Those Maggies.... hmmmmmmm.......

Hmmmm OK.... those Maggies decided to put in a decent game.... now that there is no way they will make the finals!!! A case of shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted!! Very unexpected win!! As for those bloody Weevils, its the last time I be picking them!! I hate them even more now! LOL! I did get seven correct picks and am now in the top half of the rankings, well 16th from 35..... be ye thankful for small mercies.

Well things are happening this week...... Last week I went to my appointment with the Physio, and put me through a walk test, and am happy to say that my fitness is on track. They say it was my fitness that saved me during the heart event. Now I am booked on a six weeks Physio training starting tomorrow - Tuesdays and Thursdays mornings each week for six weeks - with the aim of getting my fitness levels back up. If all goes well I should soon be riding my bicycle to work. Last weekend I got back on my bicycle..... and you know the saying, "it's like riding a bicycle...." as an expression that there are certain things that you never forget how to do. Well it did feel a bit funny at first but I soon was well on my way...... for my 3.5 kms ride around the lake! Well have to start from somewhere!! As part of my Physio sessions in the hospital gym I be on one of those bike thingies that they have in gyms, my heart monitor attached, so to gauge my heart rate and to see how far I can safely go on my bicycle at present.

Also I am due for my blood tests this week, so I be going to the clinic Wednesday morning inbetween the Physio days to have my blood sample taken, and after taking those pills and changing my diet a bit as they told me, my cholesterol has better be down!! If not down I will want to know why! High cholesterol does run in the family. My mother had high cholesterol in spite of her very healthy lifestyle, it was about the same level as me, though it never killed her, she never suffered any heart problems. Uh well will see how it pans out.

Then next week I have the appointment with the Heart Specialist..... will talk more about that next time......

Now entering one of my most karmic months of the year - September. It is very karmic, being the time I entered this very dense 3D planet with all the trials and tribulations that goes with it. Nine months previously I was basking in the 8D paradise of Taygeta in the Pleiades star system, it was akin to Heaven..... everyone lived in harmony, no crime, no wars, no pollution, there were crystal cities, our economy simply run on the principle of giving with no concept of "money" so there were no poverty, dolphins playing in crystal-clear waters, purple skies lit by the many stars of he Pleiades at night so it wasn't dark at night.... then the Galactic Council called for volunteers for a mission on a very dense 3D planet some 400 Light Years away - Planet Earth - and I foolishly accepted the call! I went into a deep sleep..... and nine months later I was rudely awakened and experiencing the trauma of entering into the harsh environment of this 3D planet...... and was probably thinking, What the hell was I thinking!!!???? And just to think..... people on this planet actually celebrates such a day..... I think they call it "birthdays" !! LOL!!!!

Anyway....... hehe......

This is about how it was back then..... even if the genders were reversed LOL

This I can unfortunately relate to......

How society works......

How society works #2 ;)

My Prediction is Accurate

It is now mathematically impossible for the Maggies to reach the Finals. My prediction at start of the season proved to be accurate. My feelings are always correct. This would not be the year of the Maggies, and indeed it is not so. Now the unthinkable may become reality, the Weevils reaching the top of the ladder. Makes no difference, I think the Hawks will win the flag this year against the Weevils in the Grand Final....... I did manage six correct picks in spite of the upsets.

Hopefully by next weekend I be back on my bicycle. Things are happening. On Tuesday I see the Cardiac Physio and will test my fitness. I am now walking up to 3.5 kms on weekends, around the lake. Hopefully when I see the Physio I will get some kind of plan for getting back on my bicycle, as in, how far I can ride, and how long it will be before I can start riding to work again. The public transport fares are costing me a fortune but still cheaper than the petrol if I drove to work each day.

Anyway.... nothing much else happening.......

How I thought of dentists in my childhood......

The most important thing..... ;)

;)

Them Little Weevils

Uhhh it would have been a perfect round for my tipping..... if not for those little Weevils getting into the system...... they just had to win didn't they, and I didn't pick them to win did I..... uh well.... at least I gotten 8 other correct picks..... I knew Sydney would win thus sealing the fate of the Maggies, one would have to be a supreme optimist to predict the Maggies would make it into the top 8 and even then with much reservations. My prediction at the start of the year very much on track, it ain't gonna be our year, no Maggies in Finals this year.

