HeroHog
Regular Member
He might get mad at me for this but our president of LOCAL, Steve Raacke, is on his way in for some serious emergency surgery right now and could use your good thoughts and well wishes.
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Raacke could use your thoughts guys.
- Thread starter HeroHog
- Start date
Being able to is the desired goal. Give him my best wishes, please.
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georg jetson
Regular Member
Thanks for letting us know. Tell him I'm I'll keep him in my prayers. I know he's not the religious type... too bad 
HeroHog
Regular Member
His dad called me this morning and told me he was supposed to go in for surgery today and will keep me posted. I will let you know more as I do. He's in a lot of pain and this is fairly serious.
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HeroHog
Regular Member
Steve is out of surgery and it went well. He is expected to recover just fine and we will know the biopsy results in a week or more (they do that just to be safe). They did have to open him up as they were unable to do what was needed arthroscopically.
Good to hear. Tell him we miss him and wish him a speedy recovery.
HeroHog
Regular Member
Just talked to Steve for a second, he sounds great and is in good spirits. It wasn't cancer so that is great news! His prognosis is good and more details to come as I find out how much he wishes to release.
georg jetson
Regular Member
Amen to that!!!
HeroHog
Regular Member
Steve is home and recovering and even posting on Facebook a little.
sraacke
Regular Member
short status update
Thanks for the prayers and well wishes. I needed them. Short rundown...
Back in October I went in for a routine colon scoping to check out what my chronic diverticulitis was doing to my gut. I was in full flare up and they found a mass forming in my sigmoid colon.
In December I had a CAT scan to check my gut again and there was the mass, not getting any smaller and plenty of damage to the gut from the diverticulitis.
In January I met with a surgeon who wanted to start cutting right away. He could get me prepped, go in with minimal cutting, take out the damaged intestine and the mass and resew everything back together. I'd miss a month of work but should have a short recovery and little complications.
Instead, I said, "Hey I'm a Vet. Let me get the VA to handle this and I can save a few bucks." So I enrolled in the VA Choice program and started jumping through their hoops and fighting the BS the VA is famous for. In the meantime my condition worsened. The mass grew, my intestine shut down and by May 9 I was vomiting, my intestine was threatening to burst and I checked into the ER where they determined that I needed emergency surgery.
So instead of a simple gut surgery and quick recovery, I was split open like the shark on the dock in the movie Jaws. They didn't pull an old Louisiana license plate out of me but got the mass and a 7 inch section of my sigmoid intestine out. Instead of a simple reconnection of my intestine if I had done it in January, I have a colon ostomy bag to wear now. They stapled me up with a couple dozen staples and various tubes in holes which had already existed and new holes they created. I spent a week in the hospital then was sent home. Thursday I saw the surgeon to have my staples removed.
I have a follow up appointment in mid June. I'll find out then when I go back to work.
I'm still not able to move around or walk very far without pain and getting out of breath. Basically I get exhausted just going to the bathroom or kitchen. I have a long recovery ahead but should be fine in a few weeks.
That's my medical emergency story.
Thanks for the prayers and well wishes. I needed them. Short rundown...
Back in October I went in for a routine colon scoping to check out what my chronic diverticulitis was doing to my gut. I was in full flare up and they found a mass forming in my sigmoid colon.
In December I had a CAT scan to check my gut again and there was the mass, not getting any smaller and plenty of damage to the gut from the diverticulitis.
In January I met with a surgeon who wanted to start cutting right away. He could get me prepped, go in with minimal cutting, take out the damaged intestine and the mass and resew everything back together. I'd miss a month of work but should have a short recovery and little complications.
Instead, I said, "Hey I'm a Vet. Let me get the VA to handle this and I can save a few bucks." So I enrolled in the VA Choice program and started jumping through their hoops and fighting the BS the VA is famous for. In the meantime my condition worsened. The mass grew, my intestine shut down and by May 9 I was vomiting, my intestine was threatening to burst and I checked into the ER where they determined that I needed emergency surgery.
So instead of a simple gut surgery and quick recovery, I was split open like the shark on the dock in the movie Jaws. They didn't pull an old Louisiana license plate out of me but got the mass and a 7 inch section of my sigmoid intestine out. Instead of a simple reconnection of my intestine if I had done it in January, I have a colon ostomy bag to wear now. They stapled me up with a couple dozen staples and various tubes in holes which had already existed and new holes they created. I spent a week in the hospital then was sent home. Thursday I saw the surgeon to have my staples removed.
I have a follow up appointment in mid June. I'll find out then when I go back to work.
I'm still not able to move around or walk very far without pain and getting out of breath. Basically I get exhausted just going to the bathroom or kitchen. I have a long recovery ahead but should be fine in a few weeks.
That's my medical emergency story.
Last edited by a moderator:
davidmcbeth
Banned
So, how much $$$ did you save?
sidestreet
Regular Member
Yes, this...,
all in accordance with God's will, + 7 X 70.
sidestreet
Jeremiah 29:11-13
we are not equal, we will never be equal, but we must be relentless.
all in accordance with God's will, + 7 X 70.
sidestreet
Jeremiah 29:11-13
we are not equal, we will never be equal, but we must be relentless.