Health

Father’s Day musing — hearing loss & back pain

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My dad was “hard of hearing” for about as long as I can remember. Obviously, I could deduce that it was a result of being around loud noise, but I wasn’t ever exactly sure of the diagnosis.

In this medical record it says, “History of noise exposure includes heavy artillery beginning in 1948 and being a loader on 90 mm. guns up until 1953.” This is what one of those “guns” looks like:

And here’s the medical record:

Also for as long as I can remember, my dad had — sometimes debilitating — back pain. Not that there’s anything funny about back pain, but I had to laugh when I saw this note about prescribing PT for him, because 3 times a week I do 8 exercises to strengthen my core and my back, and those 2 exercises are part of my routine!

Exercise check-in

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When I was younger, I looked forward to getting up early in the morning to exercise. Now, getting out of bed 𝙞𝙨 my exercise.
 
 
 
 
#Home #40Minutes #Strengthening #Back #Core
 
#PlanetFitness #30Minutes #Cardio #Elliptical
Do one set of 7. And 1, and 2, and 3…

We’re secretly winning the war on cancer (6-minute read)

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While cancer is still a terrible health threat, the tide in the war against cancer is turning. Thanks to breakthrough treatments, cancer is no longer the death sentence it once was. While there are certain areas where the story isn’t getting better, the future of cancer treatment is improving.

This article tells the story of three revolutions that caused the dramatic bend in the curve of cancer deaths.

Read the article on Vox.

Sources:
•  TLDR. (2025, June 12). TLDR Newsletter. https://a.tldrnewsletter.com/web-version?ep=1&lc=f5cb7e17-003d-11ed-9258-0241b9615763&p=e2e4065c-475b-11f0-b4a2-fdbb6d26bcbc&pt=campaign&t=1749725820&s=05bf35b20ecd03df05de150e2f20a362a0d57368108713905b1e6f854c2c1036
•  Walsh, B. (2025, June 7). We’re secretly winning the war on cancer. Vox. https://www.vox.com/health/415812/cancer-death-rates-myeloma-immunotherapy-smoking

Breakthrough in search for HIV cure leaves researchers ‘overwhelmed’ (2-minute read)

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Researchers have found a way to force HIV out of hiding inside human cells. HIV’s ability to conceal itself within certain white blood cells has been one of the main challenges for scientists looking for a cure.

Further research is required to determine whether revealing the virus is enough to allow the body’s immune system to deal with it or whether other technologies or therapies will need to be used to eliminate it from the body. The method will require successful tests in animals followed by safety trials in humans before efficacy trials can even begin.

Sources:
•  TLDR. (2025, June 9). TLDR Newsletter. https://a.tldrnewsletter.com/web-version?ep=1&lc=f5cb7e17-003d-11ed-9258-0241b9615763&p=a437f6a0-450a-11f0-8f5d-91cc2f75f098&pt=campaign&t=1749466605&s=71f53978b6bb6288e3942fd1aa07d1e80682151cb4780d09967031e505dad7d1
•  Lay, K. (2025, June 6). Breakthrough in search for HIV cure leaves researchers ‘overwhelmed.’ The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jun/05/breakthrough-in-search-for-hiv-cure-leaves-researchers-overwhelmed

Blood pressure and heart rate stats for May 2025

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I have white coat hypertension (a.k.a. white coat syndrome), so I keep a record of my daily blood pressure readings to take to the doctor’s office whenever I go. I record my heart rate, too, but only because the machine takes it along with my blood pressure.

White coat hypertension aside, knowing your numbers is just plain smart, since high blood pressure is known as “the silent killer.” Do you know yours?

Anti-obesity drugs for everyone?

