"I almost died."
I very rarely talk about myself, other than what my opinion is on things from my POV politically nationally or state issues. I have stayed away for a while from the local politics, but I am getting geared up to start speaking out again. Like when I used to try and have a local newspaper that I printed and passed out around town and had TNT online aka Tulelake New Times
Yesterday, I went to lunch at the Honker Family Resource Center FRC because they need more people to show up for lunch and support the senior lunch program. Shaneen Sheldon made a special effort last week and stopped by my house on Tuesday and brought me two frozen Maria Calender turkey dinners, a frozen pumpkin pie, a can of cranberries, and some dinner rolls.
She mentioned that since the kids were off from school that the center would be cooking on Wednesday and Friday of last week. Normally the school cafeteria provides the food, except when the students are on vacation from school. Then, the center cooks on those days.
Anyway, I finally showed up for lunch for the first time in years. I have not been there since my good friend Anita Silva passed away with acute leukemia on March 30, 2013, this year. It's hard to believe on the 14th of December it will be a year since her daughter passed away from an infection on December 14th, 2012 with her husband by her side, when they flew her to Portland. As some people may know Shannon passed away 3 and half months before Anita did. Anita and her daughter lived in Alturas before they moved to Tulelake after Anita's husband Henry in 2007, the same year my Mom passed away on February 22, 2007, when we were living in Alturas.
Anita and Shannon moved up here after Henry passed away and Shannon met and married Ray. Anita moved to Tulelake and Shannon moved to Newell. Anita and I did not cross paths when I lived in Alturas. I met her at the senior center and we became good friends. And for me, I ended up back here in Tulelake in August of 2008.
Mom and I first moved to this area back in 2002 in Newell, in the goose. Where Shaneen gave Feisty to my Mom and me in October 2003. Then we moved to town in January 2004 on B street. And in October 2005 Mom and I moved to Alturas so I could substitute teach for the Office of Education and Modoc Unified School District to give me a break from taking care of my Mom 24/7. But they had to call me the day before so I could find someone to watch her, the days I worked. They called me the most to work in Canby with the k-4 class. Once in while for the Middle school in Alturas.
Shaneen Sheldon stopped by mainly because she wanted to encourage me to come to the senior lunch program again. And since Anita Silva passed away and was no longer here, I really had no reason too. I have been hibernating so to speak. Minding my own business and not paying any attention with what goes on with the neighbors, except when they bring it to my attention when there is loud yelling and screaming; like during the summer, but that is another story for another time.
The senior lunch program has changed since Iva Rogers retired and Alice Morris moved to Oregon. My Mom used to go to the senior lunch program when Connie Smith was running it and Billy was delivering the homebound lunches and Bob from Fe's Bed and breakfast was using his bus to pick up people to take them to lunch and take them back home Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. Bob on their way home would stop by the post office so they could check their mail. Alice Morris would keep an eye on my Mom on the bus because my mom had dementia. I took care of my mom 24/7 when I was her full-time caregiver. This was during the time Iva Rogers was Mayor of Tulelake and we still lived here, before we moved to Alturas.
After my Mom passed away in 2007 in Alturas, Iva Rogers put my Mom's name, "Edith Garland" (Maiden name Donaldson and her brother Richard (Dick) from Malin, her mother's name Barbra Irene O'Malley, their step-father Les Thompson), on the Plac on the wall at the Honker Tulelake FRC senior lunchroom. Over the years as the seniors passed away Iva Rogers would add their names to the Plac on the wall next to the door that leads out into the hallway. The same room where the senior card players, play cards, every Thursday.
Where over the years past both Iva Rogers and Alice Morris would greet the seniors for lunch and have all the tables set up in advance of their arrival. And have the coffee made ahead of time before they started to arrive on a daily basis M-F until they had the cut back to only M-T by Teach the people in charge of the lunch program for PSA2 out of Alturas for Modoc County running it for Siskiyou County for Tulelake.
For all the hard work these two ladies; Iva Rogers and Alice Morris dedicated for the senior lunch program over the years, as well as Dar Carroll and sometimes former city council member Richard Marcillac. They should all be accommodated for all the hard work they have put into the senior lunch program for Tulelake over the years by either, PSA2 or the city of Tulelake or both.
On Monday after pulling an all-night shift of making posts on facebook I had a lot of things on my agenda to do today. First thing I received a call from Sara of Cal-Org about my modem being replaced because of Tulelake on Thanksgiving and on Saturday having a power outage.
