Welcome back true believers! I have been gone for a bit due to my crippling knee surgery. Well, the surgery wasn't bad, but the therapy three times a week is pretty tough. But therapy and my knee aren't what bring me back to my keyboard. What brings my focus back to this blog is yet another disturbing story posted by the main stream media about stupid stuff done by military members.
Now I am sure that all of you have people that you work with that do stupid things. The odd DWI, domestic violence, the list goes on. Every time something like that happens at your job, does it make it on the local news? Nay, I didn't think so. Yet every time a sailor or a soldier makes that same type of mistake...the media is everywhere making sure that the public knows about it. The most recent incident is a tragic one, and honestly (in my opinion) one that doesn't need to be public knowledge. Article Here.
There are things that you see in Iraq and Afghanistan that shouldn't be seen. They are sending kids there that have no military experience, no life experience, and they are throwing them to the wolves. Do they perform regular psych evals on these kids? Nay nay. They just assume that they will go out, do their job and come home the same as they were when they left. Bad things happen to good people, and the media tells us all about it. Where are the articles about the rebuilding of schools? About water treatment facilities we are building? About all the training that we are giving people so that they can survive on their own? About the community relations projects we perform like painting churches (yes, we volunteer to do stuff like that)? No, we don't get news coverage for the good things that we do, only for the messed up stuff that the minority does.
Now it isn't "This one guy, or small group of one unit within one command of one armed force messed up". Nay nay...it is "The Military" that is all jacked up. After 20 years of faithful, zealous, and obedient service to the United States Navy, I have grown tired of "Support the Troops" being pushed by the media, and them turning around and shafting us to the public. Don't get me wrong, I know that there is a portion of the population that actually understands...they support the military because they know that we didn't choose this fight, but we are the ones sent to do the job. They support the kids that are giving up their time at school, and with their friends and families to go and fight a war that they don't even understand. They don't know why they are there..they just know that it is their duty to go there and do what they are told.
As my time in service comes to a completion, I know that I will continue to "Support the Troops". I will not have a bumper sticker saying it, but I will forever understand the plight that my brothers and sisters are facing. Yes they volunteered for this. Some because they want their college paid for. Some because they can't find a job. Some because they don't want to go to school anymore. And then there are some, like your friend and humble narrator, that do it for love of country. They feel that it IS their job, it IS their duty, it IS what they need to do. To go out and fight all enemies, both foreign and domestic, that could bring harm to their country, their family, their friends, and those that they don't even know. So before you go and judge the entire military on the mistakes of a few tormented or misguided individuals...think of all the others. Think of those that are out there serving faithfully so that you don't have to. Until next time...Stay Salty.
-Salty Dog
Monday, September 27, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Hospital + Stupidity = Hospital-ity
Let me welcome all of you back with a thank you. Thank you for all of the well wishes I received while in the hospital. I am home now and on the long road to recovery. I checked in to the hospital on Tuesday morning for a life changing surgery...I left for home Thursday night...what happened in between? Feel free to read on and share my experience!
So I wake up after who knows how many hours of being under anesthesia. I wake up in what will be my room for the next couple of days. I get to share a room with Mr. Brown. Nay, not Quentin Tarantino from Reservoir Dogs...my new roommate for the next day or so. How do I know that Mr. Brown's name is indeed Mr. Brown? Because every 15 minutes there is another nurse coming in and yelling his name. Mr. Brown, I need to take your vitals. Mr. Brown, you need to take your pills. Mr. Brown, you need to get up and walk around. Mr. Brown had his hip replaced 6 days earlier. He could have used some serious hearing aides too! Mr. Brown turned the volume up to 100 on his television and decided to fall asleep. As each nurse came in the room, I would ask them to turn his volume down so that I could hear the Yankee game on my TV with my headphones on. The nurse usually turned it down and apologized for Mr. Brown since he was very hard of hearing. Without fail, Mr. Brown would wake up and accuse the nurse for changing his channel. He would fall asleep with the news on and wake up to something like America's Got Talent. I would sit there and laugh at the expense of the poor nurse explaining to Mr. Brown that she didn't change his channel. Mr. Brown left the next day.
