Jon 5-18     update and some general information
 
Jon 12-27     update and why board is still down
 
Jon 1-13     update on speech software
 
Jon 1-13     update on speech software
 

Jon, May 18, 2009 - Hello Everyone, I write at the request of a reader for an update. At this point it seems that my health may not improve greatly in the near future. Late last week I also was in an auto accident that did not require my hospitalization, but did me no good either.
     We are still a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation and if you find the site useful, please consider donating, since my only other income is Disability. I only get a small salary no matter how many donations we get, but that has dwindled to nothing lately. I am miles behind on CHF reading but don't know of any major advancements to post on the site. If you do, you can e-mail me - remove all the spaces and use the right format at :j  m  at c  h f p a  t i e n  t  s dot c  o m.
     I don't have the archives straightened completely out yet, but will try to do so as soon as possible - no messages have been lost. As to me, I have added another illness and injury to my list but haven't updated online. My PCP has me off my cane with intelligent pain management, so it could be a lot worse.
     I have not given up the idea of running this forum on at least a limited basis, but have to wait until I'm sure my meds are stable. That's it for now. Jon.

Jon, December 27, 2009 - Hi everybody, My Dragon Naturally Speaking software that lets me speak instead of typing still won't work. A Microsoft "security update" replaced a dll that Dragon requires. Nuance does not provide a solution or support and Microsoft of course cannot be reached by a normal human being for comment. Thus, I can't type more than a couple of sentences due to severe and progressive rheumatoid arthritis.
     Since the "basic" Nuance Dragon Naturally Speaking software cost would nearly bankrupt our company's entire bank account and I need the medical version (far more yet), we can't buy it. Unless one of the two companies I mentioned donates a legal copy since they screwed us completely in our view, the message board is down.
     No current scripted message board styles will work here for various reasons I can't type long enough to go into. I am sorry. However, it is 100% true that all info on this site is of great use to people with heart failure so please donate if you have used the info. By the way, I get no salary, so it all goes to keep the site running. I have found no new stunning advances in CHF treatment in two years and actually consider some "advances" a step backward.
     If you have any info relevent to any of the above, you can reach me at jm at chfpatients dot com, making that into a real e-mail address. God help us all if the current versions of legislative health care reform pass. Jon.

Jon, January 13, 2010 - Hi everybody, This is just an update. Thanks entirely to efforts by my readers, I now have had extensive technical help with my speech recognition software. No one knows if it will solve the problem but the manufacturer Nuance has sent me the newest version of the full medical software. If I can install it - and uninstallation/installation has become the main problem - I have a shot at it working. I have sunk a ton of time into fixing this or I would have updated sooner.
     I had to track down a Microsoft utility myself that Nuance was not aware of to troubleshoot and move the process forward but their tech support was excellent.
     If this does not do it, I will be looking for a different speech recognition software suite. Thank you so much for all your help. I will be working on this through the weekend and will then let you know where I stand on getting the board going and in what form. I am sorry to say that I believe right now that the re-opened board - if it reopens - will require registration for use. One thing at a time, though. Jon.

Jon, January 13, 2010 - Hello Everyone, Believe it or not, I am using my old version of Dragon software to write this post. I used my own backups and a different installation location, combined with a manual cleanup of install files to"cheat" on the entire install/repair process. I will talk to Nuance tech-support tomorrow it possible and find out if I can still upgrade to version 10, which they did send me for free, which speaks well of them.
     Unfortunately, my old user files did not load, so I will have to find a way to reload all my HTML commands that I used verbally - a very long list indeed. I hope for the best, and if I get this version or the new one of Dragon working perfectly then I will begin my search for an appropriate message board format. Here's hoping! Jon.

All information on this site is opinion only. All concepts, explanations, trials, and studies have been re-written in plain English and may contain errors. I am not a doctor. No information on this page should be used by any person to affect their treatment or situation in any way. This web site and all its pages, graphics, and content copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Jon C.