John Shrader 18: Hell freezing over despite climate change

[SilverBeach]

On 9/4/2019 at 4:48 PM, thoughtful said:

tall shortness

Jumbo shrimp.

[Aine]

4 hours ago, Curious said:

I find this interesting.  I guess maybe this new experimental device causes bone to grow faster than normal or maybe John is just that special.

I ended up having my second fusion 4 months after the first because an aide in the skilled nursing facility was in broke my protocol for movement and gave me a compression fracture in the vertebrae directly under the fusion.

We knew I would have to have this second fusion, but the plan was for 12-18 months after the first one so there was plenty of time for the first fusion to be stable.   I grow spinal bone faster than the average bunny (a congenital defect) and was told that a fusion isn't fully "healed" for up to 18 months and wasn't stable until a minimum of 6 months.  

I was in a clamshell brace for the first 6 months of the second fusion since the first one was not fully stable yet and my surgeon wanted the extra protection after the loss of a vertebrae (I have a cage at T12).

Ugh to the aide not following protocols  I can't imagine your frustration and pain, and probably your surgeon's frustration, when that happened. I have back problems and find it debilitating quite often but your strength in speaking openly about your's has given me more perspective and knowledge, so thank you. I hope some of the treatments have given you some periods of relief.

As to John, I think this supposedly non-invasive and disc replacement may need less bone remodeling than a fusion? And bone growth is pretty variable and can be dependent on the overall bone health of the individual. Age is generally an okay predictor of bone health if we're talking about healthy individuals that maybe have an acute bone injury but it's less of a predictor if you take into account other health factors. When I had pins put in my arm after a clean break at 15ish yrs old, I was back to contact sports after 3 months. Cast off in 4-5 weeks, PT after that, and then I was good. I did some reading and it seems it depends on a multitude of factors and what bones are regrowing and how much they need to regrow: 

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_long_does_remodeling_of_bones_take_normally

I read further than that link but the best prediction I could find, the absolute minimum, was 3 months for the bone growth to really enter the tertiary phase. Somehow I don't think John is optimal overall health and he is no longer a spring chicken so he's extremely optimistic about the 3 month timeline. My non-medical opinion but based on my reading, I think they probably gave him a timeframe such as 3-6 months for some stability (second mineralization or the "anchor" as John calls it) and then 3-6 months after that for tertiary growth. However, John being John just heard "3 months (HEY! IT'S THANKSGIVING! PERFECT!)" and "3 months" and off he goes. As much as I dislike the man, I do hope he doesn't push his body beyond the point to which it has healed in the coming months and only for the sake of Esther and those children.

[Palimpsest]

John is on a recovery roll.

Quote

For our new friends who are praying for us, but would like to know more about our ministry, this is our last video update from a year ago.
 

Well this is the last video: 

 

 

It is actually hilariously funny with the kids' voices doing doom and disaster.

"Lies of religion!!!!111!!"  Well, John, you know all about those.

Quote

If you take the time (just 10 min.), you will see the great door God has opened to us through a Zambian Lozi Chief. In this video is shared our 5 greatest prayer requests (nothing about money or physical things). We never ask for anything except prayer for spiritual things/needs, in our posts, emails, or prayer letters.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the Lozi Chief will lose interest in John.  And that video leaves out the news of the Grace church plant in Mulamba biting the dust.  Poor Boyd must be working very hard in Kafue as well as at the Freedom church plant in the Western Province.

Quote

 

I will be working on a new ministry update video after I return back home to Zambia, as well as a separate video report of the highlights of the story with its incredible testimonies and amazing and miraculous things God has done through my health situation and surgery.

Thank you for your prayers dear friends. They mean the world to us.

Bro. John

 

Oh, lordy.  I can't wait for the next two videos.  Will Truthiness church in Kafue still be functioning? Will Bro. Boyd have strayed from the Gospel according to Shrader?  How many Satanic attacks will have happened without John at the helm?

