Hi Everyone,

The following post is a virtually identical copy of a post I made in
alt.os.linu.ubuntu two days ago.

The thing is that I had a (mild) stroke on Boxing Day, and I was in
hospital from Tuesday the 27th until the evening of the 29th.

At the moment, I am "fully functional", but my left knee is very weak,
and my upper left arm is completely numb, as if it has been
anesthetized. This numbness extends upwards onto my left ear and
the rear part of my left cheek, as well as downward to below my
left elbow.

My hands are functioning normally — I can obviously type with both
hands, and I can even still play the guitar — but while I was having
the stroke, my whole left arm was numb and I couldn't move the fingers
of my left hand. It was like my left arm didn't belong to me anymore.
My neck was also numb, and I had a bad headache and a pain in my neck.
My cognitive functions were still fine, though.

According to my neurologist and cardiologist, the stroke was caused by
excessive blood pressure and a too high cholesterol level. There's no
doubt on my mind that my unhealthy feeding habits — and the fact that
I'm an ardent smoker — will have been the primary cause, but there have
in the past couple of months also been some extremely traumatic events
in my personal life that have chased my blood pressure up very high and
that may as such have contributed to the release of thrombotic
particles into my blood stream, ultimately then culminating in this
stroke.

Considering that I'm still well off compared to other people who've had
a stroke — things could have been much worse — I consider it a warning
shot across my bow, and therefore I must drastically change my
lifestyle.

I know I cannot quit smoking, but I can at least cut it down somewhat —
as the matter of fact, I'm already doing that right now. I've also
stopped adding salt to my food — I used to overdo it in that
area — and I've also gone almost entirely sugar-free.

Either way, as a result of the stroke and the very brief reoccurrence of
animosity on this thread, I have now made my choice on account of my
earlier indecision regarding whether or not to leave Usenet [...].

I don't like cutting ties, and I've been a steady Usenet denizen for
some 24 years now, but the times have changed, and too many of the
familiar faces have already long sought out greener pastures. So,
keeping my health in mind, [...] I've decided that it's going to be
better for my wellbeing if I leave Usenet behind me.

I'm not abandoning the GNU/Linux community, of course. First and
foremost, I will remain a big fan of the GNU/Linux operating system and
a big advocate of Free/Libre & Open Source Software until my dying day,
and I am still a moderator and active helper at the official Manjaro
support forum — until very recently I was also the Manjaro forum member
with the highest number of accepted solutions behind their name, but I
have now been overtaken by one of the forum administrators — as well
that I'm also a mostly lurking but occasionally active member at the
official PCLinuxOS forum, both under the same identity as I'm using
here on Usenet.

Anyway, if anyone wants to reach me after my departure from Usenet —
just to say "hi" or something — the email address next to my name
does work. It's a simple email proxy — freely available from (and at)
duckduckgo.com — that automatically redirects everything to my real
email address while stripping out the tracking code from the emails in
the process.

This leaves me to bid you all a very happy 2023, and I mean that,
because 2022 was a stinker of a year, as were 2021 and 2020 before it.

Maybe we'll meet again — who knows? ;)

--
With respect,
= Aragorn

On 03.01.2023 at 16:43, I scribbled:

> Either way, as a result of the stroke and the very brief reoccurrence
> of animosity on this thread, I have now made my choice on account of
> my earlier indecision regarding whether or not to leave Usenet [...].

For clarity, the animosity mentioned here-above took place on the
thread in alt.os.linux.ubuntu of which I spoke earlier. It was a
thread about Marek Novotny, whom some of you may remember because he
also briefly ran Mageia and he then just as briefly partook in
the exchanges here in the group.

And the reason why I'm announcing my departure here is that I have been
a steady member of this group from the very beginning, after having
transferred from the already long dead alt.os.linux.mandrake and the
now equally defunct alt.os.linux.mandriva.

That all said, maybe we'll meet again, or maybe we won't — I don't have
a crystal ball — but I either way wish you all the best. ;)

Sayonara! :)

--
With respect,
= Aragorn

Aragorn escreveu:
> Hi Everyone,
>
>
> The following post is a virtually identical copy of a post I made in
> alt.os.linu.ubuntu two days ago.
>
> The thing is that I had a (mild) stroke on Boxing Day, and I was in
> hospital from Tuesday the 27th until the evening of the 29th.
>
> At the moment, I am "fully functional", but my left knee is very weak,
> and my upper left arm is completely numb, as if it has been
> anesthetized. This numbness extends upwards onto my left ear and
> the rear part of my left cheek, as well as downward to below my
> left elbow.
>

I also have health issues like diabetes but I don't talk about it much.
I talk about health problems with my wife because she takes care of me.

