[meteorite-list] I"m Back! (not fully though)

From: Steve Schoner <steve_schoner_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:10:09 2004
Message-ID: <20030417042850.81465.qmail_at_web12702.mail.yahoo.com>

Hello everyone.

I want to thank all of those that sent me very kind
regards while I was in the hospital, I received almost
100 and attempted to e-mail everyone. Some came back
and if you did not receive a reply, I would like to
thank you here and now.

I have kept all of those e-mails, and I cannot express
how much they meant to me, they literaly brought tears
to my eyes. At the time, I could not read them, as I
could not read at all. So my wife read them to me,
and she was in tears as well.

Thank you everyone.

Well, I am back here at the meteorite list. Not sure
exactly where my brain is at as I am still in
recovery.

My writing is ok, and my immedaite reasoning is fine,
but problem solving--- oh boy-- not so good.

Looking forward to embarking on meteorite hunts,
though my body needs some work. Being in the hospital
for over a month was very hard on me.

For those of you who might be wondering what happened.

Simply--I contracted a case of ADEM, (Acute
Disseminating Encephalo-mylitus) or something like it.
 The neurosurgeons are not certain what it was that
got me, but it was very bad.

I felt it coming on after working hard on a house that
I had moved onto my property. I had spent 2 solid
months working on the foundation pilliars putting in
shims.

The house in question is very historic, the home of
Clyde Tombaugh the discoverer of Pluto. The interior
is in virtually original condition as it was when he
lived in it, and it has trememdous solid hard oak
floors, and beautiful, 1900's chandaliers

But the job is hard and I was at it hard. The doctors
think that I contracted this bizzare form of
encephalitis from a spider bite or mold. But they are
not sure.

What did happen was in the beginning of Jan, I was not
feeling well. I thought that I was suffering a very
bad case of fatigue. I was losing my abiliy to focus
and especially solve problems.

Then on Jan 5th, I thought to lay down on the couch
for a much needed nap. I found that I "passed out"
and awoke the next morning, Monday, Jan 6th. My wife
had left me there rather than disturb me, and she went
off to work, not returning until about 12.

By then I was in serious trouble, and I had no idea
what was wrong. A plant light came on and I found it
very annoying. I got up and staggered over to where
it was, and then to my amazement-- I could not figure
how to turn it off!

It simply did not occur to me that all I had to do was
pull the plug, unscrew the bulb or even hit the off
switch.

I stood there completely perplexed--- and it was then
that I knew that something was very wrong with my
head.

I had no emotions either, and my thougts were quite
blank at the time.

I staggered back toward the couch, leaving the light
behind me on, as I could not figure how to turn it
off, but on the way heaves overtook me. I began to
retch and fell to the floor. And then I could not get
up to crawl onto the couch. I spent quite a bit of
time on the floor, in and out of consciousness before
I finally got the strength to crawl back on to the
couch.

Soon after, my wife came home, and when she saw my
condition, she immediately decided to take me to the
hospital. By this time, I could not dispute her, as I
could not talk. She somehow got me out to the car,
and I remember staggering outside with snow falling.
I have no idea how she did it, and as soon as she got
me into the seat she took me to the hospital, and I
was heaving all the way.

It was awful.

Then sometime after I got there, the doctors decided
that I was perhaps having a stroke and sent me out for
an MRI.

I went through two and in the second session I became
unconscious, and vagely remember being "awakenend" as
the doctors then put in a breathing tube and other
tubes in my person.

Sortly after that I lapsed into a coma, where I was
for 5 days.

And it did not look good. The doctors were certain
that I was not going to make it, and I had some very
strange experiences in the coma. I saw my father,
brother, wife daughter, and the nurologist clearly,
and I wear thick glasses. But I was not wearing such
at the time. It was like I was floating over my bed,
seeing and hearing everything very clearly.

And I remember the nurologist saying to my folks,
"Look, I don't what to get your hopes up too high, but
everyone that I have seen in Steve's condition does
not come back... and if they do they are very
disabled."

I could not understand it, as I felt ok. I had no
pain, none at all. But I was perplexed that I could
see so well, being that I had left my glasses at home.

And then I saw some very, very strange things. I saw
my brain in cross section being worked on by someone.
I could hear the instruments, and hear the steps of
the "person" working on me. I heard this throughout
the entire five days, and for about 20 days later,
after I had come out of the coma.

(I did however, have a very nasty surgical proceedure
on my forehead that has left a very bad 5.5 inch scar.
 This was done to get a sample of my brain for
analysis, which was done at Vanderbuilt Medical
Center, KY. THe results turned out as negative with
no virus. But the sounds I heard, and the vision of
the cross section of my brain were not related to
this. I firmly believe that there was something else
going on there-- Spiritual?)

And I also had a very profound Near Death Experience,
but I won't get into that here.

What did I have?

The doctors, and there were at least 5 working on me
don't know. Encephalitis is the consensus, and more
specifically a rare form of "brainstem encepalitis"

My left brain had swollen to such an extent that I
could not use, move or otherwise do anything with my
right side. And I could not speak, or even recognize
words, or objects.

Coming out of it was very strange. It was like a
"rebirth."

It was very strange, nothing looked familiar to me.
And with rehabilitation, I am recovering.

But slowly, I am coming back.

Not sure what, or how I will do with many things that
currently face me.

But at least I am back.

Regards,
Steve Schoner
http://www.geocities.com/american_meteorite_survey
http://www.geocities.com/meteorite_identification

P.S. It has taken me more than an hour to type this
out, and I am weary.





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Received on Thu 17 Apr 2003 12:28:50 AM PDT