The Day After

I attempted to restore my routine to the "norm." Yet, I had great difficulty forgetting the ordeal of yesterday. Anyway, I departed for town this morning even later than usual. Once there, I procured a cup of coffee at the fast food joint. After quickly completing my so-called "breakfast" (i.e., granola), I walked to Longs® to have my prescription filled for the beta blocker pills. Then, I purchased a $10 gift card at Subway®.

Typical Prescribed Hottie

My workout at the gym was somewhat lackluster. I completed a modified senior citizen version of my weight workout. Cardio was also light. Unfortunately, I had to cut the cardio session short because I noticed that the bruising from the two failed intravenous insertions was spreading. Oh well.

I returned Slob Manor (read: rental housing) about an hour earlier than usual. My greatest fear was being stuck in town and experiencing a repeat of the prolonged heart palpitations of yesterday. Or, Molech forbid, a real heart attack. With that said, I made sure to dose myself with the beta blocker medication prior to leaving the gym. Once back at the dump, I gave Alan the gift card as a token of my appreciation.

I am a little worried that I'll end up taking the medication for the rest of my life. Currently, my dosage is low. In normal applications, the dosage is up to three pills per day. In my case, the dosage is half of one pill per day.

The only people who noticed the bandages on my arm were fellow senior citizens Chip and Alex at the gym. I had interesting conversations with both of them about the ordeal. Of course, they know exactly what's what because they have had similar experiences. Yeah, I am truly a member of the senior citizen club.

At this time, I am remaining detached about the medical expenses that I incurred yesterday. If by some chance I am denied medical coverage by the State's Medicaid program, I may be liable for $5,000 or more. Becoming stressed over the situation now would probably provoke another prolonged episode of atrial fibrillation. We don't need that now, do we?

So, here I am, one day into my real initiation to senior citizenry. I have chalked up one chronic illness. I may have also received my first lifetime prescription drug. Oh, how can anyone not be depressed?

Ol' Lavahead Mini-Update®
As it turns out, the nightly glass of wine may be implicated in the puzzling heart palpitation mystery. The alcohol content causes vasodilation, increased heart rate, electrolyte loss, and dehydration. Although I only consume one small glass of wine every evening, my geriatric heart (after years of alcohol abuse) may be particularly sensitive to the alcohol. Last night, I did not consume any wine. There were no heart palpitations all day, as far as I could detect. Sadly, coffee could also be secondarily suspect.