Post Gordon ~ Thoughts, Commentary & Reflections

Parsing the Pulse Oximeter Results

My two significant experiences with chelation/Plaquex, 2012 and 2014, have both produced bona fide results. The first (2012, 10 treatments) brought my BP (blood pressure) down from over 140/90 (more 150/100-ish) down to normal, approximately 122/80. Not too bad!

Between 2012 and 2014, I had a couple maintenance treatments.

My recent 10 treatments hasn't brought my BP back into the normal range... yet. Benefits from chelation/Plaquex are said to follow treatment, to trail treatment and therefore appear somewhat later. And I'm doing what I can diet and exercise-wise. My weight's stubbornly hanging on, not much change after an initial quick loss of 5-7 pounds.

Need to drop back about 7-8 more pounds to get my BMI (Body-Mass Index) below 34. Well, when you exercise it's normal to gain some weight at first as fat exchanges for heavier muscle.

But let's get on to the pulse oximeter results.

Comparisons:

Events where my oxygen/hemoglobin dropped below 85% dropped from 614 to 29. That's events in ONE night, mind you. From 614 to 29...

......................Before Algodones (9/29-30)...................After (10/28-29)

SpO2 values at or below 85%.......over 600...................29


The number of minutes where my oxygen/hemoglobin stayed under 85% dropped from 41 minutes to 2. I recall Robert saying that 8 minutes below 85% is one of the medical definitions of sleep apnea. And any time you spend below 85% runs the risk of organ damage, loss of brain cells...

Total time at or below 85%...........41 minutes................2 minutes


My high pulse rate dropped 20 bpm (beats per minute)..

High pulse rate............................107............... ...........87


My average pulse rate dropped 14 bpm...

Average pulse rate.......................67..................... .......53


Oxygen/hemoglobin below 85% was pretty much eliminated (8% ~ 0%), 86-89% dropped to 13% from 25% and 90-95% shot up to 85% from 64%...

SpO2 81-85%.............................8% of time................0 (Less than 1%)

SpO2 86-89%.............................25% of time...............13%

SpO2 90-95%.............................64% of time................85%

Mind you, I didn't go looking for a pulse oximeter/recorder. Visited the pharmacy/medical supply store to buy vitamins. There isn't a sign up that they lend this equipment out. A chat with the owner's son, who drives touring buses part-time, led him to mention the machines and offer one to take home. So this whole pulse oximeter experience is accidental (if there are any accidents).

What do the results show? An awesome change in my health.

Not bad for an investment of about $600 (a little less) for 10 vascular treatments in Algodones. And, yes, I feel a whole lot better, too.

 

Br-r-r!! Cold Weather on Way

Woke up early this morning suddenly realizing that one of two cripples I'd framed up yesterday is wrong. Spacing's not right. Okay, fine. Why get this message into my head suddenly at 3:45 am??

Dunno. Next 3 days low temps, freeze warning in effect. Hell, Saturday night's supposed to get down to 23 according to Accuweather. So I'm working on chicken coop to expand it, get whole herd (flock) inside. Currently the 4 youngsters spend nights roosting in an extra-large dog crate with tarpaulin thrown over the top to make it nice and dark and retain their body heat some.

Somehow, somehow, of my 4 youngsters, it's starting to look like 3 roosters and one hen. Doesn't seem fair, does it? Go to all that effort to hatch 4 eggs and end up with mostly roosters. (Well, 5. One chick disappeared.) Thankfully they're not crowing yet. Not sure what I'll do with 3 roosters.

In any event, need to expand the coop to accommodate everybody and really need it ready to use today or tomorrow. Built it so it could be expanded. Maybe not easily but easier.

My weight's stubbornly not budging despite my spartan eating habits. 4 days now. 'Semi' fast. Where's the evidence, the proof?? I ask you! Scale weight has not changed and I weigh both here and at Spencer Y. All I get out of it so far is 'too fat'. Okay, fine.

Too fat. Well, too fat will just have to do.

Keep trying...

 

Where, Oh, Where...

Couldn't find my sunglasses when I packed up for my Trip West. Frustrating. Thought they were here, vaguely remembered putting them in something so I'd have them for sure when I pulled my gear out of the truck. But, where are they? Briefcase? No. Small case with see-through sides? No. Brought that with me. Left without them and would have come in handy.