12 hours ago, Aine said:

However, John being John just heard "3 months (HEY! IT'S THANKSGIVING! PERFECT!)" and "3 months" and off he goes. As much as I dislike the man, I do hope he doesn't push his body beyond the point to which it has healed in the coming months and only for the sake of Esther and those children.

He is at least aware that he shouldn't go on long drives back to "the bush" for several more months after Thanksgiving.  That is why I think the chief he is besotted with will lose interest and find another missionary.

Quote

 the three month mark, which is right before Thanksgiving, our family's favorite time of year! By then, most of the bone growth will have happened to anchor around the cobalt chromium and titanium disc replacement devices, which amazingly preserve motion.

They will then want me to wait a few more months to returning back to going out into the Bush.

 

Edited September 8, 2019 by Palimpsest
punctuation

[Curious]

On 9/8/2019 at 12:01 AM, Aine said:

Ugh to the aide not following protocols  I can't imagine your frustration and pain, and probably your surgeon's frustration, when that happened. I have back problems and find it debilitating quite often but your strength in speaking openly about your's has given me more perspective and knowledge, so thank you. I hope some of the treatments have given you some periods of relief.

The pain was excruciating.  I was trying to pull away from her because she was pulling me straight forward and since I wasn't at the edge of the bed yet, it was going to bend me in half (breaking no BLT (bending, lifting, twisting).   She yanked me straight forward and I heard/felt the snap and screamed which startled her and she let go resulting me in falling straight backward on the bed.

I complained of pain immediately to no avail.   After that point, I was literally bent at a 90 degree angle.  I could rest my head on my walker when walking if I had wanted to.  It was bad.   After that, it was hard for me to do PT due to the pain and the fact that I was now L shaped.   One PT decided to have a "talk" (in a loud, booming voice making sure the entire gym could hear) about how (paraphrasing) I was being a slack ass and needed to take responsibility for my refusal to try harder.  Nevermind, that I had worked my ass off and my PTs had no complaints about me, as far as I was ware.  The PT that dressed me down did so based on observation in the gym for several days when I was admittedly much less enthusiastic.

The next day I had a new PT and when she became annoyed that I was taking too long to walk to her desired spot, started poking me and telling me to hurry up.  When I stopped for a moment to catch my breath (because it's pretty hard to walk when you are in that much pain) she stood next to me and poked my arm over and over telling me to get moving.    

We also found out that they falsified my medical records and added things that I supposedly said into my record.  Things that I never said and never would have said.   We found that out when we were considering suing 2 of the facilities I was in.   That is another clusterfuck story.

I'm glad my experience has been helpful to you.  That is the main reason I am open about my medical stuff.  If I can save one person from the kind of stuff I've gone through or help someone be better able to advocate for themselves it's worth it.

On 9/8/2019 at 12:01 AM, Aine said:

As to John, I think this supposedly non-invasive and disc replacement may need less bone remodeling than a fusion?

You are right.  I didn't take that into consideration which I should have.  I still have some doubts he is going to heal and everything is going to be puppies and rainbows as soon as he thinks he is, but maybe he will.  If so, I hope he starts taking care of his kids more often (or at all).

I am surprised they would ok such long flights though.   I'm not sure how long it takes to fly from the Cayman Islands to Texas, but several hours I would think.    After my 1997 lumbar laminectomy the surgeon and a sports medicine dr. both highly recommended I not drive from South Dakota to DC at 6 weeks post-op, I wasn't driving, I was a passenger, but my circumstances gave me no choice.  We took 5 days because I could only handle so long in the moving van.

