17 June 2024
June seems to be flying by. We have two tropical depressions (Gulf of Mexico and east coast of Florida) but at least the sun has come out the last few days – for short periods of time.
I started my walk about 7:15 this morning and not paying attention, I didn’t notice the overcast skies. As I got a few feet down the sidewalk it started sprinkling. I debated whether to go back for the umbrella and figured I was waterproof and kept walking. It finally quit sprinkling about half way through the walk but as I write this and look out the window to check the weather, it’s overcast again and windy.
Yesterday, I was a popular boy. I started my 3 pm conversation with Jimmie and almost immediately, my friend Wade in San Francisco called. I sent him to voice mail. Then it was Joel – again voice mail. Next was a text from Barbara about going to Tap42 for hamburger specials, and lastly, Jennie, former secretary from Broward College. – to voice mail.
After hanging up with Jimmie, I was busy calling all the missed calls and texting Barbara. I can go long periods of time, weeks even, without a single phone call but like peeing, once you’ve broken the seal, as my friend Holley says, you are going to keep going. That’s like phone calls for me.
Other than phone calls and texts yesterday, it was a dead day for me. I pretty much spent the rest of the time reading and catching up with Brokenwood Mysteries on Acorn TV. I just finished re-watching the entire series of The Crown. Let’s face it, we’re in the dry season for new episodes and series on TV.
When everyone calls to check on me, like yesterday, they always ask how I feel. I feel OK. I don’t feel well but I’m OK. I’m readjusting to the blood pressure medicine and Jardiance. I’m a little lightheaded and unsteady on my feet but I put that down to the new medications. If I do a morning walk (0.9 miles today) it tires me out for quite a while. I peed on my first ketose strip yesterday and it was negative.
Dr. Jellinger wanted to do a NT PROBNP test on me. That stands for N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide. It’s used to make NBP hormone. When there are large amounts of NT PROBNP in the blood stream, it means your heart is having to work harder. Normal amounts are 450 picograms/milliLiter or less. I came in at 36. So, at this point, I don’t have congestive heart failure.
Wednesday will tell more of the tale when I undergo a MUGA scan on the heart with a radioactive tracer. No caffeine for me on Wednesday. I’ll be grouchy until the first cup of coffee afterwards. Luckily, there’s a Starbucks in Holy Cross Hospital.
Stay tuned!
If you wait until later in the day for the MUGA scan, you can get a mocha frappacino instead of coffee. Finished Brokenwood. Love Gina. You may want to try River next. I rate it up there with Line of Duty, Broadchurch, Sherlock, The Chelsea Detective, and Big Little Lies as TV fare. Covid made me learned about Brit TV—and some from Denmark (Seaside Hotel), Sweden, Ireland, and Norway. Still
not into Russian TV, comrade.