When we heard that a vegetable guy drives around the neighborhood every Tuesday, we kept the front door open all day, hoping we wouldn’t miss his honking. All we knew was that he could appear anywhere from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm or…not appear.
At 5:30 pm, we heard a horn honking while I was upstairs changing, and Tom couldn’t move fast enough to try to explain to Raphael, who speaks no English, to wait a minute or two until I could come downstairs, put on my shoes and head out the door. I hadn’t moved that fast in a long time.
Once outside, I squealed with delight when I saw all the fresh-from-the-farm vegetables. I had to remember what we couldn’t eat that wouldn’t be cooked, but since we won’t be eating anything that may have been washed in the bad water here. It’s too risky. I did buy some carrots that I will parboil for a few minutes and then refrigerate, hoping they will be okay to snack on from time to time.
With my way of eating, I avoid carrots, but while here, I am a little more lenient, and Tom likes to snack on carrots occasionally. We had been talking about how wonderful it would have been this past week if we’d been able to have green beans or broccoli. Tom won’t eat the cauliflower. It’s a favorite of mine due to its low-carb content.
As we use each item, I will wash it with bottled water and then cook it to ensure any bacteria is killed, perhaps a little longer than usual. Soon, I will cook the cauliflower for breakfast to have with a few hard-boiled eggs. Tom hasn’t been wanting breakfast lately. Instead, he’s been having toast and jelly each morning with his coffee, which seems to hold him all day.
After we purchased all the vegetables from Raphael, we managed to explain to him to come by every Tuesday so we could buy more. None of these vegetables were available in the grocery store except for the onions. Next time we go to Manta in three weeks, we’ll find a different market, hopefully with more options, but we will continue to buy produce from Raphael.
We enthusiastically thanked Raphael, shaking his hand, and he seemed genuinely pleased to have provided his farm goods for us. I don’t think the price was a bargain, but at this point, there was no way we’d negotiate. After all, we only spent $8 and were happy to do so.
Once back inside with the vegetables, I found myself back in Afib. The result of moving so fast to get dressed, going down the steps from the bedroom, and putting on my shoes was enough activity to send me into a full-blown Afib event. Although my pulse never got over 103 beats per minute, I could feel the awful flutter in my chest that lasted for a few hours.
Resting and deep breathing after eating a light dinner, and eventually, it settled down. One can get Afib without a fast heartbeat. I wasn’t due to take the drug until 9:30 pm, so I waited patiently and calmly. I am not freaking out each time, as I had previously. We watched a few shows, but my mind was spinning on how much I needed to get some exercise. I have been sitting a lot over the past several months since this started again.
Today, I started a new, very slow, and easy exercise routine. Every 15 minutes, I stand up from the sofa or chair and step in place, vigorously swinging my arms for a step count of 25, not much but a beginning. Each day, I will increase the number of steps. In the interim, I test my heart every few hours to ensure I haven’t gone into Afib.
Doing this is a massive commitment since I plan to do it for 10 hours daily. This should contribute to improved cardiac health and potentially, eventually, improve the Afib. Also, I have set a goal to lose ten pounds, which I have carried for the past few years. I want to accomplish this before we leave here in 68 days, which is less than 1½ pounds a week. Losing even 10 pounds can significantly improve Afib.
I must thank Gary, one of our readers who said I should take advantage of the time here and get fit. I agreed with him but questioned if I could exercise with the problems with my legs and the Afib. Today is only Day 1, but those 68 days will pass anyway. Why not use them to improve my health?
That’s it for today, folks.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, November 1, 2013:
