Despite all the excitement, I am happy to report that I am pretty healthy for an old man, and I am open now to exploring new and old medicine while I get back on track and learn how to deal with the recent weather. It seems my body doesn’t like it.

I had my sixth-month check-up with Amy Eldridge, a warm and caring nurse, and my primary care physician. My tests were excellent. My heart is firm, my blood pressure low, my cholesterol perfect, my diabetes under control, and my stomach, kidney, and liver are all strong and healthy.

Amy had taken a close look at my foot and was impressed by my rapid healing and new brace. We talked long about some of my stomach episodes, including Sunday’s food poisoning and the several attacks of digestive reaction to we don’t-know what.

We also reviewed the intense hives, swelling, and itching that have kept me up at night on and off for several weeks. She dismissed diabetes as the problem and said I had been thoroughly tested all Spring for my surgeries.

There was no sign of any mysterious congestion or other problem. There were signs of an allergy, but after listening to me and reviewing my tests and descriptions, she said the pain she thought I was having was caused by the intense spring heat and my body.

She thought my long struggle to deal with my foot had left me weaker and more vulnerable, and the symptoms I had described to her were synonymous with a body struggling to stay calm, including digestive issues.

When the body heats up, she said the result is often sores, hives, itching, and frequent vomiting and diarrhea. She’s seeing a lot of this, she said.

I love a challenge, as she knows. This is one.

We went over a dozen ways to deal with this, from certain juices and teas to listening to heat alerts and obeying them (I admit that I don’t) and applying moisturizing lotion to my legs and arms at night. Maria was with me, and we both looked at one another and nodded. This seemed right.

Amy also suggested using ice on the mosquito bites I was getting while working outside in the garden beds, which I visit a dozen times daily.

I was surprised by this diagnosis; I was sure the itching was associated with diabetes or severe food allergy. She said my diabetes was diligently under control, but that was very unlikely – “you are a great patient, Jon,” she said (I blushed), and she doubted that was the cause of the hives and itching.

She said many people, especially my age, reported rashes, bumps, and hives from the powerful and often hot sun and intense humidity. The climate and the sun have changed, and so has the oppressive humidity. Storms occur almost daily. That can be tough on older lungs.

Maria and I put some pieces together; the troubles have almost disappeared since it got cooler this week. I find myself sweating and tired when I go outside around midday.

I will bring up some frozen water bottles when I sleep in case there is trouble at night and apply them to any hives or bumps.

And I’m sipping hibiscus tea as I write this. It helps keep the body cool.  My idea is to fend off the trouble before it occurs but respond forcefully when it does.

I’m checking out some herbs I’ve heard about. I’m also trying to cool off my head and body through meditation. This could be one of those times when Western Medicine and Holistic healing can be applied. Amy knows a lot about both.

The diagnosis feels right on Maria and me, and together went over the things I can do to keep my body cool even as the sun grows more robust and the atmosphere warmer.

I’ll share some of the details. No need to diagnose me, thanks; I trust Amy and wish to focus on her excellent advice. Your personal experiences and observations online will not be helpful to me.

She knows me and my body well and has closely followed all the surgical activity that has weakened me and me. As you know, I only accept medical advice from professionally trained people and people who get paid for what they do and who know me well.

She said it would take a while to return to normal; it would probably happen in the fall, in cooler weather. Sounds right to me. We’ll see.

She asked if I was having any trouble writing daily on my blog. No, I said, it was just the opposite. I’ve never written more or written better.

“Good,” she said, “you’re fine.”