Harry's current condition

[Xingu]

Getting back home is the first real step toward recovery. You can now get back to a more familiar routine. Get well soon.

[Danno]

Harry,

Grateful and happy for all you've been able to overcome so far;  hopeful and prayerful for your continued improvement.  Glad you're here, among friends. 

Wish there was more we could do for you, personally, Harry.  Unfortunately, it's a long drive from Phoenix to shovel the sidewalk or help out around the house.  But prayers and good wishes travel remarkable distances, my friend! 

Keep your inner warrior resolute and stay the course!  God continue to be with you.

[disabled modeler]

I was able to be accepted for SS disability the first time around. As stated before, I came "armed" with doctors reports, business cards, and lots of info about my disabilities at the time. A lawyer told me to call him only if I got turned down, as they can do nothing for you on your first visit.

True Nick...good information.

[Cornpatch]

   Harry !!
        Good to hear from you, glad your doing better, and at home.

         I got my disability the first time around, as they said above have all of your documents in order, all your T's crossed and your I's dotted.

         Also watch the questions on their forms, a lot of the times the questions will be asked 2 or 3 times in a different way just to see if you give the same answer. Than they send you more forms with the same BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH questions asked in still a different way.

          My Mother in law (belive it or not) gave me a good piece of advice when I was doing mine. Any forms you fill out, be sure you make a copy for you self. That sure helped me when they kept sending all of there different forms.

           Hang in there Harry, the White Sox start spring training next month and in less than 3 months the season starts. No better to relax when your pretty homebound, than to sit back and watch a ballgame.

                                               Take it easy Harry-------Prayers are with you

[Scott Colmer]

Harry, 

You have had some tough breaks, but from our work together I can say that you embody the kind of strength that will take you through this. I am wishing the best for you.

I agree with Micheal Hill - being home will put you in a place of additional strength. Plus your friends, and family will be closer to you. (Your models too.) All good stuff.

We are all pulling for you.

Scott

[PorkChopPaws]

Harry, I have been in your shoes and have fought the battle. At age 51 I was no longer able to work with a bad heart. After trying to find work that would have me for 2 years and eventually getting a rural paper route for 400 bucks a month and getting tired of the wife yapping at me to file I reluctantly filed for SS disability.It took 18 months for the first turn down. I filed again.Denied. I filed again.Turned down again. I called and asked why and ended up in a shouting match with the idiot who did my case ending with her telling me to get my old job back.Right then a light bulb went on. I realized they were not even looking at my paperwork because it said clearly by my doctors "he can't work or he'll drop dead". A couple of days later I got a letter in the mail from the woman telling me she was transferring my case from Kansas to Oklahoma "because of a backlog". I knew it was revenge on her part. I finally got a lawyer and in 3 months I won. Yeah lawyers get a chuck but it's limited by law. SS also offered the settlement at half of the back money I was due.Your claim starts the day you file so don't wait.I had to take the half settlement because we were about to lose the house.The lawyers said I could turn it down and go for it all and would no doubt win but it would take at least a year.I didn't have that much time so I went for the half they offered plus the monthly stipend.So do yourself a favor a get a lawyer right off. It pays for itself in the end.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Hang in there Harry and thank you so much for the updates....please keep us informed of how you are progressing 

I got your beautiful book for Christmas and love it....but hey the Jag made the cut and no MG TC???!!!!

Wishing you all the best for recovery and a healthy 2017

[peekay]

Harry, we've never met but I feel for you and your predicament as a friend would and often wonder how you're getting on.

Glad to hear you're back home at least but I know from experience that chemo can be very difficult and your financial concerns must be very worrying on top of it all.

Wishing you all the strength you need to get through this.

[unclescott58]

Thanks for the update Harry. And know that I'm still praying for you.

Scott

 

[Cato]

Here is the latest (1-21-'17) on Harry's current situation. His struggle is continuing and there's very little improvement.

He has been released from the therapy facility and is home now - mostly alone. He gets looked-in on by a couple of neighbors and his family members stop by when they can. But he is largely alone. His weakened heart is making stairs and household activity very difficult. Compounding this is his loss of appetite from the bland food he was told to eat. So his strength is way down and he cannot exercise as he was in the facility. His son will be trying to get him a therapist at home for exercise.

