Medical Issues/Recovery – Page 13

Alive Day

Alive Day. My military friends will know what that means, but potentially countless others will not. It is the day you died, or should have died. The day something catastrophic impacted you and perhaps those around you. In some cases, people I know quite literally died and the docs and doctors brought them back. Some more than once. In other cases, the docs and doctors poured forth their skills and power like water, and kept them alive. Even spending time in Iraq and elsewhere, I never truly thought that I would have an alive day.

On this day one year ago, I was sitting in this same spot, in the same chair, drinking coffee and doing my equivalent of reading the newspaper. I was watching the light show from a thunderstorm that was a mile to a mile and a half off, enjoying it as it moved away from me. I had just put down my phone and coffee when my world went white, then black, and though I didn’t realize it at the time, the life I had been living died.

I’ve already written a couple of times about what it was like to be hit by lightning. Today, I’m just going to count a few blessings of that morning.

First up, I like sitting in a seat with my back to the wall, which in this case is probably why I wasn’t DRD. This meant that I was sitting with my right side to the edge of the porch, so that the shock went through/down my right side instead of my left. If it had gone down the left and through the heart…

Second, I was largely clear of the metal chair and sitting on a cushion. Since I had just put down the phone, which was in an insulated protective case, this may have worked to minimize the intensity of the bolt that got me. I think there may still be an argument as to if I was struck directly or if the power just flooded me and built up to depart through my right foot. I’m not sure it matters which was the case. What matters is that I lived.

Third, I did take damage, which could have been much, much worse. I lost all the upper frequencies in my right ear and the nerves are dead so… While there was no physical damage to the brain, there were impacts. I still test out above average in major areas of cognition. I will admit openly today that my short term memory took a hit, and while they say it will get better over the next three years I for now use various coping systems to work around the short-term and other memory issues. Ironic that I’m now having to use some of the same “tricks” as the troops we helped via Project Valour-IT who had TBI.

The cardiac issues started almost immediately and built to the point where in October I went to the ER and was told I needed open heart surgery within two weeks at the most, and we can do it tomorrow (hint hint). We did it the next morning and a week later I was discharged to go home.

Keep in mind that this day a year ago, I literally had no clue I had been hit. I truly thought it a near miss, and when I was no longer locked up from the hit and could go inside, I did so. I took care of a couple of things, gave thanks to God and the Blessed Mother that I was alive, got my shower, and went to work. That there was a hole in the bottom of my right foot is something that escaped me for a while.

For a while, it seemed like I was living a quantum probability cascade, where if there was even a remote possibility for something to go wrong in my body, it did so. It has meant a stream of doctor visits, tests, and even procedures to check things out, fix if possible, and to figure out how to live with some of the issues. We have just recently (knock on wood) finished the last tests and treatments and all appears to be good to go for moving. My insurance will not transfer to where I’m headed, so want to be sure we have everything possible taken care of first.

I’m also thankful for some amazing people in my life. My now former co-workers got me a recliner after the open-heart surgery to replace the camp chair I had been using as an easy chair in the room I rent. Sadly, I left that job as it involves Federal paperwork that has to be perfect every time, and with the short-term and other memory issues, that’s not going to happen.

Sarah A. Hoyt was the one who talked me into starting the fundraiser, and I give thanks she did. Being out of work for this many months was never a part of my planning or preparedness. Thanks to her, and to the generosity of so many, I’ve been able to pay my bills, eat, and start the preparations to move out West as has been recommended. God Bless her, and all of you who have donated, prayed, and more. And, yes, the prayers have made a difference.

I have been blessed and am particularly thankful for the team that did my open-heart surgery and the great folks at RHI who spent a day on cognitive testing and worked out a cognitive therapy plan that has given me the tools to get by as my brain heals — and to deal with things if that doesn’t go as planned. The therapists tell me that writing is the best thing I can do for my brain, so hang on as I do plan to write more as I am able. It may be rough right now, but we have a plan and I have both hope and faith. If I am absentminded, don’t remember you, or don’t remember other things, please be patient with me. I’m told the memories are likely not lost, but again it will be three years before we can know for sure.

I have been blessed with a lot of the other care I have received over this last year. I have met some amazing nurses, nurse practitioners, and doctors along the way. No offense, I’ve met far more of them than I ever wanted to meet in a professional manner.

I’ve also met just some amazing people along the way. People who have inspired, people who have shared, and people I’m just glad to know. For those who’ve had to put up with me, thank you.

