Feb 8th 2012 ZAP's rehab

Nice picture of the "comeback kids"

Nice skis. Gotta get a pair of those. Good to see you getting out, Zap.

We just found out what caused Zap's original lung problem, and it’s a big scary deal! The solution necessitates a trip back to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, later this month. Check www.caringbridge.com/visit/zapski for details.

Jill and Zap

Zap and Jill - seems good to know about the issue especially since you are so positive and proactive and can do something about it.

Well, it’s been an eventful last couple of weeks.  We just got back from 3 days of testing and evaluation at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.  After the final test the doctors determined that it was too risky to go ahead with the procedure to open Zap’s pulmonary veins at this time.  We had hoped to be coming home with the procedure behind us; instead we are on hold for 4+ weeks while Zap’s on multiple blood thinners to try and dissolve the blood clot that’s the primary contributor to the narrowing of his upper right pulmonary vein. 

So we're in a holding pattern for the moment -- and are not happy about it, to say the least. We are both blown away; Zap just can't (or doesn’t want to) accept this -- he feels angry, frustrated, disappointed, depressed, etc. On the other hand we're really glad that they found out about the clots before the surgery and not after he'd had another stroke! But we were/are so ready to be done with this and able to move on with our lives…  More details at www.caringbridge.org/visit/zapski .

In the meantime, Zap has decided that he's going to continue to climb and ski as much as his body will let him! Slowly, very slowly, but surely upward.

[size=8pt][repaired link -rj][/size]

I also had a hemorrhagic stroke on May 4th. Came out of nowhere and as a 58 year old guy in pretty good shape never expected this. We are now scheduling what is termed "echo" as 2 earlier MRI's have only confirmed the presence of damage and the stroke event. Balance, coordination, impaired vision, light numbness, distraction, and frustration are a few of the notable symptoms. There is a long way to go still and I don't kid myself about how debilitating these are. Getting back to my skis is important but since we still don't know the definitive cause, going to be awhile yet. I can just say this, stroke is relatively painless and you won't necessarily know at the time one occurs. In my case, a severe headache ensued through the nite and I should have brought this up but just blew it off. By morning everything was different and damage was done. Theses are more common than many people think so routine check-ups, good diet, NO CIGARETTES, and reasonable exercise are the best preventive measures you can employ. As things improve and I believe they will, getting back to previous activities can happen. In the mean time, it is hard to put into words how this affects one. To Zap and Jill, my best wishes for Zap's recuperation and rehab. May this go exceptionally well ! Every day is better than the one before. Zane