Not Trying to One-Up anybody

 People have told me that I'm trying to 'One-Up' them when they tell a story. Fact is, I try to relate one of my stories to let them know that I understand what they're going through, and I can sympathize with them. As with many folks, you have a TON of experiences when you reach my age. So, in a nutshell, here are some notable experiences I've had.

I've been an alcoholic twice. I am now to the point where I can have a drink or 2 and be done. And go months without thinking about it. Never had any drug habits, although I have experimented. No needles though.

I've been married twice (not related with the above factiod). First one lasted 2 years. 2nd one lasted 13 years. During the 2nd marriage, my ex managed to spend nearly half a million dollars I earned, while insisting I was a bad husband and a poor provider. I was the Maintenance Supervisor in a multi-million dollar textiles manufacturing plant. So we lived payday to payday anyway. I worked some weeks up to 100 hours. I did get an allowance of $10 a week for coffee though :) . Why did I stay? I made a vow, and I was determined to keep it. But apparently I was interfering with her boyfriend meetups and weekend ventures, so that was my cue. I left her like I found her. No job, no car, no money.

My father passed away in 1999, when my time with that company ran out.

Before the divorce I worked as Maintenance Director at a nursing home where I tore open the muscles in my stomach wall. After having an abdominal mesh implanted, I was fired for my poor attendance and work restrictions. They lost all that paperwork after they realized what they had done.

After the divorce I moved to Florida to work, and less than a year after I got there, I had a heart attack. Lost my job because I didn't return back to work the following week to work. By that time I had already suffered a dozen bouts of heat exhaustion and probably one or two heat strokes over a period of 5 years then.

During this time I also ended up getting left in the rain by two different women I was communicating with via email. One was a scam, the other was just a flake. The scam one was a huge emotional investment. I decided to trust someone, and it imploded after a year. I swore off relationships after that, and had decided I would Never do it again (whole new blog on this one). Hint, I did, and it's killing me.

I left Florida and moved to West Virginia. Shortly after I arrived, I ended up having knee surgery on both knees. The 1st operation landed me in the hospital with a Deep Vein Thrombosis (blood clot) for 2 weeks. The 2nd operation ended up getting internal infections and my entire left side from the waist down was black and swollen. My knee was the size of a football. The Dr assessed me as a pill seeker, so I didn't get anything for the pain. I didn't really sleep for a week. After months of physical therapy, I still have trouble with my right knee.

A few years later I was shopping with my Mom at Walmart. My vision stopped working, I lost awareness, and instantly blacked out. When I fell I landed on my elbow, which caused my shoulder (rotator cuff group) Humeral head to fracture in 3 places. They have no idea why my brain shut off, and were unable to completely fix my shoulder. All the medications (like 14 different meds a day) and incidents has left me with some memory problems, balance problems, and occasional involuntary muscle movements. All you can really see is a guy with a cane :)

I've dealt with Severe Chronic Clinical Depression for most of my life, and am basically a high functioning depressive. Pills didn't work, nor did some of the extreme treatments they tried.

While I was in the Navy, I was drugged at a bar in San Diego, and had all my money taken. I remember them laughing at me inside, then I remember waking up in my car the next morning with my wallet on my chest. During my time in the Navy I did get to visit Hawaii, Philippines, and Mombasa. They were going to go to Japan, but cancelled it. I was pissed :)

The one thing I didn't have throughout all these medical incidents was a companion, which I have not had since my divorce. People don't realize how quality of life can be so highly elevated if there is someone in your corner.

That's enough for one post. There's more, but you get the idea. I won't discuss the suicide scenarios. I can relate to a lot of experiences. So when I tell you a story of mine, just remember, I'm letting you know you're not alone. I'm not competing with you :)