Saturday

The SKP Ranch Lakewood, NM -  Saturday, January 11, 2020
Morning 26 Degrees, Wind S at calm Mph, Humidity 84%, sunny.
Wednesday

On the ride home I did sleep some in the car (Chevy four door pick up truck) I do not know how long. Tuesday night going to bed I tried to go to my normal side, but that means I have to step up on the engine box. I tried to go once but lifting my foot hurt so cancel that and slept on my lovely wide’s side of the bed. More Tylenol, going to bed helped for the next day. In the morning on Wednesday, I was walking a little better more Tylenol. My lovely wife had some errands to do so I stayed right here in my computer chair until she came back. We did not want to be the commercial “I’ve fallen and can’t get up”.

There is another loop around my arm

My feet were feeling better as the day went on. My lovely wife did not have to fix dinner to night as we were promised dinner by Rob and his lovely wife Taffie. So I have not been out of Buster until today Saturday we were out to dump the holding tank, first time this year, check the batteries water and pit water in the fresh water tank. We always keep Busters fresh water tank full in cast the park water system has a problem.

Saturday

home again

The SKP Ranch Lakewood, NM - Thursday, January 9, 2020
Morning 41 Degrees, Wind SSW at 0 to 1 Mph, Humidity 38%, sunny.

One of the things I was told prior to surgery, numerous times that I will should not raise the right elbow above arm pit high, for a while, so OK that is not very many restrictions.

There is another loop around my arm

But waking up from surgery my arm is strapped to my chest, feeling like the one arm man. One loop around my arm just above the elbow and another cuff holding my hand. I do not want to be the one arm man. Tuesday morning I was allowed to use my hand I could release my hand from the binding and keep the arm strap in place. I can not move my elbow much away from my body. They would like my to keep my hand in the loop when sleeping, in case I get “wild” when sleeping.

Pacemaker temporary Id card

Finally able to eat, I have had nothing since Sunday when I was given a sandwich prior to surgery late Sunday evening. On Tuesday morning I could not stand on my feet to void as they hurt. I have been off my feet since Saturday when I had fainted doctors told me to stay in bed. Sunday night even I had pain in my foot that would not allow me to go to sleep. I asked for and got Tylenol thus being able to sleep. Early afternoon physical therapy lady came in and evaluated me she did notice my high arches helping me doing stretches. I keep doing them until it was ready to get dressed and go home. We left to room and headed down (by wheelchair) to transportation. Bob and Marilyn were here to take me and my lovely wife home. Bob and Marilyn (from the SKP Ranch RV Park) were in town (El Paso) to have dinner with his brother on Saturday. They were in the hospital Saturday when the procedure was done to commuter wires into my neck down into my heart, sitting with my lovely wife. They were there also on Monday while the pacemaker was being inserted sitting with my lovely wife. My daughter Carole visited on Sunday night while she was on her way home (driving) from Anaheim, California.

It took only 35 minutes to fly from Carlsbad to El Paso but it took three and one half hours door to door driving home (there was commuter traffic in El Paso as it was before six pm). Getting home to the SKP RV Park we stopped for a minute at Rob’s rig (who drove me and my lovely wife to Carlsbad hospital) and he got a neighbor (Dave) and met us at Buster (our Motorhome). They were at Buster to help my up the five steps into Buster. My feet still hurt but better than when I first tried to put a foot on the floor in the morning to void, more Tylenol. 

El Paso, Texas

University Hospital, El Paso, Texas
Morning 41 Degrees, Wind W at 8 to 10 Mph, Humidity 40%, partly cloudy.

Meals was latter in the emergency room department, nothing to write home about. Might be a different kitchen doing the preparation. Could not actually go off to sleep sometimes as I am not a back sleeper.  It wasn't until I was able to get somewhat onto my right side to not feeling like I was suffocating. It was Also a matter of thin mattresses beds, the thin bed in emergency felt hard and my bum hurt. Better beds in the room, thicker mattress with some sort of air system but not a sleep number mattress I had no control of it your bum is still not “happy”.
I was in the operating room about 2:00 pm Saturday then to CVICU about 5:pm until Monday.

Saturday night my lovely wife said something to the nurse about the total grams supplied at each meal seemed to be high. The next meals were 30 grams lower. Every tray brought in had a meal summery paper as to what was there and the grams of each item with a total. 
It has taken time but my chest is feeling better, from the fall back on December 23,. Today January 9, coughing is without pain. After my fall it was painful to cough, sneeze and some heavy breathing. Since my event on Saturday morning I am not allowed out of quantity. Until then at least I was allowed to stand to void. But all the time in the hospital they wanted me to use a container so they could measure the quantity.

