Hi Everyone!

It's been a long time since I posted anything on my recovery process and life in general.  In fact over three months.  A lot has occurred in that time and at the same time a lot hasn't changed.  Oh where to start?

March and April really are just a blur to me.  During those months I was dealing with a sense of aimlessness in purpose. I know I've mentioned this before, but my whole life I've been in a position to help others and that was my sense of purpose in life and it was very rewarding.  Being retired and having to stay home to aid in my recovery has created an emptiness at times that some days is hard to get passed.  Needless to say I spent a lot of March and April sulking at home and not putting my faith in God and looking at how blessed my life has truly been.  During that time I also was dealing with some of the same digestive issues and fatigue that have plagued me for a long time.  Which also led to frustration.  You can say I was a hot mess.

At the end of April I decided it was time and I started pushing myself in working out and getting out of the house.  Probably harder then I should have and definitely more then my doctor wanted.  On Wednesday May 4th, I had mowed my yard and did a power walk.  That night I started to feel really rundown and had a slight fever.  Thursday wasn't much better, in fact I felt worse.  That evening my fever spiked to 102.7.  I contacted the OHSU triage nurse on Friday morning, who sternly advised me to go to the emergency room in Albany.  In fact she stated if I hadn't checked in within the hour they would send an ambulance to get me.  Apparently she didn't understand my sense of humor.

I was admitted to the hospital in Albany and was there for a week and then on May 12th transferred to Corvallis where they where able to conduct tests that Albany didn't have the capability of doing.  The goal was get me transferred to OHSU; however, there was no beds available.  I was finally discharged on May 19th.  They determined I had pneumonia and my immune system was unable to fight it.  While at the hospital I was given all kinds of antibiotics, which finally turned the tides and I was able to go home. I had a chest x-ray last week and it showed a vast improvement.

They are unable to determine how I developed it; however, the doctor said that it could have been any number of things that I could have inhaled and there wasn't anything I could have done to prevent it.  She threw out mowing my yard could have been the culprit, due to the amount of dust and pollen that it stirs up.  

During my first week being home I mostly slept and had no energy.  I'm starting to improve and am walking daily for the last week.  I feel like this is a huge setback in my recovery, but once again I have to look at any positives I can see and use them to make me stronger.

I will end this post with my thanks again for all of the support and prayers I've received from everyone.

Alan