Category: Medical Issues/Recovery

Just still dragging pretty badly. How bad? Four mugs of Russian Caravan tea this morning and still feel like a nap. Good news is that it didn’t take five minutes in the shower to get the right eye open this morning, but improvement is slower than I would like. Hate sore throats. Bleh. More soon.

I was going to post yesterday, but ended up spending most of the day in the ER. I apparently caught the cold/bug going around, but being me it had to be different. Because of my meds and such, I’m not supposed to look at decongestants of any type or description (or grapefruit, still not sure about that). Sneezing, coughing, and a massive amount of sinus congestion that built and built.

Finding bloody mucus in my ear and mucus starting to come up into my eyes (sinuses looking for any way to relieve pressure), decided I might need to let the pros take a look. Given the lightning strike and all the interesting coronary stuff after, the pros agreed.

After x-rays, swabs of various types, a 12-lead, and a partridge in a pear tree, they said that yep, I have a cold or bug. No on strep, flu, covid, or anything else. 12-lead was almost perfectly textbook (yay), BP and such fantastic (112/72 I think), and the x-rays not only showed no bad problems in the lungs but continued good healing in the chest. Got two prescriptions I’ve got to go get in a few minutes, one for the cough and one for an eye ointment as they are now inflamed.

How bad was it? Well, this morning after about five minutes I got one eye open enough to get around, and literally had to get in the shower to get both eyes open via warm water dissolving goop. Joy. My eyes are so red I look like an extra in zombie or evil creature movie. This stuff can’t go away fast enough. Really am tempted to take one decongestant, but am being good for now. I was mostly good yesterday, though I will admit that knowing how to lower the patient-proof rails on the beds is a good skill to have. Hey, I needed my book and phone, and to go to the bathroom at a different point.

I’ve got to run this morning to get the prescriptions filled, then have an appointment related to the disability claim. Lots going on, some commentary and snark hopefully inbound soon. BTW, my take on the treaty and failed Sarmat launch are that Vladimir is saber rattling and in the process enjoyed a Khrushchev moment. Sarmat/Satan II has had issues, which is why it didn’t replace Satan I several years ago as planned.

More soon.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving to the SW, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

For all that I feel like I was a WLB for writing this post, I have to admit that it was good to write it. It was a reminder to myself, and mayhaps others, that it is okay to have bad days. They are going to happen and we just have to ride them out. While the memory/cognitive side recovered quickly, and a memory ended up being recovered, the body has not and it was an interesting weekend.

To answer some questions, I want to expand on this post where I talk about what happened. Obviously, one of the first questions people have is ‘what was it like’ and one of the follow-ups is often along the line of ‘why aren’t you moved yet?’ I want to expand a bit on what it was like and some of what I’ve learned over this last year and a half.

Understand, some of the memories from around the time I was hit may be fuzzed up a bit. Go figure! It’s another reason I want to share this as if you or someone you know has a close encounter, there’s good reason to get checked out even if you think it missed.

I’ll skip a lot of the background, and will say that I don’t remember any lightning anywhere close to me at the time. There may have been a strike several blocks away, but nothing close. It was a habit to do flash/bang calculations of distance while watching storms, and I knew from that and radar that the storm was moving off.

Our best guess is that the lightning strike that got me hit a tree just off the porch and that some of it came over to say hello. How much is a good question, and the sad answer is that we don’t know and there is no way to tell. This is especially true since it took a couple of weeks for us to figure out I had been hit. More on that in a bit.

I think I remember that I had just put down the phone, which is in an insulated case, before the strike. In fact, just after I had done so was when my world went white. I remember thinking that I had clenched up out of fear, and yes I had a Buckley moment where I thought ‘this is going to hurt.’ Even as I thought that and my world went white, there was a roaring sensation — not sound — in my head, and it felt like my brain was vibrating at a very high frequency. Then my world went black and I remember part of my mind thinking ‘bleep, power’s out we will have to reset every flippin clock’ followed by the thought of wondering if I would see Hell, Heaven, or something else when the lights come back on. I really didn’t want to see Hell, but also remember being strangely calm and curious as I sat there locked up.

