# Catching Up



## K&GB (Nov 4, 2008)

Got 3 days off this past weekend. (Just finished up our big fall exercise, so no more working weekends til spring.)




Gave me a chance to survey the yard and take stock of the damage from summer's heat. Replaced three hibiscus (high bisquits) shrubs, two bougainvilla, a few lantannas, and a carissa that had died. (Everything in pots died, so no more potted plants) Started replacing the dripper heads (clogged with hard water deposits) on the water works and discovered the source of my last huge water bill,



several lines broken and running free underground. 
Gina's mom and step dad are visiting. They'rea God send. Gina's been pretty ill, and they drove out from TX when she got out of the hospital so I could go back to work. But she seems to be on the mend and actually got out to help in the back yard a bit yesterday. Her stepdad, Ron,has been playing handyman all over the house since he arrived. We sunk some posts in the front yard yesterday to brace our fledgling jackaranda tree, and now we're contemplating installation of screen doors so we can open up the house in the cooler weather. 


Ron and I started blueberry wine together on Saturday, and Gina's mom has been following its progress faithfully. She's a big fan of our home made reisling and viognier.






Semi-annual PFT is just a couple weeks away, so it's time for the dreaded morning run.



Sure is chilly outside in the mornings (58-62). Hard to believe it'll be up in the 80s this afternoon.


Ken*Edited by: K&GB *


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## NorthernWinos (Nov 4, 2008)

Chilly???? 
46° here this morning....That's going to be the high tomorrow....Rain changing into snow.....


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## grapeman (Nov 4, 2008)

Glad you guys are getting caught up some. I'm even more glad that Gina is doing better! It is so hard on you when your spouse is ill- more emotionally but also physically.


You call that cold Ken? This morning's low was balmy at 38° after 5 days in the low 20's. Highs have been struggling in the 30's. Today is supposed to be well into the 60's so that will be nice.


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## 8761darlene (Nov 4, 2008)

I think I wouldn't run if it's just 38° outside, way too cold for me.


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## K&GB (Nov 4, 2008)

Yeah, I know. Looks like I've lost what little cold tolerance I had.


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## K&GB (Nov 5, 2008)

I hope the weather up North isn't too bad yet. Gina and I have this notion we might like to settle in the Pacific Northwest when I retire from the Marine Corps, but I've never spent a winter up there. Furthest north I've lived is North Carolina. Born and raised inTexas, over the past 23 years I've been mostly stationed in mild weather climates like Hawaii and Southern California. There's probably some good job opportunities for me back home in Texas, but I'm reluctant to return there.Guess I'm spoiled. Mountains, trees, and ocean (with blue water, not brown) are very appealing. Just gotta learn to deal with that whole winter thing....*Edited by: K&GB *


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## Wade E (Nov 5, 2008)

And high costs of everything up here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## K&GB (Nov 10, 2008)

Gina's folks are leaving today.They've been here nearly a month and need to get back to Texas. We've really enjoyed their company and we'll miss them.






Gina's much better but still not well. Guess I never mentioned the problem before. She started having seizures near the beginning of October and was hospitalized for 6 days. Of course, before the seizures started, there were months of other symptoms that in hindsight are clearly related. Anyway, she was originally admitted to the hospital where she works, but was later transferred to a bigger place in San Diego. They did a bunch of tests and tried a bunch of drugs, but all they managed to do was rule out epilepsy. Once they did that, they sent her home, still having roughly 6 seizures per day. 


The day after we got back to Yuma, they called to say it was a vitamin deficiency and recommended she follow up with her local doctor and take vitamin shots. Well, that process didn't go so well, and she was back in the local hospital in Yuma after a few days. But they released her the same day, and she finally got to see her regular doctor- a week after coming home from San Diego. It took almost a month, but she's finally following up with a neurologist, and her vitamin shots have definitely made an improvement. She hasn't had a seizure in several days!!






We're not sure what the future holds. She's still so dizzy she has trouble getting around, and because she had seizures, she won't be able to drive for quite a while.Since her job is 75 miles away, she probably won't be going back to work there. But who knows. 


When this happened, Ihad just started my semi-annual Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course at work, which involves 6 weeks of 12-14 hour days with only an occasional Sunday off. I missed 10 days of work before Gina's parents showed up, but my bosses were understanding and things went on without me. Guess I'm not as indispensible as I thought



But WTI is over now, and I have much more time off. The holidays are coming, and if need be, we can ask Gina's dad and step mom to come out and stay for a while too.


Today is the USMC birthday. Born 10 November, 1775in Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Happy birthday Marines!!!


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## Scott (Nov 10, 2008)

Thanks for the update, glad to hear she is doing better. All that and you still find time to make wine



.


Thoughts and prayers are with you both.


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## RkyMtnWine (Nov 10, 2008)

Sorry to hear about Gina's medical issue Ken. Our prayers are certainly with her. USMC.. Interesting. Recently returned from my nieces wedding held in Lake Placid, NY. She works for the CIA and he is a Major in the USMC .. soon to be Colonel. He had some rather interesting combat stories.... quite a different situation from what I experienced in my 2 years in Vietnam.. Right now he is going to the war college so he will be around at least until the end of the year. Take care Ken and wish Gina the best.


