You never miss me, do you?

Well, I have been gone and busy and making excuses for not doing better in my personal fitness and health. I don't need to go into them, but I had a great vacation in Hawai'i with so little stress that trying to match my grandson's sleep pattern and running long and walking were very healing and my blood pressure came right down and impressed my doctor. My next appointment with him is the 23rd of September at 8:30 AM on the State time. The only change in medication was for the missing Thyroid so that is still being adjusted.

On 28 June 2009, Weight was 207.0 pounds (twenty too many), Blood pressure 160/95 or 140/101, Heart rate resting was 45 or 48 beats per minute. After church, motorcycling and talking health issues with my friends (all two of them) I took time in the beauty of the evening and exercised. Jogging along the road with hand weights, reflector belt and positive attitude for 36minutes and 20seconds, then doing 55 repetitions of the basic three exercises (bent leg sit ups, push ups, and squats), three hangs trying to do chin ups, pull ups and back arches (so weak, Willie!) finishing with ten cat stretches.

I know, very basic and oh so lame, but it was a start and that is the idea, a daily dose of better time spend than what I would do if I just stare at the television or computer screens. I mean, you know that my fingers and forearms are in excellent shape - they move typing this stuff. This is a good start to looking old and never better, living longer in good health is also a goal. Grandchildren really get fun when they hit eight to ten so that is a few more years to hang on.

Heal thyself, physician...

Well, I am not a physician but working on me anyway. Wednesday I weigh 210.0 pounds, blood pressure is 127/88 with a heart rate of 43. Today I weigh 210.0 pounds, blood pressure of 129/96 or 147/91 and heart rates of 68 or 33 bpm respectively. I haven't been exercising, but yesterday woke up to no pain in the right foot/ankle and the swelling much reduced. Managed to walk faily normal - except for the limp from memory response in my legs, but still I sat at the reference desk another day as we worked. I probably can start working on walking and other exercises tonight, don't think I have choir rehearsal tonight.

Missed BAG day, sigh, I have enough already...

So we woke late, I have a doctor's appointment at 10:45 AM, I weigh 208.5 pounds, blood pressure is 130/78 with a heart rate of 37 bpm, resting waiting for the rev'n up. I knock out 3 half chin ups, and do the fifty reps of the basic three. Then I wander the internet, looking for shoulder holsters and current blog thoughts.

At the doctor's I get the big American nurse, she isn't gentle and the needle gets the blood anyway - when I really hurt I will be asking for my favorite nurse. The doctor comes, chats checks my blood pressure twice, his nurse has already done it once. Wonders if there have been any reactions to the medication - I tell him I am blaming everything on it - especially the weight gain, but he knows I am kidding. He does expect it will make my heart rate faster, and he expected the night sweats that first week - but he never told me.

I stop and look at shoulder holsters at the gun shop, find something that would work well, but don't buy it this time. Measurements are very important, and I want to be a skinny kid again but a slimmer old fellow is about all my future holds. Home to watch Marvin and Bronson in "Death Hunt" which makes me want to take my old body out on the road. Since the Sun has broken through I could overdose on Vitamin D!!! Yeah! 454 calories 35% fat ones, Heart rate 128 bpm, Zone 19 minutes 38 seconds, Exercise 40 minutes 33 seconds. Seems my heart was racing or the monitor was hearing echoes when I started jogging. But the forty minutes is more important than the Zone. My foot was limping for a bit, but settled well and painlessly into the jog about the time my heart got right in rhythm...

I had an interesting 'hot' spot yesterday on the way to work, thought I had been lased on my left arm/elbow. I ignored it, but later in the Library I had that warm feeling same spot again - nothing I could see nor understand - just another mystery in my universe - like women, I won't ignore them but will never understand them either.

No one really reads this, so exposure is privacy...

I wake at 0415 with an angel whispering that my alarm is going off, no, my wife is still asleep - I just have to figure I am less alone than I might scientifically be certain of... I weigh 207.0 pounds, my blood pressure is 132/81 and heart rate is 42 bpm. My wife found a message for me to answer on our service from the good doctor that likes me fitting his box - lucky me he isn't a mortician. Okay, after walking to the dock and getting into work, waiting until the remainder of our time zone gets into work and opens the doors, I call and find out that I need to pick up a prescription and schedule an appointment in three weeks for another blood test. I am falling apart faster than I am willing to pay for.

Seems I have Hypothyroidism and my doctor wants me to take Levoxyl to make me more better, and there goes my illusion of perfection. I shouldn't complain, my doctor is a really nice guy, pretty proficient and has this really great nurse working with him that I always love to see, yes she is cute, but I like her because she weilds the needles so well when drawing blood. Seems that last blood test said my EGFR was low (56) and my TSH, 3rd Generation was high (14.88). So I will have to look that information up but I assume that it means I am going to die, and I should have all the symtoms: fatigue, mental depression, sluggishness (how did they know I am almost always a slug?), feeling cold (riding motorcycles in this weather - isn't everyone?), weight gain (and I thought it was hibernation fat), dry skin and hair, constipation (not this apple eating maniac), and a very feminine problem which I know I don't have.

This does give me the opportunity to goof off today, practice with the choir and go to bed early after a hot shower. Tomorrow I pick up the medicine and get my take home keys inventoried.