It was a near perfect day in Cannon Beach yesterday. I woke up wondering how my body was going to react to having walked all day along the beach and up and down the dunes. It feels good! I'm a bit weary, but I was more active yesterday than I was the entire previous month.

I don't understand if this is something to be trusted. Is the medication making me feel better, or is it actually kicking in and correcting something? Yesterday was the first day since the beginning of January that I didn't have to lie down. I coughed very little. This sudden change in less than a week feels like a miracle. It seems serendipitous that this change coincides with the appearance of sunshine.

The worst thing that happened on our big adventure yesterday was that our dog Maddie chewed all the seat belts off the jeep.

They're replaceable.

-- Mike Ashland of Oregon is writing a blog about his battle with heart failure.

Page 5: "Dialing back the machismo"

To return to the beginning of Mike's Blog, click here.

First published August 10, 2006
Copyright © 2006 Consumer Health Interactive

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