In this Facebook discussion, https://www.facebook.com/group...nks=5104824872968980 they discuss how they can reduce the time spent in-system to 3 days... :)

I'm not sure I see any reason for such a discussion. It seems simple enough--do what you gotta do and then leave.

In any case, you have to join to see the discussion. Not inclined to do so.

So apparently it was my turn to get Covid, although a weaker strain. Culminated Monday night when I fell getting out of bed because I got dizzy and my legs were so weak they couldn't support me. After friends helped me get into a chair, called an ambulance to take me to the hospital for evaluation and testing. Everything else was clear but the test came back positive for Covid. Put some fluids in me, gave me a few prescriptions for me cough, and sent me home.

According to the doctor, I have had it for a few days, so Monday was the worst of it. Getting better, but I still feel like crap and a bit unsteady on my feet.

At least this explains why I've been feeling so crappy for awhile now.

In reply to Space Control (msg # 325):

Wow, a case of Covid that "cuts your legs"! :(

Probably should apologize for not posting an update here, but brain's been too tired to even think of doing that.

Getting better. Just slow.


Yeah, it was the weak legs that had me concerned. It didn't even occur to me that it might be CoVid. Was more concerned that it was a stroke, but fortunately it wasn't. And it was only that one time so have no idea what was going on. It passed within minutes.

A case of "Long COVID" then. Take care, bro. We'll just stay eating and fancying at the captain's table, meal after meal, and present the bill to you when you're back :D

As you may have heard, Southwest Florida where I  live got clobbered by Hurricane Ian. Once again, we've lost power. With Irma, we lost it for 10 days. It could be longer this time as a couple of substations got trashed and there's almost a million people without power now across the six counties.

Currently using my friend's hot spot from his phone, but there's still the problem of charging up my computer and his cell phone.

So, not sure how much I'll be able to post before we get power back. No gas stations are operable because their pumps are electrical and they don't have power either. Most stores were closed today, but a few restaurants managed to open to feed the people that can't cook at home now.

Lots of trees down, and some damage to houses and yards. Six houses on our block lost their back porches. Our fence barely survived, but it's leaning because the ground got so soaked. Lost a few solar panels. But other than that, made it through without any damage to the house (except the back porch (the lanai) is 50% gone) and we're all intact--people, cats and dogs.

Imagine how many XP "surviving hurricane apocalypse (and the zombies?)" you're currently winning! :)

Yea! Power's back as of Friday afternoon. Internet came back late Friday night. We thought it'd take long because we're at the tail end of a line and the telephone pole and transformer at the other end of the block were both lying on the ground because the pole had snapped in half!

Spent yesterday cleaning up, picking up the pieces, putting things back in place, and making sure nothing got burnt out. We'd unplugged the TVs and shut off the AC at the circuit box, so we seem to be okay.

Our two house cats keep wanting to go out on the back porch like they used to, but it's half gone, so that's not going to be an option for awhile.

Anyway, expect to get caught up on my games today.

So here's what's been happening...

I've been 'ill' for about three months now, starting with getting COVID back in the beginning of October. Wasn't too bad and I got over it in a few days, but it left me with the typical aftermath symptom of being tired ALL THE TIME. I was slowly getting over it, and even had a few hours of energy every day.

I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for mid-October but then Hurricane Ian hit. The VA clinic took some damage and was closed for two weeks. I finally got the appointment rescheduled for Jan. 13.

December 1st, I had a minor chest pain on my right side. It felt like just a minor muscle strain but at my age and with my medical history, I felt it was prudent to check. Called the VA clinic to see about a walk-in visit the next day and the nurse I talked to went into panic mode with the 'chest pain' words, and told me to go to the ER. So, on Friday, December 2nd, that's what I did. More panic mode.

Spent 4 days being poked and prodded, inspected, detected, and injected and stuff, only to be told my heart was fine. More exactly, they couldn't find any cause for the chest pain... the obvious cause seemed to elude them.

Here's where it started going to hell. Getting out of the hospital, I had an extreme loss of appetite, shortness of breath, and NO ENERGY. Didn't have any of that when I went in!

