BS6 01 Catching Up
Wow, it’s been a while. So where do I start? I actually forgot about my little blog here, and it was (to my amazement) a curios reader who left me a message out of the blue and said “are you going to post again?” which reminded me to return!
That being said, the absolute first thing I should say is, I’m sorry, to all of you who were actively reading my blogs. I honestly didn’t know that anyone was reading them besides (maybe) family and some close friends? Anyway, I do apologize, I suppose I just assumed everyone knew what was going on and why everything suddenly stopped so abruptly. Of course, if nobody told you then how could you know? Right? Well, I’ll try to rectify that somewhat in this post. As much as I can. Mind you, when last I posted it was May of 2025, about a year and a half ago…
Looking back, in March of 2025 I spoke briefly about being treated for a medical issue which needed attention. Nothing serious, but something that couldn’t be avoided either, and at the time I thought we would leave Boot Key Harbor in May. Then, in May, I wrote a general post about lessons learned, and that was it! Radio silence. Ouch. Again, I am so, so, sorry.
Okay, so back to that medical issue I was being treated for. Long story short; the issue I was being treated for was debilitating however it wasn’t terminal or catastrophic, but the course of treatment that the doctor put me through, nearly killed me. The how’s and the why’s aren’t important to this telling, but in late August my kidneys shut down and I was transferred from Fisherman’s Hospital in Marathon to West Kendall Baptist Hospital, just Southwest of Miami where I spent 6 days under care.
At this time obviously we were still in the Florida Keys. We had not (as I had predicted) traveled North in May, and most fortunately, due to my ongoing medical treatments I had recently acquired health insurance. I can’t stress what a stroke of luck that actually was, because I very literally was at death’s door when we climbed off the boat to go to the hospital, and I could not stand on my own, let alone walk to my car from the dinghy docks. It was super bad.
All of this didn’t happen overnight, and when I was released from hospital I still had a very long road of recovery to travel, but now I was starting fresh and had to travel a new path. My near death experience altered everything. All of my meds had been completely stopped while I was in hospital, every single drug erased completely from my body and my veins thoroughly washed with constant IV’s. My body had to re-learn how to function on it’s own again, I had to learn to eat, drink, pee, poo, and yes, even trust to pass gas again. I was weak, but I could walk the hospital corridors and I was determined to work my way back to health again.
Once back in Marathon, it took over a month to get in with my Nephrologist in Key West, but I’m lucky that there even IS a Nephrologist in the Keys, and I’m oh so thankful that he’s an extremely knowledgeable and thorough doctor too! Basically, he took over my charts and my care from my general practitioner here in Marathon and he’s my main go-to man now. While in hospital the kidney doctors barely held off putting me on dialysis, but I convinced them I could overcome. My Nephrologist, once I saw him, said the same and he held off putting me on dialysis as well. Just as it took time for my strength to return, it took time for my numbers to climb, but they were slowly moving into better, more manageable ranges.
I remember we attended Fantasy Fest in Key West Last October with Rodney and Joyce. We were dressed as Penguins, and I was excited to meet Wyland and have him paint a baby seal face for me. That was an extremely memorable day. I remember when our friend Doreen and Glenn arrived back in Marathon and put Pizza Money back in the water. We were so excited to have them back in harbor, but I also remember being extremely exhausted from doing too much too soon and having to adjust my own limits.
Thanksgiving we spent on Pizza Money with the gang, and then on black Friday William and I dropped Harley at the vet and headed to Miami to board our last Virgin cruise. We went to Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico, Antigua, and St. Kitts and I overdid myself as per usual but we had a blast and I loved every minute of it. Marty and Liz arrived, Christmas and New Years flew by, and before you knew it we were celebrating in Key West again. By April of this year Marty and Liz were long gone, Glenn and Doreen were leaving, and we were still here.
My doctor had started me back on kidney friendly meds one by one, taking his time and watching my bloodwork closely, monitoring every aspect of my treatment. His biggest change he made was last Spring when he decided to treat my high blood pressure extremely aggressively. Summer came, and to be honest, it was July at least, maybe August 2026, before I said (and 100% meant) that “I feel the absolute best I have felt in YEARS!” No joke. I am awake, I am active, I feel 100% healthy. Am I 100%? No. I have Chronic Kidney Disease. I will never be 100%. But health-wise I feel it!
The anniversary of my hospitalization came and went, and now we are quickly approaching Fantasy Fest which we plan to attend with Joyce and Rodney again this year. Spoiler alert: we’re all dressing up as Dragons, so watch those socials for photos and videos! Oh! And, Joyce inspired me to join TikTok this year, so I’ll have William add that link below and you should bookmark it, I’ve been posting a new video or photo(s) everyday!
That’s a lot for now and I’ve really got to run so I’m going to end this and head out. Y’all take care and I’ll be in touch again soon – fair winds!
