Bob hospitalized, and back home

Hi everybody, just a short update. On Monday night Bob experienced very severe chest pains. The pain was so severe he couldn't sit or lay down. He was taken by ambulance to Pocono Medical Center. Our friends Pat and Dave H. drove Linda to the hospital. Dave and Pat stayed with Linda till  our three sons showed  up.  What the pain turned out to be was a blood clot in his Lung. Boy o' boy these passed couple of months have made up for all the great health we enjoyed in the passed. Bob spent 2 nights and 3 days in the hospital.  We have all kind of meds for him and a doctor's appointment set up with our Primary Care Physician for Friday. A lot to be still worked out. We'll keep you posted.

     In the mean time Linda has had some additional testing done and has a ulcer in her esophagus cause by acid reflex. She is on medication for that and will need another test in about two months.

      We are not sure when we can start to head south for warner weather. One nice thing, the leaves are coming into their full color. We'll keep you posted

 

 

Medical update

Bob,
MRI was good, no problems. Some more meds, pain is about 90-95% gone. More follow ups in 4 weeks
More test unrelated to above, I need a stress test. Need a chest x-ray
Next PSA test 10/1/13, a long wait.
Flu shot


Linda
all blood work good, x-rays for hip pain. Hips are good, problem seems to a Lumbar problem. Shot in one side, wait and see. If it goes ok another shot on the other side, or an MRI if shot doesn't work.
Dermatologist visit 10/15/13
Needs new glasses
Flu shot

We are getting the full treatment, our doctor is not letting us off easy.

Doctors visit

Again Thanks very much for all the good wishes. Had my doctor visit with the Neurologist today. He concurred  with the Neurosurgeon  in Spokane WA that I have Trigeminal neuralgia. Still have to go for a MRI of the brain. Hopefully the medication will stop all the pain. I have been living with mild to severe pain for about 5 weeks  in my lower left gum. The meds are beginning to help. I can talk and eat almost normal without much pain. I did loose about 10 pounds in the first two weeks. At times the pain is still there and bad but getting better. My medication is being increased about fourfold over the next 4 weeks. I'm hoping it works with no side effects and for a clear MRI.  Again thanks for all the great emails and calls.

Also, I am so proud of Linda driving cross country at the rate we did. It wasn't the way we like to travel.

  Bob and Linda

Back in PA

      Hi, we are back in PA staying at Timothy Lake South in the Pocono Mountains. We arrived here on Wednesday about 4:30 in the afternoon. It has been a long hard trip without much rest in between. We both decided we could not be long haul truck drivers. We love travel, but not like the passed week. We traveled 2,911 miles in the passed 8 days, that's about 360 miles a day. I know, I know that doesn't sound like a lot. Its a lot when towing a 38 foot trailer along I 90 and its "bike week" at Sturgis or its raining so hard its hard to see, its a lot. We are used to 1-150 miles  a day, then staying a couple of days. But we made it without any problems and the Chevy preformed outstanding, pulling them there mountains in Montana, and the plains of South Dakota. This is the third time we made a trip like this for medical reason's. This is the first time for us, and the longest. In 2008 we made a trip like this from South Dakota when my mother fell and was hospitalized.  That trip was a lot easier in that we didn't have the car and Linda and I took turns towing the RV. We travel longer each day, and made it back to PA in 3 days.  The second time was from Georgia when Linda's brother and sister in law were both hospitalized. That was the shortest, only about a 1,000 miles.  But the good thing is we are mobile and can do these trips if necessary.

       Again thanks for all the prayers sent my way. BUT, someone shirked their duty as I was ONE prayer away from sainthood. Now the process must start over, we just can't add one more prayer, it doesn't work like that. I go to the bottom of the list. Oh well! I wasn't ready to be called saint Robert just yet. But again thanks for all the emails and calls.

Thank you

 

Hi, and a special thank you to one and all for you emails and calls and comment on our blog. RV folks are the best. We had calls from six RV friends that offered to come to Washington to drive us and our RV back to PA. Plus an offer of airline tickets from a friend. Also one of our sons wanted to fly out and drive back to PA. Also emails from others to help however they can when we get back to PA. Plus enough prayers to make me a saint. Thank you again.We left Washington on Wednesday and are now in Wall South Dakota, the evening of the 9th. We have over a 1000 miles behind us and about 1700 more to go.

