Cloud Forest Walk, Eye Poke, Pool Cover Reel

Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. In the last few editions I've related my aging woes to the extent that this might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

1/25/25

 

Aloha Everybody!

 

A Special Place

Last Saturday after I posted my blog, Karen and I joined a group walk through a special place here in Kona -- a "cloud forest."  The forest is on the side of Hualalai, the active volcano perched above our town. "Active" means still alive, bound to erupt again, but snoozing right now.  Not to be confused with Kilauea 90 miles to the south. The forest is a band of vegetation at about 3000 feet elevation. It's called a cloud forest because warm moist air from the ocean travels upslope during the day and meets cooler air at higher elevations, condensing to form clouds.  Trees and other vegetation enhance this process because their respiration further cools and moisturizes the air.  In places where the land has been cleared the condensation either occurs further up the mountain or not at all.  As you might imagine, a

Nature's Artwork

cloud forest is a cool, dim, and drippy place.  The plants love it.  Our guide, Norm Bezona,who is the originator of the 30-acre cloud forest preserve where we hiked pointed out trees that were 100 feet tall but only 40 years old, and plants that in other situations would be small house plants but here were big as Buicks. This is a rich and dense ecosystem in which everything is trying to find its niche and most have the resources to pursue this vigorously.  It was a fun and fascinating adventure to be sure, but I was glad to return to the warmth and sunlight nearer the shore.

 

Not much Geezer Gazette news this week.  Karen's eyes continue to improve but the progress has slowed somewhat.  My eyes are still not so good.  I saw my retina doctor on Tuesday and had a shot in my left  eye, the one that will be operated on next week.  I return in two weeks for an injection in the other eye. My heart continues to behave itself, even on reduced medication.  I feel much better lately, with a lot more energy and stamina.  That's not to say I still don't love a good nap. Or two.  Or three.

My big house project this week was replacing the solar cover reel for our pool. The reel is how we roll back the solar blanket that we use at night to keep the water warm and to reduce evaporation. A reel consists of two stands with cranks that turn a long metal tube between them that spans the width of the pool  The end of the solar cover, which looks like thick blue bubble wrap, is attached to the tube with straps. By using the cranks we can roll up the cover for storage during the day.  At night we just pull the free end of the cover and it unspools from the tube as we walk the length of the pool.The reel I replaced came with the house, so it was at least 25 years old. I repaired the cranks on the stands several times, but parts kept breaking as the plastic/resin became brittle from intense sunlight all those years.  I decided it was time to replace the whole thing and found one online that didn't cost an exorbitant amount to ship to Hawai'i.  The two crank assemblies were pretty easy to put together, but the tube took more work.  It came in several sections, some of which were slightly smaller and fit inside the others. The total length is adjusted to fit the width of the pool by sliding an appropriate amount of the smaller sections into the larger ones.  That part was easy.  To fix everything in place, the instructions called for me to drill holes through both sides of the assembled tubes and thread bolts all the way through.  It was surprisingly difficult and time-consuming to line up the holes and get the bolts in place.  A couple of times I had to resort to the handyman's last-ditch approach which I call the "SMA" technique -- Structural Modification and Adjustment.  This usually involves a hammer, saw, drill, or file and is often accompanied by an incantation of 4-letter words. Some people refer to SMA as the "Stand back, I'll make it fit"  technique. In this case I drilled the holes a bit bigger than specified and the bolts slipped right into place.  Hah! I also employed SAM to fix a problem with one of the cranks hitting the stand as it went around.  This took just a little modification with a file applied judiciously to the spot where the crank hit the stand.  Voila!  The project is now completed and the reel system works much better.

Ok, off to market and to our usual beach breakfast picnic. If there's enough energy left over, we may stop at Planet Fitness,  After that, I plan to return home for one of those naps I mentioned above.  Finally, things may be crazy right now, but that doesn't mean you have to be one of them.  Carpe Vitam.

Cataract Re-do, Heart Beats,Fire, Ice & Political Mayhem

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. In the last few editions I've related my aging woes to the extent that this might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

1/18/25

 

Aloha All!

