Back again!

Hi folks! Sorry I've been away so long. I've been rather ill and spent some more time in the hospital. Getting my strength back now but I could easily take another nosedive until they get this malady under control. A real pain that nobody seems to be certain as to what exactly it is. In my own search of my symptoms online it looks like trouble with my thyroid, hower, the endocrinologist at the Army hospital doesn't see it. I've been through a battery of very expensive tests but nothing clearly says "that's it". I'm also not getting a cohesive quility of care. Every specialist just sees their own slice of the pie and signs off on me with one major exception. My neurologist is in my corner and very, very caring. She has a lot of clout so I am hopeful that there will be an answer eventually. In the meantime they have finally started my medical review board and so set me on the road to medical retirement and a disability pension as well as my regular retirement pay. That and lifetime healthcare will keep me in good shape. Seems like forever since I've been riding but I am hopeful that I will be soon. Right now I'm doing very well and enjoying a very happy four day weekend with my girlfriend. Between encouragement from her, my family, and the steadfastness of my service dog I have plenty of good support so I am confident of being okay. I've missed you folks. I'll try to be around more often.

Welcome back! I hope you get your medical issues sorted out. I know how hard it would be on me if I couldn't ride for a long period of time.

Tom,

Welcome back and hope they figure out what is wrong. They thought I had a thyroid problem once but the medication just made things worse. Are you able to ride at all? Hope things change for the better.

God bless you Tom. I have been missing you. Here's praying they get your medical issues worked out soon. Our country owes you and service personnel like you a debt that money could never repay.
Thank you soldier.

Tom, good to hear from you. You're always here in our hearts.

Thanks for the kind words guys!

Getting more mobile. I'm hopeful of some new testing coming up. My primary care doctor though is still at a loss as to what's going on. If these latest round of tests don't pan out she's going to call a council of all the doctors involved in my care and have a skull session on where to go next. As it is now I am reasonably fine for two or three weeks and then the malady hits me like a club for four to seven days.

Tom, I really hope you get better, my friend! I will PM or call you soon. It cannot be emphasized how much you were missed here.

Thanks, Bill! I'm still battling the GI issue. Some good news. They found that if I get a B12 shot I'm okay for several days up to a week. Unfortunately my GI doc had to go to a school for 6 weeks so I'm kind of in limbo on progress for that and since he only left word for me to get the shot monthly (I got the first just as he left) I have plenty of days I feel like death warmed over. I went to CVS on my own and talked to the pharmacist there about it. He suggested sublingual B12 pills and those help but not near as good as the shot. Sorry I've been absent. I also started the medical retirement board and that plus my care haven't left me much time - and when I do, I'm beat. Hopefully I'll be here more often as things get better. My GI doc is due back in 2 or 3 weeks. He's very good. The first to make progress at all for me so I'm confident things will improve.

Welcome back soldier! Thanks for serving and get well soon!

Sure is a crappy situation for you. I just want to join all the others in hoping they find a solution to your problem real fast. Hang in there and keep us posted. Good Luck.

One thought you might consider is Lyme disease. There are no set symptoms and it is hard to diagnose - often confused with other ailments. I recently saw a 2008 documentary on it called Under Our Skin (on Netflix). Just something to think about. Hope your docs find your problem and can treat it.

Interesting - a scootering friend of mine has Lyme's Disease and Tom's symptom's are very similar to his.
I hadn't thought of that before - and I saw a similar documetary on TV recently.

Lyme disease getting more common in UK due to increased prevalence of deer and therefore the ticks that carry the bacteria that cause the problem. Do not wear short trousers when hiking thro' regions of long grass and deer !!

bikerboy wrote:

Lyme disease getting more common in UK due to increased prevalence of deer

A lot of your back country roads are very narrow with grass or other growth right at the edge of the road with the road being lower than the sides of the road.

When I drove them in a car, I kept thinking that they were very beautiful ... but I kept Thanking God there are no deer.

If a deer crossed while riding some of your back country roads ... there would be no warning or reaction time because of the the design, construction and control of growth.

Do not wear short trousers when hiking thro' regions of long grass and deer !!

That eliminates 98.85% of Arkansas... interstate medians and sidewalks add another 1%. Not much left to walk in.

I had a neighbor die from Lyme about 6 years ago. They treated him for cold, flu, pneumonia and other things before someone diagnosed the problem. By then it was too late. I think there were 10 cases that year state wide.

Take care Tom. We all care about you.