X-Message-Number: 17810 Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 23:53:09 -0400 From: James Swayze <> Subject: I'm home from surgery [OT] References: <> Friends, I'm home and healing. I ended up staying longer in the hospital than I thought I would need to. My acute reaction to pain where my nerves do not enervate with the brain and thereby do not receive the benefit of regulation or endorphin production was so great a day after when the spinal block and other anesthesia finally completely wore off that it landed me in the cardiac ICU! There I was given a group of pain drugs applied to try to dampen my autonomic dysreflexia (my way to experience pain through increased spasticity and elevated blood pressure due to out of control flight or fight syndrome hormone flooding). Normally with AD one's blood pressure increases dangerously high and mostly in the brain while the heart rate slows. My blood pressure of 275/135 and a few more within minutes nearly as high prompted their moving me to the cardiac ICU. However, there they were puzzled because I was at times slow pulsed and other times my pulse was racing out of control. While they scratched their heads I asked, "Well I've been running in place (all my muscles had been convulsing nonstop for 9 hours) for hours now, wouldn't you expect my pulse to quicken?". That was not well received. All the pain meds, percocette and oxycontin and ibuprofen, and the anti spasmodic drugs, Baclofen drip pump implanted in my abdomen, Baclofen (oral form) and vallium, all together depressed my already diminished lung use--so wouldn't you know it, I developed pneumonia... still fighting that off here at home. The pain abated enough to go home but it's as if I never had my baclofen pump and the progression of spasticity increases that prompted acquiring it at the time are now plaguing me. Geez, all this just to fix my plumbing. I hope my body gets accustomed soon to the new piece of hardware in my urethra. On a lighter side I talked up cryonics and immortalism every chance I got and I do believe I made 3 converts or at least they agreed taking a chance on it would be preferable to not existing and they took down info on how to get involved. I also met a lovely respiratory therapist that was simply enamored with me and we are emailing now. I met an older than I business woman on my train ride home who owns a dry dock in Alaska and is intensely interested in cryonics and I have her address. My night nurse in the ICU had access to a university pc right there in my room so we went online and viewed my website and printed out my artwork although in black and white for printer inadequacies. These got passed around and everyone loved them and wanted to know more about me and what I was into and got info from me on how to visit the site where they will get exposed to cryonics and immortalism and I told them ahead of time that they would. I would say 70% of whoever I talked with about cryonics and immortalism was favorable to it and 30% intensely so. Of course many were young and it is an educational medical facility so attitudes are bound to be less entrenched. Glad to be back and breathing... even if bit shakily. James -- My website: http://www.davidpascal.com/swayze A collection of photos of me and some of my artwork: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4292752723&code=2039335&mode=invite A favorite quote: You can choose a ready guide In some celestial voice If you choose not to decide You still have made a choice You can choose from phantom fears And kindness that can kill I will choose a path that's clear I will choose Free Will --Freewill by RUSH from Permanent Waves available here: http://cdnow.com/switch/from=sr-734897/target=buyweb_purchase/ddcn=SD-4228+534630+2 Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=17810