Apologies that I missed my monthly post for Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day, although only by about twenty-four hours. I even have a valid excuse and a doctor’s note – well pages of notes and homework.
Wind back to Monday – basically, I had woken early Monday morning with terrible MS spasms throughout my body. They were so bad that my wife Juanita thought she was losing me, but she helped me through the nightmare. Then throughout the day, there was a growing stream of MS symptoms starting with an inability to type coherently. That was very clear in my final post on Facebook:
“After a terrible night when Juanita Clarke was luckily tere for me, psting is very hard as mystyping everything. So apologies for siaslence.”
From then on, my wife had to keep everyone on Facebook informed of what happened. The shaking became uncontrollable and I slid out of my wheelchair at which point, Juanita rang her granddaughter Jessica, who dashed around to help. Her middle son Jason also arrived. I then vomited up my supper all over the office carpet. Jason phoned 911 and the paramedics arrived in a fire truck and an ambulance.
I was taken to the ER at St Luke’s Hospital, Meridian where they diagnosed pneumonia which had triggered those MS symptoms. In short, I ended up spending three nights in hospital being pumped with drugs and fluids, sucked of blood, and cared for by a great team at St Luke’s – too many to mention by name but you know who you are, especially if I grilled you about your ancestry or talked incessantly about my writing.
Throughout this all I missed my wife, Juanita, although she did visit me – at the hospital where she spent two night after her heart attack in late December. Our dogs were always on my thoughts as they couldn’t visit, but I had to confront everything I would lose if I gave up. So now I am back home and posting this explanation for my tardiness and failure to post yesterday.
Yes, I know I posted ‘D is for Donibane’ but some of my A to Z Challenge posts were written and scheduled in advance. However, the last one written and scheduled is ‘I is for Ice’. Hopefully, I can stay ahead, but I won’t be taking Sundays off unless the doctor orders me to rest…. which she has.
Writing Wings 
Roland! Thank God you’re better and back home. I think that was an above and beyond reason for missing it. Just let your body heal.
Learn anything interesting while grilling the nurses?
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Glad to be home. Hopefully, I won’t be penalised by IWSG and have my name demoted or struck off the list 😉 Used my role as a writer to mainly grill them about their ancestry – discovered that most of us are fascinating mixes and very few Americans have any Native American blood. Lots of Europeans, some more recent than others, but no Vikings. I did get to have a fascinating and long chat with one guy about my what if scenario, and he had some fascinating observations. And I never realised that Christianity in the US was more complicated than in the UK. (Well, you asked.)
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Roland, thank you for posting and persevering. We need every voice heard! As just ordinary people working on our writing, we sometimes forget the monumental challenges we all can (and likely will) face. May the rest of this A-Z month be less tumultuous for you and all your loved ones — Your post made me very grateful for my health and the peacefulness of each day.
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Thanks and blessings for your continued health and peacefulness. I feel that there is a danger that we all too easily take too much, including good health, for granted. I try to approach each day as special – even if my MS tries to mess it up.
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Goodness, Roland, you scared me.
I’m so happy you’re home and I really really hope you’ll be fine soon.
I can’t even think about this. You wife must have gone out of her mind with fear. I know I’d have.
Keep us posted, Roland.
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I scared myself and my wife was extremely worried, especially when my whole body was shaking, The recovery will be slow, but I have great support. Thanks for your kind thoughts.
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I’m so happy to see your replies, Roland. Be well soon 🙂
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