It's Summertime!

Flaming Lips - It's Summertime

Mindy enjoying a summery lavender drink at Milestone 229 Saturday, June 1

The new and improved fountains at Bicentennial Park

The Understory - Wolf's Ridge new brewpub restaurant and patio

Fawn playing in the creek by our home last week

Power washing the stucco on the house

Mindy's principal retires - year end party at our house

Young eyes!

New kick - flashlight photography!

 

                                                            Yummy summer drinks!

Seventeen - Arcturus & Musk

 

Arcturus & Musk             

 

Relaxing on the deck Sunday evening with Mindy, my gaze turned skyward searching for the brightest star the naked eye could see. Quickly I spotted what turned out to be Arcturus, one of the first and brightest stars visible in the early June night sky. It’s located near dead center between the east/west horizons at about 2 o’clock north to south.

I kept my gaze right there intent on observing more stars coming into focus while the sky continued to darken. Suddenly flush with goose bumps, I watched what appeared to be a star moving swiftly north to south. It looked different than a high-flying jet might appear. Instead of flashing light, and or multi colors, it was fixed and bright white.

At first, I thought it nothing more than an anomaly, so I kept my thoughts to myself. Another 30 seconds hadn’t passed when I spotted yet another taking a similar trajectory. This time I excitedly shared my citing with Mindy, who was playing on her phone. She caught a quick glimpse just before it faded into the southern sky. I explained that this was the 2^nd I’d spotted in roughly the same spot.

No sooner had the 2^nd one faded when a third appeared, this time passing just west of Arcturus but on a similar north south trajectory. Now having Mindy’s undivided attention, she spotted it too. What the heck!

We quickly eliminated ISS since we’d spotted three in the same area. Phones in hand, we both Googled feverishly looking for an explanation, but without keeping one eye skyward. By the time it was all said and done, we’d spotted seventeen such objects. The last few taking different trajectories, but with the same physical characteristics.

Google convinced us both that we were witnessing Starlink satellites moving about their low-orbit home. Further, this apparently is a common experience 1-3 days after they deploy, which Starlink deployed 60 such satellites on Friday May 31.

Embarking on a New Chapter in Life - Nixon's 1st Day of Kindergarten

Nixon - You've brought so much joy into our lives. Today is a big day for you!  We are so excited for you. 

Taking Cincinnati by Storm - Lucius Q, BoH & Reds

 

A Tribute to Mom

 

Thank family and friends for coming. Special shout out to Charles and his wife, Melissa, as well as pastor Joe. I also want to thank the nurses and staff at the hospitals and nursing homes who cared for mom over the last 3 months. Some of them are true heroes. Lasty, thank wife, Mindy & daiughter, Bella.

Mom’s Story – Unicorns & Rainbows

No one would ever accuse Pauline (mom) of being a Unicorns & Rainbows kinda gal, or someone who sees the cup as half full. Frankly, her knack for seeing the half empty side of things became somewhat of a family meme. Yet despite her pessimistic outlook, mom was a loving mother, a mother that cared for her sons come hell or high water.

I was lucky enough to spend several days with mom over the last few months, and a handful of those before she fell sick when I would head to her new Columbus home in the Eastmoor neighborhood. It was during those visits that I asked mom a lot of questions and documented many of the big rocks in her life story. It was through these visits/interviews that I developed a deeper understanding of who she really was, and perhaps more importantly, why she was who she was.

Pauline (mom) was born to George & Ruth Merrick in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, December 12, 1937. They lived on the west side’s Highland Ave for the first 8 or 9 years of her life. She was a self-described daddy’s girl, and often shared that he was her entire world. She absolutely adored him. But tragically, mom lost her daddy in WW2 when she was just 7.5 years old.

Her recount went something like this:

A knock at the front door caused me to run quickly for a peak at who was there. It was two large, imposing service men. I promptly called for my momma (my grandma) and then quietly dipped behind her legs hiding as grandma slowly opened the door. The news wasn’t good. My daddy was one of 87 seamen lost in what’s now documented as the last major sea battle (operation Ten-Go) of WW2 in Okinawa.  His ship, the USS Bush, sunk after three concurrent kamikaze strikes on April 6, 1945.

That day changed the trajectory of her life for good. It was, and then remained, the saddest day of her life. In fact, when I asked her to share more of her earliest memories from childhood, that’s the only one she could recall.

Sadly, from my perspective, the premature loss of her daddy left her insecure and with low self-esteem for the rest of her days. After her father’s passing life of course moved forward with my grandma ultimately remarrying and even giving mom a little sister, my aunt Linda. She, by the way, was a real piece of work! From that point forward, the familial men in her life could never measure up to her daddy’s love.

