Health

There are three earlier posts which I have tagged with the label "health" at the end. If you've read them, you may recall that there were some concerns about my blood pressure and that I was planning to have an operation to repair a hernia. Here's an update on those and one or two other things.

Blood pressure.  It seems to me that my blood pressure is, on average, down slightly since I began taking the diuretic pills. Most readings are in the "borderline" range, which is fine by me, and some recently have been "normal." So all in all, I think the pills are a great success.

Hernia.  The operation was on August 22. I had a wonderful time in the hospital. Everybody was really nice. The anesthesiologists had an extended conversation with me which gave me confidence that they would do a fine job. The surgeon also had a good conversation in which he reminded me of what to expect, including a very clear explanation that swelling and discoloration of the penis and scrotum are normal (and I'm glad I knew that). Nurses and doctors all made a point of asking what I was having done — a way of making sure that no mistaken procedures were done — and they were thorough in asking about any possible factors which could affect the way the surgery or recovery might go.

I was in the operating room by about 7:30 a.m. At 8:35 I woke up from the sedation, and the anesthesiologist told me I was in the operating room (which was unnecessary since it looked exactly as it had just before I went to sleep). My surgeon was finishing up on putting me back together, and I enjoyed being able to talk to him a bit. At 8:40 they took me to the recovery room, and presently a nurse offered me a snack. I chose Lorna Doone cookies and cranberry juice. The anesthesiologists and surgeon popped in to make sure I was okay, and by 9:30 I was getting dressed. A friend drove me home in my car. We stopped to fill my prescription for pain pills, and I was home by 10:00.

Perhaps I lay down a bit more that day than I had after my previous hernia operation (see posts labeled "hernia"); perhaps I iced the area of the incision a bit more than I had the other time; and perhaps it helped that on the first night I slept in a reclining chair rather than my bed (stretching the abdomen a bit less that way. Perhaps procedures have improved since 2008; perhaps this surgeon is a bit more skillful; perhaps the location of the incision was slightly less sensitive. Whatever the reason(s), I definitely felt even less discomfort this time than previously — less discomfort sitting, less discomfort standing up, and less discomfort going from the one position to the other. (I think in common medical jargon, what I felt when sitting or standing doesn't even qualify as "discomfort." I think it ranks only as "soreness" or "tenderness.") At any rate, as last time, I never wanted a pain pill.

The following Saturday, I was back on the boat, helping to run sailboat races. And now I only notice the area occasionally.

So if you ever need to have an operation, I recommend making it an inguinal* hernia repair.

Crown.  Last January the crown on my lower right molar came off when I was eating a piece of sliced cheese product. I saved it,but procrastinated on seeing the dentist. Then she took some time off for the summer. I finally saw her about it the day before my operation. She saw that there was some decay which had been covered by the crown, and she tried putting it back in place, only to find that it now hit the upper tooth. Apparently, teethe can shift around, and the crownless molar, getting no opposition from above had shifted upwards a bit. So yesterday she drilled out the decay and installed the temporary crown. The permanent one will be made by a lab in California and she'll install it in a couple of weeks. The whole business will cost me $1800, most of which could have been saved if I had come in promptly and she could have used the old crown.

Weight.  My bathroom scale has occasionally done funny things, like giving me readings 5 or 6 pounds apart within a minute. But it would generally settle in after several readings. Also at time it seems to start spontaneously. Recently,it seems to be behaving better. Over the years I have watched as my weight has gone from under 170 lb. to 185 (and occasional 186 or 187). But over the past week, I've noticed it going down to about 180, and occasionally 179, maybe even a 178. I definitely can afford to lose the weight. I don't need to get to 120 lb., my weight in college. But I imagine that 160 would not be bad.

But — as a hypochondriac, my first though was that rapid, unexplained weight loss can be a symptom of cancer. Then I began to wonder if the occasional soreness in my left hip might be, not the beginnings of arthritis but another symptom of cancer.

Well, I'm going to keep an eye on the weight. The past couple of days it seems to have stabilized. But if it starts dropping again, I'll get an appointment with my primary care physician, which I have to do before much longer to get my diuretic prescription renewed (or changed, if he thinks my blood pressure is still too high).


* One thing I learned from my surgeon is that "inguinal" is a Latin-derived word meaning "of the groin." I'm kind of surprised at myself that I had never learned that before.