Does Your iPhone Know How to Swim

Jeff, Ashley & William decided to see how quickly they could roll a jetski while trying to dock it.  Needless to say, Jeff’s phone drowned trying to swim.  Ashley ‘s was in a sealed ziploc but the bag had a hole.  So while hers floated for a bit…. it’s wet.  William’s ziploc was properly sealed, he tested it by putting air in the bag… his wallet floated and stayed dry.  His phone was back at the camper.

So as of 07/20/17 1:17pm… Jeff & Ashley will NOT be receiving your txts.

[NOTE UPDATE :  Ashley ‘s phone has recovered but Jeff’s is full of water]

Posted in Ashley, Jeff, Lessons Learned, Random Scott News, William | 1 Comment

Spinal Tap 07/10/17

Well, I’m on the flip-side of my LP… Of course, they couldn’t get the IV, took 3 attempt, including “the IV team” w/ the ultrasound.  Then the local anesthesia didn’t really kick in so I had to be still in pain til it was done.  But I highly recommend it ;-P  Actually, aside from this weird metallic taste I have in my mouth, my head pain isn’t as bad.  I know it’s only been minutes, but the headache from the LP is stronger than my brain clot headache I came in here.  

Will keep ya posted on results.

[NOTE UPDATE :  got home & promptly fainted.  just wanted to see if they were paying attention ๐Ÿ˜‰  There’s a clean spot on tile in front of fridge now–HA!  The 3 of them managed to help me to the floor in the living room for a while but now I’m up in bed.

while I have a pretty strong LP headache… brainclot still not as bad.  I’ll probably keep ongoing notes here.]

6:15pm I managed to sleep some and my head still feels like an LP headache.  they told me to lie flat but that bothers the clot so it’s a catxh22.  didn’t realize how much my back would be sore & stiff ๐Ÿ˜‰  I’m gonna whine abt that for a bit.

9:45pm Guess the reprieve was short-lived… head’s back to hurting again @ clot site 

Posted in Brain Clot, Jeff, TAZ | Leave a comment

Visual Field Test 07/07/17

[pics incl]  Left eye failed again ๐Ÿ™ but pressures weren’t bad so I dunno if pressure is better today vs. yesterday or just not detectable in my eyes.  Last field tests 12/28/16 http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2016/12/28/visual-field-eye-exam-test-122816/


this test was prompted by high pressure in my head at neurologist yesterday http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2017/07/06/neuro-070617/

Posted in Brain Clot, TAZ, William | Leave a comment

Neuro 07/06/17

Neuro 07/06/17

a LOT of info, I couldn’t keep up so Jeff took notes & doc wrote some down.  I’ve been weaned off several of the meds since last appointment http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2017/03/08/neuro-030817/

Today, we talked about any benefits/changes/problems, etc since those changes.  Still have head pain, especially waking me up at night but I had that while TAKING the meds so that is not a new thing.  HOWEVER, while we were talking, I guess he heard me describing what happens when I lean down/lie down and he wheeled over and checked my eyes/pressure in my head.  Being OFF all these meds also means that this is the first time that he (any neuro) has seen me without the benefit of any meds regulating the pressures in my prain/head.  Well…. datapoint, apparently I have increased pressure. 

This is where they lost me.  I got the joking… not joking… part where Jeff said the doc should drill another hole in my head and THAT could be a solution (stunt/shunt/stint… whatever it’s called).

BUT FIRST… he rattled of so much…

  1. get another MRV (ASAP) to see if that will show this pressure change that he sees
  2. vision pressure test
  3. do a lumbar punture (remove spinal fluid) (also ASAP) to see if that helps w/ pressure changes and I *THINK* he said he could test the pressures? but don’t quote ME on that, talk to Jeff
    1. in order to do this, i’d need to go off xarelto and take shots in stomach
  4. go back on the Diamox (acetazolamide) to regulate the pressure so it’s not causing longterm damaage.

Of course, he said he wants all this done “yesterday” and the nurse was like … yah right…  I’m with her, I’m thinking Ive never had an MRI/MRV schedule that was less than 10-12 days (unless it was urgent).  SOOO… will keep ya posted on all this as it unfolds. last MRI/MRV http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2016/12/31/mrimrv-123116/

AND NO… Kevin, we didn’t ask because all THIS was WAY too much to keep up with.  I’ll have more appointments quickly again, I’m sure.

ALSO, we did ask about FLYING… and he’s all for it, so…. stay tuned for that too.

[NOTE UPDATE:  apparently, it is urgent that I have all this done ASAP.  MRV scheduled 07/06/17 3:30pm, vision 07/07/17 9:30am and lumbar 8am 07/10/17.  They’ve decided i do NOT have to do shotes in stomach, just go off xarelto 24+hrs before lumbar]

[MRI UPDATE:  well they did manage to stick my for the IV this time.  struck oil & made a huge mess but at least it didn’t take 90+min.  head really hurts now from MRI noise.  will post results when I get]

Posted in Brain Clot, Jeff, TAZ | 2 Comments

Happy 22nd Bday Courtney and CONGRATS

Very proud of Courtney for finishing her degree a couple weeks ago (International Business w/ minor in Chinese).  You’ve had a remarkable 22years!  It’s been an honor watching you grow into a lovely, young woman.  Congrats & Happy 22nd Bday.

