esrosedotblog

I had a great morning at the Hospital.

I was sent to their lab to do some tests but it turned out there was no such thing as simple.

I have an infected ankle, long story, but they were going to be sure that was all and that it didn't mean something else.

Now let me say at the outset that I am not complaining. What I expected and what I got were two different things.

The put me on a series of testing procedures, machines, X-rays. and the lot, to see if this could be a result of lung problems or some other distant condition.

Short answer, no. It was just a skin infection. Cellulitis.

The surprising thing and, in a way, the best thing was that once I was put in jonny gown I was taken to many stations where every fucking organ in my upper body was probed. Very little about the ankle as it was plainly obviously in need of treatment.

I suppose this is what they mean when they talk about escalating medical costs. Well, I agree. It is over the top.

But when it is me that is under the gun I am more than happy to have it done particularly since they did not find one thing wrong in my upper body. Not lungs, kidneys and the rest of it.

I do have some kidney function problems but the kidney is well and in good kidney shape—I suppose like a kidney shaped swimming pool.

And me? It is like the way when we got a "no fault" audit from IRS when our company and the owners (me) were audited.

Whew.

But my good god there are a lot of machines and people. It is swarming with people. And, as it turns out several of them were friends or friends of friends who found out I was there and stopped by.

Palm Springs is not a small town until it is. People become right sized and take the time to care and kibbitz.

I walked out with a prescription for two antibiotics. Said to be killers. Good.

So I am free of worry for awhile. Not that I worry that much. I am almost 80 and it has been great so far.

And what is more, I might live long enough to vote for Hillary Clinton's second term.

Labels: health, medical

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Labels: diet, fads, health

I have a monster of a head cold.

I thought I had all the rhino-viri but I guess not. Now we are into their children and grandchildren.

So, I am doing the wonder cure recommended by physicians the world over. I am sleeping it off.

The one good thing about a cold is that it causes sleep or dozing to happen and I am more than willing to let it go on.

I am taking my loratadadine and swilling my cough syrup and sleeping.

When I was a kid our doctor always said that the cold would be over in seven days or a week.

True.

I will just wait it out although I did have symptoms last week I figure those were just the rumblings and do not count.

It is hard not to settle into self pity. But I will not. Yet.

Labels: health

I am in pretty good health for a guy my age.

Or any age.

I have good genes.

But I have hit a bit of a rock in the path. My kidneys are not working up to full speed.

I spent time with my regular Doctor Jim this morning. John went along.

I have a few symptoms and it is becoming clear that I am also a borderline diabetic.

This is my Dad's health career. My father's son.

But then I am my own man too so I will march on and follow directions as well as I can.

I am going to a nephrologist already and am seeing him every four months.

I know this is too much information for casual readers but there it is.

My life is an open blog.

And this shit is real so it is fair game.

How about me? I am not too daunted by it.

No one ever told me that aging would be easy nor life either. I have had my share of stuff along the line and have learned that the thing to do about it is not to run around with my hair on fire but to just walk the next step and do the next indicated thing and the rest will be taken care of.

That has worked up to now so I will keep on doing it.

Tomorrow the lab, then the kidney guy in March and so on.

Labels: health, kidney

Another one of life's "musts" has fallen by the wayside.

No, You Do Not Have to Drink 8 Glasses of Water a Day

I have never made it.

I go for regular checkups to a nephrologist and a urologist. All pump this one, so to speak.

I try to do my best but my best is not good enough.

I am relieved. So to speak.

Labels: health

I am still doctoring or chiropractng my back.

An old ailment which has not been around, the chiropractor says, for nine years. Then he said six. Sciatica.

I think that I have the 1 and the 4 together. No point in doing it half way.

In any case, it is getting better but I have curtailed activities a bit.

No weights in the gym and John has been doing the pm dog walk.

I do have a few exercises he gave me which, somehow, I "forget" to do.

I am not a very good patient.

It is better today and I go back again for an adjustment.

This is one of those things that any anxiety about it seems to breed a bit of it hanging on. Or something.

I don't curtail well but I am learning a bit how to do it. Letting go. Enjoying the time of just sittin'.

Now off to the gym for the cycle, stationary, sitting. Stationery? I do not want to look it up, the e or a thing.

Labels: health

Busy day today.

Started with a Meeting then on to the chiropractor which went about the same as most visits to the chiropractor.

Oommph. Umkgh. Shmrrrrz.

And then up and out of there.

I watched the ending episodes of Looking first season.

I am glad that "the gays" finally made it into series teevee and am OK that they have the same soapy problems as the rest of the world.

It is well done and not at all cheesy. The sex is not airbrushed, good solid R rated. No genitals, lots of ass.