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Should Everyone Be Taking Ozempic? Doctors Say More People Could Benefit1
Anti-obesity drugs are showing promise for ever-expanding list of diseases

1Loftus, P. (2025, May 25). Should Everyone Be Taking Ozempic? Doctors Say More People Could Benefit: Anti-obesity drugs are showing promise for ever-expanding list of diseases. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/health/pharma/glp-1-drugs-health-benefits-4014d7d5

AI article summary:2

The article discusses the increasing potential of GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound, beyond treating diabetes and weight loss. These drugs show promise for various diseases, including heart, kidney, and liver diseases, sleep apnea, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and alcohol addiction, and may even have anti-aging benefits.

Doctors suggest that millions more people could benefit from these drugs, potentially up to one-third to a majority of adults. However, caution is advised, as excessive weight loss and malnourishment are concerns for individuals who don’t medically fit the criteria. The drugs mimic natural gut hormones, promoting insulin production and suppressing appetite, leading to significant weight loss and improvement in related conditions.

While many benefits stem from weight loss, some may be independent, possibly due to anti-inflammatory effects. The article mentions specific examples of individuals benefiting from these drugs, like Susan Abernethy, who used Mounjaro to treat her psoriatic arthritis. There is also discussion of GLP-1s helping with liver diseases and potentially slowing cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients.

Despite the potential, only a small fraction of eligible people currently use these drugs, due to factors like cost, insurance coverage, tolerability, and manufacturing capacity. The article mentions ongoing research and development of newer GLP-1s with greater efficacy and different administration methods. However, certain groups, such as those with a history of thyroid cancer or pancreatitis, should avoid these drugs. Analysts predict increased usage in the future but acknowledge that it will still represent a fraction of the eligible population.

2Generated by Gemini AI

FDA OKs first blood test that can help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease (2-minute read)

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R. Scott Turner, Professor of Neurology and Director of the Memory Disorder Center at Georgetown University Hospital, points to PET scan results that are part of a study on Alzheimer’s disease at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, May 19, 2015. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials on Friday endorsed the first blood test that can help diagnose Alzheimer’s and identify patients who may benefit from drugs that can modestly slow the memory-destroying disease.

The new test, from Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc., identifies a sticky brain plaque, known as beta-amyloid, that is a key marker for Alzheimer’s. Previously, the only FDA-approved methods for detecting amyloid were invasive tests of spinal fluid or expensive PET scans. Read more…

Source: Perrone, M. (2025, May 16). FDA OKs first blood test that can help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease | AP News. AP News.

Blood pressure and heart rate stats for April 2025

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I have white coat hypertension (a.k.a. white coat syndrome), so I keep a record of my daily blood pressure readings to take to the doctor’s office whenever I go. I record my heart rate, too, but only because the machine takes it along with my blood pressure.

White coat hypertension aside, knowing your numbers is just plain smart, since high blood pressure is known as “the silent killer.” Do you know yours?

“Chocolate ‘in a Petri dish’ could save crisis-hit industry”

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“Lab-grown chocolate could rival traditional chocolate in several ways. The process can grow cells that multiply swiftly and mature within a week, as opposed to the six to eight months usually required for a conventional cocoa crop. The resulting product can also contain higher levels of health-promoting chemicals and fewer contaminants such as heavy metals or pesticides. The price of cocoa is skyrocketing as the industry deals with drought and other problems.” Source: TLDR. (2025, April 23). TLDR Newsletter.

Read the full article (a 3-minute read): The secrets of lab-grown chocolate.

Exercise check-in

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Pilates? Oh, hell no! I thought you said, “Pie and lattes.”
 
 
 
#PlanetFitness #Cardio #30MinutesElliptical
#Home #CoreStrengthening #BicycleCrunches #DeadBugs #PelvicTilts #Bridges #KneeExtensions #KneeToChestStretches #Clamshells #HipSideSlides

On this day 31 years ago…

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On April 17, 1994, I came out of the proverbial closet.

I like the idea that I’m approaching the year when I will have spent as many years out of the closet as I spent in, which will happen in 2030. I’m currently at 36 years in, 31 years out.

