End of Year Inspirational Post

I am writing only because it is my last chance to get something in for this year. 

I am at work right now and just waiting for noon to arrive. Then I will go out with whatever co-workers show up at a local bar and hoist a tankard of ale...or two.

Then I have a special project at home that I will post about on the other blog...thereby creating an end of year post there as well.

Sorry for the subterfuge of this being an inspirational post. But at least it got you to read it.

Happy New Year!

Wednesday Morning Doctor Visits

I had a busy morning or Doctor appointments. First it was Dr O'Connor, my G.P. at 7:15. We talked about my knee and that I was getting the surgery to remove the bone chip. The reason for the appointment was to evaluate my potassium levels after having doubled my dosage last visit. It does not appear to be effecting the wheezing and shortness of breath I continue to deal with.

They gave me breathing treatment where I inhaled a magical mist for about 5 minutes. Also, something that didn't seem to help or hurt my breathing.

Next I treated myself to breakfast at Dolly's Cafe. Nuthin' better that a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs. 

After that I drove over to the Deaconess Hospital area where I got an EKG for the Doctor who will be doing the knee surgery. I was in and out of there in 20 minutes.

I finished up my morning Doctor duties with a visit to Inland Imaging for a Chest X-Ray. Again, in and out in 20 minutes.

I managed to make it in to work just before 10:00, where I have been toiling dutifully for the last couple of hours...right up until the time I started typing this post.

Bone Chip Compression

It has now been two weeks since my knee went bad. The surgery is scheduled for January 21st, so by the time I get this bone chip removed, I will have been hobbled for over a month.

The funny thing is that my left knee is not bothering me all that badly. I still walk with a limp but it's pretty slight...getting slighter every day. It bothers me most at night when I lie on my back and try to straighten my leg. I wonder if I'm compressing the bone chip the more I walk on it. 

I have a north side Doctor's appointment tomorrow morning with Dr. O'Connor, my G.P. After that, I have to run downtown to N.W. Orthopedics for an E.K.G. I think I'm building up a crap load more medical fees.

No Ski for Gimpy

I have finally managed to get scheduled for Arthroscopic Surgery but it's almost a month away. That means I have to start my deductible all over again AND it means no skiing before then either. 

Considering all the snow we have been getting, that really sucks! We got about three more inches last night and they are expecting another four today, although that looks optimistic. 

Nonetheless, I would like to be skiing and enjoying this winter weather. We got none of this kind of snowfall last year. I'm certain we have more snow on the ground right now than fell all of last season.

No Calls from Knee Doctor

Well, here it is, Wednesday and I have not heard from the Doctor's at Northwest Orthopedics. I called in yesterday and stressed that I would like to get this surgery scheduled before the end of the year when my Insurance Deductible rolls back to zero.

I'm able to motor around pretty well considering. I can almost straighten my leg, but not quite. It sure makes getting a good nights sleep difficult.

I was out early with the Snow Blower this morning. It snowed a couple of inches overnight and has continued to snow sporadically throughout the day.

I should be out limping around behind the snow blower again tonight.

Knee Knews

I made it into the Orthopedist office today. The bone chip managed to stay in place. The guy that saw me said he had not run up against anything like my condition. He was the P.A., not the Doctor.

From looking at the x-rays, you can see that my bone chip has settled down in between the bones right at the joint and is quite comfortable there. 

They are going to call me on Monday or Tuesday (probably Tuesday) to set an appointment to remove it.

Rodilla - Día Cuatro

I finally started using the cane today because my calf is soooooo sore. I can't say that it's making any kind of a difference. But then again, I haven't been using it that long.

The odd thing I've noticed is that the leg is very stiff when I first get up from a chair. As I walk around and the more I walk around, the looser it seems to get. That makes sense. I'm almost to a point where I can completely straighten my leg. When I get to that point, I can almost walk without a limp.

But there is that last 8% of extension that is just not going to happen. I'm really wondering when this bone fragment is going to slip out of place. And as I say that, I can tell you when it will slip out. As I am walking into the Orthopedists office at 3:00 tomorrow!

Knee - Day Three

We awoke to snow this morning. Just a couple of inches. It's wet and it's heavy and I expect it to be melted away soon.

The knee issue continues! It's very close to straightening out completely, but there is that last little bit that becomes very painful when I try to go all the way. 

Because I'm walking on it weird and using different muscles, I have a sore calf. 

I have done some research and found that I saw the Orthopedist, Dr. Michael Kody, four years ago. You can refer to posts from November of 2011 and see the x-ray of my knee.

I'm calling the doctor today because it is time to get this fixed. This has never held on this long. It is time to remove this annoying little bone fragment.

I should have had the surgery done four years ago. Then it would be a distant memory and most likely paid off by now. 

I remember the main reason I didn't do it then because we were going to Iowa for Christmas and I didn't want to be struggling around on crutches.

Knee - Day Two

This is now officially, the longest my knee has remained locked up. I'm at 36 hours since it engaged and it shows no signs that it is going to release any time soon. 

If it is still locked up tomorrow, I will start calling around to make arrangements to get it fixed.