During her HS years, mom met dad at Gray Drugs in Central Point where they both held part-time jobs. Their relationship flourished eventually leading to dad asking mom to spend the rest of her life with him. It’s not lost on me that his proposal took place at Grigg’s reservoir, which would later become the center of our world for many happy years as a young family, picnicking, boating and celebrating family birthdays.

Mom & Dad married in 1955, and a few years later (7 to be exact), we were a family of 6, mom, dad, and four boys, all born between 1958-1962. Sadly, after 16 years or so the family dynamic crumbled, and our parents eventually divorced. But not before many, many happy memories were formed.

As the 2^nd of the four boys, I loved our happy, fun-filled, "Beaver Cleaver" life. In my mind we had everything and wanted for nothing. Hell, I thought we were rich! This perspective was supported by lots and lots of super fun times, a loving extended family, and lots of friends.

When I reflect back on these happy memories, mom was central to all of them.

Sharing youthful found memories:

·        Happy Times - Dancing to the Mary Poppins album in the livingroom of Westmoor Place.

 

·        Family dining out/in – KFC, BBF, Georges Coney’s and Maria’s Pizza – Sunday Steak dinners to Englebert and Tom J.

 

·        Church boys - We were Glenwood church boys. Sang in the children’s choir, participated in the Easter bell choir, and even attended summer bible school. It was really fun!

 

·        Lompoc via Amtrak - Not one, but two cross country trips via an Amtrak luxury train (El Capitan’) to Lompoc CA to visit our aunt & uncle. Those trips also included visits to Disneyland.

 

·        The most fashionable clothes.  She never said no to our desire to wear the most fashionable clothes. We took many fun-filled COTA bus trips to downtown Lazarus where I recall picking out my first pair of bell-bottoms, bell-sleeved shirts and love beads. Because of mom’s generosity, we were hands down the trendiest boys at John Burroughs Elem.!

 

·        Uncle Chuck in Vegas - And I’ll never forget our surprise trip to once again visit Uncle Chuck, only this time in Las Vegas (thinking 1973). That’s right, four boys, my mom and grandma piled into her Plymouth Duster and drove from Columbus to Vegas. Do you think Uncle Chuck was surprised when all six of us showed up? 😊

 

·        Family Camping - Sprinkled between all of this were numerous family camping and boating trips to Lake White, days at Kings Island, Cedar Point, the zoo, and trips to the Ohio State Fair where we saw the likes of Sonny & Cher, Bob Hope, 5th Dimension, Osmond Brothers, Smothers brothers and many, many more.  (by the way, one of my favorite memories was watching Dave Merrifield, the guy who would hang by his heels from a helicopter trapeze).😊

 

·        Drive-in Movies - summer evenings mom would load all of us into the family car and take us to the drive-in movies. There we not only saw all the family classics, but also a handful of movies we probably shouldn’t have, like Planet of the Apes, The Godfather, as well as a few torture movies.

 

·        Backyard camp outs - mom was so supportive of our bizarre idea to camp out in the back yard pretty much every night of the summer. She’d happily take us to the Great Western grocery store to stock up on the camping essentials, hot dogs, marshmallows, and soda pop.

 

Sharing Found mom memories from adult life

·        Camping with mom at Deer Creek – Later in life, once I’d built my own small family, I would frequently load up my three girls and all of our camping gear and meet mom at Deer Creek State Park campground for a weekend of fun.

·        Car problems, no trouble - And then there were the few times I got into minor trouble with the law relative to my car. Mom was always there to offer help and support, be it emotional or financial. Believe me, I wouldn’t dare ask dad. 😊

 

·        College – When as a young parent with a blossoming career, I decided that I wanted to go to college, once again, my mom was right there willing to help with an open wallet and emotional support so I could fulfill my dream.

Thanks mom. I love you and will always cherish these memories!

Pauline Ann Merrick (Mom) December 12, 1937 - July 11, 2023

 

Space Between

Last post I shared the end of my running streak. Now 3.5 years later I am happy to report that I have a new – maybe even healthier- exercise regimen. For roughly two years post running streak, I alternated, albeit haphazardly, between bicycling and running. Then about a year ago I decided to add walking days. Now the regimen looks something like this. Beginning on a Sunday it’s bike, run, walk, and repeat. I usually take Saturday’s off for rest/recovery. Although many Saturday’s I head off on a hike or another activity away from home.

