I’m continuing to recover from my PAE procedure here in sunny Phoenix, AZ. I am thankful to report that the recovery is going far better than it seemed a couple of days ago. I will likely be able to keep on my schedule for the rest of this trip.
It is objectively hot here. Even the people who live here — Phoenix! — are commenting on the heat. Oddly, I’m not feeling it. I walked to a coffee house yesterday and while they were pulling my espresso, I sat out on their patio. People stared at me as though I was insane. Was it warm? Yes. Was I sitting in the sun? Yes. I’m always up for an opportunity to warm up my frozen feet and I was enjoying the warm. It was 7:30 am, so the temp was no where near triple digits. It was just… nice.
There are mitigating factors, of course. I’m not having to live, and certainly not having to work, in that sun. My only job here is recovering from my procedure, and propelling myself to coffee vendors and grocery stores (walking; as the “vascular closure device” in my femoral artery precludes riding a bicycle). When I’m not actually out walking, I have free and unrestricted access to air-conditioned spaces (but not the swimming pools, which like bicycles and sex are off limits for two weeks after my procedure). And, as they say, “it’s a dry heat,” with relative humidity around 15%. By contrast, the compound rarely gets over 85° but the humidity usually hangs out around 90%. Even a light sheen of perspiration is sufficient to cool my skin in ways to which I am not accustomed. I think that my brother was concerned that I would be terribly uncomfortable but, subjectively, it’s the perfect environment for my recovery.
—2p