[NOTE:  22 years ago, Courtney was born on Father’s Day ๐Ÿ˜‰ ]

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Save the Date: ย Bacon 50th Anniversary 11/25/2017

Watch for info on a get-together for Alan & Patsy Bacon’s 50th anniversary on Saturday, Nov 25, 2017.  We (Stacy/Tommy, Andrea/Mark & Jeff/I, plan to have an informal gathering at a location near League City, TX on that Saturday following Thanksgiving.  So, “save the date” for us, and watch for more info!

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She Kicked Me Out of the Kitchen

[pics incl]  Heather physically… removed me from the kitchen.  She ordered everyone else out too, but she “guided” me to the edge of the tile/hardwood and “Stay!”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled to have been treated like this!  The other day, she went shopping ๐Ÿ˜‰  http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2017/03/31/heather-went-grocery-shopping-wout-me/

Then there was this…


Scallop linguine… no, mine doesn’t have the scallops but it was delicious!

She said something like “taco” for this but it’s pasta

needless to say, she’s not the only one that wants to keep me out of the kitchen.

More cooking humor :  http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2016/12/20/william-cooked-dinner/

You should read thru  some of those posts… they have funny pics like this

Posted in Ashley, Courtney, Heather, Jeff, TAZ, William | Leave a comment

Today, My ‘Josh’ Alarm Sounded

[pics incl]  Yesterday, I updated my iphone to the latest IOS.  It’s had some impacts on some of my apps, but…so far… I haven’t noticed anything too strange.

EXCEPT, it apparently turned ON, all of my alarms… ALL the ones I had “manually slid that thing to off”

This morning, my phone reminded me to grab my Magic Rabbit jacket & phone charger… even prompted me to see if I should be wearing a Broncos/Rockies/etc Jersey for work.

 At 10:41am, my phone asked me if I was supposed to be “Hanging Out w/ Josh”

I turned this “off” on Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Yes, I do go in every once in a while and actually delete unused alarms… but I didn’t… 

So, I came to an abrupt halt of trying to unload the bottom rack of the dishwasher… and realized that Josh would’ve been doing the bottom rack for me.  Or helping me avoid chores completely by attempting to teach me that PS4 game (where he could insult my inefficiency w/ out fear ;-P )  or dragging me back to his house to prove whether or not “today” his cat was fatter than ours.  

At HIS house, we watched sports shows or TV shows that he loved to watch w/ his dad and he could re-watch them over again & explain it to me.  I never did get the gist of “that one show” but… I can “argue w/ the best of them”… so he’d get all cocky if he knew something I didn’t ๐Ÿ™‚  

At MY house, he’d help me re-watch something I watched the night before but didn’t understand  and he’d tell me what the words on the “closed captions” said… because sometimes my brain reads whatever it wants, not what the show is talking about.  He could “argue w/ the best of them” so we had some lively debates over just which house watched the weirdest stuff.  He was a good sport though and would always take turns so that “I” wasn’t stuck always watching his shows ๐Ÿ˜‰

Often we’d eat lunch, I didn’t always take him out for lunch, sometimes the answer was no.  sometimes I did and sometimes we’d get it to go.  I can’t remember if I took pics the day we took fried chicken to the park.  That was one of the times “we talked.”  He contemplated his life and his death.  It was a difficult thing, and yet I was honored, to listen to how he expressed himself.  I put some notes down that were meaningful to me…

He said: I think brain cancer sucks.  But because I have this, I got to do some pretty [I wrote cool, but I also but a note that he said a different word, but I’m translating to “cool”] things.  And that means, even because I’m forgetting a lot, I know this, I think I got to do enough to have a really good life.

I was crying (cuz my brain keeps my emotions right on my sleeve) and he knew it but we kept talking… I could tell that he knew, he wasn’t going to be doing a lot more, he was already tired right now, just sitting at a park table, I sensed he knew “the crazy fun” things weren’t going to happen anymore.

Me: If you had to pick just one, what was your favorite?

Josh: Everything about going back to New Zealand. [he described to me so many “adventures” he called them.  I stopped taking notes and just listened… I listened to his love for his family, his cousins, extended family, all of them he named ].  My mum smiled a lot.  I really liked that trip.

There was not a drop of sorrow in him.  He knew THIS had been his life… and I jotted down these notes, so that I could remember how truly special I felt to have shared… been asked to share, this moment w/ him.

