-->

Groups & Associations






Southwestern College Alumni

California Bear League

California Bear League

MuNuviana


Powered By

Powered by
Movable Type 2.64

Design Credit

Blog template version 1.1 designed by Eric at
Grumbles Before The Grave

Blog banner created by
CoolText.com

February 28, 2006

Mikey in Day By Day

MADMIKEYf

Thank you, Chris!


Posted by Da Goddess at 06:59 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
-->
Posted by Da Goddess at 06:59 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

February 25, 2006

The Story of Mad Mikey

In the wee hours of January 15, 2006, Mad Mikey woke his wife with his shaking. He didn't mean to, but that's how seizures are. Yes, he was seizing. He'd never done that before and Mrs. Mikey was scared.

She called 911 and tried to keep her husband from getting hurt. The paramedics showed up a few moments later and began to administer care to their patient. After the seizure, Mikey was out of it -- incoherent and combative. He was restrained on the stretcher as he was loaded into the ambulance and whisked off to the hospital.

In the Emergency Department, the doctors and nurses worked quickly to fully assess him and figure out what was wrong. It was decided that he'd had a stroke and that there was a bleed in his brain. After hours of careful monitoring, the situation was not improving; surgery was the only hope.

Mikey came out of surgery and went straight to ICU. Intubated and pharmaceutically comatose, and no one knew what to expect. Family and friends gathered over the next few days. Prayers were offered as frequently as hugs. Anything to help Mrs. Mikey and the young Mikette through the long hours of uncertainty and fear.

Each day was another day filled with questions and raw nerves. Little things like a twitching finger caused as much concern as they did excitement. The one thing everyone tried desperately to hold onto was hope. Hope that Mikey would make it. Hope that Mikey was still in there somewhere. Hope that he'd wake up soon.

Sedation was gradually reduced so that doctors could gauge whether or not he was able to respond to commands. He would respond to one or two, but each one was a victory in the eyes of the people who loved him.

Then the infections hit. At first it was pneumonia. Then, MRSA. And then, Mikey went into septic shock. His already weakened body was being further subjected to more punishment. It was touch and go; doctors camped out next to his bed.

Mikey pulled through. Time and time again, he managed to surprise all the men and women who worked so hard to save his life.

22 days after the seizure first woke his wife, Mikey himself woke up, extubated himself (oops!), and was officially back amongst us. Vocal chords damaged from the rough treatment, he could only whisper. Once again, hugs and tears ruled the moment.

10 days after waking up, Mikey underwent surgery again to have the bone flap from his first surgery placed back in his head, closing the skull.

Rehab was next. He's improving. Weak, wobbly, and absolutely wonderfully alive, he's due to go home soon, but he still needs time to recover and build strength and stamina. It's a long, long road, but he's on his way.

Mikey had missed a lot of work prior to his hospitalization; kidney failure, dialysis, incapacitating headaches and vomiting made work impossible. It will be a long while before he's ready to go back to work, too. His wife missed quite a bit of work for a few weeks as well. Already strained finances have reached critical levels. Mikey needs our help.

Rent, phone, gas and electric, food, gasoline, medical expenses all add up quickly. You know how it is.

We can ease the family's burden and let Mikey focus on getting better instead of worrying about money by donating to the MadMikey Recovery Fund.

Every little bit helps.

Thank you.

Donations can be sent to:

Mad Mikey
c/o SMASH
PO Box 882353
San Diego, CA 92108-2353

or


Posted by Da Goddess at 02:05 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (3)
-->
Posted by Da Goddess at 02:05 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (3)

February 21, 2006

Moving!

Mikey's improving enough post-operatively that they're preparing to transfer him to a rehab facility. Once there, he'll have physical and occupational therapy, helping him to regain his strength and endurance.

He got a "pass" to got out for a stroll in the wheelchair around the hospital.

He's still tired. And there are still many hurdles for him, but he's doing well enough that they finally dismissed his sitter.


Posted by Da Goddess at 09:21 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack (1)
-->
Posted by Da Goddess at 09:21 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack (1)

February 16, 2006

Post-Op

Surgery went well and there were no complications.

Talked with Mikey on the phone, as did Smash.

Recovery time needed.


