I been here for years. I'm rockin my peers, puttin suckas in fear. Makin the tears rain down like a monsoooon listen to the bass go boom EXPLOSION...
*clears throat.. obvious path taken, and now onto srs bsns*
It's been a little while now. I've managed to peek in a couple times to see how everyone has been. 2023 has not been a kind year so far as some may know, but to those whom probably are in the dark of what I speak of, this is the story so far.
After my indefinite hiatus announcement, I had been working on getting everything back to a semblance of normal in all things life. Unfortunately my body had other plans. In February while I was hanging out with a friend pulling an all-nighter of PS4 games, I began to have some pain. It gradually became worse, until I couldn't take it any longer. I went to the ER, and after a few hrs of waiting, tests, and waiting, they informed me I had a kidney stone. Fast forward.. been doing whatever I could to make sure getting rid of that culprit would be a smooth enough transition, and I had been pain free for a time, but then April comes along.
I began to have fever chills in the middle of the night. I couldn't sleep worth anything, and with what I've been going through, I looked up whatever it could be on my phone. One result came up; a kidney infection. I waited until I took my brother's kids to school the next morning, and I immediately went to the ER again. After several hours, and being told that because I was essentially a walk-in, I would probably be waiting a long while. That long while became a fear, for one of the nurses returned and told me that I was borderline septic. My old kidney stone went stealth mode and blocked the pathway to the bladder entirely, and began to back up waste product all the way to the kidney. My immediate thoughts went right to when my mother had passed of the very same thing, at the very same timeframe. I told them to do whatever they needed to do. I did not want to die. After everything had been done by the doctors, and 2 extra days bedridden in the hospital, I was essentially told by my dad that the doctors had told him that if I had waited just one more day to go to the ER, I certainly would have died.
So, present day. I have a stent installed to bypass the kidney stone temporarily, and on May 23, I will be returning to the ER for another operation to have the stent removed, and then any kidney stones present will be pewpewd by a micro laser they plan on using. This entire operation is completely void of incisions and other body opening things, so one can only surmise how all this will occur.
I've been contemplating a comeback to the place. As much as I've already been away, it's rather tough to completely walk away from something that you've literally spent half your life engrossed in. I have been a part of TLI since Xmas Day of 2003, and it's now been nearly 20 years. I may have hastily and rather chaotically exited before due to immense overwhelming emotions, but after the time away, it feels like I can be myself again. Granted this might not equate to daily appearances to begin with, but perhaps a slow and steady transition might just work out.