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## NorthernWinos (Nov 10, 2008)

Sorry to hear about Gina's problems...

Those unexplained illnesses are scarier than having something diagnosed....You just become pretty scared and nervous, which doesn't improve the situation.

I hope you are both able to relax, let time and medicine improve the situation. Hopefully it will go away as mysteriously as it showed up.

Thoughts and prayers are with you.....And a big hug





Thanks for sharing.


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## K&GB (Nov 10, 2008)

Thanks for the well wishes and the hug.



Here's a pic of Gina, her mother Jean, and step dad Ron.








Yep, that's the cab in the primary next to them. I let Jean stir it one more time before they left this morning.I think she's hooked.I know exactly what to get her for Christmas now!


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## grapeman (Nov 10, 2008)

I hope everything with Gina works out well and she continues to improve. 


Be sure to get her Mom a starter kit!


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## grapeman (Nov 10, 2008)

RkyMtnWine,
What on earth was the CIA and Marines doing in Lake Placid? I hope they just liked the location and there isn't trouble brewing there! You were in my Neck of the Woods since it is only 45 miles away. Hope you enjoyed your stay.


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## hannabarn (Nov 10, 2008)

WOW! Ken, that is really scary! Hope everything goes well for you &amp; Gina!
We used to spend our winters in AZ but Betty has asthma and she was advised not to return to AZ at least in the Valley area due to "Valley Fever"! I kind of pooh poohed the idea until a friend of ours got it and passed away! Kind of made a believer out of me&gt;Our prayers are with you.


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## RkyMtnWine (Nov 10, 2008)

Hey appleman


If you check out the chit hat forum "wonder fall" I slipped in a picture of mirror lake.. lake placid in background. Our flight took us into Albany..rented a car and headed NE to the coast, skirted up to Bar Harbor stayed a couple nights and headed west to lake placid, about a ten hour drive. Fortunate to hit the colors at peak. Beautiful country.. for some reason I had the mind set that the whole east coast was wall to wall city. boy was I mistaken. Wish we had more time. Talking about making the trip again next fall but this time spend a couple weeks. would be fun to stop for a short visit with everyone from that area that are members here.


Have a great day.


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## grapeman (Nov 10, 2008)

Rky,
You should have popped in on your way by. I was still picking grapes then. Boy did you take a detour- only about 2 hours to Albany, but you had a nice time for looking at the leaves.


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## RkyMtnWine (Nov 10, 2008)

The trip was awesome... other than the plane ride. And the Lobster was yummy.


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## K&GB (Nov 16, 2008)

Gina's asleep on the couch where she's spent most of the weekend. The doctor gave her something called anti-vert for her dizzyness, and it really knocks her out. She has a huge bruise on her forehead where she fell and banged into an outside corner. She's been unable to get around, just inside the house,by herself for almost a week now, and she's had several nasty falls in the past few days. She's had seizures the past couple of days also, this after going several days without them. When her mom left, we thought she was getting better, but she's definitely had a setback since then. Her dad was planning to come out the first week of Dec so I could attend a work-related conference, but I've asked him to come as soon as possible. He'll be here Thursday, and I'm very thankful for his help. It's hard to go to work and leave Gina here alone, even though I come home to check on her at lunch every day.


I'm not sure why I'm posting this on a wine forum, but I feel like many of you have become my friends and I guess I just needed to talk about this.


I've been practicing "wine therapy" this weekend. No, not drinking wine, though I have done a fair share of that, but making it and doing various wine chores. I ordered several kits from George and some Better Bottles because I was running out of carboy space. Yesterday, I racked several wines into the Better Bottles and learned two valuable lesssons. The better bottles are smaller than my glass carboys, so I overflowed some of my Pinot Noir. Then I learned the hard way that they're also very flexible. As I pushed the full bottle into its spot under my wine table in the garage, I forced more wine out the top through the airlock. Yikes! 


I cleaned combined two 3-gal carboys of Pinot Grigio into a 6-gal carboy and then cleaned out all theempty glass carboys I had. I was storing them full of water, but our water is very hard here and full of minerals. These tend to collect on the sides and bottom as the water evaporates. So I scrubbed them all clean again and stored them empty with plastic bogs over the top held on by rubber bands. 


I've started an RJS EP Cab, which is in secondary, but I also have a CC Argentinian Malbec and a WE South African Chenin Blanc waiting to start. Not sure why I didn't break out one of those this weekend. Instead, I started a Black Cherry Melomel from store bought juice and honey. I guess I'm used to having Gina around to watch and help with the kits.


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## Wade E (Nov 16, 2008)

Hope she feels better soon, what have they found is actually wrong?


