Clinic 2025

Makahiki Clinic

The morning visit to the Makahiki Clinic provided little relief. Blood pressure is back in the Stage 1 hypertension range. The Watch Series 9 EKGs were submitted. A full EKG was performed, but the result did not yield any abnormalities. However, a referral has been made to the same cardiologist of a few years ago. Bloodwork was also performed, and the results should be available in a couple of days.

In retrospect, the three-year hiatus from the health clinic was a bad decision (as mused upon last year subsequent to the medical examination). The only culprit is food. There are no healthy options at any food establishment, unless the latter specifically offers real healthy fare. Most likely, the arteries in the heart are partially clogged. A severe cardiac event is likely to occur soon.

On a less pathetic note, a box of Celestial Seasonings® Sleepytime Extra® tea was purchased at Target® on Sunday. The herbal tea is now an adjunct sleep aid to the melatonin treatments. The free coffee mug from the ABC Store has been deployed to brew the elixir.

Fuck It Friday - 34

Fuck It Friday (FIF)! Sporadic news and commentary of no interest to anyone ... FIF! Dining is the primary focus of this edition. Yes, this is Fuck It Friday!

This Fuck It Friday was a new milestone in the dining out saga. After tolerating the unprofessional conduct of most of the employees at the fast food joint in town, the end has come. The worst of the lot is the young obese Filipina “manager” with the grotesque puffy face. The bitch even got “lippy” while handing over the order of overpriced oatmeal. Incidentally, all of the front counter employees are “managers,” yet only a couple of them actually have customer service skills. And, only a couple of them are not obese. Fuck it!

After spending hundreds of dollars per month over ten or more years at that shitty fast food joint, the time came to mummify the entire situation. The “two for one” coupons were all discarded. The on-line account was immediately closed, forfeiting whatever rewards remained. And, the “app” was deleted. Fuck it!

Next, a stop was made at the Starbucks® in town and an order placed for another bowl of oatmeal. The staff of baristas there, while not blatantly rude, are indifferent to customers. They act as though they are celebrities. The staff at the Ala Moana Center (West) location are much friendlier and courteous. Anyway, the “app” and on-line account are slated for mummification, if no compelling reason arises to not do so. Fuck it!

So, what now for breakfast? A couple of Thomas’® cinnamon raisin bagels and Chobani® Greek yogurt (procured from Target®) will be the breakfast fare. The “bring your own breakfast” (BYOB) events will take place in the Makai Market food court in Ala Moana center or the International Marketplace. Dinner will either be frozen meals from Target® or salads from the ABC Store and consumed in the mausoleum at the “old folks home” in Waikiki. Dining out was not only costly, it was not pleasurable. Only a fool would continue such a malignant activity. Fuck it!

The other fast food joint in town has not been disqualified, although visits there will be few and far between. The staff is friendly, and they actually say, “Thank you.” And, the return to Panda Express has not yet been entertained. Fuck it!

6 Lamat 6 Keh

Another SVT event occurred on Saturday at the end of the weight workout at the gym. To clarify, the SVT events of late are not continuous tachycardia. Rather, the heart rapidly switches from a normal heart rate to a weak high heart rate. Thus, the heart rate ranged from 56bpm to 158bpm. The ordeal continued for 6 hours and 40 minutes. Heart rate returned to normal for a few hours. Then, the skipped (or delayed) heartbeats commenced.

On Monday, upon returning to Waikiki in the afternoon, a quick jaunt was made to the Ohua Clinic to schedule an appointment with any physician to discuss the heart palpitations and to obtain a comprehensive blood screening. The Watch Series 9 EKGs have been printed for submission. Sadly, the earliest appointment available is on Tuesday next week at 9:20am at the Makahiki Clinic. So, be it.

In a new twist, another possible adjunct cause of the heart palpitations is hypoglycemia (a symptom of diabetes). The latter finding was made manifest at the fast food joint in town. After the usual breakfast of two Egg McMuffins, the skipped (or delayed) heartbeats increased. Then, a free small vanilla shake was ordered and consumed. Surprisingly, heartbeats returned to normal. By the way, the vanilla shake was one of many food prizes accumulated during the recent Monopoly® contest promotion.

On Tuesday, an overpriced oatmeal breakfast was ordered at the fast food joint in town. Then, a free greasy apple pie was ordered. The carbohydrates and sugar made the workouts (weight and cardio) easier to accomplish. The skipped (or delayed) heartbeats were reduced in frequency. The cardio workout was much more productive with no hint of triggering an SVT event.

