Hey Y'all Getcha a cold drink of choice, relax & think as you read thru this all.
Somehow I returned and am now nearly recovered from the most traumatic event or series of events I have ever been through. I was working on a 1938 Grumman TBF-1 Avenger War Bird. The sky became dark as storm clouds approached. It was late summer & we had a heat index over 110*F. I was atop a 12'-0" step ladder pulling a tarp over an open cockpit to keep coming rain out. I became woozy & weak, but managed to pull a tarp in place and fasten it securely. I felt weaker as I climbed down the ladder to the ground. I managed to walk to a table & sit down before passing out. I was brought back to consciousness by a felow restoration crew member but knew I was not "right". They took me home after I called my wife @ work & told her what was up.
When I got home, she saw me & called 911 imeadiately. They came, checked me over, decided I was stable but suffering from heat stroke. They urged I go to the emergency room. I was a Mess & as a kid, Mom insisted I wear clean sox & underwear just incase I went to a hospital. I needed a shower & fresh clothes. EMT's reluctantly packed gear in the ambulance. I attempted to get up, my life went instantly, totally, DARK! I died right there on our living room floor in front of Cathy's Piano. I was DEAD, CODE BLUE. I heard a woman yellig my name at me. I felt incredible pains in my chest, I remember being jiggled, I remember a bumpy sense of motion, I remember bits & pieces of senseless sounds & lights & not much else. It was dreamlike but I could not awake. I was on life support being transported I later found out. I went to 2 hospitals before I was left at someplace. Apparently I was beyond ability of the 1st, local, hospital to deal with me.
4 days later they removed my breathing tube and began raising my blood temperature from a cold temperature I had been placed in of a "Cold Coma". A day later they took me out of Cardiac IC Unit or Card ICU to a Cardiac Recovery Ward. The next day they mostly carried me as I went 50ft out and 50ft back in a walker followed by a nurse with my Oxygen bottle. I had gone from being Clinically Dead for several minutes in my home to a major cardiac trauma center, thru a cold coma for 13 hours, 7 hrs of Cardiac Quad By-Pass surgery, then 28 more hours of cold coma, 36 hr recovery period, a day or day & a half in the recovery ward all in about 5-1/2 days time. I've been recovering ever since.
I have come a very long way, I owe my life to a team of EMS Techs in an EVAC Van & half a dozen doctors, specialists & nurses, as well as my family & my physician. I workout at our local YMCA on a cardiac rehab medley I wrote for me. I do feel great. My medical team is pleased. I shed over 50lbs. I reclaimed my stamina. My strength is coming back. It's 5.5 months since my incident. I'm 7 months ahead of normal recovery time. My medical team, Cardiologist, my personal Physician & my Cardiac Surgeon are proud of me. I'm ahead of being on track for a 100% recovery from being a deceased person. It's not been easy. It takes alot of dedication effort & flat out work to get where I am now on a recovery scale. I'd not be here writing this to y'all if any 1 of a number of things had been the slightest way different. I owe the Lord, My GOD, Biggest Thanks and
my Medi Team(S) plus all who assisted & all who care about me, for their support, love & caring enough for making my life matter to them.
I know this is a heavy deal to read. I assure y'all it was much heavier to live thru & come this far so soon without being damaged beyond some nasty scars & the long road back to being fit again. I also assure y'all I'm very well on my way to full recovery. My ribs are mostly healed. Where my sternum's cut to open my chest is nearly knit back together & healed. I'm off all Pain medications, except every so often if I get stressed/strained or over tired from activities or working out. I lost 6 inches from my waist from 36" back to 30". I shed 50+ Lbs permanently. I eat about 2/3 less per portion. I am working on learning all Heart Smart foods as my diet. Best of all I've not felt this great since I was late 20's or early 30 yrs old. That was over 40 years ago. I have a lot more respect for good health & being in shape again than I did 6mos ago. I'm glad it has gone this way for me & again I thank GOD for caring for me so well. I will try to get myself on here more Often Dave. I've truly been to a real Darkside. I tell ya Man, It is extremely lonely very, very, very, dark & very, very, very, quiet, except for Lisa's Voice. Lisa is an EMT Team Captain who broke my ribs saving my wretched Ass. I owe Lisa for what she did for me. She is my Angel of Mercy on Earth. She saved my life. She has a strong compression strength. I'm supposed to meet with EMT Lisa & her whole team, for A Group Hug & "BIG - THANX GUYS - YOU ROCK" meeting.
Different kind of tale for an automotive oriented site isn't it?
But now y'all know why I been absent, quiet, missing/lost & where I've been off doing what I must do to be done with my bad incident. They all told me it takes about a year. It's only been 5.5 months. Healing isn't finished yet. I've regained Good Health to a much BETTER state & condition than had when my event took place. Less weight, more fit, more aerobic Blood & circulation, better shape healthier outlook & closer to GOD, my savior & redeemer plus the effort into exercising & working out @ local YMCA.
CIAO Y'all....
. . . THANX for listening,
. . . . I will be back to quote "Chuckie". . . .
. . . . .The One, The Only, The Inevetable, the formerly DECEASED:
.............______ FORDBOYpete____________. . . . . . . . ...._____....