I do not know why I was spared, but am thankful I was and I think there is something I’m supposed to do. I don’t have a clue what that is, and admit it could be simply to serve as the horrible example ‘don’t be that person or this happens’ though I hope that’s not it. Meantime, if you need a speaker to talk lightning strikes and safety, or about the blessings and challenges of being a survivor, I’m available.

Today is my Alive Day, and God’s help and yours, I will make the most of this new life I now live.

*****

If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, 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.

Please Help The Fundraiser

I hate to ask, but things are stalled and I really want to get moved as soon as possible. Now that we have all the medical stuff cleared as much as we can, I can concentrate on moving. The problem is, the costs on moving have about doubled in the last few months. Looking at ways to do it cheaper, but there are no guarantees.

If you can help, please donate at the official fundraiser site or, if you don’t trust GiveSendGo, then hit the tip jar in the upper right. Anything helps!

If you support but are in circumstances where you can’t help right now, please share the appeal and help me get the word out.

Most of all, your prayers and moral support are needed. It all helps, and I can’t say how much those have meant to me over the last few months.

Getting hit by lightning has not been fun, but with your help I am on track to survive, thrive, and start a new life. Thank you for your help!

Wild Food

This started yesterday with a thread on Twitter about the wildest game you had eaten. Now, this was more of a challenge than I would like thanks to the stupid lightning. There are 5 or so areas of cognition, and in testing I still come in above average in all. That said, there is one area where there are issues, which include fun with short term memory, issues working through things when there are distractions, and the fact that memories and data are scrambled. I’ve been told that most of them are still there, but that it will be three years before the brain heals and we can fully access what, if anything, has been lost. I’ve likened it to reaching for something in the drawer where it used to be, and it not being there.

So, the challenge has allowed me to do some exploration and I’m delighted with some of the results. I grew up eating venison, love quail, not so fond of dove, brown and rainbow trout, and have had bream, perch, and a variety of fish. I’ve eaten elk, bison, kangaroo, wild boar, octopus in various forms, squid, whelks, eel, alligator, rattlesnake (I think), goat, lamb, mutton, squirrel, rabbit, snail, brains of various types, and I know I am forgetting some. Now, for some fun.

I’ve always been a foodie, and even worked in a nationally rated restaurant for a while to learn more about cooking. Long before the Food Network existed, I watched cooking and food shows on PBS, which led me to two excellent restaurants in Seattle when I first visited there. I can’t remember the names, and it is frustrating because at one place my compliments earned me a standing invitation to eat at the Chef’s table in the kitchen.

I can still remember that table, and a bit about the layout of the kitchen. I also remember that when you ate at his table, there was no menu. Instead, the Chef and his line cooks prepared things based off of what was fresh, etc. It might start with a golden mouthful of deliciousness or three, or be a larger portion. No set number of courses, and everything was delicious. Sadly, I also seem to remember that the restaurant is no longer there as the Chef passed away.

Seattle was the site of several tasty adventures. The Athenian in Pike Place Market was amazing. When I traveled, I tried to avoid eating at the same place twice. After my first breakfast there, I went back the next day — it was that good. Not only tasty, but huge portions and great coffee. I didn’t feel like eating again until dinner. When I arrived that next morning, I was disappointed to see a reserved sign on the booth where I had eaten the day before, as it had a great view of the harbor. The waitress who had waited on me just smiled, told me not to worry, she had known I would be back and had reserved it for me.

Some of the best Russian food I’ve had outside of Russia was at Kaleenka in Seattle. The best Russian food I’ve had in Russia was at Podvorye in St. Petersburg. I had my driver and translator join myself and a young lady, and we feasted family style there, trying many different things. My inner Hobbit was delighted at the Russian love for mushrooms. Pity I’ll never be allowed to go back to Russia, as would not mind eating there again.

I had heard that it was one of Vladimir’s favorite places, and then either Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern went there and ate for their show. While I enjoyed both shows, it seems that I’ve gotten more good steers from Mr. Zimmern. I love him for introducing me to a cheese monger in Paris, though my wallet continues to curse him every time I go there. Yes, I did indeed meet Anthony Bourdain. The man had his demons, and I ask you to pray for his soul. I can’t remember the name of the cheese monger, but pretty sure I can look it up if needed, and that I may even remember how to get to his shop.