On 9/8/2019 at 12:01 AM, Aine said:

I read further than that link but the best prediction I could find, the absolute minimum, was 3 months for the bone growth to really enter the tertiary phase. Somehow I don't think John is optimal overall health and he is no longer a spring chicken so he's extremely optimistic about the 3 month timeline. My non-medical opinion but based on my reading, I think they probably gave him a timeframe such as 3-6 months for some stability (second mineralization or the "anchor" as John calls it) and then 3-6 months after that for tertiary growth. However, John being John just heard "3 months (HEY! IT'S THANKSGIVING! PERFECT!)" and "3 months" and off he goes. As much as I dislike the man, I do hope he doesn't push his body beyond the point to which it has healed in the coming months and only for the sake of Esther and those children.

This makes sense and is probably the case.   I learned my lesson after my first surgery and tend to go with the outside timeframe because I find it better for my mental health.    IME, some doctors like to be overly optimistic and for me, when their prediction doesn't happen it throws me into a pretty deep depression.   I have found that I usually am healed by the outside time and I don't feel like I suck because I didn't get back to my "normal" in some unrealistic time frame.

[Aine]

@Curious, I am absolutely livid on your behalf. How anyone, let alone 'health professionals', could treat anyone how you were treated never ceases disgust me. I've seen and experienced and heard about from my traumatized patients enough experiences to know it isn't a rare occurrence. I cannot wrap my mind around how someone can't just take a step back, empathize, and realize even if someone is 'sabotaging their own recovery' or 'lazy', humiliation and abusive tactics are not the way to address it or motivate anyone. Especially so soon after huge surgery and there is zero percent chance they are pain-free no matter the procedure.

To be clear, I am not putting you into the category they did, just saying even if you were or for the people who maybe are unmotivated to do their PT, no one should ever ever be treated like that. You were mistreated, not listened to, and the victim of multiple layers of malpractice and 'motivation' is such a nothing word when you have been reinjured and are in excruciating pain.

A lot of my own physical injuries and pain today come from my days as an athlete and being convinced there is some sort of glory, strength, and pride of continuing despite incredible amounts of pain. I put my life in danger a couple of times on the rugby field by "getting up and sucking it up" when I'd sustained serious injuries such as broken ribs. Pain tells us something, it's a message, and sometimes you need to push through mild pain for good (e.g. holding a stretch on a tight muscle...but it should be mild!) but most of the time, you need to find out what has gone wrong to cause the pain. There is no glory and no pride to be had in pushing through excruciating pain unless you know it is safe to do.

You are one strong person, @Curious

[Curious]

Thank you

I was surprised how rampant neglect and sometimes outright abuse is in, particularly, skilled nursing facilities.

I fared better than my first roommate at the one that gave me the compression fracture.  She was a sweet little old lady of about 85. Just a tiny little thing, if she weighed 90 pounds soaking wet I'd be surprised.    One day the nurse brings her back to the room, gets her into bed and says "oh honey are you cold?  you're shaking"  Throws a blanket on her and tells her she will be back to check on her.

We couldn't have the TV on because I was hallucinating due to the incredibly high dose of Neurontin they had me on and I thought "they" were talking to me through the tv (among other things) so the room was pretty quiet since only the roommate's tv was on. 

Fortunately, I was lucid at the time and could hear her breathing.  We had a dog with congestive heart failure and I tended to count respirations from so much time watching out for him.  I started counting and asked my husband to take a picture of her.  He did and showed me and I said go get a nurse NOW.

So a nurse came back with him, looked at my roommate, RAN out of the room and maybe 1-2 minutes later people start filing into the room.  They wheeled her to the ambulance with an EMT on top of her on the gurney giving her CPR.   She lived, thankfully.   

When we were looking into suing that facility, I heard so many scary stories about things that had happened to residents.

I also found out it's not unusual for medical professionals to overdose their patients, which fills me with all kinds of good feelings.  I always ask what they are giving me if I don't recognize it and I ask what they are putting in with injections and IVs.  If nothing else it makes them double check so hopefully one of us can stop something bad happening.  Fortunately, I'm not allergic to the majority of meds so giving me an antibiotic incorrectly isn't likely to off me

I've never had broken ribs, but from what I'm aware that is super painful.  You are pretty strong yourself to be playing rugby with broken ribs    The hubris of youth often makes us think we are invincible!