In conclusion, the steep reduction in carbohydrates and sugar did more than induce a weight loss of four pounds. Workouts became more fatiguing with a sense of “no energy.” SVT events may have been easier to trigger, too. Sleep, by the way, has not improved. The melatonin treatment appears to be fruitless.

On a side note, the collective “West” led by empire is accelerating in decline (read: controlled demolition). Even with the health issues, all of the approved news sources are perused several times daily. If the personal health crisis improves, there may be some commentary in Notes. However, the approved news sources and Web sites provide vastly better coverage.

Addendum: The quality of apples at Target® have improved significantly. So, an apple is once again being procured for lunch. In addition, a Clif® energy bar is an optional supplement to lunch. Unfortunately, Clif® bars only lists a fraction of the vitamins and minerals that it had a few years ago.

Postscript: There is most likely some heart damage that has accumulated over the last several months. Whether the latter proves fatal in the near future remains an open question.

Wing It Wednesday - 6

Wing It Wednesday (WIW)! Sporadic news and commentary of no particular interest to anyone ... WIW! The same ol’ shit is the primary focus of this edition.

The skipped (or delayed) heartbeats increased in frequency steadily through Saturday. The situation was approaching critical mass. So, a “test” of the Vienna Sausage was instituted in the evening. The palpitations ceased almost immediately.

Normal sinus rhythm (confirmed by EKG) continued until Tuesday. The palpitations commenced in the morning, but the frequency was only a fraction of what it was last week. Another “test” of the Vienna Sausage was instituted as a last resort. Again, the palpitations ceased. Sleep was,once again, of poor quality. Yet, Wednesday was essentially devoid of palpitations until the late afternoon. Currently, the only coping strategy is to just wing it.

Gym workouts continue in reduced mode. The weight workout has remained discretionary. However, no SVT event or palpitations occur during the weight workout, even without reductions. The cardio workout is still significantly reduced as a precaution since SVT events have been triggered previously during cardio sessions.

The melatonin treatment commenced on Friday night. So far, it has been ineffective. No drowsiness is induced. Quality of sleep remains unchanged (i.e., poor). The real problem is the awakening circa 4am. There are several awakening, but the one around 4am is the worst. Subsequently, sleep is impossible. The sleep monitoring on the Watch Series 9 confirms the latter. The only solution is to procure the alternative OTC sleep aid (with antihistaminic ingredient) and take it at upon wakening at 4am.

On a side note, a recent study of melatonin made the news on Monday. The headlines stated that long-term use of melatonin has been linked with higher heart failure rate. The headlines are misleading. The study does not implicate supplemental melatonin as directly causing heart failure. Instead, melatonin as a sleep aid tends to mask one of the primary symptoms of heart problems (insomnia). Thus, heart problems could remain undetected until the worst occurs.

A notice was received on Tuesday stating that the rent at the “old folks home” in Waikiki is going up. For the mausoleum, the rent will increase by $90 (less than what was stated by the new resident manager). However, the increase is effective at the start of the year, about four months earlier than the original disclosure.

Addendum: Melatonin will continue to be administered for 30 days as recommended by several on-line medical sources. Resumption of melatonin may or may not occur upon evaluation after an unspecified break.

Miscellany: The Subway® on-line account has been mummified. The establishment has been phased out permanently.

Day of Samhain 2025

The Day of Samhain is here. The afternoon outing to the International Marketplace commenced at 4:30pm. The entire mall was already packed with revelers. Parents were escorting costumed children to collect candy and other treats at the stores. Costumed adults were staging for the main event along Kalakau’a Avenue at sunset, basically a long procession of revelers walking down the promenade. There was no further interest in observing the festivities.

A little bit of time was spent loitering in the mall. Part of this Notes post was composed there. Then, more Healthy Choice® Power Bowl frozen meals (on sale) were procured at Target® for dinner. The trek back to the “old folks home” was uneventful. Of course, the heart palpitations were occurring unabated since earlier in the day.

A chance encounter with neighbor, Ignacio, occurred on Thursday at the start of the late afternoon outing. Ignacio was walking back to the “old folks home” after shopping. A brief discussion ensued, mostly about the “old folks home.” His parting advice … “Don’t get old.”