When I could see again, I was still on the porch. I was much relieved, and had several thoughts along the lines of ‘wow that was close, too close!’ I was surprised the phone was still working and that the lights were on inside. I will note that the radio in my car, which was parked partially under the tree at the time, was later found to be fried.

Since I was alive, I obviously couldn’t have been hit. Cough. Just take it as a given that in a case like this, you might not be thinking clearly. Add that to my normal Captain Oblivious state, and I didn’t have a clue. No major blast or burns, so again, I couldn’t have been hit. The most common injury reported in lightning strikes are concussion symptoms, and there is data that suggests that burn and blast injuries may not occur in a majority of cases. Keep that in mind if an arrogant/ignorant/inexperienced doctor tries to tell you that you/other don’t need to be checked out after a close encounter because you don’t have such. Keep in mind that most doctors never see, and even ERs may only see one or two lightning hits in a year or years. The linguistic/cognitive therapist who worked with me (wonderful lady!) was told she would only see one such case in an entire career. She has now seen two.

Now, let me take a moment to give some thanks and note a couple of miracles that morning. After all, one of the things I did after going inside was to give thanks to God and the Blessed Mother that I was alive and it had missed. Yeah, off a little on that last. First miracle, the entire bolt did not hit me, as at least some portion took out my car radio, and I suspect some went into the ground. Second, I wasn’t dead on the spot. If I had been sitting on the other side of the table, the electricity that did go through me would have gone directly through my heart, with the most likely result being me dead right there. Instead of the left, it went down (mostly) the right side of my body. Why do I say that?

Let’s chart the damage. In my right ear, I no longer hear any higher frequencies. The associated nerves are dead. My heart took some damage, but I was alive. There was a small, black hole in the ball of my right foot, and when I checked the shoes I was wearing that morning, you could see where rubber melted at the matching spot on the sole and where rubber had melted and reformed in lightning-type shape as the electricity ran to ground. I had concussion symptoms out the wazoo, and still have occasional moments of something similar to vertigo. The EEG and MRI show no tumors and obvious physical damage to the brain, but more on that in a bit. There may have been some other, non-permanent things, but if so, I missed them.

What I find fascinating is the amount of delayed damage if you will. We will never know for sure what might have turned out different if I had gone to the ER that morning. Could things have been caught/prevented? No way to be sure, as just doing a 12-lead would not (and did not) catch some of the damage. That took a heart cath. Do I wish I could have gotten in for cognitive testing and therapy much, much sooner (or that I had a neurologist who wasn’t as useless as teats on a boar)? Yes. Would it have prevented anything? No.

The cardiac issues were, in many respects, somewhat straightforward. The first indicator I noticed that there was damage/issues was when my BP hit somewhere in the neighborhood of 214/148. Two weeks (pretty much to the day I think) after the hit, the BP sent me to the ER though I just knew something was off. Visit to my doctor’s office the next day slowly started the ball rolling. I reached out to a very nice, helpful, and sadly retired MD who used to treat lightning strike and electrical shock victims. It was her gentle questioning that resulted in my learning that I had locked up, not clenched up, and it was somewhat amazing I was alive. It also led to my finding the hole in the ball of my right foot, which looked almost like a large-bore needle hole, but instead of the red track down through your skin and such, this one was black like carbon. It was also hard to see given the suddenly large callous. More on that in a minute.

My GP and I never did do a thorough search in my scalp and back, given that about three weeks had passed at that point. I really do wonder though if we might not have found an entry point back behind my ear given the number done on the audio nerves and other parts of the ear.

This was also the time of the Great Referral. With the BP issues continuing and increasing, time for a cardiologist. With the concussive effects and various issues cropping up, time for a neurologist. Issues were cropping up with the right foot, time for a podiatrist. No partridge in a pear tree though. Took some time, as only select doctors take my insurance. Cough. For all that it is not the best out there, and quite a few don’t take it, I will take a moment to note in thanks that for the last year and a half they have stepped up and done more than I ever expected. That could stop tomorrow, but it’s been a major factor in not moving as fast as I would like to do, as it will not move with me.

