Superman - you've learned the same lesson I did. Metoprolol is not good for exercise. Even after having my dosage reduced twice (started out at 100 mg/day, then down to 50, then finally 25 mg/day), I still struggle with high-effort cardio work and can no longer run much at all. Like you, I used to have a peak heart rate (pre-surgery) of up to 160-165 BPM. (I even made them set up my pacemaker so that it allows HR up to 160 BPM). That's history, won't be back. Now, with the 25 mg/day dosage, I can't seem to get my heart rate up over about 140-145 BPM, regardless of time of day vs. time of meds. I just can't. If I am on an indoor track, I can maybe walk 2 laps and jog one, but I can't sustain jogging. I can "power-walk" at a 15 min/mile pace for miles at a time, just can't go fast. While I was taking the higher dosage of metoprolol, I described it as "trying to run while dragging a sled full of boulders."
Other than that, we are still muddling along. Almost all of the snow had melted, and we hope that we don't get any more large accumulations. I have had back and shoulder trouble for two weeks since the last dump of wet heavy snow hit. We had to shovel a lot of that one by hand because it was so heavy and the piles of snow were so high that the snow blower couldn't toss the stuff on top of what was already there.
I'm counting days until my first Covid vaccine shot. I was finally able to get scheduled through one of the teaching hospitals in the area - one where I went to see a heart surgeon 10 years ago. They are focusing on their patients before the general public, but they were able to re-activate my patient record from that long ago visit. With the mess that the vaccine roll-out is here in Chicago, I'm thankful for that. My wife was able to get an appointment for the J&J vaccine (once and done) through a brand new center that the state is opening in the next few days. I tried that site, but within 3 minutes the first 15 or 20,000 appointments were booked! I guess I'm happier that she got one instead of me, as I already have the two-shot vaccine scheduled to start next week.
We don't have weather like SB, but yesterday it did hit the upper 50's. Not today, though. Just low 40's - but that is not out of character for the area at this time of year. I'm just biding my time until we can be outside more -- I'm getting cabin fever.
Skeptic - I won't write about the cluster-*$^( that is Covid vaccine distribution in Illinois and Chicago. Every time I write about it, I become furious and I start getting moderators on my back about how hot I get. It is a first class mess, but hopefully DW and I will soon be sorted out on it. My daughter is in MA, and she has already gotten both shots as she works in healthcare.
