Early Bath!

[Jack Peterson]

:th_unfair: Well after after all I have been through it seems my retirement is to come somewhat earlier than I had Thought, last Friday I suffered a Mild Stroke, The Hospital here in Gibraltar called it a TIA not brought on By DVT but a Cholesterol Build up in the carotid artery in the neck on the left side. I was very Lucky and saw to the Problem within 1 hour. Can I ask if any member here has had or has the same problem and if so what is the state of play for them now? My Wife assures me that the Medical care in Dumaguete is pretty good for this type of thing but i would sooner have a First hand report if I could.The Medication I have, seems pretty standard from what I have researched and mainly in fairly good supply I guess that cost will be an issue but that's life I guess. My Company will Fly me home if the Scans go OK on Wednesday coming I am in the throws of seeing what the Options are for early Medical Retirement as I have still one year to go for ARP. So if there is any member who has suffered this Hit Me. Please. The truth may hurt but Better to hear it now than leave it too late I would sooner be at home with my Wife and family than sit here just Pondering and getting totally Frustrated.Lack of concentration is one thing I am suffering short term memory is another Physically I feel Good but the after effects seem worse than the actual event The Medication is knocking me about a Little but i guess I will get used to this in time any suggestions and information will surely put this normally Positive mind at a little more ease whatever the news

Regards Jack P. :tiphat:

[Dave Hounddriver]

If I needed frequent and ongoing hospital visits I could not afford to live here. One or two hospital visits would not cause me to run home though. Doctor visits are affordable. Most medicines are within my means. Live in nursing care is a cheap option.

But if you have to spend a lot of time in a hospital that is up to western standards you will need deep pockets.

[OnMyWay]

Very sorry to hear this Jack! Take care of yourself and get better!

[i am bob]

Hey Jack! You're still up and running so that's what counts, right?

Short term memory... I have that issue still...! Back in the late 80s, I came down with a wonderful case of Meningitus and Encephalitus (spelling?) that almost killed me. The infection was so thoroughly through my brain that my entire memory was almost completely gone for 10 days... Didn't know I was married and had kids... I didn't even know my parents flew down to visit me in the hospital until a couple years ago... I didn't know anything except I was sick and had to get better! Luckily my long term memory (most of it) eventually came back - except for most of my hospital stay. My short term memory after I got out of the hospital wasn't so good at first... I would get up to go to the washroom and forget what I was doing before I got there... Thank god my bladder would remind me! Workwise was just as bad... I couldn't work on the aircraft anymore because I couldn't remember what the problem was to fix... I couldn't even work in the canteen because when I took someone's order for a chocolate bar, by the time I turned around to pick it up, I would forget what they wanted... No joke! I couldn't remember how to make coffee in the big urns even while reading the instructions, I would forget before I could perform the action. I was one step off from being a zombie! After a month of frustration and despair, I finally started to remember simple things for longer than 2 seconds... After another month, I could remember how to do things if I had the instructions written down... I could even remember what I had to do - sometimes. The answer? I carried around a little black book in my pocket to write down anything I had to do... Anything I had to remember! And I still carry some form of paper and a pen in my pocket at all times! I rarely use it now -except for grocery lists or little bits I want to make sure I remember. And instead of a book, I use Post-Its now... When I get home, I stick them on the door so I will remember what I need to before I go out again. But that is what life is with short term memory loss... Hopefully yours isn't as severe as mine was and that it will go away completely... But if it doesn't, that's the option we face. There is a line from a Tom Clancy book that I always remember... "If you don't write it down, it didn't happen." Good advise!

If you need help getting through the frustrations with the memory stuff, give me a pm. Sometimes just talking about it helps more than you could ever guess! And I have spent years learning all the tricks and techniques to develope my memory all over again! I will gladly pass them on to you!

[Jake]

Hello Jack P,

Good thing you had the presence of mind to immediately respond to your medical needs. I think many of

us here are also potentially at risk. We commend you for submitting a "slap in the face" wake up call for

all of us to be more serious about health issues.