My modem was having problems where before over the last few months before the power outage it would go offline. So the technician at the time a few months ago mentioned for me to unplug it from the power strip. He suggested plug the modem directly into the wall socket. So I did. Then, it worked fine for a while and low and behold it was doing the same thing again that it had before, by going off and on.
After the second power outage last week when the power came back on everything seemed fine. Except that there was no DSL connection. The DSL was not coming online. So I called Cal-Org Support Information at 800-218-6118 to let them know I was having a problem and I was told everything looked fine on their end. I said OK.
Then, I got to thinking maybe the power was back on in Tulelake, but not in Dorris, where the DSL might get its power from for this area. So, I called Pacific Power and asked them if they could tell me if the power was on in Dorris. I was then told she could not tell without having a physical address to verify it. Well, I didn’t have one to give her.
So, I called back Cal-Org and asked them and they suggested this time I wait a few hours and see if it comes back on or not in Tulelake since I was having past problems with my modem. I said OK that I would do that as they suggested. I mentioned I would call back one way or the other to let them if I was still having a problem or if the DSL was back online. I had all the green lights, except for the DSL Internet connection once again.
And sure enough in a few hours, it came back online. So, I called Cal-Org back to let them know I was back online like I said I was going to do, one way or the other. When I called back the recording while you wait was saying "that due to the power outage that some people may not have DSL in their area."
The tech's name was Sam. I then gave Sam my ticket number so he could pull up my file to have an idea what has been going on with my account and the modem problems I was having before. Sam had me do a few things to check on the speed of my modem by going to speedof.me to due to a test of the modem speed and few others things we did to test the problem with the modem. When we were through going through the tests, Sam wanted me to do. Sam mentioned that he had put in order for the repair technicians, and while I was on the phone with him for them to do a test on my account in the morning and for me to also contact Cal-Org on Monday to see if they could get me a new modem but in the meantime he said he would see about doing it from his end. But I didn’t have to call Cal-Org first thing Monday morning because Sara had already done that first.
Sara was on the phone letting me know that she had my modem ready to be picked up. I was caught me off guard at first because I hadn’t even thought about the modem yet. In fact it was the last thing on my mind when she called. I was in the middle of doing other things. I was on a roll? LOL!
It might have been early for some people but it was late for me. As I had been sharing links most of the night on my facebook page(s). It is not so much what I share, as it is to do my best to give people choices of things to think about if they take the time to read about it and then decided. That’s all. Not to push my point of view. Yes, I do make a comment sometimes but most of the time I just send the share link. Unless I am absolutely not sure what’s it all about, I don’t share it. But when I do, more than likely I have read it before I send it, to make sure it’s not outdated information. I will never convince anyone but I can at least give him or her a source to at least think about it from another point of view, that they may have never thought about before.
While on the phone with Sara, Sara said I could pick it up anytime I was ready too. I said OK, I would walk over there in a little while and pick it up and exchange it for the old one in a couple hours. Sara mentioned I needed to exchange the new modem for the old one.
Then, I got to thinking I wanted to go by the Library, as there was something I wanted to talk to Lorraine Fine, the Librarian about and the former Tulelake Treasure, who resigned not too long ago for personal reasons. We now have Carla Perez as the new appointed Treasure, until the next special election, along with the next council member seat that has been left vacate until that time. Due to Jeniffer Engle resigning also for personal reasons. So, now the city council only has 4 members. The Mayor Randy Darrow and council members Dar Carroll, Tom Cordonier and Jerry King are all that are left on the council with one seat vacant until the next special election. The city council decided to wait until the special election, instead of appointing a new council member.
With the library not opening until after 1 PM I figured I could kill two birds with one stone, so to speak as the saying goes. The library is only open from 1 PM to 6 PM Monday-Wednesday and yes it was Monday and I could go, but not until after 1 PM. I decided to call Sara back and let her know of my changes of plans, so that she would not be expecting me to show up and then not show up at the time I said I was going to do it. I am like that, I think we all are to some extent. I phoned Sara back and informed her my change of plans. She said, “no problem, James. Thanks for calling and letting me know.”
After hanging up the phone another thought occurred to me I had time enough to go to the Honker Family Resource Center FRC for lunch for the first time since Iva Rogers and Alice Morris had turned over the responsibility of the all-new lunch program to Sara Ramirez. I figured I had time to go by and have lunch and check it out first, then after lunch go and pick up the new modem and stop by and see Lorraine Fine, so I could find some of the answers to the questions I had for her.