Not only was I not hungry, but nothing tasted appealing any more. Could barely eat my favorite foods, and then only 2-3 bites. On top of that, I ran out of one of my diabetes medicines. Not eating and drinking much, I also wasn't taking my meds as regularly as I had been.

This went on for the next three weeks, so things probably grew gradually worse without me quite realizing it.

December 31st, I managed to pull a back muscle, and while the pain meds I took didn't do squat, I at least knew it'd go away in a few days. It did. And then I got hives!

Jan. 6 I went to the VA clinic to get bloodwork done for my doctor's appointment. No sooner did I get home than the doctor called to tell me my blood sugar level was 903! I needed to go to the ER pronto! That's where I've been for the past week. :-(

I still didn't feel all that bad (weak and no energy), but I definitely had some serious health issues. Turned out I had ketoacidosis and some kidney issues. After a few days treatment, the keto was gone, kidneys were all better, and my blood sugar was back to normal. Now I had to survive the 'recovery'. As long as I was stuck in that hospital bed, though, I knew I wasn't going to get better. So now I'm home.

Have a nurse helping me, and physical therapy should start tomorrow. And now I have to play tag with a doctor's appointment again...

Anyway, the reason I'm telling you all this is in case you, family or a friend should find yourself in a similar situation, you'll have a heads-up/warning about what's might be happening.


Now it's just recovery and rehab.

Hi Rob. Happy New year ! I'm happy that what you had (+ insomnia) has eventually been identified. Twice COVID may have messed with you, eh? :/

Thanks for posting news, and thanks for having taken the GM baton from Nerull.

In the name of all the crew of the Old Lady's Hope, we wish you a full and quick recovery. Enjoy your time without the pressure of running many games on RPOL! :)

So while I was stuck in the hospital bed for two weeks, I wrote and rewrote this post in my head several times. Don't remember any of it now, so here's the newest version.

THE NEVER-ENDING STORY...

The Missing Chapter: when I was discharged from the hospital back in January, I was sent home with a Foley catheter, which was more of an annoyance and handicap for my home rehab at the time. Managed to get an appointment with the VA  urologist two weeks later. He thought I should never have been sent home with it, but it was time to get it removed. Took a week of scheduling shuffles but finally went home without it on the following Thursday.

That Friday night when getting ready for bed, I lost my balance while setting something on the floor and fell over on my back onto the concrete floor. My housemate helped me get up and everything seemed fine once I was back out in the recliner. Nope. Come Saturday, I was in excruciating pain across all the muscles in my chest and back. Doan's, Aleve, Tylenol didn't help at all. Monday added a heating pad... better. Wednesday, switched to BenGay... better, but still couldn't sleep, so Thursday went back to the VA for some stronger pain meds.

That doctor saw the previous records and thought I might be having a pulmonary embolism and immediately did an ambulance transfer to the ER. 6 hours later the ER doctor decided that wasn't the case and sent me home with vicadin. Didn't do anything but pharmacy was closed so had to wait till the next day to get more.

After that, everything was fine for a few hours. Mid-afternoon, I suddenly couldn't move my legs!

EMT/PD shortly had me back in the ER. MRI of head and neck revealed a tumor in my C2 vertebra. Had spinal surgery next morning! Being the weekend, it took 4 days to get the pathology back which identified it as prostate cancer. Caught it early and getting chemo, and now in rehab to walk again.

Other than that, I'm in great health (for my age)! Probably 4-6 weeks in rehab before I go home.

Wow, what an emotional roller coaster! :/

"You're having a pulmonary embolism" must be the scarier statement ever heard. Not to mention the two trips to the ER within the space of a few days! :(

My only satisfaction is that while you were thinking about this post, this was a distraction to you ;) Thanks for the attention to us!

I admire your optimism, praise your high spirit - keep it up, it helps -, am glad that the VA takes care of the bills, and wish you the best :)

Apologies for no update but really didn't think there was one.