I hope you have good pain control now.  it's so important for quality of life.

[Palimpsest]

Bestill my foolish heart, we have a new poem.  Oh joy, oh rapture!  And John is "watching for danger" because of his "new found fame."

John's poem:

Quote

I Once Met A Man Who's A Lozi

I once met a man who's a Lozi,
At a Barclay's ATM
And there we spoke of Jesus,
As we shared some tracts with him

The Lozi's are the only tribe in Zambia,
That still do have a king
And this man we met was family,
Yes he was Lozi royalty

An amazing thing then happened,
He visited our church in Kafue one day
And then he kept on coming,
Even though it was a very long way

And then a day I can't forget,
Until Eternity resounds
This dear man wanted to examine,
If "in Christ" he truly was found

Oh the precious time together,
As we opened up God's Word
And he listened so intently,
And the verses carefully observed

Then as He sought the Savior,
In prayer and asking God
God brought to his heart assurance,
As he told me with an affirming nod

Then God raised this man up quickly,
A Senior Chief the appointment came
And now in the B.R.E. in Sioma,
Is where this Chief now reigns

He's invited us to his village,
But to greater doors he holds the key
He's given us permission,
In both his districts the righteousness of God to preach

I wish I could it express it,
How much I love this Chief
How humbled I am God brought him,
The story's almost beyond belief

And I pray that we will continue,
The Glorious Gospel to proclaim
But we both must watch for danger,
That comes with new found fame

For pride's an abomination,
To our Holy God above
Whether it's pride of station,
Or "look at what I've done"

For I must be oh so careful,
Even as a missionary
That as I share the testimony,
It's not so men look at me

Our lives are but a vapor,
They'll quickly vanish away
And then before our Savior,
We will stand in judgment that day

Will we find our works as ashes,
As I Corinthians 3 doth warn
Or will our lives bring forth beauty,
And receive from our God rewards?

Now God is clearly working,
In Barotsi Land today
And may we never hinder,
Because of pride in any way

Our Jesus wants to teach us,
He said in Matthew 11:29
How to be meek and lowly,
How to put down our pride

He wants us to be with Him,
To be found yoked to Christ
But that can not be possible,
If we walk in any pride

So please pray for Western Province,
There's a great work there God wants to do
But just as great His working,
He desires to do in me and you.

Bro. John Shrader
Texas, recovering from Back Surgery
9/11/19

My version:

I Once Met A Man Who's A Lozi

I once met a man who's a Lozi,
And with him I quickly got cozy;
Because he's a chief!
(Well that's my belief.)
But my long sermons make him feel all dozey.

Given the fact that Shrader seems to have no plans to move away from the creature comforts of Kafue, that he isn't supposed to go on long car drives for 6 months, and that he only has one person (Boyd) who he trusts to minister for him, I think  Barotseland will be OK for a bit.  John also needs to pick up the pieces in Kafue and Mulamba before he tries to convert Beyond.

And, Johnny, stop boasting.  Saying that you are not walking in pride does not mean that you aren't!

 

[CTRLZero]

1 hour ago, Palimpsest said:

At a Barclay's ATM

The poem got off to such a great start!  I always love it when people loiter around an ATM, don't you?  ? 

 

[thoughtful]

What a conceited dithering asshole he is. I know, that's not news. But sometimes I just need to say it.

I like your poem much better, @Palimpsest. Here's another:

A dolt with a common-sense dearth,

Who claimed to be threatened at birth,

Then complained of his back,

And Satan's attack,

And thought he was God's gift to Earth.

[Palimpsest]

I feel a song coming on ...

?