Paris. Ah, Paris. Two quick rules for eating well anywhere in the world. First, if the restaurant has a busker, run. There’s a reason they don’t have repeat business. Second, follow your nose. I’ve had a number of excellent meals in Paris that came from myself or a companion going “That smells good” and tracking down the source of the smells. I remember one night doing that and ending up sitting at a counter watching the mad ballet that is restaurant cooking and having the chef working about two feet away from me. We got to talking and he gave me his list (sadly lost) of the top ten places to eat in Paris.

His name and the list got me into Le Pantruche for lunch the next day. Absolutely the best sweetbreads I’ve ever had. Would love to eat there again one day. The best mussels I’ve had were in Paris. Again, can’t remember the name of the place though I do remember quite well how we ended up eating there. The rule against buskers does not apply to having a companion all but tackled by a member of the restaurant staff because they are wandering around Paris with an antique film camera and the staff member is a photography buff. After a nice discussion on photography, we decided that we would just eat dinner there. Mussels with a bleu cheese sauce was my choice, and they were delicious. Best mussels I’ve had in the U.S. were in Baltimore at a place called Bertha’s.

I also have to admit that one of the worst restaurant meals I’ve ever had was in Paris. I have no desire to remember the name of the place in question, since the meal was not only not good, I had to go back to where I was staying and brush not only my teeth, but my tongue, cheeks, etc. to get the taste out of my mouth. Went to a good place and had oysters from Brittany to have a last good meal before leaving Paris that time.

I remember a LOT of good meals on the local in Iraq. Both embeds saw me eating on the local a fair bit, from Ramadan feasts to one of the most amazing Christmas dinners I’ve ever had. An Iraqi family had adopted some of our troops, and told them that since they were giving up their homes, holidays, and families that they would give them their holidays back. I’m told Thanksgiving had no turkey, but great food. I was invited along for the Christmas dinner, and have photos of the feast in one of my photo books. Pro tip: If in the Middle East, don’t drink three cups of the concentrated coffee and eighteen chais and expect to sleep anytime soon.

Japan was an adventure. When traveling somewhere, I try to learn to say please, thank you, and ‘what would you have’ in the local language. In Japan, I also had to include no shellfish as I am unfortunately allergic to shrimp, crab, and lobster (actually the iodine in them, makes imaging contrast fun). In Tokyo, I wandered into an area that didn’t see many tourists and found my way into a restaurant where if they could get it on a skewer, they would grill it for you. We went from ‘we don’t get many tourists (gaijin) here’ to ‘oooh, try this’ in near record time.

At another establishment, also well off the tourist path in another city, I had either the strangest fowl I’ve ever had or roof rabbit (cat). I decided I didn’t really want to know, and instead focused on the fact it was tasty. Don’t know what it was marinated in, but the smell when it cooked on a small grill at my place was amazing and it delicious. The owner spoke zero English, and my Japanese was/is limited, with a fair bit of it technical from working a joint American/Japanese shuttle mission. Probably for the best.

I also did something on that trip I didn’t think was possible: I unagi’d out. Unagi is a sushi featuring grilled/smoked eel. I probably ate my body weight in it while there. I have not eaten it again, ever, since that trip.

The final restaurant adventure I remember from Japan was eating sushi at a place not too far from the conference where we were presenting papers. The sushi chef was a character, with being grumpy a trademark. Challenge accepted. As soon as he could, he moved me from the side to directly in front of the fish case. I would point and hold up one or two fingers, to indicate how many pieces I wanted. Sometimes, he would shake his head, and point to something else in the case and hold up one or two fingers. Not a clue what they were, but his suggestions were amazing. By the time I was done, he had his hand up more than once to cover a smile.

Best Korean I’ve had was at the much missed Seoul House in Chicago. A nice older Korean couple ran it, and she admitted to me that they served American-Korean until they got to know you (or you were part of the Korean community). Once they knew you, and they knew you could handle it, you would get Korean-Korean. As she put it ‘When we open, we fixed Korean-Korean — customer never come back. We make American-Korean, much business.’ I can’t remember the name of the dish, but it was fire meat with pickled veggies and marinated buckwheat noodles. Seem to remember that there was an egg in there too.

Best Mexican, so far, was at the Cafe Florida in Juarez, Mexico, many, many years ago. It was my first taste of real Mexican cooking, though my real (not official) godmother could do a great job cooking Mexican.

Most interesting food I’ve had recently was at Smoke’N Ash BBQ in Arlington, Texas. American BBQ, Ethiopian cuisine, and some amazing fusions between the two. She’s from Ethiopia, he’s from here, and between them they do some truly amazing food. Highly recommended.

