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Harry's current condition


Harry P.

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Just a recap for all of you who sent me kind words and good wishes (and contributed to my gofund me account)… and just to sort of put all the info in one post rather than the several existing posts regarding my situation.

 

A quick summary of what happened to me: Diagnosed with cancer in August 2016. Got radiation treatment (3 weeks, 5x a week) to shrink the tumor, then began chemotherapy. That's when everything fell apart.

 

It seems that my very first chemo session was so strong that it sort of blasted my heart. I was in intensive care, where they were able to restart my heart. But the damage had been done. My heart was now pumping at 25% of "normal." A week in intensive care, then a week in a "normal" hospital room, then three weeks in an in-patient cardiac clinic… and as of last Thursday, now home. The doctors seem to think that I have recovered enough to live alone, albeit at a very limited capacity. I have to walk slowly, stairs are hard on me, I have to eat a modified very low sodium diet, etc.

 

I also have to do arm and leg exercises (with very light weights) every day to build up my strength, and by association, my heart. Obviously I will never be the same again. The goal is just to be "functional"… to be able to live on my own, go to the grocery store, etc. Just be able to accomplish normal daily tasks. It will be a long and slow process to build up my heart, and chances are it will never get much better than 35% or so… at which point the doctors say they would implant a defibrillator in me. Right now I have to wear an external one 24 hours a day… it's sort of a "bra" with electrodes in it that contact my skin. If there's a problem, it will go off and of course I would have to call 911. So far all is quiet, fingers crossed.

 

And in the meantime, as I am trying to recover from my heart problems, chemotherapy is ongoing… but with a different "cocktail" that will not affect my heart. Sure wish they had used THAT in my first chemo session… none of this heart trouble would ever have happened.

 

So there you have it… cardiac patient, cancer patient… fighting TWO huge problems at the same time. It's very hard, and most of my time is spent either taking pills, exercising, or seeing doctors. No time for model building, or work (in fact, because of my condition I can no longer work and have to apply for disability, which will be my ONLY source of income. That is, IF I'm approved, and that can take up to a year. If they deny my application, I have no idea what I will do for money.

 

That's the story as of today, January 2, 2017. Thanks for reading this and thanks to everyone who has helped me in one way or another.

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I am glad to hear that you are still with us.  I have been wondering what has been going on with you.

Whatever you do please keep following the DR's orders.  any exercise is good at our more mature age the muscles will atrophy so quickly it is amazing.

If you have stairs try only one or two steps several times a day and whatever you do don't overdue it.  We are not as young as we once were and it seems to take forever to get back to a semblance of normalcy.

Good Luck and keep us posted. 

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Thanks for the update Harry and I certainly hope that 2017 is a much better year for you. You're in my prayers and thoughts and I hope that your progress will start to increase soon. If you apply for disability, make sure you bring ALL the paperwork you can from your recent health issues. If you're denied, then you'll need to get a lawyer. Do not get a lawyer first because it won't help at all. Good luck my friend.

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Living alone and going through major health issues is certainly a HUGE challenge! Doing laundry, getting groceries, putting out the garbage etc. can be overwhelming,  yet you just have to try your best to be independent. If you have family and friends, nows the time for them to step up! We all are pulling for you Harry . Hope 2017 is easier on you!

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Thanks for the update Harry. While it is encouraging that you are able to be at home, I am sure you are looking into different living arrangements so you do not have to deal with stairs and other troublesome things.

Continued prayers for your recovery and better days!

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I'm sorry your struggling so much right now. Unfortunately this is your reality. I'd like to give you a little encouragement though. I've been medically disabled for 19 years. It's not fun, and my activity is severely limited. I adapted, and you will too. I relate to all of your doctor appointments, sometimes we feel like lab rats. And for disability, I'm not sure how it works in Illinois, but here in California I applied for state disability and got it pretty quickly. Social Security disability came after state ran out. It was a difficult, tiring and humbling experience. The process is an exercise in perseverance. It took almost 2 years from my initial application, but I never gave up and looked at it as it was my "new job". I did it Harry, you can too. Just never give up. 

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As others have said, we're pulling for you Harry.   When you apply for Disability, be sure that your Doctors state that you are disabled and no longer able to work.  S.S. has a habit of turning people down when they apply for Disability.  Worst case scenario, you may need to contact a Disability Attorney for help if you get turned down...... Unfortunately, they take a piece of what you get...  

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Harry, good to here ur back home, that has a lot do do with the mental aspeck of it. As Richard said, have a long talk with ur docs about disability as u getting it has a lot to do with what they put on paper! Mine took about 6 months due to an aortic aneurysim that was an automatic qualifier. My wife got her's last yr on back surgery in about 5 months. I've had an implanted diffb since 2010, don't even think about it anymore.( hasnt went off yet) Just keep up the exercises, the diet and a positive attitude! Miracles do happen, my heart in 2014 was at 17%, back up to 28% in july 2016. have faith, we're all praying for u!

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. No time for model building, or work (in fact, because of my condition I can no longer work and have to apply for disability, which will be my ONLY source of income. That is, IF I'm approved, and that can take up to a year. If they deny my application, I have no idea what I will do for money.

 

That's the story as of today, January 2, 2017. Thanks for reading this and thanks to everyone who has helped me in one way or another.

Hang in there Harry. Don't forget , if you haven't already, to get a family member involved as this process is pretty stressful and takes a lot of energy as well as perseverance  . Powers of attorneys / or permission from you to the involved agencies help here in order for trusted family members to have access to your information and to act on your behalf are a plus. Trust me, you want the help good buddy. My wife's long term disability and all the expenses we've had in the past year have been made a lot easier when I got involved as she just didn't have the patience or the energy to expend on all of this junk for a long while.

Edited by mustang1989
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As others have said, we're pulling for you Harry.   When you apply for Disability, be sure that your Doctors state that you are disabled and no longer able to work.  S.S. has a habit of turning people down when they apply for Disability.  Worst case scenario, you may need to contact a Disability Attorney for help if you get turned down...... Unfortunately, they take a piece of what you get...  

Harry....hang in there.  Like Richard said many times SS denies most people the first time...I had to get a disability attorney to finally get mine going.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you. 

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Harry....hang in there.  Like Richard said many times SS denies most people the first time...I had to get a disability attorney to finally get mine going.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you. 

I was able to be accepted for SS disability the first time around. As stated before, I came "armed" with doctors reports, business cards, and lots of info about my disabilities at the time. A lawyer told me to call him only if I got turned down, as they can do nothing for you on your first visit.

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