Let’s start with the podiatrist. It took a few weeks for my GP’s office to find one they liked that would take my insurance. Then we had to find an opening in his schedule. By then, it was painful to stand and walk on my right foot. Got in, he looked at my foot, and was the first doctor who believed me from the start. Even my GP had been skeptical. But, as the podiatrist looked things over, he sat there and told me how he wasn’t surprised it had exited there, why, and some other interesting stuff. He also was the first referral not to recommend surgery. Instead, he grabbed a scalpel and started back towards my foot. Think my reaction may have hurt his feelings, but it is better to tell me ahead of time what you are doing when approaching with sharp objects. He cut off a large amount of dead stuff, recommended custom orthotics and regular visits to a nail place to keep it trimmed, and since my insurance was not going to cover the orthotics, how to modify store bought to work. Great guy, if I ever need a podiatrist again, would go back in a heartbeat. While I bought some things to work on the callus, I did have to hit a nail place a couple of times as they wield the cheese grater far better than do I, and for about six to eight months after the strike it grew like the dickens.

Guess we do have to discuss the neurologist. To say they don’t have a good bedside manner is to venture into opposite world. The immediate take was, if I had been hit (no burn, no blast, pah), nothing can be done. Almost grudgingly ordered an EEG and MRI. When those showed no tumors, lesions, fractures, or other signs of gross physical damage, think they were pretty much done. Took a LOT of effort to get the referral to RHI for cognitive testing. Was worth it, even though the first opening they had was some six months out. So, it wasn’t until around February of 2022 that I got in to see them.

Spent a day being tested. Good news, I didn’t fail (NOTE: edited the good as just got my files and while I did good on some…). Bad news, yeah, you took a hit. Took a while to get it worked out with insurance, but did several therapy visits over a month or two where the excellent people explained things, helped me develop several coping mechanisms for the short-term memory problems, and did what they could to help. One of the most important: don’t beat yourself up. There are going to be slips, oopses, and such. Take a moment, relax, start over. That and pay attention to how you are doing. Know it’s a bad time, don’t try to do too much. Those are both sorta hard for me. Learned a lot from them, including the time it is likely to take for my brain to fully heal.

The cardiologist is the one I still see. Methodical. Took longer than I would have liked to get the BP down and under control. I’m not an impatient patient, really (sounds of hysterical laughter coming from my doctor’s offices). Some things weren’t adding up for her, so we started doing some testing including a nuclear stress test and imaging. Heart cath ordered, but afib got so bad that I was sent to the ER. At the ER, told them why I was there (and something told me to grab the go bags) and I was quickly put in a people mover (not a wheel chair) and sent back for a strip. Nurse/tech looks at it and disappears. When she comes back, I’m pushed back out into the waiting room and told firmly that I was admitted, I was not to leave or get up from the mover, and they would get me back as fast as they could given that they were full. Think I’ve put the full story elsewhere, but I ended up spending the night in the ER (FUN!), the next day had a heart cath, then a visit from the nice surgeon who said I could wait up to two weeks but it really would be a good idea to have open heart surgery the next morning. We did so, and it proved to be a remarkably pain free event and recovery. Still tease him that I want ten percent back from the bill since my cut is at a diagonal rather than straight up and down.

After recovery came the rehabs. 2022 was a year of rehab and testing. There was cardiac rehab, where I really enjoyed a couple of the staff (think I got one hooked on Baen Books) though I was rather frequently told to slow down, stop, take it easy. For whatever they may think, I was being good. Honest. At least for me. I’ve always pushed heart rate, endurance, and such as high as I could at the gym. For that one person, write down what the patient tells you not what you want to put on the chart, and also saying that the doctor is wrong and you are the only one who can save someone is not a good look. Don’t miss that one. Looking for some way to join the Y that’s nearby, need to be working out more. Even the cardiologist is encouraging that.

