Hey there folks!!! How's it going?

Norm Sauceman · August 8, 2005

Hello everyone. I hope all is well and the Lord is blessing each and every one of you. I just wanted to drop you folks a quick note and give you an update on where I am in my healing process and how everything has been going. I am sad to say things are not well. My pain doctor is now in the last stages of trying to work out pain medications to try and help me have some quality of life from the pain. I can not tell you just how bad it is. There are no words to describe it. The only thing that comes close is I thought suffering this bad was reserved for ****. I may have to have one or two more surgeries to implant devices to try and manage the pain. One is a morphine pump and the other is an electrical stimulator that stimulates the spine.

I never thought someone could endure this much pain. This is coming from someone who walked three blocks to a hospital with a broken knee joint and refused to be admitted for surgery so he could finish the construction project he was the foreman of and walked back three blocks to the job site. The same man who came in the next day for the first in a series of seven knee surgeries. No, the walk did not do any more damage. The same man who had a plate put in each arm with 6 screws each in two separate operations and only missed work for the surgery itself.

I am in so much pain folks that, although I would never do it, the thought of suicide comes to my mind several times a day. I try my best to cope with this the best I can. I can’t work, I can’t help around the house and it just gets to me. I am just taking up space eating food when I can. It is not fair to my family to have to see me this way. I know it gets to them and it just wears them out. I pray for strength every day to help me cope more and more with it. I can only credit my strength to the prayers you all give to me for me making it this far. God bless you for that.

I am trying to keep the DHNA going as best I can. It is in just a cruise mode right now as I am not able to get donations to help folks. I am doing the best I can and am funneling emails and phone calls I get from folks to those who I know can help. I even have a couple of emails from folks who want to volunteer to help and I appreciate that very much.

I go back to my three doctors at the end of this month. At this point I will do most anything they suggest to help me get rid of this pain. I really do not want a pump or stimulator but if it will help, let’s have it. It just feels like my upper body and my lower body are trying to separate. My waist and legs hurt so much that I expect one day I will just split into.

I am selling my truck because I can’t drive anymore and it just sits in the driveway. Sandy drives it to her work a couple of times a week with for sale signs on it and we hope we get a couple of bites on it. If any of you are interested, the price is now $18,500.00. It has 70K miles on it. The air gets cold before you go 100 feet down the road. It is fully loaded. I LOVE this truck. It makes me feel sexy...LOL. Email me for pictures if interested. PLEASE, only serious inquiries please. It is a 2001 F-150 Super Crew 4X4 Sport with a King Ranch package and the Off-Road package as well. Loaded, Loaded, Loaded. If you do a search in the classifieds, you can see pictures of the truck if interested. I am also selling my Browning BAR 300 Win. Magnum I bought this new in the early 80’s. It says it was made in Belgium on the barrel. I am asking $500.00 for it. Same applies about pictures. There is no scope with this rifle.

I have one or two good days a week and love it when my wife takes me for a ride on Saturdays. Other than that, I am home alone during the days. It is a lonely way to exist. Writing this letter has taken six hours because I can not sit up too long at a time and I have to go back and lay down. I have not had the opportunity to hunt for almost two years. I miss it so. I am hoping to finally get to go this year and just get back into the woods.

I wanted to tell you all that I appreciate your prayers, your cards, your calls and emails and I hope you will continue. It is so great to know folks think of you sometimes. Although there has been no progress on my condition, I will not give up hope. I will always believe that the next day will be less painful than the last and that some day I will be pain free. Until that happens, I would appreciate your continued prayers and support. I will drop in from time to time and check on things and make sure you all are doing OK. I am sorry the news was not better and I hate to dampen your day with my pitiful story.