The unexpected detour - Page 6

brendapals · 10-18-2008, 08:36 PM

Robert,
That sounds great! I just wonder...if you are skydiving and pee in your pants, does the pee fly up or down?

I don't think I would even worry about it!
Have a great time,
brenda

laurel · 10-18-2008, 09:26 PM

Hi Robert,
Hubby and I made one sky dive about 35 years ago. Hubby was in the military then--based at CFB Trenton, Ontario. He was a pilot flying C 130's. He was gone on a month training mission when I passed a sky diving club's promotion table at a local fair. I promptly signed us up for sky diving lessons. He was horrified with the concept, but I had paid the money already.
We spent the morning of the jump doing some practice jumps off of picnic tables--learning how to roll etc. And then we loaded into a little Cessna with the jump master who was a grizzled military search and rescue fellow named Chuck. While we were doing the practice jumps off of the picnic tables, he would shout out "Don't forget to point your toes when you pass the grass. That way we won't need a shovel." I started to obsess about that statement as we were taking off in the little Cessna. My teeth were chattering so much as we climbed and my heart was beating so fast that I thought I was going to have a heart attack. We got up to the appropriate height for the jump, and Chuck asked who wanted to jump first. I volunteered as I just wanted to get it over with. So Chuck assists me to the doorless exit and says "brace yourself and hold onto to the strut with your right arm and put your right foot on the wheel". We were doing static line jumps so no tandem buddies for us! I shook my way into position and the wheel turned. Chuck grabbed me by the jump harness and pulled me back into the aircraft. Said we had to do another go around as the pilot had forgotten to lock the wheel. Well that nearly caused me to have a nervous breakdown--just anticipating having to climb out there again was nearly more than I could take. But we did the go around and the aircraft was in position again, and I shook my way out the door and took my position again. Chuck saw that I was paralyzed in fear, gave me a big push, and shouted, "point your toes as you pass the grass". So there I was falling and all I felt was terror until the shoot opened and I remember thinking "thank God". I loved the sensation of floating down, but unbeknownst to me because of my terror I had a firm grip on both toggles which are used to turn you. You pull one at a time to direct the way you are going. But I was so frozen I didn't realize this and consequently went in circles spinning like a top. I was supposed to gently drop into a field by the airstrip. But because of being brain dead and spinning like a top, I wound up landing on the tarmac of the airport as a plane was landing! I landed with a huge thud, was being dragged down the runway by the wind because I had forgotten how to help collapse the shoot. Out raced an emergency vehicle with lights flashing and over its blaring radio I could hear, "Get that damned fool off the runway!" I twisted my knee and had to be carried to the truck.
I looked up to see where my husband may have landed, and he had a better experience as he didn't freeze like me but the wind blew him onto the top of a parked vehicle and he cracked his tail bone. We both wound up in the emergency room with our minor injuries. That was our first and last jump.
Good luck Robert <g>.
Laurel

rose · 10-18-2008, 09:26 PM

Robert, I can't wait to hear about it!

Laurel, (we must have hit the submit button at the same time)

What an adventure! See, you made a memory..... have you ever watched the movie "Fathom" with Raquel Welch? She's a sky diver that gets tangled up in intrigue. A cute late 60's cold war flick...

laurel · 10-18-2008, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rose

Robert, I can't wait to hear about it!

Laurel, (we must have hit the submit button at the same time)

What an adventure! See, you made a memory..... have you ever watched the movie "Fathom" with Raquel Welch? She's a sky diver that gets tangled up in intrigue. A cute late 60's cold war flick...

Hi Rose,
It indeed was an adventure, and despite my experience I think I would repeat it if it was a tandem jump as the floating down part was absolutely a wonderful sensation. I can see why people get hooked on sky diving. By the way, Chuck the grizzled jump master, didn't point his toes as he passed the grass. About 5 years later we read about him jumping into a rescue site on Vancouver Island and his parachute failed to open. He broke almost every bone in his body, but he lived to tell the tale.
Laurel

suzannj · 10-19-2008, 02:21 PM

Robert -
Sorry, had to 'jump' in on your thread here

~~

Whoo Hoo! A SKYDIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have 11 jumps in, and I can say this: It is an experience I wish EVERYONE would have! I fantasize about it on every nice day with a calm breeze! Most of my jumps were tandem as well, and it's very nice because you can sort-of just enjoy the ride while knowing there's a qualified expert tied to your back! LOL I AM SOOOOO EXCITED FOR YOU!!! The best, best, best part is the very moment you leave the airplane. If you have ever ridden the Millenium Roller Coaster at Cedar Point, going over the first drop is the closest I've ever felt to skydiving besides the real thing.

