Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Emergency Room visit ends well

Last night didn’t turn out anything like I expected. I finished up in my office and I went to the bathroom and then went to wash my teacup and I looked in the mirror and I saw that my left eye was bright red. Wow! Scary! I called Rob immediately and he thought it was not that big a problem, just a burst blood vessel in my eye probably but he advised me to go to the emergency room just to be sure. I did and it went very well and my eye should heal up in two weeks or so. I was in the emergency room over an hour but not much more. The sight in my left eye was slightly impaired but not much. I went to O’Charley’s for dinner and then drove home with no problem. Tuesday morning I called Rob’s office and wanted to see if he was going to increase my blood pressure medication since the ER doctors thought he should make the decision. He said to increase the one of the drugs to 4 per day from 2 and said that since my dose was so low we could go to 8 per day if needed. I started on that today and I hope to have my blood pressure down in a few days. For a while I couldn’t even get a reading on my blood pressure machine because my pulse was very irregular and I think I should mention this to Rob. I did some piano and then did a short walk down to the second log seat, visited my big white pine, and got back in time for a long nap. I didn’t have the energy to do my biking but I did two repetitions of weights and yoga. I then headed for Toyota to have my truck inspected and I decided not to return calls from Trivedi and Montgomery Regional Hospital. I will wait till tomorrow since I really need a break. My kayak friend was very concerned about my eye and I assured her that it is not a big problem. I am hoping to have dinner with her on next Wednesday. I haven’t heard from Claire but I assume I will before Friday. I called UPS and they didn’t have my Vital Choice package but told me to track it and I found out it had been delivered to the wrong address. Fortunately, it had been delivered to the log house at the gate and I was able to retrieve it with no problem from the front porch. I put it in the freezer and took a nap on the couch then watched the first half of the Duke game before pushing myself hard to drive in to O’Charleys for the second half, where Duke won pretty easily over Florida State. Grayson Allen is still injured but he did play. Frank Jackson was amazing for Duke. I had done my lumosity at Toyota and so all I had to do was my blog.

Monday, February 27, 2017

finally, some good kidney numbers

Well, Monday was indeed a very good day. I got my numbers and my albumin went up from 2.1 to 2.3 and my protein in the urine went down from the high 800s to the high 600s, both very positive. I also got a call from the UVa kidney center but I told them that I want to wait right now to see how the numbers progress. My weight is staying at 210 and Trivedi thought it okay to drop back to one Lasix. I did my knee exercises, but decided to take it easy so I would have enough energy to play golf and that worked out well since I broke 50 for the first time since I got out of the hospital. I did drill holes in a plastic tray to make a screen to get the debris out of the topsoil I bought and the half inch holes were perfect. I bought new organic seeds yesterday and planted black seeded simpson, romain and some sugar snap peas. I am going to try to take a bike ride after I finish here, having done my lumosity training. I also talked to Chris at Service Experts and he is refunding half my money, which seems fair. He wasn’t sure I could get the Munchin furnace fixed but a new furnace of another brand with all the extra stuff replaced would run about 10K and I have already budgeted that in when I sell the house. I sent Cathy my poem and I think it will move her.

Sunday, February 26, 2017

My weight is 210, and I don't want to lose any more

Sunday was a very decent day but I am concerned about my weight. I am down to 210, which would normally be a very good thing but my legs, especially my calves are too thin. I will call Trivedi tomorrow to see if I should go down to one Lasix. I did a hike today, cut down the last dangerous overhanging branch near the tractor barn, fixed a patch in the ceiling (more to come if the patch looks good), played piano, weights and yoga, knee exercises and made myself a dish of Vital Choice tiny shrimp with butter sauce and spaghetti. Very good. I sprayed the lock on the way out and drove to O’Charley’s for dinner, the peach chutney chicken and mashed sweet potatoes with a side salad. My kayak friend is getting better and we are planning to have dinner over spring break if she is fully better by then. Maddie pulled a real prank on me with her desire to get a duckling but it was really just a tease but a lot of fun nonetheless.

