tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23459027942966961012024-03-12T20:20:24.335-07:00KRIPPLEDWARRIORMy life has been one continuous learning experience. Back to back to back... one right after another. Maybe you can learn from my experiences and mistakes. Or not..KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.comBlogger602125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-27871117799127960342018-11-02T23:23:00.001-07:002018-11-02T23:23:36.597-07:00A brief lesson in American history A BRIEF HISTORY LESSON:
<br>A lot people are holding a mistaken belief that there were 400 years of slavery in America. Actually the truth is that the Dutch brought the first African slaves here in 1619. 400 years of slavery from 1619 means that slavery would end next year in 2019. We did not become a nation until 1788, and the 13th amendment which abolished slavery was ratified in 1865, which is 77 years of slavery in the United States, not 400.KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-51289514205719893592017-11-02T13:11:00.000-07:002017-11-02T13:12:13.957-07:00This means WAR<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_TBchKZlSwM/Wft8Hkc9b3I/AAAAAAAADP0/TQoDbNQ-yWI1ggee0zTa51ez7XkaX-LjwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_8353-733958.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_TBchKZlSwM/Wft8Hkc9b3I/AAAAAAAADP0/TQoDbNQ-yWI1ggee0zTa51ez7XkaX-LjwCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_8353-733958.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6483912558016032626" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-36959167008407915652017-03-07T13:27:00.000-08:002017-03-07T13:27:55.983-08:00an inconvenient truth Interesting that the LA Times did this. Lou Dobbs reported this on CNN and it cost him his job. The only network<span class="text_exposed_show">
we would see this on would be FOX. All the others are staying away from
it. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, this should be of great
interest to you!<br /> Just One State - be sure and read the last part... try for 3 times.<br /> This is only one State... If this doesn't open your eyes, nothing will!<br /> From the L.A. Times.</span><br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
1. 40% of all workers in LA County (10.2 million people) are working
for cash; and not paying taxes. This is because they are predominantly
illegal immigrants, working without a green card.<br /> (Donald Trump was right)<br /> 2. 95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.<br />
3. 75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.<br />
4. Over 2/3 of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien
Mexicans on Medi-Cal, whose births were paid for by taxpayers.<br />
5. Nearly 35% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals; they are here illegally.<br /> 6. Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages.<br />
7. The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most likely illegal aliens from south of the border.<br /> 8. Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.<br />
9. 21 radio stations in LA are Spanish-speaking.<br /> 10. In LA County, 5.1 million people speak English; 3.9 million, speak Spanish. (There are 10.2 million people, in LA County.)<br />
(All 10 of the above facts were published in the Los Angeles Times)<br />
Less than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops, but 29% are on
welfare. Over 70% of the United States' annual population growth, (and
over 90% of California, Florida, and New York), results from
immigration. Also, 29% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens.<br />
We are fools for letting this continue.</div>
KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-66954035145855661602017-02-11T19:11:00.001-08:002017-02-11T19:11:44.165-08:00Help save a life<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--IiXxBC5pUQ/WJ_ScE0quQI/AAAAAAAADOw/q-HDcn7YB70B4YfW40cuOw_Q7cj_jLWwQCK4B/s1600/IMG_6772-704166.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--IiXxBC5pUQ/WJ_ScE0quQI/AAAAAAAADOw/q-HDcn7YB70B4YfW40cuOw_Q7cj_jLWwQCK4B/s320/IMG_6772-704166.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6386054176407468290" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-5291670204243015662016-11-24T04:33:00.001-08:002016-11-24T04:33:50.186-08:00Thank you for your friendship <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-APSuxeb0jxs/WDbeL0KWedI/AAAAAAAADN8/Zzh3Prg1Ou0K2tZsedKv45kRIrJPzaHxACK4B/s1600/IMG_7376-730187.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-APSuxeb0jxs/WDbeL0KWedI/AAAAAAAADN8/Zzh3Prg1Ou0K2tZsedKv45kRIrJPzaHxACK4B/s320/IMG_7376-730187.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6356512218642020818" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-46377376463613565342016-11-11T12:39:00.001-08:002016-11-11T12:39:20.110-08:00Veterans Day 2016It was my highest honor to have served this great nation. And despite the high price I paid for having done so, I would not hesitate to do it again.