In 2021, I wrote these three 50-word stories about the emotional toll of living in the closet for 35 years and why people say, “It felt like the weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders when I came out.”

Keeping up appearances In the interest of me To come out—or check out
I’m married to a woman, but I am a terrified, closeted gay man trying to keep up the charade. So, I “ogle” at “big tits” and traveling as a trainer for work, I make sure I refer to “my wife” at least once while introducing myself. It’s kind of exhausting. I was a young Republican because I believed I was a self-made man—before I learned about privilege. But mostly I identified as such to distance myself from “the gays.” Voting against their interests, I couldn’t possibly be one, right? I’m still embarrassed and haunted by this. I’m so sorry. Riding home from my $100K job, to my $250K home, in my $40K car, I wonder: “Is there any way to plunge this ‘ultimate driving machine‘ into that ravine and ensure I won’t live with an ‘intended to die’ for the rest of my life?” It’s unbearable living like this.

Three 50-word stories about unexpectedly hard things to do with my middle and index finger out of commission on one hand.

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Tying shoes Flossing teeth Opening packages
With recent surgery on the middle and index fingers on one hand, it quickly became obvious that doing things that are normally second-nature become difficult at best, impossible at worst. I learned to do some of them with my ring finger and thumb instead. Tying shoes was one of them. The next challenge was flossing my teeth. I wind the floss around my index finger of each hand — pretty tightly — and that didn’t sit well over the quite tender, stitched-up finger on my left hand. I was able to get by with a little help from my friends: dental picks. Have you tried to open a high-density polyethylene bag like those inside cereal boxes? (I often resort to scissors even when all of my fingers are fully functional.) Fuhgeddaboudit with two fingers out of commission! Heck, I could barely open a GLAD® FLEX’NSEAL sandwich bag, or a pack of nabs!

2-week post-op fingers surgery appointment

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A quick visit to the doc today to get my stitches removed and for another pleasant exchange with Dr. Erickson.

Assessment: Looking good. No signs of infection. Keep bandaged for another couple of days and then start rubbing some cream containing cocoa butter and vitamin E over them, if you want to, to help minimize scarring.

Complete cynical-healthcare-expense aside: I was glad to see that my visit was at no charge, and that Medicare wasn’t going to be charged $10 per bandage.

Exercise check-in

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If you had to choose between eating bacon every day, or being skinny for the rest of your life, would you choose applewood or hickory-smoked?
 
 
 
#PlanetFitness #Cardio #30MinutesElliptical
#Home #CoreStrengthening #BicycleCrunches #DeadBugs #PelvicTilts #Bridges #KneeExtensions #KneeToChestStretches #Clamshells #HipSideSlides

Note: Image generated by Gemini AI

Blood pressure and heart rate stats for March 2025

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I have white coat hypertension (a.k.a. white coat syndrome), so I keep a record of my daily blood pressure readings to take to the doctor’s office whenever I go. I record my heart rate, too, but only because the machine takes it along with my blood pressure.

White coat hypertension aside, knowing your numbers is just plain smart, since high blood pressure is known as “the silent killer.” Do you know yours?

Yammering my way through finger surgery

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This is the second surgery that I’ve had that has been with just a local anesthesia. The first one was 38 years ago, about which I wrote this 50-word story:

Mind if we watch?

At 29, I got a vasectomy. With my legs in stirrups and my junk hanging through a hole, the surgeon asked if a med school class could observe the procedure. To my surprise, I heard my Valium-induced euphoric response: “Sure, why not? Y’all pop some popcorn and sit up front.”

Last Wednesday, I had surgery to remove mucoid cysts on 2 of my fingers — also with just a local anesthesia but with no med school students watching.

The most interesting thing that happened while the prep team was reading all of the disclosures to me that have to made before surgery (e.g., “All surgeries involve some kind of risk.”) was this disclosure: “Dr. Erickson [my surgeon] is a business partner of — and has financial interest in — this center.”

