TB or not TB

My last blog was Jan 4th I believe. I haven't been writing because I HAVE BEEN IN BAYFRONT GENERAL HOSPITAL with pneumonia and.....TB. This is the first I've had a chance to sit at the computer, not much energy now.

My friend Lois took me to the ER and I was admitted. Pneumonia on both lungs. I really wasn't able to move around much on the New Year. There had been a dip in the weather and I just got sicker and sicker.

Let me catch up with this TB thing. In 04, in Bangalore I went to Manipal hospital for a 'Health Check' They found my lungs were full of what looked like old dead signs of infection. An annoisim or tare in the aorta about four inches and blood sugar hitting 4 or 500. I figured Swami was taking care so didn't worry much but started on diabetic pills. We old devotees are sooo stupid.

Afew years later I was having trouble with lung problems and had an x-ray at Swami's general hospital. There was a new doctor there who saw the x-ray and gave it to our primary doctor saying....looks like TB. After a sputum test which did not show TB our doctor showed me a strip of huge horse pills each over an inch long. I said I couldn't swallow them as even aspirin hurt my stomach. So that was that. I continued to be weak and sick from some unknown bacteria.

Then I had to leave the ashram as all of you know. If I had thought I had TB I could have gotten a medical visa! I came home to live with my elderly 85 yr old sister who has terrible lungs from life long asthma.

Fortunately I wore a mask while in her room because I was coughing a lot.

Ok then I moved to my own flat and just got sicker....we thought maybe allergies and finally ended up in the hospital with pneumonia on both sides of my lungs. After 4 0r 5 days they did a Bronchiostopy on me. They put a camera down into my lungs and actually washed part of them out.

That's when they found live TB growing quietly deep within. Only then could they find it. I will never forget that day. I overheard the nurses in the hall saying that one of the rooms would have to be set up as a quarantine STAT. The next thing I knew the other bed was being rolled out and my room door slammed shut! I was told that I had TB and the pills started....7 or 8 large pills a day....which they managed to break up so I wouldn't get too sick.

A few day later they rammed a thick tube up into my head to suction off the mucous. They said they would do it three times but only did it once. I was terrified of it happening again. After ten days I was sent back to my little flat by Tampa Bay with the health department coming every day with the TB pills and my sister and her niece brought food....with masks on.

I'm very tired but wanted to get the facts out there because the the government takes TB very seriously....and so do I

Please Pray For Susan Amma !

To all Sue Caffery's friends and blog followers: Sue is currently in the hospital in St. Petersburg FL. She has been diagnosed with TB, and is resting comfortably while happily awaiting whatever may come.

She wants those of you who've had physical contact with her to please get tested for TB, as it appears she has had it for some time. Any of you who may know how to contact Barbara Henderson, please pass this information on to her, as Sue is concerned for Barbara's health, having been in close contact with her in the recent past.

Again, note that she is taking all of this in stride and seeing her Sai's hand at every turn. She is in a beautiful room that has a wall of windows overlooking the ocean filled with beautiful sailing boats.

Sai Ram

Jackie

Atma's Last Laugh

I've always heard that when the body is miserable the Atma is happy but I didn't buy it. Now I do because finally my body is loosing ground and my atma knows that it'S HAPPY. (He or She or whatever) my atma is in pretty much in bliss. I asked Swami to write this one for me because no body is going to understand.

I have Bronchitis as most of you know. Most of you. meaning the friend in California and the friend in Nova Scotia! Chicago, you don't count!! Where have been anyway during this last dance? I'm sorry, I'll always remember you as my attendant at the hospital.

So now I know why my Swami went to so much trouble to get me here in this well appointed flat in St. Pete.. I'm here to leave this retched body once and for all. I didn't put that very well, did I? See I have all these planets in the 8th house, the house of death and have been looking forward to 'the last great adventure' almost sense I was born. It was a rotten birth and down hill ever since. Yea well, I won't horrify you with my bio data!! I hope my precious programmer will post this. He may not. Anyway this bronchitis is really bad and it's getting harder to breath. I am thinking about oxygen tanks attached to scooters and tents and things. Now listen, don't worry because its how I want it and this body still belongs to me. I only want palliative care though it may be cancer. The x-rays and the cat scan shows just a lot of trash in there. I never smoked so they don't know why it looks like that. Until this week I haven't had any trouble breathing but suddenly I do. Washed two loads the other day and collapsed, sleeping the rest of the day.

But what I'm trying to tell you is....yeah! Yeah! I'm going to be with Swami. This is one way to get back to India or if I'm lucky to 'become Swami' I figure this Susan Caffery trash can just be emptied with the garbage and the only thing worth saving, my Atma, will go on and on. This is the whole point of everything, isn't it?

I am 75, no husband and no children, no home, no clothes except this thrift store crap and no one to even say, gee, I'm gonna miss her because you know what, I already pulled up the roots. I'm really sorry this sounds like such a negative blog. Programmer may refuse to post this one. It is NOT negative. I'm very happy about it.

Ok so you want to know about Doctors and things. Well I have all this crap in my lungs and one is collapsed or partially collapsed. Have been going to a Poll unary specialist but he is out of town...HE WENT TO INDIA FOR GODS SAKE. Good, I'll see him in a month if I am seeing anything by then. I hope not. I know three different women at the ashram who were found the next morning, it was that quick. Not me, Man, those ladies had lived lives of sacrifice and beauty as Indian wives. They deserved to leave that way. I don't think this will be painful for me and besides Swami will be there.

Of course I wanted to go to the Chittravathi but frankly I didn't have the courage to even think about going in an Indian Nursing Home.

This is better. Who cares what happens to the Susan Caffery's body garbage. I DON'T, SO DON'T YOU WORRY NONE, CALIFORNIA AND NOVA SCOTIA I'M GLAD