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 "You're Nothing But A... A...Neukdari!" Story

Preface: Seems that since I wrote this story two days ago, more name calling and mudslinging has been exchanged between the leaders of North Korea and our nation.  North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho has called our president "President Evil" and said he is someone who has turned the White House into a noisy marketplace full of crackling sounds."  That followed President Trump's promise to "totally destroy" North Korea if we are attacked.  The volley of insults between North Korea and Trump sounds as if I was back in elementary school once again.  The following story is anything but ordinary. 

It was an ordinary day.  Talking with my wife about our President and some of his childish rants and name calling he just can't keep himself from using.  It's as if he was still in elementary school and on the playground for recess and calling one of his classmates a bad name.  Well, seems the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, must have gone to the same school and played on the same playground, since he also likes to spread garbage around as much as President Trump.  Being that I am a United States citizen, I am at times totally embarrassed by the childish name calling that goes on at the highest level of our government.  The guy who occupies the White House evidently has never grown up.  He loves to talk with his hands, make fun of others, act tough and spew garbage every time he talks.  It would be funny if it wasn't for the fact that he is saying these things to other leaders in the world who are just as childish as he.  

Donald Trump.  Age 71.

So, last week the President (you know how hard it is for me to type that word when referring to the guy) makes a speech in front of some of the most influential leaders in the world at the United Nations General Assembly and really gives it to Mr. Un.  Calls him "Rocket Man" on a "suicide mission".  Would be funny if it wasn't so scary, since the North Korean leader could be fast on the trigger with his nuclear bombs.  So Kim Jong Un turns around and calls Mr. Trump a mentally deranged U.S. dotard and vowed to "tame him" with fire.  

Kim Jong Un.  Age 33.

Wow!  A dotard.  I knew it must be something bad, but had never heard the word before.  So Trump turns around and threatens him with "fire and fury."  Sound like two kids on the playground to you?  Maybe both should have their mouths washed out with soap or made to sit in the corner with their faces to the wall.  Good punishment for two immature grade school adults.  So, I just had to find out what a dotard might be.  Seems that  a person in his or her dotage is a person in a "state or period of senile decay marked by decline of mental poise and alertness."  BINGO!!  Pronounced "dot-ard".  The word meant "imbecile" when it was first used in the 14th century and comes from the Middle English word "doten" which means "to dote" or to exhibit mental decline of or like that of old age.  BINGO!  Hasn't been used much here of late, but was used by Chaucer in "The Canterbury Tales" and by Shakespeare in "The Taming of the Shrew" and "King Lear".  The word was also used to insult President Andrew Jackson as well as Union Army Gen. George McClellan, but the word has recently fallen out of favor.  That was until Kim used it.  Dotard is actually a translation of the Korean word, 'neukdari,' which is a derogatory reference to an old person.  I guess you could say I'm old, but if you do so you would have to call Trump old also since I am only 2 years older than he.  So...what's next?  I guess as long as all they do is call each other names it can't hurt.  But, here's hoping it stops at that!  I guess I'd have to call them both a bunch of "crybabies."  Would I be a dotard also?  But, I don't want to be a dotard!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "Living Stress Reliever" Story

Help is on the way ... from Creamsicle the cat.

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting by my computer checking emails and preparing to write this story.  Sleeping next to my monitor is Creamsicle, my constant companion as I work my way around the house.  He falls asleep and his legs begin to move, as if he is chasing a chipmunk or squirrel across the desk.  Then he'll begin to snore and you can't help but laugh and love him.  And, it always makes me feel happy and puts a smile on my face no matter how I felt before I sat in my chair.  When I'm sitting in my recliner in the family room watching TV or reading the newspaper, he enjoys sitting on my lap.  Seems to be the same with Carol.  He sleeps next to her head at night on a pillow and awakes from time to time, nudges her awake so she will scratch him, and shortly after is purring in her ear.  She tells me it is soothing and puts her back to sleep.  Ever since we were married almost 50 years ago we have had pets.  I inherited her long-haired Chihuahua when we got married.  He was Carol's pet for many years and was one of her best friends.  Only problem was ... he didn't like me, since I was stealing his human friend.  I made several pieces of furniture for our first rental unit which "Buddy" found as a great place to lift his leg.  Buddy was rather old at the time and only lived a year or two before passing.  Wasn't long before we had a cat in the house.  Then two cats ... we haven't been without a cat for years.  We had  four dogs during our marriage who were all good companions, but never the same as a cat has been for us.  I can count on Creamsicle to be my companion as soon as I sit in my swivel chair in front of my desktop computer.  He used to be able to jump the desktop height himself, but now needs some assistance.  Instantly he needs some head-butting or human contact, and then he settles into some location in front of my computer.  If Carol and I are watching TV he will nestle in one of our laps, depending upon which one has had the more stressful day.  Funny how he can always sense which one of us needs to be consoled the most.  Pets can be there for you in ways people can't.  

Loves to be held like a baby.

They offer uncondi- tional love and companion- ship as well as comfortable silences.  They are great at keeping secrets and excellent snugglers.  Great stress reducers!!  It has been reported that talking with your spouse or a good friend about your problems helps, but still isn't as good as spending time with a pet.  Pets can stave off loneliness for those who have lost a loved one and they also can help to reduce blood pressure and heart rates better than medicine at times.  But, pets, be they cats or dogs, aren't for everyone.  Some may be allergic to animals as well as some just aren't cat or dog people.  And, others just don't want the hassle of taking care of a pet, since they do take additional work and responsibility as well as an added expense.  But, for those who do enjoy pets, they will be a supportive friend without expecting anything in return.  When my mother lived in a retirement/nursing home, dogs were occasionally brought in for the residents to pet, hold and even take short walks with to help them with with exercise, social support, and loneliness.  

Creamsicle can sit for hours like this.  What a life!
But, it does help relieve stress!!

Recently I read about a local high school that had a dog handy for students who were experiencing anxiety.  If a student arrived in the guidance office or nurse's office seeking help for depression, anxiety or even bullying, the "facility" dog, Maya, was taken to the room and she would "squish" or drape her body over you while you lay on the floor.  Seems students love it and it works for them.  More schools and institutions are getting "facility" dogs to help with mental health problems.  Animals seem to sense better than humans when others are distressed and know exactly what to do.  Of course these dogs are taught what to do, but its tough to teach a dog to know when they are needed, they just seem to know.  Well, I must get back to finishing my typing and hope I don't get too much help with this task.  Seems every now and then a foreign object, namely a cat foot, seems to appear on my keyboard and adds an extra letter or two to what I am typing.  But, that's OK for it makes for some interesting or humorous sentences.  If only I could train him to type.  Still love him anyway.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.