<br>GOD BLESS AMERICA.KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-25368640781550871882016-11-05T19:57:00.001-07:002016-11-05T19:57:36.717-07:00Language issues<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="galileo-ap-layout-editor" width="100%" style="border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" class="content OneColumnMobile column" valign="top" width="100%" style="position: relative;"><div class="gl-contains-text"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" class="editor-text content-text" valign="top" style="padding: 10px 20px; word-wrap: break-word;"><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As seen in the Voice of San Diego: </span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Over two decades ago, a group of Latino immigrant parents protested their local elementary school for refusing to teach their children English. Let me repeat that, <i>for refusing to teach their children English</i>. Those children, for the most part, spoke Spanish in their homes, watched Spanish language TV and communicated in Spanish in their neighborhoods — naturally.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But what those parents realized was that when they dropped their children at school, because of that customary use of their native language, they were being forced into Spanish-language classes during those formative elementary school years and not immersed in English until much later. Those parents knew that the larger American society is overwhelmingly English-speaking and that their children's ultimate success – educationally, socially and economically – would depend on their mastery of the English language.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">That small protest turned into a movement. In 1998, a year that saw Republicans lose all of California's constitutional offices to Democrats, those same California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 227, a simple measure to require that children be taught English in elementary school unless their parents disagreed. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Latino children quickly and easily began showing proficiency in English.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In fact, the educational results were so exceptional, the New York Times, CBS News and other media outlets reported that within four years, the test scores of over 1 million immigrant schoolchildren had increased within a range from 30-100 percent. Even the founding president of the California Association of Bilingual Educators (who opposed Prop. 227 and now opposes the effort to repeal it with Prop. 58) publicly admitted what immigrant parents instinctively knew: Intensive English immersion was the best educational policy for their children.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As a result of the success of English immersion after the passage of Prop. 227, the number of Latinos admitted to California's colleges and universities has, unsurprisingly, increased significantly. Perhaps that is why the proponents of the deceptive Prop. 58 have admitted what their problem is — virtually no parents, immigrant or otherwise, deny the success of English immersion.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If the statistics weren't so overwhelming, I would support Prop. 58. But the proven success of English immersion demonstrates that Prop. 58 is not about modernizing the way we teach English, it's about forcing a failed method of English instruction on children against the wishes of their parents. The only people that would benefit from Prop. 58 would be the unemployed bilingual educators whose jobs depend on it.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Under current law, parents can ask for bilingual education for their children. No one should be forced into bilingual education at the cost of their educational success so that we can ensure the existence of union jobs. Further, Prop. 58 denies children their future because high-paying jobs demand the ability to speak English. Nothing in Prop. 58 will make kids more competitive.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Prop. 58 will undermine the proven success of Prop. 227 by returning us to the days of fewer graduations and college admissions and leaving more children behind. I stand in support of the families that are working to give their children opportunities to succeed – I'm voting no on Prop. 58</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="galileo-ap-layout-editor" width="100%" style="border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" class="signature OneColumnMobile column" valign="top" width="100%" style="position: relative;"><div class="gl-contains-text"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" class="editor-text signature-text" valign="top" style="padding: 10px 20px; word-wrap: break-word;"><div></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Joel Anderson </span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">Ca State Senator</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-89989857590643077892016-10-29T22:53:00.001-07:002016-10-29T22:53:07.184-07:00Armani makes the man<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lNffR-_5yu8/WBWKw9JhJ7I/AAAAAAAADNo/Tvrbpvs6OMMbWx2n5YQR99aPvlm7_EohgCK4B/s1600/IMG_6733-787185.