 

Well, I'd say I'm being vindicated in my negative premonitions about 2025.  Let's see,  we've begun the year mourning the death of one of the most ethical and upstanding ex-Presidents while our President-elect -- a man with neither of those qualities -- threatens to invade other countries, jail political enemies, and is filling high offices with conspiracy theorists and people of questionable competence.and/or obvious conflicts of interest. Tthe year has also started

with horrible devastation from the wildfires in LA, while at the same time historic winter storms are bringing crippling snowfall and cold temperatures to large sections of the country.  Gee, this is a lot  of fun!  What's next!? And this is only the third week of the year!

 

So far there are no disasters here in Hawai'i. Pele went back to sleep and the vog lifted for a while, but around the middle of this week activity started up again.  Unfortunate;y this has brought back the vog, too. Yesterday we had southerly winds, which kept most of the SO2 on the windward side, particularly near the volcano and in Hilo. This is an unusual pattern, because the winds normally are from the northeast. The current activity is the fourth time there has been a pause followed by flowing lava  -- kind of like my nightly routine of getting up to go to the bathroom. We're having a mild and dry winter, though there has been some really honking surf along our side of the island.  Winter storms far to the north and west are the cause -- local weather has nothing to do with surf conditions. In the summer. storms shift to places far to our south and east, so the other side gets high surf while our waters are generally calm. The "cool" temperatures have slightly curtailed our exercise routines. Although Karen and I have been getting to the gym fairly often, we have chosen not to work out in our pool because the water temperature barely matches our ages......

 

There are two main developments to report in the Geezer Gazette.  First, a week ago we flew to Oahu so that Karen's eye surgeon could attempt to correct the poor vision that resulted from her cataract surgery.  I should emphasize that this surgeon is highly regarded, extremely competent, and very experienced, so the problems Karen is having can't easily be blamed on lack of credentials.  In fact, it was the surgeon's reputation among a number of friends here in Kona that led Karen to select her even though it meant ktraveling to Oahu.  Anyway, the corrective procedure is called PRK (Photorefractive keratectomy) and Karen had it done to both eyes a week ago yesterday.  PRK is like LASIK in that it uses a laser to reshape the cornea and refocus where the light strikes the retina.  However, in LASIK an incision is made in the outer portion of the cornea so that it can be folded back while the laser ablates (i.e., fries, zaps, blasts) some of the underlying tissue, which causes it to shrink and stretch into the desired shape.  In PRK no incision is made. Instead, just the outer cells of the cornea are removed (with alcohol, interestingly) then the laser reshaping takes [lace in the same way as  LASIK.  A very large contact is then placed over the cornea to protect it for a few days. PRK is often used for people who have previously had LASIK, as in Karen's case. The surface cells that are removed grow back fairly quickly but it can take a couple of weeks before clear vision returns.  On Tuesday she had the protective contacts removed by an optometrist here in Kona who works closely with the surgeon. Yesterday she went back for a more thorough exam to assess how the healing was going. The verdict was good, though she still can't see terrifically well yet. We're keeping our fingers crossed that this will work.  I'll let you know. By the way, this PRK fix-up was free, which was certainly welcome given how expensive the original surgery was.

My cardiologist had to reschedule my appointment until yesterday to go over the results from my heart monitor because he had laryngitis earlier in the week.  The results showed No Afib during the monitoring period!!  This matches my own daily measurements for the last month and a half, and it means I'm going to have to resign my membership in the Afib Club -- at least temporarily.  The return to normality is particularly good news because it occurred without any more of the arrhythmia medication, which I stopped taking over two months ago. That leaves only my blood thinner and a  low dose of heart rate drug, and my cardiologist felt I could stop the blood thinner.  Wow. what a positive development!  It certainly helps take the edge off the negativity 2025 has brought so far.  The plan is for me to continue self-monitoring, and if my AFib returns I will contact my cardiologist and resume the blood thinner.  Otherwise, I'll have a blood workup in March and meet with him to review the results.

 

That's it for now.  Stay well, stay grateful. And as always, carpe vitam.

