March BP

 

The Half Hour Blood Draw

I had to go in for a blood draw this morning.

Now here’s the deal. I like to park in the parking garage at the Heart Institute. The first half hour is free. So I want to get in and get out. Today, I timed it.

From the time I pressed the button for the parking ticket until I was checked in and sitting in the waiting area, it took 9:26. I sat in the waiting room for 2:26. It took them 2:17 to draw my blood and I was driving out of the garage 3:38 later. In all, it took 17:48 to complete this task.

I’ve been going in for blood draws a lot over the last couple of weeks. I’m really getting it down to a science.   

Ski Season Summary

Mt. Spokane has announced that the final day of the season will be Sunday, April 10th.

My Cardiologist has announced that my final day of the season has come and gone. They don't want me skiing anymore this year until they get my blood pressure back in balance.

So the summary for the season is that I made it up 18 times this year. Sixteen of those times was at Mt. Spokane. Twice at Lookout Pass. I skied 170 runs which cost me $2.35 per run. That cost is of course a little higher when you add in gas, lunch and beer.

It was a great year even though a day of skiing really wiped me out. It was a good way to get wiped out.  

Revitalization

 It took until today for me to start feeling normal again. I took it pretty easy yesterday. Other than holding down the couch, I didn’t do much at all.

I was feeling much better today. I got up and got my fat ass downtown for a blood draw. Then I dealt with my bank account getting hacked. Over the weekend, somebody took $1,100.00 out of my checking account and sent it to Draft Kings. They must have been betting on the Zags.

In any event, I think I have gotten it taken care of but it may be a while before I can use it. They have to wait to verify the fraud and there is no telling how long that may take. But no more than 90 days, I’m told.

I did a few little cleaning chores around the house, took a nap and helped Mark move some 2x4’s from his work to his house. That’s what you do when you have a truck.

I’m feeling perky and I’m feeling like I’m back. But it’s important to not get cocky.

Living in the E.R.

If you asked me how I wanted to spend my Sunday today, being back in the Emergency Room at Sacred Heart Hospital would not have made the top 50.

And yet, there I was.

I got up this morning feeling lethargic. As the morning went on and we prepared to go to church, things got worse. I checked my Blood Pressure as I usually do and it was 110/78. That's low but not serious low.

I showered and got myself dressed and felt like I was going downhill.

We called our official medical consultant, Nurse Kelly and she thought it sounded like low blood sugar. She told me to drink some juice and check back in half an hour.

Nothing improved. I took my blood pressure again and it was 78/46. When I stood up, I felt like I was going to pass out. A couple of times, I became incoherent and confused.

I was sitting at the kitchen table, looking up and reaching for something. I could hear Susan repeatedly asking me what I was doing. I could hear her but I could not respond. I couldn't find the words.

At that point, Susan called the 911. 

An ambulance showed up within minutes. They came in to assess me and get me ready for transport. I wonder what that will cost.

The nice thing about the ambulance is that it gets you right into the E.R. No 5 1/2 hour Waiting Room experience. So it was a much more comfortable visit. 

We got in there about Noon and they ran another battery of tests on me.

Nothing conclusive came back other than perhaps I was dehydrated.

The Doctor was a little concerned with my EKG, stating that it was different from Thursday night.

After consulting with a Doctor in my Cardiac Doctors group, he let me go home about 5:00 and wants more blood tests on Tuesday before they go any further. 

Today I am plenty hungry and ready for a nice meal. I requested a Chicken Caesar Salad and Susan showed kindness on me and made it. It was delicious and I am presently feeling good. 

We shall see how long this lasts. And I wonder what all this will cost.  

A Night in E.R.

7:45 AM: I have just returned home from spending the night in the Sacred Heart Emergency Room.

I will tell you all about it after I get some sleep.

1:24PM: Gonzaga played their first round game in the NCAA Tournament yesterday and I went to the Hub with Rob to watch it. We went to Jimmy John's and got a couple of sandwiches to enjoy while watching the game.

Susan showed up with about five minutes remaining in the game. It had been a close first half but when Susan got there, the Zags were up by 22 points. So we enjoyed the final minutes as they put Georgia State away.

Rob left shortly after the end of the game and Susan and I sipped wine waiting for the start of the St. Mary's game. Mark showed up a short time later.

I was sitting at the table when I felt a sudden wave of nausea come over me. I walked outside and promptly hurled a nice purple stream into the bushes.

I immediately felt better and walked back in and told Susan about it.

I didn't drink any more wine and felt a little crappy. We headed for home and shortly after, I had a major vomiting episode. I got rid of the sandwich and any wine I had left remaining. I continued to dry heave for a time and then promptly went to bed.

I was pretty miserable and I don't think I slept much. I was feeling an upset stomach and a little pressure in my chest. I decided to take my blood pressure which was 188/93. Susan was just coming up to bed when I told her what was going on. Because of the chest pressure, we opted to head for the E.R.

We arrived about 11:00 and the place was jumping. They got me in quickly and got some vitals, blood and a chest x-ray. We proceeded to sit in the Waiting Area for the next 5 1/2 hours. When they finally got me into an E.R. room, they said that my blood was showing no enzymes of heart damage. That was a good thing.

I threw up a couple more times. They suspected it was something with my gut. They gave me some furosemide because my x-ray showed fluid around my heart.

They did an ultra sound of my gall bladder and liver and found nothing out of sorts.

I peed several times and the chest pressure abated. They finally let us go about 7:00AM.

We both came home and got right into bed. We stayed there until a little after noon.