Around the same time that my running streak ended, I modified my pre-run regimen, too. And while I still meditate most mornings, I’ve eliminated daily push-ups, sit-ups, and dumbbells and replaced them with a yoga/stretch regimen. Happy to report that my body has never felt better, and certainly much more flexible. One of the ill effects of running every day for almost 20 years, my hamstrings became dangerously tight, like banjo strings. I pulled a hamstring several times along the way. It took almost two years for them to loosen up some, but they’ll never be as spry as they were 10+ years ago.

And since it’s been a few years, I want to give a special call out to my newest grandchild, Nixon. Nixon came into the world Oct 25, 2017. He’s an amazing little boy and we love him to pieces. Hard to believe that he’s 2.5 yrs. old already.

It’s early May and we’re deep into the throws of COVID-19. Most of us are in some form of a lock-down. Fun-fun! And as a result, I now share my work from home space with Mindy and the kids. We are all home working and schooling. Outside of my bike, run, walk, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve left the house. I’ve driven my car maybe 30 miles dating back to the 2^nd week of March.

Making it a bit more painful has been the chilly, wet, gray weather we’ve had to slog through since mid-March. We’ve had maybe 10 really nice days out of the last 50. At one point I became so discouraged with the weather that I went on a fact-finding mission charting the April weather for the last 5 years. Facts are, that most April’s are a mixed bag of crappy weather with some nice days sprinkled in. This April’s pattern looks eerily similar to April 2018, but with only 4 days over 70 degrees, none reach 80 degrees, and a whole bunch in the low to mid 50s. And most of those included rain and a stiff, chilly breeze.

On a positive note, we’re well ahead of schedule on spring/summer yard prep. But even that has taken a bit of a hit due to the recent rash of extremely wet, chilly weather. After all, I can’t move dirt and mulch freely about the yard for fear of creating ruts in the overly saturated lawn.

Probably not much different than most folks, I have watched more TV in the last 50 days that I have over the last 20 years. And Mindy & I have watched 5 or 6 movies together over that same span, probably equal to the number of movies we’ve watched together in our entire relationship. Add to that my insatiable appetite for everything Corona virus, I have watched CNN & Fox News ad nauseum. Lots of spin on both networks, albeit 180 degrees apart.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

-    Rumi

Never Once Surrendered to its Inevitability

On December 10, 2016 my running streak of 19 years, 10 months, and 1 day came to an abrupt end. Sure, I knew this day would eventually come but I never once surrendered to its inevitability.

It was a sloppy, snowy Sunday morning, and like every other day for the past 20 or so years I set out for a run only to have it and my streak halted just a few feet from where it all began, at the bottom of my driveway. I was done in by a muscle pull, a muscle I apparently pulled a few days prior that now felt like a ripping & stabbing pain just below the calf muscle in my right leg. It hurt so bad that I let out a fairly loud yelp as I hopped on my good leg for a few feet before ultimately caving to the pain and the hopelessness of my aging running streak. It was finally over, or so I imagined. ...

I think it was the Thursday morning prior when during the home stretch of my 4 mile run, I felt a twinge just below the calf muscle in my right leg. Having run through countless other aches and pains over the years, I thought nothing of it and finished my run without giving it a second thought. It felt stiff through a shower and work day prep, but I reckoned it would ease as the day wore on.
It felt more like a Charlie horse, if that makes any sense.

Friday's run was a 3 miler and somewhere near the half way point that pull began to compromise by gate, and it only got stiffer, more painful as I proceeded to the finish. I even stopped for a few brief seconds to massage it away with the finish in sight. I was a tad worried. Worried because with every other pull or strange ache felt on the running trail over the last 20 years, the symptoms would ease as run went along. This time it intensified. Yikes!

This time the knot or Charlie horse was perhaps a bit deeper to the point that it caused a casual, noticeable limp in my regular walking gate all day long. I remember thinking, worrying even, that my streak might truly be compromised. To help heal, I iced my calf and massaged it several times that evening. I had been double dosing naproxen for the past two days too. I was hopeful that Saturday would bring relief.

Before setting out on Saturday's run, I shared my concern with Mindy. However, as hoped, the limp was gone and what remained was only a little pain deep below my calf.  I couldn't be certain until formally setting out on my run. I must have gotten about a mile before it stiffened to the point where I had to stop and massage it. I guessed that whatever was amiss was requiring compensation by surrounding muscles which were by then tight as 2x4's. I continued on only to have it stiffen to the point of no return, now about 2 miles into the run. I had no choice but to hobble home with my head hung low.

