Hi folks, I thought I would write briefly about a subject that has interested me for years, balance, a concept that can be applied to many things. For instance, a balanced life should include a healthy collection of components, which reminds me of a useful meditation in this regard, that goes as follows: 'An acquaintance of yours has just died and at the funeral/wake/party to celebrate their life (or lack ... 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
It Would Appear That Rigid AAA-Stent Grafts Can Induce Life-Threatening Hypertension Which Is Correctable
Hi folks, This is a follow-up to previous posts on my stent-induced hypertension, as new data have come in - another case. This is a potentially critical aspect of AAA-stent graft placement, which can be life saving, but a BP of 220/120 could also be life threatening. In my case, the hypertension was corrected by a combination of an ACE inhibitor (10 mg Lisinopril) and exercise. Several cardiologists ... Read more
Our Heart’s Desire Is Often Right In Front Of Us, But We Insist On Looking The Other Way!
Hi folks! Well, it is another lovely day in the Chez Ollie on Planet Earth. One thing I love to do is read, especially with my Nook. Hundreds of books in one little book - still don't believe it! Right now I am reading several books in parallel as usual, and one that is quite interesting and odd is entitled Multiple Streams of Income by Robert G. Allen, and there is even an associated website. There is also a lot ... 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
I Learned A Lot At The FFT White Lake Triathlon Camp – Highly Recommended!
Hi folks! I had a great time at the FFT White Lake Triathlon Camp over the weekend, and I plan to sign up again for October. It was all about communication and learning, plus some drills and workouts, of course. Plenty of food for thought, plus really good food cooked by Phil: The emphasis of the camp was on learning skills that we could apply when we returned to regular life and training, and there was ... Read more
One-Leg Bike Drills Reveal Pelvic Imbalance
Hi folks! My new coach, Eric Bean, sets me some interesting workouts, including the old one-leg drills. During today's set on my trainer, where I finally hit 162 cadence during the high cadence set, I made an interesting observation during the one-leg drills. When my legs were tired, and heading for 'clanking over the top,' the limiting issues in my pelvic muscles were different for my right and left legs. On the ... Read more
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