Fwd: pics

Glen Fisher

fisherglenc@gmail.com

People of Earth, how are you? (Just watch the first 18 seconds of the video below)

Hello,

I had to quote the great Yoko Ono persistent opening remarks on my first post in a long time.  You only have to watch the first 0:18 seconds as the video is over six minutes in length.  For some strange reason, I really enjoy her cadence, the inferred arrogance, and pretentiousness.  "People of Earth?"  Really Yoko? 

I know John Lennon was and remains a worldwide figure and to some extent, Yoko did as well.  But only through association with John and I'd bet dollars to cronuts (aren't those things incredible?) that any millennial and those born later would be hard pressed actually listen to anything Yoko says let alone know who she is/was. 

If you have kids in that age range, would they know who she is by watching the first 18 seconds of video?  If they do, please let me know either by leaving a comment or send me an email or let me know next time we talk.

To sum up the past few months, I am writing this from home while recovering from surgery.  As I suspected over a year ago, my shunt had failed.  I chose not to address it as my Lily got sick and well....my own health took a backseat to her's, as I knew it would have added stress to her own diminishing life and selfishly, I wanted to spend every minute I could with her.  So, as before, my symptoms slowly started to return. 

My gait slowly worsened, memory lapses increased, headaches became more frequent and severe.  As I was told my doctors, I was slowly dying.  I didn't reveal that to even my family or close friends, up until now.  I didn't want help.  I wanted to savor every moment  I had left with Lily.

Well, after she passed, my grieving overshadowed my worsening symptoms up until about a month ago.  With the help of some anti-depressants, a wonderful psychiatrist and my family and friends, I was finally able to re-focus on myself.

I bypassed my GP and went straight back to my neurosurgeon ((the week of Thanksgiving).  Predictably, he agreed with my diagnosis and scheduled surgery that day for his next opening which was Wednesday, December 5h.  The reason it was not any earlier, I had to go through another battery of tests before he cracked my head open.  I must've had 3 or 4 cat scans of my brain and entire spine just in case a tumor was causing the failure. 

Post-surgery, he confirmed that the shunt had indeed failed.  So, he ripped out the shunt and all of the tubing from my body.  I wrongly predicted (based on the first surgery back in October 2015) that the recovery would be smooth sailing.

It was not.

The scar tissue from my last surgery proved to be more obtrusive than he had speculated and while he originally thought my time on the O.R. table would be 15-45 mins - "tops", it turned into 2 hours and 5 minutes.  Needless to say, when I "came to" from the general anesthesia, I felt as if I had been run over by an 18-wheeler.  After two days in the hospital, I was able to return home with my brother at my side.  That was six days ago.  There have been complications since then and I am dealing with them now.  I will approach that subject in my next post. 

Thank you for those who have helped me during this difficult time.

I am forever in your debt.