I went down to the **********, fell down on my knees

From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/

Won't be doing much falling down on knees and praying now - the surgeon had a look at both legs last night - physically and the x-rays - and we've agreed he's going to do a "scrape and polish" job on both knees - at the same time!

It's a day job at the Albyn, but it is under general anaesthetic and I'm told that I should take a week off work and the recovery period thereafter is a couple of weeks. Need to plan this carefully - don't want to miss what's rest of the golf season, including:

• Football group outing to Alford tomorrow
• Men's Invitational event at Banchory on Saturday

I'd already stalled my angiogram by one week to play in the above two events with brother-in-law Brian - it was all arranged ages ago and I didn't want to let him down at the last moment. So, I'm now going to miss my WHW training walk next weekend instead. Choices, choices.

But after that - they probably won't be able to do the knee ops until about September anyway - I have to make sure I avoid:

• 13/14/15 August - Edinburgh Fringe
• 27 August - St Andrews Eden course outing
• 29 August - Lochnagar (possibly)
• 5/6 September - Boat of Garten
• 16-19 September - West Highland Way

Then, at the other end, there's the wedding of the year on 30th October - so probably late September would be best?

The x-rays clearly showed me how bent and mis-shapen my old injured right knee now is - but the rest of you have noticed that for a while, I guess - and the surgeon said it would probably have to go some time, but best to hold on to it for as long as possible.

So there you go - that's today's medical bulletin over. Not much else to say now.

. ...'. .... .... ......', no sir, no dancin' today

From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/


No - not the Scissors Sisters, but the Sowerby sisters are in town. I picked up Mary at the station yesterday - spot the familiar Sowerby look, straight from the home of the terminally bewildered:

We made it back to Banchory without incident - or Mary puking in my car - and got there before Jo and Luca got back from Nursery. It was such a lovely day - 23 degrees C - and the girls sat out the back with Luca running around, looking for slugs and snails as usual:



Luca was understandly a bit shy with Mary at first, but soon they were new best friends and were exploring the garden and playing hide and seek together:

Check out the video on the blog:

Apart from that, I've got my appointment with the tree - sorry, knee - surgeon tonight, and my appointment for my angiogram also came through last night - it's next Friday, 30th July. He did offer me this Friday, but it was all a bit too soon for me, and, besides, Brian is coming up this weekend for some golf.

Jo will drive me to Ward 41 ARI, but I get kept in for several hours after the procedure, and I've been advised there'll be some bruising and soreness and I should take a few days off work afterwards - but it's the weekend - and I'd planned golf on Saturday and hill-walking on Sunday! Guess I'm gonna miss out on them.

Those were the best days of my life, back in the ...... .. ..

From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/

I do remember the moon landing 41 years ago yesterday, back in the Summer of 69 - I was in a caravan in Paignton with pals Colin McKay, Johnny Duncan and Roddy MacLeod and we had a small black and white TV and we all tried to stay awake to see Neil Armstrong step down, but we were horizontal and our eyes kept closing. When it did eventually happen - it must have been about 3 or 4 in the morning, UK time - a quiet cheer went up and the TV went off. I was 20 years old.

But, of course, it wasn't really the best years of my life - that's just the song lyrics - why, I hadn't even met Jo yet - that didn't happen until 8 months later in April, 1970. It was the usual Saturday night dance at the QM Union hall, Glasgow University - and Marsha Hunt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsha_Hunt_(singer_and_novelist)) was playing.

There - that's today's nostalgia over.

I forgot to say we had our first Blu-Ray experience on Saturday night. Ross had bought us the player over a year ago, but, until now, we'd always just watched standard DVD's, but I ordered the new release of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - the first in the Millennium series of books I read - we had missed the film's release in the UK as we were about to head off to USA on holiday, and it wasn't showing in Grants Pass when we got there - so this was us catching up.

The experience of Blu-Ray was OK - but not stunning - a bit like the first time I watched HD TV. I love HD now - especially for sport - so perhaps I'll get used to Blu-Ray as well. Anyway. I enjoyed the film, but Jo got a bit shirty because it wasn't exactly the same as the book. The second film is due out in a few weeks' time and Jo hasn't read that book, so perhaps we'll go and watch it and I'll be able to listen/read (it's in Swedish with subtitles) in peace this time!