My next roommate had a name, but I don't know what it was...he was brought into the room and was forced to stay the night because he had arthroscopic wrist surgery and there was no one to watch over him at home for the night. Every time a nurse would come into the room, I would hear him asking for Morphine. He had a camera pushed into his wrist to see if there was anything wrong. I am sure that was painful....I had my kneecap removed and replaced with spare parts....I didn't ask for pain killers until day 2. I am not saying that I am some sort of badass...I am just saying that this guy was in it for the Morphine. The nurse would keep telling him..."you just had a Morphine shot 2 hours ago, you have to wait at least 4 hours between shots." I didn't hear anything else out of this guy except "Can I get some Morphine?" until he pulled out his phone at 11am. This...this was funny. I don't know who he was talking to, but this was the conversation, word for word (I had to write it down!!). "If I dream later, I think I am going to dream about you. The image of you isn't copyright protected is it? I don't want to go to jail for dreaming about you. Alright..call me later if I am allowed to dream about you. Have a good day in school...bye." Where do they find these stupid people, and why do they send them to me? He finally checked out too.
Then I got to check out! My therapists had me up and walking around the hospital with a walker. I am very happy about that because if I had gone home without walking first, I would be having a serious hard time now. I woke up this morning at some stupid hour and had my first disagreement with my knee. My knee thinks that it needs to shoot out in pain to let me know that it is boss. I think that I need to walk around more to show my knee that I am the one in charge here. I have 30 days ahead of me to battle my own body parts and determine who is actually running this show. This new knee is an intruder...a stranger to my body and my household. It is about to learn that I am one stubborn son of a bitch, and I don't give up without a fight. Stay tuned true believers....this is going to be a fight of epic proportions! We shall see who comes out on top! Until next time, same Salty time, same Salty channel!
-Salty Dog
So I wake up after who knows how many hours of being under anesthesia. I wake up in what will be my room for the next couple of days. I get to share a room with Mr. Brown. Nay, not Quentin Tarantino from Reservoir Dogs...my new roommate for the next day or so. How do I know that Mr. Brown's name is indeed Mr. Brown? Because every 15 minutes there is another nurse coming in and yelling his name. Mr. Brown, I need to take your vitals. Mr. Brown, you need to take your pills. Mr. Brown, you need to get up and walk around. Mr. Brown had his hip replaced 6 days earlier. He could have used some serious hearing aides too! Mr. Brown turned the volume up to 100 on his television and decided to fall asleep. As each nurse came in the room, I would ask them to turn his volume down so that I could hear the Yankee game on my TV with my headphones on. The nurse usually turned it down and apologized for Mr. Brown since he was very hard of hearing. Without fail, Mr. Brown would wake up and accuse the nurse for changing his channel. He would fall asleep with the news on and wake up to something like America's Got Talent. I would sit there and laugh at the expense of the poor nurse explaining to Mr. Brown that she didn't change his channel. Mr. Brown left the next day.
My next roommate had a name, but I don't know what it was...he was brought into the room and was forced to stay the night because he had arthroscopic wrist surgery and there was no one to watch over him at home for the night. Every time a nurse would come into the room, I would hear him asking for Morphine. He had a camera pushed into his wrist to see if there was anything wrong. I am sure that was painful....I had my kneecap removed and replaced with spare parts....I didn't ask for pain killers until day 2. I am not saying that I am some sort of badass...I am just saying that this guy was in it for the Morphine. The nurse would keep telling him..."you just had a Morphine shot 2 hours ago, you have to wait at least 4 hours between shots." I didn't hear anything else out of this guy except "Can I get some Morphine?" until he pulled out his phone at 11am. This...this was funny. I don't know who he was talking to, but this was the conversation, word for word (I had to write it down!!). "If I dream later, I think I am going to dream about you. The image of you isn't copyright protected is it? I don't want to go to jail for dreaming about you. Alright..call me later if I am allowed to dream about you. Have a good day in school...bye." Where do they find these stupid people, and why do they send them to me? He finally checked out too.
Then I got to check out! My therapists had me up and walking around the hospital with a walker. I am very happy about that because if I had gone home without walking first, I would be having a serious hard time now. I woke up this morning at some stupid hour and had my first disagreement with my knee. My knee thinks that it needs to shoot out in pain to let me know that it is boss. I think that I need to walk around more to show my knee that I am the one in charge here. I have 30 days ahead of me to battle my own body parts and determine who is actually running this show. This new knee is an intruder...a stranger to my body and my household. It is about to learn that I am one stubborn son of a bitch, and I don't give up without a fight. Stay tuned true believers....this is going to be a fight of epic proportions! We shall see who comes out on top! Until next time, same Salty time, same Salty channel!
-Salty Dog
Monday, September 6, 2010
When 900 Years Old You Reach, Look As Good You Will Not.
Welcome back campers. Big day tomorrow (for me, not for most of you). I am having yet another surgery on my right knee. This will be the final surgery....well, final corrective surgery that is. There will be more to come years down the line to replace that which will be replaced tomorrow. Have I confused any of you yet?
