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So … as you know, I recently had a surgery trying to fix my palate. Well, that failed. I still have holes and require a feeding tube indefinitely. I’m extremely burned out so will take rest of year off before I find a new medical team to triage.

I was given antibiotics after the operation to prevent infections at the surgery site. But when I ran out of pills, it took the VA six days to resupply with more antibiotics.

During those six days, Dakota (my two-and-a-half-year-old sidekick) came home from school with the flu. He then gave those germs to me, still weak from surgery.

Within 48 hours I was hospitalized with severe pneumonia and have spent the past three weeks trying to survive.

Well, as of this writing, I AM BACK to the living, baby!!! Woohoo!!!

The Skelton Report: From Surgery To Pneumonia — And Then Back to Life

Army Maj. D.J. SkeltonArmy Maj. D.J. Skelton

So, who wants to sign up for the following:

  1. Ski trip to Tahoe
  2. Ready Player One at a local theater
  3. Sailing in Monterey Bay
  4. PBR crawl at local dive bars
  5. Extreme gardening (my yard is neglected)
  6. Fence painting (my yard is neglected) 
  7. Mahjong tournament at my house
  8. BBQ and game night
  9. Rock climbing excursion to Pinnacles 
  10. Did I mention skiing in Tahoe?!?

If you have sent emails that went ignored, please resend or give a call. I will get caught up over next couple of weeks. Love ya all, look forward to some adventuring!!!

Maj. D.J. Skelton is a U.S. Army Foreign Area Officer at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He led an infantry platoon at Second Fallujah and later commanded an infantry company in Afghanistan. This article represents his own views and problems, which are not necessarily those of the Army, Navy or Department of Defense.

The Skelton Report: From Surgery To Pneumonia — And Then Back to Life