"Catastrophe, Rocky Russo" Topic

Keep up the updates Doug. Am keeping up with the prayers for Rocky. It will probably take quite some time for him to return to normal, but with the good folks he has around him, it should work out well. Glad to hear he is improving.

Please pass along our prayers… Will

Last night, I found my friend, Rocky Russo, in a languishing state; there was no progress in the week since I had seen him last, that I could tell. He has a cold which is causing labored breathing, again (or still), his voice is hoarse and difficult to understand, his appetite marginal, his interest level in anything meager. I asked him if he had anything in particular he wanted to watch (because I sure didn't), and he said, no. So I didn't summon the gumption to go looking on my own, and we ended up watching c. 3 hours of TV instead: yegods! what a travesty.The same repeating commercials and insipid plots: I swear, every character is cut from the same cookie cutter, every line of dialogue I have heard so often that I can TELL what is coming next, and every "dangerous" situation is so stock from the box that I know what is going to happen. It is a "special level in hell", for sure, and I wonder what I must have done to deserve this. Rocky, of course, is entirely worse off: without a wife; without half of his body; and no prospects for recovery. I do not consider regaining relative health and strength "recovery", merely a level of languishing far above where he is languishing right now….

Thanks for the update Doug. Try to keep your own spirits up. Depression is catching, and Rocky sure needs a lift. Drop me an email, maybe I can send out some DVDs from my collection of costume dramas. zippy-at-fuse-dot-net.

Thanks zippy. But lack of DVDs is not the problem: Rocky's collection is huge. I don't think I acted depressed around him. I followed his lead. He asked, "So, what do you want to watch?" I said that it didn't matter, and was there anything he had in mind? He shrugged. Then he said that he had been watching reruns of CSI, so I didn't argue. We ended up watching NCSI, and the Los Angeles spinoff, and finally something forgettable called Unforgettable. The fact that Rocky did not have anything better to suggest, and that he slept half the time anyway, worked on my attitude in a negative way alright. I will hope that this was just a down week, and that next time he'll be feeling more energetic….

Somehow I missed this Doug, just pinged over from the Fez on your link there. I have been missing Rocky's commentary particularly at the Fez. Wish he was still in the Denver area, I'd stop in.

Hope you can find something to pull him out of the depression – my uncle had a stroke that left him partially paralyzed and depression kept him from rehabilitating fully. He had lost a young daughter (22, passenger in a car, on her way home from a graduation party – nursing school) the week before the previous Christmas.

For what it is worth give him my best wishes, when I make it back to Denver and the gaming club there I will pass this on to some of his old acquaintances there.

I'd just like to echo what Goragrad has said. I had no idea about this at all until I read the thread on the Fez. Having shared a few exchanges with Rocky over there, I too am missing his input.

Please pass on my best to him, Doug. I don't do the prayer thing, but my sincerest best wishes and hopes for as speedy a recovery as possible, both physically and mentally to get him out of his depression and back to his normal self.

Thanks for looking out for him Doug. Rocky's one of the best.

Godspeed, I hope Rocky recovers as fully as possible! Please tell him I'll hold him in my prayers.

Rocky looked and sounded a lot better tonight; his color was better and he didn't look so haggard. He ate a whole burger and leftover pie after that; that's the best his appetite has been since this happened. But he can't walk! I think his lack of exercise has compromised his remaining leg; the foot looks like hell. Gail, his girlfriend, has talked him into going to the docs for a checkup. I am thinking that the main cause of worry is his lower leg and foot. Although he walked out to the van a few weeks ago, he now requires assistance. I left him tonight as he was about to walk back and forth holding onto a stairwell railing, with his son John keeping him secure on the other side. Rocky was awake most of the day today. Other days he sleeps most of the time. "I don't know what my body is doing," he said….

Thanks for the update Doug, I look everyday for them. Does he get any Physical Therapy?

None that he does not take upon himself. I hope that Gail can and will prevail upon him to submit to physical therapy, because he sure as heck isn't doing it on his own….

Thats the whole point about physio – you may not know what your body is doing, but they do – nag him!

Keep up on the PT push Daffy. That was one of the things that my uncle didn't follow through on (initially a symptom of the depression, I believe). That lead to him being able to minimally get around the house. He would go to the kitchen and sit there while my aunt did the housework. Classic vicious circle of depression.

No change. Rocky seems barely mobile, with great difficulty. His breathing is labored and he falls asleep a lot. But he's lucid and seems interested in talking about geeky subjects, which is encouraging. We did not watch TV last night, thank goodness; instead we watched Patton….

I'm finding this sad, but things can change. Don't give up. Skip

No change….

Keep your chin up – he needs positive vibes t this stage. And thanks for the update.

Yes keep a positive attitude, things can change

Thanks for keeping us all in touch Doug. I also have a fine collection of tasteless comedies, if that would help.

Just stumbled across this sad situation. Like others I have enjoyed Rocky's helpful posts over the years and I was devatated to read how a simple cat scratch could go so horribly wrong. I'm a cat owner myself and I have never heard of a cat scratch developing this way before. Here in the UK the common response to a scratch is what we term "Cat scratch fever" which is generally a slight temperature for a couple of days and no more. I hope Rocky is continuing to make progress and that he will soon be gracing us with his presence on the forums again. If your reading this Rocky many of us are thinking of you. If not please pass on the message Daffy

I have done so. But as far as I know, Rocky has not so much as touched a computer since the 1st of September….

He will, when he is ready.