Sunday about 10:20 am the temporary pacemaker kicked in at 50 hart rate I did not even notice. Again the Cardiologist was able to see the event as I am wearing the monitor. Nothing else after that. It was per arranged to have my daughter Cindy talk to the Cardiologist. It did not go well as my daughter was not happy with him. She requested a certain pacemaker, and placement, as I am left hand dominate. After he left the room Cindy told me not to sign any paper to operate until after an EP consult, yes. My daughter even said the specialist type of Cardiologist.

Wires going my neck

Monday January 6, in the morning another Cardiologist (EP type) came in the room for a consult. A consult was asked for prior to surgery, it was asked for on Saturday before the pacemaker was put in. My lovely wife and I had plan, with our daughter Cindy, a Cardiac Nurse (who is in on placement of pacemakers daily) in North Carolina. As the Cardiologist (EP type) came in the room and I realized who he was I started dialing, when connected I said to the Cardiologist it’s for you, it is my Cardiac Nurse. He was impressed, Cindy wanted proper understanding of device manufacture (brand) and placement in the body. It did seem like I was “hanging around” waiting the rest of the day for surgery. Paper came in finally and was explained to my lovely wife and me, you know like a contract when you are buying a car. But they had to add in placement of device and manufacturer (brand name). Then I was in the operating room at 5:pm getting ready for the procedure, they clean you and place draping around the surgery area. When the Cardiologist came in he had them re-due the drape for a right side implant. I was back in the CVICU room about 7:30 pm. Procedure done and temporary wire removed. Still connected to the monitor.

New Years Eve

Well what did you do for New Years Eve, anything exciting?

Cabinet

Well was working on a cabinet to use at the back end of the slide out. We were using a fold up TV tray table with a larger top storing things.  Going to make a couple of cuts on a couple of pieces of wood for the cabinet. Going into the wood shop I tripped over an electrical cord charging a golf cart (batteries). I fell forward going to  my knees and into to the table saw hurting my chest. That was on the twenty-third of December.

On the twenty-sixth I had a fainting while setting in my chair at the computer. This happened again on the thirtieth but I went to the floor this time. On the thirty-first I was at the stove melting a grill cheese sandwich and went down. Something came over me an wake up with my wife patting (all three times) my chest.  It also feels like she is interrupting a dream. Also I felt tired and wanted a nap.

I drove to Artesia Hospital on the thirty-first to get checked out. My lovely wife and I were there about three hours.
I wanted to leave as there was not Cardiologist Doctor to Treat me there.  We were given a script to fill at Walmart Pharmacy and needed to be  there before six and it is five pm now on New Years Eve. O had another fainting while riding in the car and my lovely wife driving on the way to get the prescription (same feeling & conditions).

We went to Artesia hospital but I did not go in. We ended up going back and getting the prescription and riding home. Home a short while I went to raise the thermostat in the hallway and check the temperature setting felling cool in here and had another fainting. My lovely wife called an ambulance. She helped me up and I went to sit in the recliner chair.

The fire department EMT came I was sitting in the recliner chair. They put a monitor on me nothing “jumped” out at them, just a 75 year old man. They could only transport to Artesia Hospital, not tonight. They said I could go by car to Carlsbad Hospital emergency that’s what we did. Rob one of our neighbors in the park drove me and my lovely wife there.

Carlsbad hospital ran some tests and the house doctor transferred me to University Hospital in El Paso, Texas. Ambulance ride to the airport, 35 minute flight to El Paso, Texas, Ambulance ride to University Hospital. We arrived about one thirty am and spent nineteen hours there (New Years) before going to a room upstairs. Wearing a monitor every time they stick on my chest about five electrodes to measure the hart and lungs. Every department or hospital wants their stickers the other are pulled off and new ones are used. Everybody wants to stick your vanes to draw blood. Cuff your arm and check blood pressure and glucose.   