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## K&GB (Nov 16, 2008)

Thanks Wade. It's probably too long and complicated to go into here. Gina's been in poor health for a long time. High blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, and some auto-immune stuff. She had a gastric bypass 2-1/2 years ago and lost a lot of weight. Her blood pressure and many other problems cleared up quickly. For a short time, we seemed to enjoy a long awaited period of good health. 


But the bypass comes with a price. She can't absorb nutrients the way she's supposed to anymore. And I guess it taks a while for the resulting problems to surface. Six months after the bypass she was at a place where she could eat whatever she wanted. She just ate a lot less than most people. Her health seemed greatly improved. She had a problem with potassium uptake for a while, but that eventually cleared up. Only now we're finding that she's critically deficient of several vitamins, B6, B12, D, etc. These cause a whole host of symptoms, some of which she's had for the past 9 months. Constant headache, dizziness, depression, dry eyes mouth and skin, and finally seizures. 


She's taking vitamin injections now, and I guess it just takes time. But she's really down about it all.


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## RkyMtnWine (Nov 16, 2008)

So sorry to hear about all the medical issues Gina is dealing with.. Has to be so difficult for everyone. Hang in there guys.. You and Gina are in our prayers...


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## Wade E (Nov 16, 2008)

Wow, my wife has most of those symptoms and gets B-12 shots often. Hope she escapes these and improves quickly. What is the treatment consisting of?


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## NorthernWinos (Nov 16, 2008)

Hope Gina improves soon...such a worry when the problems are so complex and undetermined....Would be nice if they could figure this out and get the shots to take effect.

Hopefully when her Dad returns you can all rest easy....It seems your body can't heal when there is such worry and uncertainty.

Good Luck and Good Health.....


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## swillologist (Nov 16, 2008)

Sorry to hear about Gina. I hope she gets to feeling better real soon.


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## hannabarn (Nov 16, 2008)

Ken. Sorry to hear about Gina. I can relate to that a little bit but not that seriously. I had gastric bypass surgery about 25 years ago. I started taking B-12 injections monthly right after surgery. If I miss a shot, I get run down and tired but not anything such as Gina is suffering. I must eat smaller portions also. I am so sorry to hear that she is suffering so much. Our prayers are for you and Gina. Hang in there.


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## K&GB (Nov 17, 2008)

Thank you all for your support. It means a lot.


When Gina was in the hospital, she had a brocho-spasm during a seizure and her airway closed up. So they intubated her. Later she was flown to a hospital in San Diego that had an ICU bed. This was a teaching hospital with lots of modern dianostic equipment, so we had high hopes. However, in retrospect we're very disappointed in the care (or lack of it) that she received there. They ran a video EEG that correlates body movements to brain activity and is the definitive test for epilepsy. She was negative. They also ordered an MRI with contrast and a lumbar puncture, neither of which she ever got. It seems after ruling out epilepsy, they decided she was psychotic. They gave her a psych consult and released her the next day. 


After we drove 200 miles back home, they called and said "Hey, your tests came back and we think we figured out what's REALLY wrong with you. Looks likea vitamin B6 deficiency." And sure enough, that fit most of her symptoms, including the chronic ones we thought were unrelated.


But following up with local doctors in Yuma took weeks. Why didn't they just keep her another day until her tests came back and start treatment in the hospital? We later learned that she has several vitamin deficits, which are just now being treated.


While in the hosptial, Gina was on some pretty serious anti-seizure drugs, which did nothing for her seizures but didcause a whole host of side effects, including hallucinations and severe drowsiness. She's been weaned off of all but one of those, so we're finally getting a chance to distinguish between the side effects of the drugs and what's "normal". Unfortunately, the news doesn't look good. There's definite mental impairment. She can't remember things andcan't count in her head. She's developed a stutter. Her right foot has turned inward and causes her to always walk to the left. And then there's the dizziness and constant sleepiness. I don't dare let her walk even 10 feet on her own. But I never know when she's going to wake up and decide to get out of bed or off the couch.


Are these symptoms the result of the seizures, or maybe anoxia during her 10 min intubation process? We don't know. We've been trying to stay positive, hoping that as the vitamin deficiencies are addressed, her symptoms will improve. I used to joke with her about these things, even calling her a "dizzy blond" and suggesting she dye her hair. But I'm not joking anymore. 


She got the MRI with contrast last week (finally), but we don't know the results yet. Her reumatologist ruled out Lupus, which is very good news, but said she has some other auto-immune disease which I can't remember. But it's not as serious, so we just have to watch it. Let's see, last week she also saw her regular doctor, her neurologist, her counselor... I think that's all. Getting a lot of mileage on the car driving her to all these places. My boss is very understanding about the time off work. But it'll be good when her dad and step-mom arrive to help out.


I'm rambling here, so I'll stop. Thanks again for listening. I really do appreciate it. Just writing this stuff down helps me process it all.


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## Scott (Nov 17, 2008)

Ramble away anytime, again thoughts and prayers with you both.


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## NorthernWinos (Nov 17, 2008)

WOW!!! That's some serious stuff...almost like she had a stroke....