The neural rehab was interesting and on some levels fun. I’ve learned a lot about the brain, cognition, and how to work around some of the issues. Some of it may seem fairly straightforward, but the angel of healing lies in the details. I still have my binder out where I can get to it to check things. The help they gave is why I can do as much as I do. I’m actually quite thankful that things were not such that I had to be in some sort of facility. I like my life as it is, having minders would crimp my style. Not that I do anything the doctors wouldn’t like. *best innocent look* Another two or so years, the brain should be fully healed, and maybe something can be done to see how much of the “missing” files we can find.

The testing last year leads into a very interesting area. Early on, I was told to beware of other survivors attributing a range of things to the lightning strike, from cancer to various endocrine problems. It is interesting how many survivors do develop other problems, ones that clearly can’t be directly linked to the lightning (or electric shock) strike. Hence some of my discussions of quantum probability cascades in a not completely joking manner. In my own case, a couple of things (like the diverticulitis) were there at a you-have-it-no-big-deal level before the strike. 2022 saw more “Welcome to the ER” moments than I care for. Not quite on a first name basis with the ER staff a block away, but closer to it than I care for. So, several CT scans and a colonoscopy later, I am glad to say that no cancer we know of and everything else is livable/treatable at need.

Now, that may end up with me getting new shoulder joints. I had a doc recommend an “emergency” replacement of the right joint a couple of years ago, with a push to go ahead and do both. Got a second opinion about a year after that, and the idea is to wait (if possible) for five to seven years to do the surgery. There are some issues going on, including having blood flow cut off to my arms at night such that they “go to sleep.” So far, have always caught it early, and while I don’t like the tingles, I can live with it. Suspect it is a positional thing. Need to remember to tell this to the GP. Meantime, lots of pain and hard to sleep as a result. Hoping this doesn’t turn into an ER or surgery moment in 2023.

As for the arthritis, I do wish I could remember which doc told me I had advanced severe osteoarthritis. I’m thankful it’s not rheumatoid, but that doesn’t make it fun. Since the strike, it has — in my estimation — kicked up. Lower back, hands, arms. Given that I have done a few interesting things in life, from jumping out of planes to a lot of hiking/backpacking and a small amount of marching, I’m amazed my knees and hips are as good as they are. There’s not much that can be done, so I try to ignore it as much as possible. Meantime, between this and the shoulders, Ranger Candy!

Allergies are the one thing that don’t seem to have increased since the strike. In fact, other than needing benadryl for the CT scans, have been doing pretty good. More of them than I care for, but that’s been true since childhood.

That’s enough for today. Safety Brief: Be smart, be safe, and remember that if the lightning is at a range of 1-3 miles, you are in range too. Even if there are no obvious burns or blast damage, if you have a close encounter with lightning, go get checked out and remind the doc that the most common symptom of a lightning strike are concussive effects. Otherwise, press on and remember to count your blessings and give thanks for them. Also, don’t hesitate to ask for prayers, they do make a difference.

UPDATE: From the comments, getting hit by lightning can and does cause personality changes. It can also have an impact on if you can learn new things, or remember to do things you used to know how to do. While I have heard of someone getting nicer, most of the information on personality changes trend towards nice people not being as nice (to be polite). Thankfully, any personality changes for me seem to be fairly minor, and while it takes a lot longer, an old wolf can eventually learn new tricks. Sorta.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving to the SW, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

I mostly try to share the positive here, for all that it may seem otherwise sometimes. Sharing the successes of life help reinforce them, and encourage more. Yet, I also need to share some of the other, so that you understand why things can be spotty sometimes.

Getting hit by lighting has done some interesting things. To be polite. These include both short-term and long-term memory issues. The long-term issues may not be a permanent loss, just an inability to access. For those more modern, my directory file has been corrupted and the brain doesn’t know where to find some of the files. In more old-fashioned terms, I describe it as someone going into a room full of filing cabinets, selecting some cabinets at random, and dumping random drawers on the floor. Then the jerk cuts on an industrial fan.

The short-term issues basically come down to my now having the short-term memory of a mayfly, and a brain permanently set to “SQUIRREL!!” The polite term used by the linguistic/cognitive therapists is “attention lapse.” I have a lot of them, and some days are worse than others. To work around the lapses, I have routines and use a lot of lists. If you own stock in generic post-it notes, you’re welcome for the dividends as I use a lot of them. If it doesn’t make it onto a list, 99.999999999999999999999 percent chance it won’t get done. From texting a friend to writing a story, I pretty much have to write it down on the list.

