Early preview of chapter I wrote for Year Two Today

May 21, 2019

The last remaining Seven Wonders of the world.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest monument on the list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

17 months ago I learned I had Alzheimer’s disease.

I had no idea I would make it to this point to go to see The Great Pyramids.

We made the plan with hope and it succeeded.

This is the message of this book. I hope I can write a Year Three book with the same story.

Riding the camel was not on the bucket list.  My wife talked me into it.

It was challenging.

The worst  part was the moment the camel stood up.  

They said to lean back but I forgot to do it.

They gave no warning.

One second the front legs go up and I wheel back and then the back legs stand and I truly felt I was going to fall off.

My balance is poor.  

No camels to ride in Brooklyn, NY.

I survived the whole ride.

It didn’t help that a horse collapsed three feet away pulling a carriage.

I was shocked to see the horse lying on the sand entangled in the gear of the carriage.  Then they say “get on the camel”

All very disorienting.  

At the end I was glad I did it.

The experience of the camel sitting down was much easier for me.

I dismounted with one of the two guides helping me get my right foot over the head of the camel.

I got good potential photos for the cover of this Year Two book.

We left the Four Seasons at 8 AM.

It’s Ramadan presently.  Europeans don’t visit this time of year.

The desert wind was cooling and very pleasant.  

At the end I had perspired more than I have in a long time but it kept me cool in the breeze.

Riding downhill and being told to lean back, was terrifying.

Today I am very happy.  I feel a great sense of accomplishment.  

I don’t have any more items on my bucket list.

It was a great day of adventure.

Choose which photo I took today should be cover for Year Two

The last remaining "seven wonders of the ancient world"

The Great Pyramids of Giza 

Photo One

Photo Two

Photo Three

Photo four

Photo Five

Second memory palace

I made my second MEMORY PALACE of TOP 14 trips. 

  The first memory palace I made was done using the first floor of my house.  I memorized 44 European Nations.  Each day I go through them.  I do it also if I have trouble sleeping.


The second memory palace took much less time to make because it is only 14 items.

1- I start at the top of the steps going to the basement.
   Mount Everest

2- At the bottom of the stairs I turn right and see a photo hanging of me and my kids in front of
    Machu Picchu

3- I look above and there is a map of South America.  
    Chiva Bus/Train ride in Ecuador 

4- I turn left and walk along a wall of books.
    Great Wall of China

5- I turn continue around the round and see a wooden turtle
    Galapagos

6- I sit down and wrap a red blanket around me as I am usually cold.
    Antarctica

7- While sitting I watch TV and my computer feeling I am in a palace.
     Potala Palace, Tibet

8- I look to the left and there is a mural of Zion canyon.  I think of the best National Park.
    Lake Louise, Canada

9- I look across the room and see the wooden Komodo dragon at top of book shelf.
     Komodo dragons, Indonesia

10- I turn and see my wife coming down the stairs.  Her favorite place is:
      Petra, Jordan

11- I guide her right to show the photo of Andrew and I at
     Haleakala Mountain, Maui

12- Then at the next dresser I show her a photo of Andrew when he was around 8 years old.
       It reminds me of when I took Luke at the same age to"
       Glacier National Park,  Montana

13- I walk her to the next room where a Michael angel statue killing a demon which I purchased with my daughter Sarah in:
      Venice, Italy 

14- My wife then reminds me her daughter's Newfoundland dogs are visiting:
      Husky sleigh ride in Finland north of the Arctic circle with her. 

Top Two travel experiences my wife and I have enjoyed together.

1-Chiva Bus/Train ride, Ecuador




2-Husky sleigh ride in Finland 



My son (younger) and I hiked down into and up the Haleakala Mountain in Maui. 

My son (older) and I hiked a mountain in Glacier National Park.


My daughter and I spent five days walking around Venice, Italy

Top Places my and I have visited # 6-10

6- Antarctica 

7- Potala Palace, Tibet

8- Lake Louise, Canada

9- Komodo dragons, Indonesia

10- Petra, Jordan

Top Ten Places my wife and I have visited.

I am about to visit the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

I am into the second year of Alzheimer's.

I decided to go through my photos and make a Top Ten list now while I can.

It was work but it was fun.

I will also commit the Top Ten to a memory palace so when I am on the cruise I can rattle them off, and in hopes the Memory Palace will last longer than my present diminishing memory.


# One         Mount Everest fly by

# Two         Machu Picchu

# Three      Chiva Bus/Train ride Ecuador  

# Four.       Great Wall, China

# Five         Galapagos

Compare stopping Atorvastatin first replacing with Nicotinic acid 1,000 mg then adding on Zetia a month later

I think the chart above is difficult to digest.
I will try to help.
It was very difficult to get all the numbers and dates in order.
I hope I didn't make any major mistakes.
Let me know if I did.

I circled two boxes in green (green)
I think these two colu\ns are the most interesting. Follow yellow lines.

