It’s been 13 months since I started living full-time in my Prius. His name is Elvis, because like the king he’s cool. He’s also blue, and Elvis had blue suede shoes. Everybody needs a buddy. Tom Hanks had Wilson the volleyball in Castaway, and I have Elvis If anyone is thinking about living in a Prius (or any other vehicle), it CAN be done. Don’t second-guess yourself or listen to dream killers who tell you to stop fantasizing. I can barely walk due to a massive stroke 3 years ago, and I make it work just fine. Matter of fact… I wish I would’ve done this years ago!!! I have nobody looking over my shoulder, no landlord or bank to slave away for, and my stress levels have fallen away considerably. I really, genuinely do have a new lease on life. Of course, every journey we take has ups & downs, and this one does too. Being a full-time nomad IS challenging at times. But so does everyday regular life, so pick your poison. I’ll choose the vagabond life every time. Prior to moving into my Prius, I researched this lifestyle for years. Every angle. And a lot of nice people assisted me along the way. So, if there’s a way that I can give back, I’d like to help others who are thinking about this lifestyle. I’ll monitor this thread moving forward, and if you have any questions about becoming a nomad, post them here. I’ll do my best to answer them after they’re posted. You can also visit my blog: https://www.carcampingdude.com/ Happy Trails! Camper Dude Joe
Nice to see your real face on your website... I always imagined you as that dude on your profile photo. Seems you're way younger than that?
Haha, I'm in my late 40's. It's funny you say that though, as there IS a story behind that profile picture. For starters, I've always been an old soul. My entire life. And that photo actually captures my essence pretty well. Secondly - and more important - the man in that photo is legendary actor Walter Huston, and it's a still shot from one of my favorite movies ever, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre". If you haven't seen it, do so...it's incredible! Anywho, before my stroke I was a metal detectorist of many years. It was my burning passion in life. And that is just one of the reasons that that movie struck a chord with me. So, I just had to use it as my profile pic. BTW, glad you chimed in, as I want to thank you again for all the great info you gave me on the Prius when starting out. If we shall ever meet on the road, the beers are on me, my friend
Curious to know what are your thoughts on your stroke? Was it something hereditary or something you could of prevented with better diet and exercise or just the luck of the draw? Or just delayed treatment? As in when people have an injury like that the rest of us wonder if there's anything we need to know to stay healthy & avoid related risks?
A guy who lives in a car should obviously be the LAST person to dispense medical advice online lol, but to answer your question very basically... Smoking, stress, weight & diet are all big factors in stroke prevention. Do all of these right and the likelihood of a stroke is very diminished. Not impossible, but slimmer chances of one occurring. I failed at all of these to some degree prior to my stroke, yet surprisingly, was still pretty healthy. However, none of these factors was the culprit. I'm 99.999% sure of the cause. I bought something in Target that was in a huge, heavy box. Instead of calling for assistance, I just hoisted it on my shoulder and carried it all the way to the register. A day or two later I had a massive headache. Suffering from migraines my whole life, I figured this was just another one. However, this headache never went away like migraines do after a few hours. It persisted for about a week or so. And the pain was getting worse and spreading. I'm old school and hate going to doctors, but the pain was so bad after 8 or 9 days that I visited my primary. She scheduled a head x-ray the next day, and the results came back fine. So... She then scheduled an MRI, but this was during peak covid when everything was backed up. The appointment for the MRI was about 3 weeks out. Sadly, a few days later I had the stroke. Remember that heavy box? Well, the hefty weight - I still vividly remember the edge of the box digging into my neck - must've compressed so strongly that it pinched my vertebral artery, and I had a dissection. The headache pain I felt was literally a small blood leak in my artery wall. And it eventually ruptured due to clotting when the stroke happened. I was foolish. I ignored the signs my body was giving me because I wanted to be manly. And I don't like doctors or hospitals. And I paid a very dear price for my foolishness. The biggest pieces of advice I can offer you - or anyone else - is to take care of your health the best that you can, and to NEVER ignore pain of any kind. Trust your gut. If something ain't right, head to the ER or your doctor as soon as possible. Maybe it'll be nothing serious. But as I learned, it's much better to be safe than sorry.
Wow... Glad you're still with us! I remember once when I was hanging out with my ICU nurse friends who referenced a situation when someone was "stroking." I was like, wow, I've never heard a stroke as a verb, but if you're an ICU nurse you have that sense of reference. Just another day on the job... But truth is soon as that blood clot that can kill you starts heading toward your brain the clock starts ticking... I'm currently dealing with the biggest bruise of my life on my right calf for an injury that wasn't painful at all but according to ggogle once you're older than 50 years old bruises get a bit hideous and slow to heal. So I look at all that purple and other colors and worry about what would happen if that gets into my bloodstream. Turns out Google said 2 weeks with same bruise is the point you need to go to doctor and mine is on pace to clear up before then, but blood clots are serious. More to point everyone needs to know the signs of a stroke and get help before it's too late:
Thanks, PC. Definitely get that bruising checked out if it doesn't start lessening soon. As I said, better to be safe than sorry If you have the time, please check out the post I put up in the gen 2 maintenance section: The Dancing Pips. You can scroll all the way down in the post to where I put the link to watch the video. Have you ever seen anything like that before with the fuel pips? Mighty strange. I just hope it's the Prius showing it's quirky side again, as opposed to something more serious brewing.
HybridHobo, I can definitely relate to parts of your story. I have never had a stroke, but I was in a relationship with my kid's mom and then we split up during the last couple of years. But the thing that particularly caught my attention was when you mentioned that you're pretty sure your stroke was caused by carrying a heavy box. I spent a few years working in the delivery business and had to move heavy packages every day. A lot of the time, I wasn't really as careful as I should have been when doing so. I ended up with a tear in my shoulder (specifically a torn labrum) and later, bulged discs in my spine. Since these were workplace injuries, they were covered as such by the company's insurance, but the reality is that it was a combination of the demands of the job, and the way I did my job (being careless sometimes about how much strain I put on my body going as I went about my day). I'm fortunate in that at this point I can basically do everyday tasks pretty much as well as I ever did, but I also felt as though my back injury could have a significant effect on me for the rest of my life (at least as far as limiting how much weight I can lift and how carefully I have to lift it). In any case, I agree with the sentiment that lifting heavy stuff can indeed hurt you more than you'd think, and that if your body tells you you're nearing the limits of your abilities, please listen to it.
Wow! I'm sure your story makes everyone overthink some life deisions. And it is great you are with us, Joe!
