Well, I am among the living. I have been gone for awhile having some major medical issues. Timeline:

Dec 1: I began having chest and leg pains, called 911. The ambulance came and transported me to the 2nd closest hospital (they transfer me to another hospital for reasons yet unknown). They did their "tests", which I told them would be inconclusive. Of course I was rebuked as not knowing what I am talking about. You see, I a have very obscure blood clotting issue and it happens to manifest mostly in my legs, and more-so the left. So the ultrasound comes back "negative". I "gently" explain to them they will be sorely surprised to know this test is inconclusive...which it turns out to be.

Dec 15: Exactly 2 weeks to the day I go back to the ER at the 2nd hospital and show them, on the surface of the skin, the blood clot they all missed, 2 weeks to the day earlier. So they admit me and run a test called a "CT Angiogram". I know what this is, it is so much easier than an inter-arterial angio. It shows exactly what I told them 2 weeks earlier.

Dec 17: The doctor does his bypass, the 2nd on this artery. It comes back negative. So the solution, in their eyes, is they can do no more for me and amputation is now in order. Now, there is still a very minor amount of blood flow to the left foot and ankle that is barely keeping my foot and leg alive, so I tell them not today....

Dec 29: I go back for, in my stealth mode, another angio so the new doc can see before, during and after the nightmare I am in. He looks over all the films and tells me he is in, as long as he can tell what causes my clots.....

I have had these problems for 18 years. No one has found the reason, and they are running the same 22 tests.

Jan 26: Enter the hospital (much has transpired between then and now). I go back to Longview Regional Medical Center and Dr Michael Greifenkamp The first thing is to see if they can do the procedure, it actually turns into 3 of progressively more intense, but painful and rewarding, surgeries.

Te whole thing could have been done by any competent vascular surgeon...

Angio to assess and begin treatment with "drips". #2 was a little more intense as they began heavy introduction of clot busters and some ballooning then #3 was a very heavy session of clot busters and balloons and more clot busters. Today I can walk more easily than I have been able in 7-8 years. I have gone, in my left leg at least, from 99.5% "occluded" (word of the day for those that don't know what it means) to something like 55% open.

I am so "financially embarrassed" I can barely pay my electricity, but I still have my leg. People I have never met all over FaceBook are asking for my paypal so they can help...it's because we always "Pay It Forward" that we are being blessed. If you want to ensure some help, in any form, always do the right thing. At Christmas each year, Wal-Mart has an "Angel Tree". Fill as many families wishes as you can. It comes back to you multiplied, I promise.

Thanks to all of you that have been supportive of me the last few weeks.