Sunday Stroke Survival: 2020 Wrap Up and What's to Come

Oops I missed posting last week.

I hope everyone had a good Christmas holiday.  It's that time of year again for reviewing the past year and figuring out what's the plan for 2021.

In 2020 review...

I finished my cancer treatments with a clean bill of health!!!

Last year really flew by with only a couple events of any real, personal interesting points.  I got infected by COVID-19 way back in February and I didn't realize it until much later. The end of January, Mel got sick with a fairly high fever, horrendous cough, and moderate difficulty breathing. With no medical insurance, she fought me on going to the hospital, but I finally (after 3 days) won the argument. The doctor at first, thought it might  the flu, but ruled it out fairly quickly. They wanted to admit her, but she refused. They didn't know what her problem medically was. I brought her home and treated her the best I could homeopathically with herbs and immuno-boosters I grow here. I warned her that if her fever went above 103°F and if she did not respond to me she was going right back to the hospital. It didn't happen. Eventually, her fever broke and she got better except for a cough and loss of stamina which lasted for months.  As an after effect she now becomes short of breath and has a heart condition.

The first part of February, it was my turn. Even though I'd wash my hands and wore a mas while treating her, I got sick though not as bad. I felt like I was going to cough up pieces of lung tissue at any moment (I didn't), had a medium grade fever (100°- 101°), and was shorter of breathe. It lasted about two weeks. I had lost my sense of taste and smell  (I still moderately suffer with this). I did touch bases with my PCP, but didn't go in. His instructions were the standard- control the fever, push fluids, and rest. If it got any worse to go to the ER. So that's what I did. 

We didn't hear about COVID until March with the rest of the country. We figured that's what we had been fighting. An antibody test shoes I had it. We were luckier than others with this virus. It was no worse than a very bad cold or brush with the flu.

I had a T-car procedure done on my left cardioid artery. Uneventful, but now have to do the right one done Jan 5th 2021.

I started Botox again for my post stroke(s) spasticity. With Emory in and out of locked down mode for nonessential surgeries, it was looking like summer of 2021  before I could have another baclofen pump implanted. So far, my body's response to doing Botox again has been good.

After the first series of 400 units, I was almost able to straighten my arm to full extension and raise it above my head. Which is way better than the 6" I'm able to move it without the injections. I could shave my underarm with ease!  The gain gradually reduced over time and by Thanksgiving the pain of my entrapped shoulder and bicep returned but I was scheduled for more Botox the first week in December. So it was manageable and short lived. I'm in physical therapy again.

I got another AFO and new shoes. The AFO still needs work. I've formed new pressure sores above my ankle and at the first metatarsal (at the base of my big toe). Oi Vey! So far though, no reoccurrence of the pressure sore in the spot that has plagued me for eight years. I guess I should count my blessings. This is the first time my shoes didn't need alterations of build ups and rockers added.

That's been my year besides falls. When I entered PT again they estimated my falls by how many I had in the past couple weeks... 48 falls a year! That sounds like a lot, but thinking back, it's a little on the high side. I remember about 30... not counting falls that I averted by catching myself before I actually hit the floor or ground. Is that a lot? It seems fairly standard to me after back surgeries and strokes in the odd 30 years or so.

What's coming up on 2021...

• The right sided T-Car procedure of my carotid artery is slated on the 5th of January.
• We've got our new garden area ready for seed potatoes in February. The 5th tier of the garden is almost completely revamped for vegetables. The seeds have been ordered. So we should get a good harvest.
• We staked out where our tiny houses will be built and leveled it. We've set the foundation piers. Now we've just got to save for the rest of the lumber before building can commence.
• My 9-month post cancer ultrasound (the week before Christmas) of my thyroid area showed another mass. Just when everyone thought it was gone, surprise! So everything else is up in the air again! But for now, I'm still alive and fighting. So much for a normal year. Sigh!

Nothing is impossible.