From here all I can do is wish good health to those on the other side.

It's sad when what we love dies. That's how it was with OS/2. I feel
that the Mageia distribution is dying but it won't be as bad as the
death of OS/2 as there are other linux distributions and the migration
is simple.

--

Abraços

Gilberto F da Silva

On Tue, 03 Jan 2023 10:54:52 -0500, Aragorn <telcontar@duck.com> wrote:
> That all said, maybe we'll meet again, or maybe we won't — I don't have
> a crystal ball — but I either way wish you all the best. ;)

Best of luck with your recovery. Take care of yourself first. You can't
help others if you are not healthy.

Regards, Dave Hodgins

Hello Aragorn!

Tuesday January 03 2023 15:43, Aragorn wrote to All:

> This leaves me to bid you all a very happy 2023, and I mean that,
> because 2022 was a stinker of a year, as were 2021 and 2020 before it.

> Maybe we'll meet again — who knows? ;)

Best of luck and as well (as can be created) best of health.

Vincent

On 2023-01-03 10:54, Aragorn wrote:
> That all said, maybe we'll meet again, or maybe we won't — I don't have
> a crystal ball — but I either way wish you all the best. 😉

Fare well, my friend!

TJ

On Tue, 03 Jan 2023 16:43:02 +0100, Aragorn wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
<snip>
> Considering that I'm still well off compared to other people who've had
> a stroke — things could have been much worse — I consider it a warning
> shot across my bow, and therefore I must drastically change my
> lifestyle.
>
> I know I cannot quit smoking, but I can at least cut it down somewhat —
> as the matter of fact, I'm already doing that right now. I've also
> stopped adding salt to my food — I used to overdo it in that
> area — and I've also gone almost entirely sugar-free.

If you can switch to pipe or cigars from cigarettes and quit
inhaling -- depend on nicotine and tars absorbed via the mucous
membranes of the mouth -- much of the harmful effects of smoking
diminish or disappear. Those who smoke a pipe, or pipe and cigars
only, and do not inhale have on average longer lives than those who
smoke cigarettes or do not smoke. I.e. inhaling smoke into your
lungs is not good for you, regardless of the origin of the smoke.

If you switch, get strong pipe tobacco or cigars. Making the
transition from inhaling to not inhaling means you must increase
the amount of nicotine and tars greatly as the mucous membranes
absorb them much less readily than lung tissue does.

> This leaves me to bid you all a very happy 2023, and I mean that,
> because 2022 was a stinker of a year, as were 2021 and 2020 before it.
>
> Maybe we'll meet again — who knows? ;)

Life is movement. When you cease to move, you are dead.
Continue to move on, with our best wishes, and we may
indeed meet again, on this side of the Great Divide or
the other.

Cheers!

jim b.

--
UNIX is not user-unfriendly, it merely
expects users to be computer friendly.

On 4/1/23 02:54, Aragorn wrote:

>
> That all said, maybe we'll meet again, or maybe we won't — I don't have
> a crystal ball — but I either way wish you all the best. ;)
>
> Sayonara! :)
>

Good luck Aragorn

I always enjoy your posts
I too have high blood pressure and I'm pre-diabetic.
It would appear that the Gods are after both of us. :-)
--
faeychild
Running plasmashell 5.20.4 on 5.15.82-desktop-1.mga8 kernel.
Mageia release 8 (Official) for x86_64 installed via Mageia-8-x86_64-DVD.iso

faeychild wrote on 5/1/23 8:21 am:
> On 4/1/23 02:54, Aragorn wrote:
>
>> That all said, maybe we'll meet again, or maybe we won't — I don't have
>> a crystal ball — but I either way wish you all the best. ;)
>>
>> Sayonara! :)
>
> Good luck Aragorn
>
> I always enjoy your posts
> I too have high blood pressure and I'm pre-diabetic.
> It would appear that the Gods are after both of us. :-)

What is recognised as "high blood pressure" now-a-days??

I was diagnosed diabetic following a (very) mild stroke in 1996. I'm now
Insulin dependant (four injections per day!)

My blood pressure is usually about 135/75 but, on one occasion, it was
107/70 and the GP didn't bat an eyelid.

