Club Hernia, Valve Re-Repair, Taxes, Gooey Golf

Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

4/11/25

 

Aloha All!

 

I'm not sure the recent mainland weather qualifies as "April Showers."  Geesh.  Tornadoes, flooding, snow storms.  Some Spring you guys seem to be having. The crazy weather, though, is right in line with the equally crazy political, social, and economic turmoil.  It's times like these I'm glad to be right where I am -- 2000 miles from the mayhem. Oops.  I forgot that we're venturing to the mainland next week.  Wish us luck. Maybe I should update my will, renew my supply of tranquilizers, and buy some noise-canceling earphones?

 

Well, I'll get right to the Geezer Gazette news.  On Monday I saw my regular doctor for my usual 6-month check up. My blood and pee test results were fine -- low cholesterol, B-12 ok, low sodium. etc.  My emphysema is worse, but not by very much. However, it looks like I will soon be joining another not-so-exclusive geezer association:  the Hernia Repair Club. I've had the most common form of hernia (inguinal) since I was a teenager, but it has never caused me any problems or discomfort. Doctors who have examined me have duly noted its existence but  have advised me that surgery wasn't necessary, an assessment that I happily agreed with because I am a wimp when in comes to people slicing me open with sharp knives. So far, except for having my tonsils out and my cataracts removed, I've never had an operation of any kind. However, my hernia has been getting bigger over the past couple of years, and although it still doesn't hurt at all, I may soon need a sling to carry it around.  Besides, since sooner or later I will have to have this taken care of, I figure I'll be able to recover quicker now because I'm in better shape than I will be at any time in the future.  My internist has referred me to a surgeon for a consult which is the first step.  In the meantime, I naturally I did some research about hernias and hernia surgery and discovered some interesting tidbits, like the incidence of the common inguinal form is about 25% in men, but only 2% in women. The rate in men is about the same for Afib as it is for Hernias, making both of them common topics for guy geezer get-together sessions, along with discussions about enlarged prostates, something that 80% of men over 70 have.  Almost one million hernia repair surgeries are performed each year, which means most surgeons get a lot of practice at this, which is probably a good thing.  I also learned that by far the most common form of hernia isn't what I thought it was -- it's something called a Hiatal Hernia, and 50% of people over 50 develop one. In this type of hernia part of the stomach slides up along the esophagus through a hole in your chest diaphragm. Most of the time Hiatal Hernias don't require surgery, but they are a frequent cause of acid reflux, a common geezer complaint. Fun facts, eh?

 

My project I mentioned last week to replace a faulty irrigation valve went ok until I tested it and discovered a slow leak in one of my connections.  The joints I had glued together were fine, but I one of the fittings that screws into the body of the valve hadn't been tightened enough.  The leak was so small that I could have just left it as is, but that would have driven me crazy, knowing that it wasn't quite right. The solution, fortunately, was pretty quick and easy.  I just cut out the valve, wrenched the fittings more tightly, and glued the assembly back into place.  No drips or oozing at all this time, and the controller opens and closes the valve as it should.  And I feel way mo' betta.

 

I filed my income taxes last week.  No refund for me this time, I'm proud to say.  Instead, we owed a fair amount more this year, not because of higher tax rates but rather because the stock market did much better, unlike the tanking occurring at the moment under our current "leadership."   Even with the additional amount we owe, our effective tax rate is nearly the same as it has been for the past 15 years, despite changes of administrations and chest-thumping claims of lowering taxes.  I filed electronically as I usually do because that way I know for sure the return has been filed on time and accepted.  I also set up our quarterly estimated tax payments to be paid automatically online so that if we happen to be traveling I don't have to worry about it. 

 

Yesterday Karen and I played golf with our usual partner, who  joined us part way through the

Jackson, Course Dragon

round.  Even though it threatened rain, we wanted to go ahead because this was the last time we could play until after our return from our trip.  There were some sprinkles and short spells of fog, but we escaped anything heavy. Karen and I both played lousy for the first few holes, a performance we blamed on the thick air and generally gooey conditions due to previous rains. However, we did much better on holes lower down the course, where it was drier.  I got two bogeys and a par, as did Karen. We saw lots of Nenes and Peacocks, but no chicks yet.  We also were treated to a rare sighting of Jackson, the Course Dragon. All in all it was a very good outing.

 

That's it for this week, and you probably won't hear from me again until after we return.  Take care and remember that facts and truth really do exist, no matter how hard someone denies them. 

Carpe Vitam!

 

Missed Anniversary, Rejoining Afib Club, Barbers, Valves & Lava

Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

4/5/25

 

Aloha Everyone!