The inexpensive ROUTINE LIPID PANEL vs. NMR ADVANCED LIPID test (both done) 5-1-19
Non-fasting blood sample.
 It's a good way to see how your body handles the triglycerides post prandial

Notice how close the
TC (total cholesterol) 171 to 175
TG(triglycerides) 118 to 113
HDLc 61 to 63
nonHDLc (my favorite) 110 to 109
No discordance here, despite my Diabetes Type 2

Not much difference between the two lab techniques. 
It gives me confidence in the reliability of the inexpensive local lipid lab.
SURPRISING RESULTS?
This brings me to the first two columns on your left.
The experiment is about the effect of
Atorvastatin (Lipitor) 10 mg  vs Nicotinic acid (Enduracin) 1,000 mg

Lipitor does better in every category, evenith HDLc, TG and non-HDLc!

No doubt a statin is better than Enduracin. 

Always start treatment with low dose statin.  If not contraindicated. 

Enduracin is still a good add on drug for synergy even at 1,000 mg.  
See the Compell trial. 

Then to reach target add Zetia. 

Some might ask me,
"Why take a statin.  Your non-HDL is not so bad at 110."

I know I have atherosclerosis via CAC and CIMT

I also am high risk with type 2 Diabetes mellitus. 

I would like to keep my non-HDLc less than 70-80 

Both LDLp's were done on statin.

I would like to keep my LDLp less than 1,000

Next phase of experiment is to add Zetia to niacin.

UPDATE ADDING ZETIA TO ENDUR-ACIN WHILE ON 12 DAY CRUISE

5-1-19
No statin, on  Endur-acin 1,000 mg a day. 
TC 171
LDLc 86
HDLc 61
Remnants 24
TG non-fasting 118



6-12-19 After 12 day Mediterranean cruise. 
 No statin, on Endur-acin 1,000 mg a day and Zetia

TC. 152
LDLc 76
HDLc 59
Remnants 18
TG fasting 85

I find this interesting. 
Enduracin and Zetia do a good job without statin. 
I thought my cognitive exam was better this year compared to last year.
Cognitive exam for Alzheimer's yesterday link.

Some might argue Statins are good anti-inflammatories for AZ. 
However if it is all about how low you can go with LDLc,
perhaps the two drugs without statin is better?

I am waiting for my LDLp to return in a couple of days

Gretchen Reynold's NYT article on Exercise helping memory

This is an excerpt from Gretchen Reynold's NYT article

At KUMCR where I am participating in an Alzheimer's trial (non-treatment), I was told to do at least 150 minutes of exercise a week.

I think it is also important to keep LDLp less than 1,000 or LDLc less than 70.
Blood pressure should be kept as low as possible.
Blood glucose should be controlled as best as possible.
I keep my weight down with diet medications including diabetic meds such as Invokana, Victoza and Metformin.

Other than that I try not to try every nostrum on the internet.
I try to concentrate on having fun.
I am taking a Mediterranean cruise next month.  Very excited about it.


Gretchen Reynold's article with my editing to make reading easier for an Alzheimers patient link

This blog was very challenging for me to write.

 My Alzheimers was diagnosed in Dec 2017


Making the chart before was very difficult for me.

Having finished it I felt a great deal of accomplishment.

When reviewing articles I often transfer them to my goggle docs and then edit them with colors to make it easier for me to focus.  If you find an error please let me know.
I recently posted a big mistake on calculating non-HDL cholesterol.

I had to re-calculate it several times for the Advanced Lipid test which did not give it to me automatically as the Routine Lipid panel

TC (Total Cholesterol)
minus
HDLc

= non-HDL cholesterol

We left for Australian Circumnavigation Oceania Cruise on Dec. 5, 2018

We got off the cruise Jan. 16, 2019 and flew to Hawaii.

We left Hawaii and flew back to Topeka, KS on Feb 7, 2019 

Putting together this blog and summary index card for me with Alzheimer's  was a big challenge 
with the dates and numbers. 

Comparing Advanced NMR testing with routine lipid panel. 

On and off Lipitor and Enduracin (nicotinic acid)

                                              Above
                                      Feb/28/19

Baseline NMR test after cruise and Hawaii.
On STATIN.  
Off Enduracin

Above

May1-2019 

NMR report

Off Lipitor (statin) and On Niacin(Enduracin) 1,000 mg



                       Above Routine Lipid Panel

                            APRIL 2, 2019

OFF Nicotinic Acid 1,000 mg but on Lipitor 10 mg

                           Above       Routine Lipid Panel
MAY 1, 2019
OFF Lipitor but on Nicotinic Acid 1,000 mg and Lovaza 4,000 mg.
Glu 149  keto 1.9  wt 214.6

Non-HDLcholesterol goes up off Lipitor 10 mg for one month

I went off Lipitor 10 mg a day for a period of a month to see if my memory would get better with Alzheimer's.
I still have short term memory loss so it is very difficult to tell.
My non-HDL Cholesterol went up to 110 from 70.
My non-fasting  triglycerides went up to 118 from 90 despite taking Nicotinic acid 1,000 mg a day and increasing my Lovaza (omega 3's) to 4,000 mg a day.
The next part of my experiment is to wait for my LDLp level to come back.
Then I will start Zetia instead of going back to Lipitor.

The above lab from 4-2-19 was after being off Niacin and Omega 3's.
I was on Lipitor (atorvastatin 10 mg)
This was after a 34 day Oceania cruise around Australia.
Non-HDL cholesterol was excellent at 70.
NON-fasting triglycerides were excellent at 90.

I have been on Atkins or Low carb high fat diet since 2011.
Usually I am in nutritional ketosis.

Chris Wallace on Fox News is an honest man