Asides

Recovering From a Back Sprain

October 22, 2020 Leave a Comment

I sprained my back two weeks ago, probably from excessive rowing. My last row (72 minutes) was on October 7, 2020, after which the low back pain was too severe for me to do any exercise. In addition to the pain, the back was as stiff as a board from muscle spasm, presumably of the lumbar region of the erector spinae. I wasn’t able to stand up straight for about a week. Therefore, any exercise was out of the question. I went for a 48-minute slow jog on October 19, 2020. I took a break on October 20, 2020 because I was aching a little in the low back and in the lower limbs, and I really didn’t want to inadvertently injure myself further before my medical appointment on October 21 (yesterday). I was feeling generally unwell yesterday, so I took the day off exercise. This afternoon, I did a light row for 60 minutes without any issue. Throughout the row, I was extremely careful to maintain my form. There is some residual pain when rolling in bed but this seems to be improving in the past few days.

Gastroenterology Appointment on October 21, 2020: Normal Blood Tests

October 21, 2020 Leave a Comment

I attended a scheduled appointment with my gastroenterologist this morning. My full blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein were all normal. My ulcerative colitis remains in clinical remission.

The plan is to continue my current dose of Salofalk, i.e. 1 gram b.d., and repeat the bloods in three months, with a view to reduce the dose of Salofalk to 500 grams b.d. if all goes well. 🤞

My PSA Is Normal

October 2, 2020 Leave a Comment

I had a scheduled repeat PSA test yesterday and a follow-up appointment with my urologist yesterday morning. Yesterday’s PSA level was 1.25 ng/mL (normal range: 0 – 2.5), even lower than the 1.75 ng/mL on June 3, 2020. My urologist suggested I try stopping the Hytrin, which I had been taking every night. I skipped the Hytrin last night without any untoward effect. I think my urinary tract woes are truly behind me. My next appointment with the urologist is in a year’s time, i.e. October 1, 2021. I’ll have a repeat PSA test at that time.

He Knew How Dangerous the SARS-Cov-2 Virus Was but Played It Down Publicly

September 23, 2020 Leave a Comment

On February 7, 2020…

TRUMP: Now it’s turning out, it’s not just old people Bob, but just today and yesterday some startling facts came out. It’s not just old, older –

WOODWARD: Yeah, exactly.

TRUMP: It’s plenty of young people. But look what’s going on in –

Excerpts from President Donald Trump’s call with legendary investigative journalist Bob Woodward on February 7, 2020.

On the same day (February 7, 2020), there had been zero US deaths publicly attributed to SARS-CoV-2. However, one person who died in Santa Clara County on February 6 was posthumously identified as having died from COVID-19 weeks later after an autopsy.

On September 21, 2020…

US President Donald Trump speaking at an election campaign rally in Swanton, Ohio, on September 21, 2020.

Take your hat off to the young people because they have a hell of an immune system. But it affects virtually nobody. It’s an amazing thing. By the way, open your schools. Everybody, open your schools.
—President Donald J. Trump

On September 22, 2020, the US death toll from COVID-19 officially crossed the 200,000 mark.

Stopped Regularly Eating German Rye Sourdough Bread

September 23, 2020 Leave a Comment

I stopped eating German rye sourdough bread on August 30, 2020, after three consecutive orders (about 10 days’ worth) were filled with product that was noticeably lighter, which made me think they had changed the recipe. Perhaps too much wheat flour and/or yeast were added.

The bread tasted different and was less dense and softer. Most importantly, the bread caused abdominal bloating post-consumption.

My last order was collected on August 28 and we finished the bread on August 30. I’m now on the lookout for another source of high-quality sourdough bread.

Ruck in the Neighborhood

September 23, 2020 Leave a Comment

Completed a 9.11 km ruck around the neighborhood, my first ruck for many months.

Picked up 5 kg of brown rice from Tesco, and carried it home in my backpack on the final 3.55 km.

Kombucha Is Not for Me

September 23, 2020 Leave a Comment

In an effort to improve my sense of well-being, I tried kombucha for the first time two weeks ago. The results were not as I had expected.

Kombucha Pineapple Flavored in Glass Bottle

My body did not react well to a trial of kombucha.

Drinking only about 150 ml per day, I felt fine on the first two days, but on Day 3, I experienced a distinctly depressed mood. Because nothing else, e.g. my diet, exercise, daily activities, had changed, I presumed the kombucha was the offending agent, so I stopped taking it. The weird feeling of apathy went away over the next few days. My conclusion is: kombucha – at least from this manufacturer – isn’t right for me. The kombucha was pineapple-flavored, but I don’t think that was the main problem.

Change in Workout and a New Strava Personal Record

September 22, 2020 Leave a Comment

In the past few months, and until three days ago, my exercise routine had mainly consisted of running or rowing. The duration of my workouts had been climbing steadily, and it reached a point where I was doing one of these activities (rowing or running) for about 85 minutes at one sitting. The penalty for this type of exercise routine was not being able to exercise for more than three consecutive days, sometimes requiring a rest day after only two consecutive days of exercise. So three days ago, I decided to do something different – I rowed for 60 minutes and followed that up with a 5 km run. It felt good. Because I was pressed for time on September 20, I simply rowed for 85 minutes so that I could complete some work later in the evening. Yesterday evening (September 21), I rowed for 60 minutes and ran 5.24 km. I felt fast but it was tough towards the end. I later found out I had run my fastest 5 km recorded on Strava!