Where have we been?
- uniquejt
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Recently we started getting emails from some of you inquiring about our blog status and asking if we are okay. Well, the truth be known, I have been lazy about posting. I'll get you all up to speed with this post and try to do a better job of keeping the blog updated.
DECEMBER 2025
We spent almost all of the month in Smithville, Texas so Karen could recover from her hip surgery. We traveled into Bastrop at least twice a week for her physical therapy appointments. While in Bastrop we would do our grocery shopping at the super HEB or Walmart. Our social calendar included Dairy Queen and Thursday lunches out with the RVICS Village gang.
We celebrated Christmas and New Years in the Village. It was a quiet and modest holiday season for us, compared to the rest of the year. I was able to accomplish getting my Basic Life Support (BLS) fundamentals completed during the month, so I'm First Aid, CPR and AED certified for another two years.
JANUARY 2026
Our new year was expected to start off with a bang! We had a scuba diving trip planned for January 9th thru the 18th to the island of Guanaja in Honduras with our diving buddies who we traveled to Raja Ampat, Indonesia last year. We just had to get a clean bill of health from Karen's hip doctor clearing her for diving the Thursday prior to our departure. Well, Karen was given the A-OK to go but due to a TIA, I (John) ended up in the emergency room at the same Austin hospital where Karen had her surgery.
"A Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), or "mini-stroke," is a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain causing sudden, stroke-like symptoms (weakness, numbness, speech trouble, vision loss) that usually lasts a few minutes to an hour, resolving within 24 hours. It is a critical warning sign for a potential major stroke, often occurring hours or days before hand. Emergency medical care should be sought immediately, as prompt treatment can prevent a future, permanent stroke."
In the 2 weeks prior, I had three vision incidents involving a temporary loss of my peripheral vision in my left eye. I was concerned it could be serious enough to be a problem while out of the country, so after Karen's check up we stopped at the VA Clinic in Austin. The medical staff checked me over and immediately sent me back to Del Seton Medical Center Emergency Room in Austin. I was admitted and spent the next two days, January 6th to the 8th being evaluated. My care in the hospital was thorough and outstanding, but unfortunately our scuba diving trip had to be cancelled.
After two MRI's, one CAT Scan and Echocardiography the Neurologist determined I had a minor narrowing of a blood vessel on the right side in the rear of my brain that most likely was the issue causing the vision problem. The solution was to prescribe a statin drug, baby aspirin and 90 days of a blood thinning drug to mitigate the symptoms. No scuba diving for a month. Fortunately, we had trip insurance with the Diver's Alert Network (DAN) to cover our diving trip cancellation, but we were bummed to miss hanging with our Dive Buddies.
Upon release from the hospital, that evening I attended my new Coast Guard Flotilla meeting before returning to the Village with Karen. I had no more peripheral vision problems and was feeling fine. The next week, on Friday, January 16, I had a scheduled VA lab appointment prior to my annual physical seven days later. I had recently moved my VA health care to the Austin VA Medical Center and was meeting my new primary provider for the first time. After our meeting I was able to schedule all my follow-up meetings with a VA Neurologist, Audiologist, Ophthalmologist and Gastroenterologist at that new facility. It is conveniently located near the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport just 40 minutes from the Village.
With all the medical stuff out of the way, we made plans to attend Bob and Gail Conrad's 50th Wedding Anniversary party on January 30th in San Diego, California. Karen and I flew out a couple of days early to spend some time visiting these good friends before the big event. Bob and I have known each other since the fifth grade, we were photography business partners for 8 plus years and he was my best man when Karen and I got married. I have been close to both of them for over 55 years!