Somehow I returned and am now nearly recovered from the most traumatic event or series of events I have ever been through. I was working on a 1938 Grumman TBF-1 Avenger War Bird. The sky became dark as storm clouds approached. It was late summer & we had a heat index over 110*F. I was atop a 12'-0" step ladder pulling a tarp over an open cockpit to keep coming rain out. I became woozy & weak, but managed to pull a tarp in place and fasten it securely. I felt weaker as I climbed down the ladder to the ground. I managed to walk to a table & sit down before passing out. I was brought back to consciousness by a felow restoration crew member but knew I was not "right". They took me home after I called my wife @ work & told her what was up.
When I got home, she saw me & called 911 imeadiately. They came, checked me over, decided I was stable but suffering from heat stroke. They urged I go to the emergency room. I was a Mess & as a kid, Mom insisted I wear clean sox & underwear just incase I went to a hospital. I needed a shower & fresh clothes. EMT's reluctantly packed gear in the ambulance. I attempted to get up, my life went instantly, totally, DARK! I died right there on our living room floor in front of Cathy's Piano. I was DEAD, CODE BLUE. I heard a woman yellig my name at me. I felt incredible pains in my chest, I remember being jiggled, I remember a bumpy sense of motion, I remember bits & pieces of senseless sounds & lights & not much else. It was dreamlike but I could not awake. I was on life support being transported I later found out. I went to 2 hospitals before I was left at someplace. Apparently I was beyond ability of the 1st, local, hospital to deal with me.
4 days later they removed my breathing tube and began raising my blood temperature from a cold temperature I had been placed in of a "Cold Coma". A day later they took me out of Cardiac IC Unit or Card ICU to a Cardiac Recovery Ward. The next day they mostly carried me as I went 50ft out and 50ft back in a walker followed by a nurse with my Oxygen bottle. I had gone from being Clinically Dead for several minutes in my home to a major cardiac trauma center, thru a cold coma for 13 hours, 7 hrs of Cardiac Quad By-Pass surgery, then 28 more hours of cold coma, 36 hr recovery period, a day or day & a half in the recovery ward all in about 5-1/2 days time. I've been recovering ever since.
I have come a very long way, I owe my life to a team of EMS Techs in an EVAC Van & half a dozen doctors, specialists & nurses, as well as my family & my physician. I workout at our local YMCA on a cardiac rehab medley I wrote for me. I do feel great. My medical team is pleased. I shed over 50lbs. I reclaimed my stamina. My strength is coming back. It's 5.5 months since my incident. I'm 7 months ahead of normal recovery time. My medical team, Cardiologist, my personal Physician & my Cardiac Surgeon are proud of me. I'm ahead of being on track for a 100% recovery from being a deceased person. It's not been easy. It takes alot of dedication effort & flat out work to get where I am now on a recovery scale. I'd not be here writing this to y'all if any 1 of a number of things had been the slightest way different. I owe the Lord, My GOD, Biggest Thanks and
my Medi Team(S) plus all who assisted & all who care about me, for their support, love & caring enough for making my life matter to them.
I know this is a heavy deal to read. I assure y'all it was much heavier to live thru & come this far so soon without being damaged beyond some nasty scars & the long road back to being fit again. I also assure y'all I'm very well on my way to full recovery. My ribs are mostly healed. Where my sternum's cut to open my chest is nearly knit back together & healed. I'm off all Pain medications, except every so often if I get stressed/strained or over tired from activities or working out. I lost 6 inches from my waist from 36" back to 30". I shed 50+ Lbs permanently. I eat about 2/3 less per portion. I am working on learning all Heart Smart foods as my diet. Best of all I've not felt this great since I was late 20's or early 30 yrs old. That was over 40 years ago. I have a lot more respect for good health & being in shape again than I did 6mos ago. I'm glad it has gone this way for me & again I thank GOD for caring for me so well. I will try to get myself on here more Often Dave. I've truly been to a real Darkside. I tell ya Man, It is extremely lonely very, very, very, dark & very, very, very, quiet, except for Lisa's Voice. Lisa is an EMT Team Captain who broke my ribs saving my wretched Ass. I owe Lisa for what she did for me. She is my Angel of Mercy on Earth. She saved my life. She has a strong compression strength. I'm supposed to meet with EMT Lisa & her whole team, for A Group Hug & "BIG - THANX GUYS - YOU ROCK" meeting.
Different kind of tale for an automotive oriented site isn't it?
But now y'all know why I been absent, quiet, missing/lost & where I've been off doing what I must do to be done with my bad incident. They all told me it takes about a year. It's only been 5.5 months. Healing isn't finished yet. I've regained Good Health to a much BETTER state & condition than had when my event took place. Less weight, more fit, more aerobic Blood & circulation, better shape healthier outlook & closer to GOD, my savior & redeemer plus the effort into exercising & working out @ local YMCA.
CIAO Y'all....
. . . THANX for listening,
. . . . I will be back to quote "Chuckie". . . .
. . . . .The One, The Only, The Inevetable, the formerly DECEASED:
.............______ FORDBOYpete____________. . . . . . . . ...._____....