Still paraplegic trying to recover mobility at a poor rehab facility with bad nursing and half-horrible food until...

Developed a sore on my butt from laying in bed 24/7 that didn't get treated properly and turned gangrene, so now I'm back in the hospital with surgery scheduled for Tuesday.

Recovery to go home was still about a month away. Don't yet know how this new problem will affect that.

Low energy levels at rehab have left me with a one-track mind--just have trouble shifting gears between game systems right now.

My OCD stubbornness is still keeping me from pulling the plug on my games. I really have fun running games and it really bums me out that I can't keep them going right now for all of you. For those of you who are still sticking around waiting for the game to restart, I sincerely apologize for the delay. For those of you who have moved on, no hard feelings here--I completely understand.

Anyway, Happy Easter to everyone!

Rob, sorry to hear that. Are you sure it's gangrene? Not bedsore? The second is painful, but easy to cure... The first means you were hurt by some rusty metal or dirt... unlikely :)

Anyway yes, we want you back ! May your OCD to continue this game help you to survive your ordeals! :)

Best wishes;
Régis

___STAGE 2.3: Sutures came out on Monday right on schedule, but the final healing is still in progress for several weeks/months. DONE. SUCCESS.

STAGE THREE--WOUND REHAB: sitting up for continued wound rehab protocols start as soon as sutures came out, about a week ago now. Start getting used to sitting up  again... in 15-minute intervals twice a day. Moved to a standard air mattress bed. Frequency and duration will kind of depend on how well I do, but further complicated by not having any control over my leg muscles and not enough feeling below the waist. Communication/responsibility issue has only produced one session--should have been six by now! PENDING???

___STAGE 3.5--RESUME PREVIOUS REHAB: In a week or two or three depending on how quickly I improve here, I get transferred to yet another Rehab facility for continued wound recovery... takes a long time... as well as mobility rehab.

___Stage 3.7--TRANSFER TO NEW REHAB: So the Wound Recovery has done well enough that I'm getting transferred to a different rehab facility for the Sitting/Mobility rehab. Don't know why there's a difference other than where I'm at is more medical than therapeutic so they need to make room for a new patient.

THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL: Different tunnel, different light. I suppose it's a step in the right direction, but we'll have to see how it goes.

Thanks for the update ! Roll for Athletics/Endurance with a +7 bonus ! :)

Ha-ha! Good one! I needed that after a somewhat messed up day. Finally settled down to the 'new normal'. Now I just have to figure out what that is!

Also Rob, I hope that all your thinking for distractions lets you prepare an adventure on every new stop of our route : Tanar-Sif-Eahaw-Vadada ;)  (+ adventures in space)

Hadn't quite got there yet, but thanks for reminding me.

Now, let's see... pirates, get kitty out of tree, destroy the deathstar, save the universe, find the maguffin...

How am I  doing so far?

Maguffin? It was cinnamon-raisin, so that's all done.

Kitty ate the mcmuffin! We shall leave it in the tree ! Serves him right ! ;)

In reply to Beto Arark (msg # 347):

Fellow Human Beings ... Fellow Gamers ... Friends ...

It is with a saddened heart that I inform you all of the passing of Robert Rusk -- better known to many of us as StarMaster.

Rob passed in his sleep on Thursday morning, July 6, 2023, at approximately 10:30am.  He had been hospitalized since early in the year due to complications concerning Cancer & associated surgeries.  He was 73 years old.

Rob was a Comics Fan Boy & fiction writer wannabe his whole life and came to Roleplaying in the Early Days of 1978.  It was my distinct pleasure to have met him, and gamed with him, since that time.

After his Retirement, Rob committed himself to the community he found in RPol, participating in over 20+ games, here.  He was an especial "softie" for GM-adopting abandoned games and working to keep them running, for the enjoyment of the Players.

He will be missed.

His roommate posted this this morning in a game we shared. ;-(

What a sad news. Rob told us of his health misfortunes and really hoped to go through :(

Though we only knew him through his writings and generously picking up the game when it was left, we definitely feel orphans...