Monday Breezes – What’s New at the Zoo

Happy Monday ladies. My husband decided we needed a break from our routine, and after returning from the gym, we took a detour on Sunday. Since we made the decision later in the day, we set out for the delta.

We got a latte in a small town, then parked by the estuary and read our books. It was only an hour’s drive to get there, but the vineyards, waterways and orchards made us feel like we were far from home.

Aortic Atherosclerosis

I had my annual lung cancer CT scan two weeks ago and was relieved to learn that my two existing small nodules had not changed. Wow! I am at high risk because I smoked a lot in my ignorant youth, plus my parents were smokers, which exposed me to copious amounts of secondhand smoke.

What they found was that I had aortic atherosclerosis. This was shocking because I don’t have high cholesterol, I’m not overweight, I exercise and I eat very healthily. This is one of those silent killers who show no symptoms until they have a heart attack or stroke. I feel very lucky to have caught them, but it makes me wonder what else might be undiscovered in my body. I went about my business without worry, thinking I knew what was going on with my health, when in fact I didn’t.

I just started listening to the seventh episode again. this book includes heart disease. The passing of this book in front of me a few weeks ago is quite simultaneous because it’s not my usual read. They’ve started giving me a statin to prevent more plaque from forming in the lining of my arteries, and I’m planning to see a cardiologist to find out the extent of the damage so far. Getting old is definitely not for sissy, and this one definitely shook me.

currently studying

I am reading this fascinating book to calm my nerves. Through meticulous research, the authors have created a fictional, candid portrait of the real-life Belle da Costa Greene. Belle was JP Morgan’s personal librarian, who had to hide her true identity and pass as white. He became a fixture of New York City high society and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for his impeccable taste and shrewd bargaining for critical work, while helping to create a world-class collection.

Have any of you had a full body PET scan? I’m considering getting one to base myself on other unmonitored parts of my health.