Well, I finally arrived at the Honker Family Resource Center FRC for my first lunch experience in the senior lunchroom. It has been a few years since I have been there. It’s not that I didn't want to go back then, I just did not feel like going, that’s all. It was nothing personal. It had nothing to do with the program or any of the people that go there. As there were a great group of seniors and others that went there for lunch each day. There were many on a regular continuing basis. In fact, it got to the point that people would most of the time pick to sit where they felt most comfortable.
Like any of us when we go someplace that we fill comfortable, we manage to find a place to sit or eat that is most comfortable for us. It did not mean that anyone had his or her seats reserved or assigned. If they got there earlier enough to get their favorite place to sit, there was no problem. If they were late it did not mean they would get their favorite seat and someone else would have to move. If you wanted to sit for lunch where you wanted to, you had to arrive early enough to do it.
Iva Rogers and Alice Morris worked hard each day to arrange the tables with silverware, napkins and all the rest of the condiments on each table, like sugar, and creamer for your coffee. Cups were on the round table in the center of the room near the exit door out into the hallway. Way back when there were two computers set up for people to use at their leisure. There is a TV in the room but none of the seniors back then had much interest in using it. They were there for the social nature of the program. Where there were puzzles to use and people would set up one table to work on together as a team effort for those that were interested in doing those kinds of activities together. There were books for people to read and borrow from what I can remember from those times. And different kinds of games too. They are all still there to be enjoyed by all those that attend the senior lunch program now as they were then.
When the students are on vacation holidays Iva Rogers and Alice Morris would cook for the senior lunch program. They both would start early preparing the food in the school cafeteria kitchen and sometimes even Richard Marcillac would fry his famous catfish that he caught if I remember it correctly. Everyone always complimented him on his fried catfish and the good catch he caught for the meal for everyone to enjoy eating. Myself personally fish or any kind, I am not too fond of eating it. However, that’s just me. I will eat tuna fish, shrimp, crab legs and that’s about it. I am not much of a fish eater.
People just loved it when Iva Rogers would cook as she worked hard on each meal she prepared and planned ahead on serving to her seniors. No offense to the cafeteria food, but when Iva cooked is when the most people would show up for lunch. They just loved her home-style cooking and during each holiday Iva Rogers and Alice Morris would decorate the entire lunchroom for whatever holiday it was at the time.
I entered the door and if I remember the first person I was greeted by that day was Meribelle who works at the counter for the Honker Family Resource Center FRC. Iva Rogers was at the front counter as she had just arrived moments before I did. And Joanne was there too for lunch, she used to volunteer for the Honker Family Resource Center FRC and she was a past city council member at one time from what I recall.
I walked around the corner from the counter at the Honker Family Resource Center. And entered into the senior center lunchroom, right after Iva Rogers did. By then Ira was in the room and Joanne was popping in and out. And Jan was at the far table closet to the where the TV is located working on a puzzle.
And I had not seen Jan in a long time either. She used to come to lunch when Anita did before she passed away. It was nice seeing Jan. In fact, it was nice seeing Iva, Joanne, and Jan. They were the only people having lunch in the senior center.
There was one other person. She told me what her name was, but I forgot to write it down. I am bad with names; it takes me a while to remember their names. But from I understand she is Shaneens’s cousin. I am getting like my Mom; my short term memory is getting worse. So bad that I have communicated with the person who is now in charge of the FRC and I don’t remember what her name is either. I think it is Megan, but I don’t know if that is her name or Shaneen’s cousin’s name. As we get older some of us begin the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s. It’s getting so bad now that words I know how to spell sometimes, I can’t spell them anymore. Good thing I have spell check as I use it as much as I can to help me, even words I know how to spell, but can’t remember any more. And it comes and goes. One day I might be able to spell it and next, I can’t.
I picked up a coffee cup and made a cup of coffee. On the table next to the wall where all the coffee cups had been placed, cream and sugar, along with all the silverware and napkins in one place. I found a seat at the next table across from Jan who was still working on the puzzle. I always like sitting mostly in the seat next to the wall. But not always, as sometimes I liked sitting on an end chair facing the FRC hallway direction.
It was almost time for lunch as I arrived a little after 11:00 AM for lunch. Around 11:20 AM, they let us know it was time to get in line and go to the cafeteria to get our lunch. On the menu were Chicken Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Roll, Cookies, and Milk. We all lined up and got our plates and after being served then headed for the salad bar.
