The "Tuesday, 2/20/2018, A Day Best Forgotten!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Carol was attempting to catch our new stray cat, Snickerdoodle, and place him in our cat carrier so we could take him to the vet to be neutered.  Placed a few treats in the carrier and after the cat was half way in to eat them, she shoved him the rest of the way in and began to close the door.  But, he was too quick for her and escaped.  She was so upset since it meant another call to the vet to tell her we wouldn't be bringing Snickerdoodle today.  After she placed the call to the vet she walked to the kitchen sink and grabbed her pill container to take her daily meds.  I was in the process of taking mine also and after she dumped the few pills into her hand she stared at it and after a few seconds said to me, "I don't know what these are."  I looked at her and said, "What do you mean?"  She looked at me with a puzzled look and said once again, "I don't know what to do with these.  I don't know what they are."  Now she had my attention.  Her blank look was not only filled with fear, but was scaring me.  "I can't remember anything."  I immediately grabbed the phone and called our family doctor.  Within a few minutes I was talking to her nurse practitioner Cindy.  After hearing my story she told me to go straight to the emergency room.  Within less than five minutes we were headed to the Heart of Lancaster Hospital in nearby Lititz.  Carol asked what was wrong with her and I had no answer to give to her.  Within ten minutes we were in the Emergency Room registering her to be checked.  The time was just about 8:00 am.  Within a minute or two we were ushered into a room where she was given a gown and told to take her top off and place the gown on, tying it in the back.  A doctor entered and after talking to her for perhaps two minutes, ushered us to a larger room and ordered the stroke staff to begin their duties.  Test after test was administered and within half an hour the doctor returned and said we were going to face a TV screen and talk with a doctor from Hershey Medical Center in nearby Hershey, Pennsylvania.  Now we were both scared.  The young female doctor appeared on the screen and asked me to get into the picture and began to tell both of us what had happened to Carol.  She said Carol had not suffered a stroke as the medical staff at the hospital had suspected, but due to all the circumstances and test results, Carol was being diagnosed as having Transient Global Amnesia.  Wow, I could see the look on Carol face and knew she was scared.  She was squeezing my hand as we listened to the doctor describe what to expect with that diagnosis.  First, there is very little known about the neurological condition she suddenly had and there was no sure reason she got the condition.  She told us there were three reasons that can trigger the condition: (1) A blow to the head, (2) A very stressful occurrence and (3) no known reason.  After I told the doctor about Carol's attempt to catch the cat she wasn't sure if that could have been the trigger that set off the amnesia.  She did tell us that those over 50 are more apt to get the condition as well as those that get frequent migraine headaches.  She also said that since the cause is not really known, there is no standard approach to make sure you don't get it and it is more than likely that she will never get it again.  She said that Carol's condition would last between 12 to 24 hours and her memory would gradually return.  Even though Transient Global Amnesia has no direct complications, it can cause emotional distress.  Shortly she wished Carol well and we ended our Facetime session.  After a few more tests I was told that Carol will be observed by the staff and that she will have to remain overnight.  Soon Carol was taken to a private room on the second floor of the hospital with me in tow.  After she was made comfortable we were left to ourselves.  Only then did it hit both of us what had happened to her.  She had quickly forgotten the interview with the Hershey doctor and was beginning to wonder why she was in a bed on the second floor.  The more I tried to tell her what had happened to her, the more she became scared.  Tears began to flow from her eyes which in turn caused the same result from me.  She would ask me if she had a stroke and when I told her she did not have a stroke, she would ask how she got the condition.  After telling her the doctors were not sure, she would ask once again if she had had a stroke and the cycle would repeat over and over again.  During the day a series of different medical staff stopped to check her vitals and reflexes and ask her questions.  All questions dealing with her past were answered quickly and accurately, but anything related to today drew a blank.  She then saw the board on the wall in front of her and after seeing that it was Tuesday she said, "What happened to Monday?  This is really freaking me out!"  And then the tears would flow again.  It was a rough day for her to say the least.  I left about 6:00 pm to go home and feed the cat and eat something and when I returned about 7:30 pm I noticed the biggest difference in her face.  She was coming back to life.  I had planned to stay the night, but she told me to go home and get some sleep.  The next morning she was just about back to normal.  She said, "I thought this only happened on soap operas." It took quite a few hours before we were allowed to leave, but we made it home.  Two long days for both of us, but one day I will never forget.  As for Carol, it is probably best she will never remember anything at all about that day.  Might only cause her more pain.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "That's What Makes You So Funny!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Everyone's laughing at me it seems.  Happens often at times when I am speaking and trying to remember a word or two.  When the word doesn't appear when I need it, I just say another word that absolutely makes no sense at all.  And that, my friends, is what makes everyone laugh.  I'm not trying to be funny, but I guess what comes out of my mouth is different, or funny to some.  Ever have trouble remembering what you want to say or what you want to do?  How about trying to remember where you put something or where you are going?  Tell you the truth, I have been like that all of my life.  

