In late November, 2023, I made two trips to ER for low BP and extreme chest pain in the same week. While in the hospital the second visit, my pre ER sore throat symptoms developed into something called HPIV-3. My first evening after being discharged, I developed uncontrollable coughing. This continued for about a week gradually subsiding over the next five weeks. I estimate I was doing about 12 thousand machine gun coughs per day. It was controlled later with Tessalon beads.
I was so weak and my chest beat up from the coughing that my body battery, as measured by a well known sports watch. My energy level was running around 5 percent continuously for close to a week. Normally my body battery energy level can get as high as 100 starting the day but tails off quickly around lunch. The pre Thanksgiving week was the worst week of my life. It was only by the grace of God that I overcome this latest setback to my health. Like I said…. six weeks of torment to the end of the year.
Since then I have been steadily recovering to pre HPIV-3 levels. I have returned to the 1500 foot skybridge and shaved a few seconds off my walk time to 3 minutes 35 seconds. My neighbors were amazed that I recently dug a 30 foot long trench 18 inches deep to bury a four inch drainage pipe to connect my guttering to a storm sewer. It took 12 hours, but I did it when no yard contractors I asked would do it.
Folks may look askance for a 70 year old playing basketball with some high schoolers, but I do my best not to be an embarrassment. I do wind up on the floor a few times from feet entanglements. So far no broken bones. Extreme exhaustion sets in after a few plays of chasing rebounds and trying to obstruct these kids loaded with testosterone. Ha, ha, last week after getting whipped every game the last several months 1 on 1, I unexpectedly beat the 14 year old HS starter. So I expect a grudge match in our church gym this afternoon. The “Nutt” has a mean hook shot when it’s on, so we will see.
So now for my questions and comments:
1. The Garmin body battery strongly correlates to my exhaustion levels. The way my system works, I fall off a cliff by lunch and wind up at 5 or 20 by evening. Anyone else use it body battery as a means of correlation to the way you feel.
2. I stopped taking abiraterone in afternoons and went to early morning, thinking that hot flashes commencing at 8 pm would transition to daylight hours. Wrong, they continue same time every evening! Ok, circadian rhythm, you scientists? I stopped taking the meds for it cause they increased my BP and blood sugar ten per cent.
3. I have venous insufficiency both legs and need two ablations from knee to groin. My oncologist was apprehensive to fixing this due to infection risk. Anyone else have experience? I take lasix every other day and it is a bummer cause I have to take before abiraterone and prop my feet up too hours. Oncologist nurse says I can take abiraterone an hour afterwards, then wait another hour for protonix which requires 30 minutes before food. It’s 930 to 10am before I can eat. Anyone have these venous ablations and your recovery?
5. I picked up another complication, borderline achalasia, a very severe swallowing disorder where the bottom esophageal valve slams shut. My GI wants to hit my esophageal valve in the stomach with Botox to see if it will relax. I know some people take peppermint oil to ease the valve construction. Experiences? I have to take my abiraterone with warm water or it won’t go down.
6. Anyone else develop HPIV-3 or have extreme swallowing difficulties?
Finally I want to encourage all of you to keep on keeping on regardless of your suffering even if you have but one ounce of strength left. It’s frustrating with debilitating back pain to do the weights regularly and things just keep getting added to my list of medical stuff. I tell my doctors “you are supposed to take things off my list!!” but I have no choice but to plod on, Not a day goes by that I don’t say thank you Lord for another day as time is so precious to be with our loved ones! As my pastor once said “Good, better, best, Never let it rest until your good gets better and your better gets best!”. My best to all of you fellow APC members!
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