Test of a Man

In 2022, it was discovered that I had fistulizing Crohn's disease. I was on death's door, with massive necrotic abscesses throughout the end of my digestive tract. What was supposed to be a relaxing long Memorial Day weekend at the beach turned into four weeks at Tampa General Hospital. I came home with a colostomy bag and suprapubic catheter, but that didn't solve the problems (and I didn't have insurance at the time).

Fast-forward to this year and we're seeing even more complications. It started with gradually increasing inflammation throughout the pelvis affecting my urinary tract, so even though I was able to have the catheter removed, I was still having difficulty. I started using an ax handle to apply pressure to the bladder to assist, but that's not as effective as an in-dwelling catheter... I was still retaining urine, which eventually turned septic and the back pressure started to shut down my kidneys in February (to add insult to injury, Orwell, my beloved Doberman, died unexpectedly, inexplicably).

At this point, I had already exhausted my PTO for the year and trying to coordinate all these specialist appointments AND intermittent hospitalizations has wiped out what little savings I had and I'm unable to practice while I'm recovering because I'm that stay, I was fitted with nephrostomy tubes for my left kidney to drain directly to a bag. That didn't fix it completely, so I was instructed on how to straight carheter myself at home, but I was still showing signs of kidney failure, which led to another hospitalization to fit a nephrostomy to the other kidney.

While that has eased the strain on the kidney, there is still some source of infection in the pelvis creating small abscesses they were able to aspirate, but at this point, it has also spread into my sacrum, an infection of the bone itself. I've been in the hospital for about two weeks now at this point, but haven't been able to fulfill my associate contract obligations since before Easter and will likely be discharged this week, sent home to self-administer 6 weeks of IV antibiotics because the treatment model for Crohn's involves immunosuppressive infusion therapy (which can't be done with such an aggressive infection).

If it weren't for the love and support of you, my friends and family, I literally wouldn't be here anymore. They told me as much in Tampa: "If you'd waited any longer, we wouldn't be having this conversation." Anything you can donate is greatly appreciated, even if it's just the cost of your morning coffee.