Today, when my alarm went off, I stopped what I was doing and “hung out w/ Josh” by looking for these notes, looking at the words I wrote for me… knowing someday might be a good time to share w/ you… [his parents].  I know I have more notes to share, but for today…

This was my “Hang Out w/ Josh”  and I was “not doing dishes” in his honor [photo from a day we didn’t do dishes]


Debbie blog:  she posted the video of his memorial March 21st โ€“ The Goodbye  [Ya’ll have asked, YES, I spoke at the memorial ]
NOTE UPDATE:  Got is email from Apple… “Dear Apple, iCloud isn’t the only problem…”

Posted in TAZ | Tagged | 2 Comments

I Worked in the Yard

[pics incl]  Working in the yard may not seem like a newsworthy event, but it’s been OVER 4 years since I’ve done any yardwork.  April 8, 2013 I had brain surgery x2 over the next couple weeks.  I had stroke from brain bleeding & my left arm doesn’t work as well (but SO MUCH BETTER now!!)  Between that and some meds I was taking that prevented sunlight exposure… I haven’t been outside much… definitely NOT working in the yard!  [I also assuming BC (before clot) that it was winter and I hadn’t done yardwork in several months prior.

BEFORE 

AFTER

There’s no real proof I did any manual labor, but I “hand detached” about 1/3 the front yard!  I do have witnesses…  Jeff and Will were replacing the mailbox ๐Ÿ˜‰

She doesn’t know it yet but we bought a solar powered little light for the top ;-P  [ http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2017/02/18/ode-to-the-mailbox/ ]

Posted in Jeff, TAZ, William | 2 Comments

William Sat in Ashley’s Lap

[pics incl]  I was forbidden from taking pics nor posting…



…but I had an accomplice ๐Ÿ˜‰  Heather promised to post her video, which is extremely amusing!

Posted in Ashley, Heather, TAZ, William | Leave a comment

Heather Went Grocery Shopping, W/Out Me

[pics incl]  Heather went to the grocery store w/ out me… is it wrong that I’m super excited? (I’m assuming that means SHE is cooking!!)


MMMM, she fixed children cordon bleu w/ wild rice & asparagus!

Posted in Heather | 1 Comment

We Have an ROUS

[pics oncl]  ROUS… it’s a term from The Princess Bride.  Heather arrived with an ROUS, there really wasn’t as big a debate as you might expect, when she and William walked through with a cage and Ashley’s “what’s that?” was answered by Jeff’s “an ROUS.”  She claims it’s a chinchilla… but since Jeff declared it an ROUS…. ;-P


I’ll attempt to get a close-up for your amusement.

FYI, if you are asking what ROUS means, it’s inconceivable to me that you haven’t watched The Princess Bride!  Stop what you are doing and either get over here so we can initiate you properly, or just WATCH IT! ๐Ÿ™‚ http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2013/01/19/i-swear-it-will-be-done/

NOTE EDIT 03/30/17  Here’s a closer up of “Emrakul” aka Emma

Posted in Ashley, Courtney, Heather, Jeff, Pets, TAZ, William | 1 Comment

Sadie is now a Trekkie

[pics incl]  Shelbi came up to visit and all 3 girls went to lunch…. leaving me in charge of Sadie.  I’m thrilled to announce that she is now a Trekkie ;-P

At one point, Sadie was playing in the porta-crib aand Courtney was sitting nearby.  Popcorn walked over but when Courtney tried to hold him, he was having none of that, we assumed because Sadie was too close.  Ah but moments later, Courtney & Sadie were sitting on the couch, someone  became JEALOUS. He plopped himself down right there.


And now for the cuties :


And I LOVE this one!

and THIS one (FYI, Shelbi, THIS is why we made you move, … the light)

Ashley was the photographer ๐Ÿ™‚

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Thyroid Meds Reactions

If you feel like something is “off” about your medications, talk to your doctor about switching brands. This is a good article to help start your research : https://www.verywell.com/synthroid-can-cause-allergic-reactions-sensitivities-3233180   I usually try to read several, including “both sides of the fence” to help me discuss options w/ doctors.

I am super sensitive to fillers and dyes in meds.  I was extremely allergic to the thyroid medication brand Synthroid, even their supposed “hypoallergenic” one.   “We” (doc & I) tried several different dosages (cuz they have different dyes) of several different brands and I’ve been taking the “dye-free” brand Levoxyl for many years without reactions. 

I have similar issues w/ “generic” brand meds; coated ibuprofen or acetaminophen, and even prescription generic.

You may not manifest a severe allergic reaction like I do with your medications but take note of how you feel 20min to 2hours after taking them.  Thyroid medication  TSH levels are easily affected by so many other outside influences, it’s important that your body is responding correctly to the medication itself.  

You should also pay attention to ANY medication you take.  Trust yourself, because only YOU will know if something “feels off.”  Sometimes the answer really is “it’s NOT you, it’s them.”

another good article w/ more links to more info:  https://www.verywell.com/stop-making-these-9-thyroid-mistakes-3233174

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Weather Whiplashย 

[pics incl]  It’s been exceptionally warm & dry for several weeks, even yesterday.  Today’s blizzard is a bit of whiplash.


I was snapping pictures when the snowplow came through.  Cannot really tell how much snow because the wind is blowing extremely hard.


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