You're going to have a BLAST!!! And it's totally worth the extra $$$ to have a 3rd jumper film the whole thing for you in the event that you decide to not do it again

Warning: Inner thigh bruises may occur, but boy are they worth it! HA!
- Suzann

BethU · 10-19-2008, 05:11 PM

Suzann ... I had always promised myself that if I made it to age 65, I would celebrate by getting a tattoo and jumping out of a plane. When I reached the age of 65, I decided to celebrate by not getting a tattoo and not jumping out of a plane.

With age comes wisdom.

(Or cowardess

)
(Sometimes it's hard to tell them apart.)

lovelily · 10-19-2008, 07:29 PM

Hi Robert....Have lots of fun on your trip. Congrats to your brother, and I wish you a safe landing!

The biggest thing I've 'ever' done in my life was going to the edge of the ship, on my Bermuda cruise, with sister ~ in the pitch dark, to touch the edge...Like in the movie 'Titanic'. I was just happy I didn't fall 'overboard', like Goldie Hawn...in her movie.

suzannj · 10-19-2008, 10:23 PM

Beth -
I am literally "LOL'ing" right now! That was too funny!

Lovelily - I give you credit, I am absolutely terrified of the ocean and would NEVER do that....there's monsters in there ya' know!

lovelily · 10-20-2008, 10:35 AM

Hi suzannj.... If I could have 'seen' what I was doing, I would never have done it!

The next morning I went back up with my sister to see where we had gone, and found out that one side of the rail was lose. ~ Never again!

planningguy · 10-20-2008, 09:34 PM

Thank you for all the fun replies (Suzann, after about a dozen jumps is when my brother starts trying to talk people into base jumping). Sorry not to have posted back sooner. I am in Washington DC for a conference, and enjoying the pleasant weather, although it is a little cooler than I expected.

Laurel - Your story is exactly the reason why the only way I would ever consider doing this is to go tandem. It's also pretty safe to say, my brother is the only one I would let take me. That way at least if something happened, they could say, "Those crazy boys are at it again." We've had a couple of doozy adventures together. Maybe I'll have to post any fun ones that get drug up at the wedding (assuming the statute of limitations has run out

)

The leg is healing up nicely. All it does is itch a little now. I'll have a little bit of a crooked scar. At least I didn't find any initials. The results should be in at the end of the week. I'll let everyone know how it shook out.

Take care all,

Robert

planningguy · 10-28-2008, 05:47 PM

This is like some sick perversion of waiting for Christmas when you are sure you are getting a bike, and end up getting socks. I called the neuro today to see if my biopsy results were in, and they weren't. To add insult to injury the nurse said the Dr. is out for the week, so I should wait until at least Friday before calling back

On the plus side D.C. was wonderful, with great weather all week. I got to ride on the congressional subway, and popped my head into McCain's office to look at the stuff on the walls (it was on the way to the Legislative aide we were visiting). We were pressed for time or I would have checked out Obama's as well.

The boys passed their first taekwon-do belt test. Now their uniforms will have a little color in them.

Trying to stay upbeat.

Robert

rose · 10-28-2008, 05:49 PM

The big question is... did you jump?

ps I like your Christmas analogy

planningguy · 10-28-2008, 06:10 PM

Rose,

The trip to North Carolina will be next week (I seem to be bound and determined to fly enough this season to get my luggage lost at least once). The D.C. trip was for business. I did talk to my brother the day before yesterday, and he said eveything was looking good to make the jump. Now if only I can find my brown pants

Robert

sdsyd · 10-28-2008, 08:17 PM

Robert-

Hey buddy. Sorry about the "more waiting" game, but I am so glad you are keeping occupied in the meantime. You're still makin memories every single day and thats what counts.

Before you know it your Boys will have lots of colors on their belts- so be careful!! I'll bet you were sooooo proud!

What do you say to someone who is going skydiving??? I dunno, but cant wait to read about it, because dont think I'd jump from a plane unless it was an emergency...and then I'd have to be pushed. LOL I used to have flying dreams as a child but could never get any higher than the treetops. LOLOL

Keep us posted, we are rooting for you.

Cindy

planningguy · 10-31-2008, 06:30 PM

I was able to pop in to see my ENT today. We just did a quick walkthough of where we were at so far. He took a look at my throat and nasal passages, but didn't see anything that leaped out at him. He said that doing a structural look made sense, and scheduled me for a fiberoptic scoping through the nasal passage after I get back from NC. His comment was that although it was reasonable to look for structural defects, the swallow study showed the problem was with swallow initiation.

This combined with my other symptoms made him more likely to put his finger on a neurological or muscular cause. He threw out cranial nerve damge, neuromuscular juntion problems, and problems with the muscle itself as possibilities (being very broad). Since he is a friend we talked a little more frankly. He reiterated that my local neuro was a sharp guy, well respected, and that I was in good hands. He also said that the EMG and biopsy was the road to be on, and where he would be if he were in the same place. He said he would write a good follow up for the local neuro to make sure we stay on track.

It was one of those positive experiences, while not providing answers or saying "no problem, you'll be fine," did make me feel that I'm heading in the right direction.

Robert