Category: General

Pushing The Fundraiser

My goal was to be on the move by the end of this month. Thanks to a couple of things, it is now a real possibility. If, and I stress IF, I can raise the rest of the money in the fundraiser.

One of the things making it a possibility is that we may finally have the blood pressure coming under control. Instead of me running around in the 175-189/99 (or higher) range, we have it consistently under 140/90 and may even be on track to a consistent 110 (or less)/80 range. Jury is still out on that, but it is nice to not have to worry about stroking out. At one point, before the open-heart surgery, it was well above 200/100. The only good news from all this is that I likely don’t have any aneurysms simply because if I did, they would have already blown.

Sadly, we may not get to do the cognitive therapy that we would like to do. Insurance turned down the first application for it, but there apparently was an option for the provider to appeal. Would love to do at least some of it…

I was very lucky on several fronts, particularly on the cognitive side. There was no physical damage. While there are some cognitive issues, they seem mostly to be in one area and while some of the data is scrambled, so to speak, a lot of it should shake out over the next three years. Getting on out West will help with that, since the weather changes do have an effect on more than just the body.

The warmer, dry climate will help body and mind. If you don’t want to use the GiveSendGo site, feel free to hit the tip jar in the upper right. Everything helps, and with your help we can push this along and get me on out of here.

Thanks!

The Location Is Set

I’ve got a new update up at the fundraiser on GiveSendGo. Short version: past time to get out of here and out there. Location selected. Just need to be able to pay the movers and get all the deposits and such in place. The rest will sort itself out as things move along. If you don’t want to donate via the fundraiser, feel free to hit the tip jar in the upper right (PayPal). Thank you all very much for your help and prayers. Both are very much appreciated.

Thank You For Your Continued Help And Support

Starting the fundraiser was not an easy choice to make. It is difficult to admit that help is needed, and continues to be needed. It is hard to ask others to do things for me, even though I literally can’t do some physical things that I did before the lightning strike and all that has happened. It is difficult to have the wisdom not to try to do some of the things I would like to do. So, I want to say thank you very much for the help with the fundraiser and all the prayers that have been offered up for me. I hope both continue.

As I noted the other day, the cost of hiring movers to move me — another of those things I literally can’t do myself this time — has doubled. There is a need to make deposits and take care of the utilities and other items where I’m headed. The actual move is going to eat up pretty much all of what is left on the fundraiser.

Meantime, we continue to work on the blood pressure issues. I’m not thrilled with the pace. I very much wish the cardiologist was a bit more aggressive, but at least we are moving forward on getting me down out of stroke range.

Yesterday, I got in to see my ENT doc and ended up getting a full audiology test. The results confirm I have lost the higher frequencies in my right ear, and that it is nerve damage. Now, if it was from the lightning strike, things previous, or a combination of things: your guess is probably about as good as anyone else’s. I suspect it is a combination and I do wish there was some way to turn down the ringing in my ears, particularly the right. While the right ear could benefit from a hearing aid, we are going to wait a year to do another test to have a good baseline for making that decision. Oh, and the sensation of one or both ears feeling as if they are full of wax, water, other? It is related to the hearing loss in both ears and I will get used to it at some point. Rah.

Still recovering from the diverticulitis flare, slowly getting back to a normal/new normal. There’s no way it could be related to the lightning strike, but the list of conditions that have popped up since being hit is far larger than I would like.

All of which makes for interesting times. I do well in the mornings once I get going. It takes longer than it did to get going. I can sustain moderate to normal activity for a fair bit, but by early afternoon I’m starting to fade a bit. The cardiologist was kind enough not to note that we don’t bounce back the same as we get older when I acknowledged that I’m doing well under the circumstances though not bouncing back as fast or far as I would like. As I noted before, it’s a bit rough to learn that some of the stun gun effects to the brain will take about three years to heal/shake out. It’s also rough to know that six months on from the surgery I still can’t do a fraction of what I used to do physically. I just have to keep pushing on all of it, and at some point I should get back close to where I was before the strike.

With your continued help and prayers, I will do that. Thank you again for your support, encouragement, and prayers. As always, if you don’t want to do GiveSendGo, you can hit the tip jar in the upper right as well.

Welcome New Readers

And welcome back to some of my regulars as well. I plan to try to keep Saturday light; however, the world may have something to say about that. I hope it doesn’t, but that it will do so seems the safe way to bet these days.

I also want to welcome my new readers in Moscow, Beijing, and DC. To the person in Beijing, I don’t know who you pissed off to draw this assignment, but at least it’s better than trying to pull coherent thoughts out of Biden’s ramblings. Given all I’ve had to say about Putin, Biden, and Xi, fully expect to get a cologne tester in the mail that makes me do the twitching chicken or to find classified materials or worse in the system.

For those who feel I give a lot of reasons not to sleep, here’s another. Our amazing vice president of the custom knee pads is one heartbeat away from being president. Frankly, that should scare everyone at home and abroad.

It’s cold here today and I plan to stay inside, do laundry, and other mundane tasks. The body is not happy with the weather changes, even though warmer is on the way.