The name of the surgery is Patello Femoral Arthroplasty. If you are a Roosevelt graduate as your humble narrator is, you need to look that up. That is a replacement of the knee cap and the trochlea (the part that the cap rides on). They have promised to make me better, stronger, faster than I was before. I will be the world's second Bionic Man.
I am both excited and a bit worried about this surgery. I have been through 3 other surgeries on this same knee, each one more extreme than the last. All of which were performed to avoid doing this one. Surprise...we are going to do it anyway! I am excited at the idea of being able to walk without a cane. Of being able to run again. Of being able to pitch batting practice and hit infield/outfield practice to my little league team. Of being able to do all the normal, daily activities that most of you take for granted...without pain. I have lived my last 5 years or so in such excruciating pain that I don't honestly know how I have survived. Oh yes I do...a healthy daily intake of 10 Percocet! No one should live their life eating more pain killers in a day than members of the Brady Bunch! And yes...I am including Alice in that count. So...excited is an understatement.
Worried....I am worried because if for some reason this surgery doesn't go right, I may be worse off than I am now. Last surgery they gave me some dead guy's cartilage. I felt pretty damned good for the first couple of months, and then my body decided to destroy it. So all of the pain I went through to rehab after the last surgery was for nothing. This time I have foreign parts being installed. Plastic, titanium, Teflon...who knows how well they are going to take. I do know that I will do my best to take care of these new parts, and follow all rehab instructions to the letter. I am just worried that it may not be enough. I guess what I am worried about is the unknown. I am a math guy. I like being able to figure out the equations. This one has too many undefined variables and it makes me a bit uneasy. I don't doubt the doctor's ability. I have researched the surgery over and over, and it seems promising. I just wish tomorrow would get here so we can get this thing over with.
I am always a little jittery the night before surgery, but this one is a biggy. This could be the answer to all of my knee problems. This could put me back on track for a "normal" life. This could be "The One". So it is logical that I am a little more on edge than normal. I will be out of work until October 10th or so, so I am sure that there will be time to update you all on the recovery process in between PS3 time and pain killer induced naps. For those that follow me regularly (all one or two of you), this will explain my disappearance for the next couple of days or so. I am hoping to get some good pictures once the bandages can come off. I, of course, will share these with all of you. So...until next time all....Stay Salty!
-Salty Dog
The name of the surgery is Patello Femoral Arthroplasty. If you are a Roosevelt graduate as your humble narrator is, you need to look that up. That is a replacement of the knee cap and the trochlea (the part that the cap rides on). They have promised to make me better, stronger, faster than I was before. I will be the world's second Bionic Man.
I am both excited and a bit worried about this surgery. I have been through 3 other surgeries on this same knee, each one more extreme than the last. All of which were performed to avoid doing this one. Surprise...we are going to do it anyway! I am excited at the idea of being able to walk without a cane. Of being able to run again. Of being able to pitch batting practice and hit infield/outfield practice to my little league team. Of being able to do all the normal, daily activities that most of you take for granted...without pain. I have lived my last 5 years or so in such excruciating pain that I don't honestly know how I have survived. Oh yes I do...a healthy daily intake of 10 Percocet! No one should live their life eating more pain killers in a day than members of the Brady Bunch! And yes...I am including Alice in that count. So...excited is an understatement.
Worried....I am worried because if for some reason this surgery doesn't go right, I may be worse off than I am now. Last surgery they gave me some dead guy's cartilage. I felt pretty damned good for the first couple of months, and then my body decided to destroy it. So all of the pain I went through to rehab after the last surgery was for nothing. This time I have foreign parts being installed. Plastic, titanium, Teflon...who knows how well they are going to take. I do know that I will do my best to take care of these new parts, and follow all rehab instructions to the letter. I am just worried that it may not be enough. I guess what I am worried about is the unknown. I am a math guy. I like being able to figure out the equations. This one has too many undefined variables and it makes me a bit uneasy. I don't doubt the doctor's ability. I have researched the surgery over and over, and it seems promising. I just wish tomorrow would get here so we can get this thing over with.
I am always a little jittery the night before surgery, but this one is a biggy. This could be the answer to all of my knee problems. This could put me back on track for a "normal" life. This could be "The One". So it is logical that I am a little more on edge than normal. I will be out of work until October 10th or so, so I am sure that there will be time to update you all on the recovery process in between PS3 time and pain killer induced naps. For those that follow me regularly (all one or two of you), this will explain my disappearance for the next couple of days or so. I am hoping to get some good pictures once the bandages can come off. I, of course, will share these with all of you. So...until next time all....Stay Salty!
-Salty Dog
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