Unless the number of times you have read this blog is in single digits then you have an idea what today’s post title is about. Here is a picture to clarify.
Yep, I covered 6.5 miles in 104 minutes (both being personal “records”) during my treadmill workout yesterday. This workout was a big middle finger to the medication I praised in this post. It turned out that Prasozin wound up giving me dizziness, weakness, and–most scarily–heart palpitations and tachycardia, a faster than normal heartbeat. That last combination of symptoms led to my second ER visit in less than 10 days about two weeks ago.
Although some research indicated that stopping the medication “cold turkey” was not advised, my dose was small enough (2 mg daily) that I decided to quit. The heart palpitations and tachycardia stopped within 36 hours of ending use of Prazosin. I “celebrated” the end of those symptoms with yesterday’s workout.
In the last 15 years, my body seems not to like taking new medications. That leads to a current dilemma. My endocrinologist has prescribed a medication for diabetes to take in addition to the Metformin I have been taking for 25+ years. This new medication, which has been on the market for quite some time, comes with a “boxed warning” about a potentially serious side effect that can be triggered as quickly as the first dose.
My mind has been racing about what to do. I tried to send a message to my endocrinologist through the “patient portal,” but was unable to do so. I could not leave a voicemail because I called after hours. (It’s about 3 AM local time as I am writing this.)
I take prescription meds twice a day and try to take them about 12 hours apart. My morning dose is usually taken between 5:30 and 6 AM. The endocrinology practice doesn’t open until 8 AM.
I think I am going to wait to take my first dose of the new medication until I least give the practice a phone call. Once again, it is said that growing older beats the alternative, but sometimes I am not so sure.
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REALLY switching gears, yesterday I purchased Mid-Engines & Mountains, a “film” produced by Everyday Driver, from Amazon Prime. It cost all of $4.95.
It is not a recent production as, continuing the theme of celebration, it was about Alfa Romeo’s return to the US market with this car.
The pictured vehicle is an Alfa Romeo 4C, which was produced in coupe form from 2013 to 2019 and in spyder (convertible) version from 2015 to 2020. The coupe was sold in the US from 2014 to 2018, when it had to be pulled from the North American market due to lack of compliance with US DOT NHTSA FMVSS 226: Ejection Mitigation. (Death To Bureaucrats!) However, the spyder was sold here until production ceased.
The creators and producers of Everyday Driver, Todd Deeken and Paul Schmucker, loved driving the 4C both on the highway and on twisting mountain roads. The 4C is one of a dying breed, a car sold without power steering. Of course, it only weighs about 2,400 pounds and is not a car designed for bumper-to-bumper traffic and parking lots.
The 4C looks like nothing else on the road. While it has received numerous awards for styling and in the sports car realm, in general, I readily acknowledge it’s not for everyone.
If it weren’t for the potential service headaches, due in no small way to the likely scarcity of parts, I could be tempted to buy a 4C. Although I am not likely to buy my next car from a traditional dealer, Autotrader has 19 of these listed for sale in the US with no reported accidents. None of them had an asking price starting with a “6.” The least expensive one, a 2015 model with about 31,000 miles, had a list price of about $42,000, much less than the price of a used 6-cylinder Supra with no reported accidents. So many cars just one life, indeed.
As every regular reader knows, I loathe the sameness of virtually all of the current offerings from automobile companies from around the world. While the 4C is a strong performer, 0-60 MPH in 4.2-4.5 seconds depending on the source, and with its mid-engine design it will handle as well as or better than almost anything else on the road, it is the unique styling that captivates me. Una bella machina!
#6.5Miles/104Minutes
#AlfaRomeo4C