Monitor with Battery telemetry

Food service was latter using Styrofoam container and tray in the ER compared to being up in a room using plates and (hot food) covers.

in the operating room wires installed

Monitor, here at the room I have a battery operated unit with 5 pick ups, leads connected to me with stick on patches. That is where the doctor got the traces. Possible to move around more even a pocket designed to hold the monitor transmitter in the gown.
About 9:10 am, after breakfast and sitting on the  side  of  the  bed,  I fainted,  scared everyone.  I am on a cardiologist monitor. Vitals also taken. Vitals, coming in the room on regular routine, blood pressure cuff, temperature, oxygen and blood glucose. A short time later the house Cardiologist came into the room with three pages print out of the event, now we know a diagnosis. When there is room (Available) in CVICU they will put me on a portable pacemaker. In a neck vane they inserted wires down to my heart and connected to the pacemaker. (Saturday)

black box hanging on I/V pole is temp pacemaker

December 28, 2019

The SKP Ranch Lakewood, NM - Friday, December 20, 2019
Morning 26 Degrees, Wind WNW at 3 to 5 Mph, Humidity 64%, sunny.

Roswell cataract center everything is OK and I can make a eye glass appointment for one month after my last eye surgery next month on the sixteenth.

Today was an early appointment and that went fast. Then weekly shopping at Walmart and Albertsons.


The SKP Ranch Lakewood, NM - Sunday, December 22, 2019
Morning 31 Degrees, Wind SSE at 1 to 2 Mph, Humidity 41%, sunny.

I do not know about yesterday but today the electrical contractor is working on connecting the new electric pedestals. The electric company finally added another power pole and the contractor installed the power junction box. Working on two lot pedestals the digger (digging out the old electric pedestals) contacted “water” and water was shutoff.

The SKP Ranch Lakewood, NM - Monday, December 23, 2019
Morning 26 Degrees, Wind NW at 2 to 5 Mph, Humidity 48%, partly cloudy.

We got water back this afternoon after two pipe repairs. I have been making a a cabinet for the rear of the big slide out, underneath the mirror. We have been having a fold up table there with a larger top, not screwed down. The cat tipped it all over one day jumping off the table top and everything stored off the table top. The cabinet top will be smaller and there will be another shelf to place stored things. The sides are attached to the back on hinges and the front screws to the sides and this will allow us to collapse the cabinet when traveling.


The SKP Ranch Lakewood, NM - Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Morning 37 Degrees, Wind SSW at 1 to 2 Mph, Humidity 41%, cloudy.

Well I screwed up today. Going into the wood shop to cut a couple of boards (for the cabinet) and I tripped over an electric cord connected to a golf cart falling into a table saw. I hit my chest on the left side bruising a rib.

The SKP Ranch Lakewood, NM - Saturday, December 28, 2019
Morning 46 Degrees, Wind SSE at 1 to 2 Mph, Humidity 42%, sunny.

Feeling somewhat better started out with just aspirin then added an ace bandage and changed to a back support worn higher. After two nights sleeping a little better as it was hurting when changing position. Even using the copilots chair (recliner) coming out of recline hurt. It was OK

just sitting or standing but changing from one to another hurt. I am getting over that now, less pain. It is still hard to blow my nose or cough.

Cataracts

The SKP Ranch Lakewood, NM - Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Morning 40 Degrees, Wind NW at 2 to 3 Mph, Humidity 84%, cloudy.

Up and out early, no eating breakfast for our trip to Roswell. After a sixty mile trip going to Lovelace hospital, nine AM for the left cataract procedure. Pretty easy out by eleven AM and over to the doctors office for two checks, instructions and eye drops.
Then we went to eat and do some shopping, gasoline for the car and the sixty mile drive home.


Morning 45 Degrees, Wind SE at 4 to 5 Mph, Humidity 97%, cloudy, fog.
Afternoon 45 Degrees, Wind S at 6 to 12 Mph, cloudy.

It was not fun driving to Roswell today with the fog, although going north of Artesia the fog thinned and lifted as we got closer to Roswell. And then we waited, two and a half hours in the loby and the prep time was longer than the first time. The procedure time was about the same. I did leave my phone and glasses in the recovery area. After we left the hospital and went to eat something then the doctor office for two checks, instructions and more waiting. Then back to the hospital picking up the glasses and phone I forgot, I was trying to get out of there as quick as possible. Too much waiting drained us so we did not do any shopping or stops that we did not “have” to do. We did put gasoline in Tan Jan after eating but that was it. It was getting dark as we started home four forty in the afternoon we had very little sun, and there still were a lot of clouds around.

The SKP Ranch November

The SKP Ranch Lakewood, NM - Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Morning 27 Degrees, Wind SW at 1 to 2 Mph, Humidity 68%, sunny.

It has been slow here and it has turned cold across the country but it is November, surprise. Winter is coming and we ran out of the propane gas that came in the delivered tank last Sunday. The tank was only thirty percent full, it did not last a month. Good information for future quantity planning. The propane delivery truck comes tomorrow. We have had heat from the built in propane gas tank in Buster that we are using since Sunday.