2004 has brought a couple major setbacks for me.  First off, I unknowingly got scammed for a large amount of money from a supposedly Christian-based investment company called IPIC.  Just do any online searches for IPIC + Setser and you’ll get the gist of it.  As of 9/21/04, we still have not received any partial restitution from the court appointed receiver at www.IPICreceiver.com.  It was a financial mistake that I made and I wish to put it behind me but I still struggle with every aspect of it.  So those of you that may be approached with lucrative business ventures that seem too good to be true…be aware!  Please don’t make the same mistake I did even if friends are doing it.

Secondly, what was supposed to be a routine vasectomy turned into every mans worst nightmare.

Diagnosis:  Testicular Hematoma

Frequency:  Performing Dr. had only seen it one other time in 15yrs after a vasectomy

8/10/04:  Procedure itself was quite uncomfortable and I couldn’t wait for it to end.  When I got home, it was a struggle to get from the van to our bed and it felt like aliens had just probed me.  That evening, the pain intensified and sleep was dismal.

8/11/04:  That morning the pain intensified to a 9 out of 10.  Felt like I was being repeatedly stabbed in the stomach.  Body was sweating and shaking profusely and I kept blacking out for minutes at a time and couldn’t keep track of time.  Even breathing became difficult and lets just say I was SWOLLEN down there!  I was so scared and hurting that I broke down crying several times as I thought about Nicole and the kids.

That afternoon, after seeing my Dr. again, Nicole rushed me down to UC Davis Med Center in a freaking wheelchair to see a specialist.  He took a look and prescribed Vicadin and antibiotics.  He said if the pain didn't become a 7-8 out of 10 by midnight to not eat anything because he would perform an emergency surgery the following morning.  The next morning he called and I relayed to Nicole that the pain was around a 7.

Week 2 after the surgery was dismal.  The swelling was bad, my 2 became one (don't even try to visualize it!) and my midsection looked like I got beat with a baseball bat.  I walked like a 90yr old man and couldn't even walk more than 3-5 minutes at a time before hurting.  I couldn’t even sit in a chair and was confined to the recliner.  My body was swollen, shocked and I was angry and depressed.

Weeks 3 and 4 showed some progress.  Hemorrhaging was slowly being absorbed into my body and I could walk for up to 10 minutes at a time and could sit at the computer for 2-3 minutes.  Stopped taking Vicadin and began taking blood thinners.  My attitude perked up some.

Weeks 5:  Able to get around for up to 20 minutes at a time and sit at the computer longer.  Would get tired and fatigued in the afternoons and occasional sharp pains would come on.  Went to work for 6hrs one day and that was bad.  It set me back another few days.

Week 6:  I worked only half days and was able to sleep in our bed again.  Hemorrhaging about 15% noticeable sharp pains less frequent.  Swelling reduced and I feel about 80-85% of normal.  Dr. said no exercise for at least a few more weeks.  I’ve lost a lot of muscle and endurance.