Columbus Zoo

Spent yesterday at Columbus Zoo 

 88 degrees and super hot in the sun here in Columbus, OH, at 11:45 

We are about 50 yards from railway at campground. 

Playing Pegs and Jokers 

Am posting this from the phone and it is aggravating to handle the photos. 

More tomorrow,  Lynn 

Ate Mexican last night. 

Still on the road -- Columbus, Ohio

 Warm day here in Columbus, Ohio - 88º high for the day, Sunday.

Drove just under 350 miles Saturday from rural West Branch, Michigan to the Ohio State Fair Campground.in Columbus - about 8 miles from our daughter Michelle's, place

At our campground.

Went to a Tomato Festival in Reynoldsburg, OH
Saturday afternoon

Lots of craft booths.

At the Tomato Festival they had a lot of craft booths, eating places, one throwing cloth tomatoes at a guy, but only a couple places actually selling tomatoes.  Lots and lots of people

Lots of food and drink

Caught sandwiches at Jersey Mike;s afterwards

Attended church today with Michelle at the
First Unitarian Universalist Church

Lunch after church

Played several games of Pegs & Jokers

Her dog "Mouse" kept an eye on us.

We plan to go to the Columbus Zoo tomorrow

Later, Lynn

FEMALE HEART ATTACKS

 Here is a warning for all from an ER nurse who says, this is the best description of a woman having a heart attack that she has ever heard. Please read, pay attention, and SHARE..........

FEMALE HEART ATTACKS

I was aware that female heart attacks are different, but this is the best description I've ever read.

Women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have ... you know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor that we see in movies. Here is the story of one woman's experience with a heart attack.

I had a heart attack at about 10:30 PM with NO prior exertion, NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might have brought it on. I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and actually thinking, 'A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up.

A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when you've been in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like you've swallowed a golf ball going down the esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable. You realize you shouldn't have gulped it down so fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly and this time drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. This was my initial sensation--the only trouble was that I hadn't taken a bite of anything since about 5:00 p.m.

After it seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight, it was probably my aorta spasms), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically when administering CPR).

This fascinating process continued on into my throat and branched out into both jaws. 'AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening -- we all have read and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of an MI happening, haven't we? I said aloud to myself and the cat, Dear God, I think I'm having a heart attack!

I lowered the foot rest dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead. I thought to myself, If this is a heart attack, I shouldn't be walking into the next room where the phone is or anywhere else... but, on the other hand, if I don't, nobody will know that I need help, and if I wait any longer I may not be able to get up in a moment.

I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next room and dialed the Paramedics... I told her I thought I was having a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my jaws. I didn't feel hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if the front door was near to me, and if so, to un-bolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me when they came in.

I unlocked the door and then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as I don't remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me onto a gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we arrived and saw that the radiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap, helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance. He was bending over me asking questions (probably something like 'Have you taken any medications?') but I couldn't make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist and partner had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral artery into the aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by side stints to hold open my right coronary artery.

I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken at least 20-30 minutes before calling the paramedics, but actually it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St Jude are only minutes away from my home, and my Cardiologist was already to go to the OR in his scrubs and get going on restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my arrival and the procedure) and installing the stents.

 Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned first hand.

1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body, not the usual men's symptoms but inexplicable things happening (until my sternum and jaws got into the act). It is said that many more women than men die of their first (and last) MI because they didn't know they were having one and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some Maalox or other anti-heartburn preparation and go to bed, hoping they'll feel better in the morning when they wake up... which doesn't happen. My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine, so I advise you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly happening that you've not felt before. It is better to have a 'false alarm' visitation than to risk your life guessing what it might be!

2. Note that I said 'Call the Paramedics.' And if you can take an aspirin. Ladies, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!

Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER - you are a hazard to others on the road.

Do NOT have your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking anxiously at what's happening with you instead of the road.

Do NOT call your doctor -- he doesn't know where you live and if it's at night you won't reach him anyway, and if it's daytime, his assistants (or answering service) will tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesn't carry the equipment in his car that you need to be saved! The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN that you need ASAP. Your Dr. will be notified later.

3. Don't assume it couldn't be a heart attack because you have a normal cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it's unbelievably high and/or accompanied by high blood pressure). MIs are usually caused by long-term stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in there. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.

A cardiologist says if everyone who sees this post would Share or re-post, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life.

