A Dysfunctional Intro From A Dysfunctional Veteran

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I'll start off with the usual. My name is Trent. I'm 29 (I'll be 30 in just a few days). I currently reside in WV. I'm a self proclaimed cryptocurrency connoisseur. I like to dabble in a little bit of everything in the cryptocurrency world, but let's get to the nitty gritty of it all.

I figured it was about time I sit down and take things seriously and start you all off with an introduction of the shit show I call life and what has gotten me to where I am today. So sit down and enjoy the slightly warped and jaded picture I'm about to paint you all. Buckle up because this is going to be one hell of a bumpy ride.

I won't bore you with the entirety of my life. We'll fast forward to the more entertaining qualities. To start things off... The day I enlisted in the US army. I was proud, excited, anxious, slightly terrified, and dealing with one massive hangover from the night before. Now I didn't join at 18 like a lot of people did. I made an attempt at civilian life first. As sad and pathetic of an attempt as it was, it was still an attempt.

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Soooo, life didn't really pan out. I wouldn't necessarily say I was a screw up. No wait. Yeah, I was. So I decided it's time to go somewhere where I don't have as much free reign to destroy my life and make piss poor decisions. Boy was I naive. My first duty station was Joint Base Lewis-Mcchord in Washington. I absolutely loved it. I got there around July and was on an airplane to Afghanistan in less than a year. Fuck. Well, now I'm going to die.

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That was kind of the main thought that went through my head about every day of the first couple months I was there. Then... It just went away. I found out that I just no longer gave a single shit. I won't get into the bloody or the non-bloody details of deployment. Been there done that, and I got the hat (and the rack full of ribbons that say I survived being in the infantry under shit leadership).

I decided while I was there that the infantry life just wasn't for me. So I decided a job change was what I needed to spruce things up with my military career. Boy was I naive, again. Next thing I know I'm on my way to Korea for a year stay as a helicopter hydraulics mechanic. Same shit, new job. I came to the realization real quick that it wasn't the job I disliked, it was just the army.

Though, I had every intention of putting in my 20 and retiring.

Now the key word in that last sentence was "intention." I had the intention. The reality just didn't match up to things.

One day I got up early with stomach pain. I'm not talking, "Oh man. I got cramps." It was more along the line of, "What the fuck! I think I'm about to have an alien head come out of my stomach." So I took the bus to the aid station on base and when I got there it was too early and not a doctor in sight. The only person there was the 24 hour shift lower enlisted. Fuck, again. I explain my issue. I then get told that it's just gas pain and not to worry. I stressed to him that it was more than gas pain because I was a subject matter expert of what a brewing shit felt like and this sure as hell wasn't it. Finally, he calls the on-call doctor and speaks to him.

Off to the local Korean hospital I go.

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I get wheeled into this hospital. If that's what we want to call it. Single room ER waiting room. I’m pretty sure I saw the kid from The Grudge and an older man that was about 30 seconds from climbing up a wall backwards spewing internal fluids at everyone. Luckily for me, a nice Korean doctor came and rolled me into the CT scan room and did my scan for me and then wheeled me to a different little room all by myself.

Maybe 5 minutes go by; and I can hear hurried footsteps coming my way and in barges the doctor that took me to my scan, “You sign now!” As he throws paperwork (written entirely in Hangul) in my face, he turns it over and points to the place on the paper where a signature belongs. Yes, my signature. So I hurriedly (for all I knew) signed my organs away to the nice doctor and he screamed random Korean words the whole way to operating room. A nice, sweet Korean lady came in and did my IV for me and started my anesthesia. Lights out.

Some random amount time goes by and my eyes begin to open. What the fuck? I’m still on the table...

Korean lady to the rescue. “You go back to night night now.”

Come to find out. My appendix ruptured. They had to rush me in because I was going to die if they waited any longer, due to all of the toxic sludge that was now outside of my appendix. My insides swelled up great big and I was incapable of digesting food for about 48 hours.

I end up back on base after staying at the hospital for 4 days. Light duty of course.

Fast forward about a month or so from here. I notice my sleep is getting much worse. It has been bad for a while, but it’s getting to the point now that it’s entirely out of hand and I’m severely sleep deprived. So, I get a sleep study scheduled. The army doesn’t have any facilities of their own in South Korea to do sleep studies. Off to another Korean hospital. Fuck, again again.

I get to Samsung hospital with half Hangul and half English directions. This must be the birthplace of all of the other smaller hospitals because this hands down has to be the nicest and most hospitable medical facility I’ve ever been to.

