Friday 04/16/2021
OK, the blood pressure thing isn’t so bad. I’ve done a little reading. The average I run is around 135, which is “pre-elevated” on a clinical scale. Not very concerning. The surgeon who did my aorta wants it lower, not for general health but to reduce the probability of aneurysms in the aorta wall.
What did we used to call the blisters that sometimes form on the sidewall of a tire? Those are aneurysms. Blowouts: not a good thing. (On the other hand: quick cure for high blood pressure. Takes it down to zero in a minute.)
That one instance of 175 or 185 last night, that is not good. So far it was a one-off, but if it repeats I will have to involve the medical team.
In the meantime there are some other things I can do before having the doctor tinker with the meds (of which I am already taking two). Electrolyte balance: shortage of potassium a/o magnesium can raise BP. That’s easy to address. I’ll pick up some supplements tomorrow and give that a two-week trial. The keto diet didn’t do it; maybe electrolytes will. And there’s one other OTC thing.
By the way, except for some uncommon and easily diagnosed conditions involving the kidneys, there is no known “cause” of high BP. It’s a symptom of something but nobody knows what. It’s associated with an elevated risk of stroke and heart attack, but nobody knows why.
I shortened my walk this morning by cutting off a mile loop of it. And then at the coffee and pastries on the 11th floor, they had apple fritters. OMG I love those. I talked to Peter and his wife. Turns out they own a condo with a lake view at Tahoe, and are headed for there for the month of May.
Fiddled with the Golf kit a bit. Not a complicated kit; it will go fast. However not the best quality either. Assembling the engine, it seemed like very piece needs a little bit of sanding, to fit right.
At Rhonda’s open meeting the discussion was all about the new Dining Service, which starts this coming Wednesday. We are basically going to have a restaurant of our own, open 12 hours a day. They distributed the all-the-time menu and the first week’s meal-time menu, and they look good. Except that the all-day menu didn’t have as many choices as I might wish especially around breakfast. Assuming one didn’t want the daily breakfast special, could one just get an omelet? (In the old cafeteria system, there was an omelet bar.)
Probably, the answer was. The rule is, if you don’t see it, ask. If they have the ingredients and can prepare it in reasonable time, they’ll make whatever you want. Same answer for any kind of customization. Don’t like kale? Just ask them to hold the kale. Whatever.
If they can make it work, it’s going to be pretty sweet.
Codgerville 