Desert grandma
Desert grandma's JournalMy heart is breaking..
Dear DU friends, I have not posted much the past month or so because my husband who was doing so well on his skin cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) treated by immunotherapy, is currently at the VA hospital in ICU. The treatment had some uncommon side effects which impacted his kidney function. His creatinine level upon admission was 3.6. Normal is .7-.9. The treatment is steroids, beginning with heavy doses and tapering off. His numbers are improving, as the level today is 2.4. The numbers are headed in the right direction, but they seem to be causing great agitation and even combative behavior. The biggest concern is his agitation as he was trying to pull out IVs. They have those mitts on him that look like boxing gloves. He hates it and keeps trying to get them off. He told me quite clearly today.."Get these off!". He is hard of hearing and the medical providers seem to think his cognitive function has also deteriorated because in the past he was diagnosed with mild cognitive dementia. This morning he did respond to the doctor and told her his name. The medical team is going to assess him on Monday to gauge any improvement. They want to move him into in patient hospice perhaps in the short term to continue the tapering off of the steroid. He is not eating or drinking fluids so they are giving him fluids via IV that contain potassium, magnesium, glucose and other nutrients. He needs to be able to eat and drink fluids. I am praying that he will be able to recover enough that he can come home. He is the love of my life and we celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary last November. He is an amazing man who retired as an engineer from Honeywell years ago and went back to school to get an MS in Social Work and an LCSW certification. He then worked for 8 more years helping homeless vets. He is a wonderful father and I cannot imagine my life without him. Please send caring thoughts and prayers if you are so inclined. Two weeks ago he was in the kitchen talking and laughing with his sister. I am overwhelmed trying to process this sudden crisis. 
Happy to share some wonderful news!
Last November, a couple of days before our 50th anniversary, my 78 year old husband experienced a septic shock event. EMT diagnosed sepsis and he went to the hospital by ambulance. His BP at the hospital was 69/47 which was dangerously low. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and was admitted to ICU because the administration of 3 liters of fluid failed to raise his BP. Back in the summer of 2023, he caught Covid, and unfortunately had the "brain fog" of long Covid. Now, his cognitive function, especially memory and the ability to maintain a conversation, were severally impacted. He was diagnosed with PTSD in 2003, right around the time of the Iraq war, and was undergoing therapy and medication through the VA for it. He is a Vietnam combat veteran. The effect of having Covid and this sepsis occurrence were a terrible blow to him.
I researched available treatment options and discovered HBOT, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. The therapy involves 100 % oxygen administered under pressure in specialized chambers. A wonderful non-profit group called America's Mighty Warriors has another group under it called Healing America's Warriors and they provide this therapy to veterans that have been diagnosed with PTSD and TBI from combat exposure. We applied for this assistance and were approved! My husband was one of only a few Vietnam veterans who had been treated, as most have been Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.The protocol for this therapy is very strict, and is available in only certain places,but we were ready to go wherever we needed to go for him to have this therapy. We went to Durango, Colorado which was the closest area to us. He has completed 40 sessions and it has been almost miraculous. He has been approved for 20 more sessions which we will do in May, again back in Durango.
In addition to the HBOT therapy, the treatment involves a complete metabolic workup. After this lab work, he was evaluated by a doctor in Florida, who has recommended many different supplements and vitamins which were mailed to him. All of this was provided to him free of charge. Our only expense was travel to Durango and an extended stay hotel.
The improvement has been extraordinary. We are so grateful to this non profit group that provided my husband the opportunity to have this treatment. Both of us as well as our children feel an obligation to let others know about this non invasive and very effective treatment to heal brain injuries. If there is anyone that can copy this and post in the Veterans forum, I would so appreciate it.
Hopefully I was able to list these links that will explain the program. We went to the clinic in Durango as shown in the link.
PTSD treatment wiith Hypobaric Oxygen Therapy
?si=CFIgKgaeSrXSm0Vehttps://www.mdlinx.com/article/the-latest-treatment-for-ptsd-deprives-patients-of-oxygen-and-it-actually-works/1MQZDRK6c0eJYLKx72SCy3
Hello DU veterans. My husband is a 78 year old Vietnam veteran that served in combat in Vietnam. He was diagnosed with PTSD around 2004 with the advent of the war in Iraq, which triggered his PTSD symptoms. He has been on anti anxiety medications and meds for depression since then. In the summer of 2023 he contracted Covid19 and received the anti-viral medication. He recovered physically, but the resulting "brain fog" from this never went away. This last November he had a septic shock event from un-diagnosed pneumonia and had very low blood pressure. He was in the hospital ICU for 2 days and the regular floor for 3 more days. This was the FIRST time he has ever been hospitalized in our 50 years of marriage.
