QUOTE(NS914 @ Jun 29 2018, 08:45 AM)
Hey Jeff,
Did you ever finish your 914....and what about that Headlight Solution....love the work on the brakes!
Grant
Still a work in process. Little work here and there. Its not my first priority right now.
In May 2016 I was thrown a hard fast curveball.
My heart stopped three times on three separate days over one month. Wasn't a heart attack or stroke. No A-Fib. No brain damage. No clogged arteries. Not orthostatic hypertension. Strong heart: normal rhythms and waves. I eat healthy, stay fit, 4 beers in 3 years, avoid drama and toxic people. Still wonder why this happened?
After the first time cardiologist hooked my up to a 12 lead for 24 hours, nada nothing. CT's nada. Multiple MRI's nada. Sent me home with a 5 lead flight recorder.
Over the next three weeks two more times. Imagine your heart not beating for two minutes? Doctors refer to it as "Zero Time" when the heart does not pump oxygenated blood to the brain. Everything stops lights out I'm dead.
Cardiologist: "Hey Jeff congratulations you died three times and lived to tell about it".
Tests, tests, tests. The Tilt Table test was not fun. Its performed in a full cardiac unit with two Docs and two ER nurses. I'm thinking this is serious stuff. Its: 6:00am and the room is kept 60 degrees which I found odd.
The TTT is designed to make you black out. Good part is I didn't pass out. Humans are not designed to stand still for 1 hour upright at a 70 degree angle (yes 70 degrees because your body and inner ear cant tell if you are up or laying down). It is designed to increase your heart rate by constriction (or lack of) in the lower body until it just doesn't pump anymore blood or pool down into the legs.
Test begins laying down for 15 minutes while they baseline your vitals. Then they tip you up at 70 degrees for 1 hour until time up or you go out which ever comes first. Old people are usually only tested for no more than 20 minutes and only make it about 10 minutes before they go down. The spooky part is when you start the test they stick a butterfly in your arm connected to a big syringe loaded with quite a bit epinephrine.. and tape fib paddles to your ribcage. The table is parked next to fully stocked red roll away SnapOn CRASH CART.
Doc "were going to try to make your heart stop, the epinephrine along with a few joules going through these paddles will jump start your heart if it stops. Its safe we do this everyday and your in great hands. We will bring you back to life. Stand still, no moving, don't pump your legs and no talking". The whole time I'm visualizing the scene with Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction getting stabbed in the tit with a really long needled epi-injector plus jumper cables!
This was where I learned to really trust the cardiologist. ( seriously )
I'm a bit of an adrenaline junky, like I need more epinephrine? I don't think so Doc. At the 20 minute mark you start getting warmer because the heart is working harder. At 30 minutes you start breaking a good sweat and everyone starts watching you really closely. Then the Doc says "Jeff if you feel like you are going to go out just let it happen, we will bring you back to life". I can see the display with my vitals, heart rate like 160bpm now ( remember its designed to make this happen). At 45 minutes one nurse is on my right at the ready to push the plunger on the liquid high octane adrenaline, the other nurse on my left is ready to drop the table down flat. Doc has his finger on the jumper cable button, other Doc is watching my eyes for roll up not saying a word.
I can tell its close, I can feel it in my legs. At one point I'm thinking happen already get it over with so I can get out of here. The human body has a built in safety mechanism. Various baro-sensors in the body detect pressure, too much or lack of. Through the vagus nerve it communicates with what's called the 10th cranial nerve via parasympathetic control with blood vessels, arteries etc so the body can route flow and volume to keep pressure regulated.
Then the medical establishment comes up with that neat hat trick using the 70 degree posture trick to fool that body system to make it all fail.
Part of that built in safety system as any pilot or someone who has experienced high G-forces is our toes and feet and they did not make me take my shoes off. I start curling my toes and pushing with my feet hard to where it hurts. I'm trying to not make it obvious because its considered cheating the test. My heart rates starts to come down to 130. Everyone in the room starts to relax. Nice nurse on my left taps my arm and says "your doing great only 10 more minutes". What 10 more minutes? Are you frigging kidding me?
Now I'm getting spanky, my own adrenaline has kicked in. Listen the only thing going out is the five of us for drinks when we get done? They thought that was funny.
Doc asks are you skrinching your toes? Damn right I am, nobody is going to black out today especially me! "Doc, that's a good sign the vasoconstriction system is working as it should... see if you can keep it up for another 5 more minutes". Test winds down. My body temperature is 101 degrees and now I know now why they keep the room at 60. They drop the table down flat. Done. Made me drink 2 liters of water before I could stand up on my feet.
Two minutes of zero time that changed everything from that moment on. I'm ok. Still do not know what caused it. Its a mystery. Stumped more Doctors because they thought it was syncope at first. Nope syncope only lasts a few seconds. Not POTS either...
Cardiologist thinks is was hypovolemia. Not enough blood. Kind of like when a Berkley Jet on a boat cavitates and no longer pushes water out the nozzle to push the boat forward. Hell of an analogy isn't it? I drink 5 liters of water per day now. Piss like a herd of race horses. Its supposed to keep my blood volume high. Easy fix considering the alternative. Its similar to how people die from extreme dehydration. Dehydration was ruled out but symptoms are the same.
I have a great Cardiologist who is also good friend now. The guy runs 16 miles day. He had to stop midway twice during this years LA Marathon to assist runners who were passing out and needed medical attention.. and he still finished the marathon. Yup that's my Doc who everyone saw on TV saving people who failed to train and condition themselves. He wont admit it when I tell him he is an adrenaline junky too just on a different path.
Here I am today. A very different person. How I approach and look at life. Hearts do not beat forever. I'm quieter and live on my own Hawaiian time now. It works. I look at this experience as a blessing. Every day is a gift and that's how everyone should look at it. No one ever taught me how to give up. I mean that.. I really don't know how to give up. Gods is not done with me on this earth. The universe has a way of getting your attention.
I have not stopped working on my 914. Its just simmering for now. Been enjoying some other non transportation related things though.
Life is long.
Life is not a dress rehearsal..
Play hard and get dirty!