Sixth day on the road - West Branch, Michigan

 74 degrees here near West Branch, MI at 9:50 pm Thursday.  Been a very busy day, seemingly.

Well, last night I couldn't get the computer to upload photos.  Finally went to bed and will try this morning - 6:64 am - 63 degrees and air quite still.  We have slept here with all windows and roof vents open the last few nights and real comfortable.  72 degrees inside the trailer right now. 

Tuesday morning breakfast with Dick & Deanne  Messer near Princeton, Minnesota.

Crossing the Mackinac Bridge from the Upper Peninsula on Wednesday 

Arriving at Darlene's room in The Brook Independent Living facility on the west side of West Branch on Wednesday.

Darlene has flowers inside and outside her room on the ground floor on west side of building.

Playing Kings Corner at Darlene's

With me driving, Darlene took us some 15 miles northwest of West Branch to a park she helped create many years ago.  There were 20-some deer there, including a couple albino deer.

Above just inside patio door.

Left through patio door.  The big bunch of flowers at the top is to the right of this picture.

At Bobi's

A picture of a picture on Bobi's wall.
Her and Bob's Wedding in 1991.

We drove quite a ways on Monday on county roads without many towns.  I put 23.8 gallons of gas in the tank at one point..........the tank holds 24 gallon.  Have paid as high as $3.50 and as low as $2.79 on this trip.

Just started raining here at 7:15 am, Phyllis is up to the house looking at stuff Laureen wanted her to see.  We will go in to Darlene's (about 10 miles from here) for breakfast, some more Pegs and Jokers and then  we are going to drive west after having lunch in Darlene's room some 30 miles to near Houghton Lake and visit Bill Martin who used to spend winters in Kenwood.  Tomorrow morning, Saturday, we will start the some 350 miles to Columbus, Ohio and park at the Ohio State Fair Campgrounds while spending much of the week visiting daughter Michelle.

Later, LCM

Fifth day on our trip

 64 degrees here in Gwinn, Michigan at 10:17 pm EDT.  Drove nearly 400 miles today from Princeton, Minnesota where we had visited yesterday afternoon, evening and breakfast this morning with Dick & Deanne Messer.  Parked the trailer in driveway to his workshop.  Pulled out of there about 9:30 this morning.  No direct route from there, drove many county roads, seeing a lot of woods, and beautiful scenery.   

Got to this RV park about 6:30 pm EDT and set up.  I spent a couple hours editing, dating, sorting something over 250 photos taken since we left home last Friday and am pooped -- ready to sleep.

Oh well, here are a few;

With Bobi Raab Sunday

With Bobi Monday morning.

With Dick & Deanne Messer at breakfast this morning.

Have about 300 miles tomorrow, going up through Mackinac Bridge.  Will park in driveway of Darlene Winslow's daughter Laureen, which is about 10 miles from Darlene's Independent Living place .

Later, Lynn

Third day on the road

 68 degrees here in Maple Grove,  MN at 10 pm Sunday. 

We drove some 330 miles from Marengo, IA today,  stopping in Nevada,  IA to visit about an hour to visit with Lola Schoppe and her daughter Dolores and her husband Marvin.   Lola is doing okay,  slow and wheelchair bound. She has always been in a double room but was able to get a private room recently and is quite happy about that. 

We got to this KOA about 3:30 pm, set up the trailer and then drove 25 miles east to Bobi Raab's.  Had a good visit with her and ate pizza.   She had a neighbor across the hall come over and the 4 of us played 3 games of Pegs and Jokers.  After that some ice-cream and cookies and more visiting.   Drove the 25 miles back here and will pick her up at 9 am to go out for brunch in the morning. 

Wìll leave her before 2 when she has an event lined up, come back here and pick up the trailer and drive about 50 miles north to Dick and Deanne Messer's to visit,  go out to eat and will park overnight in driveway of his workshop. 

Good weather and we had a tailwind coming up today which helped on the gas mileage. 

Dont have any of the photos available here on the phone but hope to have some on here by Tuesday if not before. 

LCM

In Marengo, IA

 78 degrees and sunshine here in Marengo,  IA at 4:30 Saturday. 

Spending time with great grandchildren,  granddaughter and her parents. 

Will head out in the morning to Nevada, IA for short visit with Lola Schoppe.  Then on to Maple Grove,  MN, set the trailer and visit with Bobi Raab afternoon and evening. 

Later, Lynn