In researching ways to help him I came across Hypobaric Oxygen Therapy or HBOT. I googled PTSD and HBOT therapy and came across many articles and studies about this relatively safe and non invasive treatment. There seems to be growing evidence that it produces positive effects and outcomes.I hope the links I tried to share above work, but computer tech is not my strength. I came across a group, America's Mighty Warriors" and a non profit under that group called " Healing America's Warriors". Veterans with combat caused PTSD can apply for assistance and have this treatment provided to them at no cost at certain facilities across the country. The places closest to us were in Phoenix Arizona and Durango Colorado. My husband was approved for the treatment and we will be going to Durango for these sessions. His first session is on Monday, March 3. We are committed to this process and will be finished on March 29th. The length of the treatments are either 4 weeks or 8 weeks, depending on whether you have 1 or 2 sessions per weekday.
I wanted to let other vets know about this therapy because we feel especially blessed to be able to do this. Hyperbaric therapy is very costly and the hope is that the VA will provide this option in the future. We are very hopeful and excited about this opportunity.
Hello from the Desert Southwest DU friends.
It has been a while since I have posted anything, although I have tried to keep up by logging on every few days. After the disappointing and to me, disastrous election results, I felt I needed to withdraw from my habit of keeping close tabs on the news. I watched MSNBC almost daily until the election. Interestingly, after the election, I found myself watching the cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies, because they always have a nice, positive story, and I needed a respite from the anxiety that thinking about the future of our country with the Felon in Chief in charge produced. It has been like having a mental health vacation.
Unfortunately, it did not last. A few days before Thanksgiving, I had to call 911 when my dear husband, who's also a staunch liberal Democrat, fell as he was trying to get his balance. EMTs determined that he had acute sepsis from pneumonia. He did have the pneumonia vaccine last year and while he did present with a cold (his words), we had no idea he was so sick. He had a temp of 104, although it had decreased to 101 in the ER. The bigger scare was the low blood pressure (70 over 45) that did not increase even with 4liters of fluid. He was in the ICU for 2 days and in the hospital for 5 days until his vital signs stabilized. He had Covid 19 in the summer of 2023, and still was experiencing the brain fog of Covid Long. This Septic event made everything so much worse. He is a Vietnam combat veteran with PTSD which was diagnosed about 20 years ago at the VA. He also has clinical depression and this event, for a man with 2 Master degrees and an Engineering BS, has been devastating.
I have been researching different treatment approaches and came across a new approach that seems to be having remarkable success for veterans with PTSD and with other brain dysfunctions. It is called HBOT, or Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and there are ongoing studies which indicate its usefulness in treating PTSD and other brain injuries.
I am wondering if anyone here has any experience with this therapy or knows anyone that has used it? We are aggressively pursuing this avenue, even if it means he has to be treated out of state. Intuitively, I feel this approach will result in a positive outcome. Please send good energy our way.
Thank you DU friends. I will update our journey along the way.
I am so discouraged and frustrated by the sheer stupidity of so many people.
Or the greed and lust for power that motivated them. Hubby and I will celebrate our 50th anniversary on November 23. He and I each had one daughter from our previous short lived marriages. We have a wonderful relationship that has lasted for 5 decades. In that time we have adopted 4 children that were older and in state custody for abuse and neglect. We never had any of our own biological children together. The first was a 6 year old girl, followed by 2 biological brothers that were 9 and 11. Three years after that we adopted a 13 year old girl. We became treatment foster parents then for a brother and sister that had suffered awful abuse at the hands of their mother and stepfather. We were going to adopt them as well, however, their bio dad and his family became part of our "extended family". They ( the kids) call us mom and dad and are now 41 and 43 years old. Our identical twin "granddaughters" live with us and are attending college here.
This is my dilemma friends...The kids are planning to have an open house type celebration for us at the local American Legion post. (My husband is a Vietnam Veteran). The first child that we adopted is now 54 years old and lives in a small ruby red rural town in Texas. She and her husband are full blown MAGA nuts. She has not always been that way. I am feeling so angry and betrayed by her and people like her that I am not certain I want to have this "celebration". I got a text from her saying that the invitations have been sent out and that our minister (local Unitarian Universalist) had agreed to officiate at the ceremony to renew our vows.
