I'm Still Kicking

Well, I am still kicking but not really, I have had a headache since JUNE 16 the day of my stroke, My left side is asleep and tingles and the stupid muscles do weird things all on their own.

The site above has been a great help trying to understand what happened and what to expect, I don't like what they tell me but am learning to accept what it is, it is!!
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My left eye aches all the time but my pressure is 18 which is below 20 and this is good says the eye Doctor.
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It feels like I am always chewing on a piece of Aluminum Foil in my mouth and my taste buds don't taste much but I choke easily!!
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I have to go have a Swolling and Throat check because I choke a lot after the stroke and the surgery scars from the Carotid Artery by-pass.
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I am now able to go up and down stairs but slowly, I have a cane now and do not use the 4 wheeled walker, I am able to walk backwards, I speak very clearly but slowly, I don't forget too many words and if I do, who cares!!! I have to use SPELL CHECK!!!
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I still drool a little on the left side corner of my mouth, I wanted to eat a Hirshey kiss and let it melt in my mouth and when I drooled a little I would tell people it was Chewing tobacco but my Honey does not think that is funny, Hell, I think everything is funny, it's either think its all funny or spend a lot of time crying over spilt milk.
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Well, I am done bitching about all my aches and pains, I am really doing good, I am very, very lucky and I am gaining every day but some days there are set backs!! but God is Good!!!
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I have been checking JACK an SHERS "ROAD TRIP" and see they are up in the Great Lakes area enjoying themselves. KEEP IT UP YOU 2!!

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I am now able to get into the kitchen a little, Today I am making soup, fresh green beans from our little garden, onions, red potatoes, and a little bacon fat and 2 nice slices of ham and butter, garlic and cooked in whole milk and before we eat I will add fresh heavy creme to thicken it up. Like I said, "I AM A LUCKY MAN"!







My Honey, Anna Mae is taking a well deserved break, even with all her aches and pains, bad back and leg she takes exceptional care of me for which I am very thankful, God is Good, all the time!!!
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Anna Mae takes care of scheduling me for my weekly doctors appointments, setting up my physical therapy, making appointments for my upcoming surgery for Bowel Restructure, and setting up my tests to see how the Old Ticker is doing and If I need a tune up!! and she makes sure I do my daily exercises for Stroke Rehabilitation.

It has been very hot, I can not take all this heat after the stroke and have to stay out of the sun when its hot, we were in the 90's and humid and hazy. BUT we got a storm this week, it was a good one, lots of thunder and lightning and a torrential downpour and was great to watch.

I wanted to take off all my clothes and hobble around out in the beautiful cooling rain but Anna Mae said "NO"!

Don't forget our Veteran's, Past and Present!

Summer Time

Summer is settled in, Hot, Humid and Sunny. Temps up in the low 90's! I am now able to get to the garden and am enjoying being able to water the garden, Walking on un-even ground is a real treat but I go slow. I am regaining my strength on the left side, I can now walk for a distance without the walker but my Honey is right behind me with it for when I get tired which is often.
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I am doing Physical Therapy and Friday I did manage to walk up 5 stairs and back down 2 times and am being told I am making progress.
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The Diverticulitis is still there, this is my last day on the heavy anti biotics and now have to be really be careful with the diet to avoid a flare up.
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This morning was not so great, I spent most of it in bed, left side very weak, A Stroke is a weird thing, not only does it cause problems emotionally an physically but it also has weird things that go on like I now have teeth ache although all my teeth are free of defects and cavities they ache on the left side and front.
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My left ear that has the drainage tube is sore, nothing is wrong with it, it just is sore and also sitting too long causes problems but then walking too much causes more problems.
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Hopefully a lot of the dizziness is being caused by the heavy anti biotics I am taking for the diverticulitis.
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Not much else going on here, it was nice to have it rain yesterday and cool it down for a few hours but the temperature has gone back up to 85.
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Lettuce, radishes, Beans, Onions, tomato's are coming up nicely.
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Above is the gardens we have here, there are several others scattered about.
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Above is my Nurse, friend, wife, companion, best friend and My Honey.
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Don't forget our service men and women!!

Summer is here, it is finally HOT, we are having a heat wave, like up in the high 80's and low 90's, some people like it, some don't, but some people like the 25 below zero temps we get in winter and some don't, our place has an Air Conditioner and fans which are running full bore right now and it is confortable.

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Well, I hope everyone had a Great 4th of July week-end! Here at the Old Folk's Home we planned a "Cook-Out"! At last months meeting we discussed some events for summer and some people wanted a cook out so we planned one, then we decided we would do something different and we had Pork Steak and Mild Sausage added to the Hot Dogs and Hamburgs .
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So that no one had to cook we ordered Baked Beans, Potato and Macaroni Salads, rolls and some of the ladies made cupcakes, cakes and tasty deserts. I think this was one of our biggest attended events because we had 37 people here.
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We also had a big pot of Red Peppers and Onions for the sausage.

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Mark made sure I got out the door to get to the "Cooking Area" so I could watch them cook.

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Mark cooked Sausage, Bill cooked Hot Dogs and Hamburgs and the both of them cooked The Nice cuts of Pork Steak we got from Eddie Bolivers Meat Market in Croghan, It is hard to sit and watch so I pushed my walker right in the middle and helped flip a few burgers and pork steaks but that old Sun beat me back into the shadows.

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The weather was beautiful, the temps got all the way up into the high 80's and we were lucky because we had a nice breeze blowing and that made is easier sitting in the shade Waiting for food!!

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Meat is almost done!

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Food was cooked to perfection and My Honey said it was delicious, My main job was to supervise the cooks to make sure it wasn't overcooked. It is hard to sit and watch and I did get up and flip a few pork steaks and burgers but it was rough.

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Everyone enjoyed the feast except ME, I had some cottage cheese, pudding and graham crackers, I am currently on heavy anti biotics because my "Diverticulitis" has flared up again, because of the stroke I cannot have surgery as I am a high-risk at this time and have to wait a while, It sure has been an interesting summer so far.

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I can not get to upset over these health problems because there are people far worse off than I am and besides, I am not the one in control of what is going on, some one else is driving the boat and I am merely along for the ride.

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Let us hope and pray for some type of fix to this problem in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Let us also remember to keep our service men and women in our thoughts and prayers and hopefully we can bring them all home soon.