Best pulled pork barbecue is Bar-B-Cuties in Nashville; best ribs belong to Fresh Aire barbecue in Jackson, Georgia; and, honorable mention to Fincher’s Bar-B-Que in my hometown of Macon, Georgia who saw it’s work fly in space as the late Sonny Carter’s special meal. Not sure about now, but back in the day the astronauts got to request one meal per flight, and Sonny wanted Fincher’s — and got it.

Best Indian I’ve had was in Pitlochry, Scotland at a mom&pop place who’s name I can’t remember. Best German is split between two places in/near Landstuhl, Germany. Best Greek was a mom&pop who’s name I can’t remember in Salt Lake City. If you ever head to Normandy, can recommend a couple of places near/on Omaha Beach.

This has been fun, and while not remembering all the names, I’m delighted with how much I do remember. Thinking back on this has made me smile more than once. Good way to start the day.

*****

New Update At GiveSendGo

For a couple of days there was worried they were going to have to open me up again. Glad no on that, but really would like to know what is going on. Update posted at GiveSendGo.

*****

Another Quick Update

Earlier this week, I had a test/procedure done both to confirm one diagnosis and to rule out two other possibilities. It required some preparation, which may have had an unfortunate consequence.

That said, I’m happy to report that all of the samples collected came back negative for cancer. The original diagnosis was confirmed and while a pain (literal as well as figurative), it beats the alternative.

The prep, however, may have caused an issue or two on the cardiac side. We are monitoring, hoping that what is going on is temporary, and that nothing else is trying to rear its head. Since being hit by lightning, its seemed like my health was a descending quantum cascade with anything that had the possibility of going wrong was doing so. It is a huge relief to find out that in every area we’ve tested, I am at least clear of cancer.

I want to thank everyone who has donated to my fundraiser, and special thanks to the recent series of anonymous donors who have taken a huge weight off my shoulders with their generosity. I’m almost clear medically to move, now need to get enough to rent a place and get moved. Thank you all so very much for your support, prayers, and messages of encouragement!

*****

Update

Just posted an update at GiveSendGo. Actually glad I wasn’t able to move at the end of last month, lots of good medical things happening. With your help, I am building a new life. givesendgo.com/anewlife1 If you don’t trust GiveSendGo, feel free to use the tip jar in the upper right.

What’s It Like To Be Hit By Lightning?

I’ve been getting this a lot lately, so I thought I would talk a little about what happened and what is happening now. I’m glad to say that a lot of good things are going on, including cognitive therapy.

Last June 30, I went out on the front porch to drink my coffee and read the news at about 0430 hours. There was a thunderstorm about a mile off, moving away from my location, that was putting on a light show. I had checked the weather radar before going out to see what it was doing. For those interested, I was seated facing West, and watched the light show through the brick arches to my right (North).

At approximately 0445 hours, I think I had just finished reading Instapundit when my world went white, then black. I realized as it flashed white that lightning had hit to my right. I thought I was clenching up in fear, but it turns out I was locked up. There was a roaring sensation, not sound, in my head and I remember every hair on the right side of my body standing straight up and those on the left trying to do the same. I also remember as everything went black that I thought we were having a power outage, instead of just a me outage.

I really don’t know how long things stayed black, but it was long enough for me to wonder what I was going to see when the lights came back on: heaven, hell, or something else. When vision returned/lights came back on, I was relieved to find myself still on the porch and intact. At least no chunks were missing. I got up, went inside, and gave thanks to God and the Blessed Mother that the lightning had missed me. Me being me, I got a shower and went to work completely missing that I had indeed been hit. I spent a lot of the day talking about the near miss, even though I was starting not to feel good.

Turns out, burns and blast injuries are not the most frequent result of a hit. Rather, it’s concussion symptoms and I soon had those in spades, along with a spike in blood pressure that had me well above stroke range. Finally got to the point I went to the ER, and that’s when we started putting things together. It’s also when I found a small black hole in the ball of my right foot, and evidence of a corresponding melt hole in the shoe I was wearing.

Right now, the best guess (and it is a guess) is that the main bolt hit a tree that is roughly ten feet (or less) from the porch where I was sitting. There is debate on mechanisms, but some part of it came over to say hello and while we don’t know exactly where/how it went into my upper body, we know where it came out. It is also worth noting that the radio in my car, which was parked not too far from the tree apparently got fried at the same time.

