Staying the Course -- 07-04-2016

[Superbob]

Well, I guess for we Americans our country has stayed the course reasonably well for 240 years. Happy Birthday, United States of America! Today we celebrate the signing of our Declaration of Independence, so brilliantly authored by Thomas Jefferson. Yes, we have many problems, but we have the means to solve them over time. Stay the Course, America!

Now, one year ago, I was lamenting my wife popping open the Utz chips and having me test the onion dip before out family culinary celebration. I was wondering how I would avoid gaining a ton of weight before stepping on the doctor's scales later in the week. Lo and behold, I have the same dilemma today with a six-month's doctor's appointment coming up in a few days. Memo to self: schedule doc's appointments before not after big food-filled festivities. I want the doc to see and brag on my weight loss since getting Ellie the walking dawg in January. Lab work done ahead of time for the doc's appointment shows some good numbers probably linked to the weight loss -- for example, A1C (three-month average of blood sugar) is down from 6.6 six months ago to 6.2 now. The target goal used to be below 7.0 til the diabetes people changed it to below 6.0 -- anyway I am saying mine is pretty durn good right now.

So as they say it's hotter than a firecracker on the Fourth of July today -- appropriately enough. Got to get ready to walk Ellie -- packing water to drink and to pour over me (and her) along the way.

Have a happy Fourth dear friends....Stay the Course.

Cheers,

Superbob

 

[Paleowoman]

Happy Fourth of July to all of you over the other side of the pond from this side of it ! I don't think GB could cope with such a large colony, we can't cope with ourselves at the mo ! Cheers Anne !

 

[honeybunny]

Happy 4th!!

 

[epstns]

Don't forget - to be safe on the fourth, buy your fifth on the third. . .

Oh, wrong forum.

Well, happy birthday, America! I still remember some years ago (2006 - a long time ago), we spent the July 4th weekend in Boston. What a party! It rained, so we missed the big concert, but we could hear it from our hotel window.

I'm stayin' the course here, too. Getting ready to go meet my next cardiac surgeon tomorrow. I'm scheduled for pacemaker and lead replacement on the 11th, so I need to meet with the lead extraction specialist first. Hope I like him - there really isn't time to look for another.

I'm not planning an extended stay in hospital this time, as it is just the pacer and one lead. I'm scheduled to be there one night, just to be monitored. I might miss a day here, or maybe two - depending upon whether I can pry the iPad out of my wife's hands to post.

 

[Superbob]

wishing you well on that pacemaker procedure, Steve. DW'S cardio has been hinting that she might recommend a pacemaker for DW -- that's why cardio wants her to wear a holter monitor for a day. (AT least the echo and EKGs were okay, but I think she's concerned about low heart rate.) My wife is several years older than I am and has been through a multiplicity of surgeries, and she is scared, not to say highly wary of any additional surgeries of any kind, even a "minor" one like installing a pacemaker. So I guess we'll see what the cardio actually recommends, and go from there.

Anyway, again a happy and safe Fourth everyone! Good to hear from y'all....

 

[Catie]

Happy Fourth to you guys, too!

Steve, I hope the appointment tomorrow goes great and that you'll think highly of everyone you meet over there. Trusting you'll be in real good hands.


Trying to stay the course here. The last three days while the little gym I go in hot weather is closed, I've done about 40 minutes of fast walking at the nearby mall. I need to use the apartment pool more, too. I did a pulse check today and it looks like my BPM have gone down and I felt encouraged by that. I am the furthest possible thing from athletic, more like a natural slug. But I'm trying to get better conditioned.

 

[epstns]

SB - Sending warm, happy vibes to your DW. Please be sure to tell her that when my mother got her pacemaker (also for low heart rate), we called her the Energizer Bunny. She suddenly had so much energy that we thought she was 10 years younger overnight.

My own experience with my pacemaker was less dramatic, as I was younger when I got it ("only" 63 at the time). My observation still stands, though, that until the most recent episode of the failing lead, the only way I really noticed I had the pacemaker was when I looked in a mirror with my shirt off. Once it was adjusted to my lifestyle, it was really a non-issue. She will do fine, I'm sure.

 

[FredW]

Hi SB. I'm still staying the course, but progress is slow. My wife is a fantastic cook and I have to have extra will power to not eat seconds. I've also stepped up my work outs and am working on cutting out those late night snacks. Enough to work on for now. Being on a beta blocker, I trying to figure out what a good execerise heart rate is. I may post my thoughts in another post on this topic.

 

[Superbob]

Would love to have your further thoughts, Fred. Late-night snacking is my biggest weakness, too. Think I am doing a little better than I used to. I go to the doc tomorrow for a six-months' checkout -- for once, I can't wait to get on her scales....should show a significant loss, and also bloodwork already shows significant drop in blood sugars and continued good cholesterol numbers. I expect to hear some words of praise!

Wow -- even on morning dawgwalk, the heat is challenging. Took me a while to recover this morning.