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lNffR-_5yu8/WBWKw9JhJ7I/AAAAAAAADNo/Tvrbpvs6OMMbWx2n5YQR99aPvlm7_EohgCK4B/s320/IMG_6733-787185.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6347131823501420466" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-90591268465020309162016-05-31T19:08:00.001-07:002016-05-31T19:08:34.841-07:00A Freudian pic<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uw4j_LAXWys/V05DpBAPztI/AAAAAAAADM0/4DWKnzxUCMcGmh7bgzFrW-1zmRXeAIpaQCK4B/s1600/IMG_6607-714842.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uw4j_LAXWys/V05DpBAPztI/AAAAAAAADM0/4DWKnzxUCMcGmh7bgzFrW-1zmRXeAIpaQCK4B/s320/IMG_6607-714842.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6291040101406330578" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-73523729098779973242016-05-18T20:59:00.001-07:002016-05-18T20:59:37.039-07:00A Freudian photo <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E8IXD8lsBSM/Vz06Kswh3DI/AAAAAAAADMk/JM5eh8HRe-s4rSu0qbs-CqNV14rs0gBOACK4B/s1600/IMG_6607-777040.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E8IXD8lsBSM/Vz06Kswh3DI/AAAAAAAADMk/JM5eh8HRe-s4rSu0qbs-CqNV14rs0gBOACK4B/s320/IMG_6607-777040.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6286244610366889010" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-25148274742056450852016-03-15T17:24:00.002-07:002016-03-15T17:24:42.769-07:00One More Time<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>On April 7 it will be 10 years of survival </b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Recently
I have received several e-mail messages asking the question "how did
the warrior get krippled?" So rather than keep writing that e-mail going
to answer that question right here today. For those of you who have
been longtime followers of my blog this is a rehash for you and you may
want to skip it completely. For everyone else...</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>In
late March of 2006 I started suffering symptoms that led doctors to
believe that I may be having heart trouble. Shortness of breath, heart
racing, totally exhausted after mild exertion and general lethargy. But
after a battery of EKGs in which all measurements associated with sinus
rhythm were normal, the Dr. ordered a basic battery of blood tests and
sent me home to await results.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>on
April 7, 2006 at around 1:15 in the morning, my phone rang. It was not
unusual as I was on call 7/24 at work. However this time it was not the
help desk calling, it was a doctor at the emergency room at Kaiser
Permanente. After confirming that he was talking to the right person, he
told me I need to come to the emergency room immediately, my blood
tests have returned but he did not want to discuss it on the phone.
After a long night and most of the day in the emergency room, they
admitted me to the hospital and told me that the oncologists would be in
to see me soon. The blood tests showed that I had almost no red blood
cells and all of my white blood cells were immature. This condition can
be caused by leukemia or aplastic anemia. No way to tell for sure which,
without administering a bone marrow biopsy.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>A
week later, the biopsy confirmed that I had acute myeloid leukemia
(AML). The prognosis was not good the Dr. said that this type of disease
has a less than 25% survival rate at five years. But they sent my bone
marrow biopsy to an expert in Los Angeles for confirmation. In the
interim I received blood transfusions to revitalize my system and keep
me from keeling over. This went on for about two weeks, getting
transfused every other day, until the results returned. There was a new
diagnosis I had a very rare subset of AML which was manifest by a
chromosome transfer between T 13-15, a condition known to be caused only
by exposure to the chemical benzene. Until the year before my diagnosis
this rare form of leukemia was 99% fatal despite bone marrow
transplants. But in the interim the Communist Chinese had found that
megadoses of retinoic acid would actually cause a transposition between T
13 and 15and correct itself. I was administered the drugs in the form
of 11 large capsules four times a day, I don't remember what the total
dosage was. But I remember it was huge. In addition to the retinoic acid
treatment the oncologists insisted on giving me traditional
chemotherapy in an effort to, "kill off the cancerous leukocytes that were roaming in my body."</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>DAUNORUBICIN </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>This
chemical was injected into me intravenously once every day for seven
days. Hanging from the IV pole the clear plastic bag and clear plastic
tubing, the drug resembled orange Kool-Aid almost fluorescent in color.
