Consultations - An American Summer, 2023 - CycleBlaze

June 23, 2023

Consultations

Last things first

Today’s the big day we’ve been awaiting for months now - the consultation with Dr. Lin, my electrocardiologist.  Let’s hold that thought for the moment though and come back to it after having a look at the rest of our day.

Rachael has her own consultation scheduled for today - a 4 PM appointment at the urgent care clinic to discuss her breathing issues.  She wants to get some exercise in first of course, so not long after we’re done with our chat with Doctor Lin she’s out the door on another walk I mapped out for her - up into Washington Park again, this time an out and back along the Wildwood and other connecting trails to Pittock Mansion.  Her route crosses Burnside on Barbara Walker Crossing, the beautiful new pedestrian suspension bridge that opened up four years ago so walkers wouldn’t need to risk their lives crossing the busy, high speed arterial.

Rachael claims that she had an excellent 11 mile hike, but let us down by bringing back exactly zero (0) photos.  Not even one of the bridge, or of the fabulous view across the city to Mount Hood from Pittock Mansion?, I ask when we’re both back at the ranch.  Nope.  She was too concerned about making it back for her appointment in time.

While she was out walking, I had my own plans - a loop out along the Columbia, hopefully returning by way of the I-205 bike path and Mount Tabor.  This bike path is like Springwater - a formerly popular route that’s fallen into disuse over the last four years because it too has been taken over by the homeless population.  There’s one underpass in particular that felt distinctly unsafe, where the already narrow path would normally have people sleeping or camping along half of it, their trash or ashes from their fires covering most of the right of way.  I definitely wouldn’t want Rachael to go there alone (or even with me), and I eventually felt unsafe enough that I quit riding it myself.

But maybe, like Springwater, things hve changed for the better by now?  Time to find out.  If it still feels like I’ll be running the gauntlet I’ll just turn back and make the ride an OAB.

I don’t get that far though.  A couple of miles into the ride I’m biking north on Williams and start noticing the same rubbing sound from the back wheel I noticed yesterday.  Finally, three and a half miles into the ride, I stop to check it out.  I spin both wheels, but hear nothing.  I decide maybe it’s my pannier rubbing against something, so I flip it to the other side of the rack, ride down the block, and listen to see if it sounds different.  It doesn’t so I remove the pannier completely, set it on the parking strip, and bike down the street.  The sound’s still there.

So I flip the bike upside down on the sidewalk, spin the rear wheel again, and then look more closely at the wheel.  The cause immediately becomes apparent.

It’s time. Try this simple finger test! If there’s room for your finger between the outer and inner casings, it’s time for a new tire.
Heart 4 Comment 9
Steve Miller/GrampiesDodie thinks it is a minor miracle that you have not had a really long walk in the last few days (weeks).
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1 year ago
Patrick O'HaraThat's a little disturbing, Scott! Imagine you blowing out your tire on the descent yesterday?
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1 year ago
Scott AndersonTo Steve Miller/GrampiesYes, I’ve had the same thought many times since then. Really, I think the finger test comes too late for comfort. I’ll need to look for a more timely rule of thumb.
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1 year ago
Scott AndersonTo Patrick O'HaraYes, I have thought of that a time or two. I almost didn’t post this photo because it’s so embarrassing.
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1 year ago
Ben ParkeWow. I think you’ve gotten your money’s worth out of that tire. Maybe a once a month tire tread check might be an idea :) ?
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1 year ago
Scott AndersonTo Ben ParkeDo you think? So often? It seems like I checked it just last winter.
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1 year ago
Bruce LellmanHoly Crap, Scott!!
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1 year ago
Graham FinchI had to get a new rear tyre for my commuter bike recently. It had a bulge of the side for a while and when I removed it, the sidewall was almost transparent. It's hard to believe it never blew out.
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1 year ago
Scott AndersonTo Graham FinchHuh. The finger test wouldn’t help there. Must need to have more than one kind of inspection in the check off list.
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1 year ago

Later, Rachael returns from her walk; and about an hour after that walks over to the urgent care clinic (with plenty of time to spare to have taken a few photos, I point out).  Her appointment goes well.  She sees the same clinician she met with about two years ago for the same condition.  He remembers her, of course - how many clients with good legs but a bad nose does he see, after all? - and prescribes the same remedy as last time: antibiotics for a possible infection, and saline solution administered with a netti-pot.

Afterwards she calls me up and asks me to meet her for Thai food at the Blue Peacock, a local restaurant we discovered last winter.  Back at the apartment afterwards, we round out the day with another episode of The Diplomat, an outstanding new miniseries starring Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell that we’ve quickly become enamored of.

