1/3/23

 January 3, 2023

Andrew Charles Clausen, 1972😊

Interstim installed, 2012😠

In bed by 10 and up at 4:30.  Let Lilly out at 4:49 and in at 4:55.  Out again at 6:45 and in at 6:48.  Early earworm of Linda Ronstadt singing "When You're Alone" on the Lush Life album with Nelson Riddle.  31°, cloudy day ahead with high of 35°, wind W at 8 mph, 5-13/18.  Sinrise at 7:23, sunset at 4:28, 9+5.     

Treadmill; pain.   30:16 & 0.70  

I'm grateful to Uncle Hardy and Aunt Eleanor, for welcoming me into Geri's families so long ago.  I have nothing but warm memories of each of them.  I remember having trears in my eyes in the car outside the church at Eleanor's funeral and how sad I was when Uncle Hardy died.  Cousin Michael paid a terrible price for our invasion of Vietnam, a price he still pays and Eleanor and Mac paid a high pricee as well, as they did when Cousin Dickie died in an accident.  Well I remember so many conversations with Uncle Hardy, including the one on his enclosed back porch in Edison Park about his mother's death and burial during the Spanish Flu pandemic, the one at Edith's funeral about the Church (" What do you think, Chuck," pointing to the priest leading prayers, . . . . "It's just a business."), and the one on Newton Avenue about trapping sparrows with his friend. in Blue Island.  Each of them was a blessing in my life.  And I shouldn't forget Cousin Joey who treated me so respectfully.  He also suffered a big loss in his life.  I got such a kick out his conversations with his brother-in-law Fe(lix). I'm grateful too to Robert and Jimmy, each so different in some ways but each a friend.   And for their children, two of whome became my students during my academic days.  They all enriched my life and I'm grateful to each of them.

Cannabis use by elderly users and heart disorders.  An article in this morning's WaPo: "Seniors are embracing marijuana, which offers relief — and risk" by Fenit Nirappil includes this:

A study presented at an American Heart Association conference in November found that adults older than 65 with “cannabis use disorder,” which is essentially addiction, and cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure are at higher risk for heart attacks and strokes while hospitalized. The data could be skewed by hospitals having different standards for cannabis use disorder.

Loren Wold, a cardiac specialist at Ohio State University’s College of Medicine, said the research should give pause to older adults who are prone to irregular heartbeats or have high blood pressure and want to use marijuana.

This makes me think of  -------- who was not addicted but was a regular user to help with insomnia.

There is also this from a November, 2023 reserarch report from the American Heart Association:

In one study, daily use of marijuana raised the risk of developing heart failure by about one-third, even after considering other factors, compared to people who reported never using marijuana.

In a second study, older people with any combination of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol who used marijuana, significantly increased their risk for a major acute heart or brain event while hospitalized, compared to those who reported not using marijuana.

One wonders.

 Interstim implant anniversary.  2012, a move I regret.  (1) It never worked to reduce uninary frequency, and (2), with my IC and Jadiance/empagliflozin, I need to void often to avoid painful bladder and flush kidneys.  Plus, it precludes MRIs because of the metal content.

Lilly distressed.  Geri returned from the groomer's with Lilly in rough shape, her rear legs very weak.  We had to lift ther out out the Honda.  Grim.  Heartbreaking.