Thank You For Your comments Glenn (who I always called Henry) Best Wishes In a message dated 12/24/2017 2:06:45 PM Central Standard Time, zoocr...@windstream.net writes:
Merry Christmas to you and yours!! Nicki From: Glenn A Henry [mailto:gah17...@aol.com] Sent: Sunday, December 24, 2017 1:52 PM To: quad-list@eskimo.com Subject: [QUAD-L] Merry Christmas, I voted for Trump and I'm a christian Merry Christmas 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 gah17...@aol.com. 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.
