*Ricks History*

I remember times as a child experiencing fevers, having my knees and back hurt, etc. The doctors would call it the flu. During my adolescence, the wise and wonderful doctors said I was having growing pains. Maybe they were correct????

During the last 20 years, my wife, "Lynn" has said I would run night fevers and sweats off and on. I would have days when the old bones would hurt. Usually this would last 1-4 days with night fevers. When I went to see the doctors about it, they said it was flu or pneumonia with fever. The pills wouldn't do anything, so it was viral. About 15 years ago, I tried another doctor. At first, he said it was the flu and later he said stiff joints. I didn't see him again!!!!

There were times when I felt rotten for a month or more and aspirin or non-aspirin didn't do anything to make me feel better. But, I took them as soon as I got up anyway. I tried going to a chiropractor and he said my lower back was like I was in my mid-70's. My spine was out of alignment and I was wearing out my shoulder joints. He told me to get a different job. I went to him two or three times a week. Finally, I said to hell with it.

June 1995..... I was still having 1-4 days usually 3 or 4 times a month when I didn't do so good. I was out night-fishing the two days previously and felt lousy. My left shoulder blade started hurting real good, not at all what it usually did. I was guessing that somehow I had pulled a muscle or something. In the morning, my neck, back and both shoulders hurt. I was taking shallow breaths because "Old Mr. Bonecrusher" was going to town! That was a Saturday morning and he was still thumping me good on Monday. I was taking Doans back pills, aspirin, and non-aspirin. Not that they seemed to help any. This went on for over a month. It spread over my joints in my hands and feet. Finally, it faded away to normal. There was pain in my hands, back and knees and better than normal pain in my left shoulder. I was back to the usual 3 or 4 times a month when I felt rotten 1-4 days with night fevers and rashes on my stomach and chest (which I thought was from chemicals. I work in a plating shop.

For several years, I had also been growing knots of bone on the backs of my hands near the wrist. My feet started hurting more than normal. I noticed they were doing the same thing as my hands. I tried different types of shoes to see if it would help (NOPE).

October 1996.....Went to Primary Care Physician. I had a sore throat, cough, fatigue and dizziness. The doc said it was Bronchitis and gave me Keflex which did nothing. He then sent me to an ENT because I had a fever and cough. Although the x-ray showed my lungs were clear, my voice was getting deeper. When I went to the ENT, he just looked at my throat and said "infected larynx".

November 4.....It was playing "Mr. Bonecrusher" again, plus headache, dizziness and a wonderful stabbing pain from the center of my chest into my left shoulder. I stayed at work (I work nights) but the next day I went to see the Primary Care Doctor, but he was out of town. I didn't go back to work and when my wife got home from work, she wanted me to go the a doctor. She hauled me to a clinic about 7 p.m. I saw the doc, got an EKG and he called an ambulance without my permission. It showed up and off to the hospital I went. In stead of a cash test dummy, I was their brand new multi-test dummy. The heart doctor said it was Pericarditis and a leaking valve. He thought bacteria was eating up the Aortic Valve. So, then he called in an infectious disease specialist for more tests. One for every cootie known to man. They found a tumor about the size of an apple between my heart and sternum. I was given an antibiotic and went home for a couple of days. I went back in for a biopsy on the tumor. It wasn't the bad kind and they would cut it out when the did the valve job...."Old Bonecrusher" was playing his games at the time. Still no bacteria found but all the cultures weren't back yet. Had to play test dummy for a couple of more days again. I got my first dose of Percodan, Demerol and Morphine. This trip, got to go home. Fever Etiology unknown they didn't know what was going on and I wanted out of there.

November 20.....The infectious disease doc saw me and said Bronchitis and gave me another antibiotic. Still fever entiology unknown. More tests. November 22,...Arthritis. My C reactive protein was 180. He said he had never seen one that high. Normal is .8. They also ran rhem factor, sed rate and whole body bone scan. And other tests. I had a rash on my chest and stomach at the time. He said it was from the antibiotic. He gave me Salsalate for feversNovember 25.....Blood cultures CRP and sed rate, still FUO.12-15 bone marrow and biopsy.

December 11....Still FUO more blood cultures. Who knows why lymes serology CRP plus??? I had 8 days of fevers and "Mr. Bonecrusher's" good times. They gave me Darvocet. I was getting rather annoyed with being a guinea pig for nothing and I asked the doctor if he thought I was a Hypochondriac or crazy. He said "no".

December 18....Echo heart function at 40% plus valve was leaking worse. Infectious disease doc gave up. Didn't know what I had.

December 27....In hospital for unnecessary heart cath, vein and artery blood work. Also x-rays and Echo. Doctor told my wife before heart cath, that he couldn't do valve job because of mycardal disfunction and FUO. He didn't know what was tearing up my heart. Heart function now at 25% and valve leaking worse. Cardiologist had a Neurologist and Rheumatologist see me. Said we couldn't play games anymore.

ADULT ONSET STILLS is what they decided I had, for which I was given Prednisone 40 mg. and Lanoxin and Vasotec for my heart. Meclizine for dizziness. The cardiologist said he hoped the pills worked because he couldn't do anything for my heart. The doctors told me to go home and sign up for social security disability because I wasn't going back to work. You don't get any money for 6 months!

January 2 and January 8.....Heart function now 30% and valve function worse.

January 13....Rheumy blood liver and urine tests. Said it was good. I denied anything was wrong with me.

January 14....Happy Birthday to me (41st). Cardiologist wanted me to lay around and watch TV and read. No driving, etc....I have another 40 or so years left in me and there's a lot I'm going to do.

I haven't been to work since November 4th. Cash flow is the only part of this game that gets me down. In July, I got a place on the lake and in September, a mobile home and a new 4x4 Dodge. I had the pick-up on credit plus another loan and I jacked up the credit cards for the little extras you think you need. I picked up more debts in 3 months than I had in the previous 20 years. Then, the walls came tumbling down. I thought it was time to grab some of the goodies. Kids were grown and on their own. My wife and I had decent jobs.

Talk about some good timing!!!! If they all go down the toilet, so be it. Because in the rollercoaster trip through life, we're going to have our ups and downs. It's all part of the ride.

P.S. Been on the Prednosone for two weeks. Seems to be working. I'll feel Ol' Mr.B. start to kick in and then he backs off.