Exercise

April 3, 2002

Art wrote:

> About 3-4 minutes of stretching and 5 minutes at a pretty slow

speed on the

> treadmill for warm up then go to a Nu-Step machine for 2-25

minutes, then

> back to the treadmill for 20-30 minutes at my max heart rate. I

then go to

> the weight machines and do 2 sets of curls, two sets of triceps

extensions,

> 3 sets of overhead presses, 3 sets of bench presses and 3 sets of

lat

> pulldowns. Then go to a cybex bike for 20-30 more minutes of

aerobic

> exercise and then a brisk walk around the track for one mile with

the last

> couple laps pretty slow for cool down (about 9 mph) . . .

Wow, Art, that's quite a workout! Are you getting ready for an Iron

Man competition? I'm impressed!

Christy

April 3, 2002

Art.

Why a hospital stay that long??

Kathy

April 3, 2002

Art.

Why a hospital stay that long??

Kathy

April 3, 2002

Wow, Art, that's quite a workout! Are you getting ready for an Iron

Man competition? I'm impressed!

Christy

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Nope, just trying to stay alive. Before I started February 1 I had spent

the last thirty odd years sitting behind my desk or in front of the TV

smoking cigarettes and eating and after an almost three month hospital stay

I guess I finally decided to stay around for awhile:-).

BTW, I had also been well over 100 lbs overweight. I've taken off 15 lbs in

the last couple of months as well and was already " down " to a mere 277 lbs

when I started working out. It was very difficult at first and I have stuck

with it until it has become fun and something I look forward to daily. As a

matter of fact I'm going to work out in about an hour.

Art

April 3, 2002

Holy tamales Art you have been through a horrible ordeal. What a positive

way to look at things. Thank God you are alive.

Kathy

April 3, 2002

Holy tamales Art you have been through a horrible ordeal. What a positive

way to look at things. Thank God you are alive.

Kathy

April 3, 2002

Wow, Art, that's quite a story.

I think you need a new regular doc. I wouldn't trust the old one.

Vicki

In a message dated 04/03/2002 9:14:23 PM US Mountain Standard Time,

moseart@... writes:

> Thanks for asking and thanks again to everyone here for all the help and

> feedback:-).

> Also for motivation

April 3, 2002

Wow, Art, that's quite a story.

I think you need a new regular doc. I wouldn't trust the old one.

Vicki

In a message dated 04/03/2002 9:14:23 PM US Mountain Standard Time,

moseart@... writes:

> Thanks for asking and thanks again to everyone here for all the help and

> feedback:-).

> Also for motivation

April 3, 2002

Wow, Art, that's quite a story.

I think you need a new regular doc. I wouldn't trust the old one.

Vicki

In a message dated 04/03/2002 9:14:23 PM US Mountain Standard Time,

moseart@... writes:

> Thanks for asking and thanks again to everyone here for all the help and

> feedback:-).

> Also for motivation

April 3, 2002

Art.

Why a hospital stay that long??

Kathy

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I'll TRY and make this brief, but it is a very long story to tell it fully.

It started with a cold that I caught from my little granddaughter. Within a

week or so I was coughing terribly and in a lot of pain in my sides and

back. I went to my regular Doc who told me I could not have pneumonia as I

had the pneumonia shot recently and told me to go home, drink a lot of

liquids and take it easy and I'd be over it soon. Within two or three days

I was delirious some of the time and horrible pain the rest of the time.

This, btw, is all second hand from my family as I remember none of it. My

wife called his office and had to leave a message for him to call back,

which he did not. My wife slept a bit that night as I was groaning, moaning

etc and in obvious pain. She must have dozed off and woke back up at 4 a.m.

to discover that I was not breathing. She called 911 and they arrived

within less than five minutes. They were here for an estimated 45 minutes

reviving me and hitting me with the paddles etc. Police, Fire Dept. and

Paramedics.

Getting long already. . I'll skip more details. . .

My heart stopped again on the way to the hospital ER. In the ER they told

my wife to call my kids as I was not going to make it. During the next two

or three days my heart did stop once more and my kidneys and liver shut down

completely, but got themselves going again within 36 hours. Turns out one

lung was collapsed and the other 90% full of pus etc as was my entire chest

cavity. 800+ stitches later they had removed approximately 3 pints of the

stuff from my chest cavity that had escaped through the pleura. I was on a

ventilator of course and remember nothing of it. I spent about 5 weeks in

ICU monitored 24/7 and was then transferred to the unit next to ICU for

another 3 weeks. I was then transferred to Sr. Kenny for rehab and spent a

month there relearning how to walk etc. I remember very little of any of it

until my last 3-4 days in rehab. After discharge I was not allowed to be

alone in the house for another 2 months due to the brain damage and lack of

ability to care for myself. Since then I have had several months of PT and

Memory Compensation Techniques therapy at a nearby hospital. On February 1

of this year I was " discharged " from my 5 day per week therapy and started

working out at the hospital's Cardio-Pulmonary Fitness Center and am now

doing very well. Yes, my cognitive skills are diminished, my short term

memory is poor and my balance is still rather bad, but improving by the day.

It was a tough experience for my wife and kids and still is to some degree

as I cannot work and will not be able to again. However, in a positive

sense, this period of my life has caused me to finally start to do some

things differently. Finally dealing with my Diabetes is one of them. I

actually feel quite good now most of the time. As strange as it may seem I

would probably be dead from something else had this not all occurred. The

worst part of it that remains is the damage to memory and cognition, but I

get by.

Thanks for asking and thanks again to everyone here for all the help and

feedback:-).

Also for motivation. . . .

Art

April 3, 2002