Week 5 Update - late :(

My friend Kathy reminded me that I haven't posted anything recently, sorry Kathy.

Let's see, what's happened recently. I did see Dr. Willekes, and he decided that my infection was bad enough that I needed to go on an antibiotic (Augmentin). So while the horse pills did reduce the lump in my chest, it also caused me to get diarrhea. So between that and the jalapeño peppers I've been eating from my garden, I guess I could say those pills are a real pain in the butt. Those pills are gone, but the lump is not completely gone, so I'll stop and see Dr. Willekes on Tuesday to see if he thinks it is cleared up enough or if more treatment is needed. Speaking of Dr. Willekes, Chuck being the nice guy that he is, said I really didn't need to come and see him anymore unless I just wanted to stop by and visit, so I asked him if we could do lunch sometime, and he said only if I was buying.

He did agree that I could go off the blood thinner (Coumadin), so I dropped that drug, so I'm no longer a bleeder :) I'm down to Baby Aspirinn three times a week, he did double my beta blocker (Toprol) to 50 mg a day and I'm taking my cholesterol reducer (Simvastatin). So not bad I guess, a lot of the others I run into are taking more drugs than I am.

I've been to my Cardiac Rehab three times already, it does feel good to work out and sweat once again, and they've been pushing me pretty hard. With all the old timers in the gym, I look like a real stud compared to them, I don't even need a cane when walking over to the treadmill. Along with my Rehab, they had me attend "Risky Business Seminar / Heart Healthy Living". While the largest chunk of time was spent on nutrition, they also covered stress management, exercise, risk factors and pharmacy / medication. Needless to say, I do need to change some of my eating habits, I'm not sure I'll like that. But on a positive note, a small glass of red wine a day is good for you.

So hopefully that updates you a bit, in less than two weeks I'll be wandering the halls of the Meijer office buildings once again. I've a lot to get done these next couple of weeks, people that want to join me for breakfast or lunch, a couple of things on Dawn's list still are not done, my Mom and Dad always have a small project they want done. I'd better get busy instead of surfing the internet and looking for deals on craigslist.

Enjoy life, and take care of yourselves.
John