I have a song to sing, O
(Sing me your song, O)

It is sung for a grift by a great spend thrift
Who flees from FJers' mocking-o

It's the song of a Missionary moping mutt
Whose soul was sick and his prayers were dumb
Who begs no grifts but he's a piece of scum

As he sighs for the love of a Lozi

Hey-di, hey-di, misery me, lack-a-day-de
He begged no cash but he's a piece of scum
As he sighs for the love of a Lozi

I have a song to sing, O
(What is your song, O?)

It is sung with the ring of coins rattling in tins
Who love with a lust life-long-o

It's a song of a petty prat plonker proud
Who loves a Chief and who prays too loud

We all moan at the missionary moping scum
Whose soul is sick and his prayers are dumb

Hey-di, hey-di, misery me, lack-a-day-de

He grifts no grifts and that makes him glum
As he sighs for the love of a Lozi

 

[Curious]

7 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

Bestill my foolish heart, we have a new poem.  Oh joy, oh rapture!  And John is "watching for danger" because of his "new found fame."

John's poem:

My version:

I Once Met A Man Who's A Lozi

I once met a man who's a Lozi,
And with him I quickly got cozy;
Because he's a chief!
(Well that's my belief.)
But my long sermons make him feel all dozey.

Given the fact that Shrader seems to have no plans to move away from the creature comforts of Kafue, that he isn't supposed to go on long car drives for 6 months, and that he only has one person (Boyd) who he trusts to minister for him, I think  Barotseland will be OK for a bit.  John also needs to pick up the pieces in Kafue and Mulamba before he tries to convert Beyond.

And, Johnny, stop boasting.  Saying that you are not walking in pride does not mean that you aren't!

 

His pomes are slightly better than Raquel's, but that isn't exactly a high bar.

Is it just me and it could be because I know nothing about poetry, but I feel like the meter is off.  It reads smoothly to me and then the 3/4 line don't.  

How is he famous now?  Is he being covered in the news or something we haven't posted about? (I admit I didn't make it all the way through the pome)

6 hours ago, thoughtful said:

What a conceited dithering asshole he is. I know, that's not news. But sometimes I just need to say it.

I like your poem much better, @Palimpsest. Here's another:

A dolt with a common-sense dearth,

Who claimed to be threatened at birth,

Then complained of his back,

And Satan's attack,

And thought he was God's gift to Earth.

Is that a limerick?

[thoughtful]

1 hour ago, Curious said:

Is that a limerick?

Yes. And, to avoid a one-word answer, here is one I did not write, and that has nothing to do with John Shrader:

A bather whose clothing was strewed
By breezes that left her quite nude
Saw a man come along
And unless we are wrong
 

Spoiler

You expected this line to be lewd.

 

[Ozlsn]

6 hours ago, Curious said:

How is he famous now?

He's on Reddit and FJ! Immortality at last!

I suspect he also has a certain level of infamy in Zambia (and beyond!) missionarying circles too.

[mango_fandango]

Oh my god. Alatheia (think she’s the oldest daughter? The one next to John) looks EXACTLY like her dad. If you tied her hair up and gave her glasses, you’d be hard pushed to tell the difference. 

As much as I dislike Johnnie Goodboy Shrader* (what an ironic name eh) I hope his back problem doesn’t get worse. The last thing that poor family needs is for John to be seriously disabled/wheelchair-bound. 

*just to be clear I haven’t seen Battlefield Earth but my brother has. He and some university friends have this ongoing thing called Bad Film Nights. 

[NoneIsEnough]

Was just catching up with John, and the first line of his new poem sounds so much like the beginning of a limerick, I had to come up with my own. Then I saw I was late to that game as others have done the same.

But here's what I wrote anyway:

I Once Met A Man Who's A Lozi

I wished for us to get cozy

I preached about Jesus

And where he could come see us

But then he asked me to mosey

[NoKidsAndCounting]

On 9/12/2019 at 12:45 AM, mango_fandango said:

Oh my god. Alatheia (think she’s the oldest daughter? The one next to John) looks EXACTLY like her dad. If you tied her hair up and gave her glasses, you’d be hard pushed to tell the difference. 