Shoot, even normal things take an extra step or two. When taking my medicines and supplements in the morning, I actually have to go down the list and put each pill in a bowl. I then count them, and if the count is off, track down what pill got skipped. May not be pretty on some levels, but it works. More of my life than I care for is built around such hacks.

Even very routine things can be difficult. For example, it is not uncommon for my mind to blank as I venerate my scapular or say a familiar prayer. I trust that the Lord understands and makes allowances, and hope friends and others do so as well if I blank on things with them. It’s one reason I’ve been hesitant to do any podcasting or be on a podcast, besides the fact I have a face and voice for radio. It’s also why I don’t see regular work in my future for the next few years. The lapses, even with notes and routines, get me. Add in all the other physical issues, and, well… Just really hope they are right and things will eventually get better in a few years.

Last night was rough. Weather changes do a number on me, and we have a good one in process. Possibly snow tonight, though the lower back, shoulders, and hands aren’t swearing to that yet. Well, they are saying some, but not how much. May just be a dusting. May just go get in the shower to see if the heat will get them to quit swearing, I mean hurting, as much.

This morning, my cooking routine got zorched. It is designed in part around ensuring burners are cut off, which makes one of my most common mistakes forgetting to cut on a burner, which does slow things down a bit. This morning saw me do both, with a few other minor bobbles. No harm, no foul, and breakfast was eventually tasty. That said, there have been a few other issues and I’m thinking it might be good to call it a day already.

I’m supposed to go pick up some medicines and the few groceries I can afford, but think that unless and until things improve I don’t need to be out on the Real Indianapolis 500 (I-465) where you need to be on high alert at all times. Heck, Indy traffic in general can on occasion make me nostalgic for the traffic in Baghdad. Things may get better, but until I see signs of it I may just look at cute animal pictures and such.

Oh, for those of you who are regular readers: the promised contact from SSA? Nope. I wish I were surprised. I had hoped on some levels, but on others I really didn’t think it would happen. May look at talking to a congresscritter here soon.

So long as this doesn’t get me put in a padded room, I’ve been writing in my dreams, or maybe my dreams are writing a story. If you liked the New Year’s short story, which is based off the universe in the Christmas short story I dreamed, there looks to be more. The Christmas story really is the outline for something else, and in the odd hours of the early morning, I’ve been dreaming that more. To the point of working through issues, how to handle some other issues, and otherwise building that story and world. Yes, trying to make notes as it could turn into a very nice story or stories. Not sure where it’s coming from, but it’s not a bad dream to have. Looking at polishing up the New Year story for sale, and see what I can do on the larger story.

All that said, I’m hoping to get back to regular posting soon. There is more on preparedness, some pithy comments if not full stories on Russia and the war, and the other things you all seem to enjoy. More soon, promise.

UPDATE: Instapundit triggered a memory a few days ago, and I finally remembered to write about it today. Slowly but surely getting some of the long-term memories sorted.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving to the SW, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Good Morning! It’s raining here, which means the discomfort of yesterday has turned into misery today, but that’s okay as I’m here to feel it. Another reminder to push harder to create the circumstances where I can move.

This morning also brought up a couple of interesting things I thought I would share, regarding the aftermath of getting hit by lightning. Let me preface by saying yet again, I am blessed. I am alive, and the issues I have are truly minor compared to others. That said, they are my issues and therefore of import to me.

Over on Twitter, Christopher DiNote tagged myself and others in a post asking if we knew that J.R.R. Tolkien read and admired certain authors. I was flattered to be in the company cited, and reached for my memories of the topic — and nothing. I remember that he was well read, and vaguely remember that I had been a bit surprised at some, but that’s it. What’s worse, I realized that my memories of reading both some of his works and some of the other authors cited is gone.

