I am still here. This past 4 months have been crazy for me. David and I have been looking for a house in Texas. We have friends and family down near San Antonio and we have been spending hours and hours on the computer looking at houses, then we have them go and look at the houses and then we decide. Unfortunately we have had too many close calls, we are prepared to make an offer and the agent tells us that the house is off the market. This has happened more times than I care to tell you. So our search continues. But I am pretty sure that by the time we move that I will know every city and expressway around San Antonio and Austin.

It has been rough on Davids health, all the stress with looking for a house. So we have had some difficult times.

We were prepared to move before November so I hung onto my car so that we could just ship it down to Texas. Well as you can see we are still here and I am pissed at myself that I didn't put her into a climate controlled storage like I had for the past 4 years. She has been sitting in the cold garage and I am hoping that she is OK once we have to move her.

My oldest daughter got married at the end of November. She decided to get married where she and her fiance'. now husband live. So they flew all the parents out to Las Vegas for the wedding. So I spent the week in Vegas, wish I could say that I came back with a pocket full of cash, but I can't.

Once we got back I was right into adopting families for the holidays for Audiokarma.org. I shopped with 20+ families and seniors providing them with gifts, essentials and food for Christmas. All the while I was doing that I was working on the worst cold. So I spent the week between Christmas and New Years fighting a really bad cold, still have the damn cough from that cold.

So here we are today. I have been checking in here, just not posting. But I have to try to bring back some life and excitement cause there are a great group of people here.

I hope everyone had a Happy Holiday and are looking forward to a great cruising season.

Nancy

Wow Nancy sounds like a lot going on for you. Are thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

American Coney Island also sells kits, Detroit style conys of course. Dearborn Sausage hotdogs, buns, sauce and a Vidalia onion. Packed in Styrofoam with dry ice.

Well Nancy you answered my questions from the other post. Hope you find a new home and get settled in Texas soon so you can spend a little more time here.

Ken, glad you're stay in hospital was short. Do they have any ideas what was going on besides being dehydrated?

Wow Texas, just sick of Michigan? Texas is on my short list of places I would like to check out for possible relocation.

Only thing they told me Hank was, it was a real bad COPD night. Hope I don't have any more of them or I'll be pushin up daisy's for sure.

Well we hope you don't have any more either. Take care of your self Ken.

Im finally back on here ,my computer got hacked and messed up all my passwords and I could not get this one to reset until now .I have really missed you guys on here .Had to get my Laptop wiped clean by the I.T. dept at work and they gave me a better desk top instead of cleaning off the old one off .Anyway Im glad to be back amongst ya'll .

I think I speak for everyone when I say that we missed you buddy.

Yup, glad to hear from you John. We know you've been going through some tough times and happy that you're back.

Glad to be back among you guys ,I have missed you too.

Scare #2 so far this year
 

After dinner today I was in the computer room watchin TV and Judy was downstairs watchin the Dog Show on TV. I went downstairs and we both had some really great Valentines Day cake. Went back up stairs sitting there watchin "The Wall" on TV and noticed my left hand was feeling numb. Thought I was leaning on my arm wrong so I changed positions and nothing helped. Then my arm was going numb and the left side of my mouth was also and all the way down to my left foot. I hobbled downstairs and told her somethings wrong.

She said I'm not driving you this time...........hello 911.

Seems I had something called a TIA which is a "warning stroke" with stroke like symptoms that come on real fast but don't last long and does not cause brain damage.

Right away they did a CT scan of my head, 2 IV's, blood tests and just monitored me for a few hours. Doctor came back and said all tests and scans look good and to take it easy for a few days. He said its hard to nail down what caused it but gave me some pointers on things to do in the near future to make sure this doesn't happen again.

Hope everything turns out OK Ken. Sounds scary.

My father in-law was in a home, dementia, the last few years of his life. He suffered multiple TIA's while there. I think you need to get a 2nd opinion Ken.

My Mother n law has those but she is 93 years old ,take care of yourself Ken.

+1 Could not agree more. Do not hesitate to get after this before it turns into something worse.

2nd opinion not needed. I trust this Doctor, as he was not just a regular ER Doctor. He is one of the better known Doctors in this field that they had examine me. Right now he said for me to take the aspirin a day and get off my ass and do some kind of exercise daily even if its just a short walk to build up my stamina.

Ok Ken, take of yourself.

My Dr told me yesterday ,No Exercise this weekend ,just rest and plenty of fluids .After the Biopsy I had not planned any exercise anyway ,a little too sore .

Wow...scary Ken!!! Be careful
I've been there...still there and in therapy.
Sold the Chevelle...couldn't drive it...couldn't even open the hood.

Wow sounds a lot going on with others. Just spent the last 30 hours in bed. Haven't been this sick in a long time. Finally on the road to recovery myself.

WELL FFS ( for f--ks sake)

Well, it happened........had a stroke Sunday night. Had the same symptoms as Tuesday but they were lasting longer so Judy called 911.......guys went Hi Mr. Hayes (not good when EMT's know your name) and off we went. On the way there they said my BP was 244.......dont think it really was cuz at the hospital it was 190.

They did a MRI and more tests but couldnt nail down what caused it. Anyways befor being released my Doctor said I DID have a full blown Stroke and I was very lucky that there were no lasting effects from it. He put me on 3 meds and said I'll see you in a week.


The MRI showed some very old damage to the right side of the brain and the only time I had any damage to the head was in 68 when I hit the top of the windshield frame in a accident. Thats the only thing I can think of.

