RV Traveler HEART ATTACK… What you may wish to consider IN ADVANCE — and when it occurs…
I’m in Saratoga Wyoming – ACTIVELY recovering. For me that means Biking, Walking, Kayaking – and of course soaking in the world famous (110F) HOT springs here
Well, it happened again. And, there IS some concerning plaque in my arteries. I detail all this in my video below. I’m not going to dwell on it in my written post below as there’s LOT’s of good stuff going on here in Saratoga while I “rest and relax.” But… I will say this… I FULLY intend to continue living life to its fullest and feel NO limits on my physical abilities (beyond respecting that I’m about to turn 68!)
Saratoga Lake Campground
This is one of those places where it is helpful to have an 80 gallon fresh water tank! And of course, showers at the hot springs in town – thus allowing me to minimize my water use at the campsite. Saratoga Lake provides electric for $25. per night just outside of town. Its up to you to hold your water and fluids. I’m staying 3 weeks which is just about my limit before I need to dump my camper’s tanks.
The Lake
A great place to paddle – well, sort of. At 7300 ft elevation in the Platte Valley, its a breezy place, so I have to be selective when I go out to paddle in my inflatable kayak. But there HAVE been a few good days. When I’m not paddling, I ride my trike. Generally about 4 miles (on gravel roads) – its a good workout and takes me about a half-hour which I figure is great for my circulation.
Mirror Lake
Just 40 minutes up the Snowy Mountains sits Mirror Lake. In my video, I have a couple of spectacular panoramas of the area – made even more special by a recent (late May) blizzard with extensive snowbanks remaining on June 23rd! (And, yeah, the water was COLD.)
I was a bit apprehensive about paddling at 10,000 ft. elevation given what happened recently, but after 35 minutes of paddling (with moderate winds), I was still fine – not winded or gasping for air or anything! AND… for most of my time there, I was the only person at or in the lake!
After a great paddling session, I descended to Laramie to get some quality food at the Big Hollow Food Co-op and the Farmstand on 3rd St. The Farmstand is known for local ranchers meats.
My Diet
I promised I would leave most of this to the video, but I will comment here on food…
As I noted in my video, I dropped about 50 pounds when I started “intermittent fasting” in late 2021. I also went low carb. That leaves fat & protein as food groups. Of course, I aimed for quality (organic) fats and proteins including avocado, avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, fatty natural meats (salmon, ribeye, ground meat, and wild salmon.
I believe my failure was diverting from this strict approach and including mocha lattes, weekly pancakes, and occasional (or more than occasional) desserts. I have now eliminated ALL of these – I will get more blood work in a few weeks to see what has changed since the heart attack on Jun 2.
Interestingly, certain markers were excellent at that time, like A1C of 5.1, others were not good, like Triglycerides of 255 at that time.
Medical Needs for RV Travelers
I’m actively planning a new post on how Medicare / Medishare is working for me, now 3 years into these plans. In a post written about a year ago that was associated with getting (expensive) hernia surgery. I detail some of the considerations as an RV traveler. In some ways, OUR needs and situation ARE unique. Here’s my report called “Healthcare Insights” sharing what I experienced and discovered at that time.
Upcoming plans and posts
I’m remaining active. Just today (Jun 30th), I went to the hot springs (109F water) for an hour or so, then did a 5 mile bike ride on gravel roads, then swam 300 yards, then walked (in a lazy river) for 20 minutes (against the flow!) I just came back in (a few hours later) from a 0.5 mile walk. This evening will be the “cool pool” at the hot springs (about 100F.)
After the Independence Day (250th!) Weekend, I will be heading west to the Idaho Falls region. I plan to arrive by July 10th and will stay for at least 1 month, perhaps 2. After then, I head NORTH to get back to my winter ski and ski instructing site near Lookout Pass, Idaho.
Hey, I’d love to hear from you – you can post below in the comments section OR below the video (click on it to load the YouTube page and you can post there.)
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Hey Alan!
I’ll be 68 too this year and luckily not on any medications. I also do the intermittent fasting and lost 30 lbs with a more balanced diet. Good to hear you’ve recovered quickly from your heart attack. You certainly stay active!!
Congrats on the routine you’ve created. And, yes, fast recovery and continued activity. I’m about to do a morning bike ride. Al
Alan glad you are doing OK after the heart attach. I skied a couple of runs with you at Lookout this last winter. I won’t see you this next year as I plan to ski bum in Aspen. Leaving for there in November to get a job for purpose of getting free ski pass.