Whoopie, It's 2025, Wordle in 1, Waiting Game

 [Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. In the last few editions I've related my aging woes to the extent that this might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

1/4/25

 

Aloha Folks!

 

Well, 2025 blasted its way onto the scene despite my wishing we could skip it.  As I mentioned last time, I didn't set off my usual Costco pack of fireworks because I didn't feel much like celebrating the beginning of '25. Instead we had a quiet dinner with a bit of champagne and then went to bed at our usual time. All

Mind if I smoke?

was well until  midnight.  At the stroke of 12 it sounded like a war zone all along our coast for about 45 minutes.  For some reason, this year there were far more big and loud fireworks, including aerials. These are supposed to require permits and special precautions for storage and detonation, but I seriously doubt there was much compliance. On Oahu police seized a container ship bringing in 75 tons of illegal fireworks, and on New Year's Eve an explosion of fireworks stored at a house killed 3 people and seriously injured 20 others. Hmmmm. Although this was certainly a tragedy, it seems to me there is an element of ironic humor in people being killed in an explosion caused by their mishandling of celebratory fire bombs. For more my observations of questionable taste, see my blog "I'll Be Right Back" -- And Other Famous Last Words."

 

Pele provided her own New Year's fireworks show as she continues to throw up plumes of lava. This has led to some pretty bad VOG along our coast this week -- and some people with respiratory problems are having difficulty. Just to remind you --- VOG is formed when SO2 from the volcano combines with water vapor (H2O) and dust particles in the air to form a visible haze.  Part of VOG is actually sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and definitely not something that is healthy to breathe. There are air quality monitors all along the coast and so far they've been mostly in the "ok-but-elevated" levels. The good news is that our normal downslope breezes at night push the VOG out to sea to give us a break. Somehow the VOG problem seems fitting for the beginning of 2025.....

In more pleasant news,  this week Karen solved the Wordle puzzle on the very first guess.  I've done this once before also, and it is a low probability but much hoped for outcome for those of us who do this regularly.  Her start word was "stare." She is now using a different word as her first guess, and again has selected one that has not been a previous solution. There's no requirement that you do this, but it gives you a chance to repeat your feat.  In fact, Wordle will accept certain words that it considers legitimate words but that are not in the list of possible solutions.  I rotate among three start words, two of which are of that type, and one of which is a possible solution, That way I have at least a small chance of winning in one again.

In the Geezer Gazette this week it's mostly about waiting.  I have to wait until January 15th to get my heart monitor results.  In the meantime, I've now reached one month with only a couple of AFIB readings -- all the rest are 'Normal." I feel pretty good, well enough to get back to working out at the gym several times. Unfortunately we haven't been exercising in the pool this week because we've had cool nights and cloudy/rainy afternoons that have dropped the water temperature below our comfort level.  On the eye ball front, it has now been three weeks since my cataract surgery and my eye is not much better, if any at all, than it was before. This is a bit frustrating and disheartening, naturally.  I sure hope I have a better result with my other eye, but I'll have to wait until the end of the month to find out.  Speaking of cataracts. next week we will be going to Oahu to see if Karen's surgeon can co something to improve her eyesight, which as you recall is much poorer after getting her new super-duper lenses. Note, we'll be there Friday and Saturday, so there won't be a missive next week.

Ok, that's it.  Be happy. Well, at least try. A beer might help....

Gift from Pele, Eyeball, Poop, Cow & Turkey

8[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. In the last few editions I've related my aging woes to the extent that this might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

12/28/24

 

Aloha Everybody!

