all.
Damn!
I didn’t even knoiw you was sick.
Soooooooo. They give any of the “good” meds? ;)