*****

If you like what you are reading, feel free to hit the tip jar in the upper right or the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo. Getting hit by lightning is not fun, and it is thanks to your help and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Slow But Steady, And Very Frustrating

On some levels, the recovery from the surgery is not just amazing, but bordering on the miraculous. As I think I’ve noted before, there has been very little pain. The nerve blocks and drugs that blocked the nerves worked wonders, and long enough to get past the worst of the first. The plates in my chest are the other major factor, as they keep the breast bone together and make it where you have to work at it to have discomfort or pain. You can do it, but it takes effort — thank goodness.

Getting back to normal activities has been rapid in some cases, and incredibly slow in others. My ability to look after myself and do normal living things (bathroom, cooking, etc.) progressed very rapidly once I was out of the hospital. On the other hand, doing physical activity of any kind, is slow. Part of that is just I can’t do what I used to do. Part is because despite this there is a temptation to push and to try to do too much too soon. Part is that even when I should be clear to do more, it’s not happening so as to help prevent me from doing too much too soon.

That makes rehab and other exercise activities intensely frustrating on more than one level. That said, I’ve also experienced once before what pushing too hard too soon gets you, and have no desire to ever repeat that. So, catch myself having to pull back more often than I care for. That’s particularly true for walking, as I need to keep my pace down for now. And, yes, I’m actually coordinating my off-day walking with the good folk at rehab so that it complements what we are doing there (though I would just about kill to add some upper body work).

I will also be honest enough to admit that while I have bounced back a surprising amount, I’m not even close to where I need to be, much less want to be. I do great in the mornings, get things done, do my walks/rehab, maybe run some errands even. By mid-morning to noon, well, the charge starts to go out of the battery. By afternoon, well, I’m sorta toast. Six in the evening often finds me starting to head to bed, though I try to stay up until eight. This is why I wish the paperwork for rehab had not had issues — the more I rehab and exercise, the more I will bounce back. It just takes time, and it really does take sticking to the schedule I regard as slow. Me impatient? Never!

The drawback to all the activity is that, not unexpectedly, has kicked off a couple of things we need to deal with. Foremost among them are BP issues. Since BP issues were the first issue after the lightning strike, I really want to nip them in the bud. It looks like we have some progress starting on that, will take another week or three to see if we do have it dealt with. Until that is dealt with and I get some stamina back, I will remain out of work. Right now, given the path of rehab and such, looking more like February at the earliest. Anyone wants to hit the tip jar, feel free, but there is more news coming soon. And, yes, there are a few other things we are having to keep an eye on other than the BP. Surgery can, and has, done a lot. However, it can’t fix everything and one thing about lightening survivors is that both cardiac and neuro issues can crop on a long-term basis.

Which leads to some of the weirdest issues post surgery. First was a change in taste that continues to dog me a bit. Not long after surgery, ate and drank some things I normally like (in some cases, really like ALOT) and all but spit them out. A couple of drinks tasted like a mix between lighter fluid and washer fluid. A couple of meal items tasted like salty bitter decomposing leaves. Couple of other odd taste sensations, but those stood out. Some of that has moderated, but really notice bitter/salty tastes much more than I used to. Have even had to modify my coffee making to adjust to those changes.

Second, Mr-Never-Feel-The-Cold here is feeling the cold. Along with pressure changes and humidty changes, this new feeling of the cold has done a number on me and my arthritis. It also effects breathing and more. I’m very thankful that we’ve had a mild winter so far, as the few real cold days have been brutal. One reason I’m having to do as much mall walking as I’ve been doing is that I’m not supposed to walk outside if it is 45 or below. That can cause bronchial spasms, and those are unpleasant. Heck, if it’s 45 or below, I am not enjoying being outside period, and waiting for the car to warm up is less than fun (actually it can be miserable).

So, progress is being made. Just slower than I would like, though in many ways it is going better and faster than I have any right to expect. Meantime, need to look at some of the other issues going on and make some decisions. One thing I will not do is try to rush things, for that way lies madness and a much longer recovery. Crazy I may be, but stupid I do try to avoid.

More soon.

An Update

Sorry for the lack of posting, but it has been interesting. Some good, some, well…

On the good news front, I’m continuing to heal well and fairly rapidly. I’ve been remarkably pain free, and a good bit of that is because of the metal plates put in on my breastbone. They prevent a lot of movement and stress, which eliminates pain. There was a paperwork hangup with cardiac rehab, but we finally got that cleared and I did my first week of rehab last week. Going well, though slower than I would like. Of course. Days I’m not doing rehab, I’m going to a mall and walking before it opens. Accidentally got there after opening one day, won’t make that mistake again.

On the so-so front, blood pressure issues have returned along with a few odd sensations that we are monitoring. Want to get out in front of this to prevent any issues, and to avoid what happened the last time the BP did funny.

