In February of 2013 Arnold became very sick. It all started on Friday the 1st of February with just a little bit of a sore shoulder. As the day went on it got worse and worse untill the next day it got so bad that he decided he needed to do something about it. All the doctors offices were closed. He could of gone to the emergency room but that sometimes takes hours. So he thought maybe a chiropractor would help. My Chiro was the only chropractor open so he went there. It did no good and Arnold was very disgusted. He was telling everyone not to go to My Chiro, they don't do any thing for you. The next day was Sunday and Arnold and Laura went to church. Arnold was still hurting, but he doesn't like to miss church. Then that afternoon he went down to Iowa City with Laura and his daughter in law Angie to an Iowa Hawkeye Womens Basketball game. The noise was so great and their seats are in the 3rd row. Arnold just could not stand it and he told the girls that he had to get out of there and he would meet them uptop after the game. He left but did sit uptop where the noise wasn't as bad and watched the game from there.On the way home they stopped at Hardies to redeam the coupons that are printed on the back of basketball tickets which was for one of Hardies cheeseburgers and some fries with a drink or something like that. Arnold ordered his to go, because he didn't know if he could eat his or not, but as it was he did manage to eat it there along with the girls. On the rest of the way home Laura did the driving and Arnold took it easy.
The next day was Monday and a work day for Arnold. He got up that morning and his whole body hurt from head to toe. Arnold thought long and hard about calling in sick, but decided to shake it off and go to work. The morning route was almost more than he could tolerate. When they got back to the bus lot he told Chris his bus driver that he was done for the day. She replied WHY DID YOU EVEN COME IN!!!?? Arnold could hardly make it from the bus to the drivers room. When he did he told Ray and Denny (his boss) that he wouldn't be there the rest of the day and asked them to replace him with someone else. Arnold then called Laura and told her that he was going to sit in the drivers room for a bit. He would be home and that he was taking the rest of the day off. It's not for sure how long he sat before going out to the parking lot. When he did he could not find his truck, he probably walked by it a dozen times before he realized it was what he was looking for. That was the last thing he could remember until he woke up in the hospital a week or two later and they were pulling a tube out of his mouth and holding Arnold down to keep him from fighting with them. Yes, it seems like he woke up right before Valantines day and one thing they would do each morning is ask him a bunch of questions. one of the questions was what is today's date and that day it was Feburary 14th. Then they asked him what was February 14th and he tried but could not tell them that so they told him that it was Valentines Day and was kiding him by telling him he better remember that or Laura wouldn't like it. Arnold had been diagnosed as having meningitis.
While Arnold was unconscious or what ever he imagined all kinds of weird and imposible things a lot of it was about his work. He thought that he had been fired because he was in the building during the night and set off three alarms and was now working for Qualex a company he worked for some time before but Ray and Denny were still his bosses and part of his job was to ride around all day on this bus that would then get parked at 19th St. and Mt. Vernon Rd, and he would stay on it and sometime during the night it would get turned into his hospital room.
Another part was about his pickup, he was asking every one to go look for it. He thought it was parked some where and if it wasn't moved it would get towed away. Finally Laura told him that it was at home parked in the drive.
The part that he doesn't remember but others have told him about is that while he was in this unconscious condition he called out the names of family members that had died before this, and it made them wonder if he would be joining them in the the very near future. Although Arnold is in no hurry to leave this world he can't help but think, why didin't they just let me go just far enough so he could see what was on the other side, But if they could of done that Arnold knows he wouldn't want to come back.
As Arnold got better he was transfered fom the 3rd floor (which was a Intensive care floor) to the 4th floor then when he got even better he was moved up to the 6th floor. There he was given therapy, both mental and physical.
He was finally released from the hospital on the last day of February but before he could be released he had to show them that he could dress and undress shave and shower by him self and so on. he still had to report to the hospital two to three times a week for more therapy which lasted up until the end of May
Life was not easy for Laura neither. She had to take care of things at home and still come to the hospital dayly and as they say when it rains it pours. Our car got wrecked and she had to get it repaired which she did with out even telling Arnold untill everything was taken care of, and on top of that she sliped on the ice in our drive and chiped a bone in her ankle. That she could not hide from Arnold. With all of that going on for her she still made it up to the hospital to see Arnold every day. Arnold sure knows how to pick a winner, doesn't he.