Well, I imagine by now you've heard that Pele has given us a Christmas present.  Early in the week the

volcano woke up and started erupting again, this time in the summit caldera. It happened about 2:30 a.m., and anyone staying nearby was treated to a show of fountaining lava that reached 300 feet in the air.  It must have been spectacular! The eruption caught the volcanologists by surprise because none of the monitoring equipment showed the usual signs that something was about to happen.  Once again nature thumbs its nose at Hunan hubris. The show lasted just a couple of hours, then

paused until Christmas Eve, when it spurted up again, this time going for about 24 hours before pausing again around noon on Christmas Day  This pattern may continue for awhile, though there is no way of knowing for sure.  Onr thing is certain, though. Pele's present has produced a fair amount of VOG along our coast, the first we've seen in months.  This is one gift we'd rather not receive.The media coverage has tended to show close-up views of the lava because they are more eye catching than the eruption in context,  To illustrate, here are three photos, the first two are from NBC and NYT, while the third is from the USGS web cam showing the entire Kilauea summit crater.  If you look really hard in the USGS photo you'll see the real extent of the eruption in the upper left corner.

Our Christmas was quiet and pleasant.  On Christmas Eve we cooked a prime rib roast and very much enjoyed its evil goodness.We use the technique of cooking the roast for only about 25 minutes (depending on weight) in a 500 degree oven, then turning off the heat and leaving the roast in the oven undisturbed for the next two hours. It was perfectly medium rare. If you're not the blood thirsty carnivores that we are, you can always nuke it to your own taste before eating it.  On Christmas Day we joined about 15 other people at a neighbor's house for a traditional turkey pot luck dinner.  We've done this for the past several years, and it was quite pleasant sitting on the neighbor's open lanai with a view of the Kona coast.

 

Not much news in the Geezer Gazette this week, My 1-week cataract surgery checkup went ok.  The new lens is staying correctly positioned and the incision is healing nicely.  My acuity increased markedly from earlier in the week, but only to about what it was before the surgery,  I have to keep in mind that this eye is limited in how much it can improve because about 25% of the retina cells are defunct.  In short, I'm mot raving abut how I should have done this sooner because I can see so much better.  By the way, here are a couple of fun facts about cataract surgery you might find interesting.  According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, about 50% of cataract patients experience "secondary cataracts"within 5 years of their surgery.  This isn't a clouding of the implanted lens, but rather of the eye tissue that holds it in place.  Fortunately there is a quick and effective procedure in which a special kind of laser (Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet, or YAG for short) is used to punch a small hole in the tissue to allow clear light to reach the new lens.  The second fun fact is that although about 90% of cataract patients have improved acuity after surgery, 30-50% will still need to wear glasses for close vision, distance vision, or both, according to All About Vision.  My take away from these data is that you should make certain you really need cataract surgery before having it, and be realistic in your expectations about the outcome.

In other Geezer news, my poop test results came back and they present something of a puzzle, because they didn't show signs of parasites, bacteria, or any other nasties that could be causing my symptoms.  I haven't talked with my internist yet, and it will be interesting to see what he recommends now.  Fortunately, my symptoms have gotten better and I'm hopeful they will clear up soon.  Finally, I will be sending my heart monitor off for analysis on Monday.  It takes about 2 weeks for the results to come back, and I have an appointment in January to go over them with my cardiologist.  In the meantime, I am pleased to report that I haven't recorded an AFIB episode on my portable ECG device since December 2, nearly 3 1/2 weeks ago.  Of course, brief ones may have occurred between my measurements. If so,the great thing about the monitor is that it will have recorded them.

OK, that's it for this week.  I sincerely wish you all a Happy New Year. But I have to confess that I have a sense of foreboding about 2025 that makes me less than enthusiastic about celebrating its beginning. Not since the Vietnam War have I been this concerned about the direction that the country seems to be taking.  And even at that time I didn't feel that the very nature of our democracy was under threat. I do now. The majority of the electorate just voted into office, by a large margin, a man who is a convicted felon, a documented prolific liar, and a person who openly endorses a form of government that is authoritarian, oligarchic, and fascist. I have traveled all over the world and witnessed first hand this kind of governance and I've always been proud that I lived in a country that was based on more humanitarian and inclusive principles. But I can't be proud of what I fear is coming, and I certainly can't celebrate its arrival.  

 

Take care, and as always, Carpe Vitam .

Return From SE Asia: Jet Lag, Eye Surgery, Medical Marathon

 [Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. In the last few editions I've related my aging woes to the extent that this might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

12/21/24

 

Aloha, Guys!

