LIVING WITH MCL

Was called to jury duty today , and as anticipated, I was called for the first jury pool. And it was a doozy. It was a murder sentencing hearing. The guy's already been convicted, so I couldn't use my tried and true method of getting out of serving, which is the "innocent until proven guilty" approach. You see, I don't hold to that theory, since if that were the case, the person would not have been arrested, or even put on trial. There is obviously a presumption of guilt, or no one would ever face trial. Normally this part of the trial is handled by the convicting jury, but in this case, the original death sentence was overturned, so unable to come up with a way to nip this in the bud, I had no choice, but to succumb to completing a 30 page, 270+ questionnaire. I'm still feeling pretty good though, since I don't believe in the death penalty. All I needed to do is fill out the questionnaire, turn it into the court, and after a review I would be dismissed. T...

I'm beginning to think had I not retired when I did, I might not have made it to today. The other day I was having a conversation, with the salesman at work, concerning a problem a customer is having with some parts we manufactured. (I say we because I do still work [sorta], although for what they pay me, and how much time I spend, it more appropriately should be referred to as a hobby.) The customer was claiming the problem was ours, when, in my opinion, the problem lies in the way they heat treated the parts. Anyways, after the conversation, knowing I was a little amped up, I took my blood pressure, something I do quite often nowadays, and discovered my BP was up to 159/93. I was shocked, to say the least, and it wasn't until an hour and a half later, when I guess I calmed down enough, that my BP finally returned to within its normal range (118/72). When I was working full time, this sort of aggravating situation was increasingly becoming the norm, and was a contributing reas...

It's been almost 3 full days since I stopped taking Metoprolol. I'm not yet convinced it was the correct decision, but neither am I convinced it's of continued benefit to me at this point either. My cardiologist told me I would be taking Metoprolol the rest of my life, something I wasn't delighted to hear, but he wasn't so adamant about it when I complained of fatigue which I attributed to the Metoprolol. So since there hasn't been any improvement in the amount of fatigue I've been experiencing, nor have I been dissuaded from the belief it is a limiting factor in my ability to increase my endurance, I decided it was time to quit. Plus, I'm taking such a low dose, 12.5 mg twice a day, any effects I may be experiencing, good or bad, could simply be a placebo effect. Still, while it's probably too early to come to any conclusions, I have noticed some changes. First and foremost being, it seems much easier to get my HR up when exercising, but without exc...

I didn't know 31 days could last so long. Not only was it one of the coldest months in memory, it also turned out to be one of the most expensive. First it was my PC which had to be replaced, costing about $600. Then Edie's car needed a new set of tires to the tune of $650, and if that wasn't bad enough, the power steering pump in my [20 year old] Lexus finally reached the point it needed replacement as well, adding an additional $450 to the count. The truth of the matter is, these weren't that unexpected. I had been aware of all 3 problems for quite awhile, even the power steering pump on the Lexus, so it wasn't a complete surprise. I just wasn't planning for it all to occur within a 2 week period. I would have liked to have been able to spread it out over a longer period. Oh well, as I always like to say, such is life, and here's hoping for a better February.

I have been tracking the amount of spam I get on my blog for the past couple of weeks (I really need more to do), and I find it astounding to note, I average 216 spam comments a week. That's over 30 spam comments a day. Fortunately my spam filter picks 'em all up (it's a shame my email spam protector isn't as efficient), and while most of them are trying to promote porn, or some other equally obscure website, an inordinate number offer no links at all. They just spout incoherent jibberish usually, my favorite one just simply consisting of ??????????????????????? Do I just not get it? Why would anyone waste their time on such an inane, useless endeavor, or even waste their time creating a program which does it? Is it as simple as just trying to clog up the airways? If so, then I suggest those people direct their efforts somewhere else. Inundating my blog isn't going to accomplish much in the way of clogging up anything

No doubt a number of people will disagree with me here, but I don't care. After having watched the entire Lance Armstrong interview with Oprah Winfrey, I don't care that he doped, and I don't care that he perpetrated that lie for so long. What I am, is disappointed. As a fellow cancer survivor, I find it difficult to believe, having gone through what he did in fighting testicular cancer, that anyone, let alone Lance Armstrong, would ever do something as stupid as dope. I never would have. At least I don't think I would, but having never been in the position of an elite athlete, I can only assume I would have been smarter than that. But as a cyclist, I'm also a little biased, and despite the doping, I can't help but marvel at what he was able to accomplish. 7 Tour d'France wins! I know how grueling the sport of cycling can be at times, even at my level, and I know how cruel life can be as well, so I can relate to some extent. Maybe even be a little sympatheti...