So that changed my plans for the day.  I was beyond lucky to make it out to Rocky Point and back without a blowout yesterday, and I’m anxious about whether I’ll make it home this time.  I bike carefully for the three and a half miles back to the apartment, counting off blocks and thinking with each one that at least that’s one less I’ll have to end up walking.

I make it back to the apartment without flattening, miraculously, and then walk over to the storage unit to pick up the new tire I know is waiting there for me.

First things last

So, about the cardiology date.  We’ve been talking about my intermittent arrhythmia episodes for months or even years now.  I’m sick of talking about them and you’re likely just as sick of hearing about them, so I’ll keep this brief.  Just the bare essentials.

I’m getting ablation surgery after all, the surgery that aims to cauterize the rogue nerve cells initiating the episodes.  It’s a somewhat more complicated procedure than some because he’ll be addressing both the SVT and afib episodes, which originate in different chambers of the heart.  Assuming it goes well, it’s a one day procedure with no overnight stay.  Afterwards I’ll be on one to two months of restricted activity (no biking or strenuous walking, for example), to avoid injury to the area of the groin where the catheters used to perform the surgery are inserted.

The earliest possible date for surgery is in October, but we’re aiming for November and will be assigned a date once that month’s calendar is activated.  In the meantime I’ll continue as I have been for the last two months - on the same meds, and maintaining a moderated activity level that includes cycling but avoids outings like yesterday’s ride to Rocky Point.  In the long run though, once this is all done hopefully the arrhythmias will be gone and I’ll be off medications.  And maybe my heart rate, which has been crawling along in the low thirties for the last three months, will spring back into a more normal range again.

So what does this mean for Team Anderson in the near term?  The main thing is that we’ll be shortening our tour of Spain to about two months, so that we’re back in Portland for my surgery.  Summer looks the same as we’ve been planning all along - Canada if we can get passports renewed in time, or hanging out in the northwest otherwise.  And during and after surgery we’ll probably be in Portland for a month and then head south so Rachael can ride the Loop while I hang around the casita and take it easy.

We’re both have a lot of confidence in Doctor Lin and are quite pleased that this is the plan and feel hopeful of a good outcome.  And it’s nice just having a plan and moving beyond speculation.

Today's ride: 7 miles (11 km)
Total: 208 miles (335 km)

Rate this entry's writing Heart 12
Comment on this entry Comment 22
Tricia GrahamIt must be a real relief to actually have a plan and feel confident that you can continue with your usual lifestyle So wonderful to be able to feel that once more you should be able to do the Rocky Point ride. Ageing is a terrible affliction which must be fought at every opportunity and having said that with a total age of 170 we are setting of for Europe in about 10 days to test out our bodies
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1 year ago
Scott AndersonTo Tricia GrahamThanks for the encouragement, Tricia. And all the best this summer. You’ll be great, and I can’t wait to read about it.
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1 year ago
Kelly IniguezYes, just having a path forward is a real stress reliever. Here’s wishing you the absolute best outcome! We shall see you in Tucson.
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1 year ago
Suzanne GibsonGood plan, all the best! For Rachael, too!
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1 year ago
Rich FrasierGlad to see that you're moving forward, Scott. Good luck!!
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1 year ago
Bob DistelbergSounds like a great development on the health front. It must feel very encouraging to have a plan, especially one that will hopefully allow you to continue your active lifestyle. By the way, yes The Diplomat is a great series. I pretty much binge watched it awhile ago, something I don’t usually do.
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1 year ago
Scott AndersonTo Bob DistelbergThe Diplomat is terrific! We watched the third episode last night and are already feeling regrets over the end of the season when it comes. Maybe the best series we’ve seen since Call My Agent.
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1 year ago
Mark HoffmannHi Scott,

It's very good to hear of the medical care you are getting.

As for your summer plans, in case you missed it, I'm reposting this note about entering Canada that I also made on your "Front Street" post.

I had a hunch, and checked it out. You do not need a US passport to cross into Canada at a land crossing. (You do need one if flying.) I'm a dual citizen, live in Abbotsford, BC and go through the Sumas, WA / Abbotsford, BC border crossing several times each week, usually on a bike. I cycled south last Friday to pick up a package at the Sumas PO and stopped to speak to an officer on the Canadian side when going back home. (Many of the officers know me on sight, and this was one of them. She's been there for years, and I trust her experience and knowledge.)

She said, "Someone can bring proof of US citizenship, such as their birth certificate, plus photo ID, such as their drivers license, and they can be admitted. If they have documentation of their having sent their passport in for renewal, that would also be good. But, they do not need their actual passport at a land crossing." I cannot recall what, if any, documentation someone retains when renewing a US passport. It's been a while since we had to renew ours.

