We have returned to dear old Cache Valley. The air has been sparklingly clean. But it has also been unseasonably cool. We had a hard freeze (26F) here the night before last and last night the temperature hovered around the freezing point. Moreover, the mid-afternoon highs have only been in the 40s. We started back last Thursday only to get reports of a late spring snow storm in central and southern Utah that was to wreak havoc with I-15. 3-10 inches of snow were predicted with 10-20 in the mountains. When we got to Las Vegas the winds were so high that you could not see the skyline entering the city for the dust. We over-nighted to miss the snow the next day and the high winds continued. But the roads were dry when we resumed on the following day.
When I say unseasonable I forget that this is a normal water year for the state. In fact, well above normal for most drainages. It was a big snow year, which we thankfully missed, which reminded people of the years before the long drought. Also, this is not an El Nino year. So maybe we are just back to the normal that was.
Anyway, I have been in excellent health for the past winter, working out religiously. But, I have fallen off the low-sodium diet, at least in a strict adherence way. My alcohol consumption has resumed. And I have gained weight. As of Sept last year I was 206 pounds. This morning I am 217. So I have put on 11 pounds in 7 months. I am definitely carrying new muscle, but probably new fat as well. In the past when I did the before and after fat tests my weight gains seemed to be about 50-50. That is, for every pound of muscle, I gained a pound of fat. I'm really not unhappy with where I am now--I think 220 may be a good baseline for me--but 206 made me look too thin. Yet with the return to 5000 ft of elevation from about 1300 ft I can feel the extra weight.
The Shot. Last night I felt my heart rate was high and so took my pulse. I was racing along at 161-2. And for 20-30 minutes that rate did not change. The on-call nurse at IHC recommended an immediate trip to the emergency room and we went. When they got me hooked up, we watched the heart slow down and blood pressure return to normal. Fortunately, the heart settled back into the correct sinus rhythm. They drew blood, took a chest picture, and kept me for a couple hours before sending me home. All the test reults were normal. So, what happened?
I don't know. We are under quite a bit of stress. I am preparing my income taxes which I loath doing; the house is being shown today--to people who are returning for a second look (fingers crossed!)--and I worked out hard on Monday morning. I have resumed lunches with my pals. I was quite high yesterday (already in fib?) during the lunch period, perhaps because I missed the stimulation of discussion with my colleagues. On reflection, I don't think there was much discussion since I monopolized it. I have been fighting my BiPAP machine's mask this past few nights as well. So, maybe what we have here is someone who needs to slow down and smell the roses again.
I will contact the rest of my docs today. I will begin watching my diet more closely. I will cut out the alcohol. I will moderate my workouts. Belated resolutions. Nuff said.