Saturday, February 25, 2017

last two days

Friday was a good day with a nice hike, knee exercises, some fishing out at Wolf and Walker creeks. I got the news from Will Vance and I still owe 2800 in taxes so that sucks but I will put that off until April. I did not hear from Service Experts so I will call Monday. I did send back the salmon jerky and they will replace it with salmon candy. I hope to ride my bike later. Nice lunch with Claire and the closing is in late March. Today was supposed to be my big dinner with Cathy but after the first 50 minutes Maddie called and said Claire was throwing up so Cathy had to leave. Oh well! We got to chat some and I am glad for that. The rest of my day went pretty well although I only got a short hike in because of the rain, but I got everything else in, some piano, weights and yoga, knee exercises, some vacuuming in my bedroom, washing dishes and a laundry, fixing my glass case, a few other small things. Duke lost to Miami but Grayson Allen didn’t play so I’m not too worried about that loss. My weight is 217, and that is fine but my legs look pretty thin, particularly in the calves even though I do a lot of walking and exercise. I tried to get on Rob’s portal but it said my information as inaccurate (I think I still remember my birthday) so I will have to call on Monday. Dave and I are having an interesting conversation about media coverage (he is more critical of the media) and I hope to talk to him later tonight.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

bloodwork done

Thursday was a good and active day even though I had to push at points. I decided to take a hike after my morning nap and that started out slow but I got up to the orchard, checked on whether Service Experts is going to refund me some money for yesterday’s useless service call, talked to Will and he thought my taxes would be done on Friday, transferred some money to my checking, and talked to Raymond about the vent free heater (he thought I should just wait till the fall if I could). I did my weights and yoga, and my leg exercises and then I headed out to pick up my vital choice stuff (and I was disappointed with the salmon jerky being rather bland but I am going to return it and they are going to send me salmon candy), then off for almost painless bloodwork, then to the Meadows to play golf (where I shot a 51 hoping for a 52), then to my office for a long nap, my lumosity training, and my blog. I sent my kayak friend a funny email and I hope she gets a big laugh out of it. I also touched base with Maddie and she has midterms next week so she is really moving along. I will be having lunch with Claire at Greens tomorrow.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

the vent free is working again

It is Wednesday and a pretty good day even though the rain curtailed my outdoor activities. I did my piano work, my knee exercises, but no weights and yoga. I did ride the stationary bike for thirty minutes. The vent free heater went out again so I tried to call Raymond but he didn’t respond so I called Service Experts and they had a very nice guy, Jaime, come out and he cleaned the pilot and got it working again and then took a look at the Munchin furnace but it sounds like I could put thousands in and not be sure of it working so I am certainly not going to do that. A bigger problem was that the pilot went out again and I was very annoyed. However, I got down and tried to light it a few times unsuccessfully but then I decided to use the pressurized air to clean out the pilot and that worked. I am going to call Service Experts tomorrow to see if they will refund some of my 100 dollars. I am almost finished with my surprise poem for Cathy (just the ending remains) and I also did some financial planning and I should be able to help Maddie out when the Gallos run low. I got the knot out of my good rope by soaking it in hot water and using a plier to pull the knot apart. I also did more vacuuming and rearranged the lower shelf stuff up to the next shelf to make it easier to get to. I still have to do the upper kitchen and my bedroom and then all will be vacuumed. I then watched Duke lose to Syracuse in a great game (Syracuse really needed the win and Grayson Allen was injured and played very poorly). Then I drove into town to eat at O’Charley’s and do my lumosity training and my blog and send my kayak friend an email.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

three pound bass

Today turned out very well. I didn’t get a hike but I did some fishing in the North Fork, and then I napped, did my knee exercises, my piano, yoga and weights, and I am going to try to ride my bike for thirty minutes after I finish my blog. I got out to play golf again and in very subjective scoring, finally broke 50 with my last three holes (10, 11, and 12) being a 5, 4 and 6, just enough for a 49. I then decided to drive out to Walker Creek having obtained a license over the phone and I got a 3 pound bass. Very impressive. I am working in my office now having finished my lumosity training and my blog.