Saw Rocky last night. We watched Outlaw Josey Wales. He slept through large chunks of it. His hours, "schedule", are roughly in bed by ten or eleven, up at around eight thirty in the morning. But sleep does come when it will/must.

His color was better and he did not look so haggard, and his breathing seemed less strained, and his voice was almost normal. He was more talkative. The prevailing topic being how restless he's feeling lately.

A visit to a different doctor for a checkup last Friday was good news: she said that having read his file prior to the checkup, she was surprised at how well he's doing: "Ahead of the curve", is how he put her words. Usually when someone goes through what he's been through they are not this far along to recovery. (I wouldn't know: it all seems terribly halting and worrisome to me.)

His leg was elevated and remains swollen; his arm and hand are swollen too. I expressed my deep concern for the condition of his leg, and my worries that it could become infected and he lose it too. He tried to dissuade me from my worries; but when I asked him if he's going through any physical therapy, he said no, that each session would cost $150 USD; "I am doing it on my own." I did not ask for details….

Tell him we're waiting to hear from him again, Daffy.

Doug, I just found this. We've had our discussion but ha aways remained a gentleman. I always enjoyed our talks. My prays are with him. Have you had the Elders over? I don't know if he is LDS but I believe you are.

Rocky is not a "believer". His upbringing was RC, but he is agnostic. That said, he does believe in "God"; he has just never been willing or able to define what that word means. (And in spite of my LDS upbringing, neither am I….)

Doug,

I'm just seeing this for the first time too. Pretty much all of my contact with Rocky has been on political rather than wargame topics in which we frequently butted heads. I think its probably an understatement to say that he and I have very different views of the world. But please pass on to him that I wish him and his family well during this difficult time and I hope he recovers soon and comes back to TMP.

Chris

Doug, one of the things that keeps me going is having a project to think about instead of my coming death. Get him involved in a project so he has something to think about other than his loss. And send him my love.

"Get him involved in a project so he has something to think about…"

If he wants to talk about aircombat gaming, I'm willing if it would fire him up!

On Tuesday night, I found Rocky unchanged. I know what the doctor said a week and a half ago: but the appearances are discouraging. Rocky slept a lot through the movie. His head drops to his chest and he's just out for a while. I came back to the house after getting our dinners at Millie's, and my tap on the door and walk across the floor did not wake him up: Hannity was playing to an empty room. Rustling the paper bag to get the food out might have disturbed his sleep, or he just woke up like he does on his own. When I turned to put his hotdog and fries on his little end table, he was looking at me with a little tired grin. We don't speak much.

A couple of the guys from the slot car shop call his house once or twice in a week. But so far, my slot car or TMP "talk" has illicited no response beyond a tired or even vacuous and brief focus. His normally talkative self has not returned, therefore a level of proactive interest has also not returned. He told me last week that he now has voice recognition software installed on his computer; but as far as I know, he has yet to do anything with it….

My best regards to the both of you, Doug. Thanks for the updates.

No change last night. Seemed to me to be languishing. This could go on indefinitely to the denouement and that would truly suck….

Yes it would, but don't ever give up hope. Skip

Daffy, just saw the cross link to this thread. Send Rocky our thoughts.

Don.

Daff, it's Christmas eve, give Rocky a Ho ho ho from me and tell him that I am lookung forward to his contributions when he gets back next year.

Please pass on my best wishes and regards. We're all thinking about him.

Rob

Other than losing his arm above the elbow whats actually wrong with him at the moment..?

He doesn't walk yet; he can barely stand and hobble a step or two (I've only heard about this phenomenon; I have yet to see him stand on his own or take even a single step in my presence). He requires assistance in just about everything. His existing hand and foot are very swollen and seem practically useless; at least I do not see any indication of improvement, week after week. One visit, his voice will seem almost back to normal; next visit his voice will be almost gone and he will hardly say a word. His breathing is labored, some weeks more than others. It's hard to know how much clarity of thinking is going on, when he communicates so little. :( ….

I guess the people who need to know about his condition know about his condition, his swollen hand and foot sounds scary and something obviously needs to be done, I only asked as it seemed losing his arm may have effected him more mentally rather than physically and which id say give him a kick up the ar*e.. but obviously its more serious than that.

No change, except he wasn't doing as well as last week over all. His voice was clearer; he cussed a right loud blue streak when his chicken fried sandwich squirted right out of the bun and onto the floor. His one hand is marginally usable. I can't even begin to imagine how terrible it must be to go from competent manual dexterity to virtually nothing overnight; and have that reduction continue on and on and on….

he cussed a right loud blue streak

Sounds like a good sign

Yep, that is certainly the Rocky we know and love (and love to argue with). Please tell him Happy New Year from Sweden, Daffy.

I was just called by Rocky's daughter in law. Rocky died last night in his sleep.

Upstaged by Peter :)

I just found out five minutes ago; my wife took the call. Thank God he's gone at last! Now he can get on with REAL living again….

Ahhh, that's sad. Rocky and I were never going to be best mates but I wished him no ill, and I hoped he'd pull through this.

Hitodama de
yuku kisan ja
natsa no hara

Sad indeed.

I am sorry to hear that. I will miss his Old West insights.
Definitely ungood.

It is interesting that the first conscious thoughts I had waking up were about Rocky. And my first spoken words just before I got out of bed were: "Dear God, either fix him or take him. Enough of this!"…

My last words to Rocky were on Tuesday as I was leaving. His son John was about to get him into bed, and I paused to ask:

"Have you done anything yet with that voice recognition software?"

"No."

"I guess that requires a lack of a lack of interest," I said.

"Right."

And then I said good-bye….