I have already developed a sore calf on my left leg from hobbling around on it. I assume the calf muscle is tired from the new way I walk and is not used to the new muscles I'm using.

The Knee Returns

It has been since September 7th, 2014 that my knee has gone out. That's the trick left knee with the bone fragment floating around. Every once and a while the bone fragment moves into just the right position to prevent me from fully extending my leg.

It occurred this morning at 4:30. That's when I straightened my leg as I slept and the pain woke me up. It is exquisite pain. There is no way to straighten my leg without feeling the pain.

It will end at some point, I'm hoping sooner than later, just as it started; with no notice.

I shall report here!

Thoracentesis - the Day After

I went to bed still unable to take a full breath and feeling the pain from the area of the incision. When I laid down in bed, I was able to take a slow full breath although I still sounded rattly.

I awoke this morning feeling pretty good but rattly for just a while. As I moved around and got my day started, the rattle went away.

I was able to run up the stairs without feeling short of breath so that is an improvement.

In any event, I believe this procedure worked for me and improved the quality of my life by 13%.

Just 87% to go now!

I left work early today for a Medical appointment at the Holy Family Medical Building. I checked in to Inland Imaging at about 2:40 for a 2:45 appointment. I was called in at 3 and outta there by 3:30.

The procedure is called Thoracentesis, which is the draining of fluid from the around the lungs. Let's see what Mr. Dictionary says.

thoracentesis

[thawr-uh-sen-tee-sis, thohr-] 

• Word Origin

noun, plural thoracenteses 

 [thawr-uh-sen-tee-seez, thohr-] 

1.

insertion of a hollow needle or similar instrument into the pleural cavityof the 

chest in order to drain pleural fluid.

I sat on a bed with my arms in front of me on a table, propped up on a pillow. The Doctor (Dr Simmington) poked me with a needle to numb up the area. I couldn't see where he was working so I don't really know the particulars about needle size and how much hosing they stuck in me. He went in on my left side and half way up my back, just out of my ability to see what he was doing.

I had a couple of small twinges of discomfort as he feed the hose in but nothing I couldn't handle...and remember, I'm a pussy!

Once they extracted a sample for biopsy, they turned on a pump and sucked 750 ml out of me. The fluid was reddish brown and watery. It tasted like gumbo. (Not really. As far as I know, nobody tasted it.)

Then the nurse removed the hosery, slapped a band-aid on me and I was off.

I am sore right now on that side of my body and I can't take a full breath of air without feeling some pain. Also, I'm very rattly. The nurse said that is my lung re-expanding and should be gone soon.

So now I am off to paint a sky walk.

To Breathe or Not to Breathe

I am writing today to report on the state of my respiratory health...which is very poor.

For the second time in a week, I was forced out of bed by the inability to get a breath. I take large gulping breaths, straining to get some air but it is not at all satisfying. This gasping for air lasts ten to fifteen minutes and then I get back to normal.

The problem is that even normal is not great for me right now.

I have been complaining for well over a year now about my breathing. It started as a small gasp when I'm talking. I would be suddenly unable to utter a word as I struggled for a breath.

Now I have no stamina, running out of breath when I climb the stairs. My doctor has prescribed an inhaler for me, which I have tried to use sparingly and does not appear to work during events like this morning.

I have an appointment with a Respiratory Specialist on Tuesday. I have already had a CT Scan of my lungs where somebody made a notation that it looks like I've been exposed to asbestos. I want to follow up on that.

Bad Walking Man

Man...I am out of shape! I had better make a change RIGHT NOW!

I did the mile and a half walk today and did it in 28:48.9, which is comparable to past efforts. I now have access to a pedometer and I can report that it took about 3,200 steps.

I am pleased to have completed the walk but I can tell you I have work to do. I was noticeably winded when I walked into the office.

I left the office and walked east down Appleway to Molter Road. I am walking into the wind but it is not an issue at this point. I turned on Molter and headed, slightly uphill, toward Mission. 

As I approach the intersection of Molter and Mission, there is a young mother crossing the opposite side of the street and pushing a stroller. We reach the corner evenly and are heading west down Mission, so I'm going to use her to pace myself. 

Oh no I'm not!

I did an okay job of keeping even with her but she definitely moved ahead by the time we got to Signal Avenue, where I turned to the north.

When I got to the next corner and turned east for my last leg of the walk, I was again walking into the wind and this time, it was an issue. I was huffing and puffing much more than I would have expected.

I managed to burn 200 calories in the process. I really need to make a concerted effort to keep this up! Let's see if I do.

No wagering!

Dr O'Connor Fall Visit

I had a regularly scheduled Doctor's appointment this morning. Part of the appointment was to follow up on my Mesenteric Adenitis. It turns out he ran into four cases of it during that week. But I had it the worst! So I have that to boast about. Plus, I had a couple of issues to discuss. Number One: I had a lung evaluation a couple of months ago and I had not heard the results. Fortunately, Dr. O'Connor was able to access them. I have a moderate lung obstruction. I don't think that is the correct phrasing and I'll try to correct it when I get the written report.