Monday, February 20, 2017

good golf, good biking, good walk

Well, Rob and I had a terrific walk and none of my medical stuff was discussed to my great relief. I did my yoga and weights, my piano, my knee exercises and I did a few more things around the house. I also went fishing for a half hour and had a couple small fish following my lures but no hits. It was in the 60s so it was just a lovely day to fish. I may go tomorrow. I then headed in to play golf and I was in the midst of my best round in weeks (5, 6, 5, 5, 4, 5, even after 6 for a bogey round) when Cathy Gallo called so I decided I had to talk with her and I will finish my round soon. Maddie got into the Greensboro Masters program but not the Ph. D program, which is pretty stunning to me. She also wasn’t offered any money, which is also a big surprise to me. I thought that Greensboro was her best bet and Cathy said that the whole thing hit her pretty hard. I heard from Claire and we will get together on Friday. After my walk with Rob I was exhausted so I took a nap in my truck and then went bike riding for 30 minutes in the Perry street parking lot, the first time in a long time. It was a lot of fun and made me feel even more back to normal. I then headed to Greens for sushi and lumosity training and my blog. An extra good day.

Sunday, February 19, 2017

an odd day

Today worked out okay but for a while I thought I was in some trouble. I didn’t sleep well and finally I got to bed around 6:30. When I got up I decided I had to finally ride my bike outside so I drove down to the pasture and rode for about ten minutes on the bumpy road I realize that I was probably irritating my groin rash and I decided to head for the Tech Research area to ride on pavement. That was a good idea but I felt pretty weird the whole time (kind of out of breath, kind of lightheaded) but I did ride for 20 full minutes then rested, then headed back home for a long nap. My vent free heater pilot went out again so I really do need Raymond to come out to fix it. Fortunately I have the bedroom heater and I pulled out the heater I used in my office and that warmed up the living room. Fortunately, the weather has been so nice that I don’t need a lot of heat. Rob called and asked me to call him and when I got to the pasture I texted back that I would call as long as it wasn’t about my medical stuff. I feel trapped right now and I will go for the bloodwork on Thursday but I want to stop talking about my medical stuff for a while. Trivedi is setting up the appointment at UVa and then I will have to make decisions. I put off my trip to NY because it would just be too stressful right now. I told Gabes that I might be able to come in April. The 2 lasix seem to be working so that is good, and I did my weights and yoga, knee exercises and piano and by 630 I was feeling well enough to go into town for dinner at Macado’s. I did my lumosity training and my blog and I am watching an absolutely ridiculous NBA all star game (97-92 at the HALF). Rob said he called to go for a hike and offered to go tomorrow and I accepted but I don’t want to talk about my medical stuff right now. I have been recovering from things since my May knee surgery (which was definitely the right thing to do, but has left me still doing therapy) and that was when Rob first noticed that I was a little anemic. Then I had to change my western trip to find out what was wrong with my toe (it was just athlete’s foot) and then I hurt my thigh out in the Bighorns after one lovely afternoon and evening of fishing from the banks of Plum Creek with my spinning gear and then with my fly gear, and that caused me to not make it to Yellowstone. Then I get through my semester and finally head out to Big Bend and that is a disaster since I have to head back for the renal biopsy and then the hospital and then endless bloodwork and swollen legs (now almost gone) and low albumin and high protein in the urine and I want no more of this. Is this whining? I guess so but I really don’t care tonight. Claire and Luke should sign a contract for their house this week and that is good news. My house is really getting cleaned up and my list of tasks is getting fewer and fewer.