As you might guess, lots of thoughts were going through my head, most notably the potential end of my streak, but then also worry of a more serious injury that might even jeopardize my snow ski season. The last thing I wanted to do was tear my Achilles, which by all accounts seemed to be the actual thing that was pulled.

Finally back home I told Mindy of my dilemma and immediately went into home doctoring mode, again dosing naproxen, icing, massaging, resting and elevating my right leg - all things I learned via the internet that can help with a pulled Achilles. However, in almost every case, they stated that more than anything, rest was the best medicine, and not just a few hours or one day, but more like 10 days. Ugh!

Trying to be smart but at the same time not willing to quit so easily, I decided that, Universe willing,  I would still try to run come Sunday morning.

After my failed Sunday morning attempt, I retreated to the house with my head held high. I knew in my heart of hearts that I had given it everything I had to keep the streak alive. Mindy looked at me with concern and perhaps even a little fear, worried I guess, that I might slide into some deep, dark funk, or even full-on depression. But that wasn't going to be the case. Perhaps had I just somehow slept through a running opportunity, or let it slip without a valid reason then yeah, I would've been horribly remorseful. As it was, I was proud of what I'd accomplished.

But even then as the morning gave way to afternoon, I figured hope wasn't completely gone. Perhaps I could miraculously heal and get my run in late afternoon or evening. Bottom line, I tried two more times, once around 230pm, while Mindy was grocery shopping, and then again just before dinner time, near 6pm. I think hope masked reality because I really believed that the 6pm run would be OK. But that wasn't it be. I got maybe about 1/8th of a mile before the crippling pain and severe stiffness set in again. Nope, it was over, officially in the books.

Began: Sunday, February 9, 1997
Ended: Sunday, Dec 10, 2016

Lunchin with Livy

Had lunch at school with G.D. Olivia today. It was bring someone special to school day and she chose me! While there, ran into niece Whitney. Haven't talked to her in maybe 15 years. She's a preschool teacher. Also ran into Joyce Castarano (sp), an old friend, and niece Whitney's stepmom. Believe she's the librarian at Livy's school. We often joke that somewhere in our tangled familial dysfunction we're related.

Olivia asked that I get her Taco Bell, which I did. Wanting to maintain my healthy eating ways, I packed a salad, nuts, berries and water. Olivia ate my strawberries.

Running Out Of My Teens

My running streak has now orbited the sun 19 times! Always Run Strong!

Sisters @ milestones 30 & 32 / Super Sunday

Since we were out of town on Lindsey's 32nd bday, we celebrated hers late (January 18, 1984), and since we'll also be out of town for Ashley's 30th bday, we celebrated hers a little early (February 17, 1986).

Cathartic Experience

Feeling Unlike Myself

I felt like crap for most of the day Monday, due mostly to the lack of a good night's sleep Sunday night after eating too much pizza at Bella's adoption day celebration at Minelli's. Add to that, for most of the weekend I was experiencing an occasional, mildly sharp short burst of pain across my upper right chest (not near center) and that was bugging me.

Anyway, we had dinner reservations with the Imber's for 630pm at 229 - a special five-course Argentinean wine dinner. I was determined to go despite feeling tired and dealing with those darting pains. And as Mindy will attest, I was in a crabby mood, too.  Near 6pm, when it was time to leave for 229, Mindy asked why I was being so grumpy. Up to that point I hadn't mentioned anything to her about those chest pains and didn't plan to. Through the weekend I had hemmed and hawed about sharing that with her, but at the same time I didn't want to be an alarmist. Besides, I knew full well what she'd recommend or do.

Nonetheless, just before we were set to walk out the door I decided I better tell her about my malady. She insisted I check my blood pressure which I hadn't done for a month or so. Seemed like a sound idea. Well, the machine kept erroring out, but that's not too unusual when I try to take my BP over a thick shirt or sweater, which I was wearing. After two failed attempts, Mind wanted to help which only made me more nervous. I finally got a reading after the machine errored numerous times, one which was really high - 170/98, or something like that. Now, not only was I grumpy, but I was really nervous too!

Mindy asks me out on a Date ... to the hospital

Mindy asked if I wanted to go to the hospital. At first I said no. Then she wanted to call a squad. No! please. But after a brief moment of silence, and after thinking through it and applying some logic I thought it best to go to the hospital and have it checked out. She sent the Imber's a text sharing that we wouldn't be making it to the dinner after all and then we headed off to Riverside hospital. I asked her more than once to avoid speeding. All sorts of thoughts were coursing through my head as we made our way to Riverside. And just as you might expect, all depressing. For one, how could my body let me down as good as I treat it? I tried to be rationale but no matter what, I couldn't see this ending well. Among other things, the very thought of arriving at the hospital ER and having them run tests and then the prospect of them coming to me with that "come to Jesus moment" was very scary. I knew that within the hour I would almost certainly be handed my cold hard fate, whatever it was. And while it's good to know for sure, let's face it, sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Riverside Urinal

At Riverside, Mindy insisted I get out at the ER entrance while she went to park. Inside, there was a line of at least 10 arriving patients simply waiting to be checked-in. I was also a little taken back by the metal detector one has to pass through just to get in the ER waiting room. That's new to me. Ugh!