Dr. O'Connor put me on an inhaler. He said to use it when I felt out of breath. I will get it, but I will use it sparingly. It seems to me that once you start something like an inhaler, you start the process of becoming attached to the inhaler.

He is also sending me in for a CT scan on my Lungs. It's supposed to take a good close look at my lung tissue in order to get a better idea of what's going on.

Mt second issue was gout related. I told him what was happening and part of it is due to poor food choices. I have a prescription for a drug called Colcrys, which helps to relieve Gout flare ups. I still have some and took it last week when I had the gout pain.

He has renewed that prescription for me. I seem to recall that it was a very expensive drug.

I find out soon!

The Return of Goat

I am suffering the Gout. 

It started two days ago when my right heal started to get sore. Now my right knee has added to the party. 

I'm going to give up beer for the weekend and see if that is my trigger. I'm going to hate it if it is because I really like my beer.

It's really killing me though. I'm walking around like an 80 year old who just got clipped in a parking lot after getting out of leg amputation surgery while chewing on a Vicodin. If I sit for any length of time, I really freeze up.

Reunion Weekend

I have survived the weekend and am feeling close to almost 100 percent.


The reunion has come and gone and I think everyone had a great time.


I saw people I haven't seen in nearly 40 years.


I think there was a total of 17 of us that showed up over the course of the weekend. Not bad for a class of 27 with only one no longer with us.


We had a bunch of us together Friday night for the opening reception.


On Saturday, we went out to school and toured the grounds, had a barbeque and sat around and talked. A few of us even jumped in the river.


This morning, we met for coffee at the Rocket Bakery downtown.


Today was also the eighth running of SpokeFest, a community bicycle ride that Susan and I have done every year since it started. We were both feeling a little iffy so we opted for the one mile course around the park which makes us able to claim that we participated. Then we met everyone at the Rocket.


Now we are home and just taking things easy.

Mesenteric Adenitis

I have returned from the Doctor's office and I am feeling a little bit better. I'm getting past the bug. It's right in the nick of time too because my 40th High School Reunion is this weekend...starting tonight at 6.


My old friends and classmates Arnie and Mike are coming in to town tonight and spending the weekend here with us.


My Doc determined that I have a semi rare ailment called Mesenteric Adenitis. It is a stomach virus that causes inflammation of the lymph nodes in the G.I. tract. That swelling is probably what caused the back pain.


I am feeling better and plan to attend the event tonight although I don't think I will be drinking any wine.

A Visit to E.R.

When Susan got home last night I suggested we go to the Emergency Room. I started thinking that the symptoms I was having might relate to a heart issue. We got down to Deaconess about 7PM and they ran a battery of tests on me. X-ray, EKG, CT Scan, blood.


It turns out to be nothing with my heart. The Doctor at the E.R. thought I had a weird stomach virus.


I've called Dr. O'Connor to follow up and they can get me in on Friday at 9. In the meantime, I have some pills to take for pain but I'm pretty uncomfortable. I guess I will be for the next couple of days.


It's a great time to be a wimp!

Pile of Crap

I left work early today feeling pretty crappy.


About mid morning I started feeling a sore lower back and upset stomach. Went out at lunch and just reclined in the car. I ended up leaving about two.


I don't know what this is but I sure feel crummy.

Unscheduled Monday Post

I had a nearly perfect drive to work this morning.

A perfect drive would be smoothly driving all the way to work without a traffic light or major course revision.

I got stopped at only two lights and the transit was otherwise unremarkable.

The first light that stopped me was at Spokane Falls Blvd and Browne. The second was the light off the freeway at Liberty Lake.

I'm hoping it's an adumbration of a smooth week to come.

Respiratory Exam

I had my Lung Evaluation this morning.

It took about 20 minutes and it involved me sitting in a little booth and blowing into the mouthpiece attached to a computer. The technician had me do a number of breathing tests. I would breath normally and then should would tell me to take a deep breath, hold it, and exhale quickly.

I have to wait now for a response from my Doctor who will get the results from this Respiratory Doctor. 

Then we may have something to work with and fix my crappy breathing.

Medical Update

I have recovered fine from the sun burn. I'm not even getting a lot of pealing skin, which I was expecting.

I had an appointment with my G.P. last week and all seemed to go well. All my numbers were good with Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Triglycerides and all the other ides and oma's.

I complained about my breathing and Dr. O'Connor decided to send me in for a lung test. My appointment is tomorrow morning at 9. I'll check back here and release the results.

My Gouty Knee is basically under control as well right now. I've been messing around with my bottles of Colcrys and Allopurinol to get the soreness out of my right knee. I'm close to having to refill several prescriptions including Allopurinol and definitely want to be sure I don't run out.

Second Day Degree Burns

Perhaps one more unpleasant night and then I will be fine.

Even Susan got burned. She slathered up her arms and legs but missed her chest and stomach. She is quite tender too.

Lobster Man

I think my issues with my right knee are gout related. I stopped taking my Allopurinol (Gout Medication) and switched over to ColCrys (Another Gout Medication). The ColCrys is more for an active inflammation and the Allopurinol is for keeping inflammations away.