Saturday, February 18, 2017

so, so tired

I hope I am not getting something. I started talking to Joe at the golf course and he started coughing (though he covered his mouth) and now it is 930 and I have just finished dinner at O’Charley’s and I am very tired and I didn’t even finish my meal. I did a hike today, piano, yoga, knee exercises, and a few little jobs outside including running the generator, fixing the light in the camper, checking the bike pressure, and putting away my hammer and my rebar piece. I then headed out to play golf and I played okay, shooting a 55 with a goal of 54 but that score was kind of deceptive since I got an 11 on the second hole (and my first three shots were perfect but the third didn’t reach the green and dropped back into sandtrap). Instead of hacking it out with my lob wedge, always a chancy proposition, I decided to putt it out to the side and while it held for a second, it then began to roll and rolled all the way down the hill. Anyway I did play most of the other holes well but with an 11 on the second hole it was a tough round.

Friday, February 17, 2017

Some new medical concerns

I had an overall decent day with some concerning news. My albumen level is at 2.1 and Rob would like it to be higher. He said that I should have my blood tested next week and I resisted at first, wanting a break of two weeks but he convinced me to do it next Thursday. I talked to Trivedi about going down to 2 lasix and she thought that was fine, since I was down to 223, but she said that if my weight goes up to go back on three Lasix. She also thought that I should go to UVA to get a second opinion on my treatment plan if the albumen and the protein in the urine levels don’t get better. She is going to set it up and that will give me a month or so to see what is going on. Rob said nothing I am doing is causing the problem and agreed that the 60-80 grams of protein a day is an acceptable level. I had a nice lunch with Claire and we had a wide ranging discussion. Later she texted me that the house offer was accepted contingent on a 500 dollar house warranty fee which I offered to pay. I talked with Kim Gainer and she let me sit down in her office before she told me she still had an upper respiratory problem and I jumped out of my chair and moved my seat out the doorway. She seems to be doing very well and should officially be the new permanent associate dean shortly. I played golf and was pretty awful, shooting a 54 on the front 9, which actually was two strokes better than my goal of 56. I played pretty well on the last 4 holes (the last two on the back nine usually cause me a lot of trouble) shooting a 6, 5, 4 and a 7 that should have been a 6. I went to my office for a nap and then took a 25 minute walk on the 4th floor. I went and got my meds and tried to get a fishing license but the website wouldn’t work. I then went to dinner at O’Charley’s and had their new Peach Chutney chicken and that was pretty good, with broccoli and potassium rich sweet potatoes. I did my lumosity training and my blog.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

New Contest

Thursday turned out to be a fine day even though I had to have bloodwork. Valarie did a fine job and it barely hurt. Back home, I did my stationary bike, my weights and yoga, piano, knee exercises, and took a hike to the orchard and back. After bloodwork I treated myself to a cheeseburger at Five Guys and a mini blizzard at Dairy Queen. Following a needed nap, I did my lumosity training, then set up my When will Trump Resign Contest. That should be fun. I am down to 3 lasix and I hope to go down even further when I get rid of another 5 or 10 pounds of water. I have now dropped in three days from 247 to 228. I got a text from Claire but nothing about the house so I assume there is no word yet. I will see her tomorrow for lunch at 1. I got a nice email from Darbi about Annie Dillard and I will respond to that later.

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

more water loss

Today, Wednesday, was a very good day. The 4 lasix really kicked in and I lost 16 pounds of water in two days. My legs are looking almost normal and I feel very relieved. I took a hike this morning and I felt lighter on my feet. I then took a nap and did my knee exercises and my piano and then I rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes (my rash seems to be getting better). I then headed into town to meet Gyorgyi for dinner and it was a nice event. She actually told me how much she has in her TIAA account and I do think that with some money from her mother, she could retire next year. She doesn’t want to keep teaching and I fully understand that. I talked with Gloria and she is doing okay. Bryana is going to come back to the US and get her teaching credentials. I wonder if Gloria ever thinks of all the money she wasted on Bryana’s college and around the world trip in a field she really never had a chance. Well, they certainly supported her and I hope teaching turns out to be a decent career for her. I heard from Emily McBroom for the first time in a long time and I responded and asked how she was doing. I also emailed Sarah Morris and invited her and Emma to lunch.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