Well, maybe not gone, as the wonderful people at RHI tell me they are still in there, but the brain just doesn’t know where they are right now. The best analogy I have for it, still, is that if you think of my memory as a room full of filing cabinets, I’ve had somebody come in, go to some of the cabinets at random, pull a drawer or two at random from each, dump them on the floor, then cut on an industrial fan. There’s probably a better digital analogy out there using directory files, but… The brain doesn’t know where things are located now.

Sometimes, when exploring topics, things pop up and the brain goes Ah Ha! For example, in the Nuclear series John Donovan and I were talking about the Norwegian heavy water raid, and I was pulling a blank on both a book and a movie. Being a wise and kind man, John actually worked with me to spark some of that, and I got a bit of memory back. Thank you John! BTW, the movie is Heroes of Telemark (though I could have sworn it was Richard Widmark instead of Kirk Douglas), and the book was The Winter Fortress. Both recommended.

Other times, well, those sort of bite. You really do hope for that spark, that connection, and a restoration. Especially when it comes to things I’ve read. I honestly don’t know how many books I’ve read, other than a lot. From something done before the lightning strike, back about ten or so years ago, there was an estimate that it was in excess of two thousand books. Then again, my personal library used to have about that many books in it, though I donated my aerospace library to Purdue University Special Collections when I thought I was headed to Afghanistan. Still have a few hundred other books left, mostly in storage alas.

For a while after the strike and then the open-heart surgery, I read some new books and had an interesting experience. When I re-read them (no money for new books as a general rule), I didn’t remember significant chunks of them. It was almost as if I was reading them again for the first time. Disconcerting, but at the same time I decided to view it as fun and a totally new read without having to spend more money.

The thing that got me this morning, though, was realizing that I don’t remember some of the Tolkien stories mentioned, and I don’t remember some of the other authors he read. The names sort-of ring a bell, and I have the strangest feeling that I know them, but I can’t remember them or their writing. I think I’m going to have to see what I can find online from them to read to see if it pops a memory back into place. If not, I’m going to enjoy reading some “new” Tolkien stories and maybe find some others to enjoy as well. Create some new good memories if you will. Definitely would love to get and read the book by Dr. Ordway he mentions.

Unrelated, but interesting (at least to me) is experiencing a phenomena I’d read about but never expected to experience first hand. The upper half of my hearing in my right ear is gone. The nerves for those upper frequencies are dead and gone. As I’ve said before, it’s one of the more interesting things to deal with as it changes how things sound, as well as being able to triangulate in on the source of a sound.

Recently, listening to some music from my youth, I discovered that when I wore headphones and it was a tune to which I had truly listened (or at least heard multiple times), the brain appeared to be trying to “fill in” that missing sound. Interesting, and enjoyable as not being able to hear those frequencies has dimmed my enjoyment in listening to music a bit.

However, I also discovered that the brain is apparently trying to do it more often than I realized. There have been several times recently when I thought I heard a radio or the television on low upstairs. They were not on. In stopping and concentrating, I realized that the brain was taking elements of white noise, such as the rotating column fan in my room, and adding to them as if they were more complex sounds. We see and hear because of extrapolation by our brain, and in this case it was extrapolating from those base sounds something more that wasn’t really there. Interesting, and once I figured it out I could tune it out.

Probably not something you were interested in, or was a bit much to share, but a fun ramble for me on a dreary day. More soon.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving to the SW, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

The computer is now at full power again thanks to a new power supply. Given how often those seem to die on me (and I even have my electronics on good surge protectors), please feel free to hit the tip jar so I can put one or more away for later.

The computer is back, but I’m not quite back after yesterday’s fun. Not sure why part of the body decided to be a jerk, but it did a job of it. To the point I wondered if I would have to head to the ER again. Rather wiped me out. Not going to go into details, but I really do have to think there is something to quantum probability cascades, and that being hit by lightning might trigger same.

When I first found the wonderful (sadly retired) doctor who had treated a number of survivors, and was introduced to Lightning Strike & Electrical Shock Survivors, I was cautioned about running into survivors who blamed the hit for a number of unrelated things that happened after. When it comes to health issues, I really think that a study of survivors in regards quantum probability cascades might prove interesting. Purely theoretical, but interesting.

