Well, I'm back after a spell away. I apologize for not communicating over that period of absence.

I'm so glad that you are back! I was worried about you along with everyone else.
Good call on going to the ER!
I can attest to the fact that the Apple Watch does in fact work for falls-quite well actually. I was an idiot 2 years ago and tripped over a cord. Not seriously hurt-luckily but my watch went off right away.
I do not recommend testing out the watch in this way.
 
I'm so glad that you are back! I was worried about you along with everyone else.
Good call on going to the ER!
I can attest to the fact that the Apple Watch does in fact work for falls-quite well actually. I was an idiot 2 years ago and tripped over a cord. Not seriously hurt-luckily but my watch went off right away.
I do not recommend testing out the watch in this way.
Thanks, this helps with convincing me to get an Apple watch, and then an iPhone.
 
I was also worried about you. I clicked on your name a few times to see if I had missed you posting.

So sorry to hear of your medical problems, but glad to hear that you went to the ER and are having problems corrected. Your problems might have been worse, if you had not been so active.

I am hoping the other problems will resolve quickly for you.

My DH and I both have Apple Watches that have gone off when we fell, but we were able to not have them contact anyone else. My friend's spouse fell, when he was home alone and did not have his phone on him and he yelled for Alexa to call his wife. She called an ambulance for him since he broke the bone that goes into his hip socket down his leg. She followed the ambulance into their development.

Thank you so much for checking in, as we care and miss you.
 
Thanks, this helps with convincing me to get an Apple watch, and then an iPhone.
Hi aja8888, relieved to see you're back and posting. You've had a lot to deal with! I hope things improve.

If you're thinking about an Apple Watch, you need the iPhone activated first. Since connectivity is key, I'd also advise a cellular watch with the most battery capacity, and pay your carrier's monthly service fee. If you are out of range of your phone, you can still call and text from the watch. Totally worth it when you need it.

Go all in, spend the money where it can be of service to you. Then wear that watch consistently. My 87 yo mom got one with cellular service but doesn't wear it as much as she should because it's not pretty and she is a technophobe, plus her husband is anti-Apple. Also she doesn't leave the house much these days.

I tried to fool my Apple Watch with breakfalls, it didn't false. It only went off when I really did trip and fell on the driveway curb cut, but rolled out of from muscle memory. I stopped it before it auto dialed 911 and my emergency contacts. Having said that, it didn't go off when I laid down my tiny e-bike at low speed on a turn on a wet road, so already closer to the ground than if I were standing.

Keep us posted!
 
Hi aja8888, relieved to see you're back and posting. You've had a lot to deal with! I hope things improve.

If you're thinking about an Apple Watch, you need the iPhone activated first. Since connectivity is key, I'd also advise a cellular watch with the most battery capacity, and pay your carrier's monthly service fee. If you are out of range of your phone, you can still call and text from the watch. Totally worth it when you need it.

Go all in, spend the money where it can be of service to you. Then wear that watch consistently. My 87 yo mom got one with cellular service but doesn't wear it as much as she should because it's not pretty and she is a technophobe, plus her husband is anti-Apple. Also she doesn't leave the house much these days.

I tried to fool my Apple Watch with breakfalls, it didn't false. It only went off when I really did trip and fell on the driveway curb cut, but rolled out of from muscle memory. I stopped it before it auto dialed 911 and my emergency contacts. Having said that, it didn't go off when I laid down my tiny e-bike at low speed on a turn on a wet road, so already closer to the ground than if I were standing.

Keep us posted!
Thanks for the info on all of this. Since I have been an Android guy forever, your post is very helpful. :)
 
I was an android person until I switched 3 years ago and I really love apple. It’s so much easier to use and very intuitive.
 
Sorry I haven't checked in for a good while, but life has its moments and I ran into a few bad ones all at the same time. One was a tragic family issue that kept me busy and away, then I hit a bus myself, so to say. The family issue is not totally resolved, and could get worse, but things have settled down. I just can't bring myself to discuss it. I may at a later time to get advice.

For me, I lost sight in my right eye for a few minutes one day and blew it off as I typically do of most things that I should be more concerned about. Then, a few days later, the sight went away again and I decided to go to the ER.

You can guess what happened at that place. A whirlwind of doctors and tests and all kinds of things I never thought would have been going on after I drove to the ER and jaunted into the place.

Consequently, I did not have a stroke. But, was treading on thin ice.

A CAT scan showed a 70% blockage in my right Carotid artery; and my heart rate seems to be 40 BPM at rest and going lower some of the time (mid 30's); and my BP is all over the map. Then, let's throw in a ECG test that shows a heart block (missed beat) frequently.

All this is happening with a guy who is very active, walks 8,000 -10,000 steps per day, plays golf twice each week (weather permitting), and has a history of great LIPID numbers and takes only on one prescription med - (Tamsulosin) for BPH.

The current status of the above mess is that I had a stent put in my neck artery (flow now ~50%), have a heart monitor on for the next two weeks to evaluate the heart block (missed beat) and have been prescribed all the meds that people with high cholesterol take.

As a good friend of mine said to me recently when I was in the hospital, "welcome to becoming an Octogenarian".:wiseone:
So glad to see you back.

I hope all of this settles down and ends in good order.
 
