My Present Condition
As of June 2010 I have endured 23 operations. Most of these were to remove dead pancreatic tissue. For approximately 18 months I had regular physiotherapy to try and restore movement to my frozen shoulders which occured because of my 42 days in intensive care. I still have very limited movement in my shoulders and endure pain when raising my arms for more than a minute. I can lift my arms a maximum of 90 degrees.
For 6 years after my illness I had just the tail of my pancreas left but this has now disintegrated and I now function with no pancreas. I have constant insulin injections and tablets to maintain my blood sugar levels. I am also on anti depressant, blood pressure & cholesterol tablets. I do realise that at 53 years old some medical problems are to be expected, so I'm not trying to blame everything on my past illness. I do feel however that my diabieties is definitley related to what happened to me. I was checked for diabietes 3 months prior to becoming ill and there was no sign of it. My mother (who is 73) has developed age onset diabietes but both my father (80) and my brother (51) do not have it. Prior to becoming ill I was healthy - a non - smoker (never smoked) and a non - drinker, I ate healthy and did regular exercise.
I have four children and in 2000 they were 14, 12, 10 & 8. They went through a terrible time being told that I had only a 1% chance of survival. My wife also suffered greatly and I think this contributed to our marriage breakdown after 24 years together. I was very depressed & moody and must have been difficult to live with. Due to my condition I was unable to do things with my children that I would have liked to such as teaching them how to fix their cars & doing things like roller skating, go-karting, skiing or going to the beach.
I have an ugly distended abdomen which I am very self conscious about. I find it hard for clothes to fit properly. Trousers have to be either large enough to go over my distended abdomen (which makes me look 9 months pregnant) or I get them to fit my waste which means the crouch is down by my knees! Shirts have to be worn outside my trousers otherwise I look ridicolous! I find it very difficult to bend down or walk fast. I have constant pains in my stomach and shoulders and find it difficult to get comfortable when sitting down. I have to continually move around. My stomach becomes very bloated sometimes and I have to take laxatives to relieve the discomfort. When walking I feel very unsteady on my feet and sometimes my legs give way and I nearly fall over - this has only happened since becoming ill. I have mentioned this to numerous doctors but no one can tell me what it is. On occasions I wake up choking with a lump in my throat that restricts my ability to breath. I have to sit upright for at least a half an hour until it settles down. I have consulted my GP who has put me on somac tablets to aid in reducing gastric reflux but I still have the attacks. It is quite worrying when I wake up suddenly and cannot take a breath! I sweat constantly, even in the winter months, and find it hard to breathe especially during the summer months. My GP diagnosed asthma and gave me an inhaler which does help with my breathing but the constant sweating still continues. I do excercise regularly as I have always loved walking. MY GP tells me that I am fighting a losing battle with my weight as insulin makes you gain weight and I am on large doses to try and maintain my blood sugar levels.
Update January 2023
I will be 66 years old in June of this year and am still going strong.
I have been on pancreatic enzymes for the past three years and this has helped with my digestion. I excercise daily and ride my bike regularly. I'm still a bit overweight but am working on it!
My business is going well and has diversified into building websites, mobile apps and promotional videos. You can visit my webiste here
As of January 2023 I have eight grandchildren. I'm currently single and live in an over 50's lifestyle resort in Logan Village Queensland.
I have started my musical career again performing as a both a soloist and as a duo.
I may not have received any compensation for what happened to me but I'm still here and enjoying life!
EFFECTS/LOSSES
1) After my illness I was unable to run my company (Sachet Cooking Systems) which I ran from home. I had developed a "cook in the bag" meal which I was selling to camping stores. The business was in it's early stages of growth but had huge potential with interests in Asia. Enquiries came from China whilst I was in hospital and my wife had to inform them that the business had closed. My wife also ran a family daycare from home but had to give this up to look after me.
2) I had been a musician/entertainer since I was 16 years old. I entertained at various venues in NSW & interstate as well as overseas and on cruise ships. I was a professionally trained vocalist (tenor). One week prior to becoming ill I had just booked an entire year's worth of entertainment at a local restaurant! After my illness I can no longer sing or play the guitar & piano at a professional level. I lack the dexterity in my hands which is required to play the guitar & piano and do balloon modelling. I did have quite a bit of occupational therapy and this did improve my initial condition. I think my singing voice was effected either by being ventilated for such a long period or by having the tracheostomy. Since 1991 I had also been a childrens entertainer performing as a clown at various venues around Brisbane & The Gold Coast as well as overseas on cruise ships including "The Fairstar", "The Achille Lauro" and "Leisure World". I also performed at "Sails in the Desert" at Ayres Rock and in Papua New Guinea. I occasionally used my stage name "Terry Mitchell".
Entertainment References
3) I am unable to do any physical work, stand on my feet for long periods, run or do any work that involves lifting my shoulders. I cannot swim, ride a bike, play sports or go camping or do outdoor activities. Even putting on my shoes is a major task. Sexual relations with my partner is also a problem.
4) I was off work for 3 years and had to do additional study to enable me to get back into the workforce as I was unable physically to do my usual job. My doctor wanted me to go on a disability payment but I knew that would kill me. Studying and then working took my mind off my illness. I suppose if I had gone on disability and pretended that I was unable to work or study for the past 10 years it would have looked much better for me when determining a financial settlement. It says a lot for doing the right thing and being honest!
5) I had to borrow money of my relatives to enable me to pay my mortgage, bills & the childen's school fees.
