I received a call from John’s wife, Teri, to find that he was in the hospital with some kind of intestinal blockage. He’d suffered from a bleeding ulcer a couple of years ago and had thought he was going through the same thing…but instead found a new way to get sick. I went to visit him later that day in an effort to make him feel better.
“Nice hospital. It’s been made possible by the money from your health care provider…you’re sick so damned much,” I said in a way of greeting.
He was in pain, but managed a confirming smile, thrilled to be seeing me again so soon.
“I knew something was up when you didn’t take a smoothie yesterday,” I said, implying that I could make a complicated medical diagnosis without the benefit of 10 years of college and a bunch of letters after my name. And I could, of course.
He had a tube shoved up his nose that snaked down his throat and into his stomach. It was there to suck things back out that weren’t moving into his intestinal system like they would be if he were normal. It was very uncomfortable and made talking difficult. I took this opportunity to pester him with questions.
“So…what about all this? How about the surgery on your neck…and should I figure on just coming to get your bike now since you’ll likely croak here?” I was at my sensitive best when dealing with John.
We talked baseball, the Adirondacks, and how fat he was over the next hour until he got to the point that he needed to rest and his throat was killing him.
“Thanks for coming, John Boy…you’ve really made my day,” he rasped…with what could have been sarcasm.
I checked on him later and things were improving. They didn’t think surgery would be necessary and were going to introduce fluids and if that worked, soft foods tomorrow. His neck surgery was postponed, though, which would mean we’d have even less time to get him back in shape for climbing this fall.
I got home late and decided to ride the trainer instead of doing the Survival Workout in the dark. I managed 90 minutes while watching “Takedowns and Falls”, which is the story of a Pennsylvania High School wrestling teams season and how they cope with a coach with cancer and the travails of intense training while trying to achieve a state championship. It was an excellent show for anyone trying to increase their motivation as it relates to achieving fitness or sports excellence... or reaching any kind of goal. These boys were driven, focused, and inspirational.
Bike Duration: 90 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1250.
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