My Recent PCP Visit and Results

On Sept. 20th, I had my routine PCP visit. All labs were good and no changes in meds were made. And that makes my PCP smile. I truly like to make this man smile.

Along the way, we talked about how the Tamoxifen (the anti-cancer drug I'm on for still another 4 years) affects me. There is some fatigue but thankfully I can do daily tasks. I just find it hard to get back to de-cluttering and other tasks.

And I can't seem to get the weight off. I'm not eating anything bad for me at all these days and he agrees that my Cheat Sundays only affect things in a negligible way. I can't really exercise with a "walk" in strides these days.

I use a quad cane outside of the house but that "walk" is merely a limp/shuffle, not a "stride." And my flat feet (since childhood), my two bunions, the hammer toe over one bunion, and scrunched up toes, make a real stride difficult.

But while we considered options, I remembered that during the first year of the pandemic, when I had to get my 2nd vax, it was at a local convention center and I knew from news reports that I would have to stand in line for a long time and the quad cane wasn't enough support. So that one day, I took an old folding 2-wheel walker with me for support. I noticed going though the parking lot that both going and coming back, I was "walking" with that walker. And I told my PCP that now that the weather had cooled down, I might just take that old walker out and just walk a little at a time, going down my really long porch ramp, past a few lots, and back, and increase in stages.

He agreed immediately that it might be the answer but he also immediately ordered me a 4 wheel braking walker with a seat. When I began to resist saying they were clumsy for me and I didn't need the seat, he pointed out that at times, when walking, my knees might get cranky and I still had to come back from my walk so the seat would give me a chance to rest.

Bottom line: the walker was delivered a week ago Monday. I took it for a spin last week on Tue., Wed., Thu. and I had it out again this week on Tue., Wed., and probably tomorrow.

I really like the "real" walking strides I can take now but it does wear me out even as short as it it, but I look forward to it.

I used to deliver our Park's newsletter 2 days a month but that stopped 2-1/2 years ago, so this is the most "real" walking I've done since then!

Rolling along (um, "walking" along!)