 

I completely forgot to mention last week that I had an important anniversary on the day we got rained out at golf -- that day marked 31 years (!) since I quit smoking. Quitting was one of the hardest things I have ever done.  I had been trying for years, managing at times to get down to just a few cigarettes a day, but I could never go 24 hours without smoking. I was finally forced to go 24 hours by a sudden bout of pericarditis, a condition that landed me in the intensive care ward overnight. Pericarditis is not caused  by smoking and it often doesn't recur, as in my case.  But the hospital stay gave me the opportunity to finally break my addiction.  My physician prescribed nicotine patches and an anti-panic medication that turned out to be key to quitting.  Anyway, after 31 years my chances of lung cancer have been greatly reduced, but the legacy of emphysema is still with me and will continue to progress. Kind of a "good news-bad news" thing....

In Geezer Gazette news, I have now been reinstated in the not-so-exclusive Afib Club.  From December 6 until March 12 I didn't record a single Afib incident, but in the last three weeks I've recorded 9 episodes, mostly brief.  As disappointing as this is, I wasn't very surprised, given that most people who returned to a normal rhythm after being treated with either drugs (me) or shock have Afib again within a year.  One thing for sure is that my decision to continue taking a blood thinner a was a wise one.  Afib can lead to blood clots that produce strokes, a very nasty outcome.  During my episodes -- recently as well as last summer -- I really don't feel all that bad, and may not even notice that I'm in Afib, which means I shouldn't rely on my experience as a guide to taking a blood thinner. I saw my cardiologist yesterday on a routine, pre-scheduled visit.  He was unconcerned about the return to Afib and said that as long as I don't experience severe symptoms or have a prolonged elevated heart rate, there is no need to change anything at all.  I'll continue with the blood thinner and with my heart rate medication, and of course I'll still check my rhythm.  But other than that I don't need to worry about it.  Gladly, I should add -- I have enough things to keep me worried.

One of the irritating aspects of getting older is that you find yourself outlasting more and more of the people you've come to rely on, like barbers, doctors. gardeners, handymen, mechanics.  This week I learned that my barber of 20+ years has to travel to the mainland to care for her ailing father, and also that the shop she has been using has been closed, leaving her without a place to work.  For many guys this wouldn't be a big deal, they'd just switch to a new barber.  However, I've struggled for most of my life with barbers who can't seem to handle my somewhat difficult hair (see my blog, Haircuts From Hell).  About twenty years ago I stumbled onto one that consistently is able to keep me looking at least semi-decent, including adapting to the challenges of thinning and receding that have accompanied geezerhood.  At the moment I'm not sure how this will work out, since I really needed a cut before our upcoming trip.  I dread the thought of going to someone new, but I may have to anyway.  I'll let you new how this very serious crisis plays out.

My house project this week involves replacing a valve in our irrigation system. I installed this nearly 25 years ago as part of my expansion of our low-volume automatic watering system.  I have about 7 of these valves that control water going to different zones.  They're connected to an electronic timer that programs the length of time and frequency of watering for each zone.  It sends a signal to each valve at the appointed time to open and then close the valve.  The one that I have to replace will open ok but it won't respond to the signal to close, so that the water keeps running.  Often this can be fixed by replacing a part called a solenoid on the valve, but I tried that and it didn't work. So I've brushed up on my skills for working with pvc pipe, and I will cut out the old valve and glue in a new one this weekend. I know, I could have hired somebody to do this for me, but where's the fun in that?  I figure that every time I get a chance to use a muscle or a brain cell I should take it to ward off that guy with the scythe.

Pele's 16th fountaining episode came and went this week. It was definitely a "sweet sixteen" event, reaching heights of over 700 feet.  Like the other 15 episodes, this one didn't last long and it has now completely shut off again.  I'd drive the 180 mile round trip to take a look, but I would likely be there during a pause.  Also, I should emphasize again that the closeup  photos are spectacular, but the nearest observation point is about 1.5 miles away.  This would be ok for a lava hound like me, but anyone expecting a huge all-encompassing eruption would likely be disappointed.

Finally, Karen and I played golf this week, and it was an interesting round.  I did much better than the week before, with a couple of bogeys and some truly amazing shots.  Karen and I agree, though, that our scores didn't reflect our performances.  For the first several holes, Karen outplayed me by far, yet our scores were very close.  Then I started doing better and we both were happy with how we were doing, but the scores didn't seem to match our happiness.  We also may have witnessed a golfing case of quantum entanglement, parallel universes, or a rip in the space-time continuum.  Karen uses bright yellow balls.  Other people do too, but most of us use white. On two occasions Karen whacked a ball into oblivion and we chalked it off as lost.  She shot again and the second time her ball went to the other side of the fairway, nicely hit.  When we approached we found two yellow balls next to each other! This happened twice during our round. Hmmm.

Ok, that's it for the week. Enjoy spring as best you can.  Dodge those tornadoes!