One thing I always look forward to after my fast and annual blood work is having a lovely breakfast at the Corner Bakery across the street from the hospital. They have wonderful coffee and make a super bacon-egg-cheese sandwich.
I got my blood drawn and headed down to the Corner Bakery. No luck. Apparently, it became another casualty of the pandemic. Closed.
As this is the heart of the city, I went to a hotel and felt lucky to find that they also made a bacon-egg-cheese sandwich. Of course, because it was a hotel, the sandwich was twice as big and cost more than double, too. Nonetheless, it tasted incredible in my food deprived state.
I went back to the hospital after breakfast and saw my doctor. Despite the fact that I got my first two Covid shots from the hospital, they weren’t offering a booster yet. I asked my doctor if it would be a problem if besides getting my flu shot that day, I could also get a Covid shot at CVS. She said – no problem. I did just that. Actually, both shots on the same shoulder. I suffered no ill effects later.
My physical went well, no unpleasant surprises.
Here is an abbreviated chart of my bloodwork:
For the record, I take no drugs at this time. My resting heart rate is around 45 beats per minute, probably a result of my daily bike riding.
So far, so good, I am in my 81st year and going strong.
Because I write that you should get a flu shot every year, I realize that some people are resistant to it. However, there may be more reason than ever to get one this year.
Here’s what the Wall Street Journal says, “Covid-19 precautions suppressed flu cases last year, but public-health officials expect the flu to return this season. Lower lingering protection from fewer flu cases last year and higher levels of other viruses this year both signal the potential for a tough flu season….
“Flu immunity comes in two ways: through natural infection and through vaccines. Because there was so little flu last year, fewer people than usual have protection from infections last season. “There was essentially no infection last year to boost natural immunity, so we are relying on whatever natural immunity was pre-Covid,” says Richard Zimmerman, an infectious-disease epidemiologist and professor at the University of Pittsburgh, who works on flu modeling.
“Dr. Zimmerman says models that he and the university’s public-health dynamics lab published in two non-peer reviewed preprints predict a surge in flu cases this season with at least 100,000 more hospitalizations than normal.”
Tony
Wellness Secrets of a SuperAger 