On another occasion, *prior* to a Heart 'Stress Test' on a treadmill, it
was 185/75. Still not a battered eyelid!!
--
Daniel

On 05.01.2023 at 19:52, Daniel65 scribbled:

> faeychild wrote on 5/1/23 8:21 am:
> > On 4/1/23 02:54, Aragorn wrote:
> >
> >> That all said, maybe we'll meet again, or maybe we won't — I don't
> >> have a crystal ball — but I either way wish you all the best. ;)
> >>
> >> Sayonara! :)
> >
> > Good luck Aragorn
> >
> > I always enjoy your posts
> > I too have high blood pressure and I'm pre-diabetic.
> > It would appear that the Gods are after both of us. :-)
>
> What is recognised as "high blood pressure" now-a-days??
>
> I was diagnosed diabetic following a (very) mild stroke in 1996. I'm
> now Insulin dependant (four injections per day!)
>
> My blood pressure is usually about 135/75 but, on one occasion, it
> was 107/70 and the GP didn't bat an eyelid.
>
> On another occasion, *prior* to a Heart 'Stress Test' on a treadmill,
> it was 185/75. Still not a battered eyelid!!

In my case, it was around 160 to 170/80.

--
With respect,
= Aragorn

On 2023-01-05 10:31, Aragorn wrote:
> On 05.01.2023 at 19:52, Daniel65 scribbled:
>
>> faeychild wrote on 5/1/23 8:21 am:
>>> On 4/1/23 02:54, Aragorn wrote:
>>>
>>>> That all said, maybe we'll meet again, or maybe we won't — I don't
>>>> have a crystal ball — but I either way wish you all the best. ;)
>>>>
>>>> Sayonara! :)
>>>
>>> Good luck Aragorn
>>>
>>> I always enjoy your posts
>>> I too have high blood pressure and I'm pre-diabetic.
>>> It would appear that the Gods are after both of us. :-)
>>
>> What is recognised as "high blood pressure" now-a-days??
>>
>> I was diagnosed diabetic following a (very) mild stroke in 1996. I'm
>> now Insulin dependant (four injections per day!)
>>
>> My blood pressure is usually about 135/75 but, on one occasion, it
>> was 107/70 and the GP didn't bat an eyelid.
>>
>> On another occasion, *prior* to a Heart 'Stress Test' on a treadmill,
>> it was 185/75. Still not a battered eyelid!!
>
> In my case, it was around 160 to 170/80.
>
As I misunderstand it, the lower number is the one they get most alarmed
about if on the high side, as the upper number is the one most
influenced by emotions - like the unease of being in a doctor's office,
having your blood pressure measured. A smaller difference between the
two numbers is also more alarming than a higher one.

Then again, I'm a farmer, not a medical professional, so my statements
on this subject should be considered accordingly.

TJ

On 05.01.2023 at 10:48, TJ scribbled:

> On 2023-01-05 10:31, Aragorn wrote:
> > On 05.01.2023 at 19:52, Daniel65 scribbled:
> >
> >> What is recognised as "high blood pressure" now-a-days??
> >>
> >> I was diagnosed diabetic following a (very) mild stroke in 1996.
> >> I'm now Insulin dependant (four injections per day!)
> >>
> >> My blood pressure is usually about 135/75 but, on one occasion, it
> >> was 107/70 and the GP didn't bat an eyelid.
> >>
> >> On another occasion, *prior* to a Heart 'Stress Test' on a
> >> treadmill, it was 185/75. Still not a battered eyelid!!
> >
> > In my case, it was around 160 to 170/80.
> >
> As I misunderstand it, the lower number is the one they get most
> alarmed about if on the high side, as the upper number is the one
> most influenced by emotions - like the unease of being in a doctor's
> office, having your blood pressure measured. A smaller difference
> between the two numbers is also more alarming than a higher one.

Yes, that is more or less correct. The lower number represents the
diastolic pressure in your blood vessels at all time. The higher
number is the systolic pressure by which the blood is being pumped
around.

> Then again, I'm a farmer, not a medical professional, so my
> statements on this subject should be considered accordingly.

Wasn't that supposed to go something like, "I'm a doctor Jim, not a..."?
:p

--
With respect,
= Aragorn =

On 5/1/23 19:52, Daniel65 wrote:

>
> What is recognised as "high blood pressure" now-a-days??

ambiguous as hell I think. The Medicos shift the goal posts all
the time

>
> I was diagnosed diabetic following a (very) mild stroke in 1996. I'm now
> Insulin dependant (four injections per day!)
>
> My blood pressure is usually about 135/75 but, on one occasion, it was
> 107/70 and the GP didn't bat an eyelid.

This morning pre med 168/82 pulse 58 bpm

>
> On another occasion, *prior* to a Heart 'Stress Test' on a treadmill, it
> was 185/75. Still not a battered eyelid!!

Ah HA the stress test. I looking down the barrel of that one again as well.
I am also getting to old for treadmills

--
faeychild
Running plasmashell 5.20.4 on 5.15.82-desktop-1.mga8 kernel.
Mageia release 8 (Official) for x86_64 installed via Mageia-8-x86_64-DVD.iso

On 6/1/23 02:48, TJ wrote:

>
> Then again, I'm a farmer, not a medical professional, so my statements
> on this subject should be considered accordingly.
>
> TJ

A noble occupation TJ I had kin in farming, wheat and dairy.

