Around 2009 Charlie contracted a bout of sepsis. I don't know why people with brain debilitation seem to get this but they do. In the case that ended his life I think he lost the ability to swallow, we had a feeding tube installed, and at some point he inhaled food into his lungs and one thing led to another and he was gone.
In the 2009 event he was feeling real bad but was still able to walk. One day we were walking to his sister's place and he began to vomit into a bush, he proceeded on to her house and I got a car to take him home. Later we went to an evening appointment at Kaiser, a blood draw showed big infection, we went to the emergency room and after about a 5 hour wait he was admitted. They could not get his blood pressure up. He seemed to be dying. They elevated his feet to encourage blood to gather in his brain and vital chest organs.
They started trying to insert a stent (I think thats the expression) into his neck, they tried for about a half hour, trying real hard but real carefully, jabbing this thing into his neck. Finally they gave up and apologized, they said they'd be sending him up to the ICU and there the stent and other matters would be taken care of. I stroked his forehead, he said that felt nice. I brought him some comfort amid all that pain and fear.
He was in the ICU for four days and another three in the regular hospital. I knew he would come out of that episode OK because he was eating every molecule on his plate. And he did get out and did come home and did have a rather healthy existence until the brain disease as I said made it impossible for him to swallow.
On his last day in the regular hospital there was a horrible episode. His roommate got the welcome news that a biopsy showed he did not have cancer and he and his family were happy and coming as close to celebrating as its possible to do in a hospital room. And then…a nurse comes in and corrects the information, it was malignant. People just fell apart. As you might expect. It was one of the saddest most tragic things I have seen.
In San Diego a few recognizable buildings stick up. You can see Charlie's office building downtown. You can also see the UCSD med center in Hillcrest and I hate seeing it because it always brings back the memory of Charlie totally hooked up to tubes and machines and totally out of it and only a couple of days from passing. I hate it.
In a few minutes I leave for an appointment with my doctor. My second post radiation PSA was less than 0.1 which is as good as possible so I am very happy about that, but I am seeing her about an infection (at least I think its an infection) like one she took care of a few months ago with antibiotics, she said they could grow to sepsis. I am wondering if the radiation debilitated my immunity and if it will come back. No complaints, the cancer was horribly malignant, one doctor said without treatment it could have killed me in 2 years. Happy happy joy joy, right??
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