FILMER FINAL DRAFTxxx.pub

I drive the Pay loader (front end loader) and call it my therapy. I can just sit there
and clean up rocks, s cks, trees, cart gravel, etc, some mes with oxygen some mes
without and as soon as I get off to pick up a s ck or do anything physical I can’t
breathe. By working on the loader, I feel as though I am achieving something which
is be er than si ng around moping about yourself.
The Biggest Health Challenge
I had finished wri ng about my
health then the biggest challenge
of all arrived.
I had my monthly top up of Intragam
to boost my immune system then
Linley drove me home, two days
later I was in the Ambulance back to
the Mount with lung issues. I had
1gm of Methyl prednisolone for five
days. This is an extremely large dose
trying to sort my lungs out. A er the
five doses, that night I was ge ng severe pain down my legs. The next morning, I
remember Dr Prichard ordering a CT scan of my stomach, then a nurse inser ng in a
catheter, then I must have passed out.
Fortunately, son in law, Andy, came in to find me in a bad way and called a nurse
who pushed the panic bu on. I was rushed to Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The scan
showed I had a massive infec on in the stomach and groin area of Necro sing
Fascii s which is a flesh - ssue ea ng bacterial infec on. They tell me there wasn’t
much me le before it would be ea ng into my flesh. If this happened they would
have to operate, and I would never cope with it. My whole family rushed to the
Mount. The Doctor told them a healthy person would have a 40% chance of
surviving. With my immune system, probably 10 to 20% chance. A er some very
weird dreams and confusion for a couple of days, I came around. They had six
cannulas plus my port to try and get enough medica on pumped into me to beat
this very serious infec on.
Linley was given a room and stayed day and night un l I was out of the ICU and on
a ward. She would meet with the doctors every morning and discuss my medical
condi on. She also helped feed me un l I regained strength in my arms, which was
about a week. Linley will con nue to be by my side all the way.
When I looked at my le foot that I couldn’t move, not even a flicker in the toes, I
thought this is going to be a long haul to get out of this one. A er fi een days in ICU
and a lot of brilliant Drs and nursing care and the Physio challenging me to push
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