Hopefully my system will soon be fully back on an even keel and my power will be restored. Hope to get more done, and there is a lot more to do on the book. Think we are all going to need it, sooner rather than later. If you are not watching what is going on in the Netherlands, and with the NSF funding a so-called journalist organization to produce propaganda software to push “official” government information, you should be. The ride is about to show you what bumpy really is…

First, to everyone who has donated, thank you! I can’t say how much I appreciate each and every donation, and each and every one of you, especially given the current economy. Having been out of work for more than a year now, life has been interesting.

I never anticipated that I would be out of work for this long. However, getting hit by lightning is a touch traumatic and leads to all sorts of issues. Who knew? Getting all the medical issues that have come up directly, and apparently indirectly as well, dealt with as best possible (see this column for some details) has taken time but as I noted in a previous post, other than my shoulder joints needing replacement (and lower back not doing well), we seem to have most things contained. I continue to adjust to the hearing loss and other issues.

The real problem has been and will be the memory issues for some time. I’m told the brain will heal in about three years. Then we will learn if the long-term memory issues are permanent or not, and the short-term memory should return to normal. I certainly hope so, as it blows to have the short-term memory of a mayfly. Even with the coping mechanisms I’ve been taught, it is not fun. You get a great idea for a column, oooh yeah need to be sure to add this, and SQUIRREL! If the idea wasn’t written down, it’s gone and it doesn’t take much to act as a squirrel. Flippin tree rats…

While I am working my way back physically as much as I can, I can no longer do truly physical work. Even if my body could handle it, my shoulder joints and lower back can’t. The short-term memory issues make it hard to learn new things and even with all the coping mechanisms I, frankly, space it every now and then. The other day on Twitter I made a comment about a character in the left of a picture when I meant the right. Thankfully someone who understands let me know, nicely, and I was able to correct things.

It used to be writing columns like this and others was something I could knock out in about 30 minutes. These days, with re-reading and editing, plus having to take extra steps on the writing, it literally takes hours. Even so, some typos (and helpful autocorrections I can’t seem to get turned completely off) get through. Apologies, but there is only so much I can do.

I really had wanted to be moved by now, but getting all the medical taken care of (or at least as much as we can for now) has taken more time than I expected. Still planning, plotting, and working on it, but just not happening as soon as I want.

In looking at things, I recently decided to take two steps I really had hoped to avoid. I am applying to retire (early), which is one set of bureaucratic hurdles. I can’t actually do so until Mid-December, and no idea how long the process may take if I am indeed allowed to retire early. I’ve also filed for disability with Social Security, which looks to be 17-24 months of process at best with no guarantee of being approved.

All of which means, for now, that I remain far more dependent upon your generosity than I care for, desire, or — most of all — deserve. I hate having to ask for the help more than I can say. That said, I also appreciate your gifts, your prayers, and your support and encouragement more than words can express. I will never truly feel that I deserve it; but, I do appreciate it more than I can begin to express. Most of all, and most importantly, however, is that I appreciate each and every one of you for all that you do in thought, word, and deed.

Writing is the best thing I can be doing to help my mind heal they tell me. So, I thank each of you that jump in with good, thoughtful, and encouraging comments. I hope that my writing in some small measure helps those looking at preparedness for the first time, and that other posts spark thought, laughter, and other good things. Thank you for that continued support and encouragement! My regular readers rock! The rest of you do pretty good too for the most part, hope you become regular readers. 🙂 As I’ve noted before, I don’t always get to reply as often as I should, but that too is slowly starting to get a little better and I want to keep pushing to respond when I can.

With luck and other things, including the blessings that are your gifts and encouragement, I will continue to plug along and eventually get moved. Thank you all, and as I’ve said before, if there are alternatives to PayPal you think I should consider, let me know. Working to try to get the money up to rent a PO box per some of those conversations too.

More soon, but felt I owed an update on things. Thank you all so very, very much!

*****

If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving to the SW, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSe

If the site is slow loading or you’ve had trouble getting through, my apologies. We are experiencing growing pains as I move from regular blog to high-traffic blog. Working on it, feel free to hit the tip jar to help me keep going and upgrade the site. Your gifts truly do make the difference. Working on adding a mail-in option, GabPay, others; if interested in mail-in for now drop me a line.

