Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The moment TIME STOOD STILL...
It was Sunday morning. Robin and I completed our run almost 24 hours ago (8 miles). What occured next that morning was something I was not prepared for.
Robin gets out of bed and is complaining that her stomach hurts - an ailment that seemingly was with her for the next several minutes. She sat down and slowly put her head into her hand - I could see the color quickly escaping her face. Her hand is turning red as she messages her temples. She says, "I feel like I am going to pass out. Can you get me a wet towel".
I run to the sink and grab a towel and soak it with cold water knowing that this will help somewhat. No sooner than I turned around, Robin spoke again. "I am about to, about to....pass...oooo.....". I barely catch her before she hits the floor. She is BURNING UP....head, neck, shoulders, everywhere.
Running over to the sink, I get another towel and soak it with extremely cold water. When I get back to her, I hold her head up and look into her eyes. She was catatonic...no response, eyes wide open and dilated - and dripping in sweat.
I place the towel over her head and behind her neck trying to cool her off and at the same time, slapped her face to snap her out of it. That is when I decided to check her pulse...it was almost non-existent. I mere 3 beats in the ten seconds I counted. This was the most scared I have ever been in my life...I really thought I was loosing me beloved wife. I didn't know what was happening. This was not simply the signs of "fainting" or "passing out".
A few seconds later she started to shake and I just held her close and whispered in her ear that I was here for her. I could tell that she was very disoriented as she began to wake up (roughly 1 minute she was out). Her eyes started to blink and I assured her that she was ok. I helped her to the floor and ran downstairs to get some ice...her temperature needed to come down.
I force fed her alot of water, continued to cool her off, and she slowly started to recover and was then fine enough to get into the bed and relax. She continued to drink water.
The first thing I thought was that her iron level was low....a typical trigger for passing out. But according the doctor, my wife had a "heat stroke". She did not suffer from "heat exhaustion", she was well beyond that. Her core temperature was so high, her body began to shut down, until she lost all her strength.
She is fine now and she will have to monitor it from now on as she has now become more succeptable to future heat strokes as a result of this one.
Heat strokes can come at any time...Robin's was almost 24 hours after she completed her run. She is in top shape and knowledgeable in the field of running and treatment...and "it" got her.
I send this message to EVERYONE READING....DO NOT RUN ALONE in the heat, pay attention to warning signs (upset stomach, cold sweat, etc.). Drink plenty of fluids as much as 2 days before a long run (per doctor's advice)....and whenever you get a chance, hug you wife or husband.
Life is WAY TOO SHORT to be a hero and pretend you are immune. Nobody is and nobody every will be.
Additional reading related to heat strokes:
http://www.health.am/diseases/more/heat_stroke_hyperthermia/
Monday, July 30, 2007
Leave Room for the Big Guys in the Gym
This is what I look like now:
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Total Eclipse of the "BLUE MOON"
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
"...please hold you applause until the end."
I AM BACK ! ! ! Refreshed and feeling 3 pounds lighter.
So where do I start? Oh yeah...this isn't really the MOTHER OF ALL BLOGS...I just said that to keep everyone one "their toes"...Do they hurt yet? Anyways...let me start my "banter"....
FIRST...to that guy that hit me with their car the other day as I was crossing the street- here is a personal message for you:
"You stupid ass driver. When the hand is green, I walk and you stop. When the hand is blinking red, I continue to walk (no one else can start) and you must continue to wait. When the hand is solid red...I WILL BE OUT OF YOUR WAY ! ! ! ! Next time I see you downtown (believe me, I have been looking for your SUV), I will get your plate number. And don't EVER belittle me by saying "RED MEANS STOP" in that "patronizing voice" you arrogant, rich asshole. You need to GROW UP and restudy you DMV book ! ! ! ! Oh, by the way...I feel sorry for you becuase your day 'will come' and you probably will go broke because of it. Have fun - I hope your wife loves you enough to stay with you".
AHHHHH....that felt good. He pretty much heard the exact same thing the other day, but feels good to yell at my computer screen. Finally...CLOSURE. Thank you....
SECOND - Probably should have been the first point...but I LOVE being part of the RED SOX NATION right now. They are 10-1/2 games ahead of the Yankees with 118 games to play. Sure everyone says that it is too early in the season...YEAH....RIGHT. Let me do the math for you and you decide if it is too early in the season to be excited. The RED SOX are 31-13 (best record in baseball) and have a .704 winning percentage (again, tops). If the Sox play the same percentage ball till the end of the season...they will have a final record of 114-48 with 83 more wins from this day on. That means the Yanks would have to win 94 games - out of 118 remaining ! ! ! That would be a winning percentage of .798. Just to let you know....no team has every sustained a pace like that.....and oh, they still play the RED SOX 9 more times and the SOX are 6-2 against the Yanks so far. Not going to happen. Babe Ruth may as well roll over in his grave and let me spank him. Hell, I will let him spank me if the Yanks pull this one out.