Sunday Stroke Survival: Happy Thanksgiving

Wow, it's Thanksgiving week again. The years seem to fly by after age 50. It's almost time to open my GITG (Give it God) box to get reinforcement in faith just how many blessing I've received and how God is working in my life. I do around Thanksgiving each year. I'm focused on especially on the areas of health (recovery), love, family, friends, and faith. After all, it proves what I have to be thankful for. I thought I'd share it with you.

HEALTH
As far as health goes 2018 has been the stinky arm pits of the year. I've struggled with my post stroke spasticity all year long with the pain and mobility issues. Hopefully, this will become a nonissue with the cervical selective rhizotomy the end of this year or the first of next year. The same goes for my spastic inverted foot.

I think Hanger finally got me into an AFO that does not cause foot pain or pressure sores. It's only taken them seven months to do it. I'm up to six hours a day wearing the latest adjustments. I'm still taking breaks every couple of hours of standing and moving for thirty minutes, but having to switch AFOs is almost a things of the past. I might be able to chuck the old AFO that was causing stress fractures in the trash in a couple of weeks finally! Hopefully in the coming year, I'll be able to find an orthopedist who will do the operation to rebuild my foot and ankle.

For right now, my stroke recovery is back tracking or stagnant. This will change in the coming year. At least that's my prayer.

In other health issues, all this imposed inactivity has cause my weigh to edge up some. My scale reads my weight between 155- 162 lbs. A weight gain of 10 lbs this year. That will change when I can get up and moving more. The fluctuation depends on how much fluid my body is withholding. That's all due to my heart. I can always tell when I am withholding fluids too much because I start wheezing. If it's not a double Lasix day, I'll make it one popping 60 mgs of Lasix instead of 40 mgs. Then, it's a bad incontinence day until the fluids come off. My stress test shows no new blockages, so I just have to keep the fluid off my heart and throwing myself into congestive heart failure. But I know the drill after ten years of dealing with my heart issues. I weigh myself daily to keep it all in check.

My kidneys are currently holding their own. The damage isn't any worse than six months ago. It isn't any better either. I'm still getting frequent kidney infections. I wish I could catch the bladder infections before it hits my kidneys, but I can't since my strokes. I just have to be extra diligent about watching for the tell tale signs of a low grade fever, lower back pain, and increased frequency of urination. Neat trick when your on Lasix. I've increased my cranberry juice intake to 8 ozs every day to try and reduce my rate of infections. If I can drop my bladder infections turning into kidney infections to less than ten times a year, it could only help the situation.

I've had bouts of depression this year. In dealing with all this pain and waiting, who could really blame me. I eventually get back on track. But I've dealt more with depression this year. I feel like a yoyo in all the back and forth. I find myself struggling to find my center. Now that positive steps are being taken, it is easier to keep the depression at bay.

LOVE
I am well loved by the Lord. There's no doubt in my mind. I get my daily quota of hugs, blessings, and peace from Him. I have no need for any other. I've heard more from my children and grandchildren this year so that's even more love received. I am abundantly blessed in that regard. I still miss my beloved and have periods still of pining for him and grieving his loss.  At the times when I feel it most, I'll be visited in dreams of him, remember all the things that made me love him more, and it gives me comfort. That is enough to carry me through.

FAMILY AND FRIENDS
I combine these two because they have equal impact on my life. My family is making more contact with me since I've moved away. My father has been released from Hospice care because of his improvement. He's still in a heavy care situation, but nor going to die of it any day. That's a huge improvement over last year. I no longer dread phone calls from home.  My family has coalesced without depending solely on me as I hoped they would.

I've developed new friendships here with the stroke and homestead ladies. I still haven't found a church to my spiritual liking yet, but I'm still trying. Although I'm a Methodist minister, my faith has grown beyond their teachings. Actually, it had broken the boundaries before I was ordained. But I'm still searching. I'll eventually find one.

