Just so you know...

[Hiede]

Rami,

Guess you don't realize when someone is pulling your leg.Oh wait I mean joking with you. LOL

[Rami]

Rami,

Guess you don't realize when someone is pulling your leg.Oh wait I mean joking with you. LOL

Hiede,

Don't know you that well...mea culpa.

[highpockets]

Thanks for the update on your health Rami.

Glad things are better and pray you can continue your teaching without too much difficulty.

Your family must be a great asset to you--standing alongside with all this going on.

[Rami]

Good evening,

I wanted to pass along an update to all of you. For the time being, my leg continues to be stable, if not improving somewhat. The wounds are shallowing, and look as well as they have in months. I continue to see a nutritionist in Boston, and am still working on losing weight.

Because the risk of severe complications is very high, including a high likelihood of failure and/or additional surgery, the thought of amputation has been tabled for now. I want to be aggressive treating this, but certainly not reckless or foolish. We are working on contacting research hospitals throughout the United States (The Cleveland Clinic, the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, etc.) to see what options there are that may not have been considered, or could be attempted, given the complicated set of issues I have.

Despite this uncertainty on how to improve my condition, I am adapting fairly well to teaching in a wheelchair, and my wife, children, mother, and my faith continue to be a major source of strength, as well as levity. I am also now seeing a therapist who has training and expertise in working with people who suffer with chronic pain. This has also been very helpful.

Easter was very pleasant and pretty low-key...lots of leftovers to enjoy. My kids loved their Easter baskets we made for them and the egg hunt in the backyard. No real "downers" on this post...I am simply enjoying the crest of this wave for as long as it lasts.

[No Dice]

That is great to hear, hang in there...........
Miracles do happen.....

[Allen]

Damn... Thought all was well as the thread went quiet.

[Fibber]

..If your students watch TMC or any of the channels with the "old" programs on them, they will start calling you "Ironside" except in this place you will be called "Ironrami"

[No Dice]

Rami,

Your last update was a week ago, can I request that you update us every 7 days or so....please........No Rami...No SOH.

[Rami]

No Dice,

Nothing good to report, sadly. Despite it being a vacation week, the wounds on my leg have suddenly reversed course and begun draining heavily again, despite my reduced activity level being on school vacation. No one seems to know why, but the treatment they're doing on me will likely be marked as a failure tomorrow, and I'd imagine they'll culture the wound, so the likelihood is there that I may have some sort of an infection on or in the wound, which will require an antibiotic when the tests come back.

The only other component lately is that I've been suffering through a bout of depression, which has tempered my desire to work on CFS2 somewhat. The rate I am churning out missions has dropped off considerably, because CFS2 at times seems like a job, rather than a hobby.

I'm making sure to take time away from it to avoid burnout.

[No Dice]

Thank you Rami for the update, please always remind yourself that CFS2 is just a hobby, life and family are real. I can not imagine what you are going thru at such a young age. You will beat this.

[Rami]

Good evening,

Just as suddenly as things were taking a turn for the worse, they reversed course once they went back to "normal" dressings and bandages again at the wound care center. The skin has begun to dry again now that the drainage is back under control, there is no infection, and the wounds are both shallower and smaller.

The only problem with that is when they debride the wounds, it hurts more because there's no depth. But I can live with that.

[No Dice]

Well, Some what good news is a whole lot better than bad news.

Stay strong sir,

Dave

[Shadow Wolf 07]

Hang in there fella. ith patience and the prayes of all of us, everything will turn out okay, I'm sure.

[Captain Kurt]

Stay strong and believe you will get better, my friend.

[manfredc3]

Great to hear some good news.

[Killer Svend]

Good news,take care.
Killer Svend

[miamieagle]

Good to hear you are getting better. Keep your faith high. You are going get to better. I will pray for you.

[highpockets]

I watched a special the other night about the Titan II explosion in Arkansas in 1980. One of the guys that got burned said when they abraded his burns on his face, he thought they were using steel wool! OUCH OUCH More than OUCH.

You are one tough cookie. Hang in there my friend.

[Rami]

You are going get to better.

Miami,

Actually, I've been told within the past week that my venous system is so fragile, I basically have my entire venous system from my pelvis on down in a state of post-thrombotic syndrome. When combined with the lack of an inferior vena cava up to my kidney/liver and the other issues, from a medical standpoint, my venous system should not be able to move my blood anywhere. The fact that it somehow does despite all the damage and that I can essentially live a normal life with some limits and modifications is nothing shore of a miracle.

The doctors, however, know that anything surgically they try to do carries extreme risk, so they have elected to do nothing not out of apathy or lack of caring, but due to the high probability they could make it worse. So unless I take a severe downtown, I'm basically stuck with this and just have to hope for either divine intervention or a medical breakthrough. Until then, I continue my mummy treatments three days a week.

[Bushpounder]

Late to the party here. I hope this all comes out well for you, Rami. You have a great attitude. Hang in there buddy. It sounds like you have a good, multi-level support group, and that can be everything!

Don