Thursday, April 29, 2010

Doctor's Report

Well they poked, prodded and carved dead tissue and told me flatly that with conventional treatment I have only a 30% chance of saving my left big toe. Instead, they are prescribing hyperbaric oxygen treatments (five times a week for six weeks to begin Monday). It all depends upon Blue Cross/Blue Shield's approval. And that-a is that-a.

Mike
III

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Please put it up Potok's ass before you lose it.

Anonymous said...

Hang in there - a lot of people are pulling for you. Keep your sprits up, and we'll keep you in our prayers.

straightarrow said...

Good luck.

Temnota said...

All prayers with you, Mr. Vanderboegh.

aughtsix said...

All the best, Mike. Prayers and good wishes coming your way.

Jon

III

Anonymous said...

Good words said for the insurance approval. As to the first comment, LMAO!

Kyle said...

My verification word is "colottov"...when put together with Anonymous @ 7:55's idea...hmm, a colottov cocktail...your big toe in Potok's colon.
Seriously Mike, please do try to keep your spirits up and know that those who share concern for you "are everywhere".
Now, for completely unsolicited advice (sorry): My wife [a licensed acupuncturist, Masters degree] swears that adding cayenne pepper powder to your favorite lotion and rubbing it into your foot will help increase circulation and taking a tsp with a cup of hot water as a tea once daily will help your foot and your heart as well. Might sound crazy...I trust her with my life though.

Unknown said...

Prayers for your recovery and continued health, Mr. Vanderboegh.

Do your best to keep hanging around, we need you.

Crustyrusty said...

Sending up prayers for you, Mike.

Crusty
III

kenlowder said...

Please push hard for the hyperbaric treatment. It does work. As a paramedic I have carried many a folk to hyperbaric facilities and they have had good results. Please take good care of yourself. Diabetes is the definition of dying by inches, especially if you add hypertension to the mix. We need you for this fight.

Ken Lowder

atexan said...

Your in our Prayers Mike.

Dan said...

No more ballet, then, eh?

Hope it goes well, Dutchman.

thedweeze said...

Remember the old saying about how if you give someone a hammer as their only tool everything starts to look like a nail?

Surgeons, besides my suspicion that they're all Errol Flynn fans, will invariably go straight to the knife as a cure.

Kyle is onto something. I studied natural/alternative medicine as part of my post-nuke survival prepping, and yes, the red pepper thing irritates the tissue and therefore increases blood flow. As well, either aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) or Willow bark (salicylic acid) either as capsules from the hippy-dippy natural store or as tea will dialate the veins and arteries and will also increase blood flow.

Hang in there.

Rhetorical Taoist said...

I'm very glad they prescribed hyperbaric for you - it did wonders for my grandfather and they wanted to take both his feet from the ankle down because of gangrenous infection.

Hydrogen peroxide baths and essential oils were also part of his treatment and it gave him another 6 good years before he decided he was done.

dennis308 said...

We Are Everywere
and, We Are With You.
God Bless You are in My Prayers.
Dennis
III
Texas