1 minute read
The Prank
Hemodiealysis
Mark L. Fussell
Advertisement
Copyright © 2022, Mark L. Fussell All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-???
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to my wife, who both took care of me during these trying times and continued to work excessively hard at a company that did not appreciate her. I love you. It is also dedicated to my family, who all provided support even when they had other things they needed to do. Additionally, a friend provided enormous emotional support, and for a while was the most optimistic person alive on my chance of living, which was a blessing. Thank you all. Finally, it is dedicated to the Stanford Hospital and Satellite Healthcare doctors & staff, who dealt with a very diseased and sick individual who they helped walk out of the ICU, through the exceptional M5 program (twice), back into his house, and ultimately back into the hope of living. There is no better collection of skilled individuals anywhere. Thank you for caring, applying your skills, and for my life. A special thanks goes to my illustrator, who has adorned all my books: Baird Hoffman (https://www.bairdhoffmire.com)
PROLOGUE : IRONY
In November 2020, I stopped drinking alcohol. Completely sober. Never drank again. ❦
Strangely, this did not make me feel at all well. To recover, I tried to water-fast for a few weeks, which I had done before with some success. This time though, I could not stop fasting without having unpleasant things happen. After months of getting more and more emaciated, where my wife had to help me escape the bathroom on multiple occasions, my eldest daughter “encouraged” me (forced me) to contact my longavoided primary care doctor. This was four months into the fast, March 2021. She told me to immediately go to the Stanford ER. So we as a family got into “El Toro” (the nickname of my family vehicle) and I entered the hospital where I would spend a month before hobbling back out. ❦
The irony? In spite of the committed sobriety, I was terminally ill due to alcohol destroying my liver. I was sober but dead. ❦
This book describes the medical treatment I received from Stanford Hospital, its staff, and associated medical professionals — and living a meaningful life in spite of many impediments.
