January 1998
Paul Johnson paj@COFFEY.COM
Born 31 Oct. 1960 in Rockford, Illinois, USA. Father was 1st generation American with his mother from Stockholm and father from north of Oslo. Mothers family in USA since 1640.
Uneventful childhood until July 1975, between 9th & 10th grade, when I slipped and put my left foot into a 12" grain auger - like a giant drill bit. That left me with a fused ankle and chronic osteomyelitis and pain. Graduated with my high school class in spite of missing most of my sophomore year. Participated in Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Drill Teams and Honor Guard. In my senior year, I was the commander of our "B" team and a member of the "A" team.
Started at the University of Wyoming at 17, in Nursing. Commissioned in US Army Reserve and married May 1981. In 1982 my wife said that either I left nursing or she would leave me, so I entered a Computer Science curriculum. Went to a military school for Personnel Management during the summer of 1984, and my wife left me in September. She divorced me the day before Valentines day 1985.
Well, I finished my degree, BS in Management Information Services, Computer Science emphasis December 1986. Worked as a consultant for various departments at the University and State of Wyoming, Veterans Administration until May 1988, when I started as MIS coordinator for the Wyoming State Training School, a facility for severely mentally retarded and developmentally disabled persons.
LaLani Gregory, my spouse, met me at church in October 1988, and had to ask me out. I think she also was the one who suggested getting married, but I can't remember. I have heard since that everyone who knows both of us was trying to get us together. Glenn was born 13 April 1991, and Matthew 13 June 1993. Both weighed 8#5oz.
In August 1991 I was offered the opportunity to complete my nursing degree by the training school, so jumped at it. Completed an Associates of Applied Sciences in Nursing May 1993, and received my Registered Nurse License August 1993.
Up to this time the infection had a few minor flare-ups, but only 1 hospitalization. Then in March 1995 the infection started up again. It was resistant to all the antibiotics they gave me, and eventually I was told that we could keep trying other combinations, but that it was unlikely that I would keep my leg in the end.
Well, my wife and I talked, cried, talked and cried some more, then called the surgeon. We told him that we had decided to get this over with, and I had a Left BKA on 26 May 1995. I was fitted with a temporary with a Carbon Copy II a month later. Because of the original injury, I had been getting progressively more lopsided in my gait, and ended up with a leg almost 2 inches shorter than the other. It took almost a year for me to be able to tolerate a prosty that was the correct length, without feeling like I was being pushed over to my right. I had to have a revision of the stump 3 October 1995 due to atrophy of the muscle. My right calf is about 18" around, so I had a lot of shrinkage to do.
My definitive was cast in December, but completed in January 1996. It has a FlexFoot modular III category 9, special order. I use an Iceross suspension, and have been pretty happy. My gait now is supposedly better than before the amputation.
(don't read this paragraph if other health issues upset you)
In November and December 1995, diagnoses were made of Asthma, Chronic Bronchitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, chronic migraines, stricture of the pyloric sphincter (outlet of the stomach), spasm of the duodenum (first part of the small intestine) with thickening of the duodenal walls, and malrotation of the Jejunum (another part of the small intestine, probably a birth defect). This gives me chronic diarrhea, frequent spontaneous emesis, and constant upset stomach. I finally received Social Security Disability in February 1997, after they said that everything combined did indeed make it unlikely that I could work full time.
I started Tae Kwon Do in May 1996, 1 year after the amputation. In that time I tested and received my yellow belt in June 1996, orange belt in August 1996, green belt in October 1996, and my blue belt in December 1996. I was unable to do any preparation since due to another surgery 3 days after my test.
Well, 'm back to trying everything again. I often overdo EVERYTHING (according to my wife), and end up in bed whenever I don't rest the day following class, or when I try to do anything physical, or even a half day of teaching. Makes me feal like a wimp, but I will NEVER surrender! I guess I just don't know how to pace myself or admit I'm not SUPERMAN (like TIMKICKS).
So, I am trying to computer consult again, and take CEU's to maintain my RNlicense. If I can do the computers 6 hours a week, I feel like I have accomplished something. 3 weeks ago I built a Pentium 100 from scratch, just to see if I could. That is what I have been working on since I joined the list. I am now trying to rebuild some AT's and 386's for resale, and enjoy tinkering, especially with software.
Well, you have seen the rest. I enjoy immensely trying to help other amps, and hope to get back into nursing as a patient advocate and patient education.
I like to hunt, fish, shoot, reload ammunition, tie flies, read, go to Mountain Man Rendezvous, work on computers, teach hunter safety, spend time in the mountains, photograph nature and especially animals, I am the community Santa, and still hold my commission (for now). My favorite times are when my family can be doing any of this together.
I probably forgot some of the things others are interested in, but added more than most wanted to know.
Robert Baron redbaron@nni.com
I was born in Wilkes-Barre Pa. in 1953 with a congenital defect diagnosed as Hemihypertrophy of the entire right lower extremity. This means that my bones keep going like the everyready rabbit. They grow and grow and don't know when to stop. I had several operations to stunt the growth at the growth plates above and below the knee at ages 10 and 12. These were successful and the 2" difference in leg length at birth was evened out. This went so well that I enlisted in the Navy and spent eight years there until the bones in my ankle started to grow again. The whole time from birth my right foot was severly deformed but when the bones started to grow again the ankle got to be around 14 inches in circumference and I lost all of my range of motion.