And finally, I end up in FAITH.
(I went through my GITG box early)

My faith in the Lord is stronger than a year ago. I didn't think it was possible, but it is. I have been through the wringer this year. Both personally and worldly. I was shaken, but knocked off the rock my faith is for me. In my GITG box, there are very few items that haven't been resolved. Which is different than the last couple of years. There also seems to be fewer pieces of paper in the box than last year. God has handled it all for me. Or maybe, I'm trusting Him more and not having to write it down as much.

See, I told you I'd grown in faith.

Nothing is impossible.

Friday Fun~ Movie Review: World War Z

Okay, so my downtime wasn't totally without some fun. #3 and #4 daughters and I went to see World War Z. We didn't want to fight the crowds opening weekend so we went on Monday after the opening at lunch time.

To say I was anticipating this movie was an understatement. I'd watched all the trailers and clips since they started filming it. Having read the book, I'm sorry to say I was disappointed by the film.

The high points were covered in the previews and clips. It wasn't a snoozer or boring because there was a lot of action going on. There were a couple of scenes where my paralyzed arm jerked...it does that when startled in an extreme motion. I'd peg this movie more as an action adventure than a zombie movie.

Part of my problem is I always read the books before seeing the movie. I'm always destined to be disappointed by the film versions. While a picture can paint a thousand words, there are just a limit to what you can show in 120 pages of script verses the novel.The exceptions were the Harry Potter and Tolkien's Middle Earth series.

Don't get me wrong. The movie is great and the special effects are awesome. It just wasn't what I expected from reading the book.
There is a buzz going on about a sequel. But unless the sequel is more book based, I'll spend my money on the book instead of the sequel.

Friday Fun~ Disco Revisited

It's time to kick back and relax. It's Friday Fun time. TGIF, do you remember when that acronym came into being? It was a 1978 disco movie. I rented it for a blast from the past.

The time was 1978. The heyday of disco dancing, mirrored balls, Donna Summer and the Beegees topped the charts, the Vietnam War,Fantasy Island debuted on television, and the cost of a Super Bowl ad was $162,000.

Thank God It's Friday 
1978 
PG 
89 minutes

Genre:

Contemporary Movie Musicals, Disco, Music & Musicals, Comedy

Cast:

Donna Summer, Jeff Goldblum, Valerie Landsburg, Terri Nunn, Debra Winger, Chick Vennera, Ray Vitte, Commodores

It's Friday night and time to head to the hottest disco in town for the big dance contest in this 1970s groove-fest. A wild assortment of crazy characters shows up, and the Commodores supply the music. Singer Nicole (Donna Summer) is convinced she's going to get her big break, while Marv "Leather Man" Gomez (Chick Vennera) wanders the club dispensing advice. Thank God It's Friday won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for the song "Last Dance."

I watched this my children. One of whom I was pregnant with when this movie first hit the theaters. The script was still hopelessly hokey, but the music was fabulous. I still have the soundtrack on 8-track tape and a player to play it on. 

"Woman! Don't you throw anything away?" Hahaha, nope! Why should I? It still works! 

We followed that movie up with Saturday Night Fever.and had a disco marathon going.

Saturday Night Fever1977 
R
118 minutes

Genres:

Drama, Classic Dramas, Disco, Dance, Blockbusters

Cast:

John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Barry Miller, Joseph Cali, Paul Pape, Donna Pescow, Bruce Ornstein, Julie Bovasso, Fran Drescher, Martin Shakar, Sam Coppola

Director John Badham's musical ushered in the disco craze with the character of 19-year-old Tony Manero (John Travolta). By day, Tony's a paint store clerk, but at night he's a polyester-clad stallion who rules a Brooklyn nightspot with his partner, Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney). Although the plot addresses socioeconomic themes, it's the Bee Gees soundtrack and Travolta's strutting, Oscar-nominated moves that have made the film iconic.

After dinner, the grandchildren wanted to try their feet to some of the dance moves they had seen. We have the 8-track of both movies so we couldn't resist playing them while they practiced. Now my husband and I are old disco dancing pros because we lived the era. My husband broke out his wide collared polyester shirts and pants and I put on one of my floaty polyester dresses, and we set up shop as instructors. Well sort of, neither of us can do all the moves like when we were much younger.