The first dosage of melatonin is scheduled for later in the evening of the Day of Samhain. The sleep issue must be resolved, or the mind is just going to snap. Of course, this is only the initial phase of geriatric degeneration. There’s lots more “fun” to come.

Miscellany: The BlockBear and Hush extensions for the Safari Web browser have been replaced with wBlock. Highly recommended.

Unexciting Stories - 2

Unexciting stories … sporadic news and commentary of no interest to anyone. Mundanity is always the primary focus. Let the unexcitement begin …

Another SVT event occurred on Wednesday during the first ten minutes of the cardio workout at the gym. Same ol’ shit. Peak heart rate was recorded at 170 on the elliptical machine grip heart sensors. The duration was 4.5 hours.

The worst part of the ordeal was the bus ride back to Waikiki. All of the buses were at least 30 minutes late. Then, a roadblock in Waikiki caused a major traffic jam. After an hour had elapsed since boarding the bus in town, the need to alight at Kapi’olani Boulevard was necessitated by a full bladder. Recall that SVT events require “draining the lizard” frequently. A short walk to the Kapi’olani gym provided relief. Another bus was boarded a block from the gym. The ride took nearly 30 minutes.

As usual, an EKG was taken with the Watch Series 9 during the ordeal. No notched T-waves were observed. The SVT event ended during the late afternoon outing to the International Marketplace. Another EKG was taken, with sinus rhythm restored. No unusual patterns associated with a heart attack were noted.

The central bank of empire lowered the short-term interest rate again in the quest to ultimately achieve ZIRP. The personal stress associated with the latter probably triggered the SVT event. However, with the possibility of a “keel over” event clearly on the horizon, there was no fretting over cutting expenditures at the moment.

On Tuesday, pieces of a storage cart with drawers were espied near the trash dumpster at the “old folks home” in Waikiki while heading out to the International Marketplace for the late afternoon outing. During the outing, the geriatric mind came up with a solution for a stand for the Cuisinart® microwave oven. On the way back to the mausoleum, one of the drawers of the aforementioned decrepit storage cart was salvaged. It was cleaned thoroughly. Then, it was turned upside down and four adhesive pads were attached to protect the shitty linoleum floor. The surplus pads were originally purchased for the beloved chair. Of course, the microwave oven is only about ten inches above the floor, but who cares?

The generic melatonin tablets have not been deployed yet as a countermeasure to poor quality of sleep. There are some reservations, but no other alternative exists. Other OTC sleep products are usually antihistamines. Although the latter does induce drowsiness, it can also increase any presenting anxiety.

In the previous Notes post, the “testing” of the Vienna Sausage was hypothesized to minimize skipped (or delayed) heartbeats. Unfortunately, “testing” the Vienna Sausage regularly or daily is a ludicrous idea. The geriatric body cannot handle that kind of a workload. Senior citizens avoid such activities (including actual copulation) because a “keel over” event is likely to occur.

Miscellany: The latest geriatric malady, hemorrhoids, is slowly reducing in swelling. The generic hemorrhoidal cream has been applied daily. Hopefully, it will be completely cured before the upcoming tragic “keel over” event.

Experiment

As ridiculous as this topic may be, a “test” of the Vienna Sausage was deliberately performed on Tuesday evening as an experiment to observe whether the latter would trigger an SVT or other cardiac event. The skipped (read: delayed) heartbeats were occurring about twice per minute prior to the “test.” What happened next is quite astonishing. Heartbeats returned to the normal sinus rhythm and remained so until the next morning.

After the usual breakfast at the fast food joint in town, the skipped (delayed) heartbeats returned. Consuming food apparently increases the heart’s workload and triggered the palpitations (misfirings of the heart’s electrical pathways). Another EKG was taken with the Watch Series 9 a while later. The readout indicated that there was no delayed or skipped heartbeat. Rather, the culprit was an odd heartbeat with a tall notched T-wave, but with no delay.

A successful “test” of the Vienna Sausage would release the following into the bloodstream:

• Dopamine
• Oxytocin
• Serotonin
• Endorphins
• Prolactin
• Endocannabinoids
• Norepinephrine
• Adrenaline

One or a combination of these substances has the ability to temporarily provide a correction for the palpitations. Suppressing the palpitations would most likely circumvent the triggering of an SVT event. Of course, poor quality of sleep is most likely the primary cause.

Although not truly scientific, the experiment was repeated on Wednesday evening. Heartbeats returned to sinus rhythm with no anomalies. Only about five heart palpitations were detected between then and Thursday evening. Sleep quality was a little better than usual. The gym workout went smoothly. The cardio session was increased slightly in intensity.