I have been having a problem with my teeth, so I have to pick and choose what I can eat and what I cannot eat. I can’t eat salad anymore. I can’t chew it. So the salad bar was out for me. It there would have been cottage cheese, I could have eaten it. And there was no pudding that day. The only thing I felt I could eat without any problems with my teeth was the Chicken Gravy and Mashed Potatoes. Then one by one we headed back to the senior lunchroom with our lunch plates in tow.
We were all eating our lunch and having general conversations about some things that are not important for anyone to know, except those that were there at the time. The snow or lack of it was one conversation and some other personal things were discussed. We were almost done and Iva said she was heading to Klamath Falls to take care of some personal business and she wanted to get up there and back before the weather front coming in got any worse than it already was at the time. So Iva left the senior center.
Iva Rogers has headed out the exit door leading to the street where her car is parked. She is now on her way to Klamath Falls to go shopping. Which now leaves Jan, Shaneen’s cousin and I finishing our lunches. And to be honest thinking back I do not recall if Shaneen’s cousin was eating or not. I do remember her having a bunch of papers laid out on a table next to the wall that is adjacent to the Honker Family Resource Center FRC office windows. She was putting them together to be stapled and then from what I understand or remember to be passed out as some kind of survey they are wanting to do.
Well, Jan and I finished eating our last bits of food on our plates and took them over to the sink to be washed later. At this point in time, I do not recall what happened to Joanne or where she went. I don’t remember if she left and went home or was out in the office area of the FRC. Jan returned to the table where she was working on the puzzle before we were called to lunch. I went and sat where I was sitting when I was eating my lunch. Then, right after I sat down I noticed I was having a hard time swallowing my last bite of food for some reason. It wasn’t going down.
I have had this happen before and it usually takes a few minutes and it goes down. Not this time. It was not going down. So I thought, I still had my chocolate milk to drink. Not thinking at the time. I figured I could drink it and see if I could wash it down then. That didn’t seem to work at all. It just made things worse.
What it did do is come back up. I had to rush from the table where I was sitting to the sink to toss it up. I was thinking to myself “this is ridiculous it should go down by now.” But it wasn’t. I began discussing my situation out loud in front of Jan and Shaneens’s cousin who was working there that day. She was becoming concerned too. She had not said a whole lot just yet. But she was listening to my complaints as I was reasoning things out loud in front of her. Discussing and trying to figure out my options at the time. I didn't know what to do yet.
In fact, we began discussing the topic of mental health and how I am a Manic Depressive Bi-polar individual. I mentioned I always like the sign on the wall that says:
“Know me as a person, not for my mental illness.” It goes something like that and I don’t recall at the moment who the author is to that saying. I just always like seeing it on the wall. The only thing I don’t like is the word mental illness. There has to be something after all these years’ words found that are not so negative. And for some reason when something happens or goes wrong in society and people find out the person was mentally ill and a Manic Depressive Bi-polar, they begin to assume all Manic Depressive Bi-polar people are the same, and we are not. Tony Ross's opinion of me is as follows with his characterization of me, "I am not dangerous, but just a pain in the ass." His words, not mine.
I was explaining to Shaneens cousin what it is like to be Manic Depressive Bi-polar. It’s like a car that its gas tank is on empty. That is the beginning of depression. Depression is the stage where the gas tank is being filled up again from the last trip or as they are sometimes called, “episodes’.
What happens next as the tank is being filled with fluid is a waiting game. Then after a period of time has passed of being in the state of depression. The engine starts up and a little sputter at first and out of time. The timing is off from the firing of the spark plugs and then the engine starts to warm up a little bit. Then all of sudden varoom and the fluid in the gas tank or fumes are igniting the pistons and they are firing now on all four, six or eight calendars. And off we go to the next adventure or as they say, “episode”. That’s is until we run out of gas or fuel when the gas tank is empty once again. It just depends on how full the tank is now and how long it has been between episodes from the last state of depression to the next Manic Episode.
That is what I was trying to explain to Shaneens cousin. (Shaneen’s cousin who I still cannot remember her name for the life of me. I should have written it down, but I didn’t.)Where I was discussing out loud, mind you, again of my options and what it is like to be Manic Depressive Bi-polar, all at the same time. That’s when I found out during our conversation that she was Shaneens' cousin. That, I could remember.
