Ranger Health

The RRR lets those concerned about his health know what has happened of late. Several weeks ago I was at the Veteran's Administration Hospital a Nurse Practitioner was listening to my heart beat through a stethoscope. "Are you aware that you are throwing 8 missed beats a minute?" So I called my civilian cardiologist, who did an EKG which, in 15 seconds did not catch any irregularities. So I was told I needed to wear a portable heart monitor for 48 hours. "Great, go get it and let's put it on." I said. Oh no, there's a waiting list, I had to wait 10 days. So I wore it 2 days and returned to the cardiologist's office. "So what does it say?" I asked. "Oh we don't read them here. We send them off. You should hear from us in a week or so."

It has been a week or so and I have not heard. But I HAVE been back to the VA for my regular check up and lab draw. Good news Ranger Readers! The A1-C, the long term measure of blood sugar levels was 5.6, which is the equivalent of an average sugar of 121, which for a diet controlled diabetic is VERY good. The cholesterol level was normal. The very best news is the liver enzyme tests. They are roughly the measure of damaged liver cells in the blood stream. The normal range for both tests is 7 - 40. One was 23. One was 41. This means that though the hepatitis C is alive, it is almost dormant. Excellent news for someone who has Grade 3, Stage 3 liver disease. Cirrhosis and liver cancer are delayed, pushed further off into the future. Part of the reason for this has to be the excellent nutrition Mrs. RRR provides.

I give example: Breakfast this morning when I got home from working all night was Mrs. RRR's low carb, high protein pancakes. The wheat ground fresh before the cooking. Real butter. Real maple syrup. Pork Sausage. Cold milk. Then the noon meal after I'd slept a while. Corn on the cob from the garden. Reuben sandwiches without the bread, which is to say: hot corned beef smothered in Swiss cheese and homemade sauerkraut. Another glass of milk and fresh fruit for dessert. At work tonight supper will be homemade yogurt with strawberries, a lean hamburger patty, and an apple. All in all, food much too good for a king. No one eats better than the RRR, nor has more love put into the preparation.