[Harp-L] interesting story



 Had to go to the emergency room at 4:30 am last Sunday. It would take a leg falling off for me to go so you know it was serious. It was! They performed a procedure with in ten minutes and slapped me into intensive care for two days and then two more in a regular room. My tongue was very infected and swollen with puss. It took a week to get like that and when my breathing started to get cut off it was time to go. All my glands were swollen and a friend said I looked like a chipmunk. Hadn't eaten in three days, couldn't swallow, talk, or chew, very little sleep due to pain.  Everything hurt, teeth, scalp, headache,  what a trip.  Doctors had never seen this  before , it took me a day to figure it out. Here it is. About three years ago I loosened a lower right tooth from playing the
 jaw/jews harp and harp.  I kept playing and  over 2 years it got more and more loose and finally got infected in the root and tried to spread. Xrays  showed I would loose two teeth and on return to the dentist three had to go. Oh well, got  a partial and I looked better than before but I always seemed to be biting my tongue. Over the last three months I've increased my playing and have been video recording because I' m going to scale my playing way back so as to redirect the energy and time into other interests. Many inventions and ideas. Wanted to capture some stuff while I could. So there I was playing four nights a week with a bite wound on the left side of my tongue and then just add the secrete ingredient. Dirty harmonicas! They were due for a cleaning, but, too late Jimmy, you loose Buckwheat!
I had to write the problem and info on a 3x5 card while I was sitting in the ER parking lot, couldn't
 speak. They knew it was an emergency and right there in the ER the Doc whipped out a monster needle and with no pain killer asked my to put my head back and lift my tongue. Stuck that sucker in and sucked out 8 CC's of puss, wiggled it around and sucked some more. Holly Harmonica Harry! Right into intensive care with IV's and on antibiotics, still taking pills at home for five more days. So how's that for a story?
A much used thread here about harp cleaning and if this doesn't drive home the importance I think nothing might. I never eat before playing or on break but you can't help but to accumulate some gunk so be careful. It could have killed me.
 I'm learning how to edit my footage and hopefully will post some stuff down the road. I play a lot of side percussion to add to the band instead of just standing there, I think you'll find it interesting. I'm almost recovered, thank you.

Reach







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