I'm still feeling pretty bad. I'm achy and my stomach is tied in knots. I haven't thrown up any more but feel like I would like to.

I haven't had a thing to eat today and am not hungry. I'm heading back to bed shortly. 

On the good side of all this, Susan got the day off.

Ski Day #18

Well, I don't mind telling you that I am wiped out. 

I skied today with Robba and it was a great day to ski. The mountain was closed Monday and Tuesday so we had five inches of fresh snow that fell from those two days. Also, a shit load of rain fell during those two days. So the five inches turned into an inch or two, got very wet, and then froze.

We got up to the mountain about 10:00 and promptly began our ski day adventure. The snow was okay in the groomed areas but hard as rocks off to the side. 

As the day wore on and warmed up, the snow turned to a very heavy spring snow that was fun to ski through but exhausting. It really wore me out. I feel more wrung out today than I have ever felt this season. I can't imagine how I would be feeling if I was still working eight hours a day.

And yet, we had great fun and we had the back side of the mountain all to ourselves in the afternoon.

Todays' 14 runs get me to 170 runs for the year at $2.35 a run.

My goal is to get in another 30 runs before the season ends. That will put the per run cost at $2.00 a run which is well within my budget.

It was a very good day and now I'm going to bed.

Tuesday Walk

 I got a walk in today and it was again an un-fun event. I really had to push through the whole time I was out. My hips are giving me trouble, just some slight discomfort, but enough to make wimpy me feel the burn.

I feel like I’m back to last summer when I began my walking campaign. It was really difficult at first but I gained the stamina enough to make a walk and then expand it. I’m not sure when I’ll be expanding to the mile and a half route.

I am making progress though. I weighed 226 pounds this morning.

One Mile of Misery...and a lot of whining

On my morning walk, I realized I was not enjoying myself at all. Every step seemed like an effort. I wanted to turn back. I wanted to stop, sit down and rest. My breathing was labored, my hips hurt, it was not fun.

But I made it through and that feels empowering. And I'm going to do it again tomorrow. Hell, I've got the time, I might do it again today. I have to keep my ability to walk for a long distance or I am finished.

So, for the record, I walked one mile in 24 minutes.

A nice little repose on the recliner after the walk was a nice touch.   

Return to Walking

 My fatty photo gave me incentive to go out and walk this morning. Winter put the kibosh on my daily walking regimen and I feel the repercussions of not walking.

I only did a mile and it took about 30 minutes. I was winded but got a little boost of self confidence when I made it to the halfway point. No hills were involved in todays’ walk but I expect to incorporate them soon.

Fat Stan 230.8

This is a warning that the following picture should be looked at...by anyone.

Unfortunately, I need to document my fatness and shame myself into losing some weight. I'm not drinking beer right now as my Lenten commitment to God. In the past, that has really helped to make the pounds fall off. Now that I'm 65, it is not that easy anymore.

Today's weight: 230.8

Ski Day #17

I knocked another 23¢ off the per run cost today by skiing 13 runs. I'm now down to $2.56.

Rob and I got up to the mountain about 9:40 and promptly parked in our normal parking spot...right next to the Ski Patrol Chalet at the bottom of the snow ramp to the parking lot.

There was a high haze that eventually blew off and it was pretty windy in the parking lot. I wasn't looking forward to a windy day.

We went directly to Chair 4 and skied the ridge, which was awesome.

We got in six runs before lunch and then went back out to ski the B-29 off Chair 1. It was really enjoyable and we kept going back for more.

My friend Nick even joined us for a couple of runs.

Unfortunately, I had to be back at home by 3:30 to pick up Susan from work. I think we would have skied a couple more runs if not for that.

Nonetheless, 13 runs is a good day.    

Ski Day #16

It's been another beautiful Monday on Mt. Spokane.

I was not feeling particularly chipper about heading up. Skiing on Saturday seemed to really take it out of me. But who can resist a gorgeous day on the slopes. Especially when it's my birthday.

The snow was pretty hard and icy on the first few runs. Rob and I skied over to the back side on Gary's Glory and found that quite enjoyable.

After lunch, we went to the B-29 and found the best snow on the mountain. It had softened up substantially and was very nice skiing. Then a cloud blocked the sun and it was amazing how quickly the snow on B-29 started to harden.

Fourteen more runs gets me to 143 runs for the year at $2.79 per run.

I made an additional investment into next season by purchasing next years Season Pass at the discounted Senior Rate of  $329.00. With taxes, it was about $355.00 which is the amount I will base next years cost per run on. 

As of today, I'm on Medicare. Thank the Lord I no longer have to deal with Kaiser Permanente, who cover nothing more than a band-aid!   

Ski Day #15

Susan and I skied Lookout Pass today. It’s our annual trip to the Silver Valley for skiing and fun in beautiful Wallace, Idaho.

It was a nice sunny day and the skiing was pretty good. We got up to the mountain about 10:30 so we had very crappy parking position. I rectified that issue when we came in for a beer at 1:00. I was able to move the truck up to the front row.

Susan skied six runs and I got in nine. Susan feels very shaken and out of shape on her skies. She was skiing much slower today than she usually does.

Now we are down from the mountain, nestled in our little Wallace apartment and ready for dinner. We are both feeling pretty worn out and the hot tub will be waiting for us after we eat.

I spent $47.00 for my lift ticket which means it cost me $5.23 per run. Like the last visit to Lookout, I am not including it in my running cost per run statistics concerning Mt. Spokane.

February BP