Time, age, and Covid changes everything

[Marshal Dan Troop 70448]

Time. There was a time I remember when Coke and Colas were a dime. Were we got nickel and dimes yearly raises.  Hamburger was under a dollar a pound as well as a gallon of milk.  I bought my farm, 500 acres for under 100,000.00 Dollars. The house I'm living in I paid 96000.00. The State bought a small strip of my land and gave me 63000.00 for it. 22 years later with the housing market as is, I been offered time and again, almost daily from house buyers who are willing to pay up to 390,000.00 for it. Time also made me think of all the friends I had, and those I made and it was time to re-connect.

It wasn't to long ago were I felt ageless, I could still run 5 miles daily, climb roofs and blow leaves off on my house and neighbors.. I thought I would never give up flying, its what I looked forward to being asked to participate in tours and get into the pilot seats of B17s, 24s and 25s. Or flying solo seats in P40s, and P51s. But age took over and it was time to let someone younger take that position.

As to Covid, it changed everything in my life. When I received my 2nd shot, the world as I knew it changed for me. That 2nd shot caused me to contract AFIB 12 hours later were I couldn't breathe laying down and my heart was outracing cars in the Indy's.  Reality and life became precious. The heart Doctors and Nurses helped me get back and when I found out as they all said, I wasn't the only one, that they had many patients after their 2nd shot develop heart problems, but when they forwarded the information on their findings, it was ignored or not reported. As to myself, it made me think of all I had in collections and it was time to part with them so the wife wouldn't be left to unscramble value and be taken in by greedy dealers. I had over 300 flight helmets and gear from early pre WW2 to Vietnam. I had collected over 36 M1 Carbines. It was time to thin the herds. I now have 1 flight helmet and only 3 carbines left. 

I graduated with 36 from High School, only 7 of us left. Last year took its toll.

As John Wayne said one time when interviewed by Barbara Walters, waking up each morning is a beautiful day, even if its raining out or the weather isn't perfect..

I thought I would share this, my thoughts.

.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

You're not alone in this A-fib deal.

I have it now, post C19.

Spent 11 days in the hospital.....

OLG

[Subdeacon Joe]

Again, good to see you back.  Thanks for the thoughtful cogitation.  

Since I got my shots I feel the cold more.  A month before I was "fully vaccinated 1.0" going out to walk the dog at 50 degrees in shorts and shoes was fine.  A month after my second shot I was having to wear long pants and a shirt at 60 degrees.  And about a month ago, almost a year after my second shot, the injection sites started aching, sometimes hurting.  Enough to wake me up.  

Got my first booster on the day after the Annunciation, still waiting to see it that has any nasty side effects.

 

Any day you wake up is a blessing, and things are only things.

[Marshal Dan Troop 70448]

12 minutes ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

You're not alone in this A-fib deal.

I have it now, post C19.

Spent 11 days in the hospital.....

OLG

It was the Stranges and most scary events I ever went through. My heart was racing 150 plus. When I went to bed and laid down I suddenly could not breathe. I sat up, forcing myself to take in air. 9-1-1 and Hospital also. In ambulance I had to sit up to breathe with even oxygen. I feel better now but for a guy that never took any medicines, this is something new to me taking medicine to regulate heart rate, avoid blood clots and help with healing. You take care of yourself Lumpy. My Heart Doctor told me his patients have increased two-folds since the Covid.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

I never felt it. Still don't.....

Mine was found from a EKG.

I just don't have any endurance these days.

Add the A-fib with the Arthritis in my hands and shoulders, any task becomes a major PITA now.

OLG 

 

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

Shot free and healthy for those who didn't!

[bgavin]

I had the Big One in January.
Yes, it was 4 months after getting #2 shot, but the shot wasn't the root cause.
And No, I won't be getting any boosters, ever.
My elder RN daughter had both shots, COVID 2x, then got the booster and it kicked her to the curb for 4 days.
She is also done with boosters.