Now just into Week 5 of my 6 weeks wait before getting back on my bicycle, and just another week before my appointment with the Physio, this falls in the 6th week so will hopefully be given some steps into getting back onto my bike. This weekend I walked around Lake Monger which turned out to be a 3.5 km walk, the furthest I walked since my heart event. I felt fine afterwards but won't push myself any further until I see the Physio. All of my walks has been on flat ground with no hills. My daily walk of 1.2 kms from work to the train station involves walking downhill on a slight hill then up over a bridge to the train station.

Today I dug out my wife's scales and was surprised to find that I actually lost weight in spite of my reduced level of activity. To put into perspective, I was pushing 90 kgs at the time of my wife's death two years ago, then I started my walking regime and later my bicycle riding regime, doing 30 kms walks and 80 kms rides, and adopting a vegetarian diet. However I didn't keep track of my weight, I felt no need to. Then at the hospital they weighed me and I was indeed down to 78 kgs so it turned out I did lose quite a bit of weight. Since then my activity level has been much reduced, and it's been four weeks now, so just being curious I weighed myself and I'm down to 75 kgs, so lost 3 kgs in four weeks. But then I been eating much less and am extremely careful about dairy and sweets. I don't eat meat to begin with, and they all say meat is one of the biggest sources of cholesterol, but I hadn't eaten any meat for close to two years now. But I do like my cheese and icecrean, however, I been eating much less of it now. And I hardly have any chocolates or candy these days. And no soda (Coke) whatsoever since my hospital stay, just water and fruit juice. And what I do eat I have in smaller serves, and I eat only when hungry, its listen to my body, if not hungry then I don't eat regardless of what time of day it is.

Now really just waiting to see the Physio before I take any major steps towards regaining my former level of fitness. Just basically continue on with my current levels of walking until then.


Definitely can't be true ;)

Rudeness..... ;)

;) ;)

hehe......

Is There Hope Yet?

Oh the Maggies had a win, and well I did actually pick them to win, afterall, it was only Carlton, it was one of their best chances of having a win. They say mathematically the Maggies can still make it into the top 8 hence the finals. But let's look at reality. Even after the win the Maggies are still two games outside of the top 8, that is, they would have to win two games in four weeks, a 50% success rate, to have a chance of making it into the top 8, assuming that the three teams above them doesn't win any more games, those three teams being Geelong, Adelaide and the Giants - a highly unlikely scenario. It's hard to imagine that any of them would all lose the next four games.

Now lets see who the Maggies will play in the next four weeks to gauge the likelihood of scoring any more wins given they need at the very least two more wins to make it into the top 8. Next week they play Sydney IN Sydney who are currently in 5th spot. I don't think they're going to beat Sydney. Then its Richmond, also a top 8 team, currently 7th spot and playing reasonably well though they did get beaten by Adelaide but probably cos it was an Adelaide home match, so maybe the Maggies could jag a win if a whole load of things goes their way, it be more likely I'd win lotto. Probability theory dictates that the Maggies won't win that one. So two more losses ahead. The 3rd week, it is Geelong, and well they're just in the 8, indeed in 8th spot. Though technically a "home" game to Geelong the match will be played at the MCG. So a fair chance the Maggies COULD manage a win there but I wouldn't bet my life savings on it, indeed I wouldn't bet ANY savings on it!!! The Maggies would have to play really well to win that one. Last but not least, uhhh the Bombers! OK the Maggies I must say SHOULD win that one. It's the only match in the next four weeks where the Maggies play a team that is lower down on the ladder, and it's the last match of the season, but by then the fate of the Maggies would most likely to have been sealed, they are destined for a September vacation regardless of any wins against the hapless Bombers.

The Maggies will lose at least the next two games but could conceivably win the last two games of the season but it will be too late. Just as I predicted earlier, 2015 is not going to be their year.

I did manage to score 8 correct picks this time! It was Sydney who let me down there.