The experiment was repeated again on Thursday evening even though no heart palpitations were detected prior. The result? No heart palpitations were detected through the night. Two small HRV spikes occurred overnight, so there may have been a few anomalies. Sleep quality remained unchanged. There was a two-second SVT event during the weight workout at the gym. Then, heartbeats returned to normal. The cardio workout, albeit still reduced in intensity, was devoid of any incidents. What can be made of this?

Another noteworthy observation is the daily prevalence of high anxiety almost the entirety of waking hours (except during gym workouts). The feeling can be likened to a prolonged squeamish feeling in the gut. The elevated anxiety is the most probable cause of sleep deprivation. Of interest, melatonin is one OTC products that can supposedly reduce anxiety.

On a side note, the appointment for the annual physical examination at the Ohua Clinic was mysteriously rescheduled to January 6th of next year. An attempt may be made to change the appointment to an earlier date. Or, perhaps the time has come to find another healthcare provider.

Addendum: The skipped (delayed heartbeats commenced after the shower at the gym and occurring about one every few minutes. Still far better than before the experiment.

Miscellany: Over 30 days have elapsed since the introduction of the Watch Series 9 hypertension notifications feature. The device has been collecting data continuously, but no notifications have appeared even after the 30-day normalization and analysis period.

Gym 2025

Ol’ Lavahead at the Gym (2022)

The tapering of the gym workout commenced on Monday with much consternation. The weight workouts are being adjusted by dropping the maximum weight for each exercise by one notch and (optional) reducing sets at the new maximum by one.

The cardio workout on the elliptical machine was modified as well. The incline is now set at 16 instead of 20 with the resistance reduced to one (from eight). Frankly, the latter modification is no longer reaping any cardiovascular benefits. However, the new settings are unlikely to trigger an SVT event.

The photograph (above) is still applicable at this point in time. There have no external physiological changes since the 2022 year. The haircut is the same, too. Sheesh!

There was a minor bout with food poisoning early Monday morning. The symptoms appeared at 1am, which comprised of abdominal pain. The culprit remains a mystery. The only fresh food consumed included a salad and half of a papaya (procured at the ABC Store). Regardless, sleep was probably limited to a couple of hours and of poor quality. The Watch Series 9 recorded 6.25 hours of sleep, which is definitely doubtful.

EKG of Heart Palpitation (Left)

Sleep deprivation increases the amount and duration of skipped (read: delayed) heartbeats. The palpitations continued all day and into the evening. An EKG was taken and the suspect heartbeat was isolated in the readout (above). What appears to be two T-waves is actually a single tall notched one. The duration until the next heartbeat is long. A heartbeat with a normal T-wave follows. The EKG will be presented to the attending physician at the Ohua Clinic during the annual medical examination scheduled on November 3rd.

The causes for heart palpitations and SVT events are numerous. Sleep deprivation, dehydration, electrolytes imbalance, over-exercise, consuming large meals, diabetes, caffeine, anxiety, stress, heart disease, old age, and so on. The old codger can “tick many of the boxes.” So, a combination is most probable.

As predicted in Notes, the physical body can be maintained during the geriatric years. However, the body will eventually accelerate degeneration on its own accord. Technically, that signals the end of the “good years.” That time is here.

Revision: Workouts at the gym will be discretionary and vary depending on “good” or “bad” days. On “bad” days, the entire workout could be scrubbed.

Addendum: The melatonin countermeasure for insomnia has not been deployed yet. No schedule has been set as of this date..

Miscellany: The Sleep and Chill ambient music controls were added to the Control Panel of the iPhone 16 Pro. There are about four playlists for each genre. It worked the first time. After that, no music and the iPhone became extremely hot. Piece of shit. Back to House Music.

Postscript: Another coffee mug was received from the ABC Store upon submitting $100 of receipts (over a 14-day period) for the gift promotion. This mug will not be given away like the last three. It’s safe for microwave ovens.

8 K’an 2 Sak’

Another day, another brush with death. The latest SVT event occurred on Saturday at the gym. Five minutes into the cardio workout, atrial fibrillation commenced. The duration was four hours, long after the quick return to the “old folks home” in Waikiki. The laundry chores had to performed under the duress of constant heart palpitations. The peak heart rate was 143bpm, and the duration was four hours. A new twist came in form of a brief moment when the heart rate fell to 43bpm.

