Man falls 5000 feet and survives, only to be killed and eaten by wild bears

Have you ever had one of those moments in life? One of those moments that just seems to be out of the ironic book of life? “Man falls 5000 feet and survives, only to be killed and eaten by wild bears”. Have you?

I don’t think I have ever had one of those… until now.

I am not sure how to even write this? Over the years I had let my weight spiral out of control to the point it was always a battle of the bulge. Just before I turned 39 I had realized that I was getting older and slower and this extra weight was not helping me compete against younger players.. who seemed to be getting younger every year.

So I did something about it. I picked up a book, The abs diet from Men’s Health. I read a book! And I incorporated its teachings into my life. After years of abuse I revved up my metabolism again!

I bought a treadmill so I would walk in the winter months to keep the metabolism fire burning.. The problem was, I hated walking on the treadmill. So One day I started running. Not much, not fast, but enough that 2 miles did not take me 40 minutes! The next day, I ran more. Then more, then longer and longer. Pretty soon I was able to run a full mile without quitting. Then it was 20 minutes… 2 miles.. 3 miles. I was hooked. I started a program in the summer to train for a half marathon. Was following it to the letter until a pulled hamstring from ball hockey forced me to modify it.. Then a more sever tear forced me to stop it for a while… Got up and back on the horse near the end of the summer.. This time a back injury

Things were looking up! A year later I was thinner, happier, more confident.. and then I got dumped. Two weeks later I turned 40.. two weeks after that I spent Christmas alone, 3 weeks after that the company I worked for filed for bankruptcy protection. WTF?

I then reconnected with an old friend who was one of my inspirations for running. We browsed many sites, read articles, forwarded each other articles, talked about things we found, did.. Well really I more listened but I want a little credit! J Life took an upswing again… Things looked good! I had things to look forward to again!

Then the flu hit me. I had just stated a new training program and in the second week I was couch ridden. The next week I took it easy and just ran a couple of 3 mile runs making sure I did not wear my body out (I did that last year). The next week I started the program up again! Today would have been my 8 mile long run for week 1.

However, I am writing this from a hospital bed. Seems that flu bug I had had a chemical make up similar to nerve endings. Also seems that maybe the antibodies did not stop at the flu bug but anything that looked like it. As a result, my lower limbs started going numb. My feet went numb.. and I went to the emergency.

The first one fast traced me into a dr. I thought that it was a small town so they were not busy. They asked some questions did some simple tests and got on the phone to Ottawa. “You should go to the Ottawa Civic and see a neurologists”

OK so what, I take some pill for now and see the specialist in 6 months when he has an opening?

No, you leave here and go directly there. They know you are coming. Go to the emergency and give them this.

So I do what they say.. Except I stop at home, pack an overnight bag because I think I will stay the night at my townhouse rather than drive back to the cottage.

Oh screw it.. I am tried of typing! Long story short, I got a LOT of special treatment and rushed into test ahead of others, into a bed. And diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). Turns out it could kill me but only in rare cases they tell me.. Could paralyze me.. Could do a lot of stuff. Could never go away.

SO I sit there in the observation room thinking still.. OK where is my pill I am ready to go home when I overhear the nursing staff and drs talking outside my door. “Oh Jesus, that can degrade fast.” My first reality check.. I was not going home!

It is really fun to have to constantly report where the numbness in my limbs is ending and being told that if it goes higher than my knees that I needed to tell them.. ANY shortness of breath or chest pains, buzz then stat. And then I read abut this shit.. how your own bleeping body is attacking itself and can attack the nerves to the point that your lungs and or heart stop working! Yikes. Here I thought that the fact I had little to no sensation in my pecker was bad (he is after all the most important and most under appreciated person in my life:).. Death is worse!!

Oh well I am going out for another walk while I can. They keep trying to put me into a wheelchair and I keep telling them.. as long as I can walk, I am!” ..

Michelle I hope that you have not found my blog before I get out of here!

“Man drops 50 lbs, gets in shape, finds a passion in life as he turns 40.. then drops dead”. That hopefully will not be my ironic ending.