About 45 minutes before being wheeled into the OR, I had a Valium and 4 (quite) painful numbing injections — 2 in the palm of my left hand and one into each finger that was going to be sliced open.

In the very cold OR, with a drape between me and my hand so as not to see the operation, along with the doctor there were several people in the room — 4, I think.

I chatted with the doctors and nurses the whole way through. Here are snippets of some of the conversations:

Doc (pinching my middle finger to make sure it’s completely numb): Can you feel this?
Me: Actually yes, just a little.
Doc: OK, let’s put a little more numbing medicine in that one. How about this index finger?
Me: No, I don’t feel anything on that one.
Doc: Good. We’ll start on this one while the numbing on the other one is progressing.

Nurse (scrubbing my lower arm and entire hand including all of my fingers): We are just going to get you good and clean to avoid any chance of infections.
Me: Thank you.

Doc: I’m putting a rubber cover over your nearby finger for protection.
Me: Thank you.

Doc: OK, we are finishing up on this finger. I’m going to stitch it up and then we’ll start on your other one.
Me: I appreciate the play-by-play as you are operating. It’s very helpful and comforting.

Me: Do you have a preference for the days you work in the office seeing patients as opposed to the days that you’re here doing surgery?
Doc: I like a mix of both, really. I enjoy spending time with patients figuring out what’s causing their pain, and I enjoy surgeries, too. This is my favorite kind of surgery, though, where the patient is awake and we can have a conversation.

Me: My husband and I are getting to the age where some of our doctors are retiring, like Dr. Edwards where you work. I saw him 18 years ago to look at my finger, and now he’s retired.
Doc: And his son is working with us now!
Nurse (I think his name was Peter): And his son is very good, too.
Me: Dr. Wyker did my knee replacement and my husband’s hip replacement. He’s probably getting ready to retire, too.
Nurse: I used to work in Dr. Wyker’s office! Good guy.
Me: He’s probably been on a few vacations in the Caribbean off of our joint-replacement money alone.

Me: Where is your favorite place to vacation?
Doc: There is a ranch in Wyoming that my family likes to go, generally once every other year.
Me (sort of joking): A dude ranch?
Doc: Well yes, it is a dude ranch. We like to ride horses, it’s peaceful and quiet there, and I like to sit on the porch and read — and just relax.

Doc: What’s been your favorite vacation so far in your life?
Me: Two come to mind: 1) For my 50th birthday I went to 3 places in the book 1000 Places to See Before You Die. They included The Blue Mountains of Sydney, 7 Spirit Bay in The Outback, and Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, and 2) this past August, my husband and I did a Safari at the Sabi Sabi™ private game reserve in South Africa. It was as incredible as everyone says they are.

Doc: What do you do to fill your days in retirement?
Me: I read a lot. I read 102 book in 2022, and I’m close to 30 so far in 2025. Also, I spend at least 8 hours a day on the computer — a lot of that time writing. I was a writer and editor for a living, and I still write something every day. I write three 50-word stories around a theme every Wednesday, keep a sentence-a-day diary, and blog about observations I make during my day. In fact you’ll probably be in my blog one day this week.
Doc: Ha! That’s great. About how many people, would you say, read your blog?
Me: 4.
(Laughter all around.)
Me: I’m sorta joking, but it’s not a lot. You aren’t going to go viral or anything.
(Chuckles all around.)
Me: My husband and I also occasionally take walks downtown, take 5 or 6 pictures each, and then sit on our front porch with a cocktail (or two) and write haikus about them. Real renaissance men.
Doc (and others listening in the room): That’s neat.

Doc: We’re finishing up now. I’ll stitch up this second finger, and then we’ll get you out of here and into the recovery room.
Me: Thank you. All of you have been great, and I appreciate each one of you.

