Merry Christmas To All and May God Bless All in the coming year ! Thanks for
your story Glenn, Yes, Life is very hard on us Quads and family & caregivers.
But I think Life in General is Hard on Everyone....Each person faces struggles
and hardships in one way or another No Matter what path this life leads us
down. Once again Merry Christmas to you all and may we have the strength to
handle what ever the future has in store for us all. Dan H***
On Sunday, December 24, 2017 7:37 PM, Gail Holmes <[email protected]> wrote:
Thank you Glenn Henry for telling us of your journey and of your Faith.
Wishing your journey was neither rocks nor concrete.
Praying that you can at least figuratively; lie down in His green pasture. And
that He, the Shepherd , the Good Shepherd, will restore your soul this
Christmas Season.
Psalm 23:2,3
Sent from my iPhone
On Dec 24, 2017, at 1:52 PM, Glenn A Henry <[email protected]> wrote:
MerryChristmas It is Christmas, well technically Christmas Eve, and if you
are offended at what I say, perhaps you will read my whole post and know my
story a little better. First,
Merry Christmas,
happy Hanukkah,
happy Kwanzaa,
happy happy happy.Okay, I’m one of those that believe that Donald Trump is
doing a fantastic job even
though the fake news media is doing their best to discredit everything that the
majority of this country was built upon and believes in. For those that say the
quad site is not for religion, politics or a Merry Christmas, go pound sand,
better yet stick your head under it and come out in eight years. Now, I’m going
to say what I intend. I'm free, live in the United States of America, the
greatest nation on earth and at the moment have free speech. I have been on the
quad site most of 12 to 14 years, if not more and enjoyed the posts that came
across, found many helpful and I was able to help other people that posted. I’m
proud of who I am, what I’ve accomplished in my life and scared of the road
that I need to travel. I have this road close to my house that I call my Prayer
Road. When I have an issue I will travel this road to think and pray. I was
traveling that road in 1996 praying for an answer to prayer because of a
decision I needed to make. My mother was put on a ventilator and a decision
needed to be made to continue. Being the only surviving child the weight fell
on my shoulders and that was the issue I was praying about. I know the spot
that an audible voice told me “don’t worry she is already with me.” That is
something I will never forget. I still travel that road when I have an issue to
think or pray about, but I look at the road a little different. About two
thirds of the way on this road, I look back. What I see is a stone road that I
traveled many times. This road is now paved, but in my mind I can still see a
stone road and small concrete bridge. This road I traveled hundreds of times on
the way to “the old swimming hole”. Oh yes, the old swimming hole, many of us
have areas like this, many of the kids that swam there also tried their first
cigarette or other first. Mine was a small corncob pipe, tobacco was cherry
blend half-and-half. As I look back the road I treasure the memories of the
swimming hole and probably the best hunting for small game in the area. I took
many a rabbit and squirrel from that road. Gone is the stone road, much of the
trees and brush, remaining sweet memories. Today on that same road after I have
looked back, I look forward. The road goes up a small hill and bears to the
left. If you are new to that road wonder, what is ahead, what will I need to go
through. I know what I find for I elected to follow that road many years ago.
However, the thought of what is ahead and how will I handle it is the
million-dollar question. A few months ago someone made the comment about ending
their life, but stated that they probably would not have the strength to go
through that. It is not srength to end your life, I know that all too well.