It's so nerve racking when they can't figure things out....soon some doctor will figure it out and the healing process will begin....take the vitamin shots and hope for the best

Meanwhile, our thoughts and prayers are with you....Having faith that things will improve.... and the will to continue is most important.


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## K&GB (Nov 17, 2008)

Thank you all very much for the kind words, thoughts and prayers. I went to work this morning and came home to check on Gina around 9:00 only to find she had gotten off the couch to look for a magazine and fallen and banged the side of her face on the coffee table. That's it. I went back to work and told my boss I was taking leave until her dad arrives.


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## RkyMtnWine (Nov 17, 2008)

very sorry to hear how its going for Gina... certainly take some pressure off when her Dad arrives. Take care...


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## Waldo (Nov 17, 2008)

Will keep the both of you in our prayers .


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## K&GB (Nov 29, 2008)

Gina's dad arrived last Friday, a week ago from yesterday. I checked in off of leave, went to work, and ran the PFT that day. 244 out of 300. Not too shabby for an "old guy". But I've finally accepted that trying to keep pace with my son is just a fantasy. At least I still out rank him...for now.







My daughter came out with her new puppy, Rollie, last week while I was off work. Gina was so happy, but also jealous. It's been 3 years since our Seyward passed away, and I think we're finally ready to move on. So...since the back yard is all rocked in, I contracted to have the cinderblock wall/fence extended down one side of the house, between me and the neighbor, to make a dog run. That's done; I just have toinstall a gate and find some grass that will grow in shade. The burmuda that was planted over there last year is almost all gone, and with that new block wall, there's almost no sun. I promised Gina we'd get her a puppy right after Christmas. (we're thinking about a Vegas trip with the kids over the holidays).


It's been 6 days since Gina's last seizure, and we're hopeful that maybe they're finally gone. Her vertigo hasn't improved, and she still has that constant headache. She hasn't made it back to the neurologist since her MRI, so we don't know about that. I'm taking her to a chiropractor today because her back and neck are so bad. We'll see how that goes. Not covered by the insurance. I worked really hard last week to get her designated as an "exceptional family member" which is a military program that offers certain benefits to families with disabilities. Mainly it keeps your familyaround a major medical facility that can offer the right kind of care. But it also offers a certain amount of in-home respite care, which Gina will need when here dad leaves and I'm back at work. But alas, her doctor doesn't feel comfortable filling out the paperwork because it asks for a diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment plan. He doesn't know what's wrong with her, how long it will last, or what her treatment will consist of, so he won't fill the papers out. Which basically means she'll be on her own after her dad leaves. Gotta love it. Who knows, maybe she'll be better by then.


When Gina's dad and stepmom arrived, we told them we were planning to go to Cracker Barrel for Thanksgiving dinner, but they wouldn't stand for it. So we went shopping and got all the fixins for a big Turkey dinner, which we enjoyed on Thursday and yesterday. I'm sure we'll still be eating turkey today too. I poured a bottle of our Viognier for Thanksgiving dinner, and it was excellent. 


Monday I fly to New Orleans for a conference and get back home Friday. Gina's dad and stepmom will be here until I get back. Then they have to drive back home to Oklahoma. We've been playing spades, girls against the boys, and the girls are up quite a bit. Maybe us guys can make a come back before I have to leave.







*Edited by: K&GB *


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## grapeman (Nov 29, 2008)

You guys are behind because you are such a "Sissy Boy"- making wine, drinking wine instead of beer, not hunting and don't like sports. Any you call yourself a man?!!!






Oh and I almost forgot- you cook and wash dishes. I suppose you iron and fold clothes too!


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## Wade E (Nov 29, 2008)

Were not the 1 running on a treadmill wuss boy1


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## JWMINNESOTA (Nov 29, 2008)

Oy....Im JW...and yes...I cook, do dishes..and occasionally laundry...Please forgive me.






( One of my wifes favorite pics is of me scrubbing a toilet, NO, you will never see it!)


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## PolishWineP (Nov 30, 2008)

Ken,
You just keep on keepin' on. And I bet you DO know how to run an iron!




Do you think you could get the doctor to fill out the paperwork saying that at this time he can't make a diagnosis and that would be the #1 reason for keeping her near a major medical facility, etc? I've learned over the years that sometimes all the little boxes don't have to be completed. The worst thing that will happen is they will refuse to accept it. But it's worth a try. 
And yes, you should continue to count on us as friends who will listen. Because that's exactly what we are. There's always someone around who cares.


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## K&GB (Nov 30, 2008)

Thanks PWP. Gina will follow up with her doctor in person next week while I'm gone. She only spoke to him on the phone last week after I dropped off the paperwork. She's a nurse and has a nack for getting doctors to see things her way.



But it may be that he's right not to fill them out. The program seems to be for people with disabilities, and we're not sure if her current problems will persist. It's just frustrating. The reps at the Family Service Center made it sound like a sure thing. "She can start getting in-home care next week." I guess we'll see. 


And for the record, I do iron my own uniforms. At least I used to. Now I take them to the dry cleaners...



