Doctors

Perhaps the fiasco of the day is why I don't like doctors.

Woke up this morning and had a very low blood pressure reading (105/70) so I decided to go in and have them check me out, sign me off, let me get on with life. Well, they couldn't just take my blood pressure. I had to fill out paperwork, make an APPOINTMENT, then go back in at 2:00! Right in the middle of a beautiful day.

Ok.

Went in at 2:00, got my height and weight again. Took my blood pressure, and of course it just skyrocketed. I had taken my meter in as well as the record I've been keeping. That didn't mean crap to them as far as noticing that I'm fine and they could sign me off. What's the verdict? Well, she PRESCRIBED a diuretic essentially to lower my reading so that I go back in a week and demonstrate that it helped. (She WAS trying to help me out, she told me we could use this to drop it, get signed off, then I could stop taking this stuff and just lower it naturally...like I'm doing.) By the way, as soon as I got home I measured my BP again...well within "acceptable" levels. UGH.

Yep, this drug is taken once in the morning. It "tells" my kidneys to not hold onto as much salt and water. Umm, so it'll just dehydrate me right? Pretty much. "You'll go to the bathroom a lot more." Great.

Despite being able to show a positive trend, explain why it's so high in the doctor's office, show that I'm in good shape...didn't mean a thing. I had to pay $20 up front for the doctor's visit. Then I paid another $20 for the medication. (However, I have enough refills to last me half a year.) So a simple test took about 3 hours total to complete...I paid $40, and now I'm going to be on record showing I've taken blood pressure medication. ALL THIS, so I can walk 3 miles in 45 minutes with a 45 lb pack. Assuming I pass that, then what it means is ALL THIS so I MAY go on fires this summer.

Legalities and politics have screwed up common sense.

Mountain biking and blood pressure

Yes, both are really interesting subjects. Since I have a tendency for both. I found out that I have "high" blood pressure according to a national standard for all people. Go figure. I'm going to put in a little hit here. I hike more, camp more, exert myself more than many people who claim to be "healthier" than I am. I do not believe that a standard can apply to all people. I found that my family has a history of high blood pressure. OK. No worries. But when I go to the doctor and they tell me that I CANNOT perform strenuous activity without worries of complications, (ie, heart attack, stroke, etc.) I get a little unglued.

The other weekend, I helped my Uncle split GREEN wood using a hydraulic splitter. Ok, easy enough right? NO. These rounds, being green, weighed in at over 100+ lbs. I lifted these for four hours straight. We got through about four cords. I had bruises on the insides of my arms and on my quads just from the PRESSURE these thing exerted on me! Not impact; pressure!

I recently bought a brand-spanking-new mountain bike. Within 10 days of ownership, I have ridden myself to a pulp. Yesterday, I rode 11.5 miles, most of which was uphill. Today, I did 1700 feet of elevation gain in about 5 miles. It took me about an hour and 15 minutes, but I did it. The only problem was that my ass hurt from the narrow "saddle" I have to work with. On the way down, my top speed was 30 mph (I have a GPS; computers are neat.) Now honestly tell me that a guy that has high blood pressure who CANNOT perform "arduous duty firefighting" could come close to bruising his body with simple pressure for four hours or could ride uphill on a mountain bike for 5.5 miles. Give me a break!

But, I have relented to the fact that it IS a problem in my family. So. I bought a monitor for myself, made notes, and even graphed it! (I'm a nerd for sure.) I have done research and figured out what may be causing my "unusually" high blood pressure...for my age. It has a lot to do with stress during the day, lack of consistent exercise, and improper nutrition...I am convinced. Since I sit at a computer all day and claim to be a "weekend warrior" I wasn't getting all the exercise I needed. I ate one meal a day; dinner. I drank too much coffee. I have changed all this, and now am noticing the difference. Now that I have something to MEASURE, I can do something about it. Concrete hard facts. A baseline.

So after that 11.5 mile ride....I slept like I haven't slept in a long time. I woke up to my lowest reading yet, 124/86. Today, I went on a long ride again, my average for the day is 137/88. Yea, it's "high" for other people's standards, but it's low for me. I am like everything else in the world. I wake up with low blood pressure. I come home and it's higher. I work out, then eat, then relax...and it goes down down down. Since I made a graph, I can easily SEE this. Bell curve.

So. I'm good to go. All I need is a doctor who is reasonable who can sign their name to a document that says I'm fine to do the pack test. And that I'm fine to be working hard. I'd like to see some doctors do what I do on a regular basis and see how THEY come out.

(Update: 03/30/07 at 0700 my reading was 105/70....tried to go to a doctor this morning to get signed off. I had to set up an APPOINTMENT for later this afternoon. Geez, could this BE more of a pain?)

Am I an activist?

Am I an activist? Or just a skeptic? Or just someone who wants to know it all? Both sides, both emotions, all the research, all the knowledge, all the opinions, all the CONTROVERSY?

This site from Cananda is a wealth of information:

http://www.canadafreepress.com/global-warming.htm

I encourage reading this article for a different view:

http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/global-warming010507.htm

...and this summary of different opinions on varying topics:

http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/global-warming030307.htm


I am convinced that I shall not be led into a politics-driven-agenda based on things we do not understand. I am convinced, that when the next scare of yet another "global ice-age" comes about, I will stand up and cry "bullshit!"

I am truly sorry to all those who I offend. This is what I believe.

So yea, hunting and fishing are dying down right now for some reason. A bit of bad weather has everyone doing alternative activities. Last night we ended up in Rathdrum for a night of, yes karaoke. I didn't want to sing, nor dance...but my name made the slips and I ended up singing. Then, people started swing dancing, so of course I had to get into that. You should have seen Butch, my uncle....he danced more than I did! Notice the first photo.

I took a camera, because the last time they were there and invited me (I didn't go) Zimmerman (on the left...second photo) ended up on the bar dancing and singing. (He's an incredible singer actually, it's weird.) So, took the camera in hopes of capturing incriminating evidence....he always gives me shit. We were easily the largest group in there, I think we had about 12 people...and they are all a "group" and are more fun than you can imagine. Dominated the bar after a bit.

It was simply one of those days that you can do without. So, I got a call from Casey (on the right...second photo) and we headed out of town to make fools of ourselves. Good close to a strange day.

Westwood Saloon in Rathdrum, find it (the key..it's hidden) and you'll like it.