My childhood pal Arnie was in town over the weekend and that required a visit to our mutual childhood friend Rob out at Coeur d'Alene lake.

Rob has a lovely family cabin and the weather was perfect for being at the lake.

We went out Saturday and spent the night and then returned to town about 1:30 on Sunday afternoon. We wanted to take Arnie to Arbor Crest Winery for the Sunday night concert.

But first we spent a couple of hours down on the dock. I was in the water a lot so I didn't bother to slather up with sunscreen. I am paying for it now. My belly is bright red and tender. I think I'm going to die.

Not really...but I'm in for a couple of days of tenderness. This picture does not represent the redness.

I'm a dumbass!

Knee Stuff

I'm having an issue with my right knee.

The right knee looks puffier than my left knee. I don't think the picture really shows the detail I wanted to show.

Anyway, I started feeling the pain on Sunday or Monday. It was very slight and I did not bash it or bang it into anything.

The pain started from slight to fairly intense last night. I walk without a limp but it takes a couple of steps to get to no limp.

Again, I'm not complaining. I'm documenting.

Heart Monitor

I just finished wearing a Heart Monitor for 24 hours. My cardiologist is trying to figure out how often my heart beats irregularly.

I had my semi-annual appointment with my Electro-Cardiologist yesterday. Dr. Byazrova is a tiny little woman from India. That's where I think she's from. I like her. She is very competent and thorough.

I was complaining about my respiratory issues and she decided it would be a good idea to wear the heart monitor and find out the habits of my heart.

I have to take the heart monitor back to the office today so they can analyze the data and decide what to do next.

I don't know if the past 24 hours was very typical for me. It is still raging hot and so I didn't do anything very active last night. It was a great deal of fun trying to sleep with it last night.

So, as I said, what happens next has to do with whatever this monitor recorded over the last day.

50 Shades of Awesome

I have successfully completed the Color Me Rad run.

It was Saturday morning out at the local race track. It was all pretty well organized and went smoothly until it was time to leave. We sat in one spot in the parking lot for 20 minutes before I wised up and moved to a different part of the parking lot and then easily usurped the line and got the hell outta thar.

These are some of the other members of my Team, 50 Shades of Awesome. That's Christa, Susan and Ellen.

I must admit that the three miles was a challenge. I wasn't out of breath or anything but my feet were going numb. I have to get out and walk more.

As well as the activity of the fun run, I had a great active weekend in the remodeling mode.

The Plumbers are coming on Wednesday and I have to have the bathroom space prepared for them. The means the floor and ceiling pulled up. I managed to get it done but I was beat afterwards.

Color Walkin'

I haven't been very good about my walking schedule lately but I'm trying to get back into it. I walked today. I walked for about 30 minutes. I know it's doing me some good because I had a sore butt when I got back to the office.

I walked earlier this week but it was a really hot day, and the heat cut my walk short. I think we broke a temperature record for that day.

I felt I had better get out there in record some mileage as I am participating in a run tomorrow. It's called the Color Me Rad fun run.

It's a three mile course where they shoot you with paint balls. we are supposed to wear nice white clothes that will end up getting spattered with a collage of color.

I'm not running it. It will be a walk.

Nothing to Report

I'm back again but with not much of anything to report.

I don't have any health issues to talk about, which I think is a plus. I don't have any house project issues to talk about because we are in a holding pattern. We have some plumbing issues to work out and that has us in limbo until they are resolved.

Unfortunately, resolution involves getting the plumbers to come in and look at what we gots. That's right, I said "gots".

Anyway, thanks for checking in.

Activity Since Last Post

I haven't written in quite some time. You might have thought I died. You can relax now.

In the time since I last posted, Susan and I drove to California to visit my mom in Rancho Mirage. We took three days to drive down, spent four days in the sun, and drove back in three days.

It cost us about $600.00 to make the trip. That includes motels and meals and gas. It would have cost us over $800.00 to fly, per person. I know the extra 200 to 400 and something would have bought us more time with mom. But we really liked the drive.

We listened to a couple of books on tape. We stopped and saw my sister on the way down and my buddy Arnie on the way back up. I like the freedom of having a vehicle with me.

Besides, we drove down in Mom's BMW convertible. The convertible part was not on issue for the ride down because it was packed so tight we could not have put the top down.

But once we hit the desert, it was top down time. The weather was very temperate while we were there. Mom is living quite the life of luxury with her friend Margie and the other rich ladies they hang out with down there.

It was nice to have access to that lifestyle, even if it is from afar.

Gouting

I had my follow up appointment with Dr O'Connor today concerning my recent angio-activity. He's my G.P. All seems to be okay with the heart issues...except for the usual thing where my stamina has deminished. The hope is that walking will help with that.

After consulting with me, he agreed with me that my knee discomfort was probably gout related and we prescribed more Alopurinol for me.

I'm going to try and change my Furosemide to an evening dose rather than a morning dose. I'm hoping I'll be able to get all the peeing out of my system before bed and then be good for the next day. I'm going to try and take it a 8 PM. That should cover the two solid hours of activity preceding the taking of the pills.

Wish me luck!

The Ballad of the Bladder

I have discussed this before so I apologize for the repetition.

