Two, maybe three weeks ago I took Sharon for her followup on her shoulder surgery. She had been release from PT and by the end of the appointment, by the doctor. The doctor said she needed to keep up her exercises. Sharon, being like me, said she hates to exercise alone, but there was a chair class on Tuesday morning at the senior center. But she didn’t want to go alone. Dear god I am a carbon copy of her. It’s scary. I volunteered to go with her. After all my cardiologist appointment was dismal. More on that later.
We didn’t go last week, it was cancelled. (Oh shit, I hear the ice cream truck! He didn’t get the memo that Turkey in the Straw was deemed racist.) Yesterday, she said, exercise class tomorrow. Duck.
I spent the morning going thru bins of Pat’s stuff. There were items wrapped in newspaper that had Hess’s ads on it. They’ve been closed at least thirty years. I was flop sweating but I had to take a shower before I went.
I think the instructor is a volunteer. It’s only a half hour, a good workout, but really a little unplanned. Or at least it felt like that. But the important part is I felt like I worked out when I was done.
I’ve also started walking since the heat wave broke. I just need to get back in the habit. I’m hoping to do three walks Monday-Tuesday about three hours away in north central Pennsylvania. They are volkssport walks which may be discontinued in 2025. They are two counties I don’t have in my county book so I’m just going to do them.
Last Monday I went to the cardiologist. I didn’t get her, I got her PA. She was beautiful and intelligent and knowledgeable, and had no bedside manner. She was a by-the-book person. The more I talked to her, the more I disliked her. Instead of celebrating the small victories (like 8 pounds off), she just launched into whatever I was doing wrong. Mainly my blood pressure was high. Why, I have no idea. Well I figured it out later I didn’t take my meds. I think.
She wanted to change ALL my medications. I put my foot down. Every time they monkey with my meds I get worse. Last time it was A-fib and look what happened there. After the dust settles it always goes back to what it was originally.
I talked her into letting me monitor my blood pressure for two weeks. Twice a ducking day. This is what was weird. She wants me to do it first thing in the morning before food, before drugs, sitting upright for 15 minutes with feet on the floor, arm resting on table. Really? Why would I take my blood pressure before I took my meds? It’s going to be high.
Then she wants me to take it again after dinner. Fifteen minutes after food. Sitting upright for 15 minutes with feet on the floor, arm resting on table.
Plus she gave me the standard lecture on water and too much salt. So on the way home I did what I always do when someone gives me a food lecture. I stopped at Wawa and got exactly what they tell me not to eat: a large soda and an Italian hoagie. Yep, ate a week's worth of salt in one meal because I was pissed.
That night I got out the blood pressure machines. The CVS health one was Pat's. She was having trouble with it before she died. I had trouble. I changed the batteries. I worked for 15 minutes and couldn’t get a reading. By that time my blood pressure was high. Gave up.
In the morning I tried again. I was getting sick of F3 and F1 errors. The book was no help. Again, I gave up. Again. In the evening I tried with the grey one. That one did work to well. It squeezed my arm so hard it felt like a tourniquet, my arm was falling asleep. And I didn’t get a reading. It was an F1 error. I loosened the strap. Did it again. Same thing happened. Loosened it more. I got the error again. Now a F1 error is the strap is not adjusted correctly. Then I started getting F3 errors.
I played this game for three days, and got zero reading. I could not stand how tight the band was. My arm fell asleep twice. I gave up. I decided to change the batteries, but had no AAA. I’m sure it is not a coincidence that I always forget to get them when I’m out. Maybe I should buy a new machine. I’m thinking about the Omron Envolv. It syncs right to my Health app. The cuff is attached to the machine. No cord. Gets excellent reviews. Because every house needs three machines. Maybe I should download one of the numerous blood pressure apps instead.
It’s been a week and I haven’t got a single reading. I’m supposed to message them to her in two weeks. I need to get on it.
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