Well, since it seems this food particle was not going down. I had to start to think about my options. Do I walk over to the clinic, call 911 or ask someone to take me to the ER in Klamath Falls? Or hopefully in the next few minutes, it will go down and that will be the end of it. Before I leave.
I was up now on my feet pacing the floor. I looked at the clock on the wall by the exit door, it was about 25 minutes before 1: 00 PM and I wanted to go to the library to talk to Lorraine. But, I needed to wait until it opened. Shaneens cousin by this time made the comment by asking if I thought she should call 911 or if I planned on going on to the clinic and see what they could do first. Like, I mentioned to her. I did not know anyone I could call off hand and ask if they would take me to the ER at Sky Lakes in Klamath Falls. I don’t like to ask people for things or bother them. Call it pride if you like. But that is just me. I know a lot of people in Tulelake and they know me. But at the time there was not one person I could think of to ask to help me.
Besides, I knew it had to work its way down soon. At least that is what I was thinking at the time. But to be on the safe side before I went to the library it might be a good idea to stop by the clinic and see what they had to say about it. I for the life of me did not want to go to the ER by way of ambulance. If they took me there how would I get back, as my Van is still not running? And I did not want to call anyone to see about taking me there, either. And I decided to do just that, and go to the clinic first. That’s what I mentioned to Shaneens cousin I would do. And if she wanted to find out if I was OK later she could call and find out. As I am listed in the phone book for Tulelake if she wanted to call and find out how I was doing later.
I then left and headed to the clinic to see if I could have them give me the advice as to what to do about this situation I was in at the time. So I walked down the alley and headed to my apartment house first before going to the clinic, after all, it was on the way to the clinic. I needed to stop by the apartment house anyway to pick up the modem and exchange it for the new one from Cal-Org. So when I got home I disconnected the old modem. I was going to take the AC plug, but I just thought at the time I could just unplug the modem and bring the new one home. I thought they were going to give me the same one again that I had. Not thinking about it at the time or knowing that it might be a different AC plug. At the time I think I had other things on my mind that I was being preoccupied with, like something stuck in my esophagus not going anywhere.
After putting the modem in a plastic bag to protect it as it was still raining a little bit out. I headed to the clinic now. I had an appointment on the 5th at 10:00 AM with Dr. Jones through the phone hook-up set up at the clinic for that purpose. It would be nice, as I had not talked to Dr. Jones for almost two years now. And I had a lot of catching up to do with him. So I wrote a list of things I wanted to discuss with him. In fact, it was about two years ago that I wrote my last article for the TNT blog at:
National News on OCCUPY WALL STREET & OCCUPY CITIES STORIES... WE are the 99% and so are YOU!
http://tulelakenewtimes.blogspot.com/
With the last article I had written dated and with the following title:
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Dr. Jones the last time we spoke was encouraging me to keep writing on the blog but that was the last time we spoke just after the last article was written and posted. Dr. Jones was a reader on my blog, as he read some of my articles and we would discuss them but instead I just dropped out of sight online with the blog and took a dive into depression and have been there until now, two years later. Hence the writers' block.
In fact, the last day I had the appointment with Dr. Jones at the clinic. Dr. Bak wanted to discuss my high cholesterol most recent blood work. But with Medicare and Medical, a person cannot have two appointments on the same day with two different doctors. So Dr. Bak out of the goodness of her heart and on her own time. She went ahead and saw me. She wanted me to know what was going on with my blood and high cholesterol. And that was the last time I saw her too. As doctors and me do not get along so well. And it is not the doctors, but personally, it is me. I hate taking medication of any kind and I have not had any since then, either way. So along with my mental state of mind, I also have no idea how high my cholesterol is now. I really don’t care.
My time left is short and right now it is just day-to-day. I could go at any time; also due to the fact I do not have the money to have my teeth pulled. I have a mouthful of loose teeth that need to be pulled and a pair of dentures made. As I could also die of an abscess if I don’t already have one, that I cannot see. I am not in any pain and I am not going to the dentist either. Besides, I can't afford to get them pulled and they will only do it one tooth at a time. And since I am not having any pain right now I will have to wait until one does hurt. And the closest one where I usually have gone is the clinic in Dorris. And just like the ER, I have no one to take me to Dorris either. But right now for all, I know it could be working its way to my brain with a poison that could kill me. Like my friend Anita's daughter Shannon who dies from an infection that went to her brain a year ago coming on the 14th of December a year ago in Portland. Where they flew her from Klamath Falls.