Perhaps you have already made your decision: I would sooner be at home with my Wife and family than sit

here just Pondering and getting totally Frustrated. Your options -- continue to work to obtain your full medical

or retirement benefits or be at HOME with your wife and family. Can you imagine what your wife is feeling right

now?

Again, we all appreciate your openness into your personal life. And thank you Bob for being there as a true

friend to a person you have never met.

Hang in there Jack P, respectfully -- Jake

[jode]

So sorry about your unexpected and discouraging setback jack. I hope it is just a small bump in the road to you realizing your dream, of a long and happy retirenment here in the Philippines, with your lovely wife and daughter. Wishing you a speedy and complete recovery and thanks in advance for keeping us informed about it, because we care.

Bob I appreciate hearing about your experience in overcoming that devastating illness. I think only those who have been at deaths door and really suffered like you have, can appreciate how wonderful life is, and how every day is a gift from God to be appreciated and thankful for, because our time here on this earth is short. You got through it for a reason and i hope that reason is so you can find the true love you hope for and deserve.

Edited May 6, 2012 by jode

[Steve & Myrlita]

Bob & Jack....Sorry for what you two have been through. I pray all will be well.....

[i am bob]

Hey guys! Thanks but, for me, it's no worse than my being slightly myopic... Ok, very myopic! Thank god for contacts!

Jack - I'm sure you're also not looking for condolences but rather help in understanding. Going through something like this will have you going in circles trying to figure out what is best to do and finding why it happened at all. I hope I showed you that, despite how scary things can be (and yes! It's ok to be scared!), it's not only all right to stand up to these problems but that laughing at them will help you get past them much faster. Don't ask me why but it works! People around you will think you're either crazy or the bravest person they ever saw... We'll just keep it a secret that it's really just our medicine...

[Curley]

I suffered a DVT in my leg 5 years ago, a complete blockage.... I felt it on my way out to Thailand, ignored it while on holiday and it went away. It came back on the flight back to Madrid and continued for 3 weeks after that, luckily my secretary insisted that I went to the hospital when it seemed to get worse. At the hospital after tests they slammed me in a wheel chair and found me a bed for a week, on release I had to self inject every day for a month or take a trip to the doctors to let the nurse do it. I was told that I had a very lucky escape. They wanted to put me on rat poison (Warfarin) for life with weekly dosage check ups. On studying what I could do other then taking rat poison which can cause problems itself, I decided to self treat myself by ensuring that I eat plent of blood thinning foods and have been as right as rain ever since. Luckily I didn't have a stroke or an embullism in my lungs. Perhaps studying online how you self help may be an option Jack? Best of luck my friend.

[i am bob]

I suffered a DVT in my leg 5 years ago, a complete blockage.... I felt it on my way out to Thailand, ignored it while on holiday and it went away. It came back on the flight back to Madrid and continued for 3 weeks after that, luckily my secretary insisted that I went to the hospital when it seemed to get worse. At the hospital after tests they slammed me in a wheel chair and found me a bed for a week, on release I had to self inject every day for a month or take a trip to the doctors to let the nurse do it. I was told that I had a very lucky escape. They wanted to put me on rat poison (Warfarin) for life with weekly dosage check ups. On studying what I could do other then taking rat poison which can cause problems itself, I decided to self treat myself by ensuring that I eat plent of blood thinning foods and have been as right as rain ever since. Luckily I didn't have a stroke or an embullism in my lungs. Perhaps studying online how you self help may be an option Jack? Best of luck my friend.

Hey Curley! I was on Warfarin for the last couple years for my heart - the biggest cause of death for my condition is a stroke. The doctors got fed up with me not going to get my blood checked weekly to control the dosage - if you are taking enough warfarin, you bleed like mad with a scratch! Now I just take a low-dosage asprin every day (with the rest of my other heart meds) and, yes, lots of blood thinning foods.