water loss

Well, one of my main fears was relieved today after Darbi visited the hollow and said that she thought I could sell it for between 220K and 240K, so I am assuming I could really sell it fairly quickly (six months) for 230K. That would pay off Tracy and fully pay off my equity line. I would really like to stay in the hollow for at least a couple more years so if I could sell now and rent it back for a couple years that would be perfect. My health of course will be the deciding factor. After taking the 2 lasix at 5 in the morning, I didn’t drink much and peed a lot and my weight was down 6 pounds from 247 to 241 so that was very encouraging. Darbi was very nice and we chatted a lot about travel, books (I loaned her Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and Teaching a Stone to Talk) and the hollow. Her big concerns are the easement and the right of way and those are obviously the big ones. My surprise for my kayak friend was well received so I’m glad I could pull that off. I did take a nice hike and then I played golf and shot a 52 but I got an 8 on 17 when my third shot rolled all the way back down the hill and then my 5th shot didn’t make it to the green. I really struggle on the last two holes even though today I had a can of Starbucks Double Shot. I then went to my office for a nap and my lumosity and my blog. Claire and I had a good texting exchange and Luke and she are supposed to make an offer today. I really hope they get it since they both like it a lot.

Monday, February 13, 2017

visit to Trivedi

Monday started very well with a very active hike to the orchard and back down a couple of times and then back to the house for a nap. I played piano, weights and yoga, knee exercises, culled some nature books (I am done with the novels and have just a few more books to cull overall. I am starting to straighten out the guest room and that shouldn’t take too long. It was a little too cold to play golf so I napped a bit and then headed in to get my meds and see Dr. Trivedi. She wants me to take 4 lasix and if that doesn’t work she is going to put me on another med. She told me that my vegetable diet was too strict and that I should be eating around 80 grams of protein a day and I was nowhere near that. My other symptoms, the cough, the cold at night, the rash on my groin she wasn’t too worried about. I talked things over with Claire and everything is fine about helping her with the house financing. I had a fine dinner at O’Charley’s, cedar plank salmon, mashed sweet potatoes, and side salad. I also got the Coleman application done, sent it to Holly and put 40 copies on my door.

Sunday, February 12, 2017

golf and a short hike

Sunday was an okay day, at least so far. I had very little energy when I got up, but I did a few easy things and after a nap I walked down to the big white pine and back so at least I got that done. I culled all the novels and will give them to Ru. I took another nap and when I got up I had some energy so I decided to go play golf, and I just missed breaking 50 with a 50. My putting was a problem and I hit a number of bad shots. I then headed to Macados in Radford to have some salad and soft pretzels with spicy mustard. I have a fun plan for Valentine’s day (with approval) so that should be nice to see. My legs were swollen but maybe not as much as yesterday. I am watching the VT / Virginia game and Virginia is up by 9 so it is still a game. My cough is still pretty bad at points but if I lie on my side when I go to bed I can breathe okay and fall asleep pretty easily. I am not sure what is causing it. Claire and Luke are going to bid on the house and I wish them well and I will help them as much as I can.

Saturday, February 11, 2017

2 lasix and no real effect

Saturday was an okay day but the second Lasix had no effect and my legs were really swollen after my very slow hike to the orchard. I had to raise them at least an hour and even that didn’t seem to help much. I did my weights and yoga and my knee exercises so that felt good and I did a lot of piano work and started a new song with several fully diminished chords. Claire called and she and luke liked the house and are going to put a bid on it and I figured out my finances and they will be no problem. I will even have extra to travel with if I want to. Rob has more troubles but he seemed okay tonight so I was glad about that. Talked to Gabes briefly but unless I see a pretty dramatic change in my legs I am not going anywhere soon. I did some culling of novels and got rid of a few DVDs also so I should have more shelf space soon. I am interested to see how my income tax return ends up. Breaking even would be fine.

