On 9/13/2011 8:30 PM, Robert Green wrote:
wrote in message
news:j4or2c$c80$1@dont-
On 9/13/2011 6:27 PM, Robert Green wrote:

stuff snipped

Sorry to hear about your dad. From what I know, he's not alone in
having
that happen. Plenty of stroke victims living alone aren't discovered
until
they are dead. Living alone gets to be dangerous as you get older.
I've
had some nasty spills, so did both my parents when they were still
alive.
My wife's first husband banged his head after falling off a ladder and
was
never the same afterward. His loss, my gain. (-:

--
Bobby G.


Happened about 15 years ago and he spent 5 years in nursing home before
dying at age 88. Neighbor in apartment beneath his had heard him
thumping the floor and called police. We figure he was without help for
maybe 3 hours. Physically he recovered completely but his mind did not.
The faster they can get to a stroke victim, 90% or so are due to blood
clots, they can administer anticoagulants and stop the progressive brain
damage.

That's so tragic. And so unnecessary with today's technology.

Similar situation with a neighbor who was a pretty vigorous 70 year old
but had a stroke and while he was living with wife, she was out all day.
He was in rehab for 6 months and is now in a wheel chair.

I know strokes are in the family history and one is on the horizon for me if
the other things wrong with me haven't done me in by then.

I'm getting old too and figure I've fallen 6 times in last year. One on
ice, I sprained my wrist and apparently chipped a bone that I did not
know about. Found out after 2nd fall where I sprained my thumb and xray
showed older break. Wife even got one on her flip cam while I was using
snow thrower. She wanted me to put it on u-tube.

Dude, you need gyroscopic stabilizers! (-: Your story reminds me of the
first time someone X-rayed Babe Ruth's hand. They found dozens of fractures
that had never been reported. As I get older I find myself continuously
re-evaluating what I can handle safely. As such, my world gets a little
smaller and more limited each day.

I always carry cell phone when I'm off the beaten path as the other
three falls were in the woods where no one else was around.

I now wear cargo pants all the time and make sure that there's a prepaid but
unactivated cell phone in my pocket (Fry's was selling them for $7 each at
one point). Since the FCC mandates that emergency calls must be put through
no matter what the billing status of the phone, I figure it's a small price
to pay for having something that I can reach 911 with. I found out the hard
way that once you activate them, they drain money way faster than battery
power. )-; "Pay only for the calls you make" they say. Liars. The newer
phones and batteries will go almost a year without needing a recharge if
they're not turned on.

--
Bobby G.


Mine's a Tracfone I got from my wife when one of our sons put her on his
family plan. Prior to that, I'd just borrow hers. Older phone but works
great and costs $99/year for about 600 minutes to keep active. Minutes
roll over and I have enough to talk for 2 solid months 24/7.