As much as I dislike Johnnie Goodboy Shrader* (what an ironic name eh) I hope his back problem doesn’t get worse. The last thing that poor family needs is for John to be seriously disabled/wheelchair-bound. 

*just to be clear I haven’t seen Battlefield Earth but my brother has. He and some university friends have this ongoing thing called Bad Film Nights. 

Haha!  I love the Bad Film night idea.  Please suggest that they watch Logan's Run or Dune.  Those are hilariously terrible, and I love them.

[EyesOpen]

Wasn’t John supposed to be heading back to Zambia this week? It’s been quiet.

[Palimpsest]

2 hours ago, EyesOpen said:

Wasn’t John supposed to be heading back to Zambia this week? It’s been quiet.

Yep, he just updated.  He's made it back to Kafue, you doubting Thomases.

Quote

Hello dear friends and prayer partners. Made it safely home to Kafue, Zambia not too many hours ago by the Grace of God, but still greatly need your continued prayers for recovery and rehab.

It is truly so very wonderful to finally be back with my family, what a joyous reunion with Esther and our precious children.

At present I'm just dealing with the exhaustion from the trip, plus jet lag/messed up time zones on top of that, compounded by irritation of the surgical site, and trying to readjust my meds schedule to this time zone.

I'm also greatly looking forward to the reunion with our precious church members and those we are ministering to here very soon.

Love you all, God has truly done a miraculous and marvelous thing, and the testimonies and story will literally fill a small book, which I plan, if the Lord wills, to write and give away. He has been so good to us, far beyond imagination. Praise The Lord God Almighty!!

With love and gratitude,

Bro. John Shrader
Zambia

Oh, dear Rufus!  He's planning to write a book about his miraculous back surgery.   At least that might keep him from pestering the locals.

[Loveday]

"Give away." Yeah, right. With heavy-handed hints to contribute to his "ministry," I'm sure.

[Gobsmacked]

He didn't write a thing about Esther's health, how she is coping with this pregnancy etc I presume? 

[Palimpsest]

1 hour ago, Gobsmacked said:

He didn't write a thing about Esther's health, how she is coping with this pregnancy etc I presume? 

Of course he didn't.  John is only interested in John.  Esther is just the ever producing and ever dutiful Helpmeet.  Although I think she is swimming in the koolaid as much as Johnny.

Hey, Johnny, you self centered arse, how did your two oldest boys like being back in the USA?   How did they cope with Daddy having this urgent surgery?   Did you think about them at all when you swanned off to get your back fixed while leaving them with people they had not seen for 5 years?   And are you not incredibly grateful to them for accompanying you back to the US and helping to carry the many bags (probably of grifted loot) for you on the way home? 

It is always all about Johnny.  Esther and the children are not relevant to John's self-aggrandisement.

 

Edited September 20, 2019 by Palimpsest

[Gobsmacked]

Will say it again - I despise John. 

[Granwych]

On 9/20/2019 at 1:54 PM, Palimpsest said:

Yep, he just updated.  He's made it back to Kafue, you doubting Thomases.

Oh, dear Rufus!  He's planning to write a book about his miraculous back surgery.   At least that might keep him from pestering the locals.

The locals must have run out of toilet tissue by now.

 

and an off-topic question:  why is TP referred to as “bath tissue ?”  My inquiring senior mind wants to know.

[gustava]

I bet he flew either first or business class.

[zeebaneighba]

15 hours ago, Granwych said:

The locals must have run out of toilet tissue by now.

 

and an off-topic question:  why is TP referred to as “bath tissue ?”  My inquiring senior mind wants to know.

Because Americans are prudes and can't deal with the word "toilet."  In many other countries, the bath room is where you take a bath; the toilet is off by itself in another room.  They happily call a toilet what it is. Our sensibilities are apparently too delicate for that.