Dr. Al Danenberg ● Nutritional Periodontist
September 30, 2019 [printfriendly]
Stop the presses! I want to explain what I believe turned my life around following my devastating fall.
After I crushed the right side of my body when I fell on August 21, 2019, I wanted to die and asked to die. I was in so much pain.
The ambulance rushed me to the hospital. The doctors put me on narcotics. I was beyond lethargic. I stopped all of my supplements that I began after my diagnosis of incurable bone marrow cancer in September 2018. Now, I was giving up and entered the deepest and darkest state of depression that I could imagine. Not only did my femur and humerus break, but so did my spirit.
While in the hospital, my fractured femur was splinted, but my broken arm was not able to be repaired. Then I was transported to Hospice Cottage for pain management. I was so drugged that my wife could not rouse me. She even tried to slap my face to respond, but I didn’t.
I was tethered to a catheter. When I needed to have a bowel movement, I was given an additional heavy-duty narcotic a half-hour prior to the nurse turning me on my side in order to place a bedpan, have linens changed, and even to be bathed.
I was pathetic.
While at the Hospice Cottage, Hurricane Dorian was approaching Charleston. The hospital was ordered to evacuate all patients. On September 4th, I was transported by emergency personnel to my home. I remained in a hospital bed in my home for another two weeks. We had to hire an aide to help me do the basic life needs that we all take for granted.
What started to turn me around was when my son forced me to take the nutrient supplements that turned my blood hemoglobin around in the past. They are Prodovite and N-Sorb. Prodovite is a liquid supplement and N-Sorb is a gel that have the ability to become absorbed from under the tongue and into the blood system almost instantly. They can improve oxygenation of the cells and provide necessary nutrients and enzymes quickly. I have written about how they improved my blood results it in my Blog on May 1, 2019.
My son got me to start them again around the middle of September. Within a few days I was able to move more on my own. I even was able to turn and sit up like a normal human being. My spirit began to brighten. After that, I also started to take all the supplements that I was taking to improve my bone metabolism, my immune system, and my gut health. In addition, in mid-September I began physical therapy that helped me get out of my hospital bed, which I had called home for so many weeks. My confidence was growing exponentially, and I had a new lease on life.
My energy level started to improve; my face color regained a healthier glow; my catheter was removed. I began to learn to walk with a walker. I felt more human, and I transformed my outlook on life as it was before my horrendous and crushing fall. I now can walk to the rest room and my new favorite chair.
Who knows? If my son never forced me to start Prodovite and N-Sorb again, I might still be laying in my hospital bed in my home with a catheter, a bedpan, and no reason to go on.
My wife was a crucial part of my remarkable recovery. She dealt me some “tough love” and shook my mental being. Basically, she made it very clear that I am not a victim but a survivor and that I needed to get my act together as it was before this serious setback. It is obvious to me that I am not yet done with this life, and I must have more to give.
Today, I am feeling amazing. My diagnosis has not changed. I still have an incurable and aggressive form of multiple myeloma. I am moving forward with my “self-directive” that I will live my remaining years with the quality and dignity I demand for myself. No one can take that away from me. My body will heal naturally as best as it possibly can. I am able to move my broken right arm more now, and my spirit is as bright as ever.
Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog. Each and every one of you mean a lot to me. All of your well wishes have played an important a part of my journey.