Yesterday I decided to clean my bowling balls. It had been over 3 months since I had done it last. Of course I hadn't bowled in all that time either, so it wasn't necessary, but now that's changed. Anyways, as I was lifting, and rotatng the first ball, to clean a different portion of it, I felt something pull, or tear, or I don't know what. The left side of my chest is still numb, so I can't always tell right away if I may or may not of hurt myself. It didn't feel that bad right after it happened, so I finished cleaning the other 2 balls. I was just more cautious as I was lifting and rotating the balls. The problem now is, after going for a short bike ride this morning (probably not a wise decision), with a friend, it is starting to cause me some discomfort. I keep getting these small stinging sensations on the left side of my chest. I think I best put some ice on it now, just in case.

I've finally come to the conclusion the US has the stupidest population in the world. The US is the only first world, rich industrialized, OECD country where access to health care is considered a privilege, and rations it based on your status in life. The US is the only country where it is believed the answer to more guns on the street, is more guns on the street, and the US is the only country where there is a belief that vaccines are a government plot to control the population , and that you can get the flu from the flu shot. No wonder the flu is reaching epidemic proportions in the US . Less than 50% (46% to be more exact) of the population has received their flu shot . So please, don't be stupid. Get your flu shot now. If not for yourself, then at least for me, and everyone else with a compromised immune system who are particularly at risk.

I finally received the work release from my personal doctor in the mail today, and I took it to the company I was planning on going to work for. As it turned out that wasn't the proper procedure. I was supposed to provide it to the clinic where I had my preemployment physical, so they could review it, and give their blessing. OK fine! I wasn't happy about it, but reluctantly I did so. I drove back to the clinic, and handed the release form to the receptionist, explaining the situation. She reviewed it, and got my records, after which she made some comments, which I bearly paid attention to. What I did get from her comments was she would give it to the doctor, but there would be about a 90 minute wait. I asked her if I needed another physical, and she said no. I didn't see any point in sitting in that germ infested room with 25+ other people, when I didn't need to, so I left the paperwork with the receptionist, expecting her to give it to the doctor, and then send the ap...

Received a call from a friend the other day. He was concerned because he had just read my blog, and got the impression I wasn't doing so good. I didn't think I was conveying that in my latest posts, most of which I thought were political in nature, but if I was, I am here to set the record straight. I am doing better. Mostly that is. I still have some chest discomfort, but it's not restrictive like it has been. I'm finally able to sleep in any position. I've still got some to go though, as my endurance has been, to put it mildly, pitiful. :) The worst part is I keep gaining weight. A trend I'm finding difficult to reverse. Oh, and I've decided to go back to work. At least on a trial basis. I got a release from my doctor, to work a max of 20 hours a week. I'm still not sure it's the right decision, but I have committed, and they do need me, so at the very least I will give it a try, and see how it goes. On a final note, some of you might have already ...

Did you know the US spends nearly twice as much on health care as the rest of the world, yet public spending on health care is about the same in the US  (about 8% of GDP) as it is in Canada, the UK, and the other OECD countries? The big differences is the rest of the world covers nearly 100% of their populations with that amount, while the US covers only 25% of its population. [the] key structural reform that would significantly help the economy—the labor market and also the long-run budget deficit—would be to reform the health-care sector......... I think the link of health care to the employment relationship is probably really hurting the labor market right now. At least so says  Valerie Ramey, Economist at UCSD . All this and a whole lot more from a discussion headed by Brad DeLong on  The Macroeconomics of Recessions . It's a hard read, but a there's a lot of valuable information.

You have to be asleep to believe it. George Carlin saw the writing on the wall 7 years ago. I realized it a year later at a time when immigration started being a hot topic. I even blogged about it back then . (George Carlin just does a better job.) So why is it so many in this country are blind to it? Still!

I think I maybe made a big mistake. The sister company I had worked for, prior to retiring, asked me to come back to work. Actually I offered, because they were having some personnel issues, and I knew I could help, but they were very willing to accept my offer. Anyways, before starting work, a preemployment physical was required. So I took the opportunity today to go, thinking it wouldn't be very busy, and it wasn't. The entire process, which consisted of filling out some forms, a drug screening, and cursory  physical took just about an hour. No problems, or so I thought. It turns out, because of my CABG, the doctor would not or could not release me for work as a metallurgist, which essentially requires me to sit for long periods of time, taxing my brain. There is no physical exertion required, except for the occasional trip to the bathroom. But instead of the release, I was given a note which I have to give to my primary care physician, cardiologist or oncologist (I'm not...