I remember being told the chief concern was to not get the chemical on
my skin as it would burn me. Somehow, having it inside my blood veins
was not a comforting thought. They kept me in the hospital for another
two weeks to monitor my condition but also to protect me because this
chemical would suppress my immune system so drastically that a normal
cold which would cause a runny nose and watery eyes for you, would most
certainly kill me. I was allowed to go home for a short four hour visit
but I was told I must wear a surgical mask, have no physical contact
with anyone and I must return to my hospital room before 6 PM. When they
finally released me to go home I was told to stay at home and not visit
public places were I could catch a disease. And no hugging or kissing
the family members.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>On
the Friday before the Fourth of July, 2006 I got on my motorcycle and
rode to work for the company picnic. I was 6'4" and weighed a whopping
147 pounds. Bald as a lightbulb, in fact all my body hair fell out, I'm
quite glad that no pictures of me exist from that time. I was still not
cleared by the doctors to return to work as he felt a second round of
chemotherapy was in order. This despite the fact the bone marrow biopsy
confirmed the chromosome transfer had been reversed (the retinoic acid
had worked).</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>CYTARABINE</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>In
August of 2006, I returned to the Outpatient Treatment Ctr., Kaiser
Permanente and was hooked up to a infusion pump that I carried on my hip
7/24 for the next week returning every second day have the pump
recharged with the chemicals. The doctor told me I could stay at home
with this pump as long as I remain in isolation, for the reasons listed
before, with the warning:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
"If I get a fever above 101.6°, return emergency room immediately." The
side effects of this drug were very unpleasant and rather gross, so I'll
skip those details to myself. But almost one week after the infusion
pump was removed my temperature was measured at 101.7°, and I was taken
to the hospital by ambulance. I have no memory of that ride as I quickly
slipped into a coma.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>What happened next, is from things that witnesses told me. I have no recollection as I went almost immediately into a coma. A condition that lasted the better part of a month. I was kept
alive by a ventilator, despite the fact that my body had all but shut
down. As it turned out a common intestinal bacteria had crossed over
into my bloodstream and sent me into sepsis, more commonly known as
toxic shock, a condition where my blood actually turned poisonous and
damaging to the tissues of your body. My kidneys shut down and I was
placed on dialysis. In response to the condition my body went into
defense mode. My blood pressure dropped to almost 0. To counter that
blood pressure drop I was hooked up to huge bottles of intravenous
saline water. I was given so much water that the skin on my hands and
arms broke open and water poured out. I ballooned from the 147 pounds to
over 350, all water weight. There were several occasions during August
and September of 2006 the doctors called my family to warn them, that if
they wanted to see me alive they needed to come immediately. Looking
back on it I often joke, "those doctors did everything they could. But, I
lived anyway."</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Sometime
in late September of 2006 I opened my eyes in response to someone
asking me to. I have a vague recollection of people speaking to me
during that time period when I was in a deep coma, words but not faces.
So when someone tells you a comatose person can't hear you, please rest
assured that they quite possibly can. I did! When I awoke the only thing
I was aware of was an acute, continuous, exquisite pain in every fiber
of my being from the tips of my fingers to my eyelashes. Everything
screamed out in agony. The most intense pain relieving chemicals in the
world were of no relief. It was unbearable for things to even touch my skin.
The weight of the sheets laying on me caused intense flashes of
white-hot pain to shoot all over my body. For some reason, because I did
not yet know that I was paralyzed, the medical staff came in and turned me on my side every two hours. I'm quite positive that the string of profanities and curses I hurled at them in response to the pain they caused, still echoes in the halls of the hospital, lo these 10 years later.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>As I just told you I did not understand that
I was paralyzed. I knew I could not move. But I thought it was due to
some form of physical restraints having been applied to keep me from
getting up and walking out the door (something I threatened to do on an hourly basis). Because of my paralysis I was placed on a specialized bed that was able to
mechanically rotate and tilt to relieve pressure, it felt like I was
sleeping aboard a ship, something I had done for 17 years of my life in
the navy. The pain drugs caused hallucinations, so in my mind I pictured
myself tied down on a table top aboard some small boat. I begged
visitors to please untie me. I quite distinctly remember threatening my
wife with divorce once I finally got loose, because she would not untie
me.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Conditions:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>paralyzed from the neck down, different doctors use different terms to describe it. Some said quadriplegic while other said quadraparetic.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>my lips and mouth were red sore and covered in scabs because of the dry air forced in and out by the ventilator.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>My kidneys were functioning but my liver was barely hanging on as my blood test showed high levels of liver enzymes.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Because of the restricted blood flow caused by the zero blood pressure both of my feet were black and gangrenous.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>I