Things continued to deteriorate on the cardiac side, and in October I ended up having open heart surgery to: replace some arteries in one section of my heart that had gotten so inflamed that they were not letting any blood through; zap seven spots on my heart to stop the atrial fibrillation I was experiencing; and, to put a clip on the back of my heart to block off an area to prevent blood clots and strokes. We are still working on BP issues, but things are much better than they were.

Testing found that I’ve lost all the high frequency hearing in my right ear and that the nerves are dead. There is also an increase in my tinnitus. Holding off on a hearing aid for now, plan is to track and see what happens.

Which leads to the neurological side of things. God’s own stun gun got fired into the motherboard of the most powerful bio-electric computer currently known, the human brain. My brain. The good news there is that there was no physical damage found. Cognitive testing has me clocking out very well in most areas, but there is an area where even though I do well on the test, we know there are problems.

One way I’ve described part of it is like saying ‘Oh, I need that and it’s over here in this filing cabinet drawer’ and discovering the thing and/or the drawer aren’t there. Another part is that short-term memory can be really short. The more mental and physical distractions, the harder it is to keep up. It’s as if some of the data in my brain is scrambled. Actually, some of it may be gone. Some of it is just not where it used to be. I’m told that it will be about three years before everything settles down.

So, the cognitive therapy has provided me with some things to do to help exercise the area of the brain/cognition that took the worst hit, and to develop mechanisms to cope with the issues. One of the things I do is make extensive use of lists to be sure I get everything done I need to in a day. This includes sub-lists on each task. I will note for the record that it helps not to leave the lists at home when you head out for appointments and errands.

It can be odd what does pop up in my head on occasion, and equally odd what doesn’t pop up. For one example, I may see a face and hear a voice in my memory, but I can’t match it to a name or anything else. More often, I can associate it with some things, but not with major things. If I stumble, mispronounce, or have another issue, just be patient.

In so many ways, I am blessed. I am alive. I survived the open heart surgery. My brain is clocking along above average in most areas, and there are ways to compensate for where it is not operating at peak efficiency. The support I’ve gotten medically, financially, and otherwise has been overwhelming. I’ve still got a ways to go, and it does bite to have been out of work so long. But, with continued support and prayers, I will hang on, I will recover as fully as possible, and I hope to move out West soon.

Thank you all who have prayed for me, donated, and otherwise encouraged me. Your gifts have made the difference. Thank you.

*****

Health Update

Sorry for the lack of free ice cream, but this is a week of doctors, with today wrapping up a series of visits. The good news out of all of them is that things are doing as well as they can be doing. I’ve been told to work on my triglycerides, and plan to do so.

The good news is that these visits also incorporated some regular cancer screens and those were all negative. I strongly recommend ignoring the Obama-era recommendations to not get certain tests done, especially a PSA test if you are male. The earlier you catch things, the better.

In addition to a recurrent rash I seem to have picked up in Iraq many years ago, I have a couple of new things to deal with. Neither bad, just annoying. Stamina is still an issue, but getting back to regular exercise should help.

Because of the diverticulitis, I get to have another colonoscopy here soon. Working on that, hopefully same doctor and location as last time. Best such I’ve ever had, and appreciated the care and professionalism. Especially as the doctor previous to them came closer to killing me than I care for.

Things are going well enough that I don’t have to see the cardiologist for six months, unless something comes up. BP still an issue, but we can work it via weekly reports and more blood work.

Starting back into regular exercise, have gotten in some good walks the last few days, though the body is quick to let me know when I push too hard and that I’ve not been doing this in a while. Have even been cleared to use the inversion table.

All in all, a fairly decent set of visits. Have more cognitive therapy sessions to come, and am looking forward to them. Again, I highly suggest not getting hit by lightning.

*****

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.

Health Update

As much as I would like to be moving West by the end of the month, I just don’t see it happening. Then again, it may be for the best in that the people who’ve been checking on my cognitive ability have talked my insurance company into covering some therapy designed to help me deal with some of the cognitive issues.

As I’ve said before, I’m incredibly lucky and there was no physical damage to the brain. Most elements of cognition are clicking away nicely. That said, there are some issues that stem from the fact that while there was no physical damage, there was what might be viewed as data scrambling. Hardly surprising given that God’s own stun gun got fired into the motherboard of the bioelectrical computer that is my brain and central nervous system. I’ve been told it will take about three years for everything to settle down.

