ABOUT THIS BLOG:

ABOUT THIS BLOG: Much like myself, this site has worn down with many of its features no longer functioning. If you have questions (or answers), feel free to contact me: @WillTinkhamfictionist (Facebook) or @willtink (Twitter). Thanks!

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From Minnesota's Iron Range to Hollywood's Golden Age, Ike Savich discovers America—one Packard at a time. THE PACKARD SALESMAN

About Me

Will Tinkham has published eleven novels. THE PACKARD SALESMAN follows THE TEDDY & BARA SHOW, IF I LIE IN A COMBAT ZONE, FALLING DOWN UMBRELLA MAN, THE MIRACLES, THE CARY GRANT SANATORIUM AND PLAYHOUSE, THE GREAT AMERICAN SCRAPBOOK, THE ADVENTURES OF HANK FENN, BONUS MAN, NO HAPPIER STATE, and ALICE AND HER GRAND BELL. He lives and writes in Minneapolis, MN. His short fiction has been published on three continents and he long ago attended Bread Loaf on a scholarship. An actor of little renown, his credits do include the Guthrie Theater and Theatre in the Round. @WillTinkhamfictionist on Facebook, @willtink on Twitter, instagram.com/willtink

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

On Back Surgery, C. Diff and Other Holiday Complications

I know this is a lame excuse for not posting here in nearly three months, but: Just before Thanksgiving I developed back pains which sent me to the ER, an MRI, then hasty back surgery. That would prove to be the least of my problems. During surgery I contracted the C. Diff virus. Google it... I found an article that said that, in 2010, 9% of the reported cases ended in death. The article was about what little had been done over the years to stop the virus. In my case it hit my heart, my lungs and my plumbing. In the twelve days following the surgery I gained 41 pounds—without eating. In the next three weeks I lost 59 pounds.
Days before Christmas I was sent to a rehab facility to regain my strength and receive IV antibiotics. One week into my stay there and the insurance company said I had used up all the physical therapy they were going to pay for—that I was too healthy for anymore rehab. A week later—after being cleared to go home and administer my own IV meds by my infectious disease doctor—the same insurance people claimed if I was sick enough to need the drugs then I was too sick to go home.
After a month not rehabbing in the rehab facility, I returned to work last week. I bus to work and cab home as I'm still regaining my stamina. Monday's cab was running a little late so I poked my head out the door and heard voices. I stepped outside to find three guys getting into my cab out on the street. I headed down the driveway screaming that it was my cab, stepped into some freezing rain and went airborne—eventually landing smack on that surgically repaired back I spoke of earlier. Remarkably, I survived the fall with no further injury and, even more remarkably, the would-be cab thieves paid for my fare home.
Hope your holidays went well...