On the not-so-good front, my insurance company has just sent my BP through the roof. Last week, I called and spoke with a knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly representative about cardiac rehab and coverage of same. They had not received something they needed, so per her instructions I reached out to the doctor and then called back this week. The rep had put a note in the system on the issue that should have made things go smoothly. Sadly, I tend to get the good reps only about a quarter of the time, and this morning I hit the far more typical unhelpful, unfriendly, uninterested in doing anything. Apparently could not be bothered to read the note, told me that the rehab people would need to call them, and made clear that they could not and would not be bothered to actually provide help. When I asked to speak to a supervisor, was told that none were on the floor. When I pushed, was informed that if I gave her my name and number (both of which she already had) that a supervisor would call me “at their earliest convenience.” Now, add to this that I also found out that the have denied all claims related to the ER visit, the heart cath, and the open heart surgery because apparently there was no prior authorization before I went to the ER (and maybe I was supposed to call before each of the urgent/emergency procedures???). Very tempted that if I keep getting the run-around, will share the name of the company and anything else I can here. Figure if I’m going to be put on the hook for app. $350,000.00, that I should share the comedy gold that is trying to get customer service out of these people.

It’s Alive, It’s Alive!

It’s hard to believe that two weeks ago today I was technically dead. That my heart was stopped, my body put on a heart/lung bypass, and several things done while they had the chance. To my mind, they did three things: First, they replaced several arteries where the walls had become inflamed/thickened. Second, they put a metal clip on a spot on the back of my heart to prevent blood clots from forming. Third, they used both heat and cold on several spots to stop those areas as they were contributing to the atrial fibrilation.

They actually sent me home six days after the procedure, and while I do have a tendency to push and overdo things, I also have friends and a visiting physical therapist who cut me down to size very quickly on that. So, trying to follow the process, get in some good exercise without violating any restrictions, and slowly build back my strength and heal.

There has been very little pain involved in all of this. In fact, I’ve been amazed at how little pain there has been. After all, among other indignities, they cut my sternum in half, used a spreader on it, then glued/sutured/put on metal plates to put it all back together then. Indeed, some of the worst pain I had was where the ribs join the spine between the shoulder blades, as that area takes the brunt of the spreader. Some muscle relaxer and that was gone before I left the hospital. The worst part remains getting up in the morning, as the movement to get up and start getting out of bed without twisting everything is interesting, and you manage a bit of that anyway.

I don’t think anyone would have bet on my going home so soon. The first two or three days, everytime they stood me up/got me to stand up, my BP crashed. I suspect that if not for the external pacemaker attached to my heart, that it might have crashed as well. Things got figured out, and I rapidly went from a walker to no support at all. Right now, I’m home and while the physical therapist has limited the number of times I can go upstairs, I am mobile and as active as circumstances and guidelines allow. I do have a ways to go, but things are looking good right now.

The one thing I can’t emphasize enough right now is how gratefull I am for all the prayers and support that have come my way. I’m typing this post while sitting in a recliner that a number of my co-workers at the day job chipped in to get me when they found out I was going to buy one. The financial generosity of those who hit the tip jar has me covered for now in terms of bills and such while I don’t have a paycheck. Finally, the many prayers and good wishes have had an effect, and I don’t think I would be as far along as I am without them. God bless you all, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you!

More soon!

An Unexpected Development

Things got interesting this weekend, and Monday nearly saw me sent to the ER as a result. Wednesday morning, the cardiologist’s office did send me to the ER, and I was admitted. Spent last night in ER, then had a heart cath this morning. Unfortunately, they found some things that they could not fix. So, at app. 0700 tomorrow morning, I will have open heart surgery.

On one level, I am not looking foward to it. On another, I am really hoping they can get in, fix all the problems (which now includes pretty bad a-fib), so I can move back out on life. It will be rough, but… I’m annoyed that the new issues may impact all the other treatments, as I think I finally have gotten the logjam on TBI therapy busted up a bit. We will see.

By the way, if you aren’t reading Sarah A. Hoyt at her site or at Instapundit, you are truly missing some good reads. Her comment on my previous post is one I needed, and should be read by anyone having concussive or TBI issues. I can’t say how much I thank her for that comment, as it does mean a great deal to me.

I hope to be back to updating my journey soon, and sadly I will have the time as I will be off work for at least six weeks, and potentially up to three months. Hoping for the former, but years back learned that pushing too hard would set you back even worse. Going to try to do this right.

Be kind to each other, look after each other, and no mercy to those who despise liberty and individual rights. It is a beautiful world, enjoy it. See you in a few days I hope.

EDIT: As always, prayers very much appreciated. Feel free to hit the tip jar if you like.

Quick Update

First, my apologies at the delay in posting, and in getting out individual thank you’s to everyone I can reach. I’m spending a lot of time exhausted, but hope to get started on things Thursday. I am shocked, awed, and humbled at all of the support. It means a lot, a lot more than I can say.

Yesterday’s nuclear imaging stress test did not get the results the cardiologist wants/needs. As a result, in the coming weeks I will have to undergo a heart catheterization. The goal is to go in, figure out what is going on with one area of my heart, and if it can be fixed during the procedure, fix it. It is not what the cardiologist or I wanted, especially as I’m allergic to the dye/contrast to be used and that increases the risk. At the same time, if it can lead to fixing the issue, I’m all for it as I’m tired of being exhausted. That exhaustion is one reason I’m behind on a lot of personal things, including getting out the individual thank you notes. Right now, I’ve been having to use my days off just to rest up and recover.

More soon.