He's had 4 chemo treatments so far and they have not harmed him beyond great fatigue but there's yet no indication of how effective they are.

A further disadvantage is he has suffered a monitor failure so has had no computer communication with anyone. He thinks he has a ton of email but cannot answer, so any of you that wrote him, that's why there's been no reply. His son will arrive Monday for a week and will surely get him hooked up to the web and us again.

I know life goes on for all of us but I hope that as a group we can make a continuous, positive influence in Harry's life. He is struggling alone right now (as I know some of you do too) but your contributions and expressions of support will be like good medicine when we can communicate with him.

Keep an eye for him next week here and those that can, email him your support. Harry has given a huge amount to all of us with marvelous model work and advice. Let's return those favors.

C

[High octane]

Here is the latest (1-21-'17) on Harry's current situation. His struggle is continuing and there's very little improvement.

He has been released from the therapy facility and is home now - mostly alone. He gets looked-in on by a couple of neighbors and his family members stop by when they can. But he is largely alone. His weakened heart is making stairs and household activity very difficult. Compounding this is his loss of appetite from the bland food he was told to eat. So his strength is way down and he cannot exercise as he was in the facility. His son will be trying to get him a therapist at home for exercise.

He's had 4 chemo treatments so far and they have not harmed him beyond great fatigue but there's yet no indication of how effective they are.

A further disadvantage is he has suffered a monitor failure so has had no computer communication with anyone. He thinks he has a ton of email but cannot answer, so any of you that wrote him, that's why there's been no reply. His son will arrive Monday for a week and will surely get him hooked up to the web and us again.

I know life goes on for all of us but I hope that as a group we can make a continuous, positive influence in Harry's life. He is struggling alone right now (as I know some of you do too) but your contributions and expressions of support will be like good medicine when we can communicate with him.

Keep an eye for him next week here and those that can, email him your support. Harry has given a huge amount to all of us with marvelous model work and advice. Let's return those favors.

C

Sorry to hear that there has been little improvement, and I sincerely hope that things change for the better soon. I'll continue to keep him in my prayers.

[bobthehobbyguy]

Thanks for the update Cato. I was wondering why we hadn't heard anything from Harry. He is definitely in my thoughts and prayers. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Seriously, I feel like Harry is as much a friend as some of the people I see regularly in my real-world. I've been concerned that we haven't heard anything from him lately, but sometimes people simply prefer to deal with extreme difficulty on their own, and others clamoring for their attention can be a nuisance (at least, that is my own response when I'm having health problems).

But I didn't realize he was so alone, just assumed he had some intimate family there pretty much all the time. 

Hopefully he'll be back online soon, so we can show continuing support and encouragement. 

 

Edited January 22, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy

[Cato]

But I didn't realize he was so alone, just assumed he had some intimate family there pretty much all the time. 

This is a key point which is very upsetting.. I know personally the value of having at least one caring and capable person at one's side during major illness. Shopping, getting to medical facilities, household chores to sustain daily life - it all falls on Harry almost all the time.

His son is very good and effective but can't be there 24 / 7. He's coming for a week next week. Harry also  has two daughters but they have young families and all three live in Ohio, not IL. Not around the corner. He has at least one brother but I do not know the extent of presence he / they have in Harry's situation.

I think we're pretty much Harry's extended family...

[Snake45]

I had a monitor failure myself a month or so ago and had to buy a new one. They're not that expensive (I got a big one at Best Buy and it was about $150). If that's a problem I'm sure a few of us could raise that amount of money in about a minute. Hell, if it comes to it, I'd be willing to just order him one myself.

I know--when your 'puter is down in 2017, you're ALONE. Let's fix that for the man.

[Cato]

I had a monitor failure myself a month or so ago and had to buy a new one. They're not that expensive (I got a big one at Best Buy and it was about $150). If that's a problem I'm sure a few of us could raise that amount of money in about a minute. Hell, if it comes to it, I'd be willing to just order him one myself.

I know--when your 'puter is down in 2017, you're ALONE. Let's fix that for the man.

