One year ago today, I had a heart attack, and figured I should reflect and share some updates here.
Since my second Automattic sabbatical (May 2 – August 2), I walk an average of 20–25 minutes per day.
I’m not as strict on diet as I was a few months after the heart attack, but I still avoid beef and pork. (If I have chicken, it’s in the form of eggs.)
From early last month (September), results from blood tests are within range. My total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels are low. Relieved.
I got COVID-19 vaccine boosters in February and September; the latter was the bivalent vaccine. With both boosters, I experienced side effects like fever, chills, and elevated heart rate. After the first, I went to Urgent Care — and later, the Emergency Department — as a precaution because my Apple Watch warned me of an elevated heart rate while I was inactive. A doctor confirmed it was only side effects, and I should use acetaminophen.
Sunday, October 17th started as a normal workday. On my lunch break, I noticed that my chest felt uncomfortable, and I was sweating (even though the air conditioner was on). My wife also noticed that I kept stretching intermittently.
I decided to go to Urgent Care (Kaiser Permanente), so my wife drove me there.
After a nurse took my vitals, the physician assistant took an EKG. Things escalated quickly because the reading was abnormal, which meant I was having a heart attack. 😓
I did not expect to reach that milestone months before turning 40.
Paramedics arrived, then took me to Arcadia Methodist Hospital in an ambulance (with sirens blaring). After being prepped in the emergency department, I was wheeled into their cardiac cath lab. One of the things they did was insert a stent.
I was discharged two days later, then was off work through November 8th (about 22 days).
Before the heart attack, I was taking two medications (for blood pressure). Now, I’m on six medications (including blood thinners).
On November 8th, I had a follow up with my new cardiologist. 👩⚕️ At the moment, we don’t know the reason I had a heart attack, especially since my “bad” cholesterol isn’t super high. For now, all we can do is try to prevent another one. (Also, I’m supposed to wait until next year to get a booster shot.)
Today, I’d say I’m doing well, and am feeling less anxious as more time passes after having a heart attack. 😌
Since October 26th, I walk almost every day. 🚶 According to the Apple Fitness app, I missed maybe two or three days. I started slow with ten minutes, and am now up to 25–30 minutes. (Before, I didn’t walk regularly.)
I eat out 1–3 times per calendar week, but choose plant-based food. Before, I’m ashamed to write that there were definitely instances when I ate out two or three times in one day. The horror. (In Day One, I have a dedicated food log journal, and have been tracking what I eat since December 18th, 2018.)
Since the heart attack, the only meat-based products I’ve eaten are fish (usually for lunch), chicken (twice), and cheese (once).
I haven’t had a breakfast burrito since October 14th. 😄 My regular breakfast is instant oatmeal (organic), shelled hemp seeds, and unsalted peanut butter.
In addition to all the medical professionals, I’m extremely thankful for the support of my wife, friends, teammates and colleagues at Automattic, and Automattic for fantasticbenefits.
Lastly, if you’ve read this far and think it can’t happen to you, please review and consider the following:
article:modified_time of 2019-08-12T21:00:24+00:00
article:published_time of 2019-06-20T15:36:09+00:00
tl;dr: Boosted updated their post to reflect that on “August 13, 2019 [they’ll] begin shipping Boosted Rev to all customers”, and — for North American and European customers — you can expect it to arrive three weeks after making the full payment. No joy for New Zealand and Australian customers.
Later in the post, they mention August 14th.
I saved a few screenshot images of the full post, and am sharing for reference. Mainly excitement.
Maybe someone on the Booster Scooters subreddit will see it, and pass it along. (I don’t have a Reddit account at the moment.)
First two are cached from Google Search on Aug 11, 2019 11:18:17 GMT and Aug 12, 2019 11:17:57 GMT.
I’ve been using AirPods for about eight days. Feels great without the cord, and sounds good across lots of podcasts, music, and video. They stay in while smashing tickets, eating a meal, washing dishes, taking a walk, or riding a bus. I’ve also worn them successfully while lying in bed for a short period of time. They won’t stay in if I fall asleep, which I expected.
I’m usually around a power source, so I haven’t thought of battery life in depth. However, air travel is in my future,1 and I plan to leave my Sony MDR-7506 headphones at home to free up space in my backpack.
Looking at Apple’s product page, I haven’t used Siri with them yet. Perhaps I need to find some podcast episodes for very simple ideas. Suggestions welcome!2
A few times, I mentioned to Amy that wearing them makes me think of something from an episode of Black Mirror. Pretty trippy.
During my sabbatical last year, I completed one project where the end result was to close my Media Temple account. (It was a good run!) Going forward, I would be saving $22 per year. 💵
I had a grandfathered (gs) Lite plan (shared hosting) at $8.50 per month, or $102 per year.
RSS reader — I stopped using Fever2, and mainly use Reeder on my iPhone. After their trial, I kept my Feedbin subscription. $30 per year. I could tell that my feeds refresh much more quickly. Their site works well, too. 🙂
It lasted for about 2,388 days. I don’t know the exact date it arrived, but I added an entry in Day One after I broke it on April 6th, 2017 (during my sabbatical).
Annoyed with myself for breaking the screen of my Kindle. I rolled a bit on it.
While it isn’t cracked, per se, two thirds of the screen no longer update.
Last night, I placed them in my messenger bag. I had ventured out to visit a friend, and requested a pickup from Lyft1 to get home. After I got home, I couldn’t find my AirPods. Neither could my friend, or the Lyft driver.
After four or five times looking through my “empty” messenger bag, I realized there were exterior side pockets. I rarely use them; my stainless steel water bottle won’t fit.
Conclusion: The AirPods case can fit in those exterior side pockets. 😊
P.S. I wrote this post on January 22nd, and changed the date to reflect the day this happened.
Referral link. I earn $10 in ride credit if you use it for your first ride in Los Angeles. ↩
For if we are observed in all matters, we are constantly under threat of correction, judgment, criticism, even plagiarism of our own uniqueness. We become children, fettered under watchful eyes, constantly fearful that — either now or in the uncertain future — patterns we leave behind will be brought back to implicate us, by whatever authority has now become focused upon our once-private and innocent acts. We lose our individuality, because everything we do is observable and recordable.
Listened to a podcast episode titled, “The Hate Debate” (via Radiolab Presents: More Perfect by WNYC Studios). It was published on November 5th, 2017.
Should you be able to say and do whatever you want online? And if not, who should police this? More Perfect hosts a debate about online hate speech, fake news and whether the First Amendment needs an update for the digital age.
Definitely worth a listen.
Official runtime is about 36 minutes, and a bit less if you use Overcast with Smart Speed active. 😉
Tonight, Amy and I were playing Super Mario Kart on my Super NES Classic. Thanks to the Rewind feature, I recorded the end of a super close race with my iPhone.
I’m Koopa Troopa (top), and Amy is Toad (bottom). We joke often by saying, “Neck and neck!” This time, it was true. 😌
All Narfed Up 
You must be logged in to post a comment.