Re-introduction
2
Some of you may remember me from a couple of years ago. I was active in the forum until mid 2018, and then disappeared very suddenly. Several of you sent me private messages asking if I was OK, which I only saw today when I logged in. Thank you to everyone who wrote, and I apologize for never replying! Here is the explanation for my long absence.
In mid 2018 I suddenly started getting very weak very rapidly. Within a month I was left in an almost full quadriplegic state, unable to move anything except my neck. After a series of tests I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lymphoma (a blood cancer) and was immediately admitted to the hospital. At the time they couldn't explain the loss of mobility, but it was later determined it was caused by a weird interaction between the lymphoma and my own immune system, causing an autoimmune reaction where my immune system was attacking my own nerves. I was apparently the first documented case of that ever happening to anyone. Lucky me!
The story is long and fascinating from a medical point of view (they actually published an article in a medical journal about my case) but I'll spare you the lengthy gory details. Suffice it to say that the cancer proved very stubborn so I spent the next 2 years receiving increasingly aggressive and innovative treatments in 5 different hospitals. I finally came home cancer-free in 2020 (just as COVID was starting) but still hadn't fully recovered my mobility. Since then I have been receiving medication and undergoing physical therapy to try recover my lost mobility. Since all the treatments I received for the Lymphoma left me with a very weakened immune system I have been quarantined at home since I left the hospital. I only receive visitors who are carefully screened and only leave the house for therapy or doctor appointments (I would have been quarantined even without COVID, as I have to avoid any possibility of infection from the cold, flu, etc).
While I thankfully survived my medical adventures, one very sad casualty of my lengthy hospital stay was my aquariumYou can imagine what I found when I came back after 2 years of nobody even looking at my poor tank, let alone cleaning it. Obviously all my poor fish died (and most of my plants), and the whole thing was overrun with slimy growths of many different colors (I'm fervently hoping they are all different types of algae, but I fear I may have created some new life-forms
). Part of the water had evaporated, so a lot of those growths had become dried and encrusted all over the tank walls, hoses, etc (Amazingly, the light, heater and filter were still running!). When I got home I still did not have full use of my hands and legs, so trying to clean up the mess was impossible. I turned off the light, heater and filter, but had to leave the mess unattended until now.
I have finally recovered enough use of my hands and legs that I can attempt to clean the mess and restart my tank. Between the swamp that is currently sitting in the few inches of water left, the very gross and colorful encrusted growths all over the place, the many dead and decomposing fish and plants that must still be in there, and my still limited use of hands and feet, it's a very daunting task! Nonetheless, after 3 very difficult years, the tank represents a return to normality, so I'm eager to get started. I will definitely need to ask lots of questions about the best way to clean up the mess, but I will start a different tread for that in the appropriate section of the forum.
It's great to be back
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gulper shark
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