Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Long time







Well, now. It's been a long time since June 7, hasn't it?

In some ways it's been a very tough summer. My Dad has been very ill and it's been surprisingly hard to deal with on a number of levels.

He's has managed to develop non-alcoholic steatohepatosis and cirrhosis of the liver. The prognosis is grim; it's going to be ultimately fatal but not before some time passes and a lot of suffering is endured. How much time? There's no way to know, really. How much suffering? Again, there's no way to know for sure, but a lot.

One effect of the disease is that the liver weeps ascites fluid into the abdomen, and that fluid has to be removed weekly in a process called paracentesis. Basically, you jam a big catheter into the abdomen and suck out the fluid. The weekly quantity ranges from 5-10 liters, or about 1 to 2.5 gallons. Not a lot of fun, but it's perhaps the easiest part of the treatment regimen.

The bad part, the suffering part, is that the liver is damaged beyond the body's ability to repair it. This causes all manner of unpleasant symptoms. Nausea and vomiting, itching, feeling terrible all the time, weakness, confusion, difficulty breathing, etc. The process is also causing a slow but steady and irreversible wasting away of muscle tissue. The once strong fellow is now navigating slowly with a walker, and while he can still get out and about in a very limited fashion, he's getting weaker all the time.

So watching the progression of this disease has been quite difficult. I'm in the position of being the only person in the family with a medical background, so in addition to managing much of the day-to-day care I'm also the chief explainer for everyone else. "This is why that, and that is why this, and here's the plan, etc."

So there's that.

The day-to-day ranch management continues also, of course, but it's really not all that taxing. Between good rain and good cattle and getting a lot of fiddly bits sorted over the last several years and enough experience to be efficient we've been able to get by in remarkably good shape.

And speaking of good shape...

I'm more physically fit now than I've been in years. I've been alternating roadwork and weight room since April and I'm just astonished at how good I feel and how much I'm able to do. Some time ago -- more than a decade ago -- when I had my first Achilles surgery, I resigned myself to never being able to run again. But something funny happened following the last surgery. Between a really good repair and a smart/patient approach to improving my fitness, I accidentally found out that I can run again.

The running is a work in progress. Running on flat ground still causes a lot of soreness and stiffness in the ankle, but surprisingly, it's actually getting better over time. As long as I don't go wild and overdo it, I think I'll eventually be able to clock multiple miles.

The trick, which I stumbled on accidentally, was running steps. We have a railroad viaduct in town which is equipped with several flights of stairs, and for some reason I decided to see if I could run those to build up endurance and improve cardio. (Looking back I just realized that I wrote about the steps in May.) It was a bit of a struggle at first, but I found that running uphill is a lot easier on the ankle than running on flat ground. I think it's down to joint geometry and lever physics. Rather than bashing straight down on the heel on flat ground, running uphill seems to spread the impact over the whole foot and leg -- and probably just as importantly -- over a longer interval.

Anyway, the viaduct steps are 21-step flights, each with an 8-inch rise, for a total of 14 feet (if my math is right). When I started I was doing 15 flights, now I do 60 flights, and I do them a lot faster. It's an excellent workout.





Several months back I think I wrote about hiking and how super-duper I was because I could hike up smoke bong hill a half-dozen times. On Sunday I ran up smoke bong a dozen times, and ran up eight other hills along the course of my eight mile hike. From "never again" to "shit, I can do this" in less than half a year. Puts a big grin on my face.







Be interesting to see if anyone still stops by this ghost town. I may be able to start posting on a more regular basis but only time will tell.

19 comments:

  1. Last Saturday passing under that bridge a bird dumped square on my windshield. I usually get coffee in Kimball before going on to DIA. Had to clean my windshield before going on. Teach me to laugh at Nebraska losing a football game. Even the blasted birds are rabid fans.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by!

      Those pigeons are Huskers to the core. In the overall big-picture scheme of things, losing to Troy at home was both funny and probably just the lesson this team needed. The great and heroic coach doesn't suit up anymore and besides, he's already won a national championship. If these kids want to "be like Scott," they're gonna have to do the old-fashioned way.

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    2. Back in the stone age played 1 1/2 seasons for the Buffs. Good to see a renewal of the CU/Neb rivalry.

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    3. That's cool. I've always enjoyed the rivalry, and that's enough to get me thrown out of the church!

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  2. Great to see some activity here today, and I check regularly. I drove west on I-80 past Kimball today and thought about you, hoping things were okay. (Still have not figured out where your place is relative to anything recognizable...) Beautiful day, pretty country, great, hard working American people heartland at its best.

    Congrats on the fitness accomplishments, only a tiny percentage of post-middle age people even attempt to get to those levels, and few actually do it. Well done!

    Thoughts and prayer for your Dad and all involved with a lousy deal in the game of life. The family is fortunate to have someone with your medical knowledge to explain and educate.
    My sister with nursing background has been a Godsend when several other family members have been coping with various issues and the docs "practice" medicine on them, usually with little explanation to patient or family about what the heck is going on.
    John Blackshoe

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    1. Thanks for stopping by!

      Between 1-3 miles west of the Kimball's I-80 exit 20 (approx mile marker 17-18-19) you are driving directly through the north unit of our ranch.

      Thanks for the kind words on fitness and thoughts and prayers regarding Dad's health. We are living in a time of medical miracles, but the system is less than optimal for most people for a variety of reasons. Nothing's perfect I guess.

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  3. Well dang, it's good to "see" you again Shaun. I figured that you were just really, really busy, I wasn't ready to panic just yet. ;)

    Sorry to hear of your Dad's malady, that really sucks. Prayers offered for his well-being and strength for you to get through the hard times.

    So glad you posted!

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    1. Thanks Sarge. It's been a busy time indeed. Not the most fun I've ever had but certainly an opportunity to grow. Thanks for the prayers, I know that they work and that provides a lot of comfort.

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  4. So glad to hear from you and know you are still kick'n it... Wow, you have come a long way from the hobbler days.
    Sorry about your dad's health problems, that sucks. Prayers up and candles lit for him, you & the family.

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    1. Thanks Brig. Guess I'm not ready for the recliner yet. And thanks for the thoughts, prayers, and candles. Loving support eases the burden a great deal.

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  5. My heart goes out to you and your family, may your father's condition have the best possible outcome. I am happy to see that you once again have the time to share with us, your readers. My thoughts and best wishes to you and yours.

    Looking forward to your next post.
    Paul L. Quandt

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    1. Thanks very much Paul. Your thoughts mean a great deal and help more than you can know. I shall endeavor to get back into the posting groove.

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    2. So there you are Paul! We've missed you over at The Chant!

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  6. Shaun,

    As others said, very glad to see you back here, sad about the reason for the quietude. As to running, I have a similar, tho much longer lived, ankle issue. Found that a zero gravity treadmill was the bestest thing ever. If you can find a place with one (https://www.alterg.com/) they are just great. At age 60, bad bad ankle for 40 years, I got to where I could run 8-9mph for 30 minutes. Aint a 4 minute mile but for age/weight..... Trick is you start with 5 or 10% of your weight and work up.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! Looks like a great device. Might have to wait for prices to come down though. Hell of an intriguing idea.

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  7. I am pleased you are back! I was worrying! I was thinking that medical problems were at the root of your absence. A prayer has been sent for your Dad.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Scott, and many thanks for the thoughts and prayers.

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  8. Dealt with paracentesis on a second hand basis with GS during her Illness from 2012-14.
    I don’t envy you, or him.
    The feeling of helplessness is the hard part.
    Posting about the frustrations helped.
    Glad to see you’re still around.

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