It’s only a stroke, I will be back sooner than you might want
Kevin has done a great job holding down the fort here on jkOnTheRun while I have been goofing off in some hospital. He gave you the basics about my absence but it’s time to give you the real scoop as to where I have been. First up I want to give a huge THANKS to all of you who sent your well wishes, they have made me push to get back on the keyboard again which is totally therapeutic. 
Last Sunday night I was sitting in my study when I got very dizzy all at once. I sat in the chair for a couple of minutes to see if it would pass and it did not. I also noticed that the left side of my mouth was asleep, you know how it feels if you sleep on your arm and it’s tingly when you wake up? Like that. The two symptoms occurring at the same time made me fear I had/ was having a stroke given my history of cardiac affairs. My wife was not at home so I lay down for a few minutes to see if I felt better. When she arrived at home I called her in and told her I think I had a stroke and I needed to get to the hospital.
That’s where I have been since then and I have experienced a battery of tests including MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds, and a lot of blood work. The testing so far has confirmed that I experienced a mini-stroke in the back of my brain, but there is no detectable loss of function of any type as a result which is awesome! This stroke was likely caused by a heavy spike in blood pressure. My white cell count also indicated a massive infection so I may have brought something unintentional back from Vegas, maybe this could have been the reason the BP spiked up. Who knows? The three doctors who have been treating me feel I will probably be released tomorrow, which will be great as I hate hospitals. I haven’t had a decent sleep since I got here, I need to go home to rest up.
I hope that I will get to go home tomorrow, that will depend on another MRI I am scheduled to get in the morning so hopefully that test will back up what has already been determined. I am very ready to get home and to talk about all of the big things going on by some people called Apple. Be back soon!
I blame it on Vista.
Seriously, get better soon.
Ct scans, MRIs, ultrasounds? Man, I hope you have good insurance! Get out of the hospital quick. There are some really sick people there!
Glad to know that all is well. Too bad what went on in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas
Take care of yourself now and get plenty of rest. All the best.
Get some rest and get better. Sending you warm thoughts and hoping all is well soon.
JK,
Listen to your body!! Take some time out for you and your families sake.
We will still be here.
You have my best wishes
Glad to hear you are ok and hope you get better soon.
JK, you didn’t miss anything today.
Take some time off and let Kevin do what he wants to do anyway, blog full time!
Best wishes!
Hey JK. Sorry to hear. Definitely take some time off to recover. Take care man. Best regards.
James! I had no clue you were even in the hospital (I guess I missed the news?).
I’m so sorry to hear what happened, but I’m glad that it wasn’t any more serious.
Looking forward to you blogging again,
Tyler in AK
My thoughts will be with you in hoping you a speedy recovery. Don’t rush back to soon to the chaos. As said above, Kevin can hold down the fort for a bit. YOU just get better….
Cee Yaa……
So glad to hear that you’re feeling OK and will be released soon. It sounds like a scary event, but not one with lasting effects… thank god.
We have all missed you and it’s great to see your prose again.
Jamie
Jeez, James you got me scared for a moment there.
Take care of yourself you hear that?
Praying that you get to go home soon and enjoy a real bed.
it’ll all be here when you get back
I have been reading jkOnTheRun from Amsterdam for a few years now. Always up-to-date. James take care and take it serious enough to take your time to fully recover.
Regards!
James! Take it easy and take care of your self. We miss you, but we can wait…
Sending chicken soup and healing hugs from this end of Texas!
James,
You had me quite scared there for a bit and I am very happy to hear you are feeling better now. I will continue to keep you in my prayers and pray for a speedy and full recovery. Don’t rush back too soon. Kevin is doing a great job holding down the fort so don’t push it too hard buddy.
Matt
Glad to hear your (almost) back to your old self – stubborn and upbeat as always.
We missed you but take your time, just knowing your okay is enough.
Besides, I’m sure we’ll still be getting so much Apple news that you can still take your time coming back.
Take as much time as you need. We can handle kevin for you. There’s a nice iPod touch upgrade waiting for you at home.
Gordon
Take your time James. Look forward to getting you back fit and well.
I wish you all the best. I am following your blog from Germany since last year and am a big fan of your writing and your original videos.
Aren’t there any nice nurses in the hospital
JK on the mend – Do it Dude! YB
Glad to hear you are ok. Take some time to relax, Kevin is very capable of holding it down in the mean time
Get well very soon. Take it easy and take care.