As for me, well I am slowly but surely getting better and stronger. The bleeding seems to be under control at this point, no more uncontrolled bleeding since last week. I still get a bit dizzy if I get up too quickly from a sitting position. I now do have an appointment at the Cardiac Physiotherapy clinic at the hospital, this being on August 25, a little over two weeks from now. They'll be testing my fitness via a "walking test" on the treadmill, and hopefully get a better idea of when I can get back on my bicycle. I am now just into my 4th week of my bicycle ban, so three weeks to go before I can even touch my bicycle. My Physio appointment falls in the last week of the bicycle ban. During the appointment they will probably work out a more specific fitness plan for me. At this point I am on a daily walk of between 20 and 30 minutes, up to 2 kms. I would love to know when I can get back up to my 30 kms walks and my 80 kms bicycle rides!! I DO miss those times when I can just get up on the weekend and go on those long treks. Uh well just be thankful that I am recovering and getting a little better each day.....

Now for these next two weeks before seeing the Physio......

Though I must watch what I eat these days I still love my cookies, especially chocolate chip ones......

If Moses crossed the Red Sea today.......

Snake charmer ;)

What I ask.... ;)

Definitely All Over Red Rover

Well if it wasn't all over before with the Maggies it is surely all over now being soundly beaten by Melbourne. My feelings are always right. It will be a Maggie-less finals series this year. I still did get another seven correct picks in my tipping. The highlight of the round was a Weevil reality check at the hands of the Suns..... well it was a draw which in some ways is worse than a loss... haha.....

Now back at work and my public transport and walk regime working out well, catching the bus straight into work in the morning, then after work a 20 mins walk to the train station fulfilling my walk regime as part of my rehab, then catching train/bus back home.

At times grappling with the side effects of the meds. I have hemorrhoids and it bleeds occasionally, only for a few minutes, and there are times when it doesn't bleed at all. It's all been tested, back in the days of Sally I had a colonoscopy which found a growth which turned out to be benign, and a hemorrhoid which for some reason they left alone!! The reason for the colonoscopy was cos I discovered bleeding where one shouldn't bleed. Well the  hemorrhoid  was the culprit and well they didn't touch it, they seemed interested only in the growth. So at times I'd experience bleeding but only for a short time, and up until the heart event I had no bleeding for several months.

But now with the meds, some of them designed to make my blood thinner so it wouldn't clot around the stents, the side effect is I would bleed more easily, more bruising, and longer for clots to form to stop the bleeding. And so last week my hemorrhoid started to bleed again but at first only for a short time, though it seemed a little longer each day. However on Thursday it would not stop bleeding, it bled most of the day first while I was at work, then when I came home. By then I started to worry a bit, and the advice was to contact my GP when these side effects happens. I knew it was to do with the meds, but I wanted to see my GP to make sure there was nothing else happening that I should be worried about. So I made my appt with the GP which I could do online meaning I don't have to wait until the office was open, I could book it online any time of day or night, and by then it was late at night and it still didn't stop bleeding. It finally stopped bleeding when I went to bed, and it didn't bleed the next day.

Fortunately I could get an appt the next day being Friday, so I took the day off work and went to the doc, and was assured that it was just simply to do with the meds and there was nothing sinister going on. I was so relieved about that!! It's just something I may have to live with, but the doc said if it gets too bad or too much I be referred to a specialist. Being officially a heart patient they like to avoid any kind of surgery unless absolutely necessary. And well I hadn't had any bleeding since then, so hopefully last Thursday's episode would be relatively rare.

Also last week the hospital got in contact with me regarding the rehab program. Well they did say they would do that. So now I have been referred to the rehab program, and just a matter of time before I get notice of an initial appointment to assess my fitness then to design exercises and activities for me. My first question would be - When will I be able to get back to my 20 kms walks and 80 kms bicycle rides!!?? Probably not for a while. My walks are now up to 2 kms on weekends which takes me about 30 minutes at my slower but steady pace. I used to walk faster before, about 10 mins per km. Now its closer to 15 mins per km. I probably walk about 1.5 kms per day in total in using public transport for work, including a 1.3 km walk to the train station on the homeward leg. When it gets light enough in the morning I will also take the train in the morning thus do the 1.3 km walk to work as well as from work. Currently it is too dark in the mornings and I don't like walking in the dark, but should be light enough by September.

Now for my 2nd week back at work.........