*Edited by: K&GB *


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## grapeman (Nov 30, 2008)

Make sure the vitamins she has contain just a touch of Selenium. Selenium deficiencies can exibit the exact symptoms you describe her as having. I used to have some cattle and our soil is deficient in Selenium in the area. I had calves and young cattle start to get extremely gaunt, followed by muscular atropy and finally nerve damage causing convulsions and seizures. I came across a mention of similar symptoms in a really old book and they said it was Selenium deficiency. I showed the book to the vet and he had a product called Bo-Se out there pronto. Within hours of injection there was a marked improvement and full recovery of the affected animals (after I had had two die prior to treatment). I has since become a routine injection of the calves at a young age and no further problems. When you don't know what is causing something- rule nothing out no matter how bizzare it sounds. Good luck with her continued improvement.


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## NorthernWinos (Nov 30, 2008)

When we raised livestock, both hogs and steers we used Bo-Se or other types of supplements....

Our animals needed Vitamin E or they would get White Muscle disease as well as Mulberry Heart.....a vet told us about this early in our venture, so it was always used.

Never thought of humans getting that.

My brothers Cancer doctor told him and I that if you take Vitamin E to always use Selenium with it for it to work best. 

I had to quit taking all my vitamins and minerals with the last Chemo round...the drugs were trying to kill cells and the supplements were building them....I didn't resume during this 'Drug Vacation'....Was sick of taking meds...wanted to be as natural as possible.....


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## K&GB (Dec 1, 2008)

Thanks for the concern and advice. We'll look into it. 


I'm off to New Orleans this week for an Avionics Conference. Let's see, how many cool toys and gadgets can we squeeze into our USMC aircraft in the 2012 budget? Never been there, and really have no idea where the hotel is, so I'll just hang with the other AVOs. Someone told me it's a good time for crawfish, so who knows? 


Gina has gone a full week without a seizure,so we went to The Olive Garden last night to celebrate. Her dad and stepmom have promised to take good care of her this week while I'm gone. 


We spoke to the kids this weekend and instead of Vegas, we're now planning a wine tasting trip to Temecula, CA (just north of San Diego)after Christmas. They have a "wine bus" that takes you around to the wineries and back to your hotel so no one has to be the DD.


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## gaudet (Dec 1, 2008)

Ken,

Make sure to get the char broiled oysters at this restaurant Dragos http://www.dragosrestaurant.com/. If you are here on convention, then you are probably meeting at the Morial Convention center and Dragos has a restaurant in the Hilton Riverside within walking distance of the convention center. The hotel is across from the Harrah's Casino. Crawfish are not yet in season, though you can find them. You can pm me for a phone # if you need some local advice.

Mike


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## K&GB (Dec 6, 2008)

Gaudet, thanks for the tip, but I didn't see it til I got back. I did eat some char broiled oysters at a little place called Felix's Seafood, and they were good, along with the seafood gumbo and blackened alligator. 








I tried crawfish etoufee three times while there, and was surprised to find that the hotel I was staying in served the best by far. Our conference was at the Weston, right across from Harrah's. 











Of course, I had to visit Bourbon street, just for the novelty.








And look what I found there... a little corner bar that made me think of Waldo.








My friend, Gary, and I scoured the French Quarter almost every night in search of the best cajun food. Here's a nice place we stumbled onto Thursday afternoon in the rainy weather. 








We found it completely empty except for the staff.








And there I discovered the best example of cajun food I'd ever had, Crawfish Pie. Rich and spicy. Yummy!


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## NorthernWinos (Dec 6, 2008)

Thanks for the tour.....
Glad you had a nice break.
Take care of your lady now that your home....


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## Wade E (Dec 6, 2008)

Wow that all sounds soooooooo good! Thanks for the pics. Waldo, why didnt you tell us?


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## JWMINNESOTA (Dec 6, 2008)

Ahh, a tough week of work, but somebody has to do it!



Now if we can just figure out how to get that Cats Meow sign to Arkansas!


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## PolishWineP (Dec 6, 2008)

JW! Don't encourage bad behavior!


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## grapeman (Dec 6, 2008)

I think Waldo opened up a branch office.


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## K&GB (Dec 7, 2008)

It's good to be home. Gina and her folks put out all the Christmas decorations while I was gone. My father-in-lawhad also started a number of outdoor projectswhile I was away, and we mostly finished them up this weekend. I also found time today to start a 3-gal batch of the VH blackberry.The 1-gal batch of blackberry I did previously is Gina's favorite wine to date. 


It's been two weeks now since Gina's last seizure. Hooray!



Looks like the vitamin shots are finally working. She has a couple of key doctor visits this week to find out the results of her last MRI and see if they can figure out why she still has vertigo. She still suffers from a lot of head and neck pain, and her face is covered with bruises from several falls. (I'm considering getting her a helmet) But she's much more coherent. It looks like most of her mental deficits were side effects of the anti-seizure meds. She's almost completely weaned off of those now. 