   Bob is having sever pain in his gum, thought it was a tooth, but it is nerve damage. Couldn't get into a neurologist for 2-3 months in WA.. So we called our doctor back home and have a appointment on the 22nd.  Hopefully drugs will work, which Bob is now on, and possibly others. We will know more in a  couple of weeks and will keep you posted.

  Again THANK YOU all.

 

    Bob and Linda

Change in Plans

Hi, just a short update. We have changed our plans. We are heading back to Pennsylvania for medical reasons. We will not be posting for a short time and will let you all know when we get there.  We will also give you a medical update at that time. Take care.
   Bob and Linda

Delayed in Washington, medical problems

   Hi, just a quick update. Remember all the problems Bob had with a tooth. Well more problems. Friday he got a very bad tooth ache, were the tooth use to be. What the heck? Got here Friday late and called 3 dentist. This is a small town of about 2000. They were all out. Left messages. Didn't get any call backs and Saturday the pain was extremely bad, Bob couldn't talk, eat, drink and had a hard time swallowing.  So I drove him to the ER in this tiny town, to a tiny hospital. Short wait and got some meds and told to see a dentist on Monday. Saturday afternoon a Dentist called us. Told him the problem and he said I'll meet you at my office in half an hour. Off we went. After a few x-rays and exam he said I can't find anything. Not what we wanted to hear. He set up an appointment for Bob with an Oral Surgeon for Monday afternoon in Spokane, about 50 miles from here. So off we went. After the paper work in we went. More x-rays and an exam. Good and bad news. Not a dental problem, probably nerve damage. Have to see a Neurologist. Told us to get in touch with our Primary doctor to call in special meds and refer us to a Neurologist. Called our doctor and he is on vacation. Called the oral surgent back, told him the problem. He stepped in and called in our meds and acted as our primary and got us an appointment with a neurologist for August 5th. The new pain meds are helping. Still a lot of pain, but eating and drinking better. Can talk a little, and writing notes to communicate. The 5th is going to be a long wait, but nothing else we can do for now. Bob has seen 6 dentist and 2 oral surgeons in the passed 4 years for this problem. Saw a dentist in 2010 in TX, then in FL 2 dentist and an oral surgeon, and 2 dentists  in PA and a dentist and oral surgeon in WA. Hopefully this problem will be solve on the 5th.
   We will catch up on our blogs soon as Bob gets over all the side effects of the meds.

Here is a teaser of the wildflowers in Glacier National Park

Her is our site for the next couple of weeks

Dental surgery

   This passed October I, Bob had a root canal after some very bad weeks of a  very bad toothache.   This tooth has been an ongoing problem for three years. I had seen a dentist in TX, one in FL and two in PA. Now a dentist in FL and an Oral surgeon. Well, it seemed to be a good fix until last Saturday. I got some very serious pain in the same area as before. Called the dentist in Pa. well Linda did as I was in so much pain I couldn't talk. Our dentist called in two prescriptions and said look for a dentist and have the tooth extracted. Well after spending a huge amount of money to save the tooth three months earlier I didn't want to hear this. But, by Monday  the pain subsided only a little I decided to get the tooth pulled. Looked up dentists in Wauchula and started calling. The first two were closed on Monday. The third said come in at 1 and we will work you in. Things went downhill from there. After an attempt to pull the tooth I hear a large snap and saw pieces of tooth passing in front of me. The tooth split into pieces. The dentist said I'll have to go to a oral surgeon to have it removes. Oh sh__, the nearest oral surgeon was 40 miles away in Winter Haven. The whole side on my mouth is numb and I'm bleeding and my speech is slurred. The dentist called the oral surgeon and they would be able to see me as soon as I got there. Linda drove and it seem like the trip would never end, not because of her driving, but because of my predicament. My mouth is full of gauze to curb the bleeding, I can hardly talk, and I'm having a sickening feeling. The drive was pretty much a straight drive but through several small towns with 35 mph zones. We got to the dentist and of course there are forms to fill out. But in about ten minutes after arriving I was in the "chair" getting more numbing shots. Within 5 minutes the tooth was out and 3 stitches were in. I didn't feel a thing. I was so numb I could hardly talk. The following day I had a tremendous amount of pain. A call to the Oral surgeon, and it was keep on the pain pills and restart the antibiotic.  By Friday I was feeling petty good.  That was almost two weeks ago, and knock on wood I am healing without any pain.