Last year, around about this time, I began having difficulty with my stamina. After numerous tests, it became obvious I was struggling with Bradycardia (slow heart rhythm). I wore a Holter monitor for a week and on one night my heart rate dropped to 26 bpm. I could barely walk from the bedroom to the kitchen without getting winded, tired, and feeling a strong urge to just sit or lay down.

After several conversations with a cardiologist (who is now MY cardiologist) I decided the best path forward was to have a pacemaker implanted in my chest. On March 8 of last year, the surgery was performed and the difference was striking. However, along with the auto-immune skin condition I’ve been dealing with for over two years, I found it difficult to come anywhere close to returning to a relatively normal life. I still tired fairly easily and, to make things worse, in the past four or five months I’ve been experiencing arthritic like conditions in my ankles, knees, elbows, wrists, and (worst of all) fingers. Try opening a bottle or tying your shoes when both your index and middle fingers are excruciatingly painful when any pressure is applied.

Finally, things are beginning to look up, though I still have to deal with a 90-day regimen of a drug I will be starting soon, which I hope will help relieve the joint stiffness and pain. Tonight I went to the gym for the first time in I can’t actually remember. I worked my biceps, triceps, and a teeny bit of pecs. I then did a 15 minute hydro-massage. It felt really good. Looking forward to building my strength and stamina before my 77th birthday this June.

This is what the Holter monitor I wore looks like. This is NOT what I look like and, given my age and disposition, likely never will look like, but I wore one like this for a full week. Showering was fun!