Problem is...I find myself disliking her and feeling very betrayed by her. I don't know if I want to be around her or my husbands family that all live in Texas and have been invited. My SIL's son is on the Texas supreme court, and I do not know if I can pretend that nothing is wrong. That group are all long time Republicans. We gave this daughter a home, parents, funded her damn education (she has a masters) and I almost feel disgust for her. I don't know how she could have grown up in our house and turned out this way.
I abhor hypocrisy, and this girl is such a damn hypocrite. I know that her 2 kids and maybe even her husband are not aware of the 2 abortions she had before she got married. She met her MAGA husband stripping in a tiddy bar in Amarillo. We knew none of this at the time and were told later by the other kids. My bio daughter was a year younger than her and is a STAUNCH Democrat. She told me that she accompanied this girl on the bus to Planned Parenthood where she received this care Then the hypocrite daughter marries and has a metamorphosis into a dutiful Catholic mother in a little town in ruby red Texas. My bio daughter wants to out her because she is so furious about the election and it is no secret all 4 of them voted for the orange maggot. In fact, she is so outraged that she told me that she will not be attending this event. She will take us out to dinner or something like that instead. I am so outraged by the Texas daughter's hypocrisy that I want to call off this "celebration". At this moment I vehemently dislike this daughter, her family, and my husbands siblings and their families. This truly has divided this family and it may not recover.
I talked about this to my therapist yesterday and I am still so stressed. My husband is much more conciliatory, and of course it is his 2 siblings. I just don't know if I can be nice to them. I do NOT want to be a hypocrite myself!
Thanks for letting me vent here friends.I have not shared much of my personal life here, as I actually am a very private person.
What if Trump acting more and more unhinged is deliberate?
I wonder if internal polls show the Orange Maggot that he is losing in the critical states, and that the only reason it is showing that it is close is the abundance of right wing biased polls that are included in the averages? If that is true, then it would not surprise me if he has a strategy Plan B to demonstrate that he is mentally ill in order to avoid prison time after he loses? I mean, would we really incarcerate a mentally ill man with beginning dementia in prison? I bet he doesn't think so. He may not be smart, but he is cunning. Anyway, it is an interesting thought because he seems to be behaving more unhinged every day. 
North Carolina will turn Blue for Harris/Waltz
Cornell Belcher was on with Nicole Wallace yesterday and said he was going on the record predicting that Dems would be the winners in North Carolina. He must have access to some internal polling maybe? Did anyone else see this episode?
Why I think Tim Walz is the best VP pick.
We have so many outstanding VP contenders, and thus have a very deep bench. I did not know much about Tim Walz until I heard him being interviewed on a television program. Biden/Harris won the election in 2020 against an incumbent. Joe Biden appealed to blue collar workers, labor, and came across as a straight shooter and the "kid from Scranton." Tim Walz, it seems to me, offers a similar voice as Biden in 2020. He has strong union and labor support as well as the ability to re-frame Republican talking points. He is a straight talker that appeals to younger voters too. He has been victorious in winning a Congressional seat in a rural area of Minnesota. He is likable, as was/is Biden. Another factor in his favor is his military experience as an enlisted man, and thus his strong support of veteran and military issues in Minnesota. I think we will do well with any of the choices, but the choice of Tim Walz reminds me of the winning Biden/Harris ticket in 2020. We will win in November because we are on the right side of history with the positive vision for the future.
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!
Update!! This post is mute now that it appears that the fear mongers have won out.
So said FDR in his 1933 inaugural address. It is very applicable today. Whether it is fear of Biden/Harris ticket losing and the Orange Felon winning or fear that down ballot races will be affected by the absence of donor cash, it seems to me that it is this mass fear/hysteria that is driving this nonsense. I cannot wait until Biden becomes the official nominee. I do believe this noise will stop then. The Olympics starts next week. Hopefully that will be the focus of the news media for a while until the role call vote for the nomination makes Joe the official nominee of the party. That will hopefully be the start of unifying the party.
I am Shocked and Disappointed!!
Our Senator, Martin Heinrich, just asked President Biden to step down. I called his NM and Washington office and told the aide that my family was outraged by this action! I also said that we will NOT be donating any more time or money to his campaign. WE ARE LIVID!! No, I will not vote for his opponent, but I will not go out of my way to help his campaign now.
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: New Mexico
Home country: USA
Member since: Tue Nov 6, 2012, 08:05 PM
Number of posts: 1,074