would drift in and out of consciousness because of the various
infections I was experiencing. And for the next year I was given enough
antibiotics to cure a small third world nation of all its ills.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>at
the end of October 2006 the hospital discharge me into the care of a
nursing facility near where I lived. Not so much because I was well
again. But more likely because they couldn't do anything else for me. My
condition had stabilized, although temporarily, enough that it did not
warrant me being on inpatient status. So I was checked into a care
facility which was not covered by my insurance, was paid for by the
gracious love of my mother-in-law. The day staff people were very kind
loving and considerate people. But for the two months I lived there I
lived in terror of the midnight staff. That story is written another
part in this blog. Scroll back and find it.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Kaiser Permanente physician who attended me at that
care facility refused to allow me access to any form of physical
therapy. He told me that I was a hopeless, flaccid muscled quadriplegic
who was under his care for custodial purposes only. I was unable to move or to use a call button so the only method
I had for contacting the staff was my voice. So I would holler at the
top of my voice to get attention from the attending staff. The night
staff would come in shut the door behind them and scold me for being
noisy. When I became aware that my insurance would cover home healthcare, I immediately moved home on a
hospital bed with doctors and nurses coming to visit me on a regular
basis sometimes almost daily. I stayed there in that bed in my
livingroom for 5 years.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Benzene</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The
only time I had ever been exposed to benzene was in the United States
Navy service. It was, and quite possibly still is, using every paint
product that the Navy had. As part of preservation of the ship every
sailor becomes an experienced painter. And you get the paint on your
hands and body. But rather than try to scrub it off with soap, practice
was to wash her hands in pain thinner which major ingredient was
benzene. Benzene was also a drying agent in the paint itself, as well as
the primers used before applying paint.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>When
friends and relatives heard about what happened to me, everyone told me
to get a hold of the VA as this is a clear-cut case of line-of-duty
chemical exposure. So we submitted paperwork requesting VA assistance.
But immediately was shot down. The denial letter said it was because I
did not indicate in my application that benzene was the cause of my
actual problem. Despite the fact that they acknowledged that benzene
does cause that and that it appeared as though I had been exposed.
Typical bureaucratic bull shit. We were allowed one rebuttal this time
we asked my primary Dr. to please write a letter in support of my
request. It took three years from that point but in the end the VA grant
me a 100% service connected disability.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>In the 2007 2008 infections continued. I was admitted to the hospital on the verge of another coma. Being pumped full of antibiotics and painkillers, I was asked to submit to exploratory surgery of my abdomen. The surgeon was a practical man and
he told me quite plainly; "if once we are in there we discover something
wrong with the large intestine we can either repair or remove that
part. But if the problem is with the upper intestine, well quite frankly
you may not survive the week. Do you give us permission to go in and
fix whatever we can find?" of course I said yes!</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>What they found was that the interior lining of my large intestine had been eaten away by a bacterial infection. And so,
it was removed. Also sometime in 2008, the date it eludes me, I finally
got well enough to undergo surgery for removal of my gangrenous feet. My
left leg was amputated below the knee because the destruction of tissue
had incorporated into the bones of my foot and ankle. My right foot
however had miraculously healed enough that only the toes needed to be
removed. Shortly thereafter I experienced another setback in the form of
pancreatitis and some sort of gallbladder ailment. Both of these conditions mounted new levels of pain that
required me to take hallucinogenic doses of morphine six times a day
and eight 500 mg doses of Vicodin every day. My medicine cabinet was
quite capable of kickstarting the 60s all over again.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Unable
to eat, I had a feeding tube inserted through my side directly into my
stomach. Because of the gallbladder ailment, the doctors who feared that
I wouldn't survive another surgery, choose to insert a drain tube into my gallbladder through my right side just below my ribs. Because the
chemotherapy drugs had virtually destroyed my blood vessels I had long
line peripheral catheters, along with sub-clavien catheters inserted for
the administration of antibiotics. I remember looking up one day at the
IV tree and counting six different concoctions being pumped into me. My
immune system had been so totally suppressed by the chemotherapy that
it took that many drugs to keep me from succumbing to the normal
bacteria that inhabit my body.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>While Kaiser Permanente spent probably several millions of dollars keeping me alive, their sole means of determining success was based on the fact, that
I was still alive and sucking wind. It doesn't mean they didn't care.