Friday, February 10, 2017

no big complaints

Friday, except for my sleeping or lack of it, was a very decent day. I couldn’t do my stationary bike because of the rash on my groin so I set up an appointment to see Rob to get some advice. I did my knee exercises, some piano, weights and yoga, and took a couple of short naps. I am now down to 50 mg of prednisone and perhaps that will help with the swelling. I drove in to meet Claire for lunch at Greens and we talked about the house search and financing, which I will help her with. I then headed to Rob’s and he didn’t think my rash was that bad so he just suggested more Lamasil and a lot of Tinactin powder. He was still concerned about my swelling legs and decided to put me on 2 40mg Lasix a day. Just for fun I checked into some flyfishing adventures up in Alberta and up in Fernie and I may do something out there in September. I talked to my friend Nick and he was doing okay and is actually doing things with a woman in her 80s and that is very good to hear. He is still the best person I have ever met and I hope he continues to do well. I then went to play golf and was doing pretty well until the last two holes where I got tired and ended up with a 51. I think my putting was a little better and my new grips are really much better. Tomorrow is supposed to be very nice so I may play again after watching the Duke game at 1. I then drove to my office for a nap and my lumosity training and my blog.

Thursday, February 9, 2017

back on Lasix

Thursday was a decent day, and I started on Lasix although it didn’t seem to have an effect yet. I did my biking and piano playing, yoga and weights, my knee exercises, put the warning poles up by the ditch, checked the solar batteries (8 1270, 4 1270 and 1 1235, very good readings). I did more vacuuming and did some straightening up in the guest room so that is a lot more accessible. I was supposed to hear from Gabes tonight but I am not sure what came up. Texted Gyorgyi about Trump’s big loss and we are both pretty happy. Emailed Rosemary a draft of the Coleman application and I should have that finished tomorrow. I didn’t feel up to my lumosity training but I am finishing my blog. Duke beat NC in a very good game.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

a bad day and then a pretty good one

Today, Tuesday was not a good day, mainly because I went crazy eating and I feel so fat and I think that has affected the swollenness in my legs. I got up early and did some household tasks (only a few remain) and practiced a lot of piano, which felt really good. I tried to take a hike but I could only get to the second resting spot and I struggled to get back to the house. I had to nap and got up just in time to head to lunch with Jeff Saperstein (just a decent salad and a piece of pita) and that went quite well although my legs were pretty swollen. I then went and got the chain saw chain sharpened, then went to Lowes, where they don’t carry the Anderson closer, then to Home Depot, where I ordered two of the closers, but they didn’t have the adhesive screen patches so I had to head back to Lowes, but I stopped at Kentucky Fried Chicken for mashed potatoes, mac and cheese and two biscuits. Lowes had the adhesive patches so I headed home and stopped for a big bag of mixed snacks and devoured that and knew immediately that was a big mistake. I took a nap, then got up and rode my stationary bike hard for 30 minutes and did my knee exercises, then showered, and headed into O’Charley’s for tea and eventually a side of broccoli to take my medicine with (I ended up not taking the third prednisone) and having a good chat with Dave. Wednesday was a good day overall but I really didn’t get to sleep until almost 7 so that wasn’t much fun. I have been off the sleeping pills for a few days, but I think I might take one tonight. When I got up at 9:00, I did a few things and then Sam came to treat the house and I went back to be until almost 12:00. I did my biking for 30 minutes and my knee exercises and with raising my legs a lot, the swelling was down some and that made me feel more comfortable. I did some good piano playing, put the old closer back on the front storm door (the new ones should come in a couple of weeks), and organized almost all my photos (which I need to put on my computer, instead of just on the thumb drive). Rob called just as I was getting up from a nap and he wanted to walk so that was fine with me and I met him around 4:45 and we had a very nice walk. He wants me to go on the Lasix tomorrow to cut down on the swelling. After the walk I drove to china inn and had my broccoli and eggplant mix and ate less than half. I took the rest of the veggies with me but tossed them later because I really want to eat less. I drove to Dick’s and dropped off my clubs to be regripped and that should help. Then it was off to Panera for a bagel and blueberry cream cheese. I heard from Gabes and we are looking at the first weekend in March for a NY trip since I really can’t drive a long distance with swollen legs.

