08/22/2026
August 21st 2026
We're home. This is mostly for my memory but I'm putting it here for you too. It will be in 3 parts, first the medical, then the actual story, then the follow up.
Part 1: The Medical.
I did have a series of strokes, Dr. described it like a jackhammer, one right after the other. I am not paralyzed but I do have some vision issues with my right eye. There is brain damage on the right side of my brain but it's minor and we haven't figured out what it's affecting yet. It could be internal and not seen. First thing the Dr. said to us after reading the first MRI was that 'God had a hand in this'. I had a blood clot that stopped behind my right eye before entering the brain, it came very close. If it had not stopped, I wouldn't be here. I had major pain in my right eye because of the clot. Brain damage being on the right side should have affected the left eye instead of the right and there should have been no pain at all. Every Dr. said that all 3 of those things were highly unusual individually and taken together there had to be divine intervention. I was put on a blast of major blood thinners which I'm still on and will be for a while. Heavy steroids through IV's and lots of liquid with that, all combined to dissolve the clot behind my eye. I was watched very closely for the entire 5 days I was there including being on camera. To say they didn't understand what was happening to me is an understatement. Total MRI's were 5 with 2 of those doubled looking at 2 different places making a grand total of 7 in 5 days, all with contrast. They found a lot of things including needing vascular surgery on my left leg which many of you have seen I've been having problems with that side for a while. They went in through the artery in my groin to look at my carotid arteries on both sides of my neck. The left side is almost completely blocked, the right not quite as bad but still blocked. That's one of the reasons for the hard hitting blood thinners, they're hoping to open them up a bit. We were told a stroke is usually caused by A-fib and most people don't know they have it until their first stroke. I've been on a heart monitor the entire time and A-fib hasn't shown up yet so now I'm on a portable heart monitor for 30 days to see if it shows. If not, they will implant a loop monitor for up to 4 months to try to find it. With everything being so unusual in my case it wouldn't surprise me if it never shows up. I still have issues seeing out of my right eye but it's much better now and the blindness has gone away as well as the pain but I'm still seeing 'shooting stars', not bad but they're there. My first post about this was short because of double vision and the vertigo that goes with it. There were a series of specialist Dr.'s looking at different things they specialize in all coordinating a game plan together. It was amazing to see and be a part of.
Part 2: The Story, what happened.
Biggie Claws has been going through anxiety with contractors coming and going through our home along with caregivers for Nini & I, so we made an appointment in Sherman IL for our vet that specializes in cats including Bengals. We made that visit and were on the way home when it happened at exit 82 where three lanes go to 2 on I-55 south. We were not quite at the exit (approx 1½ miles) when I went blind in my right eye. Having been a medic for several years both in the Army and as a firefighter/EMT first responder in the civilian world, I knew right away I was having a stroke. We got off the interstate at EX 82 and stopped at the truck stop there so Nini could take over driving. I could have stopped anywhere along the side of the road had my left eye gone blind, but knowing how dangerous that can be and still having sight in my left eye I continued to the truck stop not far off the exit. There were 4 of us, me, Nini, her caregiver and Biggie Claws. I couldn't take the chance of going completely blind so I stopped and told Nini I was dizzy and she needed to drive, she wasn't happy about that, she doesn't like to drive but I couldn't tell her the truth because I didn't want it to affect her driving. By the time we hit Litchfield, my vision had returned. We got home and the first thing I did was put my pistol away and remove my holster knowing I was going to end up at the ER and didn't want it with me. On the way back out of the bedroom, coming down the hall I went blind again and spoke out about it telling everyone that was what had happened and it was the reason I wanted to get out from behind the wheel. I was responsible for everyone and didn't want to risk it. Nini immediately called our Dr.'s office and they told her to get me to the ER ASAP! Litchfield ER is not prepared for strokes and them knowing what was happening called for transport to Springfield, St. Johns Hosp. right away. Getting there we bypassed the ER and went straight to a room where they were waiting for us and started treatment beginning with the first MRI and of course IV's. I was woke up every 1½-2½ hours for some kind of treatment or test ALL WEEK LONG so I didn't get much sleep there. I felt so sorry for Nini who refused to leave my side and slept in her wheelchair the entire time we were there. The rest is in the medical above.
Part 3: The Follow Up
Doing 75 on the interstate is not a good time to go blind. I'm glad for my training to know what was happening to me right away and being able to respond quickly. I have follow ups with several Dr.'s including the Stroke Team in Springfield, which I didn't even know existed until now, the heart team who is currently watching my heart monitor, and a vascular surgeon team for my leg. God played a major roll in all of this. We want to thank those close to us that stayed with us and in contact with us filling our needs the entire time. Stephanie Palmer, Nini's caregiver for taking care of our animals while we were away. Jeremy Palmer, my caregiver & Six Shooter Karaoke roadie who stayed with us at both hospitals running errands for things we forgot to pack for the first few days then staying in constant contact in case we needed anything. Maddie Udi, owner of PossAbility, Nini's case worker for showing up and helping us load the van to come home when it was over. She also stayed in contact with us in case we needed anything the entire time. Amber L Wolf for showing up when we got home to get us unloaded and in the house. Amber also had dinner cooking for us when we got here and prepared a wonderful meal for us, bringing it to us when we got here.
That's it folks, I hope I've answered any questions by filling in the blanks. Sitting here typing this I can see my mind working a little slower and having to correct many mistakes, which is unusual for me. Maybe that's part of the brain damage, we'll see, only time will tell.
Six Shooter Karaoke was obviously canceled for the weekend but we will be back in full swing next week. This isn't going to stop me!
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