A while back, I talked about collecting doctors and the large number I collected after being hit by lightning. I’ve been working on whittling that number down, and trying to get those that remain to coordinate.

Late Friday afternoon, I got reminded of another party involved in my care when I got a demand to report ASAP for a fasting blood draw to check — exactly what my cardiologist and my GP had both just checked about three weeks before. Did not help my blood pressure at all. Especially as if I don’t comply they will cease to certify refills on some or all of my cardiac medicines.

So, called them this morning and pointed out to the lipid clinic the previous blood work for both doctors, and to express my concern that they were not coordinating with my cardiologist who is in the same flipping practice and building, much less with my GP. As for the non-renewal, I also told them their terms were acceptable. Then I sent a letter to my cardiologist (and cc’d my GP)

Not sure who this really needs to go to, but going to start here and see what happens.

XXXXXXXXX is my doctor for my high blood pressure and cardiac health, as I attested to a while back.

XXXXXXXXX is my GP and is responsible for my general health and treating the whole patient.  As part of this, XXXX monitors my cholesterol and other factors for my general health.

The XXXXXXXXX Clinic seems to be a third provider and I am now in receipt of a demand from them for yet another cholesterol/general screen to be done ASAP.  I have called them to advise of the recent visits with XXXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXXX.  

How do we get all three of you to coordinate and share information?  The XXXXXXXXX Clinic just told me they have no record of the lab tests done for XXXXXXXXX at the lab downstairs, and it is not surprising that they don’t have the results provided to XXXXXXXXX. I am, however, concerned that the XXXXXXXXX Clinic is not coordinating with XXXXXXXXX, who is in the same practice.

As for the demand for a new blood draw ASAP, and the offer to stop renewing all (??) my heart medicines, please understand that those terms are acceptable to me.  In addition to the fact that XXXXXXXXX is monitoring my cholesterol (as is also XXXXXXXXX), know that my insurance company is “encouraging” me to move things like this to another provider.  

Please advise.

We will see what happens, but this just drives home something I can’t say enough: You are the one in charge of and responsible for your health and medical treatment.

Most doctors are good people and hopefully good physicians. That said, modern medicine is all about the number of patients seen in a day, reducing the time with each patient as much as possible to increase the number of patients, and other factors of an efficient practice. While few will like to admit it, most medical practices have no time set aside in a day, a week, or even a month for doing things like reading research papers and otherwise keeping up with developments in general or special fields. A lot is limited to “professional development courses” of which very few are required in a year.

The sad fact is, if you do as you should and dive in to read research papers (not, repeat NOT newspaper or popular science articles), you are likely to know more than your physician who literally can’t keep up given the demands of corporate medicine. This can get you nasty notes in your file of being uncooperative or other terms indicating that you dared imply or say that your doc wasn’t god you impertinent peasant you. BTW, if that happens or they try to discourage you from researching, get a new doc as they will harm or kill you (and never will acknowledge you were right). One reason I like my GP: If I come across a relevant or good study, they want to get a copy to read. Hope they really do so.

Got questions and they won’t/can’t answer, and push you do do something anyway? Run. Say they have to go with CDC/NIH no matter what? Run. If they say something is a good point and let’s explore this? Good doc.

In this case, I would not mind cutting loose the XXXXXXXXX Clinic portion of this. It was featured to me as a bonus and assistance after the open heart surgery following getting hit by lightning. Right now, seems to be more a problem than a benefit. Also, not doing yet another fasting blood draw this soon because of bureaucratic incompetence. That they are not coordinating with a physician which is part of the same practice screams PROBLEM to me.

Like I said above, we will see. Meantime, be your own advocate with your health, as no one else in the medical field will truly be such for you.

UPDATE: Got the distinct impression that the Clinic was NOT happy at my letter to the cardiologist. Even though the cardiologist’s office apparently recommended otherwise, the Clinic recommended that my GP take over this monitoring and the prescription. I agreed. 🙂

*****

If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving to the SW, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo. Getting hit by lightning is not fun, and it is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.