Mine had been coming on for a long time, but the doctors didn't take it seriously.
I finally checked into the ER a month before it happened, complained of constant heavy chest pains.
7 hours later, every single blood, echo, xray and treadmill tests all came back clean.
30 days later... SLAM!

Kaiser refused to do a non-invasive CT Angio (doctor said, "good luck ever getting one of those").
An invasive angiogram would have found it before I had the big one.
LAD was 90% blocked (widowmaker), only survived because 10% was still open.

5 blockages, 2 fixed with stents, 3rd 90% too small to stent, #4, #5 (70% blocked) were "below criteria" to fix.

The good news:  I am cleared to resume shotgun and heavy rifle in mid April.

[Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129]

After my Second shot I came really close to loosing use of My legs, Now some 8 months later I still battle with Constantly Cold Feet and weakness , numbness in my legs. But "It is Not related to the Shot" I am told ...  Funny the only things that changed at the time of the shot was I lost 10 pounds of weight, and I got the shot.

A cowboy friend of mine lost use of both of his hands after his second shot, he is slowly recovering use of his hands after 10 months.

 

 

Jabez Cowboy 

  

[Marshal Dan Troop 70448]

1 hour ago, Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 said:

After my Second shot I came really close to loosing use of My legs, Now some 8 months later I still battle with Constantly Cold Feet and weakness , numbness in my legs. But "It is Not related to the Shot" I am told ...  Funny the only things that changed at the time of the shot was I lost 10 pounds of weight, and I got the shot.

A cowboy friend of mine lost use of both of his hands after his second shot, he is slowly recovering use of his hands after 10 months.

 

 

Jabez Cowboy 

  

My Niece husband after his 2nd shot complained about shoulder pain, next morning he went to get out of bed and collapsed. His leg was numb and tingling, like when it goes asleep. Problem was it lasted the whole day and went to emergency room. It was 2 weeks before he felt his leg again. He says his feet are now always cold. He won't get a Booster.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

no problems other than being totally exhauster a couple of times a day since I broke my back....a still suffering from terrible sinusitis since 1969.  The VA can't find out why I have it and there isn't an EENT doctor anywhere near here....within a hundred miles....that they can farm me out to.

 

Guess I'm just lucky on the good health score.

[bgavin]

Just got off the phone with my Navy daughter in Guam.
She lost one of her guys to the shot.
It caused a blood clot that killed him.

[Black Angus McPherson]

We've had three shots.  First two: Zero pain or reaction.  Third shot:  I had a sore shoulder for a couple hours.

 

So far, so good.

 

 

[J.D. Daily]

9 hours ago, bgavin said:

I had the Big One in January.
Yes, it was 4 months after getting #2 shot, but the shot wasn't the root cause.
And No, I won't be getting any boosters, ever.
My elder RN daughter had both shots, COVID 2x, then got the booster and it kicked her to the curb for 4 days.
She is also done with boosters.

Mine had been coming on for a long time, but the doctors didn't take it seriously.
I finally checked into the ER a month before it happened, complained of constant heavy chest pains.
7 hours later, every single blood, echo, xray and treadmill tests all came back clean.
30 days later... SLAM!

Kaiser refused to do a non-invasive CT Angio (doctor said, "good luck ever getting one of those").
An invasive angiogram would have found it before I had the big one.
LAD was 90% blocked (widowmaker), only survived because 10% was still open.

5 blockages, 2 fixed with stents, 3rd 90% too small to stent, #4, #5 (70% blocked) were "below criteria" to fix.

The good news:  I am cleared to resume shotgun and heavy rifle in mid April.

The misses & I have been fortunate in that the worst side effects from the Moderna vaccine have been a couple of days of flue like symptoms.  We got the booster as soon as they were available for 60+.   We will not be getting any more boosters since I have read that with the Omicron variant that seniors in UK with the booster compared to those with only the 2 shots have higher infection & hospitalization rates.  The CDC is still in bed with Big Pharma and ignoring the recommendations of their panel of experts.

