You may remember when I recently said, "The more I get back to doing the things I enjoy doing, the more I feel like I've gained some control over my life (something that's been missing lately due to extenuating circumstances which I won't go into here)."  I said that referring to going back to the gym, getting my navel pierced, and my plans to start working on my tattoos again (BTW, I'm already designing the next one; more on that later).  I felt it would be prudent to explain a little of why I've felt over the past several months like my life had been out of my control.

My roommate Derek, about whom you've heard me speak often on this site, usually in reference to The Kids, has been quite sick since early last year (2003).  He began to get sick in mid-2002, but it came on slowly at first and exponentially worsened as he got sicker (makes sense, right?  the sicker you get, the faster you can get sick because you're body is already overworked and fatigued).

Suffice it to say that his condition worsened rapidly until he ended up in the hospital in mid-August of 2003.  He's been there ever since.

His condition continued to worsen for some time before getting better before getting worse before getting better before…  Well, you get the idea.  It's been a roller coaster ride.

For most of his hospitalization his doctors didn't hold out much hope for his survival.  Yes, it was that bad.  As his body became weaker and weaker, opportunistic infections and other complications popped up more rapidly.

Without giving Derek's entire medical history, you can better understand the seriousness of his condition by understanding some of the problems he's had to deal with.  Here's a short list of some of his diagnoses (and I'm serious about it being the short list).

     Urinary tract infections (UTI)
     Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections
     Anemia
     Skin- and bone-based fungal infections
     Bacterial infections of the digestive tract
     Neuropathy
     Radiculopathy
     Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC)
     Pressure sores
     Necrotic ulcerations
     Sacrococcygeal ulcerations
     Malnutrition and dehydration
     Neutropenia
     Osteomyelitis
     Excoriation ulcerations
     Ileus
     Immunoglobulin deficiency
     Malabsorption problems
     Immunodeficiency

And the list goes on…

To add insult to injury, he's had to have two separate surgeries to correct some of the problems from his health crisis.  There were times when we thought he'd need more surgery(ies), but luckily those crises subsided before it got to that point.

And on top of everything else, he's now wheelchair-bound.  Although the assumption is that his paralysis is due to the neuropathic damage caused by any number of the medical conditions he's been suffering from (from ulcerative damage due to the depth and severity of the ulcerations to a viral and/or bacterial interaction with the nerves), the doctors are actually uncertain as to why he can no longer walk.  The only way to find out now is to do a spinal tissue examination.  Given his overall health condition, there's not a doctor on the planet (at least one you could trust) who is willing to do that procedure.

It is possible he'll be able to walk again (depending on the cause of his paralysis), but it will take a lot of work and a lot of time before that can happen.

You might be thinking that he sounds ready to fall apart.

He was.  The truth of the matter is that he's doing significantly better now.  After several months of thinking he wouldn't make it, it now looks like he'll be coming home again in a few weeks.  His attention at this moment is focused on rehabilitation (learning to function in the wheelchair, gaining control and stability in his newly reformed muscle tissue, etc.).

But the good news is that he's better now and, barring any significant catastrophes in the next two weeks, he'll be able to come home.  He will, of course, need home medical attention as well as continuing outpatient care, but those are small prices to pay considering the alternative he faced just a few months ago.

This is why I've felt that my life was somewhat out of control.  Derek is a dear friend of mine and, given his condition, I've spent the last several months keeping his life in order while he focused on survival and, ultimately, recovery.

To understand the scope of his recovery and why his condition now is so impressive, though, I felt you needed to understand some of the history behind it.  His improvement of late has been impressive and steady and, again, barring any catastrophes, he'll be coming home in less than a month.

So here's wishing you a speedy and consistent recovery, Derek!  I sincerely hope you're back home soon.  The Kids and I miss you, and everyone wants to see you well again.

Keep your chin up and a smile on your face!  And quit bitching!

We love you!