Our daughter, Karen, drove out from San Diego today and brought our grand-puppy, Rollie. Here's a pic of the three of them playing in the living room.








Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.As NW always says, Life is good.



*Edited by: K&GB *


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## Scott (Dec 7, 2008)

Glad to hear things are better, must be a huge relief. Still thinking good thoughts for you both!


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## grapeman (Dec 7, 2008)

Here's to her complete and speedy recovery. She's much too young and beautiful to have such serious problems. Take care of her and have a special and wonderful holiday season.


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## Wade E (Dec 7, 2008)

Our prayers are always out there to those who need it! So glad she's on the climb up and hope it only gets better!


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## NorthernWinos (Dec 7, 2008)

Glad things are going better....
Never doubt the power of prayer...
Life is indeed Good!!!!


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## PolishWineP (Dec 9, 2008)

What a great early Christmas gift!


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## JWMINNESOTA (Dec 10, 2008)

Lets hope this thing gets cured! Great to see good progress!


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## uavwmn (Dec 10, 2008)

Ken & Gina, hang in there. Dr's and tests can be so frustrating as you two are finding out. Sounds like you are taking very good care of your other half.
I have you both in my prayers.


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## K&GB (Dec 22, 2008)

Getting ready for the kid's Christmas visit. Both sets arrive Christmas Eve, hopefully. David (son) and Katie (daughter-in-law) are flying in from North Carolina with a stop in Pittsburgh. (Weather please be kind.) Karen (daughter) and Buckshot (son-in-law) will drive out from San Diego. 


Karen's our oldest at 27. She's a GenrealManager of a Chipotle Mexican Grill, and her husband, Buckshot, works as a Massage Therapist while going to school full time getting his Master's in Sociology. Our son, David-26, is aCommunications Officer (First Lieutenant) in the Marines, and his wife, Katie, is a Nurse (Lieutenant Junior Grade) in the Navy. 


Had to clear out the front bedroom, where we had a bunch of stuff stored, hang curtains,and set up a third bed. Moved all the junk out into the garage, which in turn forced me to clean up all my winemaking paraphernalia. But it was good to get organized. I plan to showcase my new hobby when the kids arrive and try to get them involved. (Gina's very supportive of my obsession, but I feel the need to expand my network of enablers.)



I'm planning to enlist their help instarting a batch of cranapple wine and maybe even bottling the Orange Blossom Muscat, if they're up for it.








Gina's dad and stepmother went back to Texhoma two weeks ago, and Gina's been doing pretty good on her own during the day while I'm at work. Unfortunately, her doctors are baffled by her continuing dizziness. They've referred her to an ENT, though they don't think it's her ears,and they're considering another hospitalization soon to run more tests. Meanwhile they seem completely unconcerned about her constant head, neck, and jointpain. They're reluctant to prescribe anything strong enough to actually help, and instead seem to be more interested in trying things like bio-feedback and accupuncture. I'm not knocking these treatments, but they haven't worked yet. I know after months of steadily increasing pain, she's ready for some relief. This whole ordeal just seems to drag on...slowly. But at least the seizures are gone. 


This weekend while the kids are here we've planned a 2-day trip to Temecula, CA for wine tasting. We'll stay at a hotel and we've booked a limo to drive us around to several of the wineries. Gina and I celebrated several romantic occasions in Temecula while I was stationed in San Diego. I'm sure this trip with the kids will bring back some fond memories.


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## NorthernWinos (Dec 22, 2008)

Except for the pain and uncertainty it sounds like everything is coming together.....Hope they figure out her health issues and that you have a wonderful Holiday Season with your family.....

Your wine making area is great.....Hope all get to enjoy and partake in your venture....

Merry Christmas!!!


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## jobe05 (Dec 22, 2008)

Sounds like some great and exciting holiday plans, good for you.

Don's not stationed at Cherry Point is he?


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## Wade E (Dec 22, 2008)

Thats a god collection you have going there Ken!


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## PolishWineP (Dec 22, 2008)

Cheers to you and yours for the holidays! Enjoy your time together and draft those kids to help bottle! Hope someone figures out Gina's pain and helps her with it.


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## K&GB (Dec 23, 2008)

Jobe, David's stationed at Camp Lejune. Merry Christmas to all of you as well.


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## jobe05 (Dec 23, 2008)

Our son Timmy (15), goes to Cherry Point once a year for his Civil Air Patrol Training, and he loves it there.

Hope you all enjoy your time together!


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## Jack on Rainy (Dec 23, 2008)

Ken,
I haven't been paying attention to this thread. Sorry to hear of Gina's troubles - I guess they are yours to aren't they. Prayers for you and yours this Holiday Season include a return to good health. Enjoy those kids!


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## Appfan (Dec 23, 2008)

Sorry to hear of the health concerns, especially the chronic pain. I hope you all have a Blessed Christmas, and the joy shines through those troubles.


Also, a heart felt thank you to your family serving in our nations Armed Forces. We here in NC, as many other fine places in our great country, appreciate, respect, and admire their service and sacrificefor our great nation.


