I do not need sympathy, nor do I want any, but I feel strongly that I need to share this with you all, because it could have cost me my life if this had gone septic....
January 3rd of this year, I started having some issues regarding numbness from my lower chest down to my toes, I thought that I had pinched a nerve from squatting weight. I woke up on the 24th of Feb, and the problem got worse; almost in a matter of seconds; I could not find my legs; I just could not feel them per se. They had become completely numb. I did go to the hospital and after x rays and an MRI, they rushed me straight into surgery because they found a type of staff infection from T-1 to T-3 on my spine and a cist that put pressure against my spinal cord and the three vertebra T1- t3 had finally rotted and collapsed, according to the MRI. I had been squatting the day before, woke up the next morning with the numbness, and believe that is what collapsed the weakened and rotted part of the spine. They cut out those three vertebra, I cant remember the type of surgery (basectemy or something to that nature) and put me on six weeks of continuous IV antibiotics with an insanely uncomfortable back brace that Ive finally got used too. I've been in Rehab now for 10 days and am now walking with a cane. The docs really did not know if I would ever walk again. I was lifeless in bed two weeks ago. Ill be walking and back in the gym in two weeks. I've fought and fought with the docs relentlessly and since they put me in this brace, I've been doing dips and pushups on a walker and working my calves in bed. Lots of physical therapy and pushing beyond the therapists expectations while angered and arguing with them. I do have an F you attitude driven by fear and a vigorous and relentless will to walk normally again and to get my life back on track.
I had asked the docs how this infection came about. The docs said that this infection is common and is usually caused by intravenous drug use. " but I do not shoot drugs but have used here and there throughout my life", I told the Doc. I did tell him that I had used AAS quite a few times and he asked me if I had used the same needle over and over and not cleaned the injection site. I told him, "yes I have", and In my line of work I've been stuck by nails and Yucca plants as well as cactus etc. I've had many infections throughout the years, but how I got this bacteria into my veins? I do believe not that I injected a pathogen into my body and into the bloodstream, they found residual staff flowing through my heart and believed that it originated in my heart...it nearly crippled me for life".
My only objective of sharing this with you all..... this is extremely personal and humiliating. I did not always follow this extremely important rule; I rarely sterilized the pinning site and had run out of pins at times, therefore, I've used the same pin over and over and over. This was the stupidest thing that I have ever done in my life, and I am NOT asking for sympathy, but just asking you all to be very clean, sterile and safe when your pinning days come.
see you all in a few months!
