[TowerTalk] Raising Towers

Sat Dec 28 09:49:12 EST 2013

Roger, Thank you so much for sharing your experience.  I too have some 
medical issues. I have a few incurable diseases (degenerative disk disease, 
sarcoidosis, peripheral neuropathy)  and as a separate issue I am a cancer 
survivor but I don't let these things define or stop me. It ain't over till 
its over and it ain't over yet!  My comment was flip but I stand by it. 
Until or unless I get the final BIG MEMO I will keep on truckin' (the best I 
can.) Apparently you keep on truckin' the best you can and in the face of 
diversity such as you have faced you are a brave dude and have my respect 
and admiration.

I am ever so thankful to not have had to experience any where near what you 
have had to suffer. I wish you the best possible future and with luck we 
might come across one another on the radio.

73,

Patrick NJ5G

-----Original Message----- 
From: Roger (K8RI) on TT
Sent: Friday, December 27, 2013 8:57 PM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Raising Towers

On 12/27/2013 6:27 PM, Patrick Greenlee wrote:
> Wayne, Death is nature's way of telling you to slow down but until or 
> unless you get THAT memo, just keep on truckin'.
>

I beg to differ.  You have the attitude I had until Nature put the
brakes on. Nature has many ways of slowing or stopping us without
killing us and thy aren't all that much fun.  The range from minor
inconveniences,to losing the use of a hand, arm, a whole side, or
trapping us in an unusable body with a still active brain.

   I was in good shape. Actively working out, weight training, riding
bike,  climbing towers and flying airplanes.  Regular physicals on top
of flight physicals. Just a little high BP that was controlled. I never
had a Dr tell me to slow down, then one day with no warning, my left
foot slipped like I'd stepped on ice. I caught my self, walked over to
the couch and sat down.  I was thinking, "that sure felt funny", maybe
I'll go talk to my wife.  When I went to get up, my whole left side
didn't work.

She immediately ran me through the "Grin, reach, and speech" with no
problem. Just as she said, "I guess that rules out a stroke, the little
finger on my left hand went numb, then the next.  As the middle finger
was going numb, I said, " I think maybe we better call somebody."

The EMT/first responders were pulling in the driveway before she had
hung up. It's strange, I was alert and wide awake on the way in to the
hospital.  I was well aware of things shutting down as if I were an
observer.  I felt fine, but after less than a 5 minute ride my left side
was useless.

The next day was observation and meds, but the second day was the
beginning of therapy.  I was lucky. I had to learn the use of my hand
and arm as well as to walk again, but within a month I had gone from
barely being able to move a finger am eighth of an inch to typing 70
WPM.  Within 3 months I was able to throw away the brace for my left
leg.  The only residual effects is the loss of the tilting (dorsi flex
sp?)which gave me a slight limp that most people didn't even notice.

Unfortunately by the time they discovered what was causing them I had a
second one about 5 years later. This one isn't coming back nearly as
fast as it's already been over a year, but there still is constant
improvement.

The cause is a "slightly enlarged chamber in the heart.  Vigorous
exercise can cause what they call Fibrilation, or A-fib and tiny clots
form in that chamber. Then when the heart goes back to doing its thing,
it squirts out those clots which may lodge in the brain causing a
stroke.  Athletes, Marathoners in particular are subject to this.

In this case you have to learn to do most things with one hand. Take
your morning shower, get dressed, install coax connectors...drive a car
(I said I was lucky), but I do wish they'd found the cause before the
second stroke.  I had a month of intensive rehab where I stayed right at
the facility to get 3 hour of rehab per day.

I had been riding up to 10 miles at close to 20 MPH which is fast! After
many months I had decided to see how fast I could go and how long I
could maintain that pace.  I made 30 MPH for about a minute, or half a
mile. That's approaching what the professional riders do, but they
maintain that for hours.  Next morning I had the second stroke.

BTW I was 72 at the time.  Had I not pushed so hard, I might still be
climbing and flying.
Intense Occupational therapy is interesting and some times
hilarious...If you can stand it.

73

Roger (K8RI)

> Patrick NJ5G
>
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Wayne Kline
> Sent: Friday, December 27, 2013 3:20 PM
> To: Chuck Smallhouse ; towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Raising Towers
>
> Well said Chuck
>
>   I to am 66 and do not plans to slow down, Mother nature has slowed my 
> tower climbing to a well planed DXpedition  and I still use my single old 
> Klein belt for tower painting .
>
> I just hope  when I reach 80 I'll have the drive this guy  possess .  The 
> single knot on the rope lanyard did send a chill up and down my spine  at 
> 180 plus ft.
>
> But I have to go back to a mentor of mine and repeat his rule #1
>
>
> There are old tower Climbers
>
> And there are BOLD tower climbers.
>
> BUT there are no OLD  BOLD tower climbers
>
>
> Have fun Chuck  while you can.. wee only hear for a VISIT
>
>
> 73 Wayne  W3EA
>
>> Date: Fri, 27 Dec 2013 00:10:00 -0700
>> To: towertalk at contesting.com
>> From: w7cs at theriver.com
>> Subject: [TowerTalk]  Raising Towers
>>
>> At 82, I still drive ATVs and UTVs, off road, at racing speeds..  Few
>> can keep up.  I insure that all the lug nuts are tight.  I also still
>> climb towers, not 200' ones, with a single waist belt.
>>
>> I also grew up on a family cattle ranch, and as a teenager, was
>> expected to rope and bring down wild cows, to doctor their infected
>> wounds, by myself out in the open range.
>>
>> Until you have walked in their moccasins - - - - .   Unless you have
>> had many "hands on" experiences, stay with your books and OSHA
>> regulations, and keep those rules and postulations to yourself.
>>
>> Chuck,  W7CS
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
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