Because I am Human in Everyday Ramblings

This morning on the way home from my stress echocardiogram. It is totally cool that if I need to have these tests that I can have them at a place that is within walking distance… and that I am healthy enough to walk to them.

I had one of these in 2011 when we first started talking about what they are now calling my exercise intolerance to rule out issues with my heart.

Maybe I have forgotten that back then they used contrast which required an IV but honestly other than the fact that I knew I was going to get all sweaty and have to work past my comfort zone it was the IV I was dreading most.

With all the dental surgeries and having to give Sammy fluids I am basically done with needles. Just done.

When they went to do the second blood draw for the Sports Performance test last week my veins went into hiding and the head physician actually had to do that draw. Today they used the vein in my forearm, bleh, and it was uncomfortable.

And it took what felt like forever to get my heart rate up to the top of my range so they could take ultrasound pictures of my heart at that level.

Forgive me, I am basically just whining here.

When they were finally done I was saying I was glad at least it wasn’t a portal. And I am.

I won’t have results until early next week. So they want me to cool it on any intense exercise where my heart rate is in the peak zone for any amount of time. That means no gym.

They also want me to stop using antihistamines, which they think may be a factor in my over heating. I love Portland but am basically allergic to it so I take antihistamines pretty much year round.

So the mystery continues.

I was able to get home and teach my midday class as normal. And I feel better after having done that.

Mrs. Sherlock was planning on going on a long hike today but bailed because of the heat so we are going to do a more modest hike early tomorrow and I am looking forward to it.

Then Sunday I am going to Salem for part of the day to hang with Kes and Most Honorable. We were planning a bike ride in there but will see about the heat and the effort. The plan is to have homemade pizza on the grill, an idea I got when Most Honorable was up here last week talking about it to one of my students that has a similar grill.

It seems like if it is summer, anybody talking about food is talking about grilling. We can’t have, or at least are not supposed to have, grills here where I live because of fire danger. My neighbor has a smoker he uses anyway.

I am feeling tired (this may have something to do with working both to make up the time for my tests and overtime on top of that and the heat) and I hope to recoup a sense of energetic ease pretty soon.

But in the meantime I will just muddle through. I know I am incredibly privileged to have the challenges I do.

And I haven’t been kidnapped into slavery on a fishing boat as happens with some Cambodians looking for work in Thailand or hired to clean a septic tank like some folks are in Darfur.

We humans are amazing. We really are. Our lives can be so different and yet our basic needs are the same.

So I can say in response to how I am…”Can’t Complain”.

But because I am human I sure want to. :)

Last updated July 27, 2018