Have been following you for years. I appreciate all the hard work you guys continually undertake and loved your CES coverage.
Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Fond regards from Spain, TFS
Excellent news jk. Here’s to you coming home and making an even speedier recovery.
glad to hear that you are on the road to recovery..take some time for proper R&R..your readers in London will still be here when you return
Hey James, good to see you blogging again. Take care of yourself and we look forward to seeing you at 100% real soon.
James, get well soon! We will be waiting right here
Bruno
Get well soon and take it easy !! Best wishes
Good to see your voice again. Hope you get well soon.
This isn’t because Kevin won a lot of money and you didn’t, is it?
Anyway, here’s hoping you get well soon. Just remember that no-one is indispensable. Take it easy until you’re 100% better.
Hey JK, I’m glad to hear that you’re doing better now. Get wel soon, we need you on this great site!
Glad to hear that you are doing better. Take some time off and get some rest. You are in our prayers.
James, our thoughts are with you here in the UK. Make sure you get some rest in and come back at full strenght.
Guy
Dear James – as much as you may want to get back into it, we’d all rather wait for you to be REALLY better and fully rested before you get back on the blog.
Leave it to Kevin for a couple of weeks and make sure you’re fully recovered. I like my daily dose of JK but not at the expense of your health!!
Get well mate.
All the best from Australia,
Jon :O)
I understand about getting out of the hospital,just don’t push too hard. Be well.
it’s a shot a cross the bows … please take it seriously
James, I am very sorry to hear this. After what you have been through it just doesnt seem fair. You take care of yourself first , JKOTR second. We are a loyal following,we can wait, weould rather lose you for a couple weeks then a few months because you rush something. We are here for you! (And besides that Kevin just got PAID , let him work a bit!!)
Ron P
Wishing you a speedy recovery JK, and as everyone else says, don’t rush things! Your health is all that matters.
Paul S.
It is good to hear you are on the mend James! Relax, spend time with your family and get yourself back up to full strength ….
James, your enjoyment of this blog has been so clear for so many years. It has brought light to my life and I suspect many others as well. It has been my observation that a stroke is Life’s way of reminding you there is no guarantee of tomorrow and to live each day to its fullest. I truly hope you are granted many more years to spend with all of us.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Get well soon Bud. Sorry i missed the first post from Kevin stating the situation but know that one of the OnTheRun crew has been temporarily incapacitated i’d like you know that you have my support (And i’m sure i’m not the only one sending it). Make sure you take it easy as i’d like to stress the “temporarily” bit of you being out.
Take care mate.
JR
James,
I’m glad to hear the positive report and hope you continue to improve.
Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery! Glad to hear you’ll get your rest and get to the bottom of what caused it.
Hey James! you did the RIGHT thing. I have known several people who have had strokes. Some family members and some friends. You were VERY fortunate and it’s good it was a mini one. Hopefully they gave you some blood thinners that will help the clots. The clot likely formed in your legs when you were on the airplane. I always make sure to go for walks when I travel by air as well as get up during the flight if it’s a long one. Even if it’s just a few minutes, it can help.
Get well dude!
Thankfully, writing about tech stuff is almost never “HARD” work! 
Definitely take it easy, James. Strokes run in my family (my father had a mild one, his mother a major), so I know it’s important to deal with the symptoms as soon as possible. Glad you’re approaching it with a sense of humor (as opposed to exacerbating it with stress).
Just another lurker here – but I very much enjoy your work and have for a couple years now. Please take it easy and get healthy on your own time. I have had some similar dizzy spells and spiking bp recently and I’ll now be headed to the Dr to see if I need to be concerned. All my family’s best to you.
JK, I wish you a fast recovery! Get better soon!
“It’s only…..”??????
JAMES!! It’s only a warning that you need to take better care of yourself!!
You (and Kevin) did an amazing job covering CES for those of us who couldn’t attend…… but perhaps you pushed yourself too hard!
Take some time to get better. We miss you, but Kevin is doing a great job
I will continue to keep you and your family in my prayers….you gave us all a bad scare!
James-
Wow that is a bit of a shock! I hope you have a smooth recovery, I would encourage you to slow down and take it easy for a bit. Spend some time with the family and maybe not be “on the run” so much.
Get better bud!
bill
James,
Please slow down. I’d rather read a post from you every other day than have your blood pressure up endangering your well being. Take care of yourself. Don’t stop “Run”ning, but maybe take it to a jog or so.
