Vital Signs for January 2019

This month marked a swallow caused pass out and hit head. No permanent damage I hope.

Had a fight with my weight. My goal is 210, But I went from round 214 to 213. I was around 214 all month. One day I hit 211 and another day I went up to 216. (John's 70th Birthday Party)

I will try for 210 again in February.

John Morgan Adams is 70!

My old friend and son in law John Adams is 70 years old today. He had great party yesterday. I first met John 43 years ago in Jena, Louisiana. I drove out to his place in the woods and he had a hog hanging between two trees and was butchering it. John is a nice guy with many talents. Being a good man is one of them.

John behind his presents and cupcakes. There must be a case of toilet paper.

The men at his party yesterday.

Grandchildren are a big help blowing out candles.

John was such a good football player that he did need a helmet!

My Esophagus. A brief history of my experiences with swallowing problems.

In 1998, at the age of 73, I had very difficult time with swallowing a bite of cheeseburger. During the next four years I had passed out 3 times while swallowing food. These three times I was sitting down and did not sustain a head injury. Now ar 93 I look back at lots of adventures swallowing.

I had my esophagus stretched for the first time in 2002. Since then my esophagus has been stretched in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2915, 2016, and 2018. This is a total of seven times. As time goes by these stretches seem to be less worthwhile.

I have passed out two more times since the first three times. Once in 2013 and once this month, 2919. The fall in 2013 resulted in a bleeding brain and surgery. (After a stroke two months after the fall.) A CAT scan this week indiates no brain bleeding (so far) from the last fall.

So that is seven esophagus stretches, five passing out, and years of difficult meals. My Dr said that I may have to do all my eating and drinking while sitting down. That is better than a feeding tube.

CAT scan. Good News!

A CAT scan indicated that my brain is not bleeding!. Probably will check again later on. I will keep a sharp eye out in the meantime for TIAs.   Such as 1. Right hand a claw. 2. Unable to speak clearly.

Thanks for your concern. I am fine.

Drink of cold water and passed out!

Got up at 2 AM this morning for my every two hour piss call. Got my bottle out of the frig and took a larger than normal gulp of cold water. I immediately had a strong feeling of passing out and I hunched over the kitchen counter. A few minutes later I woke up on the floor across the trailer. I had passed out and hit the floor with enough force to break the skin on my head. The two pics of my head indicate that I hot solid and then skidded a bit to make the scratch.

These two pics are of where I landed. You can see the blood marks.

It is a strange feeling to come to after fainting. It takes awhile to realize what happened. I have passed out from esophagus spasms several times. The last time was six years ago. The times that I passed out before the last two times I was sitting down and did not hit my head. The fall in January 2013 caused my brain to bleed and in two months I had a stroke. Brain surgery was  required to heal the bleeding.

It would be smart to have my head xrayed. Sure would be!

Train ride to California. How come?

I leave Marshall, Texas  on Wednesday, March 20 and arrive in Pomona, California Friday, March 22. Two weeks later I leave Pomona on Friday, April 5 and get back to Marshall on Sunday, April 7. I will be gone from home for 18 days. Poor Patches, my cat. Home all alone. I know that Kerry and John will feed her while I am gone.

Patches loves my lap, but will not let me get near her when we are outside in the yard. She is a wild cat you know. Came out of the woods and moved in with me several years ago. But not in the yard.

I m going to California to attend the 100th Birthday Party for Jerondine Wright. Jerondine is the mother of my son in law Bob Wright. I have known this precious lady since her son dated my daughter in high school. It was in Coalinga, California. It was about 55 years ago.

Why take the train? Over the years I have came to not like flying. My first commercial flight was in 1951. I was flying from California to Houston for a Schlumberger trainee school. The flight was exciting for a 26 year old kid. The seats were comfortable. I remember a lounge at the rear of the airplane that had several chairs around a coffee table. It was the first Houston trainee school the company ever had. I was excited and enjoyed the experience. I now do not like flying at all. So restricted and cramped. I was seriously considering driving. I have done that three times in the last 12 years. And many times before that. In the last couple of years my eyesight has declined. My daughter asked me if I had considered taking the train. I considered it and was blown away. It sounded like fun and the youtube videos looked like fun. I would get to really see the country that I have driven so much.

I am excited about the trip and the birthday party. Will se some grand kids and great grand kids that I do not see very often.


 

Outlaws of Northern Louisiana.

Attended the monthly meeting of the Northern Louisiana Historical and Genealogy Society yesterday in Monroe.

Wesley Harris from Ruston gave the talk. Wesley has authored books on the subject and gave a very informative lecture. Much crime in the post civil war period in our area. Jesse James and friends spent winters in Louisiana and held up a stage or two.

Wesley is also an authority on Louisiana Tech Softball. He has given me many pointers on

the game.

TEXAS EAGLE

Texas Eagle is the name of the Amtrak train that comes South from Chicago and makes a loop through Texas on the way to Los Angeles.

On the evening of March 20 (72 days from today, but who is counting?) I will be on the Texas Eagle leaving Marshall, Texas. I will arrive in Pomona, California two days later on Friday at 4 AM. This is the last stop before Los Angeles. It is a handy spot for pick up and the start of  a two week visit to California.

I am somewhat familiar with Pomona. I was born there in 1925 at 1129 East Kingsley Avenue. The house was in a commercial orange grove. I lived in Pomona for 17 years. Then into the Army. Never lived in Pomona again. But the memories of those 17 years stay with me. I am a member of a FaceBook group named "Growing up in Pomona wasn't bad at all".  I have many many happy memories of Pomona.

Here is a photo I took of the Marshall Amtrak train depot. The photo was taken from across the tracks at the parking lot. (Free parking for the 18 days of my trip!) I have to take an elevator down to a tunnel and then walk under the tracks to the depot.

Another pic of the Marshall Depot.

Picture of the Texas Eagle route. Marshall, Texas is where the route turns West shortly after entering Texas. About a two hour drive from Ruston. Jackie and I have pilled our fifth wheel trailer many times over the route. I am looking forward to seeing it from the train. Memories.