Monday, February 6, 2017

the branch is gone

Monday ended up being a good day but I had trouble breathing early on and it wasn’t until my walk to the orchard that my lungs opened up. I was very slow but I got there and did three times down to the bottom of the orchard and back so that helped. I did my stationary bike for 30 minutes, all my leg exercises, fixed the broken humidifier, and played some piano. After my second nap, I got up and was able to cut the branch overhanging the road to the tractor barn so that is now safe. It was not too bad after I got up on the back of the truck so I had a much better angle on the cut. I also checked the batteries and they were 8 1268 4 1250 and 1 1227. I also added water again although it could have waited. My 500 gallon tank is down to 39 percent and with the 54 percent in the 100 gallon, I should have enough till the mid-summer. My legs are still swollen and I must have raised them 20 times today. I am hoping with my low protein diet to have better results soon and on the 10th I go down to 50mg of prednisone. I still have a tentative feel at points, but my days in the hollow are very comfortable. I am at O’Charley’s where I had a vegetable dinner and did my lumosity training and my blog. John left me a very kind message in response to my message and I was very touched by it. He did play a crucial role in my life.

Sunday, February 5, 2017

catchup

Friday turned out to be a good day, particularly after I spoke with Trivedi’s office and she said that the swelling in my legs was probably due to the prednisone. She thought that if the swelling starts to hurt then she might prescribe something. My other problem, the high protein in my urine, may be partially my fault. I have actually been eating a high protein diet (although with a lot of salad and veggies) and I have stopped that. Tonight just vegetable fajitas at Gran Rodeo. I think that should help. My day went very well. I got up and did a little more vacuuming (I am moving slowly around the living room, doing the walls and the moldings and up by the ceiling. I did some good practicing on the piano, and then back for a nap. When I got up, it was time for finishing the orchard road and with the new chainsaw blade on the cutting was very easy if very slow (a couple cuts and I needed to sit to get my breath back). I moved on to the small fallen tree in the left corner of the orchard then tackled the hardest job, the tree that was loaded with vines and was interlocked with one of the cherries. I had to cut and cut at the vines but eventually I got everything cut up and thrown to the side. I got back and had a bite to eat then went back to nap. After that it was time to do my stationary bike and then get ready to head into Radford to drop off my tax stuff for Will. Then it was off to my office to do my lumosity training and chat with Moira and then off to dinner. Saturday was another good day although it started off a little shaky. I was coughing a bit and I thought I might be catching something but by the middle of the day I felt fine and even got a nice slow hike down to the second resting place near the gate. I did more vacuuming and got over past the air conditioner and I should be done with the whole house in a few weeks. I did my knee exercises, a lot of piano, watched Duke beat Pitt in a pretty close game, washed the sheet I am using for my exercises (so I won’t ruin another one), charged the chain saw battery, equalized the batteries for over 2 hours (I must check the numbers soon), exchanged a couple of emails with my kayak friend (and I hope to send her a very funny one shortly), tried to figure out why the humidifier is leaking (not sure yet), and organized the house even more. I drove down to the pasture to look at some of the houses that Darbi sent me, and the idea of buying a brand new one level house with about 1500 square feet, is becoming appealing. According to Ryan, the loan officer, my credit is over 800, my finances are sterling and I could purchase a 250K house with a mortgage, HOA fees, taxes and insurance for 1200 per month, close to what I would be paying for a 800 square foot apartment in Copper Croft. Of course, all of this is just to keep my mind a little busy. My health is the great determinant and then whether I can stay in the hollow. After that it is all just entertainment. I am sticking to my new low protein diet and I hope that my protein level will go down when I go for bloodwork. I feel pretty good although I do get very cold at points, particularly toward the evening and I have to assume that is because of the anemia or the kidneys. I had hoped to have dinner with Cathy Gallo but they have the norovirus so that wasn’t going to work. When I go to bed, I do ask to make it through the night because I do feel somewhat tentative, and I think that is the jittery effect of the prednisone. I am finishing my veggie dinner at Red Lobster (that is a bit ironic, I realize but I like some of their new veggie offerings. Sunday has proven another good day. I didn’t sleep that well being pretty cold all night (I checked the temp in the room and it was 67; later when it got up to 70 I warmed up and was able to go back to sleep). I did some practicing, my leg exercises, and my weights and yoga. I got a call from Rob and we agreed to go for a walk at 2 and that was a lot of fun catching up. He still is a little worried about my swollen legs and the high protein but I wasn’t too worried so we spent a few minutes on health and a lot more on politics and family. After our walk I raised my legs some and then headed for the golf course where I played quite well up to the last two holes (I hit a nice shot on 17 that rolled way back down the hill and then I four putted for an 8) and then on last hole I was on on 4 and I made a good putt about 4 feet away but missed for a 50. Then it was time to head to Macado’s to watch the Super Bowl and have dinner and where I met Jake’s baby and his wife. Very cute baby.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Too much protein