Posted by Da Goddess at 02:16 PM | Comments (13) | TrackBack (1)
-->
Posted by Da Goddess at 02:16 PM | Comments (13) | TrackBack (1)

February 15, 2006

Surgery

Mikey's surgery begins around 7am. Say a prayer!

The bone flap will be replaced and he will no longer have the sunken pit in his head.

By the way, he loved the jokes.


Posted by Da Goddess at 01:20 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
-->
Posted by Da Goddess at 01:20 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

February 12, 2006

Sunday Evening with Mikey

I finally got to head back to the hospital to see Mikey wide awake and talking for myself. We'd talked on the phone, but that's not hardly the same thing as seeing him, right?

I was gowning and gloving up -- a necessary precaution since he has MRSA -- and saw him looking at me through the door. There was a moment of "wha-ha?" on his part. But, that was totally warranted since my hair is a little darker than the last time he saw me. From a distance, I'm sure it was more than a little confusing to have someone waving in at him like they were old friends. Once I got in the room, he smiled and laughed a bit.

Mikey said, in his hoarse stage whisper-y voice, "I couldn't figure out who the hell you were!"

"It's the hair."

"Yeah, it's darker."

It was my turn to laugh, and I told him "at least it's not a mullet." Less than a half hour before, I had been at his house, giggling over a photo of him from years ago. Hey, it was the 80s. We all made "hair-rors".

I sat down next to him and looked him over. He was definitely much better than the last time I'd seen him. His skin was pinker, he wasn't swelled up like overfilled water balloon anymore, and he was awake. I gave him a bad time about scaring the hell out of everyone. And then I had to turn away for a minute. I was just so relieved to see my friend, talk to him, listen to him talking to me.

After I pulled myself together, I looked him over again. Yep. Mikey was back! He's thinner. He looks very gaunt. Even compared to how he looked pre-stroke. The area where they'll need to go in and replace the bone flap is sunken, but closed. When he turns just so and the light hits it the right way, you can watch it pulsate, kind of like a baby's fontanelle -- except it's in the front of his head.

Like the mullet of yore, his current hairdo is a bit, shall we say, different. He has a rather odd patch that's shorter than a military crewcut. There's a smaller patch that's completely bare. The rest is wonderfully blond and still there.

Another friend of ours arrived at that point and joined us. We sat and talked and compared hospital food experiences. Lame, I know. But, between the three of us, we'd pretty much kept the local hospitals in business over the last six months.

Mikey told us how they keep asking him about current events. They want to know what the next holiday is. They want to know if he knows where he is. He knows what's going on, but he couldn't remember the next holiday. For whatever reason, Valentine's Day didn't register as a holiday. Romantic as he is, that's not a day he thinks of as a holiday. At least, not one people normally take off from work. So it eluded him.

I made a point of telling him that he was probably thinking in terms of Super Bowl and the Olympics, like most men.

"You know that's why you woke up on the 5th, right? You wanted to catch the game."

We laughed. There's pain behind the laughter, though. I could see it.

"How's the pain?" I asked. Our friend and I asked him to rate it on a scale of 0-10, with zero being no pain and ten being the worst pain imaginable.

"It's about a nine," he said.

"That's not good," I said.

"It's better than being dead," he replied.

"True."

"You heard about the protesters blocking the progress of the Olympic torch, right?" we asked.

"Wha-aaat?"

General concern and a hint of common sense kept us from cracking some obvious gallows humor-type jokes. You know, like, "hey, guess you can cancel cable now that you've basically got your own satellite dish." Or, "dude, having a bad hair day?" He would have laughed, but it's still too fresh for everyone and we're still too worried to make light of the situation on that sort of scale.

It seems like utter silliness, doesn't it? But, this is typical banter for us. The only difference is that it's happening in the hospital and my friend has a hole in his head. And he's hurting. I hate to see him hurting.

Mikey is still very weak. He needs help getting up to go to the bathroom, but he can get up. Dialysis is back to every other day. Looming, though, is the surgery to put the bone back on his head. That won't be the end of his ordeal. He must slowly rebuild his strength and voice. He needs to maintain a certain level of good health for a while before the doctors sign off and allow him to go home.

