On Sunday (April 21), I went to the club for a 45-minute elliptical workout and weightlifting, then tackled the lawn and did spring yard clean-up. Later, I watched a Prior Lake Mudcats baseball game against Belle Plain at 2:00 PM. One of my friends’ boyfriends plays for the team, so I went. It was the season opener, and there were a few miscues. The Mudcats lost 5-2. For the first time in days, there were low winds. I went for a 6-mile bike ride on a calm night.
On Monday (April 22), I had my first annual doctor’s appointment since retiring. I was surprised to weigh 314 pounds. I was close to 330 pounds before retiring. It was rewarding to see that, for sure! I haven’t been trying anything new. I assume escaping a toxic work environment and retiring reduced the issues that cause weight gain.
My vitals were checked to see if any issues persisted. The results don’t look good, and my iron deficiency anemia is still an issue. Here are the numbers:
- MCH was low at 22.9 - the lowest since I was hospitalized in 2017.
- MCHC was low at 29.9 - again the lowest since the 2017 hospitalization
- RDW was low at 18% - stable for the past four years, yet still low.
- MCV was low at 77 - again, the lowest since the 2017 hospitalization
- Hemoglobin was low at 13.4, just under the minimum 13.5 recommended
- Iron was low at 30 - The last time I was above the low threshold of 35 was after a 2021 infusion. My recent infusions did nothing!
- The Iron Saturation Index is at 8%, where 20 % is the minimum! It has been low since 2017!
- Ferritin was low at 16, where 26 is the minimum required. I have now topped 18 since 2017
On Tuesday, I woke up at 7:30 AM feeling a bit groggy after a restless night, and my blood test results weren’t great. I’m trying to avoid sleeping pills since I’m aiming to get into a routine after retiring. So, I headed to the gym around 8:00 AM and spent a solid 60 minutes on the elliptical, covering 5.5 miles. For the first time in ages, the hour flew by! I then followed it up with an hour of weightlifting, and wow, it felt amazing!
Here’s a funny little thing: I take over-the-counter Nexium, which I get from Amazon or Costco for $40 for a 90-day supply. My doctor initially thought it might be covered by insurance and prescribed it for me. But guess what? It was covered, but with a $78 co-pay. I could have saved a bundle!
Yesterday, I had lunch with a friend at Clancy's in Jordan, Minnesota, at 11:30 AM. The meal was surprisingly cheap—we each got a two-piece chicken meal for just $16! I was so surprised. My last lunch in Edina cost $17 just for Shelley and me, and that was at Crisp & Green before a show at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater, which came out to $34.
Today is my son’s 35th birthday! Can you believe he’s 35? When I was 35, he was just 8. I’m not sure if he’ll ever become a dad, but all I want is for him to be happy.
Carry on, my friends, Carry on! (Link to why I close my posts this way)
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