Thursday was a little problematic as I got the blood test and urine test results and the protein in the urine is still too high, thus the swelling in my legs. Rob is going to talk to Trivedi and try to come up with plan, but my hike to the orchard (twice back to the top) was slightly less fun because I was worried about the swelling and if something bad might happen on the hike (I raised my legs up at the orchard several times). When I got back from the hike, I raised them again for 25 minutes and that seemed to help. I also did 30 hard minutes of stationary bike, weights, yoga, and all my knee exercises. I did more things around the house and my list gets shorter and shorter. Then after two good naps I headed in to have an early dinner with Claire and that was fun. Then it was off to my office where I ran into Don and Moira and had nice chats with both of them. I e-mailed Hung-Ling to see if she needed some help but she didn’t respond so I will be leaving shortly. Good day.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Helping Maddie

Wednesday and I slept a little better. I got up and I had a painful iirritation near my groin so that put an end to my ambitious plans to cut up the rest of the two fallen trees on the orchard road. I did change the chain saw blade and that only took about twenty minutes (I worked on it inside on newspaper and gave the whole saw a good cleaning. I straightened up around the house, putting the stuff away from my trip and cleaning out the truck, getting the bike broom fixed so it won’t slide up front, spraying the bike lock, doing a wash, napping some, then getting ready to head in for my blood work. As I got to the pasture, I had a message from Maddie about a slight screwup with one of her transcripts so I called all five universities and got things straightened out at three and left messages at the other two. She was very appreciative as she always is. The bloodwork was done with one stick and I gave Valarie the gift card from Target. Rob looked at my rash and when I told him I had put Cortisone 10 on it, he said that was exactly the wrong thing to put on it and wrote me a prescription for a fungal medicine which should solve the problem. I joked about how I am not a doctor and he is not a lawyer. He also looked at my swollen legs and wasn’t particularly happy but didn’t prescribe anything but agreed that I should keep raising them. I then picked up my sneakers, drove to Our Daily Bread for an almond croissant treat and coffee, which I did my lumosity training and most of today’s blog. I hope I can get back to my normal exercises very soon. I am going to do a short walk at Tech later I think before I head to Walmart for my meds. I also left John a message (which was more emotional than I thought it would be) about the act of kindness we talked about and I told him the greatest act of his kindness to me was letting me live with Karen and him for the year I did my Masters at Boston University. This was after Jim’s short stay was a disaster and I was nervous about finding a place to live, scared about going back to school at 27, feeling nowhere in life, and John treated me as a dear friend, in ways as a younger brother, as a peer, even though he was already an amazing success. That may have been the most important year in my life for it allowed me to study harder than I ever did (often 8 hours a day) and then join John for some beers on the drive home and develop a close relationship with Karen. It is something I have never forgotten.