I asked the officer if she could give me a reference to a page with this info at the CBSA website (Canadian Border Services Agency) but she either did not know where to find one, or knew that the info is not actually posted, because all she did was just repeat her little explanation. (I have since found several website mentions of this option - too much to post here.)

If you wish, shoot me a note at mch2290 at gmail.com. I'm happy to ask more questions at the border. It's a quick six mile ride each way and for a variety of reasons I do it often. (e.g. I could doublecheck on the US side that they would let you back crossing south without your passport in hand, but with a photocopy of the photo page and the explanation that it is in for renewal, which is what I believe to be the case.)
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1 year ago
Steve Miller/GrampiesGlad to see you have a plan within a reasonable time frame. Perhaps the passports will allow you up our way in July or early August. If so, you are always welcome to our place, we have a spare room. If after early August, you are always welcome to stay at our place, we have a spare room and the housesitter can let you in.
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1 year ago
Scott AndersonTo Mark HoffmannOh, shoot! I thought I’d responded to your original post, but must have failed on the save. That’s an interesting thing to know of, and thanks for passing it on. We’ll keep it in mind, but we should know soon if we can just use our replacement passports. We can start trying to set up an appointment tomorrow.

You’re in Abbotsford! I remember looking across at it three years go when we were hiding out in Bellingham during the Covid year. We’ll drop you a line if we’re driving that way this summer and maybe we could meet up for a chat.
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1 year ago
Patrick O'HaraGlad to hear that there's a plan do sort your condition out, Scott.
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1 year ago
Jonathan HechtHi Scott…

By way of background, I’m a non-blogging Blazer who occasionally makes a comment or two. You and I exchanged comments a few years ago when you had an issue with Capital One.

Anyway, as someone who was diagnosed with a-fib about 6 months ago, I am now trying to figure out my best course of action. Since I live in Portland, I was wondering if you might be willing to share your experience in person. Maybe a cuppa at Umbria one morning? (Since you seem to go there very early, maybe we could make it your second cuppa 😜!)

Also, if you’re comfortable taking this conversation offline, my yahoo email is jphecht.

Jonathan
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1 year ago
Scott AndersonTo Jonathan HechtYes, of course. I’ll fire off an email.
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1 year ago
Mark HoffmannTo Scott AndersonSounds good! We'd love to meet and chat should you head this way. If you wish to stay, we have room. We're on Warmshowers, but publicly inactive at present for a couple of reasons. If you need to park Raven for a while, we have off street parking that could work.
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1 year ago
Bruce LellmanI'm glad you are able to have the surgery after all. I'm very optimistic about the whole thing, and relieved. And, we can have coffee more often than we ever have in the past.
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1 year ago
Janice BranhamI'm glad you have answers now and a plan for putting all this behind you. Its amazing to me that such a sophisticated procedure can be done without a hospital stay.
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1 year ago
Jacquie GaudetAnd if you happen to pass through Vancouver, we also have a guest room and off-street parking. North Vancouver is a hilly place, but we are at sea level.
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1 year ago
Gregory GarceauGood to see you have a medical plan that will, for the most part, accommodate your cycling plan. Hopefully, Minnesota is still on the table for this summer.

My 87-year-old dad had an aortic valve replacement surgery via the groin two months ago. Within 24 hours, he was pretty much back to normal. On the drive back from the hospital, he insisted on stopping for a Big Mac and milkshake at McDonalds. Since then, he's been doing three days a week of rehab and his new valve is getting rave reviews from all his doctors. It's amazing what those surgeons can do these days.
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1 year ago
Scott AndersonTo Gregory GarceauYup, MSP is still on the plan. We’ll be staying there three nights - arriving 9/09, leaving for Bilbao on 9/12. We won’t be unpacking the bikes, but if you and the Feeshko are around we definitely want to get together. We’ll be in touch when it gets closer.

And you’re right - the surgery options available now are pretty astonishing.
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1 year ago
Scott AndersonTo Jacquie GaudetThanks for the offer, Jacquie. We will be coming through Vancouver, but we booked our own lodging so we have evidence of our travel plans to display at our passport renewal appointment. We’ll be in Vancouver (Langley, actually) on the 10th and 11th, so if you’re around we might meet up somewhere.
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1 year ago
Jacquie GaudetTo Scott AndersonJuly? If so, I/we would love to meet up! Let’s email or text (my number is the same) b
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1 year ago
Scott AndersonTo Jacquie GaudetGreat! We’ll be in touch.
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1 year ago