Baby Steps - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster

Baby Steps - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster

Spring has sprung and I started my fitness plan last week.  It
isn't much of a plan really.  I am doing my best to do one lap around
our building.  I can tell a difference after a week but my progress is
still disappointing.  When I first walked around the building last week I
had to rest more than 5 times and each rest was 5 to 20 minutes and I
had to get on my oxygen when I finished.  It was terrible.


Today I rested 3 times and each rest was a minute or 2.  I didn't get
on my oxygen at the end.  I also did a few other little things that
added about another 1/2 lap on my walk.  So all around it was an
improvement.  I have also had to keep my apartment inspection ready
which is a whole another story.


How did I get in such terrible shape?


For those that don't know I have heart failure.  I also have COPD. 
I've done pretty well taking care of myself but last summer I had
emergency surgery to have my gall bladder removed.  It almost killed
me.  I was fortunate that my nephew moved in with me and took care of me
for 2 months.  After that he was forced to leave because I was going to
lose my disability insurance if he kept living with me. But he had
nursed me to the point that I was able to minimally take care of myself -
and I do mean minimally.


I worked on getting stronger just by doing routine housework and
errands. I have been keeping that stuff done but was not able to go out
into the winter weather or add any exercise to the mix.  Just keep the
house inspection ready because the landlord keeps putting up notices of
inspection for the past 4 months!


Finally last week the weather became good enough for me to start my
walking routine to get stronger.  So I'm working on it.  Right now my
goal is to make a full lap around the building without resting.  Then
I'll work on 2 laps and so on and so on....


Soon it will be summer and I can add swimming to my list.  I love to
swim and went regularly except for last summer because of my gall
bladder.


And that is how I got into this shape.  Right now every step is a
struggle because of breathing issues.  Not because I get tired.

offbeat Easter humor - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster

offbeat Easter humor - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster

peeping peeps

She Saved My Life - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster

She Saved My Life - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster

This is my friend, Sharon
Ball. She saved my life one day. I have told many people this story and
she gets embarrassed but she deserves recognition for what she did for
me that day.

I was having problems with my heart. I went to the emergency room.
Usually when I go to the ER they move me to the front of the line. This
was one day when I could not get anyone to notice me and I was so weak
and dizzy that I could not talk. I could not breathe.
Sharon saw me. She knew immediately how serious the situation was. SHE
RAISED HOLY HELL UNTIL A NURSE CAME FORWARD. When the nurse saw me she
took me straight to the back and they ended up keeping me for a few
days.
So thank you Sharon Ball for saving my life.

Thank you too to the staff of CAMC who once they were aware of the
problem kicked their lifesaving measures in place. But Sharon deserves
the credit for getting them to notice me.

The Great Monkey Escape - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster

The Great Monkey Escape - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster

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I've
been watching the news about a monkey escaping from his enclosure in
Kansas City and inviting 6 of his friends to come along - only 2
accepted his invitation though.   Happily all are back home now and no animals or people were hurt in the process.

It
reminded me of a greyhound I had named Navjo Thunder. (yes that is how
the owner spelled the name so no corrections please)  Thunder was a
typical brindle greyhound who was from a  litter of dogs that could fly,
but that is not what was memorable about him.

I was having a
problem.  I would be letting dogs go outside for turnout and all of a
sudden I would look down and I would have males and females comingling
around me.  Most kennels, including this one, turned males and females
out separately.  Then I would have to go into panic mode and start
putting them up as fast as I could before a fight started.

The
first time it happened I kicked myself in the rear because I thought I
had not latched the gate properly to the girl's pen.  It is not an
unknown occurance but I was usually much too careful about such things
for it to happen.

Then it happened again.  I had every greyhound
in my kennnel running around together happily getting to know the
strangers in the other pen.  Generally this leads to much excitement
from males who aren't used to having females so close and then the
females start putting the males in their place and a huge fight can
break out.  So once again I put them up as fast as I could and I
wondered what in the world was going on with the pens.  I thought maybe
the latch was broken at this point....but it wasn't.

Then one day I
walked outside to latch the gate for the boys after I put them out.  I
did this just in time to watch Thunder walk over to the girls pen and
flip the latch up quicker than any burglar could do it.  The females had
learned that he could do this and they were waiting at the gate to make
a run for it and start the big party in the kennel.

I had to
laugh.  I had never seen a dog do anything like that before.  I rushed
to put them up again and from then on out I had an extra lock on each
gate so that it was  Thunderproof.  It was quite comical to watch
Thunder try to work the latch with that lock on it and I'm just glad he
never tried to open the outside gate before I figured out what was going
on.

That can lead to a whole another set of problems....much like the monkeys running around the zoo