Not the best week this year…………………………………………

As always, first the chronology:

12/10/17 – Sunday – Up and out early to pickup Gary for church. Back home. Kathy was home, wasn’t feeling good so she didn’t go to Sunday school. Did the blog and computer updates. Then a light lunch. Worked on my boom microphone then out to Gary’s for the afternoon get together. Home and some computer shopping. Dinner, to bed, exercises, Big Bang and sleep.

12/11/17 – Monday – Up, the usual including exercise. Then out shopping. Had lunch while out. Home and took a nap. Up and did chores around the house. Then a light dinner. Down to chat with the guys on the radio. Did some more work on the boom mike. Some research. To bed, computer work, some research then to sleep.

12/12/17 – Tuesday – Kathy was up and out early to take a friend to the hospital for carpal tunnel surgery. The dog would not let me sleep so I got up. Got ready and out to physical therapy. Then up to the shooting range for ammo for Kathy for Christmas. Then home. Kathy arrived moments after me. Had a bite for lunch. Then down to my room to work on my laptop to resolve the audio issue. Worked on my boom mike. Then up for dinner. Back to my room to make the 6:30 chat on the radio. Then to bed, a little desert, computer work, Big Bang and sleep.

12/13/17 – Wednesday – Up and down to my room. Spent some time helping Kathy put some pictures together for her annual Christmas letter. Worked on my boom microphone and discovered the issue. Came up with a way to circumvent the problem. Everything works well now. Went over to Gary’s to pick him up for dinner. Stopped for him to do some Christmas shopping. Then to church and dinner. Home finished up the wiring for the boom microphone and all is good. To bed, some computer work, reading, Big Bang and sleep.

12/14/17 – Thursday – Up and did chores around the house. Kathy finally gave in and called for a doctor’s appointment. Got one for 11:30 so I got cleaned up to take her. Doctor said she had a sinus infection and gave her some heavy duty antibiotics. We went for lunch at Wild Eggs till her prescription was filled. Picked it up after we were done eating. I came home and changed clothes and was off for physical therapy. Back home and played radio till it was time to prepare dinner. Then down to my room for more radio. Did some computer work. Then to bed, some reading, Big Bang and sleep.

12/15/17 – Friday – Up and out to do some shopping. Started toward Costco. Just prior to getting off the Gene Snyder Freeway, Kathy started feeling sick. Dizzy, sick to the stomach and a few other things. Got the the Costco parking lot and she announced she couldn’t go in. So, I went in to buy some printer cartridges she needed to finish her Christmas letter mailing. Came out and things continued to deteriorate. Made some calls and got no help so headed over to the Norton Brownsboro hospital ER. Got in there just before 11AM. Spend the next 6 hours in the ER while they ran all kind of test to see what her problem was. Finally discharged her with prescriptions for a couple medications that would calm her stomach. Got those filled, picked up some groceries we needed and got her home and in bed. Finally got to sit down myself and get something to eat a little after 7PM. Then to my room for some computer work. Then to bed.

12/16/17 – Saturday – Kathy seemed to be still suffering from all the medication she was given in the hospital. So, I helped her finish the printing she had to do, then took the letters to the post office for her. Stopped at Country Mart for margerine for cookies tomorrow. Then home. Did chores around the house for Kathy. Then prepared soup for lunch. Cleaned up the kitchen. Then downstairs to put the Christmas Letter on my blog. Finished and played awhile. Took a break for dinner. A little more on the radio. Then to bed, exercises, computer work, Big Bang and sleep.

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Now the particulars:

Kathy has not been feeling well for more than a week.  All started with a cold sore so she was convinced it was viral and there’s nothing a doctor could do about it.  By Thursday things were not getting better and I talked her into getting an appointment with the doctor.  He said her sinuses were full and tender indicating there was an infection.  So he gave her some antibiotics to take.  Things seemed to be good till Thursday when we started out for some shopping.  Almost go to where we were going and she started getting dizzy and nausea very badly.  We got to Costco parking lot and she said she was too dizzy and sick to go in.  So, I went in and got the ink cartridges we came after.  By the time I got back out to the truck she was worse.  Couldn’t even keep her eyes open and she was throwing up.  She insisted I call the doctors office but no one was in.  I called Julie and she confirmed my thought that she should probably go to the emergency room.  Fortunately there was  Norton hospital right next to Costco so it was about a 2 minute ride.  They ran all kind of test to make sure it wasn’t a stroke and ultimately concluded it was probably vertigo as a result of the fluid buildup in her head.  Finally got out of the ER 6 hours later.

Many things to be learned here.  Yes, we probably know our bodies better than anyone else, but when things tend to linger, it’s past time to go to a doctor.  Many people die everyday from making the wrong decisions about their health.  To me it’s better to go have things checked out, even if it’s nothing, than to take a chance and let it go.

So, anyway, for the most part of Thursday and Friday I spent all my time nursing Kathy.  I got to repay a little of what she went through when I was in the hospital with my motorcycle accident.

During the last contest I worked on my HAM radio I found out why it was important to have a boom microphone with a foot switch.  It frees up both your hands so you can simultaneously do the logging on the computer as you use the radio.  So, I’ve been working on getting a boom microphone to work.  I was having great difficulty in getting it to work on my VHF/UHF radio until I discovered that it didn’t like to work with any kind of outside ground.  After I figured that out it was rather simple to come up with a plan to work around the issue.  Some resistors and another transformer, some wiring rearrangement and I was in business.  I haven’t checked it out on the two HF rigs but will try to get that done some day this week.  Otherwise I think this project is done.

PT has been enjoyable.  Very lovely staff working on me.  Took me a good week to get back in the swing of things and start getting the exercises done correctly.  But I think they are helping.  I’ve always said I think the PT does more positive things for your body than medication.  But, I’m scheduled to start the shots in the back this week and will do that as well.  I want to do as much as possible to make sure I’m in shape for Rolling Thunder again this year.

In case you didn’t notice I cheated and plagiarized her letter.  She sent pictures this year as well so I embedded them in the blog entry.  Feel free to look it over.  She writes better than I do.  And she’s not as long winded.

OK, that’s it for this week.  Have a great week.  Blog at you again next week.