I am taking a diuretic because I am retaining water and it likes to hang out around my heart. So, in the morning, I take two tablets and a potassium pill.

Each day, the first couple of hours at work are spent trying to accomplish something in between visit to the bathroom.

I had the opportunity today during one of my visits to write a little haiku.

The pills make me pee.
It seems to be all I do.
Please just shoot me now!

Sometimes during my visits, it becomes clear that I must sit down. So I stop what I'm doing and sit, and my body says, "Just kidding! No need to sit."

Then I stand up and my body says, "Not so fast, Cowboy!"

Really, just shoot me now!

Monday Health Report

The knee is slowly returning to normal but it's still a pain to get around. We went on a walk yesterday and I did fine, but it's still a bit of a struggle.

I'm writing this right now because I just plunged my Xacto knife into my palm. It's a nice deep cut. I have a Band-Aid on it and it does not appear to be gushing blood. However, I am working and using my hands and stuff and it is going to be leaking. I already dropped blood on a decal.

We'll see how it goes!

Not Fast Enough

I weighed in at 213.something this morning.

The knee continues to vex me. I think it is improving and I think it is gout related. Just the way it came on, suddenly, gradually and without apparent cause. Gout pain in the knee is different than gout pain in the toe. In the toe, it is crippling. In the knee, it is annoying.

In any event, I have resumed taking the gout medicine that I have had waiting in the wings. I believe it is helping. Just not fast enough.

Aches, Pains and Complaing About It

I'm not one to complain.

That's why this Blog is so good for me. I can complain here and if you don't want to read it, you don't have to.

Actually, I'm not complaining as much as I am chronicling. I want to write down notes about my little aches and pains so I can reference it in the future when it turns into cancer. I'll be able to say, "This is where it started!"

At some point yesterday, I think it was first thing in the morning, I noticed a slight pain in my left knee. I know it wasn't there when we were walking on Sunday, but perhaps the walking aggravated it.

I was okay throughout the day but I knew it was still there.

When I went to bed last night, it was slightly sharper than it had been.

Sometime during the night, it became a very sharp pain and the only comfortable position to sleep in was on my stomach with my leg extended.

It really hurt this morning. I had to take the stairs one at a time and cursed having a two story house. Once, I was up and moving around, the sharpness of the pain subsided but I still feel it.

I have not banged or bumped anything. There is no swelling or discoloration. Perhaps I'm getting arthritis. Perhaps I'm just getting old. I'm betting it's cancer!

Active Weekend

We had a very active, productive weekend and I guess I am feeling it this morning.

Saturday was the neighborhood Garbage Day. Sponsored through the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Committee, this was the fifth year we set up dumpsters at a neighborhood church and allowed residents of E-G to dump all they could haul.

Surprisingly, it wasn't as busy as it was last year and yet, we still filled 8 dumpsters.

I climbed this very steep hill behind the church to get an aerial  view of the event. I was huffing and puking when I got about half way up.

The dump day ended at one o'clock and I got home and set to work on cleaning the front porch. It needed a good hosing down.

There were a bunch of other little chores I got to and Susan and I even visited the Hub Tavern for too many beers. We even got an Ambulance Special beer.

On Sunday after church, I made a quick walk around the park but included a hill to punch things up. I made the trek okay but I'm still a loooooong way off from where I want to be.

Walking Report

I'm am writing today at 213 pounds. Just kind of slowly chipping away at the weight...but not really.

It's a beautiful day and I got a good solid 20 minute walk in. It felt good but It wasn't terribly challenging. It's pretty flat out here at Liberty Lake.

I need to think about bringing the canoe to work and go for a paddle at lunch. That would be a very enjoyable lunch function.

Self Entitled Doosh Rant

It's difficult to get out of Liberty Lake at the end of the work day.

If I am in the car at 4:29 to 4:31, I'm generally okay and get down the road (Appleway) pretty quick. If it is after 4:35, the line to turn right at the light onto the overpass can be really long. And when I say long, it takes about three to five minutes to get to the light. So, relatively speaking, it doesn't take terribly long.

However, it is the end of the day and everyone is in their NarcissisMobile, which means it's "ALLABOUTME" and nobody wants to wait.

One way to bypass the line is to cut through the Albertson's parking lot and get onto Liberty Lake Drive, where the line is shorter. You easily cut in line in front of everyone on Appleway without anyone realizing that you are cutting in line. I do it all the time.

Last night, I watched a Prius dart out a few cars behind me and head down Appleway in the lane that requires you to go straight at the light. This doosh drove all the way down to the light, passing at least 20 cars, and when the light turned green, picked its spot and turned wide right; effectively saying, "Screw you all! Let me in!!I'm much more important than you!!!"

I was incensed. I was road raging. I was amazed at the balls and temerity of this doosh bag. I had to see this guy and get a good look at what a DOOSH looks like. Especially a self entitled, Prius Driving, Watch Me Save the Earth FUCKtard Doosh.

I was able to keep up but the Prius driver really wanted to get home. I finally caught up and passed between Pines and Argonne and was surprised to discover that the afore mentioned FUCKtard looks just like a 20-something female woman.