The boys are also not perfect in any way. Not saints, not too bad in the sin department unless you draw your line along with the church ladies. Wholesome sex. Smile.

We have had our walk, Marcus and I. He is on the mend, eating full portions now. Stitches out next Tuesday the 27th.

Other than that nothing to report. That is enough for today.

Labels: health, Marcus

I am taking it easy today.

Or a little easier than I normally take things.

I skipped the Sunday family walk and am not planning much of anything for the rest of the day. Reading, hanging out.

Yesterday was the monthly condo board meeting and I had my usual sterlingly delivered financial report. Which someone else writes for me. I do mark the yellow on it. We had a good crowd which listened attentively and, best of all, asked no questions.

Well, not of me.

In general the owners are a happy bunch. Our professional managers work with 15 Boards and had just come from a very contentious meeting the day before. Neighbor against neighbor and a free for all against that board.

The meeting was over in an hour and half, a record. We have a new chairman who came on with me and we work well together.

Home in time for lunch and a nap but not a long one. The adrenaline still runs for awhile after the meeting.

So laid back today.

For the record, Marcus is energetic and seems in good shape. We are trying different food combinations as he went "off his feed". He has lost weight. Maybe eight pounds.

My back is a lot better and my sciatica and I will go for another adjustment tomorrow morning. I guess I will be back in the hands of a chiropractor for awhile. I got away with over 6 years without it though.

Tomorrow will be back to "normal". Return to the gym, have some time with a friend after the Meeting. I like normal.

Labels: health, life, Marcus

A little progress for Marcus and Sherlock.

Marcus' after effects of his surgery are a little more complicated than we expected but he is under close care and surveillance with our own doctor on the case as of today.

He has an attractive sock on top of his leg sutures where he has been fussing. Not a good thing. And it has stopped him from interfering in that healing.

As far as the major item, his stomach and the removal of the stuff he swallowed there seem to be OK. The stomach. Not the stuff which is long gone. We eschewed the little baggie that had the spiked toy and the other thing in it.

He goes back for a check late this week and we are hovering some. But he has a lot of energy for walking although we are curtailing it. His appetite is not working well yet but he is taking his meds if they are wrapped in those pill things which he likes very much.

He is handling it all as though it is normal to have this shit going on. The airedale stoicism which we need to watch out for as he could be hiding symptoms. On the other hand we are not looking for trouble.

At least it is not a mobile as shown in the photo.

As for Sherlock, he is working out his cases in the series I am watching on DVD.

I am enjoying it but I need to be careful not to do them too close together or I lose the distance required.

Labels: health, Marcus

For a Saturday I was pretty busy.

A meeting in the morning. The second season, fourth episode of Sherlock Holmes in which (spoiler), they left him for dead in the street.

So we will all have to wait and see how that turns out.

Then to take care of some of us who are ailing. Marcus has been throwing up so it is no food for him, just ice cubes for the rest of the day and then rice and chicken tomorrow.

He is not too happy about that but he is also not feeling good. So we are giving the recommendations a couple of days to work then see whether we need to take him in.

The on line suggestions are very good and seem to make sense and he seems to be OK with a diet of ice cubes which he refuses but conveys the idea that we are concerned for him and don't want him to go hungry. Or at least that is what I am telling myself.

And I am having a recurrence of sciatica which is an old problem, held in abeyance for a long time with the help of a chiropractor. Who I had stopped going to.

So human. Or something. If something is working quite well and there are no symptoms then consider ones self cured.

Fortunately I still have a chiropractor who knows my back and I will see him Monday. Right before I get my teeth cleaned. It will be my maintenance day.

I am not happy about this but the pain meds are working pretty well without going over the recommended amount. Not that I wouldn't give that a try for a short while if it got too bad.

I do not feel bad about stopping the chiro. Meaning I will not be ashamed to return. They actually like this, it makes them feel needed. And I know the guy from the time we moved out here many years ago. I have invested in his practice!

Labels: film, health

I went to the Doctor this morning for my triennial checkup.

Every four months. I have tried to get away with less but Doctor Jim is relentless.

Actually, it is always a pleasant visit. I like him a lot and there isn't a whole lot to discuss of a serious nature.

Today was the annual, the big one. So I had the cardiogram and other stuff. All the results are not in because I have to go for lab tests later this week.

In the last year I have been "dismissed" by a nephrologist and a urologist. This is after some treatment for trouble down there.

It is over.

The only current issues I have relate to old age. And not much of that. Jim said that I had the circulatory system of a middle aged man. Actually it is good for any age. A key factor apparently. He sees this with my feet which, other than being handsome, have nice rich veins and are pinkish.

If I wished for anything it would be to have a healthy circulatory system.

Labels: health, medical

John and I drove to Indio this morning. He needed some diagnostic imaging.