For 33 years I taught school and there wasn't a single year that I could remember every student's name I had in class, even by the end of the year.  When lecturing to my class about … let's say the invention of movable type, I would begin a sentence and by the time I reached the end, or close to the end, I would have no idea how I was going to end the sentence.  Usually just said the first word that came to mind when I reached the point where I needed the correct word to finish my sentence.  "German inventor Johannes Gutenberg developed a method of movable type that was used to create the Forty-Two-Line library pass!" I would tell my class as they looked at me and all began to laugh.  "I meant Bible!" I would say a second later when it came to me.  Made for some interesting lectures.  Often wondered why my students enjoyed my lectures so much.  Probably were taking bets on how many times I would say some silly or stupid word while lecturing to them.  Those momentary memory lapses I'm told are common, and they're not just for those who are getting older.  May explain why I've had them all my life.  When with friends, someone will ask me a question and I can't seem to instantly find the answer, but give me a few minutes and the time for the wheels and cogs in my head to begin turning and I will almost always recall the answer.  And then, I'll spurt out the answer and more than likely end the sentence or thought with a word that makes no sense.  All my life I have felt that a person's body and mind can only withstand a certain level of recall.  If the pain in my body is more intense on a specific day, my mind is more sharp and recall is easier, while if I have no physical problems, my recall may be more compromised.  Something like ... even steven!  While on a recent vacation I from time to time used the wrong word while talking which usually made no sense at all.  Didn't do it on purpose, but my mouth was functioning faster than my brain.  "I didn't say that on purpose," I said.  "But, that's what makes you so funny!" my wife said. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Battleground of JoePa's Legacy" Story

Kennedy, whom I helped babysit yesterday.  The four-year old is full of
energy and it took three of us to keep after her.  I have written
in the past of the little girl who at one time was very ill and one
of a few in the world with a disease that she has now been cured of.

Forword:  I guess I need to apologize for my forgetful- ness.  Seems like yesterday I forgot to post a story.  I have plenty in waiting, but had to babysit a very cute little girl yesterday and totally forgot to post.  I thank those who emailed me to see if everything is OK and I'll try not to forget in the future.  And, for those who are Penn State football fans, I wrote this story last week, before they lost their opener to Temple. 

It was an ordinary day.  Talking to my friend Just Sue who lives in State College, PA.  Asked her if she has seen any of the new, and extremely popular, beer cans that bear the likeness of Joe Paterno, the deceased, embattled and once head football coach at Penn State University.  

New Lager featuring JoePa.

Told her I would love to have a can just to sit on the shelf in my office as a reminder of the gentleman who was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, ambassadors and coaches of college football.  She told me that she believes you need to buy an entire case and who likes Lager that much.  Also asked her about a photo I had taken years ago of a very long mural which featured famous people from the State College area.  The largest figure in the mural was JoePa himself and he had a halo above his head.  She told me it was painted on the side of the book store on Heister St.  Well, with the start of football season it has brought back many memories of the once proud and heroic Paterno who led the team to 409 wins.  Many of those wins were at one time stripped from him due to the fact that a Mr. Jerry Sandusky was once one of his assistant coaches.  

Photo I took years ago when JoePa had a halo over his head.

Seems that Sandusky was proven in court to be a child molester and since he was one of Joe's assistants, Joe and his entire football program, should be punished.  Heavens, they even removed the halo over JoePa's head on the mural.  Investigations and special reports on the Sandusky situation have somewhat faded in the minds of those who follow Penn State football.  Seems the hottest T-shirt this fall is one that references the black cleats and no-name jerseys which JoePa made famous.  

Statue of JoePa with memorial flowers spread over it.

Also being offered for sale for $590 is an 18 1/4 inch replica of the JoePa statue that once stood outside Beaver Stadium.  I'm finding that the Polaroid photo I took years ago of the statue is one of my best sellers.  I read that this year there are only five players on the Penn State team that were recruited by Paterno.  Most current players on the team probably never had the chance to meet JoePa.  Such a shame that football lost such a great man.  When Bill O'Brien took over as head coach after Paterno was fired from that position, he decided to put the names of the players on their jerseys which was a no-no in JoePa's world.  This year the practice of no names is once again returning under the leadership of coach James Franklin.  

Altered Polaroid which is a big seller for me.

And, this past Jaunary the wins that were stripped from JoePa were reinstated.  How stripping wins from one of college football's most outstanding coaches made up for the dastardly deeds of Sandusky made no sense to me as well as many others.  Those who have stuck by JoePa for the last couple of years are now focusing on getting rid of those trustees who voted to fire JoePa and accept the NCAA's ridiculous sanctions.  JoePa is coming back to life once again in State College with the introduction of the new Lager, the selling of the statue collectibles and shirts with no names on them.  JoePa hasn't been forgotten!  And, hopefully his legacy will gain another positive notch when his statue is returned to it's rightful place.  And, maybe the halo can be repainted on the mural.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.