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Middle of the next day I’m heading to the aid station on base to have my sleep study deciphered for me. I am now diagnosed with REM sleep behavior disorder. Basically, it means that in REM sleep my brain doesn’t paralyze my body like it’s suppose to so I can violently act out dreams and a multitude of other issues. Well, shit.

Another short period of time goes by and I begin having balance and coordination difficulties, right sided weakness swallowing problems, vision abnormalities, migraines, and excruciating body pain. I visit a army neurologist.

Bad news time. Well, more bad news.

I am diagnosed with cerebellar ataxia. A disorder of the cerebellum that causes all of the issues I’ve been having. No cure.

I’m flown out of Korea and to Fort Belvoir, VA where I stayed at until my retirement date October 6 2016.

We’ll do another fast forward to the now.

It’s been about 2 and a half years or so since I began having these issues. I’m medically retired and I’m crankier than ever. I just recently got back from the War Related Illness Clinic in New Jersey. I am now officially diagnosed with:

Cerebellar Ataxia
Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome
Traumatic Brain Injury
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
Post-Infectious Irritable Bowel Syndrome
PTSD/Unspecified Anxiety Disorder

Wow. Good time, huh? I forgot to mention that I’m also recommended to live the rest of my life on a ketogenic diet. Oh well!

No point in crying over things that are mostly out of my control. See, here’s the thing folks. Throughout this whole process, for the most part, people can’t figure out why I’m so upbeat about things. It’s almost like the medical community has more of an issue with the fact that I’m not suicidal than If I were to be. Fuck it. That’s all there is to it. I don’t see me curing these disorders any time soon. So I have to live with them.

You have to make the best play with the hand you’re dealt. Bluff. Bluff so well that even you believe it.

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I am a firm believer in the unlimited potential of the human brain. So you set the right mind-frame and you can cause the body to follow suit. For the most part at least. But enough of this people, let’s get into the less depressing things.

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I’m an absolute crypto fanatic. I love the ideology behind it all. I am still fairly new to the whole thing, but I am searching for every possible bit of information that I can find that I can learn from. I actually love the research aspect behind it all. I’ve always been a fan of spending countless hours delving into the intricacies of something that interests me.

What I would like to start doing is taking a month or so per alt coin, to do some serious 40-50 hours a week research on how to get into to the different alt coins. Instead of having to scower the internet for countless weeks to figure out how to just get started, I want to do all the leg work for you and compile it into one nice, neat jumbo article for your disposal.

Also, I want to write non-biased informational articles on things dealing with the crypto world in general. I say non-biased because it seems that most everything I read has some serious bias to it. Seems like most people have some serious ties into what their writing about which I believe can skew an article tremendously. So, that’s where I come in. No ties. Just information.

I am just now getting into exploring more into blockchain in general. I love all of the possibilities that are out for it, and the fact that new possibilities are being realized every day. I just received 3 books to give me a quick rundown on blockchain and intend on writing an article based on my thoughts and ideas as well.

Other than that; folks, that’s pretty much it. At least for now. As time goes on I’m sure I’ll have more for you. I hope you found at least some of this entertaining, and I encourage anyone and everyone to reach out to me about anything. I love good conversation.

Cheers!
Trent

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Great article

Welcome to Steem @triggersnitch I have upvoted and sent you a tip

welcome here @Triggersnitch ! Nice post, i will follow your account, please follow me...

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 Welcome to this incredible platform, hope everything will work out for you. Being here it’s not easy but not difficult neither only an extra effort will go a long way, engagement is the key good luck I’m @tinashe Start by Following ,Upvoting &Resteeming people and they will do the same. 

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Sounds like you've had a crazy ride!
I am looking forward to those articles. Its hard to find good, none biased information or reviews of crypto...it's either "buy this -insert trash coin here- now or you will be sorry!" or " Bitcoin is dead....its the end of crypto as we know it...sell everything now!" whatever people are sayin nowdays...
see ya around bud!

Exactly! I've noticed nothing but these "invested" style articles and I want to do everything I can to get away from that. Real information and as little bias as possible (we all know we're biased to some extent.)

I agree. I just like what the crypto world has to offer...other than that, I just think of my small investments as a savings account. no sweat right?

Wow! Major props for still having a positive outlook on life after all you've been through.

Here's a well-deserved upvote.

Hello and good luck in this platform: share ideas and your skills in pics.; lots of work if you want to make it. Here a link to one of my posts.

https://steemit.com/life/@indepthstory/why-do-we-humans-drink-alcohol-are-we-conditioned-to-alcoholism-are-we-not-strong-enough-to-say-no-might-it-be-hereditary

Find it interesting? … click on the FOLLOW and we’ll keep “talking”.

Sincerely,

@indepthstory