Very sophisticated it would seem. Early results say that everything is OK. Details later.

I had to take him because he would not be in any shape to drive after his local anesthetic.

So I let him out and went to have coffee at a Starbucks. A muffin. Sit in the sun.

I enjoyed it all. Not that I would do it again or, rather, not that it would top my priorities for hanging out.

The muffin was half size. WTF! And the coffee mediocre.

But I did sit out in the sun next to this large family. Latin american. Mom, Pop, older daughters (3 I think) and a son,18 or so.Two beautiful babies.

How nice to be next to them. I didn't eavesdrop at all but it was apparent that they do this regularly enough to have the space comfortably and to exchange mild family banter, some news and most of all bask in the baby-ness of it all.

It has been a while since I have been around grand babies or any other kind. Or families. Gentle, loving and sweet.

The thing about outdoor tables is that people will tolerate less intimacy somehow.

I didn't stare but they knew I was a willing audience. An appreciative one.

I didn't eavesdrop really. It was mostly about the babies and family life as far as I can tell.

Very nice.

I went to pick up John and somehow got lost. I forgot about a turn I had made going to the imaging place. I had to call and be directed. That was fine with me.

Home then, where part of my own family was settled in for the morning. Two sons. More family-ness. But mine.

I still fail to see the attraction of Starbucks but the family compensated for that quite nicely.

Labels: family, health, medicine

I went to have the stitches in my left shin removed today.

Actually, I had two wounds. One, seven stitches, in my upper leg and the other, four stitches, a few inches below.

Just about where a drawer sticking out would hit you if you walked into it.

As I did about ten days ago.

A Saturday morning. It was quite dramatic. Bloody.

I went to urgent care where they got it all sewn up.

that is not my leg in the photo. But pretty close. Me? I had two lacerations.

I had already been back there once for a look see. No infection.

Today, the stitches came out. He put a few small bandaids across the big slash just to give it a few more days. I will just let them fall off in the normal course.

It has been a long time since I had anything like this.

I have to say that the Urgent Care facility, a new concept, midway between a doc and a hospital emergency room, works just fine.

I go early and get into the flow first or second. The whole thing takes about an hour. Sign up. Sit for the first doc. Go in and have vitals taken by a nurse. Interview and service with a medico and then out and home. Very good.

I hear the emergency room at the hospital takes forever because it is set up to deal with emergencies and even at its worse, my leg was not emergency material.

It is nice to be healed up, almost.

Labels: health, injury

I am not completely sure what "clean as a whistle" means.

Well, I know what it means but I am not clear on where the expression comes from.

I looked it up here. And it explains why it is appropriate for describing "clean". Now, you do know what it means from common usage but here it tells you the down and, well, dirty, of it.

Anyway, I went to the doc today to have them look at my cut shin, my lacerations. Multiple actually. Seven stitches in one, four in another.

They are clean as a whistle. Good! But not ready to have the stitches out. I guess I was not listening. Today was not about stitches but about infection. There are no signs of it at all.

So, they patched it back up and now I can clean them every day with soap and water and put on bacitracin and then a big bandaid thing. Like I did in the beginning, right after I had the accident.

I am relieved to know that they are all right. I am happy to take proper care of it. Maybe the stitches can come out next week.

Labels: health, injury

I had to go to Urgent Care this morning. I was going into the dressing room in the dark and walked right into an open drawer I did not see. It cut the shit out of my shin. 7 stitches and 4 stitches.

I did get the bleeding stopped and waited an hour to go to the Urgent Care center nearby. This is the middle ground alternative to a doctor, who I could not see today, and the Emergency Room at the Hospital which is a horror show. An all day proposition and a lot of bullshit.

This urgent care thing is the new deal. Eisenhower Hospital here has put up several of them. I have gone to this place before.

It is first come first served but there are four of five docs on site and I was there early, the second guy in line.

Easy in and then a lot of attentive work to patch me up. I got out after about 90 minutes. Slower than I would want but that is me. Impatient.

It does not hurt. It is well bandaged. I will see the same doc on Tuesday.

There was talk of washing it with soap and water and changing the dressing but the instructions say 24 to 48 hours and that will take me up to Monday night. I think that I am just going to leave it alone unless there is some trouble. Infection and all. I know pretty much what to look for and the place is open ten hours a day until then. I won't do anything stupid. I hope. Right now, I do not feel as though I could redo the dressing anyway. I am not nauseous about it. I just don't want to mess it up. That better be OK.

Nice looking place. I couldn't resist this image. It shows scenery we look at every single day!

Labels: health, injury

Today was mostly consumed with going to the doc for an annual checkup on my kidneys.

I did a test and the results were there and I am good to go. Get it?

