Saw my doc' this morning; my cholesterol is terrible and I have no choice but to significantly alter my diet, continue to exercise (or in my case, stay on the bike) and take a little statin drug called Prevachol. As of this evening, with my first dose, I am now one of the millions of people taking anti-cholesterol statin drugs.
My family history is thick with all kinds of heart problems ranging from high blood pressure to high cholesterol to heart attacks. Given that history and the fact that my first high cholesterol reading came nearly six years ago, my doctor and I agreed that there was little reason to put off the inevitable- so I am on statins now. I am going to be improving my diet and getting back on the bike as much as my schedule will allow... and now I have doctor's orders to exercise!
The terrible crash I had at the end of April nearly killed me... but it didn't. I don't plan to let high cholesterol kill me either. Ultimately, I have too much I want to live for. Life is tenuous at best and I got a lot closer to understanding that fact than I would like to ever get again.
So now my desire to return to riding full-time and losing weight takes on a whole new level of importance for me. I'll certainly have breaks in the riding again and again, especially with all the travel I normally have to do, but I am hoping I can keep my commitment to myself to stay healthy and stay alive.
We'll see what happens...
Tim
Showing posts with label Life is too short. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life is too short. Show all posts
Monday, January 12, 2009
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Tragedies
A lot has been said about the tragedy in Mexico that claimed the life of one cyclist and injured at least 10 others. I can't even begin to find all the links and discussions about this terribly senseless tragedy.
The best commentary I've seen on this though belongs to Dave Moulton. It's no secret that I have immense respect for the Dave as a framebuilder, but I also have great respect for him as a writer. His post is eloquent and fitting. I won't even bother to try and say anything more because he does it far, far better than I could ever hope to.
My good friend Stevil at How to Avoid the Bummer Life had a post up yesterday about the incident. Then he pulled it down and replaced with another post- trying to bring back a little less of the Bummer. But ultimately that post came down too- after all, the blog is a marketing extension of the Swobo brand. As a marketer myself, I can see the reasoning... but as a cyclist I can also see the need to share the tragedy as a way to remind all to be careful and thankful and to pray for those touched by this incident. Solidarity and community are really important- I know this now more than ever.
My friends from the Spokesmen and I have been talking about this incident via email this morning as well. Is it good or bad to show the terrible image and is it good or bad to really even discuss it. There are concerns over the friends and families of the injured and killed, as well as sheer decency over continually spreading the image of somebody losing their life in such a terrible way. Like CyclingNews did with their mention of the incident, I've chosen not to show the picture. I have chosen not to because it simply hurts to much to see. I was the victim of a hit and run crash nearly four years ago and I am now recovering from injuries in a racing crash. Knowing a little too intimately how the survivors feel makes it hard to look at or show the picture. Also, I must admit that if pictures existed of my accident, I would feel a little sick seeing them on the Internet- because it was traumatic and was something that emotionally impacted my daughter as well as me (since she was there).
My point is that I do feel it is necessary to talk about this and to be upset about it. But I think we all make our own judgment calls on how we choose to do it and what we choose to say, or show. I'm lucky to be alive today, as are the 10 other crash victims. I give thanks every day that I get to see my kids and deal with the healthcare headaches I have. Life is a blessing and is never a guarantee. I share in the pain of this tragedy and I hope that everybody who reads this will pray for the victims and the people who love them. I also hope that everybody will take a moment to love themselves and their families and friends. I've said it before, but life is far too short and we never know when our understanding of it will change dramatically and without warning.
Ok, enough with the heavy thoughts for today.
Tim
The best commentary I've seen on this though belongs to Dave Moulton. It's no secret that I have immense respect for the Dave as a framebuilder, but I also have great respect for him as a writer. His post is eloquent and fitting. I won't even bother to try and say anything more because he does it far, far better than I could ever hope to.
My good friend Stevil at How to Avoid the Bummer Life had a post up yesterday about the incident. Then he pulled it down and replaced with another post- trying to bring back a little less of the Bummer. But ultimately that post came down too- after all, the blog is a marketing extension of the Swobo brand. As a marketer myself, I can see the reasoning... but as a cyclist I can also see the need to share the tragedy as a way to remind all to be careful and thankful and to pray for those touched by this incident. Solidarity and community are really important- I know this now more than ever.
My friends from the Spokesmen and I have been talking about this incident via email this morning as well. Is it good or bad to show the terrible image and is it good or bad to really even discuss it. There are concerns over the friends and families of the injured and killed, as well as sheer decency over continually spreading the image of somebody losing their life in such a terrible way. Like CyclingNews did with their mention of the incident, I've chosen not to show the picture. I have chosen not to because it simply hurts to much to see. I was the victim of a hit and run crash nearly four years ago and I am now recovering from injuries in a racing crash. Knowing a little too intimately how the survivors feel makes it hard to look at or show the picture. Also, I must admit that if pictures existed of my accident, I would feel a little sick seeing them on the Internet- because it was traumatic and was something that emotionally impacted my daughter as well as me (since she was there).
My point is that I do feel it is necessary to talk about this and to be upset about it. But I think we all make our own judgment calls on how we choose to do it and what we choose to say, or show. I'm lucky to be alive today, as are the 10 other crash victims. I give thanks every day that I get to see my kids and deal with the healthcare headaches I have. Life is a blessing and is never a guarantee. I share in the pain of this tragedy and I hope that everybody who reads this will pray for the victims and the people who love them. I also hope that everybody will take a moment to love themselves and their families and friends. I've said it before, but life is far too short and we never know when our understanding of it will change dramatically and without warning.
Ok, enough with the heavy thoughts for today.
Tim
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