Add to that, and I don't mean to be cruel, but the place smelt like piss. Couldn't see myself waiting in the line. I immediately celled Mindy asking her to come back around and take me to the new Dublin hospital (she actually gave me that option initially but I chose Riverside). Off to Dublin.

Dublin Methodist Hotel ... ugh, hospital

Arrived at Dublin hospital near 630pm. Same drill. She let me out at the door and went to park. I was the only patient there and subsequently had their undivided attention. Very pleasant folks quickly ushered me back to an ER exam room. Bonnie was the initial attending ER nurse. Awesome lady; friendly, attentive, and a great sense of humor. Apparently, uttering something about chest pains gets everybody moving. By the time Mindy was parked and was inside, I was already gowned up and being triaged. It all happens so fast. An EKG, an IV into my right arm, blood drawn, and a urine sample (more on the urine sample in a minute). Lots and lots of questions. Symptoms, name, birthdate, and repeated by almost everyone who came to check me out over the next 30 minutes. Pretty quickly they shared that the type and area of my pain was almost certainly not heart related, especially after reading my EKG. No correlation.

My own Lil Sippy Cup

Urine sample problem. I had to pee like a race horse ( race horses, I think, must pee big!). I headed right across the hall with the sippy pee cup Bonnie handed me. Well, my gown wasn't tied in the back and as a result, kept falling down. I also had wires attached to the EKG patches that kept flopping around, all the while trying to hold the pee cup. So inevitably, while trying to keep the robe up, the pee cup fell into the john. The water looked clean so I quickly fished it out and shook it dry - well mostly, and easily and quickly filled the cup then headed back to the exam room. I decided to share my faux pas with the nurse. She didn't bat an eye. No biggie. Mindy was a bit taken back when I shared the ordeal with her. A couple more doctors came in to see me, eventually sharing that my urine and blood were all free of the tell-tale signs of a heart attack. And the rare occasion when those darting pains recurred, there was not even a blip on the heart monitor, which according to them was another reassuring sign that they weren't related to heart issues.

Sealing my overnight fate

All that said, somewhere along the line when prompted by another doctor for any other symptoms or physical issues, I shared that for the past few weeks I've noticed that I tend to get a little more winded at the outset of my run but only for a few hundred yards then all's well - normal. I didn't realize it at the time, but that sealed my fate as far as staying or leaving. Despite almost certainty that I was fine, they insisted I stay the night for observation and possibly a stress test and a visit by the resident cardiologist in the morning just to make sure they hadn't overlooked something. As inconvenient as it sounded at the time, I appreciated and understood their logic. It may sound silly, but one of the first things I considered was how a stay might jeopardize my running streak.

Running Shoes and tooth brush

It would be an hour or so before they'd be able to get me to a room. Seizing the opportunity, Mindy opted to head home so she could arrange coverage for the kids as well as to grab a few things I insisted that I would need, none more important than my running shoes and a toothbrush. I joked with the doctor that I would need to do four miles on the treadmill stress test. He laughed but also said they would likely let me do that. He was in awe of my running streak, which I so vainly shared. In fact, he shared that his wife is also a streak runner but a rather new one - currently at 400 days. Said he likely would not be sharing my streak for not to discourage her.

Room 3306

Mindy got back to the hospital just as they were about to wheel me off to my room - 3306. She brought me a Wendy's single. With doctor's approval I woofed it down before we rolled off to my room. Until then, I'd eaten only carrots, half a tomato, nuts and oatmeal all day long. I was really hungry.  The staff told me that I would love the room.  They were right, at least as far as hospitals go. The rooms are very nice and big. The bed was much more comfortable than the exam room bed too. There, I was introduced to my nurse, Sandy. She was most pleasant. Offered me all sorts of food, but i declined. Fetched me some ice water too. Mindy hung out in the room with me for an hour or so but then begged off for home.  Said she'd be back early AM. I think she wanted to be there when the cardiologist showed up, which they offered might be as early as 7am ... ish.