 

We returned from our trip to Cambodia and Thailand  on Friday, 12/6, and since then I've been too

Nature Wins

discombobulated to write.  It has been a whirlwind of doctor's appointments, my cataract surgery (just a little over one week ago), dealing with the aftermath of having our chest freezer crap out while we were gone, trying to get some Christmas decorations up, whacking back the jungle, etc., etc.  Of course, this was all happening while we were fighting d a vicious case of jet lag.

I'll try to condense this in order to avoid boring you too much.  First, the cataract surgery went well.  This was the first time I've had any kind of surgery since I had my tonsils taken out, so I was a bit anxious.  The operation took place in an outpatient eye surgery center in Hilo.  We drove over the afternoon before, did some shopping, and had a nice dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Cafe Pesto.  My procedure was scheduled for 8am, which was good because it didn't give me much time to get nervous.  It went smooth as glass. You may remember that I was concerned about my sensitivity to the numbing solution, so the surgeon did a special procedure where he put in just one drop, made an incision, then instilled numbing solution inside the eyeball right at the cataract site.  The whole thing took 10 minutes and after a "recovery" period of about 15 minutes I was having breakfast at McDonald's.  Since then I've been using three kinds of eye drops every day and have had no issues whatever.  I wish I could say that I've had a "Eureka!" moment and experienced tremendous improvement right away, but so far  my vision in that eye isn't much better than it was before. Of course, it's only a week out from the surgery, so there might be more improvement over time. I'll keep you posted.

In "Cardio-Land"  things are going ok at the moment.  I saw my cardiologist a couple of days before my eye surgery and my rhythm was normal.  However, I know from my portable ECG device that I used on the trip  that I slipped into asymptomatic Afib a few times. These episodes didn't last long and my heart rate during them wasn't dangerously high. In fact, for those of you who may have been concerned I'd have a major coronary event while I was in the wilds of Cambodia, the probability of that was very, very low.  This assessment is based on the results of many tests and scans, including the detailed feedback from the heart monitor I wore for 10 days.  It has now been about 6 weeks since I stopped taking Amiodorone, and I feel much, much better.  My cardiologist is still skeptical that my experienced side effects were due to the drug, but I don't agree.  At any rate, if my Afib becomes persistent again he said he'd recommend Ablation therapy rather than a return to drugs.  I'm now wearing a monitor again, and I'll have the results in a few weeks --they should be very informative.

 

One more thing in geezer news is that during the trip I may have picked up some kind of intestinal bug that has given me diarrhea for the past 4 weeks.  I saw my internist on Monday and he ordered a thorough poop test to look for parasites.  Collecting the necessary samples for this has to be one of the most disgusting things I've ever done!  Even worse, the test results came back inconclusive, so my doctor wants me to repeat the test! This means that I may be playing with my poop while waiting for Santa -- fun times.......

Ok, there's lots more but I'm sure I've exceeded your tolerance level for negativity.  Have a great Christmas, and as always, Carpe Vita.

Final Trip Prep, 3 Doctors, Pills Are Pau For Now

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. In the last few editions I've related my aging woes to the extent that this might be called The Geezer Gazette.]

11/2/24

 

Aloha Everybody  -- 

 

The flab index in Kona rose dramatically this week as the triathletes left town. The weather didn't
cooperate entirely for race day as rain moved in during the afternoon.  I'm sure they've endured worse

Jingle Bells

conditions, though. The storm that came through brought the first snow of the season on the summit of Mauna Kea, which is unusually early.  It is now quiet for the next month or so, one of our least touristy times of year.  We'll soon get an influx of migrating snow birds and then lots of tourists during the holiday season until early January.

We're in the final prep stage for our trip.  This is the time when all the last minute things get done, including gardening of course, but also things like cancelling the mail and newspaper, arranging for house checks with my handyman, last minute shopping, etc., etc.  We've done this so often that I have a check list to make sure it all gets completed.. This year the preparations include doctor visits, which are unwelcome additions to the list.