I had several more operations to remove some of the bone to regain range of motion but after four of these surgeries I was told that I shouldn't have any more because the more that they cut out of the ankle the faster it grew back and the larger the ankle got. So about five years ago I was told that amputation was the best alternative I had to releave me of this problem. For four years I wrestled with the idea of amputation but would always rationalize that I wanted to have the amputation because I hated the look of my foot and thought that it would be nice to have a normal looking foot. Subconciously I think that I was scared to death about the amputation even though every step that I took was painful.
In September of 1996 I went to see my fourth Orthpeadic Surgeon and for the fourth time I was told that amputation was my only option. I was also told that the gait imbalance was causing my knee to degenerate to the point that if I postponed the amputation much longer I would lose the knee also. This made my decision a lot easier because I was told by several doctors that a BK was infinitely preferable to an AK.
Well I had the amputation in Janurary 1997 RBK and I am now in my temporary prosthesis for three weeks and I can already do things that I couldn't do for the last ten years like take a step without pain. I have begun to swing a golf club again and I can now stand with my weight evenly distributed on both legs. Funny how I can be so happy about the little things that most people take for granted.
My attitude has changed considerably since the surgery. I now look forward to each day knowing that I will learn to do something that I haven't been able to do in a long time. One of the greatest helps in molding this new attitude has been this list. The education that I received prior to my surgery from my new friends on this list allowed me to relax and be confident that I was doing the best thing for me and that I had a place to turn for help if I stumbled (sorry first day on with my new leg)<VBG>. I use to use that line every time I tripped before amputation and this is the first time that I have been able to use it since.
I know that I have said it before but THANKS EVERYONE for being there for me. I think that we can't say these words too much to each other.
You are all a very important part of my life now because even though my family is extremely supportive in all that I do only you can really understand how I feel and the obstacles that we have to face every day of our lives.
Ralph Fowler: RFowler855@AOL.COM
I am Ralph Fowler, 43 years old
Married 23 years, with Three children, Oldest son 20, Daughter 19, youngest son 15. Two dogs, a Pomeranian and a Labrador retriever. One bird, and a fish tank full of fish that my wife won't let me fish in.
I was born naked(we have something in common) 6 June 54 , Eureka Ca, My father worked in plywood mills and mother work in dry cleaning. Grew up with a sister, and last year I finally met my half brother.
I was raised in southern Oregon, Medford, Eagle Point, White City. My father decided to revisit his youth and leased 160 acres in Oregon, and started raising beef, and dabbled with a little farming, I sure enjoyed those years. First paying job was bucking hay. Second job car hop, and the cook at the local A&W(this is getting weird Tim). Third job:Finish trim worker on construction sites.
High school sports, wrestling, cross country(didn't last long as the coach seemed to want sprinters for the track team, not long distance runners). I was a drop out anyway.
Joined the Army June 72, got my draft notice 2 weeks into basic had a good laugh and found a place to run long distance:-)). While stationed at Ft Lewis Washington met this young lady from Yakima WA, and chased her till she married me. She's still around and I have no idea why she puts up with me, but sure enjoy her company. After getting married I figured I needed a more secure vocation in the Army so re-enlisted as a Telephone Mechanic, (this kept me out of the field and married). Stationed in Frankfurt Germany(75-78)graduated high school there, Ft Sill(78-80),Hielbronn Germany(80-83), White Sands missile Range, NM (83-84).
In Sept. 1984 I took leave and went camping with my oldest son, on my new/used motorcycle, on the way back I missed a curve, and wound up straddling a tree with a broken leg. My son was OK, not a scratch thank god.
It took 5 hours to get me to the nearest treatment facility, they couldn't take care of me there, so another 5 hours for a MediVac to get me to Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso. I was in the trauma unit for about 4 days(sure seemed longer) trying to convince them I could feel my foot. I had crushed my knee and broke both bones in my lower leg crushing the main artery cutting off circulation to my lower leg. The Drs. wanted to take my leg off above the knee, because of the damage done to the tibia and they felt that I would never be able to walk with it. Well in my stubbornness I refused, and decided I would try to work with the knee. Six weeks of stretching and I finally go it to straighten out. Got almost 11 years out of that old knee, hiking, fishing, climbing ladders, etc. Hurt like hell most of most the time.
I think the hardest thing about this time was wondering about how I was going to support my wife and kids. I guess I was lucky as I got a job within 3 months of the time I was discharged from the army. We moved in with my mother for six months. I went back to school at Cameron University in Lawton OK, was studying for an EE degree, programming as a second. Five months later I got a call for a job back at White Sands Missile range as a Telecommunications Tech. so I moved back to El Paso, been here ever since. (never did finish my schooling, maybe when the kids are gone).
In Aug. 95 I was going out the back door at work and tripped on a curb cut and hyper-extended my leg. Broke my leg just above the knee. When they x-rayed it I saw where the break was and decided on the spot that that was a good place to take it off ,because the knee was starting to give me trouble, and told the emergency room Dr. at the clinic as much, he went into denial real quick and left. They took me to Beaumont Army Medical Center, where after many hours of waiting the Ortho. Dr. came up to give me the bad news. Before he could say anything I told him to relax and ask when could he take it above the knee. We got along real good after that.
Again I was worried about my job, as some jerk (manager) thought I may be accident prone and didn't want me on ladders. I told them when they changed my job description I would stay off the ladders. Still have the same old job, and love it most the time.
Hobbies: Wood working, Camping/Traveling, Fishing and Pool tournaments.
Other interests: Walking(up to 2 miles now), jet skiing on my nephews jet ski when in Dallas.
Things I would like to do: Run again, Hike again, Kayaking, Para-sail, and see Europe, Australia, Canada, and all 50 states. Got to keep this list reasonable:-)
Hiking may have to wait awhile but as far as running goes I'm determined to make 100 yards(we will see).