I kept thinking about this person off and on through the night and kept trying to come up with different ways to shame her. She needs to be shamed. We get in our cars and everything is about us. It's Planet Stan and everyone is in my way!

It finally occurred to me on my drive in this morning to stop wasting time thinking about this Cretan. It does me no good other than to raise my blood pressure. I'm never going to change her!

Forgive her, Love her and stop thinking about her.

I'm much happier now

Bitten

I weighed in at 215 this morning. So the blood donation helped.

The big news though is that I finally made my goal of beating the 17 minute mile. I did my mile walk around the park last evening in 16:19.5.

I was huffing and puffing and really kind of sore in the legs. I could feel the slightest little essence of a possible shin splint.

I was surprised I beat the goal by 40 seconds. Now I have to focus on breaking 16 minutes.

On Sunday, I noticed I had several bites on my thigh and chest. A few more have popped up on my other leg. Susan has not been bitten so I'm not sure where these are coming from. I haven't been wearing shorts outside so I don't think I'm getting bitten while working in the yard. Hell, I haven't worked in the yard all that much yet.

I'll be keeping an eye on this.

Mr Commitment

I can't seem to get below 216. I'm just not trying hard enough. I'm making a commitment to watch what I eat and walk EVERY DAY!  EVERY DAY!

It's supposed to rain today so I brought a hat because I am going to walk.

Also, I'll lose a little extra today because I plan on donating blood this afternoon.

Back to Walkin'

Todays' weight was 215.something.

I finally got out on a walk. Torrential rain and being a puss combined to keep me off the walking for the last several days.

I did the mile and a half, Liberty Lake course today and here are my stats.

First Leg:      07:08.7
Second Leg: 06.56.5
Third Leg:    08:43.9
Fourth Leg:  02:16.5
Total Time:  28:45.5

I'm just four seconds slower than when I walked it on March 18th, which is expected after a few days layoff.

Mo' Scale Wars

I have stated many times here that we do not trust the bathroom scale. So when I climbed on this morning and it said 214, I didn't get too excited. But when I got on a second time and got 214.5, that was enough for me to accept.

I finally get to meet with my Cardiologist this Friday and I would like to shed as much weight as possible.

Scale Wars

My continuing fight with the scale is continuing to continue on a continuing basis.

I weighed myself three times this morning and finally settled on 214.6 poundages.

Since I was feeling particularly wheezy yesterday I decided I had better get on my diuretic. I took it again today and as of right now...approaching ten o'clock...I have been to the bathroom four times. I'll bet I've lost another pound by now.

I received a hand written note from the Butt Doctor yesterday. It was very short and it said, "No candle in porthole."

That didn't make a lot of sense to Susan or I. We didn't think the Butt Doctor even knew if we had a porthole and he really had no business checking out our candles, so we continued to try to decipher.

Using the concept of context, we decided the Doctor wrote, "No cancer in polyp." But we're still not really sure.

Later that Day: I walked when I got home and did the mile in 17:16.8.

Walk Talk 2015-03-18

Welcome to Walk Talk, a brief synopsis of todays' walk.

I walked my Half Mile Liberty Lake course today. Because I love data, I recorded my times at each corner of the route.

Mt times are as follows:
Corner 1: 06:39.5
Corner 2: 07:06.6
Corner 3: 08:53.1
Corner 4: 02:17.8

Total Walk Time: 28:41.0

There is a very slight grade from Corner 1 to Corner 2 and I felt every inch of it. I was pretty winded when I returned to the office. I was one minute and se7en seconds slower than my initial pace setting walk.

I am not surprised. I feel like I've had a slight setback since avoiding the water after the Colonoscopy.

Post St Patrick's Report

No walk yesterday so it is imperative I get out there today. I'm feeling kind of wheezy today. Woke up feeling it was difficult to breathe.

I managed to remember to take my diuretic pills this morning and am visiting the bathroom regularly. Hopefully, my ability to take a deep breath will return by lunch.

My weight was 116.0 this morning.

Despite the Heading, there's nothing here about St. Pat's Day.

Trying to Remember Not to Forget

I forgot to weigh myself again this morning but I'm beginning to think I'm forgetting on purpose.

In any event, I resumed the Hydro Water today and put in ten drops. I think I'm actually feeling the effects of being off it for three days. I've been pretty wheezy all day.

I just returned from my walk and I did the mile in 18:04.8. I believe that is a new record. I was very winded when I got back to the house but it felt great. My goal now is to get to a 16 minute mile.

Lofty goals for the 58 year old. 58 going on 88!

Nuthin' to Report

I forgot to weigh myself this morning which is probably good because I'm sure the number went up. We went to a wedding reception last night and ate quite a meal. Lots of ham, beef, a variety of salads and of course, wedding cake.

I have not been drinking the HydroWater since Friday. Susan and I decided it was probably not smart to have it fresh in my system for the Colonoscopy, and since they found and removed a polyp, I would have an open wound in there that the hydrogen peroxide might mess with. 

I will resume taking it tomorrow. And I'll probably start with 10 drops. I was up to 15 drops on Thursday. I'll tell you this. At 15 drops, you can really taste the hydrogen peroxide.