On Monday I saw my regular doctor to get clearance for my upcoming cataract surgery. I had to do this now because there might not be enough time when we return.  I also needed renewals for my bp and cholesterol prescriptions which would have run out during the trip.  On Tuesday I had a preemptive eyeball shot from my retina doctor to avoid problems while traveling.  I'll see him again right before my cataract surgery in case the eye that is being operated on needs a shot.  Finally, on Thursday I saw my cardiologist for an EKG to see if I was still ok after reducing the arrhythmia drug.  It was.  However, the side effects are still so bad that I told him I wanted to stop it altogether,  He seemed surprised that the side effects were so severe and said he's never had a patient as bad as me.  Of course, the effects I'm experiencing  occur in only about 5% of those taking the drug.  In other words, 95% of his patients wouldn't complain about them.  At any rate, by the time I saw him I had decided that the effects were so debilitating that I'd rather have Afib.  He reluctantly agreed that I should stop taking the drug altogether and see what happens.  The drug has a very long half-life, so the anti-arrhythmia effects should last though most of trip.   If the Afib returns it shouldn't interfere with the trip, and we'll take a different treatment approach when I get back.  I also have quit my heart rate medication, at least for the time being because my rate was way too low. That makes my blood thinner the only heart medication I'm on.  Other than easy bruising it hasn't given me problems. Fun times!

 

This will be my last missive for awhile because of our trip and because of my cataract surgery when we return.  I should have plenty of news to share after that.. In the meantime, Carpe Vitae, VOTE, and try to keep calm for the next few weeks or months.  I'm very glad that I'll be far away after this election.

Race Day, SS Syndrome, Side Effects Suck

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.]

10/26/24

 

Aloha All --

 

Well, today is  race day for the Ironman Triathlon .  It started about 6:30 for the swim portion. This year the ocean is pretty calm, but in the past it has been so rough that some athletes got seasick.  After the swim the athletes jump on their bikes and head on the highway to the north end of the island. The road is closed for part pf the day.  This is one of only two routes  along the west side of the island, so it causes some problems for motorists, who have to find other ways of reaching their destination. In town, where a part of the running course is plotted, the streets are shut down as well.  All of this discombobulation is particularly frustrating and irritating to people who aren't Ironman fans .  We're ok with it and don't mind the inconvenience for just one day a year.  Besides, we know a back way to Costco and this is one day when it isn't crowded.  Another is Super Bowl Sunday. On both days we try to do some nice relaxed shopping .  

 

On Wednesday I saw my cardiologist and went over all the tests I've had since I started going to him.  This included the report from my heart monitor that I wore for about 10 days.  Bottom line is that I'm still alive and likely to stay that way.  For one thing, I have no significant clogging in any of my arteries or veins.

Also, the blood flow to my head and to the lower parts of me is nearly normal. However. the flow to my lungs is problematic because of my emphysema.  The heart monitor results showed that my Afib is being well controlled by the medicine I've been taking (Amlodarone)-- very few episodes were recorded.  This has come at a cost, however, in terms of extreme loss of balance, lethargy, and even more vision problems than I had before. These side effects might be because my heart rate has dropped to the low 40's, even after exercising.  Also, the monitor showed a high number of pauses, times when the heart stops altogether for a few seconds.  This could be due to the drug, but it also could be due to something cardiologists call Sick Sinus Syndrome (SSS)-- a cute way of saying "You need a pacemaker."  In this case the "Sinus" is the node in your heart that initiates the heartbeat -- nothing to do with the sinuses in your head.  The plan is to cut my drug dosage in half and see what happens. If the pauses are still frequent I may have some hardware installed.  I'm hoping that the reduction also lessens my side effects.  BTW, the cardiologist has no qualms about me traveling -- this is because the test results indicate that a sudden and acute problem isn't likely in my case.

We're only two weeks away from our SE Asia trip.  This is when I usually kick up the gardening preparations, but at the moment I don't have the energy nor the balance to do this.  Hopefully I'll be better in a few days.

Ok, that's if for the week.  As the cartoonist Wiley Miller said in his strip Non Sequitur: “It’s much easier to fool people than it is to convince them that they’ve been fooled"  (3/24/19). Carpe Vita!