Hi folks, Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is more common than you might think, and I suspect that the majority of AAA-induced deaths go undiagnosed, based on my experience with the thing. I found mine in the nick of time, and only because of my study of body awareness combined with a veterinary medical training. Two of my three sons had an AAA scan, which is carried out by ultrasound, takes about 15 ... Read more
Athletes Need Effective Sunscreen And A Good Dermatologist
Hi folks, I'm off to my dermatologist again tomorrow. Being fair-skinned and frequently sunburned as a kid, potential cancers pop up all the time, usually in the form of solar keratosis. These are rough patches, sometimes scaly, and tend to become white after swimming in the pool. If not removed they can progress to form a deadly kind of growth, the squamous cell carcinoma. These tumors can invade locally and ... Read more
Regular Health Screening Should Be Part Of Your Exercise Program And It Can Save Your Life
Hi folks, The number of health screens of which you can avail yourself in order to extend your life span is increasing steadily. You should explore your family history for your own specific risks, and not wait for the medical community to prompt you to do so. In my case my genetic risks included severe hyperlipidemia and aortic aneurysms. About 30 years ago we detected extremely high blood lipids in ... Read more
Spinning With Weights And Don’t Forget Your Tongue
Hi folks, My latest Continuum dance lesson effectively demonstrated the importance of arm dynamics during running. During this session, Rebecca handed me a soft, five inch diameter ball weighing about 2 lbs. and I was told to balance the ball in the palm of my hand, whilst I then danced to some music. The effect was fascinating. The extra weight in my hand resulted in dramatic effects on body dynamics, ... Read more
AAA Screening For All Men Over 65 (What About Women?): Well Done NHS – What Is Happening In The US of A?
Hi folks, I just read this on the British (or is it English? This turned out to be an important distinction when I lived in Scotland!) Aortic Dissection Support Group site: "In the UK, the NHS (National Health Service) have acted with great responsibility to set up a NATIONAL SCREENING program for all men in the UK 65 and over. The phased roll-out of the programme nationally began in 2009 with an anticipation ... Read more
My AAA-Stent FDA Adverse Event (Correctable Hypertension) Report, And The Role Of High Technology In My Life Recently
Hi folks, Well! It was a busy week for me. I sent an adverse event report to the FDA for my AAA stent-induced hypertension and received a nice polite reply, which told me that if you want to use the FDA MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form (3500) effectively, send data - which I did. In fact, here is their reply, just click on the image to see it more clearly, and use the back arrow on your browser to return ... Read more
Great First Book, Great First Marathon, Great First Open Heart Surgery – Book Review: ‘Barefoot in November’
Hi folks! A very fit Benjamin Carey, father of two and one on the way, at the ripe old age of 37, was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm in 2009. This aneurysm was not quite so big as mine at the time of diagnosis (men will compete about anything!), but it was in a much more difficult place to treat, the ascending aorta close to the heart. Interestingly, in spite of our 30 year age difference, in many respects his ... Read more
Fate Taps Gently On The Door: Self-Awareness Can Save Your Life (It Did Mine!).
Hi folks! It is important to remember that fate sometimes taps gently on the door of our consciousness. It can be fatal not to listen. This is certainly true of many aging conditions, including aneurysms. So! For older athletes, who better to turn to for advice than the more mature athlete? For instance, Martin Duff wrote as follows in a recent article in Athletics Weekly, entitled 'Life in the Old Dog ... Read more
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