Tag Archives: Health

Goodbye 2019. You really sucked! Welcome 2020!

Actually 2019 started very promising(ly?). We found a new home in Osterburg (Sachsen-Anhalt/Germany), we could afford a nice flat, we had everything we needed. Vil’s Job was a total success, he liked his team, he fulfilled or exceeded all needed KPIs. He won pixes and was awarded several times for exceptional customer and colleague feedback.

Everything went very well until June 2019, when Vil got really, really sick.

tl;dr

One day Vil woke up, felt quite sick and that was the start of a very long hospital journey.

He is used to regular nausea and pain in the morning and most of the time he can fix himself with some Primperan, MCP or something else, but that day was different.

He went to his GP to get a second opinion, some medication and a sick cert. The GP draw some blood, gave him a shot of MCP and a Domperion drip added with a nice selection of painkillers.

“I will call you when I got the results. After the infusion is finished you go home and try to get some rest.” the doctor said.

It’s tea time.

Half an hour later after the infusion was finished Vil went home and drank some chamomile tea. “It’s tea my time, again”, he said. The MCP started to kick in and nausea slowly faded away slowly. The pain is not completely gone, but he could stand it without more painkillers.

Results are back – Infection and inflammation.

Two hours later the GP called. “The results are back and you need to go to the hospital straight away and no time to be wasted. I already arranged a pickup ambulance for you. Pack a few things and be ready to be picked up.” So he was sent to Seehausen to fight the actual emergency situation.

The first diagnose was “possibly pancreatic cancer”, but luckily for him, after a biopsy, it was confirmed it wasn’t. “Just” a chronic inflammation of the pancreas garnished with plenty of stones, but not the “rolling ones”.

A five to six-hour lasting Whipple-Procedure needed to be performed in a specialised hospital in Berlin. They rewired his internals, removed the gall bladder a part of the pancreas. A planned three-day stay in the ICU extended more than a two-weeks with all imaginable ups and downs.

Later, after being released from ICU, he needed to go to a rehab facility to learn what and how to eat because everything inside him was completely modified. Another four weeks. ….

Here is the complete story with all the gruesome insides.

The Aftermath

After he was back on track and ready to return to his job Vil’s contract was not extended despite the promise of his manager that everything is ok, because “management considered the risk to employ him permanently too high, despite his excellent KPIs.”

Well, workwise back to square one. Searching for a job.

Alive and broke.

2019 really sucked, it was a real rollercoaster and currently, we might lose our flat and all our belongings because we have no money to pay the rent or any other bills. Why this?, you might ask. Well, Vil was not working long enough in Germany to be entitled to any welfare, so he needs to prove his employment in Amsterdam, but this is another country and paperwork is slow and bureaucratic.  Mow we need to wait for or PD-U1 form to arrive and until then we are very tight on the money. Ok, when the PD-U1 will arrive we will get a very nice payment and everything will be fine again, but until then we need to survive with no money and most likely with no flat.

Well,…

All this sounds pretty depressing, but we are still in a good mood, because “Vil fucking cheated death!”. YES. he is alive and well and that is everything that counts!

How to be a top performer and still get fired!

#WayFair #GotFired

“Yes, you are a top performer.
Yes, you’ve got awarded in November for being a sales superstar.
Yes, you’ve got awarded for outstanding customer feedback.
Yes, you’ve got awarded for always helping your team and colleagues.
Yes, you are a valued member of the team.
Yes, there is no doubt you can do the job.
Yes, your KPIs are looking great.

Yes, we are still looking for new employees.

But, NO, we won’t extend your contract, because are too sick. You say, that you are better now, but….. we’ve got our procedures.”

Yes, I WAS very sick. Life-threatening sick and I needed to go to the hospital, had a major surgical procedure. They removed a part of my pancreas, the bile and spleen and then I needed to stay within the ICU for weeks. Now everything is better and I am back on track for a good recovery.

Six weeks ago you offered me to come back, but at that time my recovery was still ongoing. Now I am ready to go, but I can’t because you reconsidered. Finally, the “risk” of employing me is too high for the management.

Seriously?

Let me ask you: Where is the “We are a family”, “We care about each other”, “Work-life balance”…..? All fake news?

Disappointed, but: “Hey, I cheated death!”

Have a nice day!

Well, well, well…

The good news. The”re-wiring” worked. My digestive system seems to completely start up and slowly I can eat a little. Unfortunately, there is still the “occasional” nausea, but it gets better.

I lost plenty of weight and I was never a big guy, more tall and skinny and now I am a walking skeleton.

I was not aware of how much time I need to recover. I would say half of the journey is over. “Bergfest”  another four weeks minimum and then it’s back to work. I am looking forward to being back because I like the work and my team is amazing. We know our stuff, we are German, we are efficient, and we are highly decorated. GO German Virtual!

Anyhow, next week Tuesday the Rehabilitation starts. Three weeks minimum. They will need a bit more time because they need to install and adjust an insulin pump and that takes time. I slowly transform into a cyborg. First the sensor and now a pump. Enough questions for the check-in.

A friend of mine stays in my flat because he found a job nearby. So, that’s taken care of.

So, let’s see what happens next.

The recovery process

It’s good to be home, but it’s not easy. I am exhausted, every task lasts longer and I am already happy when I am able to walk Indy to the second bench.

I never imagined that it will be so hard to arrange life, doing the dishes or just get some bread.

Except for one or two walks with Indy, I am not able to do anything and I sleep all day.

There’s no pain anymore just the usual nausea. It’s not easy to eat while you are nauseous, but I found a little variety of foods I can stand. Canned fruits, flakes, soup, some vegetables. Bread is ok, some fresh cheese, light pate, but everything fat requires a pill. Tea is ok, but very little coffee and no carbonated drinks.

Back Home!

Now I am back at home and wait for the rehabilitation treatment will start. I need to learn what I can eat, try to gain weight and an insulin pump needs to be adjusted to me. All these needs its time and I need to be patient.

Feeling better.

The loo works and I am able to eat again. Now it’s time to start the main recovery process.

Status Quo.

I feel a little bit better. The scar is massive. 21 clamps already removed and the scar is long. Around 35 centimetres. Well healed, but they destroyed my Sixpack. 🙂

[UPDATE] – Rehabilitation Centre Moelln

I need to attend a rehabilitation program. There I learned what and how to eat and how to gain weight without hurting myself. Three weeks of lessons, extra care, presentations, and additionally a mixture of swimming pool, massage, gymnastics or yoga, good food.

Bye, bye Berlin! Thank you!

I finished my stay in Berlin, back home for two weeks and prepare for the rehabilitation centre.

Sugar-Coster

Now, I need to tackle my blood sugar levels. As my digestive system slowly restarts and I need to learn how to adjust my diet to the new situation.

It’s a try and error operation. I do have a little guidance, but now I need to combine a diabetes diet with a low ballast one. Somehow counterproductive.

I am a cyborg!

I carry a new and fancy RFC Blood Sugar Sensor. No more blood needed to measure my actual status. Now I am directly connected to my smartphone and with a push of a button, I am up to date.

Now an app monitors my sugar level in real-time and warns me if my levels get critical.