In California the state does not cover dental, eye exams or glasses or hearing aids. So even ObamaCare does not cover this as far as the state of California is concerned and for people who seem to think low-income people get everything free. Well, they don’t know how wrong they really are about it. You see, they don’t know what the fuck they are talking about, they just think they do and so the story goes with their BS. Try walking in someone else’s shoes and see how well they fit then when the shoes are on someone else’s feet.
I worked many jobs over the years and the way I feel I have paid my dues. It is not my fault I was born this way as being Bi-polar. I wasn't diagnosed until 1993 when I had my first panic attack when I was working for Home Base in Redding, CA, the first time I was aware of it. When they expected me to cover three departments. Lumber, Paint and Décor. And I said "no way", I was suspended. So, I went to the Everyday Health Care with a panic attack and was put on five weeks disability. When I returned, I was trained to be a cashier as a lighter form of duty.
Then less than a year later, I was fired for missing a signature on a customer check it was my last warning. I could not find a job before my unemployment ran out. But an opportunity came up right as it did. There was a job announcement for a job teaching English as a second language in Seoul, South Korea and off I went for the next three years. It was my first experience out of the USA with my first ever passport. Then I returned to Redding, CA after I tried to get a business going in San Francisco hiring ESL teachers for South Korea. But it did not work out too well after all the money I saved to do it with from working. And after being on welfare to work. I landed a job at Liquor Barn in Redding, CA. I still kept on working at Liquor Barn for almost a year until I got PTSD from an Earth Quake in 1998, when I was working there at the time. I filed for workmen’s compensating and had to fight my case in Pro Per for almost a year. In the meantime I ended up homeless in Chico, CA. I spent time researching my case in the library at Chico State from St. Patrick's day until Mother's day 1999. Then I moved back up to Redding and stayed with my Mom. Where I ended up becoming her full-time caregiver until she passed away on February 22, 2007, in Alturas. When we lived in Brooks Park. I was approved for SSI/Soc Sec in July of 1999. I settled my case in October 2003 with Liquor Barn after we moved to Newell, CA in 2002 in the Goose.
The rest is another story that someday can be read about in my book titled.
Author
James C. Garland
Introduction
“Life is what happens to you.
While you're busy making other plans.”
John Lennon
Things happen, while we are busy making other plans. We have earthquakes happen, while we are making other plans. We happen to lose our jobs and become homeless, while we are busy making other plans. We lose loved ones as they pass away, while we are busy making other plans.
Have you ever known anyone who was in an earthquake or someone who lost their job and became homeless or lost a loved one in your life? I am sure we all have met someone or known someone who has been in an earthquake, lost his or her job, been homeless or lost a loved one at some time in his or her life.
I opened the door and entered the Tulelake Health Center, at 498 Main Street, Tulelake and walked up to the sliding glass window and waited for Laura to open it so I could explain to her that I need some help. I needed to let her know it was an emergency and that I needed to see someone real quick to see if they could help me. I haven’t been to the clinic to see anyone in over two years too. The last time I was here was with Dr. Bak, the same day I saw Dr. Jones on the tele-med appointment.
Laura called the male nurse Vincent. She got Vincent on the phone somewhere in the back of the clinic. And a few seconds later, and I mean in seconds Vincent had come out of the door at the other end of the waiting room. As I was heading that way I felt like I was going to heave again. So as Vincent motioned for me to head that direction, where he was standing at the entrance door to the patient’s examine rooms.
When I arrived near the door entrance to the clinic patients examining rooms and the entrance door. By then I had reached close enough to Vincent to shake his hand. Instead, I rushed passed him and I saw the little sink in that first examine room. I headed straight for it and bent over and heaved up more mucus or whatever it was that I had drunk, like the chocolate milk from earlier at the FRC where now it was making an about face and out it came into the sink.
Then I turned around just in time to notice nurse Vincent have a strange look of shock on his face. As if he had never experienced exactly what I had done in front of him, going past him at a fast pace and losing it all in the sink. Vincent, I am sure felt he lost control of the situation as if I took over and I was in control instead of him. Vincent was left standing there helpless, instead of me. Then, I explained what my problem was after I was able to wipe away my mouth that was drooling now.