The individual doctors and nurses that I dealt with in the home care
system from Kaiser Permanente are some of the most caring, loving, considerate
and compassionate people I've ever met in my life. But that healthcare
organization is not equipped to deal with the level of destruction that
my body had suffered. If I had to do it over again, the only change I
would make would be to decline the second round of chemotherapy, because that's when the real trouble started. When I
waffled on the issue back in 2006 the head oncologist assured me it was quite
possible I would relapse and die without it. Today I know there are
things much worse than death. They're going to have to burn the woods
and sift the ashes to find me and make me do chemotherapy again.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>THE VA</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>When
most people think of the VA they're talking about the administration
portion. Like all bureaucracies, it is full of things that can be made more
efficient. There is another part of the VA, the hospital system that I deal with on an almost daily basis. And while
you may find some people who want to complain about it, I am not one of
them. I have had nothing but top notch A-1 care at the San Diego VA
regional medical center. From the very first day when the VA took over
my home healthcare my life has begun on a path back in the direction of
living. My home healthcare Dr. on her very first visit to: my hand at my
bedside and said "are you about ready to get back into life?" </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>My answer was a resounding "yes"</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Since
that time, approximately 5 years has passed and my progress has been miraculous,
literally. I attend Occupational Therapy and Dialysis 3 times per week at the VA. I have recovered full range of motion in all four limbs. And thanks to the mental health group I'm still one very charming guy.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>as
I stated the beginning of this all I wanted to was provide a place
where people could come and get the answer to the question; how did you
get crippled?</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>And now you know!</b></div>
KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-23122866639886303722016-02-09T18:16:00.001-08:002016-02-09T18:16:41.527-08:00It's time to pay up<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XU9bQNbi218/VrqdipkMAtI/AAAAAAAADME/or3OS81_30E/s1600/IMG_6353-701527.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XU9bQNbi218/VrqdipkMAtI/AAAAAAAADME/or3OS81_30E/s320/IMG_6353-701527.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6249480651528733394" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-57915686913876406042016-02-09T18:15:00.001-08:002016-02-09T18:15:50.372-08:00Who knew? Not the clintons<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4U2nactjiI8/VrqdV02daCI/AAAAAAAADL8/pYW9IH5vj5w/s1600/IMG_6356-750373.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4U2nactjiI8/VrqdV02daCI/AAAAAAAADL8/pYW9IH5vj5w/s320/IMG_6356-750373.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6249480431219861538" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-698115954580973282016-01-24T14:07:00.001-08:002016-01-24T14:07:53.109-08:00It's not a choice<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nN3brh8a8mc/VqVLOlDfWoI/AAAAAAAADLs/WnX1dlebpmg/s1600/IMG_6208-773110.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nN3brh8a8mc/VqVLOlDfWoI/AAAAAAAADLs/WnX1dlebpmg/s320/IMG_6208-773110.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6243479172256062082" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-62712654975218888262016-01-16T20:03:00.000-08:002016-01-16T20:04:48.920-08:00Observers need to get involved<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jIw3WX-AC3Q/VpsS4U21xnI/AAAAAAAADLc/dc-LvMf5YTQ/s1600/IMG_6295-788921.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jIw3WX-AC3Q/VpsS4U21xnI/AAAAAAAADLc/dc-LvMf5YTQ/s320/IMG_6295-788921.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6240602467532654194" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-54744407685225946632016-01-16T09:44:00.000-08:002016-01-16T09:45:13.875-08:00Hypocrites <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OtnvUokt1Rw/VpqBqjLhiTI/AAAAAAAADLM/ZqbjkxKRKZo/s1600/IMG_6149-713876.