Hey There! It's 8:00 AM EDT, 63°F, Humidity 74%, Wind 11 mph S, sunny
Yesterday was a busy day in the morning, but a much rougher day in the afternoon. As noted yesterday, it started out early as I had to get DW up to the hospital in Big City for a consultation with the electrophysiologist's PA. We were a little rushed getting out the door but we still made it with time to spare.
When we got there, the PA, a bright young woman who spoke incredibly quickly, told DW that she really did not need an ablation procedure, but was more inclined to do another cardioversion. She explained that her first cardioversion went well, lasted a long time (one month shy of two years), and rather than doing a procedure that was more invasive, we should instead try another cardioversion and see how long that lasts. She was also the first person that called aFib a "chronic" condition, meaning DW will probably be struggling with this for the rest of her life; there is no real "cure" as such. In the waiting room we spoke with a guy who had had three cardioversions, an ablation, and was there for another procedure. He says you get "used to it." The PA also let us know that many people live with aFib for years and years and don't even know it. It all put another perspective on the issue, so in the end we will be scheduling another cardioversion rather than an ablation. Going forward, I guess we take it one episode at a time.
On the way home we stopped to buy a large meatball pizza at one of our favorite pizza places in the region. It's just a little too far from home for us to get pizza there on any regular basis, so we consider it a treat. We probably should have gotten a medium pizza, but we have leftovers for a bit. We took it to a local beach park and sat at a table in the sun and ate. It was about 11:45 AM or so. I ate two slices, while DW had one at the park and another when we got home.
Once we got home I knew I wanted to take a nap, so I tied up a few emails and then settled in for a nap about 2PM. It was a rough nap. When I woke up about 3:15, I was still feeling exhausted and fatigued. I am speculating that the work I did on Saturday was still lingering in my body. I hadn't fully recovered, and I had added a light walk in there. I am still unable to determine how much physical work is good to do at any given time without getting exhausted or fatigued. It's both frustrating and troubling at the same time, as I don't want to turn into a couch potato. Balancing work with recovery is something I need to adjust to in the years ahead. I was really unable to "wake up" from the nap until later in the day.
Dinner was a piece of fish, a sweet potato, and a salad. After dinner I called an old friend I had taught with at my very first teaching job out of grad school in Nebraska. He had called just before my nap, so I returned the call. We chatted for about an hour, I'd say. He's 81. He wanted to know about my trip to Japan, particularly the baseball game, as he used to play minor league ball in the late 70s. He's the first person who's really wanted to know about my trip. He asked what I ate, where we stayed, what I saw - no one else has really asked me those questions. He's slowing down a bit as well, complaining about the same things I am, but he's a little more advanced. He's had open heart surgery and almost died from sepsis a few years back, so it's still a wonder he's even alive. His voice sounded tired by the end. I hope I get to see him one more time at least in the next few years.
I tuned in the baseball game via radio, but it turned out to be a laugher after a couple of innings, so I let it go. I spent the rest of the evening mostly watching camping gear videos and videos on balcony solar. I'm thinking of putting a small solar array in the back yard, as my state is just about set to allow balcony solar. But I am not yet sure I'll tie into the house. Our electricity use is small, and we already get solar supplied from a solar farm in MA I believe, so it cuts our rates by 10%. I think balcony solar will have a small but meaningful impact on electricity consumption over time if enough people install it. After cleaning the kitchen and putting in my eyedrops late, I went to bed at 11:10 PM.
'Til We Meet Again!