Yesterday, I had my monthly appointment with one of the doctors on the Transplant team. This time, we met with Dr. Mooney. I brought up how disappointed I’ve been with not being allowed to ski. She thought about it for a while and at the end of the appointment, she said it would be okay if I skied. She said to take it easy and listen to my body.
I can do that. I can hear my body right now. It’s saying, “Let’s go skiing!”
For the first time in a looooooooong time, I walked three miles today.
I went to Northtown Mall to walk and when I got there, I was feeling pretty good so I set myself to walk 3 miles. I did two laps on the main floor (1.5 miles) and two laps on the second floor (1.5 miles). I took a brief rest just after the start of the second floor, about three minutes, and then finished up.
Afterwards, I strolled down to an airsoft shooting range shop on the main floor of the mall. Practically every time I walk by this place, there is nobody in there. I decided to give it a try. It cost me $15.00 for 80 shots. I think I managed to hit 12 targets with my 80 shots.
I hope to do better in the future.
At about 9:00AM today, I was in the kitchen reading the morning news when I began to feel this discomfort in my left arm. As it grew stronger, it started to radiate into my left shoulder blade on my back.
It got to a point where it was pretty intense and very uncomfortable, not painful. I came upstairs and took my blood pressure. As the cuff finished the reading, 110/72, the discomfort faded and I was back to normal.
At no time during this event did I feel any chest pressure or pain.
Susan and I went to Northtown Mall to walk on Friday and it did not go well. I didn’t even make it around the min floor which would be .75 miles. I just shaky and a bit dizzy. We ended up leaving and I took it easy for the rest of the day.
We went again yesterday and had much better results. We walked the whole coarse, both levels which means we walked a mile and a half. I felt much better than the day before. It felt good to know that the walk on Friday had been an anomaly. I was worried that something had changed with me and I couldn’t walk anymore.
To confirm, I walked again today with great results. I made the mile and a half in about 24 minutes. I would like to break 20 minutes but that is going to require some training and some grit. I’ve never been accused of having grit.
I start 2025 five pounds heavier than I started 2024. I'm at 242 this morning. I know I've said it several times, but this trend has to stop. I'm feeling the 242. I'm tired and easily wear out. I know that's due to my heart issues but it can't help to weigh at over a tenth of a ton.
We celebrated the New Year with our friends Kim and Gary and went and saw "A Complete Unknown", the Bob Dillon story. It was pretty good and should ring up quite a few Oscar nominations.
We woke up to snow, as I had hoped and as had been forecast. It's ending soon and I doubt much of it will stay around. Already the sidewalks are clean and we didn't have to do anything. But, I was able to get this lovely picture to start off the new year.
10:05PM: Success! We got all the Christmas lights on the house down. We got the tree undecorated and it is currently standing on the front porch.
Tomorrow, I shall unceremoniously cut it in half and put it out in the alley for the city to pick up. They have a program for picking up trees and composting them.
Anyway, I feel pretty good about our progress today. Tomorrow, maybe we can get some of the boxes stowed up in the Carriage House.
There is finally a break in the rain. I’m not sure how long it will last. My Weather App indicates we have two days with no rain. I took advantage of the semi-clear skies and 35° temperature to take a walk around the park. I think it’s the first time I’ve actually walked outside in two months.
The walk was good. I completed the mile but boy, do my hips get achy. It’s not painful. It’s an achy soreness. It’s a discomfort that makes it difficult to walk.
Once I lose the ability to walk a mile, I’m going to be thinking the end is near.
It looks like we will get some snow on New Year’s Day. I hope that happens. I would like to see some snow.
Mt Spokane looks real nice today for the first time in weeks. They got three inches overnight and it looks like there is a good crowd up there today. But not me.
I filled up the bird feeder this morning as well as the squirrel feeder. I checked my rain gauge and it held two and a half inches of water. I told you it has been coming down.
It looks like it’s going to be a mellow day around the house for me. Susan, on the other hand, is cooking away…preparing her annual, traditional New Year’s Eve meal of Hoppin’ John.
We have plans to invite some friends over tomorrow evening and go see a movie. And the annual, traditional New Year’s Eve meal of Hoppin’ John.