Caucusing at Dublin Methodist

Sandy gave me plenty of attention. We talked about kids and stuff. She offered late night snacks again, too, but I again declined. I decided to make the most of my hospital stay. I popped on the TV where I watched the Iowa Caucus results pour in. But soon I could take it no more, at least with the volume turned up. I muted the sound and read from my Kindle. Ahh, the life; in bed watching TV, reading my Kindle with a big cup of ice water at my side. Sandy came again near 1145pm and asked one last time if I wanted anything, including some yummy Italian ice. No thanks. I shared that I was good with ice water. Oh, she said, I will have to take that at midnight - doctor's orders. Can't have food or drink after midnight in preparation for stress test in the AM. Huh? Just after midnight she came back in and shared that she would let me keep it until 1am. :)

Holding Water

Meanwhile, as comfortable as I was, I just couldn't fall asleep. Didn't feel one bit sleepy. I also want to share how quiet it is there. I can only guess that they have the walls heavily insulated to dampen the usual hospital noises that most of us are used to hearing. At some point ahead of 1am, I decided to get up and fill the Gatorade bottle I brought with me with water so I could have a swig middle of the night. I keep water at my bedside every night and with few exceptions enjoy a couple swigs through the night. I opted not to hide it very well. I left it behind the large plastic urine bottle resting on the side table. I dosed off briefly around 115am - ice water still there. I watched TV a bit longer before dosing off on my left side. I woke again near 4am incredibly thirsty and noticed my water was gone, both what Sandy brought  as well as my Gatorade bottle stash. Drats!

Poked in the Night

I should also share that Sandy warned me from the outset that they would be coming in to take more blood around midnight and then again around 4am. Said they were required to check my blood for any new signs of heart issues. She said not to worry, their phlebotomists are very good.  They actually came in at 1140pm and then again at 310am. Nothin' like being jostled awake by a large women jabbing a needle in your arm all the while making small talk. Hi, come here often? :)

Daybreak

I was up around 645am to pee and brush my teeth. I couldn't do too much else, so I watched TV until Mindy showed up which I'm guessing was somewhere near 730am. The nurse came in with a menu but I wasn't thinking about food. After almost 19 years, aside from coffee and an occasional banana, my mind and body are trained to pretty much ignore food until after a run.

Heart to heart

The cardiologist came by around 8am. His name is Jerry Sterkowicz (Polish I believe), a personable fella with a fairly thick accent. He let me know that he'd been brought up to speed about my case by hospital staff and also knew that I was an avid runner, but he wanted to hear about my situation directly from me too. He also said that he didn't think any of my symptoms were related to issues of the heart. Additionally, he said that it would be a waste of time to put me through a standard stress test given that my daily run is far more taxing than the treadmill stress test. He recommended a heart CT scan instead just to rule out any arterial blockage or heart muscle anomalies that might otherwise be masked by blood and stress tests. He also quizzed me on my family medical history, as well as my recent cholesterol readings and any past EKGs. Never had an EKG until the evening before. He quickly pooh-poohed the notion that my excellent cholesterol readings were a sign of excellent heat health, but I also sensed that he was doubting my readings. Granted, I didn't have them there with me to quote with 100% certainty but was fairly certain of the number ranges, and definitively knew that my family doctor rated them outstanding. At any rate, he said the CT scan would assure us of my heart health and/or expose any underlying problems. Said the nurses would arrange the scan and then he would stop by to share the results later and then I could go home.  

5 hour Wait then a Reprieve

I was a little discouraged when the day nurse came by a bit later to tell me that my CT scan was all set up but wouldn't be until 2pm. 2pm? Hell, it wasn't even 9am. I'd be sitting around doing nothing for 5 hours. I contemplated asking if I could go for a run. However, all I had was my running shoes - no running clothes. I watched TV and read from my Kindle while Mindy napped on the sofa bed. When the nurse came by I smiled and asked if she could try to move up my CT scan. Said she'd try, but I didn't put a lot of hope in her reply.

It must've been around 1015am when she stopped in again to share that they'd arranged to get me in for a CT scan in the next few minutes. Yeah!!! An orderly of sorts was called in to wheel me down to the radiology department all the while Mindy waited in the room.

CT Scan/Nitroglycerin

Wearing only a thin hospital gown, it was a chilly ride to radiology. Looked like a lovely day out the window - sunny and already approaching 50 degrees. In the CT radiology room I met a couple specialty nurses along with the radiologist, Leisha. They explained the entire process, which made me more than a little nervous. Bottom line, you're lying flat on a table with at least four sticky tabs and wires attached then slid into a large, metal donut shaped device that captures layered photos of your heart, ultimately creating a life like image for the cardiologist to review. Leisha shared that they would scan me first without dye and then again with a dye injection to look for a difference. The dye, she shared, would make me feel very warm and like I am peeing my pants. She quickly added that you won't actually do it though. Want to bet, I immediately thought to myself. The mere discussion of peeing made me have to go. I thought about asking if I could go but didn't.