I don't have many infirmities or health problems but I do have "conditions". This means that signs of wear are showing up here and there and they need to be poked and picked at from time to time.

The kidney problem was associated with my urinary difficulties last year. A chain of events when one of the units has trouble.

But all is well now. I do the tests, I see the medicos. In this case a nurse practitioner who I like very much.

OK for another year.

Labels: health

I had a physical checkup over the last week.

I have reached the age where they will pay for an every four month cycle so, as much as I squirm about it, that is what my doctor has me on.

The lab report came back today. I passed it all with flying colors. The trouble I had last year with urinary stuff is gone. Back to normal. All OK. The creatinine. Down below what it is supposed to be.

But he is not going to relent on the frequency.

I do not really mind going. I like him, I like the routine and I like knowing what is going on. And, medically, I just figure that I am beyond the age of consent. What I want or think I need is not really up to me. I have to turn it all over.

I have to admit that catching things in time is a good thing. The spell I had last year with the nephrologist and the urologist was enough to tell me that early detection about anything is best. It is not a sell point for the medicos.

I have not had any cancer except for years ago with my prostate. They gave me radiation for that and it worked. I am 20 years, maybe more, free and clear. I did find out that they want ten years now and not the five they used to talk about.

But no other cancer anywhere now. It did not spread.

Heart? Nothing. Well, not nothing. There is a beat but it is fine. I take some little pills for an elevated blood pressure but everyone my age takes those. And I have a history of irritable bowel syndrome. Donnatal. Atropine/Hyoscyamine/Pb/Scopolamine. It is a barbiturate so I must be careful. I probably do not need it any more so I have dropped it to one a day. Sometimes I forget about it and nothing happens. He doesn't want me to go off it. So I won't. Doctors orders.

Boring, huh. Medical conditions. But some people read this who care about this kind of thing so, there it is. If you are still reading you are a better person than I. I hate hearing people go on about their medical "issues".

Labels: health, medicine

Went for my every four month physical this morning.

I have reached the age where this is now the frequency. I tried to talk him out of it but it would seem that Medicare pays for three a year or something and so the argument boils down to it being inconvenient which, of course, he will not buy.

I am a pretty good patient but if I get off the beam, Doctor Jim is pretty good at nudging me back.

I still need to do the tests. Thursday morning. I am too busy tomorrow. See? Still resisting. Just a bit.

Last year, I had an episode of urinary trouble. Blockage at the prostate but that is now taken care of so there is no backup into the kidneys and bladder. TMI? Too bad. The old get to talk about their medical shit.

No. The deal is that I tell all in this blog. Or all that is decent and clean and reverent.

I am not one who labors over being old. It is not a profession. It is a state of mind and, of course, physical condition.

And I have a good, if feisty, attitude and have a lucky body.

So, on to the tests. Let's see what that shows. I know one thing. There will be an elevated creatinine level and that will set off bells. It is just me. But it could get me sent back to the nephrologist to make sure.

A day at a time.

Labels: health

An enduring fable is that eating some foods will help you resist cancer.

Most of these fables are just that. There is some but little support for any of the most favorite of these.

Mostly there is confusion and, here, the subject is discussed at some length.

An Apple a Day and Other Myths">

What does seem to be clear is that if you are fat you are more inclined to cancers but if you are fat you are inclined toward a lot of other shit that you should be worried about.

I am a long time skeptic of the cancer scares. I studied food technology when I went to engineering school and that involved a lot of horrendous trudging through the science of bio chemistry and the like. I never used any of it. But it did help me develop a good shit detector.

The news business can rely on the gullibility of people around scare stories and half assed researchers are more than willing to provide the bits of information that become half truths.

Anyway. I eat mostly what I want and I try to control my weight. I do not worry about caffeine or any of that. I ignored the thing about smoking for years and finally quit but the rest of it still doesn't get to me. I am 77 working on 78. I have lucky genes and a pretty good lifestyle.

I don't want to flaunt it. I could come up with the big C tomorrow and then some doc would sagely point out that I shouldn't have eaten all those pistachios I have been scarfing down lately.

They are good, incidentally. Damn good. I have never bothered with them ever before but they are a new experience. And mostly you do not have to use a nutcracker.

Labels: food, health

Doctor this morning for the annual checkup. I am clear on the urological stuff and still have to have the kidney function test to see if I am done with the nephrologist. If not, back to her. All in all I am declared a healthy specimen. Good news. Lab tests Thursday, results early next week. Keep on keeping on.

Fosse today was the great, wonderful satire of the American workplace. And as apt as it was 50 years ago. As far as I can tell. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1957) with Bobby Morse as the window washer who succeeds. He actually tries a lot. I have seen the film once. It was good to revisit and have a good singalong.

Labels: films, health