Still in a Holding Pattern

I'm still in a holding pattern with respect to my career as an air traffic controller. The regional Flight Surgeon who determines the fate of my medical status to perform my duties is waiting on two last reports before making his decision to reinstate me or not.

I met with Dr. Foley on Thursday morning for a follow-up and to go over the results of the event monitor I wore for 30 days for my heart. The results came back as clean as could be. He said he usually has a few pages of data to go through when analyzing 30 days of readings but in my case, there was absolutely nothing to see. He said he had to make a phone call to make sure he was looking at the full analysis.

So, based on the findings of the monitor, my clots aren't forming as a result of atrial fibrillation which leaves Dr. Foley "99.9% sure they're developing in my common iliac arteries". He told me how he's very much a binary person who's usually decisive in his decision making but in this case, he's not sure which way to go. He said there's a strong case to be made for going ahead with surgery now to remedy both the clots and aneurysms but there's an equally good case to be made for not rushing the decision.  He's hopeful that my meeting with Dr. Johnstone this coming Wednesday will give us a better idea about which way the wind is blowing and how best to proceed.

A trip to the mailbox typically yields at least one and sometimes a few insurance statements related to my hospitalization. The most recent one shows the costs to treat me are in excess of $100,000. Fortunately, my out-of-pocket expenses aren't anywhere near that. I'm extremely thankful for medical science and health insurance!

I'm definitely feeling better. For the first month of my recovery I'd easily become fatigued but I'm much more my normal self now than not. It's nice.

One thing I've realized in this sort of practice retirement I've been living is that I need some structure to my day. It's way too easy to find that the afternoon has arrived and I've got nothing to show for my morning. That's not me. I'm in a limbo of sorts though so I'm not too worried about it. I'm still mentally preparing to go back to work in the next couple of weeks which means I'm not fully embracing this retirement thing just yet.

Vineland Tree Care was here Friday afternoon to trim our two large oak trees on the side of the house. I will never, ever again use the fly-by-night people who come through the neighborhood and charge every bit as much as Vineland but don't do nearly the job. I can't say enough good things about Vineland. They're so professional!



House of Cards was playing in our home late Friday night when we heard a ridiculously loud explosion that rattled our windows and felt like it was within 100 feet of our house. I stepped outside the front door to see Alex across the street having a look around as well. There wasn't anything obviously wrong that we could see so we both stepped back inside. We'd find out the next morning that a gas explosion occurred in a home several blocks from us.

Rachel stopped by Sunday night and spent a few hours with us. I love that. Tammy was still working in her office when she arrived (9 more shifts left) so I made some coffees for us and we chatted in the sunporch before taking a walk to see the house where the explosion happened. What a mess! I'm only surprised that there weren't more windows blown out of nearby homes.

We talked a lot about so many things but much of that I really can't share here. She has a lot on her plate and a few important decisions to make in her near future. I'm so thankful for the relationship we have and the openness that goes with it. I never imagined that being a stepdad could be so rewarding.

I'm hesitant to say this but it appears we're looking at winter in the rear-view mirror. This past week started out with below zero temps but it warmed nicely to well above freezing. With a forecast calling for highs in the upper 50s this week, we'll soon be out of snow. I'm not complaining but this does bring to an end my fat-biking on snow covered trails for the season.

Please indulge me in this one last snowy trail video. I promise you won't be disappointed...