We had an impromptu dance competition going with even one-year old James getting into the act. He could shake his booty with the rest of them. Our #2 grandson and #1 granddaughter had the best moves as a couple, while our #4 grandson had the best John Travolta disco stance shown above in the movie cover.

Great fun was had be all. So much for the blast from the past. All together now we are doing the boxcar. Er, um the disco line dance. Er, um the electric slide. Oh heck, every generation has a version.

Friday Fun ~ Movies: Against the Dark

I spend a great deal of time watching films in Netflix or on television. There's a reason for that, my husband's deaf. What's the sense of going to the movies if I can't go with my best beau? I think the last movie I saw in a movie theater was when I took my #2 daughter to see Harry Potter & the Deathly Hollow Part 1 for her birthday.

Today's review is on a home viewing of...

Against the Dark  2009 "R" 94 minutes

Cast:

Steven Seagal, Tanoai Reed, Jenna Harrison, Danny Midwinter, Emma Catherwood, Stephen Hagan, Daniel Percival, Skye Bennett, Linden Ashby, Keith David

Genre:

Action Thrillers, Action Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Vampires, Action & Adventure

Synopsis

After vampires overrun planet Earth, it's up to a special ops squad leader to stamp out the bloodsuckers and save humanity. But for those who've survived and taken refuge in an abandoned hospital, hope is running out -- along with food and supplies.

My Grade

"C" for content

"D" for Acting

"No" for will I watch this again

All I've got to say is I should have known better. While Steven Seagal was fine for his usual kick-butt martial arts, he has not aged well. The older, paunchy "savior" was found lacking with few spoken lines and heavy reliance on special effects tricks. 

While keywords such as "virus," "vampires," "horror," and "action" drew me to watch. The only interesting part was the marriage of zombie eat flesh and behaviors, and the blood sucking vampire nature of the virus's mutation.

Say "pass" on this one unless your into martial arts and sword play for its own sake. It even gives "B" movies a bad rap.

Friday Fun ~ Movie Review: Fire with Fire

Fire With Fire 
2012
 Rating: R 
97 minutes

Cast:
Josh Duhamel, Rosario Dawson, Bruce Willis, Vincent D'Onofrio, 50 Cent, Richard Schiff, Vinnie Jones, Bonnie Somerville

Genre:

Crime Action, Crime Dramas, Action & Adventure

Synopsis

After witnessing the brutal murders of a convenience store owner and his son; firefighter Jeremy Coleman barely escapes with his life. As he is forced to testify against the crime lord, Hagan, he is placed in the witness protection program. When his new identity becomes compromised, Jeremy is forced to take an unexpected course of action in order to get his life back and save the lives of those he loves.

My Grade
 A+for content

 A+ for acting

"Yes" A must see and would definitely see again

This movie has enough action to keep this action junky riveted. While Josh Dunhamel plays the lead, Bruce Willis plays a more minor roll as a detective. I've been a fan of Bruce Willis since he starred opposite Cybil Shepherd in "Moonlighting" way back in 1985. He doesn't disappoint in this movie with his attitude and demeanor.

Man against man and the question, what would you do if you had no other options to keep your loved ones safe. The answer, what wouldn't you do.

Friday Fun Review "Apollo 18"

 Apollo 18

2011   86 minutes

Starring:

Gonzalo Lopez, Brian Miller, Timur Bekmambetov  

Synopsis
NASA's cancelled trip to the moon in the 1970s is the basis for this found-footage-style picture exploring if the urban legend were true that the mission actually did occur and the proof of extraterrestrial life exists on film.

My grade:
"A" for content
"A" for acting
"Yes" for would I watch it again. In fact, I've watched it 3 times so far.

 My eclectic tastes are showing because this movie is science fiction, conspiracy theory, and a thriller all rolled into one. The film maker would have you believe that the movie was spliced together footage of a secret Apollo mission. Having had watched the news of all televised segments of the Apollo missions in real life this movie comes pretty darn close.