Work? Well, according to Mrs. Mikey, they sent out a memo asking for people to donate paid leave for Mikey so that he doesn't have to go without any sort of income. Thus far, no one has donated time. That absolutely blows my mind. I know that everyone likes to save for a rainy day, but this is ridiculous! I cannot fathom how these people can let one of their valued coworkers...what's the word I'm looking for here? How could they stand aside and watch someone almost die and not lend a helping hand? Mikey's the kind of guy who'd be first in line to help someone else. He's always been there for others. Even people he doesn't know very well. Hell, even for people he doesn't know at all. And yet, his coworkers can't give a single day of paid leave to ease his mounting financial burdens? It's unconscionable.

Mrs. Mikey is doing her best to get the basics paid and keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. It's hard though. I know, all too well, how that is.

Mikey's fighting to get better so he can take care of his family. He wants to be back at school and work. He wants to get back to helping his daughter with her homework (honors classes!) and doing all the things that make his family happy. It'll take time before any of that can happen. He needs to get well first.

Please let others know about Mikey's situation. If they can donate a dollar, or five, or fifty -- it'll help take care of the essentials and allow Mikey and his family expend energy on getting him healthy instead of stressing over finances. Let your friends know that Mikey is a good man in a very difficult situation. Let them know he's the kind of man who would go out of his way to help someone else for no other reason than because it's the right thing to do and because he's just that nice. Let people know. Please.

And don't forget to keep praying.

Thanks.

Donations and get well cards can be sent to:

Mad Mikey
c/o SMASH
PO Box 882353
San Diego, CA 92108-2353



Posted by Da Goddess at 10:44 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
-->
Posted by Da Goddess at 10:44 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

February 10, 2006

Step Down

Mikey's finally hit the step down unit!

He has a sitter with him. He needs it. Medications leave him just confused enough for him to not understand that he can't get out of bed.

As he and his wife were talking last night, she asked him if he had any questions for her. Mikey had only one.

"Do you still love me?"

I told her she should have said, "if you'd been in a coma for another hour or so, probably not." Mrs. Mikey laughed and said she wasn't feeling sassy enough at the time to come up with that. It's hard to be sassy when you're a big puddle of goo because your honey's only question is so damn touching.

I wish I could find a man like that. Well, one who isn't quite so dramatic in his attempt to get attention. (Yes, Mikey, I'm going to tease you endlessly!)

I'm going to call the hospital now and read comments to him over the phone. I think I have enough cough syrup on board to keep me from choking and sputtering too much. I'll blame my sinuses for any moments of weepiness, too.

By the way, Mikey says hi.

To make a donation and/or send get well wishes:


Mad Mikey
c/o SMASH
PO Box 882353
San Diego, CA 92108-2353



Posted by Da Goddess at 12:59 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
-->
Posted by Da Goddess at 12:59 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

February 09, 2006

Duck Season

I've been fighting yet another sinus/inner ear infection and will not go to the hospital until I am positive I have nothing to pass along to Mikey and his family.

Thus, updates will be provided when I get them from Mrs. Mikey.

From yesterday's phone call:

Mikey and the Mrs. were talking and Mikey kept asking if she saw the duck.

"Where?"

"Behind that guy!"

"I don't see a duck."

"It's right there, behind the guy."

"Okay. I believe you're seeing a duck behind the guy, honey."

Some of Mikey's meds are bringing along hallucinations. That's not unusual. If he's still having them without the meds, I'll worry. Or if Mrs. Mikey starts seeing things...I'd definitely worry then!

Things are moving slowly, as expected. He's still in the ICU and it's a good place for him to be. The bone flap, the lines, the fact that he has a long way to go - I can't imagine a better place for him to receive care. The next stop would likely be a step down unit. He'd continue to receive close monitoring, but not be stuck in ICU.

22 days of unconsciousness. Brain surgery. Machines breathing for you. You don't just jump right out of bed after that.

But he's back.

And it's duck season.


Posted by Da Goddess at 09:19 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
-->
Posted by Da Goddess at 09:19 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)

February 05, 2006

Off the Vent

Mikey was being weaned off the vent. A gradual thing, giving his body a chance to take over basic functions without stressing his entire system.

Until last night, that is.

Apparently, Mikey'd had enough of the ventilator and ripped out the tubing before the docs could.

He is awake.

Yes. HE IS AWAKE!

And talking. Okay, whispering. But, still...

Mikey is awake, communicating, and just as stubborn as ever.


