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[Read the November 21, 2003 Forum Article on Brandon Carmichael]I must explain something first. I had been offered cigarettes many times before, but thankfully it was drilled into me that they were very dangerous. So up to that point I had been able to say NO. It all started when I was 15 years old. I was with two of my buddies. We were at the “free pool” park in West Fargo. One of them pulled out a pack of Marlboro Reds and started smoking a cigarette and my other friend lit his cigarette. Almost simantansly they asked me 'do you want one?' I paused and then I said “yes” not knowing what I had just started. As time went on I found myself hanging around these guys a lot more than I should of, smoking their cigarettes. I had thought to myself 'cigarettes can't hurt me', but boy oh boy was I wrong. Smoking up to my senior year in High School brought me to a “Reality Check”. Many of you may be confused by my use of the term “reality check”, but to me it makes perfect sense. Let me explain… …It started in December of 1999, just a few weeks before Christmas. When the next day came, I went to see another doctor he told me the same thing. He also didn't know why my toe wasn't healing, so he to prescribed some antibiotics. While my parents were getting frustrated with the situation, I was fine with it. I didn't realize the long hellish year and a half I was about to endure. My parents and I went to see doctor after doctor after doctor. I told them 'how and when my toe was cut', and my doctors would just look at me puzzled and confused. All they could do is offer me some more antibiotics. I guess one doctor suggested me to soak my left foot in a tub of warm water with Epson salt. Another doctor sent me home with an IV in my arm that my parents had to shoot antibiotics and pain medication into. This didn't help. Another doctor suggested to my parents to give me a shot a lovanocs in my back twice a day as a blood thinner. I know that many diabetics understand what I'm talking about. 
A month passed by and we received a phone call from Dr. Klieman recommending we see Dr. Wagner, a vascular surgeon at Innovis Health in Fargo. In my opinion he is one of the best in his field. Dr. Wagner was different from my other doctors even though I told him what I had told all my doctors - 'how and when I cut my toe'. Dr. Wagner had questions for me, he asked; "are you smoking?" I said yes. He then asked “how much and how long?” I told him not even a pack a day and for about 3 years. Then I asked him “what does this have to do with my toe?” He replied “you may have Buergers Disease or Diabetes”. As time passed I had several tests done including an angiogram (which is a procedure where the doctors inject a catheter in your main artery in your leg, near your groin area). With the catheter the doctors injected a dye in your blood stream that glows with the use of an X-ray. The results showed that I had a blockage in my left knee, which was causing my toe not to heal. He told me “I need you to go to Mayo Clinic (which is in Rochester, MN) to get a second opinion whether or not you have Buergers Disease”. 
For a month or so my parents and I found ourselves at Mayo many times, doing several tests, mainly vascular and other blood work. These doctors came up with the same diagnosis of Buergers Disease. They have other technologies that helped create better circulation in my left leg. For example they had a huge pump that I would be strapped into. This is actually about a half-hour procedure in the clinic, two times a day. I sat in a chair that was able to go up and down. In the “up” position my doctors would come and strap a boot (which resembled a space boot) on my legs. They then would put wires and sensors on me that would cause the boot to squeeze every heart beat. I did this for about 1 week; I was then able to go home with a miniature pump that I had to use for about 10 to 12 hours a day. They also sent me home with a lot of medications and ointments that I would use on my left big toe.At this time I was out of school for about 2 months, which was very disturbing to me. After all, it was my senior year. I should have been hanging out with my fellow future graduates. All I know is I am very thankful that I worked hard before my senior year or I wouldn't have been able to graduate. (Also many thanks to the few friends I did have at this time, my teachers, my extended family, and my parents Jamie and Linda, my brother Josh, and my sister Nicole.) After graduation, I should been like my fellow classmates partying and getting ready for college, but my life was on pause still. What I mean is that I was still pumping my leg; I was using the medications and ointments, still seeing Dr. Wagner and my doctors in Rochester. My foot finally got better in October or early November of that year, which means I had that simple cut on my toe for about 10 months. Thinking I was invincible and not caring about what my doctors diagnosed me with, I ended up starting to smoke again. This lasted for about 2 months. I must say it was a huge mistake. My left big toe's skin broke down and suddenly there was an ulcer there. So once again I founded myself visiting Dr. Wagner. He immediately ordered another angiogram. The results were devastating. It showed that the blockage in my left knee was now about 6-8 inches long. This caused huge problems for me. I also had one blockage form in my right hip. The ulcer on the toe grew to be the diameter of the size of a quarter or maybe a 50 cent piece. Depth wise I could see my big toe bone. This ended up being extremely painful. I had the best pain medication and that wasn't doing anything for me. My doctors then realized that it was getting to the point of threatening a bone infection. They thought they had to amputate. 