Wonderful thought Richard but let's give his son a shot - I know it was planned for when he gets there. The money at this moment is not the problem - it's Harry being able to get around himself. Plus he knows what his set-up requires and his boy will be there to get it and assist him.

You got a good heart man and that's what I meant by Harry's extended family - it's right here.

[slusher]

Wonderful thought Richard but let's give his son a shot - I know it was planned for when he gets there. The money at this moment is not the problem - it's Harry being able to get around himself. Plus he knows what his set-up requires and his boy will be there to get it and assist him.

You got a good heart man and that's what I meant by Harry's extended family - it's right here.

Cato we my wife and I are still sending him cards but i was believing he was resting or Fatigued was why he was not on..

 

[aurfalien]

I certainly wish him well to an order of magnitude.

If you look up his name on Amazon, you'll find interesting publications.  Mostly model car related but this one is very interesting, a cook book;

https://www.amazon.com/Dads-Cookbook-His-Kids-stories/dp/1494282844/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1485096240&sr=8-9&keywords=harry+pristovnik

Writing a book s very tedious and consuming.  I've written short white papers and FAQs and those were hard enough.

Harry seems a pretty multi dimensional and a very interesting man.

 

Edited January 22, 2017 by aurfalien

[Tom Geiger]

 It's good you mentioned this otherwise some 10 or more monitors may have shown up at Harry's house!    

Good thoughts, People, that 's what Harry needs now.   Lets keep it coming!

[Cato]

For when we do have regular communication with Harry again -

His son had mentioned to me that Harry is of course, irritable and fatigued by his circumstance. No appetite when you need all your strength is depleting.

But he seems to take the most improvement in morale when folks recount personal events which have had positive results or good outcomes. We usually express our concerns by imploring him to eat, exercise and take meds. That has become an irritant, despite being well-meaning.  Relating positive results of major illness or cancer sufferers and survivors seems to reinforce his resolve to fight it and do the right things for his improvement. That seems to give him renewed purpose and not stay depressed or give up.

I'm sure many of us know such people and can do this vital thing for him. Right now, morale is more important than money...

[MeatMan]

Sorry to hear about the heart issue. Good luck to you, and hope to hear from you on a regular basis again.

[signguy2108]

Like cato said, success stories can be positive, but at the same time I dont want readers to think i'm trying to take center stage over someone elses problems. My first heart surgery (4 bypasses) was uneventful, back to work in about 2 months. before my 2nd surgery i knew I had a problem, called my heart doc and said get ready i'm coming in! Little did I know how close I came to dying that day.  I had a bacteria that was eating away an artery, They cut me open to fix it and discovered an aorta anueryism that exploded! I went without oxygen for over an hour, left my chest open all nite,  told my wife 3 diff times I had died, they forgot to relay that to me!  I stayed in a coma for over 3 wks and in the hospital for about 6. (My hospital report was well over 200 pages) Went back to work about 3 mo. later, although I'm on disability now> I had a couple of stents put in a couple of yrs later (2011) and was told to get my stuff in order because I didnt have a yr, maybe 2 left, heart too weak to have anything else done! I'm living now with what I'm told is 1/3rd of my heart, even though the function percentage has gone back up. My doc told me what I couldn"t do anymore, I told him I wasn't dying with the remote in my hand! Although there are limitations and longer timeframes in doing things, I still enjoy doing much of the same things I did before (yardwork, vehicle restos, models, etc.) You can live with heart problems, it slows u down, but its not the end of the world unless u chose for to be. I live by Tim Mcgraws song "Live Like U Were Dying" and so far I've added 5 xtra yrs.   Just my personal opinion, but to Harry and others, never give up till the last breath!  And to the others, sorry if I bored you.....

[Danno]

If it wasn't a 3,600 mile round trip, I'd drop by to see him - with a Cheer-Him-Up Care Package!

I'd love to be able to do that! 
Harry's a great guy and deserves all that and more! 

[Art Laski]

Sending prayers and good thoughts for Harry.

[cobraman]

Harry, we miss you around here. I leave a mirror off a build and nothing !! No one here to keep us honest.  We think about you often and look forward to your health improving. Stay strong !