Aches & pains: right ankle
Current reading: Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
Recent listening: B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, John Anderson, Eric Clapton, Booker T. and the MG’s, Bukka White, Electric Flag, Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield Blue Band, Elmore James, Robert Johnson, Fleetwood Mac, George Harrison, Harlem Slim, Jimi Hendrix, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Jimmy Reed, The Band, Reverend Gary Davis, Dock Boggs, John Hartford, Pet Seeger
Recent viewing: The Middle, Community, The Civil War, Frontline, 60 Minutes, Kickass, Surface, Lord of the Flies (1963), Strange Days, Suck, Twilight Zone, Network, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Black Swan, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Dark City
Recent playing: DropZap, Words with Friends
Recently accomplished: Teacher meetings (Thomas), Troop 820 treasurer’s report, bank trip, Tivo hard drive replacement
Imperative To Do: Clean garage, clean gutters, new shelves for stereo, bark dust, doctor appointments
Like endless rain into a paper cup
As you probably know, we had a very hot summer this year in Portland. During one heat wave, temperatures reached 107 on some days and didn’t get below 75 at night. Round about that time I found myself thirsty quite a lot. It was hot and our air conditioning infrastructure is lacking so I thought it was because of the heat that I was drinking so much water. Around about the same time I also started urinating much more often than I had ever before. Again, I chalked it up to the heat and increased water intake but I still noted a couple of events that were unusual. First, one night I woke up having to urinate which is something that almost never happens to me, especially if I go to the bathroom before I get in bed. Soon it was happening to me every night but I still didn’t put it together.
I also felt incredibly tired most of the time. The last few hours of work each day were very difficult and I would often end up in the comfy chair a few feet from my office, watching MSNBC’s political block. The fatigue had arrived rather gradually and I didn’t really notice it until our Family Camp with Troop 820 in June. When walking long distances there was difficult in terms of muscle fatigue, I chalked it up to the altitude and the weight I had recently gained. It got worse and worse all summer but even these were not clue enough for me.
Continue reading “Like endless rain into a paper cup”
Doctor, doctor, give me the news
For several years now I have been paranoid about developing Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes. My paternal aunts all developed it and so has one of my cousins (on both sides). Being overweight puts me at a higher risk, too. In recent years I’ve noticed what I imagined to be symptoms including slow healing of injuries and the occasional negative reaction to large amounts of sugar. After my sister, Mardy, developed it a couple of years ago, I felt sure I was going to get it if I didn’t have it already. However, I pushed it to the back of my mind and didn’t get tested because I was afraid of the results.
This year, though, with Tina’s help I’ve really gotten my weight under control and I feel healthier than I have in recent years. So when I called to schedule an annual checkup with my doctor, I requested a glucose test. It was finally time to take control of the situation and deal with the consequences, if necessary.
On Tuesday I arrived at my appointment early after fasting for 12 hours per doctor’s instructions. Fortunuately, I did not have to do the glucose tolerance test. Instead, it was just a simple blood test and the doctor would call with the results that night. He warned that a high glucose concentration combined with other factors would also put me at a higher risk for heart disease. One of those factors was also blood cholesterol so they tested for that, too.
Blood glucose levels while fasting are considered “normal” when they fall below 100. 140 and above is considered diabetic and everything in between is a gray area which would probably indicate the eventual development of diabetes. My blood glucose level was at 97 for the test. That’s very good and I’m pleased. The doctor was surprised and wants to have a second test done where they measure my blood glucose two hours after I eat a high calorie meal (or the highest calorie meal of my day). I’ll probably have that done when my regular doctor gets back from his stint in Africa (long story).
The blood cholesterol story was almost as good. My triglyceride levels were at 103 which is well under the 150 threshold for concern. My “good cholesterol” level was 46 which is in the healthy range of 40 to 60. My “bad cholesterol” level was 108 which is in the “near optimal” range. “Optimal” is considered to be 100 and below.
So the news was almost uniformly great and if I can lose more weight it will continue to get better.
Vital Statistics
My back is all better after the pressure washing whirlwind last weekend. In fact, this morning I felt like I had more energy than I have for quite awhile. I’m taking a day off from work tomorrow so I can expend some energy on the yard and house before the party on Saturday.
Bike odometer: 196 miles
Current reading: I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe, The Prince by Machiavelli
Recent listening: Science Friday, John Prine, Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers, One Hot Minute by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Recent viewing: Countdown, CBS Evening News, American Masters: Gene Kelly, High Stakes Poker
Recent playing: Zuma
Recently accomplished: Cleaned and disinfected CPAP equipment, bank, post office, FedEx
Imperative To Do: Hair cut, new rear fender for bike, mow lawn, follow-up phone calls for birthday, finish old blog entries
Cool Link: Drug-danger league table: When ranked according to the harm they cause, which drugs are the most dangerous? (Hint: the top two are legal.)