Jim, I recall. Good to hear from you. Good luck in Aspen, I’ll be interested in hearing whether you like it as much as Lookout. I mean that as the crowd there is *quite different* from Lookout! I’ll be interested in hearing your perceptions. And yeah, i’m coming along nicely. Thanks! Al
Al! Oh my goodness! I have the same story from 2014! Two sents at that time and I have continued with a very healthy diet which is a lifestyle for us vs. diet. All the good stuff that should be common sense these days but also a little bit of ice cream once in a while for fun. Playing a ton of Pickleball now so that helps with the exercise. Stopped taking any Stains a few years ago and (argued with my cartio docs on that one.) Feel great and monitoring closely with my regular doc. I am so glad that you did what you did and you have a great plan going forward. You look and sound great! Stick with the plan and we will look forward to your future posts! Thanks, PS I also believe God had a huge hand in play with my decisions on the day of my heart attack!
Amen, its ALL under God’s control. The cardiologist currently has me on 20mg rosuvestatin (sp?) daily.What I do hear about this statin is it will help reduce inflammation – and some practitioners suggest 5mg perhaps 3-4x/week – I plan to explore that w/ the cardiologist AND a naturopath. Yes, once I get beyond this, I’m sure I’ll incorporate ice cream once in in a while. Pickleball is good because it also involves some level of high intensity training. All the best and stay in touch, Al
Glad you are recovering. I hope you continue to have a full life of enjoyment. Purchasedmy second Outdoor RV and I m looking forward to continued travel throughout my home state of Alaska and hopefully again snowbird in the southwest for the winter.
Thanks John! Yesterday I did a morning soak in the hot springs, went for a 5 mile bike ride, swam 300 yards, and then 20 mins. of walking in a ‘lazy river’ against the flow – yeah, I’m coming along. Congrats on the 2nd ORV. I’m still in my 2018 Glacier Peak.
Al, your posts are and comments are the best! I am 108 days from retirement after 50yrs of working for a paycheck and looking forward to traveling and a BIG Snow ski season where I can plan my trips on my own time. I am new to Medicare so will read that post as well being concerned about how that works on travel. As we used to say in my past helicopter pilot life – keep your skids below the rotors and your turns up! Life is good.
Ted,
Thanks for reaching out. Congrats on reaching retirement. With medicare, I hope you went for a supplemental Plan G. I chose medishare (feel free to call me 307 269 2546) and I’ll detail why you save significant $$ with them in comparison to traditional insurers. Plan G is important for travelers – NOT medicare advantage!! Al
Stay healthy Al! I haven’t had any heart attacks, but I have been struggling with diabetes and insulin resistance for some time now. I recommend, if you can find it, Berberine berries and something called Sumak, a spice. These two items, poured into my tuna salad, have really helped with my blood sugar….
Joel,
Thank you for reaching out. I do take berberine capsules daily, along with glycine and NAC. Together they enable the body to make glutamine. I also take a bunch of other natural supplements. My A1C is 5.1 (a solid number), when I was in the hospital, they ran my glucose, it was 99, “normal” but at the upper end, but I had eaten 6 hours earlier. In about 2-3 weeks I will have more blood tests. I’m seeing a naturopath and a cardiologist. I am now adhering to a strict intermittent fasting, low carb diet. In my video I talk about cheating in recent years – after some great success. Guess I thought I had it beat! Silly me. Anyway, I’m still kicking and intend to get a handle on this.
Your insulin resistance will be helped by narrowing your window during which you eat. I eat at 11am and 5pm daily and then go 17 hours with no food (no snacking!) Further, its carbs that convert rapidly to sugar (especially processed foods, starchy carbs and sweets) – avoid them. And for the fats and protein – makes sure its quality – organic, grass fed, wild caught salmon, etc.
Keep on keepin on!
Stay healthy Al! I haven’t had any heart attacks, but I have been struggling with diabetes and insulin resistance for some time now. I recommend, if you can find it, Berberine berries and something called Sumak, a spice. These two items, poured into my tuna salad, have really helped with my blood sugar….
My doctor has me on Monjoro. I have cut my medication by 70% and continue to improve. Will check out the information you gave on Sumav and Berberine berries.
Ooh, I do NOT trust GLP1 drugs. Read about the serious side effects. There’s a lot to it, feel free to call me 307 269 2546. Cutting meds is a good thing, but I’m a FIRM believer in taking a nutritional/supplement approach. I view all the pharmaceutical crap I’m on at the moment as TEMPORARY