On January 20, 2000, I had a bypass surgery and the amputation of my left big toe, that lasted about 10 hours. The bypass surgery consisted of plastic tubing in my left leg from my upper thigh all the way down to my ankle. The amputation was just my big toe, but don't get me wrong, it was still a Big deal to me. After the 106 staples were removed from my leg and foot; I realized I needed to get away from all of the stress that I was feeling also to try to help my depression. So a buddy and I went down the Texas, which was great because it was in February, and we were leaving an area that was in a Blizzard warning. We were in Texas for about 2 weeks. We then decided we would go to Arizona to visit my grandparents. On the way there, however, the transmission broke down in El Paso, TX. We had it fixed, but it broke down again somewhere in Arizona. Once again we fixed it, not realizing we were about the run out of money. That happened in Albuquerque, NM; which is were my buddy and I sat at a truck stop for three days with 5 bucks to our name. This is were I was able to pick up 3 cigarettes; knowing that cigarettes have all ready been responsible for my toe to rot, the plastic tubing in my leg. 
I was able to get home with the help of my aunt, uncle, and my mom. I then was a groomsman in my friends wedding, I also moved out into the 'real' world away form my parents. At this time I was reunited with my friends, the ones who happened to leave me during my tough times. Scarred from that they will never be the good friends I thought they would've been. Life was perfect for the next few months. Then June 21 or 22, 2000 came. The time on my alarm clock glowed 12:34 am. I started realizing that my left leg below my knee started to get really cold; colder than a can of pop. It was turning into a dark purple color. It was so painful that I was screaming at the top of my lungs. I was shaking in such discomfort; my friends realized something had to be done. They ended up bringing me to the ER; there too I was screaming and shaking. The doctors ended up giving me a shot of morphine which only made the pain only toleratable. It still felt like needles were being poked into my leg which was cramped up like I ran across the country 10 times. So it still was painful. Next thing I knew I was having an angiogram procedure again. I received my results in the morning around 7-8. It showed that the bypass surgery in my left leg ended up plugging up. I still had the one in the right hip, but now those three cigarettes I ended up smoking in Albuquerque, NM were responsible for a blood clot in each of my wrists (which is causing me problems now). Before I knew it, my left foot had four black toes, and one huge ulcer. I can't put it in words of how painful this was. It was so painful that my doctors and I decided it was time to amputate. 
So on July 12, 2000 my left leg was amputated about 5-6 inches below my knee. I am very thankful that I still have that 5-6 inched; I couldn't imagine how anyone can walk with a prosthetic knee. (Those with a prosthetic knee deserve a pat on the back, it must be difficult) Individuals with Buergers Disease know how difficult it is to stop smoking. Unfortunately many of them have relapses with cigarettes. I found myself being one of them. I ended up smoking off and on for about 2 months again in 2003. Yes, I am very aware of the consequences. So now that it is late spring and early summer, I still have an ulcer on my right thumb which I have had for about 9 months. It scares me because I can't imagine life with out my right thumb. I saw Dr. Wagner June 16, 2003, and he said it wasn't good. It looks like I will be doing another angiogram soon, which I'm sure won't be good. Either way, I hope you can learn from my (and thousands and thousands of other people's) mistake and never pick up smoking or chewing tobacco. I know if I could go back, I would never start smoking. I don't enjoy being 23 years old and having worse circulation then most of our elders. I do feel it, my body hurts all of the time, just walking hurts, even as I am typing this out my fingers our cramping up. Is that a way to live life? In my opinion, NO! October 23, 2006 I'm back. I am in the process of putting together my thoughts. I should have things ready in the next few weeks. You will be surprised to find out what has happened. |
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