Well, can have another made by the folks in Bermuda Dunes (near Palm Desert, CA). They made me a duplicate of the pair of day glasses I've sat on or rolled over on too many times. And had them make me another pair while I was out there, same prescription as last year but a slightly larger, sturdier frame and lens. Arrived here just fine by mail, $99 per pair, progressive, fashion frames, polycarbonate lenses. No charge shipping.

Still can't find the sunglasses. Like the new frame with larger lenses, though. Not sunglasses. So this morning I drove up to where my old truck was parked thinking if still there, just maybe I boo-booed and left them in that storage above the steering wheel where I keep them.

Had in mind that seafood burrito and Dos Equis in Cloverdale on the way back, too. 'Cheated' yesterday and had a double-decker taco. For THAT matter, ate a 10-ounce can of mixed nuts and then thought to check out the calories. Sheesh!! 170 calories per serving and 8 servings in that l-i-t-t-l-e can for $2.35 at Dollar General! Holy Moley! Wait a minute!

That ONE can of mixed nuts exceeds my 1500-calories the diet calculator gave me in order to lose my 15 pounds. ONE can! Who'd a thunk, huh?

Okay, cross yesterday off. Skipped the Spencer Y yesterday and today, too. Well, they close at 5 pm. Worked on enlarging the chicken coop. Got some framing done, doubled a couple windows together so they'll know when the sun rises. Sorta.

Um-m-m-m, no, didn't get it all done, by far. And since both nights will be so suddenly cold (24 last night and 22 tonight) adapted instead. Moved a small wire-metal dog crate into the coop, the youngsters can either go inside or sit atop. Hell, for that matter they can roost with the other girls. Probably won't. That's okay. As long as there's room.

Must have been okay because 3 went inside tonight, mostly on their own. Had to shoosh one chicken behind that was half-in and half-out. And had to catch one. Better than last night when I had to catch 4 and one was quite the escape artist for a while.

What surprised me this morning was how much less skittish the four were amongst their new coop-mates while I threw out goodies. When I got back this afternoon everyone was back to their little clique, the 3 comets, 2 reds and 4 youngsters, all foraging separately and not fully equal.

And my sunglasses? Weren't in the truck. It hasn't moved either. My creamers, Stok and chocolate, are still below the dash forward of the gear shift. There WAS a single cigarette butt behind the seat but no one has smoked in that truck since I parked it. What gives with the cig butt, eh??? Someone throw that back there just to irk me?

Hey! Who says I'm coming back?? I just want my sunglasses back, thank you. Didn't make it to the seafood burrito, either. Ah, there's this china buffet just over from Aldi's...

Hey!! It costs about the same as the burrito and there's a lot more vegetables to be had. Lots. ... All right, scratch today off, too. Ugh!

 

Elizabeth Walling, the author of the article that Blu mentions (thx, Blu!) has a great blog where she recommends... raw eggs in smoothies and the like. http://www.livingthenourishedlife.com/2009/12/why-i-eat-raw-egg-yolks-every-day

(My dog, Freddie, seems to agree. Caught him snacking on the egg I set out on the porch this morning and forgot about. G-R-R-R-R.)

Walling gets a nod for referencing her writing with sources. I like that.

More to follow...

 

Walling's Article: The Myth of Low-Calorie Dieting for Weight-Loss Exposed

My hunch is that on her own blog, Walling would have a less-strident title. And that's the difference between the two, the Natural News web site and Walling's blog. Walling on her own presents less hyperbole and inflammatory rhetoric. (In my opinion.)

In her article, Walling's basic premise is:

I agree with that, intuitively. Think I've read that descendants of victims of Ireland's potato famine, for example, have an inherited fat gene possibly passed down to them and that this may explain why many are fat despite the same diet as the skinny person next to them--rather than mere metabolism.

Makes sense, too, that if you're pushing yourself through cycles of loss, gain, loss, gain or worse, constantly dieting you're system is repeatedly on the alert and going to hoard fat.