Just before beginning the procedure, Leisha was marveling at my resting heart rate, which she commented was unusually low for a heart scan patient. The nurse shared that I was a runner. She shared that she was a runner too. She also shared that I would be instructed by voice to breath in, out and hold it during the process What she didn't tell me was how soon and when I would hear the voices. Also, they're so quick to share that the radiation isn't that dangerous but in the same breath they're quick to vacate the room while the process is underway. However, I guess if you're exposed to it over and over, you'd likely glow after a day or two. All of the sudden she was out of the room and the process began.

I thought I heard a quiet male voice but largely ignored it as someone maybe out in the hallway. But then it dawned on me that it was the instructions for me to breath in, out, and hold. Let's just say that the commands were not congruent with my breathing pattern, which was much slower than their prompts to " breathe in, breath out, breathe in, now hold. That in and of itself left me anxious.

A minute or two later they injected me with the dye and at the same time placed a nitro glycerin crystal under my tongue. Somehow I missed that piece of info. I wondered if something were amiss that prompted such a move. My mind was now racing. Said I'd feel tingling under my tongue while it dissolved. They did the imaging sequence again, and just as Leisha described, I felt a very warm sensation throughout my body all the way to the tip of my fingers and toes. And yes, I felt like I was peeing my pants. However, resting on her word that I wouldn't actually do it, I didn't stress over it. Instead, I followed the fast breathing instructions best I could. One interval they made me hold my breath for what seemed like a whole minute. I was just about to gasp for air when I was instructed to breathe normal again. Ahhh! I was done.

Ugh, what about this nitroglycerin crystal under my tongue? The nurse was amazed that it hadn't fully dissolved. She let me spit it into her hand. She wished me luck on my continued running streak then the orderly wheeled me back to room 3306.

All tests now complete, the floor nurse said I was free to have whatever I wanted to eat or drink. I asked only for a simple cup of coffee. I planned to eat half the banana Mindy brought the night before too. Enjoyed the rather bland floor coffee and half banana. Gave the other half to Mindy. She napped while I read and napped.

The Prognosis - My Calcium number 44

Must've been around 130pm when the cardiologist, Jerry came in. I immediately tried reading his face as he seemingly nervously went to the nearby monitor to pull up my scan result pictures. He was babbling about how challenging it is sometime to get the pictures to come up. For whatever the reason, I got an uncomfortable feeling that he might have some really bad news. In the meantime, he joked around with Mindy a bit about her sleeping on the sofa bed.

He turned to me while pulling up the images and asked if I'd ever heard of a calcium score or number. Initially I didn't even understand what he'd said. Again, he has a fairly strong accent. I asked for a repeat but still wasn't that clear. By then the 3D image of my heart  was up on the monitor which as you might guess, had my full attention.

While orienting me to the picture of my heart muscle, he insisted that there was nothing seriously wrong but that he wanted to point out something.  He then  pointed to a tiny white spec near the bottom of my heart which he called the widow maker area and shared that the spec was calcium, which over time is the body's natural reaction to plaque build-up in the arteries - a band-aid so to speak. The good news he shared was that it was very, very minimal, a 44-45 rating on a scale that goes from 0 upwards to 1000. He added that for my age that put me in the 25-50% percentile, which means that 50-75% of men my age have more plaque than me. Equally he shared that that was the only artery with any sign of calcium. But it was in the LAD (left anterior descending artery) He added that readings over 400 are those to be most concerned about but that any reading means that you are accumulating plaque/calcium so preventative measures should be taken to reduce if not eliminate further accumulation. He said he wanted to put me on statins and revisit. Feels that we can reduce the soft, or malleable calcium which was likely half of what we could see. Lastly, he reiterated that my symptoms - the pains and my running breathing were unrelated to the heart and that I was otherwise heart healthy. His point being that having the CT heart scan was somewhat of a blessing that I now had the advantage of knowing where I stand and can do something about it before something bad happens down the road. He said this is why you read about marathon runner, or other folks who are otherwise healthy specimens even with good cholesterol readings, dropping over dead because they have a lot of  undiagnosed calcium and plaque build-up in the heart arteries. Further, he went on that cholesterol readings and stress tests alone are by no means a be all end all test.