Vincent said the only thing we can do is have me transported by ambulance to Sky Way Hospital ER in Klamath Falls. And that they would have to do a Trachea to try and get the food particle to go down to the stomach at the ER at Sky Lakes in Klamath Falls, OR. I said to Vincent, “Wait a minute, what is that? Then, Vincent explained. Well, they have to put a tube down your throat to help push it down”. And I said…. “Wait aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa minute. I don’t think so.” The nurse Vincent said, “that’s the only way they will be able to help you get it down.” Vincent said, “We have nothing here in the clinic to be able to help you with it. The only option is for you to go to the ER in Klamath Falls, OR.”
Then, I explained there is another problem I told nurse Vincent, while Vincent was telling me I had no other option or I could die if I didn’t go. Well, I told Vincent I had no transportation to take me or anyone I know who would be willing to take me there, either.
And if I went by ambulance, I would still need to find someone to pick me up and bring me back home again, not possible. I have no one that would be willing to do that in Tulelake. Oh, I know a lot of people and lot of people know me but not one of them that I can think of that would be willing to offer their time to take me, less well to go up to Klamath Falls and bring me back home again. I don’t think so.
I left the clinic and headed to Library to see Lorraine, as I had a few questions that I wanted to ask about the city council meeting, that I had planned to attend tonight. Lorraine had already resigned her position as the city treasure for personal reasons and she had no plans on going to the regular meeting of the city council tonight. I did mention to her that I wanted to touch base with Jim Cook a former Siskiyou County Supervisor to see if he was going to be there or not. I shared with Lorraine what happened at lunch at the senior lunch at the Honker and what the nurse Vincent said my options were at the clinic. Well, I got my questions answered and left and headed next to Cal-Org with my modem in tow.
I left the library and headed to Cal-Org to exchange the modems, which is just around the corner off Main Street to Cal-Org on C Street. There was no way I was going to the ER. Not me. I would wait it out unless I could no longer breathe or have a hard time breathing, then that would be a different story and so would I be then. Then I would call 911 if it was a dire situation but otherwise I felt there was no reason yet to call 911.
After walking to the clinic and was met by Sara face to face at the front counter, where she had my new modem waiting for me on her desk. We exchanged pleasantries but one thing I forgot to do was to bring the power cord. I thought I was getting the same one, except it wasn’t. So now I needed to bring the power cord back too or I would get charged for it. I agree that if it were all right I would attempt to bring it back tomorrow if that was OK. The charged for it. The weather was not looking good for a return trip walking back today.
I wasn’t thinking too well at the time, or I would have bought it then too. I mean it is not like I didn’t have something in my throat that was pre-occupying my mind or anything you know. It isn’t like a person goes around every day with a piece of food stuck where it does not belong and unable to get it to go down. So I left Cal-Org and told Sara and Elizabeth that I would drop off the power cord tomorrow, weather permitting.
From that point I left Cal-Org and headed home to replace the old with the new. And like Sara mentioned, I might want to go ahead and change all the old stuff with the new cords too while I was doing it, at the same time. Which made a lot of sense to me.
OK, here we go I take everything out of the box and begin replacing each cord one by one. First the power cord, naturally. Then, the DSL cord to the modem and computer hook-ups. Then, the phone line from the modem to the DSL connection on the wall, step by step and in order thinking I had everything right.
Well here goes nothing as I was thinking out loud to myself. I go to plug the AC adapter into the electrical plug on the wall. Then I turned on the modem but at that very moment the power in the entire house lights flashed off and on. I thought now what, “Oh, boy now what did I do?” Then, I remembered that I needed to put in the power strip like it was supposed to be original. So I did, and put in the power cord and turned it on. It came up and all the lights were OK, except for one, once again. Again on how the plugs for the DSL are set in the rear is not the way it is set up with the light indicators on the front. So, I finally got the DSL plug in the right slot with the right light indicator that corresponds to it.
I started up the computer so that it would synchronize with the modem. Something was wrong I was not getting an Internet connection for some reason. “Oh, man does that mean I have to go back and get the old modem, it at least worked, somewhat. I kept trying. Then, I retraced my steps to make sure I did everything right. And sure enough, I forgot to plug in the phone line that gives the signal and connects my computer to the "www" through the DSL line on the phone connection on the wall. Now talk how I felt like an idiot at the time, and I know better than that. Humm? Maybe it had to do with the fact I still had something that would not go down into my stomach. Well, that was the problem and once I connected it, I had a green light on the modem box. It was a "Go!" Wow! A sigh of relief and I was back on and back in business as they say.