The tension is felt as is the fear. Exploring a Russian capsule on the moon was riveting filmed by headlamps so you only get tiny glimpses of what is going on so it up the watcher in the astronaut's point of view. Everything was true to the 1970s because I can remember back that far.

Filmed in black  and white adds to the "authenticity" of the footage shown. It is believable. The action sequences are true to life. The website they show at the end...don't bother going to it...it's a ploy. I was gullible enough to try. The movie has enough action and scares enough to jerk by paralyzed arm up. A reflex reaction like when I sneeze not positive/active movement.

My recommendation- See it and believe it or not.

Speaking of the Apollo missions did you know Neil Armstrong is often misquoted for his famous line?

He actually said, "This is one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind."

Just a bit of trivia from a person who actually met him.

Friday Fun~ Review of "Stake Land"

Stake Land
 2010  98 minutes

Cast:

Danielle Harris, Kelly McGillis, Connor Paolo, Michael Cerveris, Bonnie Dennison, Chance Kelly, Sean Nelson, Nick Damici, Adam Scarimbolo, Marianne Hagan

Genre:

Vampires, Horror 

 

Synopsis

This genre-bending thriller combines vampires, religious fanatics and post-apocalyptic horrors with a coming-of-age tale that finds drifter Mister (Nick Damici) training young Martin (Connor Paolo) to survive the nightmare that has become America as they journey to New Eden. While they combat the mutated bloodsuckers and vicious humans seeking to rule the land, Mister and Martin rescue other wanderers and become a tightly knit family of warriors.

 

My grade:

"B" for content

"A" for the acting

"Maybe" for watching it again

 

Okay, I'm back into horror this week. I know I',m way behind the times this movie has been out for a few years. I actually misread the title when I first looked at it. I was wondering what does skating have to do with vampires? LOL Anyhow, what drew me in was the post-apocalyptic premise more than actual vampires. I don't necessarily consider myself a vampire fan. I'm more into zombies. After all, that's what I write.

For a vampire movie it wasn't half bad. Enough gore to hold my interest. No real make-me-want-to-pee-my-pants shocks. Good action sequences. The story line was interesting. I loved the unexpected changes of attitude in the character of Mister. All the characters were believable. I became invested in what happened within the family group. The mysterious Mister appeared in the beginning and disappeared in the same  way at the end leaving the watcher to wonder what happened to him.

 

All in all, a decent movie for vampire fans or not. But it's one of those movies, if you've seen it once...it's enough.

 

Friday Fun~ Review of "The Genesis Code"

The Genesis Code

2010  137 minutes

Starring:

Logan Bartholomew, Kelsey Sanders

Directors:

C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Read Johnson

Synopsis

 When a journalism student interviews a college hockey star, she learns that he doesn't believe science is compatible with religion.

I'd give this movie:

"A" for content.

"B" for acting with exception of Ernest Borgnine who was superb as the boy's grandfather.

"Definitely" in watch again category.

I was drawn in by the title when I was looking for something to watch the other evening. I wasn't in the mood for  horror, an overly played romance, or a sit on the edge of my seat thriller. I get in one of my moods and just want to watch something different. So I clicked "play" and was pleasantly surprised.

As you know, if you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I'm a minister as well as an author. One of the greatest conjecture points between Nonchristians and even Christians is the beginning of Genesis. How God created the Earth in six days. Science can clearly show that it took millions of years to create Earth, right?

I don't mean to get on a preacher's soap box here. It's just of fact.The movie marries science and the Bible, and does it beautifully. Taking a bunch of physics geeks, hockey players, an anthropology professor, and a minister. The minister's kids are one of the physics geeks and the other a journalist. Although, I personally believed that God's time and ours is a difference of perspective I couldn't have explained it half as well as this movie did. It was a real eye opener.

If you get a chance, rent it. Or if you have NetFlix, watch it. It will be well worth your time.