Your wife is probably saying the same thing. Listen to her and the rest of your family here.
Be well.
Steve
my dad suffered a stroke 2 years ago (but it was a more serious one. thankfully he became well!) your post alarmed me because it happened on the very same day as my dad’s. like what everyone else here said, get some more rest and spend time with your family. having a stroke is no joke, so we want you to get better as much as you can.
you’ll be in my prayers from now on. take care and God bless you!
Reggie from Singapore
Wishing you all the best, and get well soon.
Glad you paid attention to the symptoms and did the right thing! Be thankful you live in a city with awesome medical facilities (from a fellow Houstonian). Take a breather and we’ll tolerate Kevin for a while. Get well soon….
James, I’m with Citanic — there’s nothing “only” about a stroke, albeit mini! Please do take care, and along with the multitudes here I’m also hoping your health improves quickly and fully!
If it’s a mini-stroke (Transient Ischemic Attack), you should consider yourself warned. I had one of those in Jan. 2005, followed by the real thing. PLEASE TAKE EXTREME CARE ! I was lucky and only have minor (but permanent) side effects. Close consultation with your physician is a must here, as are daily meds.
My best wishes go out to you and your family, this is a very serious business. Gadgets are all very well and good, but you need to be around in order to get the benefits !!!
A quick Note,
I saw on another Blog that quite a few people came back from CES and were very very sick. I sent the link to Kevin, but I wanted to mention it in here in case James was reading it. You never know these days and I would hate to have the Drs miss some possibly important info, especially about the White Blood Cells being increased.
Here is a link to the Blog that was talking about many being sick (and I think James was with one of the people mentioned)
Here is tinyurl to the Blog I saw this in http://tinyurl.com/3cpyzo
Don’t want to be an alarmist, but you never know what could be going on and better safe then sorry!
Ron P
Sending warm wishes from New Zealand. JK on the run is a real web favourite but less is just fine as your good health is number 1. Can appreciate situation due 2 yrs ago as a 50 yr old I had similar experience with TIA and a subsequent MRI showing earlier non critical stroke like yours. A week of testing in hospital came up with most likely cause a hole between the chambers of my heart – Patent Formale Ovale. Surgeon said my stroke risk was reduced by 66% with a PFO closure. I assume yr hospital investigation have covered this one. Best wishes for a health renaissance in short order.
Get well soon James. Please take care of yourself.
Very scary, James. Lots of good advice posted already so I won’t add to the pile.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Speedy recovery, James.
“A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings, and learn how by his own thought to derive benefit from his illnesses.”
Hippocrates
Best wishes,
Dr. H
Glad to hear that everything is ok, I hope you are back to your regular self soon!
Hope you’re back on your feet soon, your site is full of valuable info..
Best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery, and get home soon.
There are lots of good tips in here for all of us. I think the point about the plane trip is interesting. Get well soon.
I seem to remember an old TV ad: “Take two aspirin and call me in the mornin’”, or some such.
Mainly, rest easy, and be well.
Woadan
i’m late to this party but I wish you a speedy recovery james… don’t push yourself too hard, and never tell anyone what happened in vegas to cause this.
heath
James: Glad that nothing serious seems to have happened. Get well soon.
On a different note, if anyone else experiences these types of symptoms, DON’T wait! Call for help immediately! The brain you save will be yours…
James: Glad that nothing serious seems to have happened. Get well soon.
On a different note, if anyone else experiences these types of symptoms, DON’T wait! Call for help immediately! The brain you save will be yours…
Funny how one can become connected with someone else only be reading that persons blogs (ok and listening to iTunes). Glad to hear that you’re doing better. Take your time, but looking forward to your complete return.
Get well soon James! You’re in my prayers! Take it easy and play with some of your cool gadgets.
Hey James,
Take care of yourself! I hope your recovery is speedy and complete.
I’m at higher than usual risk for stroke or coronary problems myself and I’m terrified of them. It’s comforting to see you taking yours with a sense of humor.
I’m glad you’re alright… Take care!
Get Well Soon James.
Apparently my “get well” post didn’t actually post when I used my mobile browser.
Anyway, I just wanted to add my well wishes to the list. I had been neglecting my feeds recently, so didn’t read about this news until last night. I see you’re back to blogging already, but please take it easy! Your body is trying to tell you to slow down and rest up. Hope your return to 100% health is speedy.