8 replies to this topic

[brzghoff]

 

it was ten years ago last week that i transitioned off effexor and onto cymbalta. not gonna mourn the years, i still had good times, did good things and laughed and loved with those close and dear to me. however, its amazing how time flies.

 

it was ten years ago today (about a week after getting onto the C) that i woke up to the aftermath of hurricane charley that smacked into my central florida town with 100+ mph winds ripping limbs from the trees and trees from their roots. i spent the night under my dining room table listening to tree branches tear from their trunks and slam into the house - again and again. i awoke the next morning, i jumped up looked out the window and all i saw were the crowns of grand old oaks - once in the sky now on the ground. i could barely step off the porch. there was nothing but tangles of branches everywhere. there was no yard anymore! we live on acres of jungle... 100's of trees were down. we couldn't get off the property for three days. our 550 foot driveway was impassable by car - we had to climb over and under not only the trunks of trees - but through their branches that stretched across rather than up. it was so overwhelming. i couldn't fathom how we could begin to clean up this mess. a helicopter circled overhead waiting for a thumbs up from us to give them the all clear that we were okay. that's when it hit me. some people may not be okay. they were worried about us being okay. was it really that bad? 

 

trees everywhere but none hit the house! t.we lost power for 3 weeks. we got it back just in time for hurricane frances to come around. she took out more trees but it was the 20 inches of rain that cut us off again the water rose until our house was surrounded. power was only out for 2 weeks that time. three more weeks and hurricane jeanne came knocking, but we were spared - just some wind and rain. we lost power for only ten minutes! yay!

 

at that point in time the effexor pooped out and that's why the p-doc put me on the "C". i have to admit, in the short term that was probably what helped me get through it all. everything was put into perspective for me by the following august when katrina passed through new orleans and the mississippi gulf coast. my heart hurt. what i went through was nothing. 

 

i know where trying in florida lives was also in the path of charley and francis - hey TFL, were you living there then?

[FiveNotions]

oh Brzghoff ... what a tale of survival and courage and "don't give up-edness"!! Thank you for sharing that... a huge chunk of your life, and some huge events ... No wonder you've been able to battle "hurricane crapalta" and the "anxiety bear" ... and win!

[ZappAlta]

What a read ' Thumbs up' to bravery

[Tinker]

Wow what a story! Three hurricanes in such a short space of time, I can only imagine how stressful that would of been.

[Carleeta]

Brzghoff. What a total amazing survival struggle you encountered. Goose bumps all over my body just reading this. Visions of these hurricans came back to mind as I watched them on TWC and I was in disbelief then that nature does have its negative side. At the time I didn't know anyone in the region of FL were these hurricanes hit. As years past now, most individuals who were leaving our area to move to FL changed their mind. Living in NYC it's hard to image what these hurricanes have been like for individuals like yourself. It's certainly understandable why Cymbalta was to your advantage at those horrific times. I can almost feel your fear as you described these events. Looking back for you was challenging, and your strength just to get through these weeks, after weeks, were amazing. Thumbs up to you for your courage, strength, and great survival techniques.

The closest I came to any devastation was 5 hours away from 9/11... and then again, I was 5 hours away, and that now is going to be 13 years in September.

God Bless you.....

[TryinginFL]

Well, better late than never, I guess!  I just found this thread - it was started the nite I got back from my trip to HELL. (Hawaii)

 

I was living close to Tampa at that time and we had lots of wind and rain but not the horrible effects that brzghoff had.  My mother was living in the house I'm in now (right through Charley, etc) but was out of town when it hit.  I had to drive here to check out the house and remove everything from the fridge and freezer.  Patio and yard was a mess, but she was lucky - just slight damage to the roof which was taken care of by insurance.  My grandparents built this house in 1957 and it will probably be here forever! It also sits on a hill - this is the "ridge" of FL.

 

I was very lucky at that time - I know how bad it was in the middle of the state.

[Carleeta]

TryinginFl...God Bless you for living in Florida and through the hurricane season. I love Florda in the winter and springtime, although I've only been there in July once and it was to visit Disney. At the time I was there I knew not to go outside during daytime hours. I can't imagine hurricane season. My family comes up here during this season because they can't get used to the hurricanes either. You are stronger than you think.

I'm hoping each day you are feeling a bit better after your horrific trip...

[brzghoff]

 

thanks for the props gang. however, i didn't feel brave ;-) these days, folks around here look back on the experience as a common bond between us. i was watching a "ten years later" special yesterday produced by one of the local tv station's weather team. one thing that stood out that i didn't experience as much were the stories of neighbors in the suburbs who supported each other through the power outages. maybe one person on the block would have a gas stove so the whole street would gather on their from porch and have big meals together. stuff like that. they talked about bonding with each other where before the storm they barely knew each other. really touching stuff. for me, i live out on the country so we don't have as many neighbors and we tend to be a lot more "self sufficient" although we did check up on each other as best we could. a friend who lived across the street from us brought his chain saw over - so he and my husband, who also had a chain saw were able to cut up the stuff in the driveway together. it still took three days but without him it would have taken twice that long. 

 

the weather folk are keeping an eye on a tropical "disturbance" that is likely to become a tropical storm and a few models show it could swing our way, its usually the bermuda high that dictates where the storms go. they expect it to reach minor hurricane status - which usually means lots of rain and wind but nothing really "harrowing". if we got any bad weather from it - would be around wednesday

[Carleeta]

 

 

thanks for the props gang. however, i didn't feel brave ;-) these days, folks around here look back on the experience as a common bond between us. i was watching a "ten years later" special yesterday produced by one of the local tv station's weather team. one thing that stood out that i didn't experience as much were the stories of neighbors in the suburbs who supported each other through the power outages. maybe one person on the block would have a gas stove so the whole street would gather on their from porch and have big meals together. stuff like that. they talked about bonding with each other where before the storm they barely knew each other. really touching stuff. for me, i live out on the country so we don't have as many neighbors and we tend to be a lot more "self sufficient" although we did check up on each other as best we could. a friend who lived across the street from us brought his chain saw over - so he and my husband, who also had a chain saw were able to cut up the stuff in the driveway together. it still took three days but without him it would have taken twice that long. 

 

the weather folk are keeping an eye on a tropical "disturbance" that is likely to become a tropical storm and a few models show it could swing our way, its usually the bermuda high that dictates where the storms go. they expect it to reach minor hurricane status - which usually means lots of rain and wind but nothing really "harrowing". if we got any bad weather from it - would be around wednesday

 

I can only imagine what it was like to see this ten year program and to remember It first hand.  I still fee your are a courageous person.  We may get much snow, ice and cold temperatures, although it's nothing like what you ever experienced and three times at that.  I'll keep my eye on the weather channel and this tropical storm you mentioned may be heading your way.  Lets just all hope to goes in another direction and does not hit any land.....