Said he wanted to see me in about 3 months and would order an in-depth cholesterol particle panel test, which isn't your standard cholesterol test, as well as some liver test in the meantime. Said I was free to go and to run every day. :)

A Pleasant Discharge

I was happy to be discharged but at the same time still a little rattled with my prognosis. The realization, or shall I say proof, that I am not invincible and/or bullet proof.

Homerun

At home I couldn't wait to run. However, before setting out the door I enjoyed a quick cup of coffee. It was warm but with a very brisk wind. Turned out, my run was incredibly taxing. Despite not wearing a jacket, I soaked my shirt with sweat. I reckon it had everything to do with the stress of what I'd been through, little to no food since the evening prior, not to mention the dye I was injected with a few hours earlier. The important thing was that I did it.

Reflection

Several times during my hospital stay my thoughts turned eerily to my dad's death spiral last spring in Mt Carmel hospital. Suddenly, there I was outfitted in a similar gown, attached to similar equipment: monitor, a bird nest of wires and intravenous tubes, and a pulse monitor on my finger. I couldn't help but draw on the similarities. No doubt, it left me a little spooked!  I couldn't help it. One minute you're otherwise vibrant and healthy and then before you know it your lying in a hospital bed at the mercy of fate.

Follow-up

The following day I read as much as I could about calcium scores, (Agatston score), atherosclerosis, it's origin and how it's best managed. I plan to send the link and/or document to friends and family to read for themselves.

And in the end, I agree that it's a blessing that I opted to take action on my symptoms, otherwise I wouldn't have the knowledge and tools I now have to treat the issue (plaque and calcium build-up) while it's still in its infancy.

An Evening With Todd Rundgren

Celebrating Bella 13.0 (Adoption Day)

Challenger Remembered

Knobs & Hinges

Summer's gone
Missed the Blood Moon Eclipse - too many clouds
Inverse Dumpster Dive @ Dad's
Bella turns 13 - hardly seems possible
My lunar photography sadly on hold while we phase through days/nights of clouds

The Moon is Real

Experimenting around with different lenses and settings while photographing the moon (shadow of a walnut tree leaf cluster in last two photos).

Ten Years After ...

A few images from my first post, Monday, August 8, 2005 documenting a weekend family camping trip


I began this blog on August 8th, 2005 determined to document my life's journey on a daily basis no matter how boring or how tedious it might become. The idea fascinated me. After all, I figured, how cool will it be for my kids, grandkids, & great grandkids to have a first person peak into my daily life many years removed from its initial writing. Of course, I included photos most days too.  Not only would it serve as a rudimentary memoir, it would also provide a means for those far and near, assuming they wanted, to stay in touch with my day to day affairs.

The idea, however, of keeping a daily blog wasn't new. Nope! Instead, I pretty much stole or borrowed it from my older brother Glenn who'd been "journaling" about his daily routine for many years prior. 

For me, daily blogging became a cathartic exercise and also provided a little comedy, as well as way to stay connected to the immediate past. Many times I've used it as a point of reference to validate an event, a date, weather, etc. Very handy! Another unexpected benefit was the mental aspect - the ability to recall each day's events with great detail, and sometimes four or five days removed. The secret was often recalling one single nugget of truth then the rest would begin to flow like a faucet.  Yikes! Of course some days my writing was better than others and with far greater detail. I guess it just depended on my mood at the time of writing.  

One glitch, which I hadn't counted on was blogspot, the blog hosting service of choice, changing formatting periodically, which over the years altered or removed the formatting from countless entries leaving me with what now look like long run-on paragraphs. Geesh! I'd gone to great pains to keep my paragraphs short so not to bore a reader.

And sandwiched somewhere in the middle for a period of two or three years, I would painstakingly edit each post  before publishing, but that became too cumbersome so I eventually decided to write and publish without benefit of a proofread or edit, which all but guaranteed grammatical errors. Meh!

It must've been about two years ago when writing my daily post began to feel more like work than pleasure. Simply put, it felt more like a job -something I had to do - rather something I wanted to do. However, despite the angst, I kept at it, making sure to fill all the gaps the best I could up through mid-August 2015, though the last several months were written and posted in large chunks rather than daily morsels.

So, today I am officially walking away from my daily blogging. It's time for something new. But just what that will be, who knows? We'll just have to see. Perhaps I will spend a little more time reading or with another passion of mine, photography.

And while one streak officially ends, another continues. I am thrilled to report that my running streak is still going strong, having just recently blown by 18.5 years of running every single day. See you on the running trail!

Jimmy