Posted by Da Goddess at 02:12 PM | Comments (16) | TrackBack (2)
-->
Posted by Da Goddess at 02:12 PM | Comments (16) | TrackBack (2)

February 03, 2006

Glasses, Please

Mikey has been a bit more lucid lately, although the morphine keeps him from waking too much.

Anyhow, in one of his clearer moments, he gestured to his wife that he wanted his glasses.

How cool is that?


Posted by Da Goddess at 08:22 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
-->
Posted by Da Goddess at 08:22 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

February 01, 2006

Smile, Antennae No More

I won't be heading down to the hospital until much later today (if my back holds up), but I did talk with Mrs. Mikey this morning.

The antennae from atop Mikey's head were removed yesterday. I can't adequately paint a picture of that, and I promised not to publish photos of it, so you'll just have to take my word for it when I say that it's a huge improvement. All the drains and such were sticking up and out from the surgery site and it was really something to see. Not that you'd want to see it...but you know what I mean.

The big, big news from yesterday was that Mikey opened his eyes, looked at his wife, and smiled at her. She asked if he was smiling and he smiled again. I'd take that as a big YES! Tubes and tape aren't enough to keep Mikey from letting his sweetheart know she's the light of his life. Gotta love that!

I'll update later when I've actually been to see him.


Posted by Da Goddess at 10:48 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
-->
Posted by Da Goddess at 10:48 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Calendar

October 2009
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

About Me

Who is Mikey?
Mikey playing with digital camera

Mikey is a forty-something U.S. Navy veteran that is currently taking a break from being a full-time student at UC San Diego studying electrical engineering.

He's also a husband, a father, a former Independent/Democrat and is currently dealing with dialysis and getting on the national kidney transplant list.

The words written here are his opinions and his observations on the stupid things in life. If you do not like them or do not agree with them: tough squishies. In America, you're entitled to Freedom of Speech not Freedom to Not Be Offended.

Help Mikey by not being part of the problem and instead, be part of the solution so that he doesn't have to comment on your sorry actions.

Contact Mikey

mikey-AT-madmikey-DOT-mu-DOT-nu

AIM: madmikeysblog

YIM: madmikey92037

Any/all e-mail sent to Mikey might be published if you get nasty or it's something worthwhile...

Donate

Help Mike deal with his mounting medical bills

What's this all about? Read this to learn more...


Blogroll

Blogs
Any Which Way
Bartender Another Round...
Beautiful Atrocities
Blogs of War
Caiterwauling
Caught in the Crossfire
Conservative Liberal
Cox & Forkum
Da Goddess

Day by Day
Deuddersun Says...
Dog Snot Diaries
Eternity Road
From the Halls to the Shores
Grumpy Bunny
The Hungarian Barbarian
Horologium
It's All Downhill
JawsBlog
John Bergstrom's Attack Cartoons
Kilabe's Hive
La Shawn Barber
Left & Right
Let's Try Freedom
Little Green Footballs
Michelle Malkin
Miller's Time
Neptunus Lex
No Nanny State
North American Patriot
OPFOR
Queen of All Evil
Random Nuclear Strikes
Right Wing News
Sane Nation
ScrappleFace
Seek-Truth.com
Something...and Half of Something
Sugar Ray Dodge
TurningWheels
Yeah Right Whatever

Kidney Links
Jim Needs A Kidney
Hemodialysis FAQs

Those that Know the Real Mikey
Table Tennis/Ping Pong
Together We

News/Info Sites
ABC News
Blogger News Network
CNN
DiscoverTheNetwork.org
The Drudge Report
Fox News
Front Page Magazine
760 KFMB Radio
KOGO 560AM Radio
MSNBC
National Review Online
NewsMax.com
The New York Times
Opinion Journal
Sacramento Bee
The Washington Post
The Washington Times
World Net Daily
Yahoo! News

Sci Fi Sites
GateWorld
Sci Fi Channel
Star Trek Official Site
Star Wars Official Site

Groups
NoIndoctrination.org
Protest Warrior
San Diego Protest Warrior

Recent Entries

Mikey in Day By Day
The Story of Mad Mikey
Moving!
Post-Op
Surgery

Search This Site


Counters and Stuff

Total Entries: 1152
Total Comments: 4248
Comments/Entry: 3.69