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    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

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Lost in Bed: Transitioning into an Adult Care Facility

Howard
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I'm half asleep right now. But that also means I'm half awake. Let floweth thyne words, right? So what comes next is my response to the comments received in my previous blog entry. My original stated dilemma had much to do with my future choosing, specifically, answering the following...
Howard
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Greetings. I am still alive. And if you are reading this, you are still alive, too. Congratulations! Please forgive my lack of posting. I've been a lowdown dirty depressed sort of human during these recent weeks, but heck, things could turn around suddenly. Improvement is just on the horizon...
Howard
5 min read
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This may be a depressing unsatisfactory read. Proceed with caution. Brief update: I received trigger point lidocaine injections this afternoon in my stoma area, and the pain went away... for 60 minutes. Yes, it was a glorious 60 minutes! I have a follow-up appointment on February 8th. In...
Howard
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Yes, I am still working on that darned thing, that album which remains incomplete (from last summer). I figured, who knows, I better put something out while I remain capable of doing such things. A couple songs still need some editing. And then vocals are needed and necessary. So I got to sing...
Howard
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1:01 am and finally the pain has diminished in such a way as to allow my potential sleeping (while listening to Oranssi Pazuzu’s most recently released effort, Mestarin Kynsi. You see, I had wanted this album since the first came out a couple of years ago. During the big covid surge (back when I...
Howard
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12/25/2023 - 0017 hours I'm in the midst of what sounds like a war zone (out there). Round after round of gunfire, explosions on all sides, and flashing pyrotechnics are at hand. I'm not exactly sure why this is happening on what was once known as Christmas Eve —- but perhaps I missed the...
Howard
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Yeah, maybe that's the first thing that came to mind when he woke up yesterday morning... He??? Yeah, I should probably explain. So in between storms last night, I decided to go out for a short ride into the rather brisk early evening. To take in the scene, I sat near the side of the...
Howard
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Yo, people of Phoenix Rising - Lend me your ears! Or how about … your eyeballs instead? Ummm, this will be a sort of rant. But not really. This is a copy of the email I'm sending to my dietitian / nutritionist. Why am I sending this to her? Well, why not? I have to send this to somebody. Not...
Howard
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Responses to (and updates for) those of you who've been following along from blog entry to blog entry. And then also, brief background information explaining “how I got here” - in case anybody ‘new’ has happened along: NOTE - Not new to the story? For your ease and convenience, please skip...
Howard
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Responses to comments from previous blog entry --- Hey y'all ... appreciate the suggestions. My doctor told me to go to the hospital tonight, but really, there's no sense in doing so (right now). I am basing this upon my urine color (yellow / straw), and upon the fact that I felt decent over...
Howard
6 min read
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First, Last and Only "You need to try harder if you want to get stronger. Most people don't push themselves." Yes, he was talking to me, and about me. That was his immediate impression. The physical therapist assigned to me was insinuating that I wasn't trying hard enough, that I was unwilling...
Howard
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Basically, I am hiding in a cave. But it's not particularly dark, nor dank. Nope, I'd suggest dry and warm is the thematic equivalent. Or possibly, it's more so the thermostatic likeness. So while living in this garage, I must remain unheard and unseen for the duration - I shan't be deported...
Howard
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4 days, 21 hours, and 44 minutes is all I have left And really, I should stop right there. No need to continue on with additional words, is there? Well, I suppose there's a minimum amount of words required to officially make this a blog entry. So I shall indeed enter more words. And then...
Howard
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This will be one of my last evenings perched above the freeway. And due to the excess noise beneath me, I am nearly hollering into my phone as a means to get my words across and understood (via voice-to-text). I suppose you don't need to know this, or perhaps, you don't need to know anything at...
Howard
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Dos As of today it's been two years since I first came to reside at the nursing home. And somehow I've survived this ordeal. Of course, many haven't. The average lifespan of a nursing home male species inductee is approximately 6 months. Females typically last 9 months. It's true though, that I...
Howard
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Updates (without answers) It's been exactly a month since I've been relegated to (mostly) bed duty… I may have had covid-19 (they didn't test me back then, but they are testing residents and staff now because we have several active cases in our hallway). I shall make it known that I am...
Howard
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September 3rd (Sunday) I've been stuck in bed for the past six days. Something went wrong, likely initiated by my new feeding formula. I had "the runs" for 24-hours, and ever since, I've felt exhausted, poisoned, and shaky. I sweat profusely when sitting upright. And my bloating and stoma...
Howard
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I'm in my chair rolling around early Friday morning looking for a dead body. A corpse. You'd think it's got to be around here somewhere (indeed, I've covered the usual terrain). However, there remain several tucked away spots, places wherein I have no wheelchair access. Why this in morbid...
Howard
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Sunday Morning - It seems there's a sense of urgency, as Todd is making a beeline for the porta potty (the orange one). He's barefoot. But now he's run out of grassy real estate, thus, slowing his pace considerably across the uneven parking lot (strewn with loose pebbles and other debris)...
Howard
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New Song: Get Outta This Place There's this woman here, a staff member … and she and I have engaged interactions every now and again. So she approaches me as I'm playing guitar in the back corner area of the building (where I am hiding out). Then words come out. "Are you going to serenade...

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Howard
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