Maine Is On Our Mind (Maybe)

Hi Everyone,

We’re planning to leave for Maine on July 11^th – just a week from today!  It’s the day before my 77th birthday. We’ll be gone for about six weeks.  Back in mid-August.

I can’t believe it’s just a week away; I sometimes feel like I just got back from Key West.   Also, my planning has been rather time-compressed; I did most of it over the last two weeks. 

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So what’s the problem?

Here’s the reason it feels time-compressed: I haven’t really been myself the last three months.  Since the day I returned from the Key West trip in April, I have been having “seizures” – not Grand Mal seizures, but episodes where I get a thrumming in my ears, and then a severe headache, and then I just get “frozen” and can’t seem to control my voluntary muscles.  I am conscious – and standing –  but I just can’t think straight or move my arms or legs.  I’m just frozen. I am conscious of the fact that I am frozen, but I can’t do anything about it. Weird, huh? Very unsettling. These episodes last about 2 minutes, and then I am OK.

It does not happen when I am seated (as in driving the car), but it did happen once while I was driving the boat. So it seems like it has some type of blood pressure connection – (stand up, get dizzy.) But my blood pressure is and always has been fine.

I have had every type of cardiological and neurological test imaginable (2 CT Scans, 3 MRI’s, EEG, EKG, Doppler Ultra Sound my carotid arteries, etc.), and I have an Echocardiogram of my heart scheduled for Tuesday. All the tests to date indicate that I am in excellent shape.

So…No obvious cause for the seizures, but my cardiologist has me very focused on hydration (which affects blood pressure) (who knew), and my neurologist has me on medication (Gabapentin) which should address the headache and seizure symptoms. Amusingly, this is the same drug I give to Guinness to lower his anxiety for vet visits and grooming.

We are still tweaking the dosage, and I am hopeful that I’ll be OK by next week.

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I realize that the earlier paragraphs sound very scary, and I won’t go unless I am asymptomatic!

But if we pull this off, we will have done the entire East Coast of the US.  I am estimating it’s about 5,000 miles round-trip, including the Key West leg.   (I said 6,000 in my earlier email, but I over-estimated.)  And we will have done it solo.  At 77 years of age.  Pretty cool.

It should take about 10 days to get to Maine.  Then we kick around up there for two weeks and take another ten days to return. ( I plan to publish our Float Plan in a day or so. )

I am really looking forward to going, and I have put a lot of effort into the plans.  But please be assured that I will not put myself, or Guinness, or Freedom at risk! I am prepared to abort the trip if I must.

As always, I welcome your comments on the blog posts.  They make me feel like I am away but not alone.