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OtnvUokt1Rw/VpqBqjLhiTI/AAAAAAAADLM/ZqbjkxKRKZo/s320/IMG_6149-713876.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6240442801673308466" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-57475817798157882152016-01-06T20:25:00.001-08:002016-01-06T20:25:47.862-08:00What would you do?<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V2V86Pgpl8g/Vo3ozHBzqNI/AAAAAAAADK4/lBOlYCIcRiE/s1600/FullSizeRender-747863.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V2V86Pgpl8g/Vo3ozHBzqNI/AAAAAAAADK4/lBOlYCIcRiE/s320/FullSizeRender-747863.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6236897023735605458" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-43245352044167529862016-01-06T12:41:00.001-08:002016-01-06T12:41:24.541-08:00Ya right <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2gi7qvUPjAQ/Vo179W14Z_I/AAAAAAAADKo/RTKLqXm7AXI/s1600/IMG_6114-784543.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2gi7qvUPjAQ/Vo179W14Z_I/AAAAAAAADKo/RTKLqXm7AXI/s320/IMG_6114-784543.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6236777353011816434" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-3699077474997301292016-01-05T17:31:00.001-08:002016-01-05T17:31:59.774-08:00King Obama haha<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dvvy7IOEdY0/VoxukOvJwiI/AAAAAAAADKY/SibEGinkEgA/s1600/IMG_6110-719775.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dvvy7IOEdY0/VoxukOvJwiI/AAAAAAAADKY/SibEGinkEgA/s320/IMG_6110-719775.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6236481152711508514" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-4471822363101944852015-12-30T12:36:00.001-08:002015-12-30T12:36:41.998-08:00Numbers <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sp_QwuYr1Z0/VoRAWkB7muI/AAAAAAAADKE/rHHDN7VzuvA/s1600/IMG_6063-701999.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sp_QwuYr1Z0/VoRAWkB7muI/AAAAAAAADKE/rHHDN7VzuvA/s320/IMG_6063-701999.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6234178540560685794" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-44302052970324669012015-12-27T19:54:00.001-08:002015-12-27T19:54:54.644-08:00In case you didn't know<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fILOvgwWHa4/VoCyj8iJneI/AAAAAAAADJ0/8a8Zd5dUFLY/s1600/IMG_6230-794645.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fILOvgwWHa4/VoCyj8iJneI/AAAAAAAADJ0/8a8Zd5dUFLY/s320/IMG_6230-794645.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6233178214895295970" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-71863019128269873252015-12-23T19:42:00.000-08:002015-12-23T19:43:01.155-08:00Reality check<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QJ9NOMpneTs/Vntpxuxf1xI/AAAAAAAADJk/_6wivG4KQ3c/s1600/IMG_6204-781156.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QJ9NOMpneTs/Vntpxuxf1xI/AAAAAAAADJk/_6wivG4KQ3c/s320/IMG_6204-781156.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6231690812487358226" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-8382250368479476872015-12-22T19:50:00.000-08:002015-12-22T19:51:00.714-08:00Chose wisely<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uehf03sCucQ/VnoaJa0vW-I/AAAAAAAADJU/gSJyxNAcvP4/s1600/IMG_6203-760714.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uehf03sCucQ/VnoaJa0vW-I/AAAAAAAADJU/gSJyxNAcvP4/s320/IMG_6203-760714.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6231321783542176738" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-22607770427896618712015-12-20T19:53:00.001-08:002015-12-20T19:53:57.478-08:00A blessed event<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-maXjA95Ak28/Vnd31lkw0TI/AAAAAAAADJE/uGMKtunJZYI/s1600/FullSizeRender-737479.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-maXjA95Ak28/Vnd31lkw0TI/AAAAAAAADJE/uGMKtunJZYI/s320/FullSizeRender-737479.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6230580371993448754" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2345902794296696101.post-35662917642691083572015-12-20T15:14:00.001-08:002015-12-20T15:14:51.931-08:00It's a living constitution <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JnA3ukEK9wo/Vnc2bZalxRI/AAAAAAAADI0/OVWG8b2_Qu0/s1600/IMG_5996-791932.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JnA3ukEK9wo/Vnc2bZalxRI/AAAAAAAADI0/OVWG8b2_Qu0/s320/IMG_5996-791932.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6230508453797152018" /></a></p>KrippledWarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09693973753642324616noreply@blogger.com0