Glad to hear that he is doing better. Getting older is not for sissies!

Proving the therapeutic benefits of piss and vinegar. Hoping to get some Paul p & v back here soon!

I noticed it's been a month .... I watch this thread everyday I drop by...

Hope Paul is "now" improving with age ... unlike most of us...

Hey Joe :)!

I’m surprised that he’s not able to post. Maybe he used a computer at home and isn’t able to log in with a portable device at the care center?

Hope he’s doing well and recovering quickly.

Pain, you say? Lemme tell ya about pain. On April 2nd, I had a tumble. Cindy called the neighbor to help me get up. Bless him! He saw the damage and knew not to move me. Called 911. Next thing I knew, I was in an ambulance on my way to the Corvallis Hospital Emergency. There, I insisted on talking to my daughter in South Dakota before consenting to emergency surgery. After talking to the surgeon, my RN daughter told me to sign the paper! When I woke up, I had some pieces of metal in my neck. Seems my spine was fused from the C3 to C6 with screws and rods. Boy, that hurt. However, with the aid of some strong narcotics, I managed to bear up. They kept me in ICU for 10 days, a regular room for 4 more days. I lucked out in the regular room, as my roommate was another car guy! Duane, who taught me many of the finer details and the history of the fuel injected small block Chevy engine. After those four days, off to Salem for an inpatient neurology rehabilitation admission for 18 more days. The best thing I can say about that place was the rehab therapists, OT and PT both. They were all excellent and the highlight of my stay there, even if they were worse than drill instructor, when it comes to pushing people to do difficult tasks. Home now for almost two weeks. My abilities are still limited. I use a walker to balance when I'm standing and walking. I can tolerate short distances pretty well. I need help with some of the basic things, but I'm getting stronger and more independent by the day. Hand coordination is still difficult (Dee Dee is typing this for him). I'm getting stronger by doing the exercises the home PT guy gave me.



But now, on to the real pain.... my inability to do things. A few days ago, Dee Dee discovered the battery in the Camery was bad. She was able to find a guy with a big truck to get a jump and safely make it home. I was able to tell her where the plug-in voltmeter I have was located. Then able to describe the voltages she should see if the alternator was good. It was okay. So, she headed to Napa auto and purchased a brand-new AGM battery. Boy, they are spendy now! Do you know that Napa can only install windshield wiper blades?? So, she bought it and brought it home. Thanks to that same blessed neighbor, Cody, for coming to the rescue again. I told Dee Dee which tools to lay out for Cody after watching a YouTube video, Kudos to Toyota for making it a 2 10mm bolt system to replace the battery. The real pain was not being able to turn any wrenches myself. That right there, is REAL pain.



It's good to be back. I won't be posting often until my hands behave better, but I know it's coming.

Your crusty old bastid warns all of you, try to avoid compressed vertebrae if you can. The conjecture seems to be that the nerve damage caused my fall, not the other way around. I'd been having balance problems about a month before the big fall. I'd written it off to diabetic neuropathy, but i was horribly wrong. Please remember this warning sign.

Glad to hear you're gettin' back to fightin' trim Paul. Don't scare us like that.

Do you need anything?

It’s not what you can do, but who you know who can do it for you!

Glad you have good neighbors who can help you out as well as your family and friends.

I’m glad you’re recovering. My mom fell in October and several times before that, recently. My dad found her in a pool of blood in the bathroom. Broke her left ankle and left wrist. Both required hardware. The wrist had to be rebroken and redone because doc did it wrong. Broke her nose. Gash in head. Fractured her jaw. Has a severe traumatic brain injury. Worst is a complex humerus fracture and now needs to have a shoulder replacement in July so she can use her dominant arm again. . Given the current state of her health, I don’t see how she can survive it. We still do not know why she fell.she doesn’t remember any of it….diabetes? Not wearing cpap machine? Brain scan showed possible old strokes? We just don’t know but she has been in bed since October and basically giving up on life...not taking advice about sugar, nutrition, rehab etc. It is really unbelievable just how bad one can be injured falling in the bathroom.

I hope you will fight like hell for your life. Get up and move no matter how difficult. You will get stronger each day if you work at it. Sounds like you are, so that’s a good sign. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Sounds like you have good people around you. I will keep you in my thoughts. Stay in touch. Best wishes to you and your family sir.

Keep on getting better Paul, we are all rooting for ya to return to the forum.

It does suck to be unable to do simple tasks. When I had my hip replaced, I needed to replace the starter on my El Camino. No way could I lay on the floor and do that with a fresh hip replacement. I had to call a friend of mine to do it for me.

Stay off of the floor!

Wow ... I watched this thread every day ... started to post yesterday after no updates for a while too...

I've gotta vamoose ... can't read it now.... but I will!

Welcome back Paul :)!!!

Like KC, I watch this thread every day. Good to see you posting again, Paul! And also glad to hear that you are on the mend, slowly, but on the mend!

Thanks guys - don't want to tax my secretary too much. I did just order a set of 10-inch Knipex Cobras as a thank you gift for Cody. He's been a tremendous help despite his wife expecting a baby any day now.

Over and out...for a while

Crusty ole Bastid

Thanks for the update, Paul. Keep paddling, my friend! :)

Paul, I am so excited you are recovering!! I have been checking this thread periodically for updates. Take care of yourself!

Great to hear from you, Paul. Yeah, it can be the smallest of things that get us.

Press on and stay in touch.

Great to hear from you and hope you have a full recovery!

Good to hear from you Paul

Glad to hear you are doing better.

Glad to hear you are recovering Paul, be good!

Awesome update! Looking forward to more good news in the days to come.