Meantime, the therapy should help and if nothing else will help me develop coping mechanisms for the effects. I’m already using notes and lists, and that needs to be expanded and refined. I’ll admit it is frustrating to reach for a memory or bit of knowledge, and not be able to find it. It’s even more frustrating to catch oneself “jumping tracks” a bit. For one example, while driving for the fasting blood draw the other morning I caught myself starting to go to the wrong doctor/lab. In my defense, they are all near each other so no major issue but still…

I need to get back to regular exercise, but that’s easier said than done. If the weather is nice I’m going to try to start walking around the neighborhood. That said, we had snow flurries last Saturday so the good weather is problematic.

I also want to take the time to thank all of you who have donated, offered prayers, and offered other support and encouragement. It has not been a fun or easy path, and I’ve not enjoyed being out of work for so long. If not for all of you and your support, I don’t know what would have happened.

To finish with some good news, we may finally be getting the blood pressure under control. I know I’ve talked about that before, but we are now down into the 12X/13X over 7X/8X range rather than 180/190/higher over 9X/1XX. Not where it needs to be, but a LOT better than it was. Almost nine months at the latter is more than long enough. If we can get it down a bit further, it will help with a lot of things including stamina.

Again, my thanks to you for your help and support. With your help, maybe May will be the month for moving out West.

*****

Thoughts, Thoughts On Prayer, And An Update

Today, rather than deal with the world, I’m working on just dealing with myself and my world. Trying to get caught up after this latest medical issue, and that is not going quite as well as I would like.

Assuming it really is diverticulitis, I’m trying to figure out what that means for me going forward. Yes, I am having my GP check the diagnosis. It’s not that I don’t trust doctors, but I also know they are human and it is up to the patient to dig in, follow-up, and ride herd as needed. Despite what many of them seem to think, doctors are not God, nor gods. It pays to be an informed, consenting patient and if any doctor won’t give you the information you need for consent, get a new doctor. Again, if it is, no clue what set it off which is problematic to be polite. Also, the lists of things I should avoid appear to be mutually contradictory as one group says lots of fiber, etc. and another group says to avoid it like the plague. All I know is that I don’t want to go through this again so I’m exploring a bit cautiously in some respects.

I also want to thank all who have offered prayers for me. If I may share a bit, I would note that I do not pray for a particular outcome for myself or for others. It strikes me a a bit presumptuous to try to tell God what to do. God sees all areas of time and space, knows all, and otherwise has the knowledge and wisdom that go with the omnipotent and omniscient aspects of being God. God knows far better what is right for me as God can see outcomes and times yet to come. Also, praying for an outcome can be limiting.

To use a musical example, I could pray for a Mercedes because all my friends have something else. The response may very well be along the lines of ‘Well, I was going to give you a Lamborghini, but if this is what you really want…’ Place not limits on the Lord. Instead, open up the options. My standard prayer is along the lines of “let that which is right be” so that God can do what’s best and show me the right path.

Trying to get back to regular posting, but probably nothing will go up tomorrow. I try to make Sunday a literal day of rest and relaxation. If something major pops up, well, we will see but I hope to rest and recharge.

In terms of the fundraiser and move, I really do appreciate all the help and will explain a bit about what is needed and why. The trip out West drove home to me that I can’t move myself at this time. Most previous moves I’ve loaded up a truck and taken care of things. After the surgery, and with the arthritis kicking it up a notch, and all else going on, I had trouble getting the big suitcase in the car, much less trying to deal with anything else heavy. Unfortunately, the costs of professional movers is continuing to rise with the costs of fuel and hiring. Right now, I’m just hoping $3k comes close. I’m actually having to budget closer to $4k right now.

Funds are also needed to cover the costs of getting a place to live. I can’t buy at this time, but will have to rent. That comes with costs not limited to security deposits, utility deposits, application fees, plus the actual rent itself. To add to the fun, the car needs a bit more work so I’m having to budget for that as well. Part of me would love to win enough in the lottery to just buy a camper and live in it a while… Meantime, I’m having to budget about $5k given that there is a difference in the costs of living between locations and between here and there.

Also, I’m investing a bit in period clothing. I’ve been offered a job that requires dressing in 1880s clothing. So, I’m checking out what it would take to do it right, do it to get by, and otherwise exploring period clothing.

I also still have to pay my current bills, and I am no longer employed. With the BP still up in stroke range, it makes things most interesting. I left my former employer on very good terms, to the point that if I get out West and want to work at one of their other stores, I am to put in my application and have them call the location where I worked. I will miss what I did, but it is time to move on.

I really need to get on out there as soon as possible. To that end, feel free to hit the tip jar in the upper right or do the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and for all the help and prayers that have been offered. Please know they are very much appreciated.