What Kaiser facility did you go to?  Roseville? or South Sac.?  I Feb 2016 during my annual I mentioned I got stabbing chest pains during vigorous exercise.  The pain stopped when I backed off or stopped.  A stress test showed abnormal EKG about halfway through the test.   Next was an angio which showed 100% blockage of two arteries located in a wye therefore stints were not an option. 4 hours after the angio I was in the Roseville ER with a TIA.   I spent the night there under observation.  Two weeks later I was at Mercy for CAVG (bypass) surgery.  I am fortunate that I didn't have any heart muscle damage.   The worst part of the experience was I developed blood clots 3 days after discharge.  The six clots wound up in my right lung.  On top of the blood clot complication, I am one of the <20% of the population that developed antibodies to Heparin.  This resulted in a 15 day stay in the hospital as opposed to the usual 3 or 4 days to determine therapeutic dose of Warfarin. 

Rather than delaying surgery I choose to get it over with.   I have bad genes.  My paternal grandfather died of a heart attack when my father was in high school.  My dad died at age 64 from a heart attack & my maternal grandfather died of a heart attack at age 78.

[watab kid]

this thread conjured so many thoughts - thank you for sharing yours , ill keep most of mine to myself for now till i have time to reflect clearly on what i would and should say , 

 

i will say glad your with us and i do understand about parting with your collections , i have done the same over the last 10 years, miss some of it now and again tho , 

[Clay Mosby]

Words well said, and welcome back Marshall.

Next month I hit 7-oh, and I been doing a bit of "wonder where it/they is/are now?" Three years ago was my 50th HS reunion and only about 30 out of our class of over 300 made it. I find myself considering hiring yard care because the knees and back just aren't up to much of that sort of thing anymore. 

 

Getting old sure ain't fer sissies!!

[Utah Bob #35998]

I had no problems with shots. Ended up with a mild case of Covid in February.
In 2019, I had the same thoughts about reducing my collection so my wife wouldn’t have to do it after I passed.
Then last year,when I had it down about 75%, cancer took her from me. 
 I’ll gradually get rid of what I have left. 

[John E. Law]

I've had Covid twice, not vaxed, my doctor and I discussed it and with my lifetime of severely bad reactions to all vaccines and the fact I only have one kidney we decided that it wasn't for me. I also give platelets every two weeks so I was able to keep an eye on my antibodies, at least until the feds cut off funding to OneBlood for testing for that. I think it was just to pressure people into getting the shot. The first time I had it was in March 2021 and then again in Feb 2022. I was completely asymptomatic both times, I felt fine, not even a sniffle. I only got tested due to contact with co-workers who came down with it.  Five weeks after the second infection (early last month) my BP starts jumping all over the place. I'd wake up after sleeping all night and it would be 195/70. One morning it shot up to 200/140 for no reason and I was in the ER where it dropped back to normal. EKG, ECHO, Stress test all normal. We can run for extra days off every 4 months and just this past December I ran my 1.5 miles in 12.41, now I can't run down the driveway without getting winded and my BP bottoming out. The Doctor said it was a side effect of covid and that it is not uncommon. She said that both vaxed and unvaxed get this and that she had 5 patients that day with the same issue. I'm now on 4 separate BP meds and I'm somewhat regulated. The problem is that because of this I can't work out/exercise right now. When I do my BP has dropped as low to 60/39 where I actually passed out for two hours since I didn't know what was going on and I was home alone. Now I have to check my BP every hour. The doctor said that this side effect usually just rights itself once your body figures out what covid is doing. She said it can take a week, 6 months, or more.  

[Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619]

22 hours ago, Black Angus McPherson said:

We've had three shots.  First two: Zero pain or reaction.  Third shot:  I had a sore shoulder for a couple hours.

 

So far, so good.

 

 

 

Likewise. Same with all family and friends. Several got Omicron months after vaccination, with minimal symptoms.

[Charlie MacNeil, SASS #48580]

23 hours ago, watab kid said:

this thread conjured so many thoughts - thank you for sharing yours , ill keep most of mine to myself for now till i have time to reflect clearly on what i would and should say , 

 

 

LIkewise...