It's another wet and rainy day, perhaps wetter than yesterday. So I don't think I'll make it out for a walk. Although, I may stroll over to the Hub Tavern later on.

In any event, I'm still kickin'!

The Day After the Scope

As expected, my weight went up; 213.something. I'm okay with that. Life without food is much worse than being a fat old sloppy pig.

Beside, I went on a nice walk and did it in 17:59.7. The surprising thing is that I think I did it slightly faster yesterday.

All I have to say for today is that even though it is a wet rainy day, it is good to be alive!

Colon Success

I have returned from my Colonoscopy where Dr. Fitterer found one polyp. It is being sent to the lab for a biopsy.

The procedure was a breeze. The night before is torture. I had to drink a gallon of this powdered juice that turns your poo into a waterfall that can explode at any time with no warning. 

The deal was to drink 8 ounces every 15 minutes until the juice is gone. That took from 5:30 to 9:00. It tastes just this side of horrible and I wanted with all my heart to toss it down the drain before it was finished. But I also wanted to honestly prepare for the procedure as I was directed to. I went to bed a little before 11:00 after my last session on the toilet.

When I woke up this morning, I weighed in at 211.6. I'm sure that's not going to hold.

Especially since we stopped at Dolly's Cafe for breakfast once I was released. 

We reported at 8 and we were walking into Dolly's at 11:00.

Whatever the sedative is they gave me, it did not put me out. But it did make me goofy. It took about 45 minutes for the goofiness too wear off and then I was released. I took a nap for about two hours when we got home.

Now I feel great! It's a beautiful warm day out and I'm going to go on a walk and then work in the yard a bit.

The Day Before

I'm still battling with the scale. I settled on 215.9. So I was down a poundish. However, I do not trust it. For all I know, I could weigh 189.

I'm going to walk at lunch time and then I'll get back here and report, probably in the next post.

If there is one!

Today is the day before my Colonoscopy. That means that I can have nothing today except clear liquid. When I get home tonight, I get to start drinking the magic elixir that will make me poop my brains out. I'm really looking forward to that.

Verbing with Math Words

I should always accept the first number on the scale. I didn't trust the 214.4 pounds so I tried again after my shower and it read 216.6. I weighed myself a third time and got the same number, so I was up half a pound.

I walked a new course at lunchtime. It is close enough to a mile and a half for me to call it that. My pace setting time was 27:48.5.

I walked again around the park when I got home and did the mile in 19:33.1.

Since my health is riding on these walks a little more than it has in the past, I find myself compelled to walk and looking forward to it.

Of course, if I had been walking all along, my health wouldn't be riding on it so much. It's a vicious circle and I'm square in the hyperbole of the Pythagorean Theorem.

Week Two of the Magic Water

I managed to hold my ground in the world of weight loss and lose a tenth of a pound over the vile weekend of eating and drinking we did. That's right, I weighed in at 215.9 pounds this morning.

I walked at lunch today and it felt pretty good. For now, my stamina is returning.

I had a bad night of sleeping though. I really do think we need to look into my lungs. I woke up around 3:30 this morning and slept fitfully until I got up at 5:30. I was coughing, clearing my lungs and then breathing easily until I had to cough again and clear the wheeze.

No Report but EFF-YOU-EN

I have nothing to report from yesterday other than FUN. I didn't weigh myself, which was FUN. I didn't walk around the park, which was also FUN.

I did do a fair amount of walking and a bunch of skiing, and that was FUN.

So, we had an exciting birthday weekend and probably undid all the good I did last week. I fully expect to see 220 pounds on the scale in the morning. We had beer, wine, fatty food, and a general disregard for our health. 

However, we kept drinking our hydrogen peroxide water and we did a fair amount of walking. But since it was a weekend of FUN, we didn't quantify the walking...just the FUN!!!

Day Five: Yes, Progress

I weighed 216 this morning. I'm home early today because I took the afternoon off. Susan and I are spending a long, active and productive weekend here on the estate.

I walked almost as soon as I got home and I did the park route in 19:00.0. Again, as last night, it was a great walk. There has definitely been a change in my stamina. I am feeling much more lively.

Last Saturday, Susan got me started on a new fad health kick. This program is supposed to solve all your health problems and kick cancer in the ass.

Two to three times a day, we are drinking 8 ounces of distilled water with food grade hydrogen peroxide added. We started by adding three drops to the 8 oz. glass. Today we are up to nine drops. We will progress all the up to 25 drops and then drop back down one drop a day until we are back at three. That then is the "maintenance  level".

This is supposed to oxygenate your blood and cure all manner of maladies. 

I'm not a fan of the taste of distilled water but I am a fan of how I feel. And frankly, I've done nothing different but try to eat better, walk and drink this water.

It just may be the miracle cure they say it is.

Day Four: Progress?

I didn't have the chance to walk until I got home from work. It was a very nice day with the temperature coming down from the 50's. 

I immediately noticed that I was walking with less effort.  Don't get me wrong. I was breathing heavy most of the way but there was a difference, a lightness that I haven't felt in a while. My time was pretty good too. 19:34.8! That knocks two minutes off my best time so far.

