I won't say it was a busy month, but as always the time passed. January was a time for us to to get used to a new routine of diet and exercise. Don started his cardiac rehab with a visit to the program and a scheduled follow up stress test with his cardiologist. Dr Allen is a pretty cool cucumber -meaning he is a great guy, very approachable and also very serious. Don was fortunate to be in his shift at the Sturgeon and become his patient. He is one of the top rated cardiologists in the area and his office is in Spruce Grove.
As for the diet part the changes needed mostly were salt reduction. And the hard part about that is we don't even add salt in our daily cooking. So reducing takes some serious homework. Of course we know that processed foods contain a lot of sodium, but it's the day to day that sets you back and causes some serious considerations. So not to bore you with an in depth lesson, but it's been a learning curve.
On a brighter note here are some pictures from this month.
We have some good travel news. After having a major health problem we hear many stories from people who are challenged with the costs of travel health plans. When Don retired we chose the Alberta Teachers Plan, which is offered to public service retirees on a one time only opportunity. After researching costs and knowing we would want to travel out of country regularly we selected their plan. For a regular monthly fee we would have up to 120 days of out of country coverage. But once again because of the stories we've heard, we weren't comfortable planning our spring trip until we confirmed our plan. It's as solid as we had hoped. Other than waiting 90 days from his heart attack to travel, we are covered at no additional costs or paperwork. So our departure date is March 12!
Have a good month and be thankful for your families and the challenges life gives you. This makes us stronger!