May 19, 2021
In the past couple of months, I've made several medical day trips to the Lake
Butler — RMC prison hospital for tests and consultations with specialists. Four
of those trips crammed me in a dog box van, with a mental hospital prisoner in
the adjacent dog box, for his own safety. More on that later.
Neurologist Dr. Gama ordered an MRI of my brain in furtherance of my
''myasthenia gravis'' diagnosis. Good news — I still have one (brain), and it
is fairly healthy. Bad news —I am getting old.
MRI conclusion: ''Changes of atrophy and residua of chronic small vessel
ischemic change, mild, in the periventricular white matter, with concern for
subtle periventricular nodularity as seen on the flair imaging. History states
myasthenia gravis but would recommend clinical correlation especially if MS is
a clinical consideration.
''No evidence of intracranial mass or enhancing lesion seen.''
The doctor said that the brain ''nodules'' are most likely inherited, and not a
concern. Typical brain function for my age.
More concerns from the C.T. Scan. I've been complaining about a numbness and
intermittent pain in my left abdomen for over a year, but the doctors have not
been concerned. Here are the CT Scan results:
''The lungs are clear without evidence of consolidation, effusion, or
pneumothorax. No suspicious pulmonary nodules are identified. Visualized large
airways are clear. The pleura is unremarkable. Major vessels are unremarkable.
The heart is within normal limits for size. Coronary artery calcifications are
present. The mediastinum and bilateral hila are unremarkable except for right
hilar calcified granulomas. Visualized bones and soft tissues are without acute
abnormality.''
''A 3.0 cm left adrenal mass is partially imaged within the upper abdomen
(series 4 image 113).''
''Conclusion: 1. No evidence of a thymoma or mediastinal mass/adenopathy.
2. Left adrenal mass measuring 3 cm, partially imaged within the upper abdomen.
3. Coronary artery disease.''
Could be worse. I have no idea what some of those terms mean.
On May 4, 2021, I was scheduled for a day trip to see the general surgeon, Dr.
Baig, for evaluation of this left adrenal gland tumor. Three centimeters is
slightly larger than an inch.
I was chained up and in the standard window van waiting to leave for RMC when
my trip was cancelled. A mental patient had to go to a Jacksonville hospital,
there was only one transport crew, so I got bumped — twice. Rescheduled.
On Tuesday, May 18, 2021, I went on my rescheduled trip in a dog van. There are
two cramped compartments in the dog box van-- one for me, and one for a mental
patient who had a writing pen penetrating his stomach (self-inflicted), with
only a quarter inch protruding. Great. The mental patients are multiply chained
like I am, except for Velcro mittens secured to their wrists to prevent them
from doing damage to themselves.
News flash — the mittens don't work.
We hadn't gone far in the two-hour-plus trip when he began screaming at the
guards, who could hear him fine through the steel security panels. He told them
he had taken off the mittens, removed his handcuffs (he did), had a razor, was
going to cut himself and paint the van red.
I talked to him, established rapport, got him talking, and thought I had talked
him out of it when he said it didn't matter, he'd been planning this for some
time.
There is no stopping a prison transport van, under any circumstances. The
guards called ahead to Lake Butler, and an ''extraction team'' awaited our
arrival. When he saw what was happening, all those huge guards ready to bum
rush the dog box, he gave up peaceably. When I got out, I looked in the other
side. He told the truth — he'd painted his dog box red.
I was done by nine a.m. Dr. Baig ordered more lab tests to check the adrenal
function, then I will see him again. Surgery is possibly in my future, which I
dread, for the interference with my current court case.
I had to wait all day for them to finish with the mental patient. I was back in
my dorm by 5:30 p.m. They sent back the mental patient, too, pen still in his
stomach. Exhausted and in pain from the hard ride in the dog box, I took a
shower and went to sleep.
I'll let you know what happens. The ''authorities'' are still saying we are
likely going to be transferred somewhere by June 1st. They plan to demolish all
the buildings on the north end of the compound to build a hospital next to a
sinkhole. My dorm, C Dorm, is the last one occupied. Sounds kinda dumb to me.
Thanks for hanging in there with me. I pray this nightmare will end within the
next year. All the best.
Charlie
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