My home health nurse, her daughter, and Kelly Dawg nursing me. Thanks to the wonderful nurses at Harris Methodist Erath County, Stephens Home Health care nurses, and Scott and White nurses along with the doctors who have brought me safe this far. My special thanks go to the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Stephenville. Her soothing ways brought me through some very rough times. Although I wondered at times about friends and family who prayed for me, I love you.
"As I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to keep."

TO SUM IT UP. Perhaps it is about over. What started the first week in September as an op that would put me in the hospital ten days was brought to a close Nov 28th when a doctor at Scott and White removed the brads from my wounds (14 of them) and then the doctor who washed out the kidney stone took out a stint that was in my kidney. What a helluv a day! Now for a month of R.andR. Listen to this, can you believed I have a month of not being able to pick up a broom, rake, or pulling a wheel barrow or vacum! What a break. One last story before I close. When they pulled the stint out of my kidney through the you know what, two ladies put me in a strrup and told me not to be bashful because they did this all the time. The doctor came in and filled me up with water. Suddenly he said, "Look at what I took out of you." He was holding a stint he had put in my kidney that was about a foot or two long. The two ladies told me to wait until they prepared a shot. Here I am in a room without a urnial and ten gallons of water in me. At last I decieded to grab a waste basket and drain. End of story. It all came out in the end.

Here it is three days before Thanksgiving and my surgery is almost complete except for a little cleanup. On Nov. 14, (my birthday) they finished the stint through the bulges in my arteries. Nothing spectacular happened. On Nov 16th I went into surgery to remove the kidney stone in my left kidney. " This time we are putting you to sleep," the surgeon told me. "You will wake up in the recovery room." What he didn't tell me was what was in the knock out medicine. Two hours later I came to in a petting zoo. There were chickens, a turkey or two, some goats and sheep. While trying to adjust to the situation, they pushed me back to my room. "What was in the knock out formula?" "What do you mean?" she asked. "The recovery room is a petting zoo." My room mate spoke from his space. "When I woke up in there yesterday, they had a couple of elephants." Before I talked to my wife and son, I wondered how they had changed the colors in my room. Things aren't always what they seem to be.

I talked to your doctor about it - you have a clot in your vein (not
unexpected with compression by the iliac aneurysm)... the aneurysm
actually probably gives some protection against the clot "moving"!
Anyway, I suggested a heparin that is injected in the stomach area
rather than coumadin..... and leaving everything set up as is for seeing
us on 14th and operation on the 15th as planned.

got to tell me about my out of bod exp. Last Thurs while recovering from second phase of my operation took my meds in den and walked to bed room. Woke up for a few seconds after an hour or so on bed room floor. Crawled on bed , pulled trash can to bed and started my erp. Luke (my son) came in and called 911, no b.p. Put me in ambulance and took off for hospital. Came to on Lingleville Road hovering over my body. Didn't see God, Jesus, bright light, pres. SBC nor Bush. Wondered if I would cut grass Monday. Reminded I would be dead Monday. About that time crash crew at hospital attacked me. Released from hospital this Wednesday. Will take two weeks rest before rest of operation at Scott and White. Sorry I can't tell about Heavenly visitor. Perhaps Heaven is a place where I won't have to mow lawn on Mondays. Luther

In my case I am sure when the ambulance brought me in the doctor could have written, "DOA" and that would have been the end of it, but the doctor on duty at the emergency room called my regular doctor, and the two of them worked to let me live awhile longer. My only complaint is that they cut to pieces the old shirt I've slept in for at least ten years. The black out occured a week after the second device was installed in my artery at Scott and White. I was feeling fine before the incident happened.

This poem was written by a friend.
THIS POEM JUST JUMPED OUT AT ME ABOUT ONE O'CLOCK THIS MORNING. I COULDN'T SLEEP, IT WAS ON MY MIND SO STRONG. HOPE YOU DON'T MIND. ALMA

POOR LUTHER
Alma L. Greer
Nov. 05, 2005

I got this e-mail from Luther,
Telling me of his terrible time.
He told me of his dilemma,
Memories, I’ll bet, not worth a dime.

But, for sure those bad memories-
Will just keep lingering on and on.
Not, only for Luther alone,
But for Jo, his wife, and Luke, his son.

He was walking through their den,
Was the last thing he could tell.
Had just taken his medication,
He said, right after that, he fell.

I take it, he was on his way,
To the bedroom, and to bed.
He passed out, just as he got there,
And he knew for sure, he was dead.

It seemed, he lay passed out for an hour,
When he came to, he crawled into bed.
Pulled the trash can next to him,
"Started erping up." He said.

Luke came hurrying into the room,
Then he dialed 911 real quick.
He was so worried for his dad,
Poor Luther, he was so sick.

The ambulance came right away,
Luther was quickly loaded in.
And people hovered over his body,
As their journey to hospital begin.

Now, for sure he knew he was dead,
"I didn’t see God, Jesus or Bush." he said.
Would he mow the grass on Monday?
Then was reminded. "Monday I’ll be dead."

They finally reached the hospital,
Though I’m sure, time passed fast away.
Then he said. " The crash crew attacked me."
But, how long they worked, he didn‘t say.

After nearly a full week’s hospital stay,
Poor Luther got to return back home.
A bad memory, to be long remembered,
For many, many moons to come.