Walling describes how the low-calorie myth leads to signaling your body that you're starving without specifically saying how long it takes to re-train your system:

Walling would probably argue that she can't offer a simple formula or time frame because we all differ biologically. She does emphasize nutrient-rich foods (as opposed to calorie-rich foods, which is the American diet).

She says:

And Walling has a compelling conclusion:

 

So-o Excited...

Well, I was so excited that Blu and Elizabeth were extending me 600 more calories than the calorie counter that after some work on extending the chicken coop I drove up to Cloverdale for the 12-ounce Dos Equis draft and seafood burrito after all.

Certainly those are 'nutrient rich', right? No? Calorie rich? Oh.

Oh, well.

Oh, I was good. Had the waitress bring me a foam to-go and put half the burrito to take home. Ate all the chips and salsa. All. Drank the Dos Equis (delicious, especially on Sunday since you can't buy any alcohol on Sunday at a grocery or Wal-Mart).

Car barely started to get me back home. Drat! Starter's dragging again. Just rebuilt starters on both of these 97 Merc's this summer. Have a third starter so brought that down to Anderson's in town. Let the car run since it might not, probably won't start until it has a good, long rest, like overnight. Anderson rebuilds 'em, starters, usually same day.

Not today. 5 starters ahead of me. Well, it's a small operation.

The other Merc's sitting over at Pete's (muffler shop, does general auto repair) with a seized front right caliper, which is what you get with 2 of these and one always sitting. Pete knows it's a Merc but always calls it a Taurus, which it is, of course. Always called my old Sunbird a Cavalier, too.

Local color, Pete is.

All right, let's tally it up. Splurged on a double decker taco Friday and a can of mixed nuts with a million calories inside; china buffet on Saturday--was kinda good (meaning me). Well, no, not really. Polished off the seafood burrito this morning from yesterday, Sunday.

And what do I get for my trouble this morning?

You guessed it, 2 extra pounds.

Thx Blu, Elizabeth! Just thx.

 

Moving Right Along...

Here I sit at the Star China Buffet, Ellettsville (Indiana).

Seriously now.

Seems to me, relying on Blu and Elizabeth, extrapolating from Blu and Elizabeth about hoarding fat, that smaller portions, more often, and as much variety as possible--could be the ticket. And continuing to exercise at the Spencer Y. I think that's the crucial lynchpin. I think inactivity probably generates fat hoarding, too. Something to consider for us truck drivers.

Inactivity tells your system that you're conserving.

Oh-oh, better start hoarding fat! Ugh!

And when are we inactive?

Why, all day long sitting in the driver's seat. And when we stop at a rest area and just roll back into the sleeper for a quick z-z-z-z...

Anyone who has ever put a fat dog on a diet (to save its life!) will encounter an interesting phenomenon. You cut the dog's food a third and check later. No change. Dog just reduces its activity level and metabolism slows.

You have to keep cutting thirds, waiting for a while after each cut, until the dog starts to lose weight. It will. You can slim a fatty down quite nicely that way.

Okay, starvation diet. Sure. But that's with a dog with limited food options. Besides, with a dog, change their food and you get... diarrhea. Well, the dog gets diarrhea, not you, necessarily.

Smaller portions, more often, with as wide a variety as possible. Send the message to my biology that food's plentiful, abundant, available often and in great variety. Cool. Keep at the Spencer Y pool. Missed a few days since last Friday. Got a half hour in last night. Problem was not able to turn car off for the bad starter.

Replaced starter. Starts. Probably needs battery, though.

My habits--I've mentioned my 3 week attention span--is to eat the same thing over and over without change until, I switch over to something else over and over. And after the package of M&M's is empty, I'm good. Don't need another.

Unless there are two left. Cause it's going to be one left. And then none.

Once all's left is an empty wrapper, I'm fine.

Just fine. I think.

 

In 2012, when I pushed my weight down 20 pounds by 2-3 fasting days each week (rewarded by a buffet after reaching new levels), my morning routine was wake, poop, pee, weigh with same clothes on (or off). Kept track, too.

Just picked up a May 2014 Men's Health from my barber's office. Offered to pay but he gave it. Has 2 really good articles which I'm going to look into and discuss, too.

Looking this time for a 'Blu & Elizabeth' kinder, gentler 15-pound loss for starters.

!!!