Pharmaceutical Fixes, Game Night, and We Must Do Better

We had to take Charlie to the vet a couple of years ago because of a persistent cough. At the time, the vet told us it was esophageal collapse; a not uncommon condition in dogs, possibly brought on by years of using a collar and leash when walking him. She said it wasn't a fatal condition and then prescribed prednisone to see if that would help. When it didn't, she gave us oxycodone to use as necessary. We used the drug a few times and neither of us liked the way it left him tired and not his normal self. 

Charlie's coughing has gotten worse in the past few months so Tammy went online to research the matter more. She found another possibility of what is happening with him; a condition called acid reflux, with the remedy being Pepcid or another long-lasting antacid. He's been on the drug for about 5 days and the coughing has mostly stopped. We're happy for our little guy. Also, when the condition was first diagnosed we immediately stopped using his collar and switched to a harness instead (as seen in the photo). He doesn't seem to mind it at all.

Speaking of drugs, my doctor recently prescribed 10mg of Rosuvastatin for me due to borderline high cholesterol. I've been slowly inching upward over the past 5 years and now find my total cholesterol value in the range where a statin is in order. Dr. Foley would like to be more proactive with me considering my history of blood clots. I've resisted his previous suggestions for statin use out of concerns that I'll have the same debilitating side effects my mother and a sibling experienced with them: achy joints and sore muscles. He has me on a low dose and so far, after being on the drug for one month, I'm not noticing any increase in the usual amount of pain I already feel. Another of my concerns about using a statin is having diminished muscle strength but that doesn't appear to be an issue, either—at least not yet. Fingers crossed!

I've been taking advantage of some warmer-than-usual February days to do some walking. At one point last week, I had a 7-day stretch where I had walked 40 miles. In another lifetime when I was a runner, I never could imagine myself enjoying walking. I was so wrong. For as much as I enjoy cycling and golfing, I enjoy my walks every bit as much. They're beneficial for both the mind and body. I do have to be careful of the ice, though. Sometimes it's safest for me to walk against traffic on the shoulder of the road because the walking paths are iced over for long stretches. I'll get the occasional admonishment from a passing driver to get off the road and onto the path. 

Our Saturday night get-togethers with neighbors turned into game nights last fall when the cool air forced us inside. I was telling them all recently that these few hours we spend together each week are the highlight of my week. We have lots of laughs. They began as socially-distanced nights spent on our decks during the pandemic where we would rotate between our 3 homes with the host family providing an assortment of snacks to munch on. Last week's game of Pictionary Air was maybe the most fun game we've played yet! Oftentimes we'll toss out the rules and make up our own version of whatever game we're playing. We're funny that way. 

I'm going to touch on some things political in nature below. Catch you next time if that's not your thing.

I've been writing lately about my feelings of disillusionment with the Christian religion and the church and wondering if either of them has a place in my life anymore. I've become very cynical about the church's role in our society as we see how it has too often become politicized in an ugly, off-putting way, resembling nothing that Jesus stood for. I saw an article last night from NBC News about a revival among young people who are flocking to a church in Kentucky to gather and pray. Normally, I would think this is a good thing—something to be encouraged. The more cynical part of me worries that some young impressionable minds will be lured in and hooked into just another hard-right conservative agenda-driven church where they think they're there to learn about Jesus but along the way, a bait-and-switch happens and they're groomed to become disciples for conservative politicians and their hard-right policies and causes. 

What I've come to realize through all of the nonsense and lies from conservatives over the past several years is how easily people can be manipulated and conned into believing whatever their respected leaders tell them to believe. And if the news they're watching isn't shoveling enough propaganda, they'll turn to another channel that will and feast on it there. Heather Cox Richardson's newsletter from today illustrates this very well in the case of FOX News and their on-air personalities worrying that by telling their viewers the truth, that Trump lost the 2020 election, they were going to lose viewers to OAN or Newsmax. Notice the part where Tucker Carlson is calling for the firing (in a text with Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham) of one of their reporters for telling the truth on-air. It's depressing to watch good people being conned to the point where this is the end result. 

I would rather not have to write about this kind of stuff but my conscience won't allow me to be silent about it—not when there's a real ongoing threat to the viability of our democracy from those on the right who continue to tear at the fabric of our institutions and the trust we place in them, to include our election process. 

We must do better.

Extra credit reading. 

I got together with some friends Sunday afternoon ahead of the Super Bowl to burn off a few calories before sitting down to watch the game—and what a game it was! It's been since last fall that I've done any road riding. It was nice to be out again. The gravel roads we typically opt for are still ice covered in many areas so we kept to the pavement. The temp was just above freezing with very little wind—an ideal day for this time of year in Minnesota.

That's all I've got.