All-in-all, it was a great experience. I was only in the recovery room for 15 to 20 minutes and then wheeled out to the car in a wheelchair, which was required because I had had a Valium. Bob drove us home. I get these bandage monstrosities removed in 5 days, so Monday 3/31/25.

If you’re the type who enjoys watching live surgery, here is a video of what they did. Note: This is not my surgery. As the image denotes, you have to watch it over on YouTube. To do so, click the “Watch on YouTube” link in the image. It’s 4½ minutes long.

Mucoid Cyst Surgery

I have had it handled

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Recently, like in the last month or so, these painful nodules popped up on the end of the middle and index fingers on my left hand.

A trip to the Raleigh Hand-to-Shoulder Center diagnosed them as mucous cysts, also known as ganglion cysts, and yesterday I had them removed.

They have to remain wrapped for 5 days, and it’s really cramping my style typing.

I am dictating what I want to say into an iNote on my phone and then cutting and pasting the resulting text into this blog entry. I will not be deterred.

Bette, Tolstoy, Roseanne Roseannadanna, and me on the “golden years”

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From the movie Elegy:

I think it was Bette Davis who said old age is not for sissies. But it was Tolstoy who said the biggest surprise in a man’s life is old age. Old age sneaks up on you, and the next thing you know you’re asking yourself — I’m asking myself — why can’t an old man act his real age? How is it possible for me to still be involved in the carnal aspects of the human comedy? Because, in my head, nothing has changed.

Or, as Roseanne Roseannadanna said (6 seconds):

In the last month or so, these painful nodules have popped up on my middle and index fingers on my left hand, and today I learned about mucous cysts (a.k.a. ganglion cysts), which I’ll have removed in the next 2 weeks.

3/14/25 @ Raleigh Hand to Shoulder Center, Dr. Erickson

Looking at this x-ray taken at the Raleigh Hand to Shoulder Center, the doctor said about the spaces between my knuckle joints, “These are the joints of an 18-year-old.” (So flattering! 😂😂😂). And about the proximal interphalangeal ones (midway between knuckles and fingertips), “And these are still very good.” But, as you can see, about the ones near your fingertips, well there’s bone-on-bone osteoarthritis going on there, especially in those two fingers with the nodules.”

As the old #DadJoke goes — certainly, my dad said it often: “Arthur — the worse one of the Ritis family.”

Interesting aside: You see that crooked little finger? I had that checked out in 2007 in the same practice, which used to be called the Raleigh Hand Clinic, and it was Dr. George Edwards, Jr. who looked at it. 18 years later and Junior has retired and Dr. George Edwards III now works there. (You might be getting old if a lot of your doctors are retiring.)

It has never caused me any pain — and still doesn’t in spite of the x-ray suggesting it could, probably should. It also hasn’t gotten any more crooked. I affectionately refer to it as “my cut & paste finger,” since I tend to “rock” on it when I execute those functions.

In all fairness to my fingers, they have been very, very good to me throughout my 42 working years, starting with keyboard work that began with typing more punched cards than you can shake a stick at during my 4 years of undergrad learning how to program.

And every job, and there have been plenty of them — from my very first job at IBM in 1980 until I retired from Red Hat in 2022 — my fingers have cranked out untold millions of characters without any pain that was debilitating enough to stop me. I’m actually quite surprised I never got the dreaded carpal tunnel syndrome over the years.

Give a hand to my hands.

Blood pressure and heartrate stats for February 2025

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I have white coat hypertension, also known as white coat syndrome, a condition where blood pressure is higher in a medical setting than in other settings.

That’s my main impetus for taking my blood pressure daily, the results of which I take to my doctor whenever I go for an office visit. She always appreciates seeing my charts, which help her more confidently make any adjustments that might be needed to my BP medicine.

Also, with high blood pressure being called the silent killer, it’s comforting to me to “know my numbers.” Do you know yours?

Average BP for February 2025 was 121/53

Average heartrate for February 2025 was 49.