Oddly, the Watch Series 9 recorded sleep the night before at over seven hours, the first ever in a long time. If that is the case, then sleep deprivation is not the cause. Could the workouts at the gym be just too much for the 70-year-old codger?

There are very few age peers who workout at the gym, whereas most of the other “garden variety” senior citizens are really not doing much of anything. The personal workout has essentially been the same since the minor downgrade about 15 years ago or so. Thus, the weight workouts have multiple sets and high maximum weights. The cardio workout was downgraded to only 30 minutes, but still strenuous. The other age peers are doing much lighter maximum weights, and cardio is restricted to walking on the treadmill or using the recumbent bicycles. The old codger is the only one who is doing workouts that even many younger gym members cannot (or will not) perform. That’s the reason why the old codger doesn’t look like his age peers.

Searching the Net for information about workouts for senior citizens 70 years of age and up reveals that the age peers are following the correct workout protocol. Thus, the time has come to begin tapering (i.e., “throw in the towel”) the current workouts. Quite disappointing, actually. The initial plan was to maintain the regimen for at least another four years. The body obviously has other plans.

On a side notes, a bottle of generic melatonin tablets was reluctantly procured at Target®. The trial run has not yet been scheduled. There are some reported side effects like bizarre dreams resulting from melatonin. Bizarre dreams are already occurring. Will they become even more bizarre?

The “night shift” function on the iPhone 16 Pro has been re-enabled to shift the display toward the red spectrum after 9pm. The “warmer” display setting supposedly reduces blue light exposure and improve sleep quality. The feature was previously disabled because studies indicated that sleep quality didn’t improve much when enabled. Well, at this point in time, every little bit helps.

Towel

The time has come to “throw in the towel.” Another SVT even occurred on Thursday about halfway through the cardio workout at the gym. The emergency cooldown protocol was invoked, but to no avail. The SVT event was five hours in length, ending at 6pm during the late afternoon outing to the International Marketplace. Peak heart rate was 153bpm (recorded by the Watch Series 9). No other details necessary.

The SVT events are not temporary. There appears to be a heart malfunction which is resulting in atrial fibrillation. Skipped (read: delayed) heartbeats are also regularly observed. A return to the cardiologist will involve more tests and the dispensing of beta blocker and anticoagulant medication. There are various contraindications associated with both types of medications. And, once put on the medicinal regime, the duration is lifetime.

SVT events occurring a few years down the line are likely to result in a “keel over” event. The heart and the aging body will not be able survive such a traumatic cardiac event. A stroke or heart attack is highly probable in any case. Sleep deprivation is still the most likely culprit. The Watch has logged sleep for several days, none of which even came close to seven hours. There are always several awakenings. From what can be ascertained, there are a series of bizarre dreams during sleep. The nature of the dreams cause the awakenings. The Watch has recorded the heart rate, ranging from 49bpm to 78bpm during sleep. The dreams have triggered the higher heart rates. Clearly, some kind of tranquilizer is required as a countermeasure.

The attempt to reduce saturated fat, sodium, sugar, and starchy carbohydrates continues with great difficulty. Saturated fat, sodium and sugar is very difficult to avoid with externally prepared food (read: frozen meals, even so-called “healthy” ones). Starchy carbohydrates (rice, bread, potatoes) can be effectively reduced. However, weight loss is quite dramatic. Three pounds can be shedded in less than a week, a very alarming situation when already at the optimal weight.

Apples (all varieties) are no longer purchased for lunch. The quality of the apples has been extremely shitty. The inside is soft and mushy. So, bananas are now the only fresh fruit consumed. Raisins are also a diet staple. Junkless® granola bars are supplementing the lunch for now. The return to the venerable Clif® Bars is likely, even though the price has gone up. Subway® and Starbucks® have effectively been phased out. And, no return to Panda Express® has yet been planned.

Well, the time is ripe to also “throw in the towel” on the new cost-cutting measures. Of course, efforts will be made to reduce expenditures on crappy food and useless “junk.” However, if something must be procured, there will be no restrictions imposed on such acquisitions. All personal assets must be depleted before death, which could happen anytime now.

Addendum: Lavender aromatherapy and melatonin tablets are being investigated as possible mitigations for insomnia.

Miscellany: Vision remains stable with a slight degradation in the right eye, according to the optician. The appointment was on Monday morning.