THIRD - I am thinking about getting a membership at the Westside Aquatic Center so I can train for the Greenville Sprint Tri in a 50 meter pool. That reminds me.....(hold on-dialing the center).....(place Jeopardy theme here)....CRAP...no answer. I am not leaving an answer. If they can't have anyone use my tax dollars to answer the phone, then I am not talking into a machine.
FOURTH - I was talking to my brother the other day and we were having a good chat. He then says "hold on, I have another call coming in". He clicked over and I hung up. If he doesn't think that my phone call is important to him, it is not important for me to stay on the line. It is amazing how so many people are rude like that. Think about it...if they are talking to you - in person - do they say..."Stand right there, I have another friend I am going to walk over and talk to"? JUST TELL ME I AM BORING YOU...IT WON'T STING AS MUCH.
Other TIDBITS:
1. I was watching X-MEN - The Last Stand movie the other day and couldn't help but notice what an "awful" job Halle Berry did playing Storm. Should have kept her lines to say...none...and let Wolverine do all the talking
2.. I recieved 3 Learn to Speak Chinese DVDs from the China office the other day. Two of them do not work - and the third...it is in Chinese.
3. I have a great family, a nice house, great friends, and an excellent job....so WHY do I let other people "snub" me or talk down to me? Who are they? What makes them think they are better than me? NEWS FLASH PEOPLE....I also have a hotter wife than you.
4. David, beer?
Thank you to everyone that reads my blogs on a daily basis. I am sorry that I sometimes do not post on yours, but I do read them and enjoy them.
UP NEXT TIME....The FATHER OF ALL BLOGS ??? NAH....post a few things in your comments.....major goal in life, favorite color, number and a noun that starts with C along with the city where you were born....YOU WILL SEE....STAY TUNED.....
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
WHAT A STRANGE WORLD
The world is a strange place...with many unknowns. We send our eyes around corners before our bodies and we always keep a light on in the back of our mind. But there is one thing that never changes, never judges, and never stops loving us. That is our spouse.
I know you are probably sitting back and wondering why i am writing about something that would seem to be a "far stretch" from my past blogs. There is only one reason. My wife has returned from a weekend trip with her sister, and her return was much anticipated.
When she leaves I feel lost - almost completely out of place - in this strange world. I have lived 34 years before I married Robin and she is gone for a weekend and I am lost. Almost as if I am a sad child who is lost in a store or an elderly person lost looking for a car in the parking lot.
Sure I was fine when she was gone, I kept up the normal weekend chores and did the weekly shopping. But still, without her here, something was missing. Something deep in my eyes that allows me to "look around the corner before my body"...and something deep in the back of the mind that "keeps the light on for me".
I know my wife really loved the time she spend with her sister. But for her to arrive home after what seemed and eternity was one of the best moments of our marriage.
Yep...it's a strange world.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
"C" is for COOKIE
It is Wednesday morning (9:40am) and the first phone call from my wife was to let me know that my "diet sucks". She is right. I will explain why.
As I try to get back into shape there are several ways that I can accomplish it. The most obvious is to exercise more - which I have been doing at a moderate pace..just not where I need to be....
You know what...everyone knows how to exercise so I will not bore you with those details. Let's take a look at some of my favorite foods - over the last week - and show the benefits from eating them.
McDonalds Chicken Nuggets - Protein..need I say more.
Smarties - FRUIT GROUP ! !
Beer - builds biceps and forearms (depending on how you hold the bottle)
And finally, the other three things of JUNK I had this week are DORITOS (dairy group), BREWSTERS (dairy group), and a BIG COOKIE with ICE CREAM (dairy group) and Chocolate sauce on it (SURVIVOR TREAT)....did I mention that my wife had all of these as well?
It is hard to eat right only becuase all the crap food taste so good. At work, I eat VERY WELL and I haven't had a beer in 2 days (shaking, shaking). But I keep trying...and exercising is picking up a bit.
So without further delay...her is a list of food that I LOVE THE MOST...(in order)
5. Orange Sherbert - good for you...just not in the portions I have
4. Smartees - little orgasim in your mouth
3. Medium Rare meat - any type (will wait for David's comment on this)
2. pepperoni - (still will wait for a comment from David)
And the #1 food I love the most - Chips (the greasier and saltier the better)
Until the next blog and CHIPS AHOY ! !
Scott