Yes, it is going to end your suffering and Lord knows I’ve suffered too. I’ve
also gone through pain when a brother committed suicide and I know firsthand
what it does to those around you. My nephew to this day has to be on medication
for depression. If he does not take his medicine they may find him laying on
the floor rolled up in a ball. My brother was a police officer, was on solo
patrol and watched helplessly as his best friends father, a damn drunk, stepped
out from the backside of a telephone pole into the path of a car, to commit
suicide. My brother tried to get him out and resuscitate him, but no go. The
year was 1975 and thinking about actions like this were totally different. The
police department gave a few counseling sessions, but basically told him not to
think about it or talk about it and eventually it will go away. Well, just
about a year later it went away and so does my brother. I am mad at the police
department, or basically the people that were in charge of that time, but I met
her at my brother. At my time of life I need someone that I can share with, and
certain things cannot be shared and understood unless it is a sibling or very
long-standing friend. My accident was 1966, so that makes me almost 52 years
post SCI. In those 52 years I started out with two small businesses, the first
making Christmas decorations and the second selling hunting and fishing
equipment. I always had a very strong urge to go into the electronics field. I
don’t know why, but looking back it was a God thing. The Pennsylvania Bureau of
rehabilitation would not pay for schooling for electronics. I said, “fine I
will pay for the course on my own” and that is exactly what I did. All logic
flies against what I did, a person that does not have use of his hands and can
repair electronic equipment. My brain told me I could not do it, but my heart
one my brain over. When I was two thirds of the way through the correspondence
course, before the age of computers there was something called a correspondence
course. The course came through the mail completed it and returned your lessons
by snail mail, OVR decided to pay for the balance of my course. It was about
the time of the gas embargo and every truck and car had a CB radio installed.
Well, God put me in the right place at the right time. As I graduated from
consumer electronics in the public service electronics, police fire and
ambulance along with business radio equipment, things took off. I would stay
off of the disabled list for approximately 32 years and impressed the
rehabilitation people so much that when I built a new building to house the
equipment the state of Pennsylvania went to the expense of installing an
elevator. My counselor just shook his head and said in his 20 some years of
counseling the bigwigs never awarded something like this. Well, because of my
health I am now retired and because of my wife’s doctor being on drugs and
alcohol, botched up a hip replacement surgery. She is now permanently disabled.
But despite it all, life is good. Throughout my 52 years of being a
quadriplegic my body has taken a toll. Many of you know what I am talking
about, your internals compress, your bowels will enlarge and someone on the
quad site said that the best I’ve ever heard, “bowels that would hold 10 pounds
of shit now hold 30.” Also, using a Foley catheter the entire time has taken
its toll on the bladder. This is my Achilles’ heel. In the 1960s and 70s there
were no other options and by the time these options came to light it was too
late. I’ve spent much of the last three years in bed. We’ve had one pressure
sore than another then another. I was diagnosed 12 years ago was bladder
cancer, but ask for a second opinion. I got my second opinion which was a shrug
off. This Dr. told me to go to John Hopkins in Baltimore, which we did. Testing
at John Hopkins found no cancer so no surgery was needed. The young just out of
school idiot that had his doctor’s license had already scheduled me for
surgery. I ound out that if I would have gone through surgery, I probably would
not have survived. Because of ongoing issues with incontinence, thankfully I
don’t have many UTIs I was referred to Hershey Medical Center and visited a
female doctor who is probably in the top 10% in the country. After examination
and consultation she stated that “I would not be a good candidate for surgery.”
Internal organs have gone too far south and basically the bladder is
nonexistent. She has performed hundreds of surgeries to divert the urinary
tract. Chances of complications are 70% and of those 70%, 40% are
life-threatening. Unless it was a life and death decision she would not do the
surgery. Oh did I mention those odds are with normal patients? A normal patient
would be under anesthesia 6 to 8 hours, but my surgery probably would exceed 12
hours. That is a long, long time. So here I am, enjoying what may well be my
last Christmas on earth. I’ve thought several times about going for a long ride
off of a short pier. That is not the answer, yes it may take your suffering
away, but you bless the world with new sufferings. Like my doctor said, I
should try different methods to help cope with things that are happening to my
body. I don’t really know how I feel, I talk about death and nursing home with
my wife and family. My wife says she couldn’t stand life without me, but I
cannot figure out why she has taken out more life insurance, joke joke! So, for
now I’m still around, still reading your posts, opening my mouth once in a
while and I will continue to talk politics, religion and say Merry Christmas to
all. Thanks for my rambling time, Glenn Henry PS: if anyone else has used a
catheter for many many years, have problems with incontinence because of that
use I would like to hear your comments. My email address is [email protected]. I
don’t know how long I will be on America Online, it leaves me on for a while
then unsubscribe me because of the bounce backs. AOL could never get their act
together and is getting worse not better.