And everybody likes to eat

--
faeychild
Running plasmashell 5.20.4 on 5.15.82-desktop-1.mga8 kernel.
Mageia release 8 (Official) for x86_64 installed via Mageia-8-x86_64-DVD.iso

Aragorn wrote on 6/1/23 3:51 am:
> On 05.01.2023 at 10:48, TJ scribbled:

<Snip>

>> As I misunderstand it, the lower number is the one they get most
>> alarmed about if on the high side, as the upper number is the one
>> most influenced by emotions - like the unease of being in a doctor's
>> office, having your blood pressure measured. A smaller difference
>> between the two numbers is also more alarming than a higher one.
>
> Yes, that is more or less correct. The lower number represents the
> diastolic pressure in your blood vessels at all time. The higher
> number is the systolic pressure by which the blood is being pumped
> around.
>
>> Then again, I'm a farmer, not a medical professional, so my
>> statements on this subject should be considered accordingly.
>
> Wasn't that supposed to go something like, "I'm a doctor Jim, not a..."?
> :p
>
Ah!! The memories!! ;-) But in many/all situations, 'Bones' achieved!!
--
Daniel

faeychild wrote on 6/1/23 7:32 am:
> On 5/1/23 19:52, Daniel65 wrote:
>>
>> What is recognised as "high blood pressure" now-a-days??
>
> ambiguous as hell I think. The Medicos shift the goal posts all the
> time
>>
>> I was diagnosed diabetic following a (very) mild stroke in 1996.
>> I'm now Insulin dependant (four injections per day!)
>>
>> My blood pressure is usually about 135/75 but, on one occasion, it
>> was 107/70 and the GP didn't bat an eyelid.
>
> This morning pre med 168/82 pulse 58 bpm
>>
>> On another occasion, *prior* to a Heart 'Stress Test' on a
>> treadmill, it was 185/75. Still not a battered eyelid!!
>
> Ah HA the stress test. I looking down the barrel of that one again as
> well. I am also getting to old for treadmills
>
When do treadmills get too old?? ;-P
--
Daniel

On 6/1/23 20:16, Daniel65 wrote:

>> Ah HA the stress test. I looking down the barrel of that one again as
>> well. I am also getting to old for treadmills
>>
> When do treadmills get too old?? ;-P

They are insane devices, they get recycled
The used to be part of the running jumping standing still gym crowd

Now they're used too induce infarction .

I have had an old foot injury resurrect, so the treadmill is
indefinitely postponed

To Aragorn!!! We are way off topic AGAIN :-)

regards

--
faeychild
Running plasmashell 5.20.4 on 5.15.82-desktop-1.mga8 kernel.
Mageia release 8 (Official) for x86_64 installed via Mageia-8-x86_64-DVD.iso

faeychild wrote on 8/1/23 8:22 am:

<Snip>

> To Aragorn!!!   We are way off topic AGAIN  :-)
>
> regards
>
Doesn't being OT suggest this is a living community, then??

Sure, we lose some of the steadfasts ... but gain some new blood along
the way!!
--
Daniel

On 6/1/23 02:48, TJ wrote:
> As I misunderstand it, the lower number is the one they get most alarmed
> about if on the high side, as the upper number is the one most
> influenced by emotions - like the unease of being in a doctor's office,
> having your blood pressure measured. A smaller difference between the
> two numbers is also more alarming than a higher one.
>
> Then again, I'm a farmer, not a medical professional, so my statements
> on this subject should be considered accordingly.

According to my doctor, the lower figure is the one below which there is
"laminar flow", i.e. where no pulse can be detected. The higher figure
is the one to watch, because the higher that figure is, the harder your
heart is working to push blood around. In the "fight or flight"
situation, adrenalin is pumped into your system, and your B.P. goes up.
Any additional obstacle to your blood flow, such as narrowing to the
arteries, or a deposited blockage, makes your heart work harder than it
needs to. I had an employee who developed lung cancer but refused to
face it. By the time they opened him up to look around, it was too late
to do anything. The cancer growth was pressing on his aorta, the main
blood vessel that takes blood going around his body, and was still
getting bigger. He must have had a strong heart, because he lived a few
weeks longer than anticipated.

My wife is now insulin-dependent, and I have just been diagnosed with
Type 2 diabetes. so I am on medication. We are both taking pills for
blood pressure. It is typical for our age group.

Best wishes, Aragorn, and take care of yourself,

Regards,

Doug.