Incidentally, Jo doesn't care whether it's HD, Blu-Ray or whatever - she claims her eyesight is so poor that she can't see the difference anyway.

So, I'm heading off to pick up Mary at the station shortly. Jo is picking up Luca a bit earlier and she's hoping to time her arrival back home to coincide with us. I'm under strict instructions - Mary doesn't travel well, so I've got to be careful how I drive!

.... ....... .. ... ......-.......?, who had love that's etc

From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/

Well, I saw the cardiologist again this morning and spent a fair bit of time with him - ECG's, BP tests, scans and finally a stress ECG. He confirmed the Atrium is a little enlarged but says my heart is working OK.

I told him my concerns about my heart rate rising so rapidly when put under any prolonged stress and the breathlessness that followed, and this was demonstrated on the stress ECG - I managed just the 4 stages (each 3 minutes long), with my heart rate as high as 250 on the last one, which wasn't even running - just very fast walking, albeit up a gradient.

He has again dismissed the possibility of ablation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ablation) - the operation that Tony Blair had a few years ago in the middle of his premiership. He didn't think this was suitable for longer term Atrial Fibrillation patients like me, and even cast doubt on the longer term benefits of the procedure anyway - plus the fact that it causes scarring on the heart.

Dr. Broadhurst did suggest two things, however:

1. Beta blockers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_blockers)
2. Angiogram (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angiogram)

He suggested starting with a low dose of Bisoprolol (I think) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisoprolol.

He did say the Angiogram did carry a slight risk, but this would at least eliminate (or otherwise) the possibility of any other hidden cardiac issues. These procedures are not performed at Albyn, but at ARI, Foresterhill - normally on a Friday. It's a one day procedure but they keep you in for 4 or 5 hours afterwards, and then suggest a 3-4 days off work. Apparently, there's some bruising round the groin area, where the tube is inserted. Next available date will probably be in a month or so - he'll phone me later.

There, that's all the grisly details. Why did I put this in my blog? Well, partly so that I don't forget it - I thought I'd better write it down while I still remembered it. Also, would appreciate any words from the wise - particularly the medically trained in our family.

So, what did I do after this? Why, go to the gym, that's what. It was nearly lunchtime and there was nothing to eat in the office anyway, and I was passing Bannatyne's, so I popped in and did a few of the weights machines, plus a short - very short - swim, then steam room, jacuzzi and a relatively healthy lunch of tuna mayo baked potato with salad, washed down by fresh orange juice, straight from the squeezer. Aren't you proud of me? Might have to compensate with a pint or two now!

it was a gas, soon turned out had a ..... .. ....

From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/

Yes, it's hospital week for me - this morning the cardiologist, then the knee man on Wednesday. So here I am, sitting at home, whiling away the time before I head for Albyn.

What's been happening? Not much - had a short week at work last week - Monday returning from Slaley Hall and Friday at the Open. Things are pretty quiet at work - too many people off work just now - and it's our canning factory's annual summer shutdown.

Golf on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, plus walking the Old Course on Friday, means I've had plenty of walking recently. I've got a little app on my Blackberry which measures distance walked, altitude, calories burned etc. Playing at Banchory is just short of 3.5 miles, but the courses down at Slaley Hall were nearer 5 miles - the Old Course at St Andrews must have been similar, particularly as you have to walk right round it - you're not allowed through the ropes, apart from the official crossing points. These are relatively short distances when you're only walking, but golf is waiting and hitting as well and generally means 4 hours or more out in the open on your feet.

St Andrews is a magical place - and it was the first time I've watched the Open on UK TV for over a decade. Normally, I'm up at the crack of dawn in Oregon, beating the boys to the TV to watch it.

This week is the week of the Hansons - I'm picking up Mary at the station tomorrow, and when she leaves on Friday, Brian arrives for a weekend's golf.

Saw Lucy's photos on Facebook and her blog - memories of getting battered around on the water, with Scott driving the boat. Oh - and Gary - time to remove the old poll from your blog?

Have a good one, y'all.