I have an aversion to taking pills. Whether it be medications, or just your ordinary vitamins and/or supplements, I have this built in resistance to taking them. It hasn't always been that way. There was a time I took a myriad of vitamins and supplements, thinking it was necessary for good health. I had even been known to take the occasional antibiotic, aspirin, ibuprofen, or other over the counter medications when necessary. But then I was diagnosed with MCL, and my life changed forever. I didn't think it possible. I had done everything right, ate right, exercised, didn't smoke, took vitamins etc. Or so I thought. It was after a lot of research, I came to the conclusion (arguably) it was likely the indiscriminate taking of vitamins, supplements etc. that was a contributing factor in my diagnosis. So I quit "cold turkey". No more vitamins, supplements or over counter the medications. I've even resisted taking prescription medications. (Just not always successf...

Dr. Love says so! This is an amazing TED Talk on Oxytocin, Trust and Morality. It's only 15 minutes long, but we'll worth listening to. Who knows, it might even make you feel better about things. I know it did for me! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFAdlU2ETjU

If there's one thing I've gained from this entire ordeal, it's a much greater appreciation for the trials and tribulations of drug addicts. For me it's been just over 4 days since my last Oxycodon, after only being on it for around 2 months, but the desire to take another pill still exists. While the severity of the symptoms of Oxycodon withdrawal I've been experiencing, i.e. abdominal cramps, chills, body aches, runny nose, etc. have subsided some, they have not gone away yet. And while some of that may be psychosomatic, it's still not hard for me to imagine how difficult it must be for someone addicted for a much longer period of time, or on a greater quantity to kick the habit. I even have a new found sympathy for Rush Limbaugh. It's not that the Oxycodon was so instrumental in relieving the tightness and discomfort in my chest, because it wasn't. [Although I'm starting to have some doubts.] It was because the Oxycodon provided a feeling of well ...

That's how long I've been off the Oxycodon, and while the pain is not intolerable, I know I could be feeling a lot better right now after just one 5 mg tablet. My concern is I don't want to become addicted, which is a huge fear I have (there's even an Oxycodon addiction website  I just came across with counselors ready to talk), nor experience any of the myriad of side effects associated with this drug, but neither do I want to feel uncomfortable all the time. It's been 7 weeks, and I am making progress. I've managed to get the dose down to 2 to 3 per day, from the 5 to 6 per day I was taking the Oxycodon about a month ago, but I'm wondering if it is normal to still be needing it. Shouldn't I start seeing some more improvement by now? So in an attempt to avoid, or at least delay taking another Oxycodon, I thought I would just vent a little here, in the hope someone, besides the countless number of spammers who have been inundating me with spam comments l...

A friend is admitted to the hospital. He was experiencing shortness of breath and chest pains extending down his arms. Obviously the signs of a heart attack or an impending one. Doctors do a complete work up on him. He's diagnosed with mitral valve stenosis and needs a valve replacement [maybe 2]. One problem is his kidneys aren't functioning properly, a possible complication of his diabetes, which is causing some concern to the doctors. Anyways, there's a lot of discussion amongst the doctors, and it's decided his condition isn't urgent. So he's sent home to recover, under a nurse's monitoring, until his kidney function improves, and his condition can be further evaluated. So now that I've set the stage, you can pretty much forget everything I just mentioned, because it's what comes next that is so disturbing. Upon my friend's release, he's prescribed a number of medications, one of which is a blood thinner, Lovenox, although the name of dr...

After all the warnings about not over doing it, not exercising too much, taking it slowly, I still end up hurting myself. I didn't think I over did anything yesterday. I deliberately kept my pace down on the elliptical at the gym, limiting my max heart rate to 114 bpm, and only going for 35 minutes, Afterwards, I went for coffee with the gang, and then to a gathering of friends for some food and wine, without experiencing any ill effects. It wasn’t until several hours later as I was sitting in front of the TV, that I realized my knee was hurting. At least if I knew what I had done to cause the pain, I might be able to rationalize the feeling of despair away, but I can't. I didn't do anything, and it's pissing me off! Of course I don't know why I'm so surprised. This is just another setback in what has been a series of setbacks recently. Starting with the weather (which is always an issue for me this time of year), coupled with the continuing pain in my chest, al...

And the fact I'm not quite in the same physical condition I was in prior to my surgery, I might consider myself normal. Even my blood counts were back to the [abnormal] levels they were prior to my bypass surgery. Saw my cardiologist yesterday, and my primary care physician today. Both gave me the thumbs up to start increasing the intensity of my exercise (as tolerated), with of course the caveat of not overdoing it. The cardiologist even said I could ride my bike, but I wasn't buying that. I'm gonna still hold off for at least a little while longer. I was also told I would be on the statin drug, the blood pressure drug and the baby aspirin the rest of my life. I was resigned to taking the baby aspirin and statin the rest of my life, but I was hoping to someday get off the blood pressure medication. BUMMER! The most interesting thing I learned yesterday was the cardiologist telling me I was done with Cardiology. Since my recovery was so far advanced, they didn't need to...