Hope the family issues don't get worse and resolve themselves.
So glad to see you are back and are getting your health issues under control. Sometimes men can be so dumb. You should be taking time to heal. You shouldn't be mowing until you are further healed or at least take 2 days to mow. I'm not saying to sit and do nothing, but it takes time to recover. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
 
Hope you continue on the mend. FWIW, I suggest you follow your instinct and get one of those fall-alert systems.
 
Hope the family issues don't get worse and resolve themselves.
So glad to see you are back and are getting your health issues under control. Sometimes men can be so dumb. You should be taking time to heal. You shouldn't be mowing until you are further healed or at least take 2 days to mow. I'm not saying to sit and do nothing, but it takes time to recover. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Thanks for the well wishes (and this applies to all the above comments, too!). And you are right that men can be pretty dumb sometimes. I guess I fit that category pretty well as I blew off the first time my sight went out in my right eye for a while. The mowing? yeah, that too. But I did sleep 9 hours last night. My long term average is 6.5 hours so I guess I am resting and healing.
 
Sorry you've been going through this scary stuff.
 
Thanks for the well wishes (and this applies to all the above comments, too!). And you are right that men can be pretty dumb sometimes. I guess I fit that category pretty well as I blew off the first time my sight went out in my right eye for a while. The mowing? yeah, that too. But I did sleep 9 hours last night. My long term average is 6.5 hours so I guess I am resting and healing.
Hindsight is 20/20, so don’t be hard on yourself.
 
I was an android person until I switched 3 years ago and I really love apple. It’s so much easier to use and very intuitive.
I was kinda stunned at the difference in price between android and apple but YMMV.
 
Sorry to hear of your troubles. Doesn't seem fair with all that regular activity and great bloodwork. I was wondering, do you know why flow only came back to 50% after stent? I'd recommend complementary balancing exercises/yoga for fall prevention. Your big muscles are prob in good shape... but the yoga/balance picks on all the minor ones not used for walking/golf.
Friends cardiologist also recommended exercising @ 120 bpm... I think of it as a flushing to reduce deposits :) Obv you do what your cardio says!
 
Sorry to hear of your troubles. Doesn't seem fair with all that regular activity and great bloodwork. I was wondering, do you know why flow only came back to 50% after stent? I'd recommend complementary balancing exercises/yoga for fall prevention. Your big muscles are prob in good shape... but the yoga/balance picks on all the minor ones not used for walking/golf.
Friends cardiologist also recommended exercising @ 120 bpm... I think of it as a flushing to reduce deposits :) Obv you do what your cardio says!
Flow at 50% was all the surgeon wanted to expand the artery to. Seems like going too far open can rupture the artery wall and then you will be quickly dead.
 
Thanks for all the kind replies. Now I am looking into a "fall notification" device since living alone is not good. The neurologist suggested I get one in case I take a header in the house. My Fitbit does not have this feature and my dog can't use the phone.
Please share when you find a good fall notification device. I’m thinking the Apple Watch as well. My husband has a similar story. So fit and young and able and now tons of similar stuff you went through / fell and has compression fractures. Now developed AFIB possibly from fall / he’s taking warfarin etc. he’s in his 80’s. You have to fight the fight.
 
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A CAT scan showed a 70% blockage in my right Carotid artery; and my heart rate seems to be 40 BPM at rest and going lower some of the time (mid 30's); and my BP is all over the map. Then, let's throw in a ECG test that shows a heart block (missed beat) frequently.

All this is happening with a guy who is very active, walks 8,000 -10,000 steps per day, plays golf twice each week (weather permitting), and has a history of great LIPID numbers and takes only on one prescription med - (Tamsulosin) for BPH.

:wiseone:
Just be aware the drug (tamulosin) can cause low blood pressure as a side effect.
Is it possible you could be hypersensitive to that effect?
 
Please share when you find a good fall notification device. I’m thinking the Apple Watch as well. My husband has a similar story. So fit and young and able and now tons of similar stuff you went through / fell and has compression fractures. Now developed AFIB possibly from fall / he’s taking warfarin etc. he’s in his 80’s. You have to fight the fight.
LadyLJ, I bought an Apple watch and iPhone.
 
Just be aware the drug (tamulosin) can cause low blood pressure as a side effect.
Is it possible you could be hypersensitive to that effect?
My doc knows that and we have discussed it. Once my heart monitor is done with it's job next week, I have an appointment with the cardiologist to go over everything.
 
I'm not that worried about blacking out, although that happened once in when I was in the ICU. The BP med they put me on should help in that regard according to the cardio doc. I am more worried about a fall in the house, although the last few times I got clumsy and fell, I got up pretty easily. I do carry my cell phone (Google Pixel 7) with me 90% of the time.

These new meds are making me tired and I seem to have less strength. I cut the grass today and felt wiped out, when normally I wouldn't be.
Getting older isn’t for sissies… I try to keep my phone handy, since I too live alone.

I moved from apartment to sfh in 2000. I mowed for the first couple of years, but the twelve hours w*rkdays and hundred degree heat convinced me to farm out the mowing. What are you saving for?
 
Getting older isn’t for sissies… I try to keep my phone handy, since I too live alone.

I moved from apartment to sfh in 2000. I mowed for the first couple of years, but the twelve hours w*rkdays and hundred degree heat convinced me to farm out the mowing. What are you saving for?
I have been doing outside work for the exercise. That's it, really.
 
I would be looking for a "fall detector" that w*rks anywhere (5G??). I think some of them depend on a phone within the home. Not good enough.

Right now, my fall detector is DW. :facepalm:
 
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