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## K&GB (Dec 24, 2008)

jobe05 said:


> Our son Timmy (15), goes to Cherry Point once a year for his Civil Air Patrol Training, and he loves it there.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy your time together!




jobe, that's funny. I haven't been stationed there... yet, but I went to school there early in my career. Back then they called it "Cherry Pitt" and the little town of Havelock was nick-named "Have Naught" by the local Marines. Guess it wasn't such an exciting place to be 20+ years ago. Who knows now? My first "permanent" duty station was Marine Corps Air Station New River near Jacksonville, NC. Spent 5 years there. (Of course, the local Marines sarcastically called it "Actionville" back them.) I went back there to visit my son a couple years ago and didn't even recognize the place. It's expanded quite a bit. My how times change.


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## PeterZ (Dec 29, 2008)

"Our son, David-26, is aCommunications Officer (First Lieutenant) in the Marines, and his wife, Katie, is a Nurse (Lieutenant Junior Grade) in the Navy."


Who is going to make O-3 first? I have a retired Air Force buddy at work. He and his wife were both E-9 at retirement. Their daughter recently made O-5 while her husband, who was a year ahead of her at the Academy, is still an O-4. That makes for some good natured ribbing.


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## uavwmn (Dec 29, 2008)

Peter, this makes for a fun filled military family to "go at each other" in a fun way!!!!!! Hoo AH!!


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## PeterZ (Dec 30, 2008)

uav, we work for the Navy, and Mike is Air Force, so some of the guys got him a poster that shows a plane being shot off a catapult on a carrier with the caption "If this was easy we'd let the Air Force do it."


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## Scott (Feb 12, 2009)

K&amp;GB,


How are things going now?


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## K&GB (Feb 12, 2009)

Scott,


Not so good. By the end Nov, Gina's seizures had stopped completely. We were just working on her continued dizziness and constant pain issues. But on Jan 2nd she had another seizure, and then another, and another. By the end of Jan she'd had upwards of twenty. But it takes so long to get in to see the doctor, then get referred out to a specialist, then get tests done and evaluated. So we finally got the results of her B6 test back around Feb 1st and it was back down below normal levels. All the while she'd been taking daily B6 injections. So the doc doubled her dose...again. And he finally, after over a year of constant hurting, ordered her a slow-release narcotic patch for pain. 


No one seems to understand why her B6 level increased at first and then went back down. I personally think it's because she has other deficiencies that inhibit the uptake of B6, but the doctors aren't looking for those. As for the pain, it's partially better, but the narcotic comes with some nasty side effects. First, it makes Gina drowsy and incoherent. But worse, it makes her itch like crazy. So she takes benadryl for the itching, which makes her even more drowsy. So she basically sleeps the day away. We thought she might adjust to the new medication, but after a week, the side effects don't seem to be getting any better.


Sorry for the long response. 


ken


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## hannabarn (Feb 12, 2009)

I thought she was doing OK since we hadn't heard anything more. What a BUMMER!! We will continue to pray for her. She is much too young to have to suffer with things like that!


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## Scott (Feb 12, 2009)

No worrys about the long response, when ever you need to we are here.


Prayers are still with you both _/\_


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## NorthernWinos (Feb 12, 2009)

Sorry to hear there is no response to the Vitamin shots...I too was hoping all was going well.

Hope someday a doctor can get this figured out and take care of those conditions.

Side effects of drugs are sometimes worse than the disease...


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## K&GB (Feb 13, 2009)

Thanks all. And I don't mean to sound like it's all bad. The Christmas visit with our kids was wonderful. Wine tasting and making wine together weregreat experiences. I even started a CC Cab/Merlot kit with a friend from work a few weeks ago, and it was lots of fun to share my hobby. We got our new puppies right after the New Year, and Gina really loves them. Guess I haven't written much because they keep me so busy, along with all the trips to the vet, puppy class, and Gina's doctor visits. Oh, and there's that work thing too. 


This weekend should be really special. It's both Valentine's Day and Gina's birthday ( Feb 17th), and I have four days off work. So I know this is crazy, but we're taking a trip to "Gold Country" in the CA Sierra Nevada foothills. The Amador County Vintner's Association is hosting an event called "Behind the Cellar Door", and it sounds fascinitating. In addition to lots of food and barrel tastings, many of the wineries offer lectures on winemaking. For instance, I'm really looking forward to "The Littlest Winemaker" lecture which is about different yeasts. You get to taste three wines that have only one difference, the yeast. And there's a bunch more that I'm sure will be very interesting. It's a long drive, and I know Gina's not really up to it. But she won't take no for an answer, so I guess we're going.


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## NorthernWinos (Feb 13, 2009)

Glad your getting out on a nice trip...That's the best medicine.


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## K&GB (Feb 20, 2009)

Thought I'd share some highlights of our trip for anyone interested. Amador County, CA is "Gold Country" where the California gold rush of 1849 played out. Lots of history there. The predominant wines produced in the area appeared to be Zinfandel, Syrah, and Barberra. 


