Hey All,
I admit that I like the idea of sharing.
I have sorta mentioned a few things here and there over the years, but I have really kept the stuff that has been more on the serious side private.
I don't really know why, perhaps it's cause I hate the idea of my saying anything to sound like I'm weak, or whining.
I was always very healthy and outgoing, and people still turn me on to this very day.
I finished my time in the 82nd AirBorne and left the Army in 76. Had some problems throughout the years with my health, but nothing really ever came of it.
Still, as time passed the work loads that I was able to handle started to shrink, and soon it was as though i had the flu 24/7.
Fourteen years ago my wife and I were told that I had maybe three to five years left. Hep C was to blame. All sorts of drugs, weird tests, and even a half year stint on a form of chemo did nothing but destroy my health even further.
I gained a huge amount of weight, became a diabetic on insulin, and then developed some rather nasty breathing problems, i.e. couldn't get enough oxygen. Fingernails were almost always blue, and so were my lips.
It was the constant throwing up, and breathing crudola that finally pushed me into saving my own life as it were.
I jumped off the meds, and then the pain and nausia would jump in. The exercise was like a trip into hell, but I lost the extra weight. That helped, but the throwing up was often mixed with a lot of blood, and I do mean a lot. I had seven surgeries to band off the dangerous anurisms that develope with this illness, (Varices). and finally I figured my career in Aviation was over, and I was retired like that.
Retirement was very hard for me, but then surprise I could once again endulge, and I do.
Upon the first good toke, and within seconds the nausia is gone 98% percent of the time. The pain is still there, but again within a few minutes of sparking a hoober, the pain eases enough that I can cope.
It never really goes completly away, but enough of the rough is gone that I can actually function. A good shot of caffiene is always welcome as my liver doesn't have to filter that, it's done through the kidneys, and to me it's like go-go juice...
It is absolutly true that I don't write a whole lot, and I was absent from here a lot while I was trying to get a grip on the very thing that was trying to end me.
MarP, Hick, Mutt, and THG were so huge in my getting back to some decent health, I can't begin to describe their encouragement, and all the uplifting words that kept me going through it all. They were so patient with my being sick, and always tried to lift me. That was mostly why I wasn't seen too much around here. The four of them became closer to me than many of my own family, and I wish them every success life has to offer.
I'm told that I have less than 10% percent liver function left, but as for the diabetes, I am now a diet controlled diabetic. I still get monster tired pretty often, but the hoobers, and my bowl help tremendously, and although I am sometimes uncomfortable, I can still get the Harley out, and go for nice putts.
I prefer Blue/Mystic for the most part as it works well for me, but this winter I did four plants;
1. C-99, This lady is like a killer caffiene rush that just buzzes the brain something fierce. Gifted to me by a righteous Bro.
2. Blackberry, An excellant 50/50 split of a head and body stone, very gentle.
3. Blue/Mystic, that I have worked for several years now. She is like eating a valium.
4. Blush, Also a gift from my friend, She is my sneaky one as a creeper that just leaves you wondering where your suddenly at...LOL
I love to hit the C-99 and finish it off with a puff or two of the B/M. Works just right for me. Kinda like high balling...LOL
Thinking back on all of it, the only thing I would have done different is I would have gone back to smoking sooner.
Well there it is, at least part of my story, and I'm being immortalized in print as the medical community is wondering how it is that I have survived for over forty years with this illness.
I am happy in that I have friends everywhere. My friends are the treasure of my regard. My life has been both blessed and fruitful, and I can still breath in and out. (Basic requirments for a Hoober)...LOL
smoke in peace
KingKahuuna:icon_smile:
eace: n' :bongin: rips to ya brother.