As the day progressed it looked like the weather and the sun was coming out and since it was changing I could instead of taking the AC cord back tomorrow, I could attempt to do it now, today, instead. I was still having problems with getting that food to go down to my stomach, it was still stuck and it was around three-thirty or four o’clock and I still had time enough to go back to Cal-Org and drop the old AC plug off. The weather was looking good now with the sun back out. At this time I could not lay down and all I was doing was pacing back and forth in the living room, anyway. And what little water I could get down kept coming back up. It would go down and then it would come back up. And I was thirsty. You would think by at least getting some water down my throat it would help with my thirst. Nope! It did not help.
So I thought walking might do me some good, besides I needed to check the mail at the post office anyway. I would go to Cal-Org, then to the post office, but I could make a walk out of it by going from Cal-Org on C Street up Second Street to B Street, then to Main Street and then head over across Main Street by the Veterans Park and catch up with Modoc Ave and then head to the post office from there, then home. So, maybe the walking will help me at least that is what I was thinking at the time from what I remember. At least by taking the modem back today, instead of tomorrow, it will be done and I will not have to worry about it anymore. Good plan, if I do say so myself and I did.
And that’s what I did at the time.
I decided to go ahead and walk back to Cal-Org and return the plug I forgot or neglected to take with me the first time.
On my way to Cal-Org I decided to stop by the Library again and let Lorraine know what the Tulelake Health Clinic had to say. Where Vincent said the only thing we can do is have me transported by ambulance to Sky Way Hospital ER in Klamath Falls. And that they would have to do a Trachea to try and get the food particle to go down to the stomach at the ER at Sky Lakes in Klamath Falls, OR. I said to Vincent, “Wait a minute, what is that? Then, Vincent explained. Well, they have to put a tube down your throat to help push it down”. And I said…. “Wait aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa minute. I don’t think so.” The nurse Vincent said, “that’s the only way they will be able to help you get it down.” Vincent said, “We have nothing here in the clinic to be able to help you with it. The only option is for you to go to the ER in Klamath Falls, OR.”
Where I went on to explain to nurse Vincent, while Vincent was telling me I had no other option or I could die if I didn’t go. Well, I told Vincent I had no transportation to take me or anyone I know who would be willing to take me there, either.
And if I went by ambulance, I would still need to find someone to pick me up and bring me back home again, not possible. I have no one that would be willing to do that in Tulelake. Oh, I know a lot of people and lot of people know me but not one of them that I can think of that would be willing to offer their time to take me, less well to go up to Klamath Falls and bring me back home again. I don’t think so.
Lorraine went on to say after I explained what the nurse Vincent had said, “that maybe I could find someone to take me to the ER in Klamath Falls, OR by paying for the person that did, by putting gas in their car. That would be nice but like other people in Tulelake, I didn’t have any money for gas until payday.
I went ahead and left after that conversation knowing there was not one person who was willing to offer to take me to ER in Klamath Falls, OR without me paying for the gas up front.
I walked into Cal-Org and handed Sara the adapter plug so she could credit my account. And I mentioned the same thing to both Sara and Elizabeth what the clinic had said as I had done with Lorraine of the Tulelake Library. I mentioned it might be good to try and walk this off and maybe from the walking it would help make what was caught in my chest area go down.
I left Cal-Org and continued on my walk by stopping at the post office on my way back home. Where once I got home I was still pacing the floor and trying to get what was caught in my chest area to go down.
I tried drinking sips of water to only have it come back up again in a few minutes. Then, I would try and take bigger gulps of water and it came up almost as fast as I drank it. I thought maybe I am going to die. And all those kinds of thoughts ran through my mind. I thought about calling my cousin Cathy in Madres, OR to let her know what was going on. But what good would that do, she couldn’t help me to get to the ER in Klamath Falls, OR, either. So what was the point of getting her all upset and worried and from where she was sitting be unable to do anything about my situation, either?
Well, I thought if I could just lay down and rest on the couch for a while maybe that would help if I could just lay flat on my back. So, I tried it and sure enough after falling asleep and waking up between 11 PM and 1 AM. I woke up to the fact that whatever was stuck in my chest area had finally gone down and I could drink water again. And boy did I. It was nice to finally have a drink of water that would help to take care of the thirst I was experiencing. I had for so long a few hours ago been dying a thirst, before I went to sleep.
Well, thank God that was over and now I could get back to my normal routine of writing on my FaceBook pages and the TNT blogs.
Where it was a close call and one to remember for a long time to come and share with others of how I almost died.
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