Came home around 4:30, took a shower, got dressed. Judy said lets go out to eat if your up to it? Hell yeah, I can handle it. Looked around for something I had in the hospital and Judy said she put it in the drawer in the desk at the hospital. Damn, I forgot it there. Good thing the hospital is only 2 miles from the house. Went back up on the 2nd floor and was approaching the Nurses station. Really sharp blonde nurse looks at me, raises her hand and says "Hey, weren't you in here a little while ago?" I said that was my twin brother and he had a stroke........she says oh, you look just like him.......I said that's because we are twins.........oh yeah. The other nurse that was my nurse says "Hi Ken"...I smiled. My nurses aid was a 28 year old fox who said, you come back to ask me out........jokingly. Said I left something in the desk........so she looked, is this it? Yep, aren't you glad we don't clean the rooms....jokingly. Then I went to dinner.

I feel pretty good but I'm getting tired of scaring myself and Judy.

Ken,Im glad you are feeling better but please take care of yourself .

Wow Ray, 30 hours in bed! I hope you are a LOT better feeling today!

Ken, sounds like you were pretty lucky in a way. I've known some guys that had strokes that really changed their life, in a bad way. I hope they figure out what is going on with you. Good luck.

Ray ,sorry I missed that you have been sick ,hope you are feeling better ,a lot of sickness everywhere it seems .

Hope you're feeling better Ray. Ken, scary stuff, good luck and take of yourself.

I HAVE A HUNCH........

I've got an appt with my regular Doctor on Friday......I have a hunch I didnt really have a TIA or a Stroke at all. Both Tuesday (TIA day) and Sunday (Stroke day) I was sitting in the same chair in exactly the same position when I got the symptoms. (all the numbness) At the hospital and after all the tests (that I passed) the Doctors and head of Neurology could not pinpoint the exact cause of these symptoms.

This morning I sat in the same chair in the same position and I'll be damned if the symptoms didnt come back. OH CRAP, is what I'm thinkin........NOT AGAIN !! So I got up and moved around for a few minutes and they went away. I sat down again (twice).....sure as shit, the symptoms came back both times. I'm thinking now that its a pinched nerve somewheres. Gonna have my Doc recommend someone close to here that can check me out. Man I'm knockin on wood, lookin for my rabbits foot and hopin I'm right on this one.

I ran my theory by the Doctor today that saw me in the Hospital. He said that no one even thought of that, cuz my symptoms were that of a stroke but it is a very good possibility that's what it is. I'll find out tomorrow.

Hope they figure it out for you. I'm finally back on my feet. Not eating a lot, but moving around.

Well that would be great if it's just a pinched nerve Ken.

Went to my Doctor and he checked my BP, was a little too high for him. Gave me 3 scripts for BP meds. Ran by him my theory and he's kinda iffy on it. Says get your BP down to at least in the 140's before we do any chiropractor stuff. I go back to see him on the 16th.

I have my own BP machine at home (its a good one) and am checkin it daily. After a week I went from 169/86 to 144/80. Been in the 140's for 3 days now. (I did some more checkin on my own and found out that men over 50 will have higher than normal BP. Also with me havin COPD its gonna be higher anyways.)

Oh yeah, I kept on playin around with my sitting positions and symptoms would come back until I moved around some. I did some checkin with my old office chair and found that the seat cushion is lower towards the rear than the front. (I had no problems with that chair) I looked at my new office chair and its set up opposite. So I loosened the front bolts and inserted 3/4" spacers and longer bolts. Seat feels better and no symptoms anymore.

I got the back thing going on to. I use a pillow in the small of my back in a chair. That really helps me. There are stretching and exercises you do strengthen your lower back that really make a difference.

I got all this stuff from my dad who sees a chiropractor. Seems this lower back pain is a family affair.

Sit ups, crunches is one of the best things you can do for your back. Seems strange but strengthening the abdominal muscles takes a lot of stress off the back.

5 days now BP still in the 140's.

6 days and 147/80

My vision in my right eye is finally coming back. Still blurry, but getting better. A week ago, I was pulling vines from the trees at my brothers place. Yanked on a pretty good sized one that was wrapped around a dead branch. Branch was about 2" in diameter. It snapped off and came flying down, like a slingshot, and gouged a trench in my eyeball. I had no idea that a scratched eyeball could cause that much pain.

Hank, I have all the palmetto roots dug out now. There are some smaller ones that are buried pretty deep, but the big bastards are gone. That is a major accomplishment.

Good job Tony, now try not to kill yourself working around there.

Went to the Docs today and showed him my BP results for last 15 days. Well, you only have a few days in the 140's...........so he took it this morning 139/78......THATS GREAT!! these numbers look pretty good to me.

I told him about repositioning the seat cushion on my chair and I have no more stroke like symptoms and he said that's good. As far as going to a Chiropractor he kinda balked and said maybe you just need a good massage...........HOT DAMN, never had one of those.

LOL be careful going to get a massage. That is the new callgirl secret handshake. Or don't and just live it up.

Went and saw a Chiropractor here by the house on Friday. Told him about my symptoms and my theory about a nerve being pinched and me adjusting my seat cushion. This Doctor has been doing this for about 35years, so I trust his judgement.

They took 3 xrays, 2 of the neck area and one full spine. He looked at 1 neck xray and said I diagnosed my problem very good. He showed me the xray and said for a 70 year old person my bones look great.........except for one area. He said I have an old injury that is causing two of my vertebrae to try and grow together and they are pinching a nerve that goes directly to my left hand and left side of my body. Said the injury looks like it might be about 50 years old.........HOLY CRAP, 49 years ago I was in a car accident where I hit the windshield frame with my forehead. I never told him about this before hand.

Long story made short, he said I can fix this up in less than a month. Go back to see him tomorrow and Wed.

Sounds good Ken, good luck.