Arnold would like to thank his doctor, Dr. Anwar for not giving up until he knew what was making him so sick. He saved his life.
The next day was Monday and a work day for Arnold. He got up that morning and his whole body hurt from head to toe. Arnold thought long and hard about calling in sick, but decided to shake it off and go to work. The morning route was almost more than he could tolerate. When they got back to the bus lot he told Chris his bus driver that he was done for the day. She replied WHY DID YOU EVEN COME IN!!!?? Arnold could hardly make it from the bus to the drivers room. When he did he told Ray and Denny (his boss) that he wouldn't be there the rest of the day and asked them to replace him with someone else. Arnold then called Laura and told her that he was going to sit in the drivers room for a bit. He would be home and that he was taking the rest of the day off. It's not for sure how long he sat before going out to the parking lot. When he did he could not find his truck, he probably walked by it a dozen times before he realized it was what he was looking for. That was the last thing he could remember until he woke up in the hospital a week or two later and they were pulling a tube out of his mouth and holding Arnold down to keep him from fighting with them. Yes, it seems like he woke up right before Valantines day and one thing they would do each morning is ask him a bunch of questions. one of the questions was what is today's date and that day it was Feburary 14th. Then they asked him what was February 14th and he tried but could not tell them that so they told him that it was Valentines Day and was kiding him by telling him he better remember that or Laura wouldn't like it. Arnold had been diagnosed as having meningitis.
While Arnold was unconscious or what ever he imagined all kinds of weird and imposible things a lot of it was about his work. He thought that he had been fired because he was in the building during the night and set off three alarms and was now working for Qualex a company he worked for some time before but Ray and Denny were still his bosses and part of his job was to ride around all day on this bus that would then get parked at 19th St. and Mt. Vernon Rd, and he would stay on it and sometime during the night it would get turned into his hospital room.
Another part was about his pickup, he was asking every one to go look for it. He thought it was parked some where and if it wasn't moved it would get towed away. Finally Laura told him that it was at home parked in the drive.
The part that he doesn't remember but others have told him about is that while he was in this unconscious condition he called out the names of family members that had died before this, and it made them wonder if he would be joining them in the the very near future. Although Arnold is in no hurry to leave this world he can't help but think, why didin't they just let me go just far enough so he could see what was on the other side, But if they could of done that Arnold knows he wouldn't want to come back.
As Arnold got better he was transfered fom the 3rd floor (which was a Intensive care floor) to the 4th floor then when he got even better he was moved up to the 6th floor. There he was given therapy, both mental and physical.
He was finally released from the hospital on the last day of February but before he could be released he had to show them that he could dress and undress shave and shower by him self and so on. he still had to report to the hospital two to three times a week for more therapy which lasted up until the end of May
Life was not easy for Laura neither. She had to take care of things at home and still come to the hospital dayly and as they say when it rains it pours. Our car got wrecked and she had to get it repaired which she did with out even telling Arnold untill everything was taken care of, and on top of that she sliped on the ice in our drive and chiped a bone in her ankle. That she could not hide from Arnold. With all of that going on for her she still made it up to the hospital to see Arnold every day. Arnold sure knows how to pick a winner, doesn't he.
Arnold would like to thank his doctor, Dr. Anwar for not giving up until he knew what was making him so sick. He saved his life.
He also wants to thank Laura for taking care of every thing so well and still looking out for him today and Darrin and Angie for loaning their car to Laura and everthing else they did and Mel Jr. for all the rides to the doctors etc. when neither Arnold or Laura could drive and cleaning the snow off the drive everytime it snowed.
THANK YOU ALL, THANK YOU ALL THANK YOU ALL
THANK YOU ALL, THANK YOU ALL THANK YOU ALL