Apparently, some Italian immigrants planted some of the earliest American Zinfandel vines there just after the Civil War. These vines, planted on their original root stock, are still producing, and the wine from their grapes is marketed as Grand Pere (not sure of the spelling but it means grandfather) Zin. At Renwood winery, we tasted 1994, '96, '97, and 2000 vintage Zin from this vineyard. Interestingly, phyloxera has only recently begun to infect these vines, so the clone is now being grafted onto resistant rootstock.


At Amador Cellars we sat in on a talk by the winemaker and tasted three Zinfandels from 2004, 05, and 06. Each vintage had slightly different characterstics and the wines were made with slightly different styles. All very high alcohol wines, varying amounts of oak, one blended with a bit of Syrah, and several other slight differences. All in all, a very interesting session. The winemaker wasn't shy at all about sharing his techniques, yeasts, etc. We also tasted 2007 Zinfandel and Syrah from barrels, and I was surprised how good they both were. What really caught my interest was this winery's Crush Club. You get your friends to go in on a barrel of wine, price tag $1800. You all get to participate in the crush, punching down, pressing, and every step of the winemaking process, and at the end you get a bunch of wine (forgot how many bottles are in a barrel.) Sounded like fun. Wish I lived nearby.


Lots of friendly people and beautiful countryside dominated by green rolling hills and sparsely scattered oak trees. Despite the rainy weather, we had a great time and learned a lot. We'll definitely try to go back there again someday.


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## grapeman (Feb 20, 2009)

Sounds like a great and interesting trip Ken. I hope Gina felt well enough to fully enjoy and appreciate the trip and all it entailed. Sounds like you had fun learning and enjoying the wine.


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## Scott (Feb 20, 2009)

Good times had by all then, glad for that.


So how many barrels did you order?


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## NorthernWinos (Feb 20, 2009)

Glad you got to go on your trip and enjoyed your time spent there....

Sounds like an interesting experience.


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## Jeff D (Feb 20, 2009)

Zin is one of my favorites. If they were talking of a 60 gallon barrel it would be a great deal. Sounds like you all had fun, a get away always helps. We went to the spring barrel tasting in Washington,was that ever fun.


Jeff


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## Waldo (Feb 20, 2009)

What was that like Jeff, can't rightly recollect ever tasting of no barrels before.


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## Jeff D (Feb 20, 2009)

Waldo, it's kind'a like chewing the fat only a little woody tasting.


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## grapeman (Feb 20, 2009)

So do the barrels taste differntly in the spring than they do in the summer, fall or winter? Or do you place the barrel in a spring- jump in and taste it there?


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## K&GB (Apr 4, 2009)

More catching up. I'm here at work for the 14th day straight. We're knee deep into our spring WTI class, which lasts til the end of April,but things have really slowed down so I'm bored. It's not that there's nothing to do. I have a whole list of tasks jotted down on a post-it note in front of me.But Ijustcan't seem to muster the energy or motivation to start anything new. It'll all have to wait until Monday. Tomorrow's a day off. Yippee! 




So how about some news. Gina is doing much better! I'm not sure what's changed, but she's decided to take her life back and it's working. She's hasn't had a seizure in at least amonth, and she's falling much less. She's exercising, training the puppies, and she's even enrolled in college online working to finish her bachelors in nursing. She's like a new woman, determined to beat her illness or find a way to function in spite of it. Hooray for her!



She still can't drive, so her mom and stepdad have returned from Texas to help take care of her until this WTI class is over. Thanks God for wonderful parents.


Our son, David deployed to Afghanistan several weeks ago. We hear from him occasionally. I can tell it's really hard where he is, but he seems to be doing well. Our daughter, Karen is off on vacation in San Francisco with her husband, during his spring break. Thye both seem to be doing fine, and we can't wait to hear about their trip.


The wine puppies have really grown, and for their sakes, we've just had the back yeard re-landscaped, converting it from all rock to part grass and part rock. Just couldn't bear the thought of thier poor little paws burning on the rock in 115 degree heat this summer.


Speaking of summer, it's been nice and cool here for many weeks now. 50s at night and high 70s to low 80s during the day. This is the best time of year in this part of the country in my opinion. The citrus groves are all blooming so the air is constantly filled with perfume. The weather is nice, and... the snowbirds are leaving. Soon it'll just be the farm equipment I have to contend with on the roads and the Walmarts will be all but empty.


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## hannabarn (Apr 4, 2009)

I am so glad to hear that Gina is doing much better. I have been wondering how she is doing, since we haven't had a report for some time. Please keep us posted more often as we are very concerned.
Weused to spend winters in AZ so I know what you mean about the traffic and Walmart after the "snowbirds" leave. Also I miss the Fry stores. They are well stocked stores.


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## Wade E (Apr 4, 2009)

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Glad Gina is doing better! Im sure frame of mind is a big thing like with NW and you just have to get into that frame of mind to help get back your life no matter whats still wrong.


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