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

From: Tom aka James Knudson <knudson911_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:10:09 2004
Message-ID: <001e01c304f3$0f28c500$e4d143d8_at_malcolm>

Hi Steve, glad to see you are back! You had a lot of people praying for you
and your wife! God bless you and your family!
 Tom
The proudest member of the IMCA 6168

----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Schoner <steve_schoner_at_yahoo.com>
To: <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2003 9:28 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] I"m Back! (not fully though)


> 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 11:07:24 AM PDT