I wish I knew whether it was walking later in the day or some other factor that contributed to the improvement. I'll just keep tracking my walking and stuff and see where I go from here.

I forgot to weigh myself today so there's no tracking that.

Day Three: Wheezing

Today's weight is 217.6. I did not get up in time this morning to make my walk, so I walked at lunch. I walked about a mile and it took a good 20 minutes. I did not time myself today because I walked down to the ATM at my bank. The distance and the timing would not have been comparable to my course at home. In any event, I was breathing hard the whole way.

I've been talking so much about my health issues here that it has kind of focused all my attention on MEEEEEEEE.

I need to remember that others have it worse. Take for example, my friend Rick Utter. Rick is a guy I've known all my life. His parents were friends with my parents. I went to school with Rick. We don't hang together a lot now but we run into each other from time to time.

A few years ago, he was diagnosed with cancer. I think it was Lung Cancer. It finally caught up with him last Saturday. Rick was a year younger than me and a great guy. I remember in high school he got interested in welding and he starting making these bumble bees out of wire. Then he would weld a support base around a rock and a three foot long piece of wire that he would attach to the bee. I kind of swung around at the end of the wire. It was a cool little home furnishing item.

He sold these things for 20 bucks, back in the 70's and he sold them as fast as he made them.

That's the kind of guy Rick was. Inventive and business savvy.

He will be missed!

Day Two: Puffing

I was a good ten seconds slower today at 21:50.4. But I did manage to lose a pound to get me to 219.0.

I was really breathing hard the whole way but there is no chest pain or tightness, which is good.

I tried to step up the pace a couple of times, but the body was to have none of it.

That's okay! The important thing is that I've made it out there and I am enjoying the walk if not the heavy breathing.

Day One: Huffing

I was up at the crack of 5:45. I got my sweats on and walked a mile around the park. From the start I was huffing and puffing...just walking. I circled the park in 21:39.0. So that's my pace setting lap. From here on out, I have to try and beat that every day.

My weight was a good solid starting place, 220 poundages.

I have a lot of work to do!

The Heart Health Plan for Stan

Well, here's the plan.

Get better!

That seems easy enough.

First of all, go for the obvious. I have 20 pounds I don't need. They are pernicious and difficult to remove but remove them I shall. There is going to be a lot more fruit and vegetables in my diet.

Secondly, exercise. I've lulled myself into a weak heart by not exercising regularly. At this point, that means walking. I'm doing daily walks around the park. I'm going to try and see if I can get up a little earlier and get my morning walk in. Early walks have never been easy for me.

I'm going to try skiing next weekend. That mostly involves gravity so I think I'll be okay, but I shall be taking it easy. The toughest part is going to be the walk from the car to the lodge. That, and snow. it's been one of the worst ski seasons in years. Mt Spokane and 49 Degrees North have already closed for the season. No snow!

Lookout Pass is in a slightly different snow belt and they have snow. Not a lot, but enough for a day of recreational skiing for us.

Gram or Plasty?

6:17 AM: Nearly one month after declaring myself healthy (on paper), I am heading to the hospital for a scheduled Angiogram.

My breathing issues have not improved and perhaps have gotten slightly worser.

So today is the day when we hopefully find out what is going on.

It doesn't feel like a heart issue because I have none of the associated symptoms of a heart issue. There's no chest pain, tingly arms or jaw.

I just can't get a good breath and my stamina is in the toilet.

So, the question now is whether it is going to be an Angiogram or and Angioplasty. The procedure is set for 9AM. Stay tuned!

12:35PM: We are back home. It was a gram, not a plasty. That's the good news. The bad news is that my Ejection fraction, the amount of blood my heart squeezes out every beat, is way down. Between 15 to 20%. 

So now begins the task of regaining some strength. I meet with the doctor next week and work out a plan.

Now, I'm going to take a nap!

6:38PM: After a couple of naps, I feel pretty good. My wound is healing where they stuck in the catheter and I'm feeling tired but good. 

We are going to hang out and catch up on some Breaking Bad.

The Healthy Man...on paper

I had a major Doctors Appointment today which involved a complete physical. That means he checked me out head to toe and I got the finger up the butt. All seems well.

On paper, I am the picture of health. My blood pressure was 118/77. All my blood screens came back looking good. My cholesterol was 156. It should be below 200. The LDL was 94. It should be below 100. My HDL was 41. It should be above 35, so I just made it. Whew! Those are all great numbers.

The one number that isn't so good is my weight...223 pounds. As I say here ALL THE TIME, I need to get to 200.

I am assuming that because of the weight and my degenerating heart I am tired. I am weary. I am wheezy. I have no stamina.

I see Kadel the Cardiologist next Thursday.

Here's a Post for the Sake of a Post

It is Twenty Fifteen and for what appears to be the 45th consecutive year, I am still fat. That means I was in pretty good shape up to age twelve.

I weighed in at 222.9 this morning. No breathing problems today and I really want to get out and do some walking. But I'm kind of pussing out because of the weather. And today is a warm day relatively speaking.