The week behind, the week ahead.

[autographedcat]

I've been a bit lax lately about updating this journal with "what's going on with Rob" stuff of late. This is partly because of late, life hasn't been all *that* interesting, and in part because other stresses keeping me from really wrapping my mind around writing here. But, since part of the point of this journal is to keep folks updated with what's going on with me, I'm going to try and do a bit better.


I've been thinking a lot more about my own health lately, and realized that the last time I'd had a complete physical examination done was just before I went off to college in 1988. To tell the truth, I've been generally healthy to this point, aside from a long-standing sinus condition, and haven't often felt a need to go see a doctor on general principles. On the other hand, its better to catch things before they turn into long-standing health issues, and I just turned 35 so its time to start keeping better care of myself.

So bright and early Monday morning, I went into my doctor's office for my scheduled appointment...and discovered that I'd misremembered the appointment time by a half-hour. Oops. I was initially going to need to reschedule, but one of the Nurse Practitioners had an opening in 15 minutes, and did I mind seeing her instead. I've generally found that NPs are perfectly capable of dealing with my routine medical needs, and so I said "Sure, no problem."

After going back to the exam room and getting the vitals and blood drawn, I got undressed and put on the absolutely ridiculous paper gown. Honestly, if it's for MY modesty, I'd just as soon do without. About the time I got dressed, the nurse who took my vitals popped in to inform me that they had a student working in the office today, and would I object if she did the exam instead, under the NP's supervision. I didn't, and a few minutes later I was treated to an extremely cute young lady who introduced herself as my examiner. I win. I don't know how, but I do.

So I got poked and prodded and swabbed and we discussed my eating and exercise habits (historically bad, working on making better), and all that fun stuff. The only immediately negative thing that came out of the visit was a warning that my blood pressure was high, and instructions to monitor it for 30 days and to come back in if it stayed at that level.

Wednesday, I got the lab work back. High cholesterol (not a surprise) and slightly elevated levels of something in my liver, for which I was told to abstain from Tylenol and alcohol for 30 days and then come into be retested. All the other bloodwork and tests came back negative, so while not a perfectly clean bill of health, at least only a few negatives to focus on.



Sometime midweek, tarkrai posted to the local filk list that he had an evening free on Saturday and did anyone want to come over and hang out and make some music? We certainly couldn't pass up that, so we set off for his place with guitar and songbooks and an Impossible Pie and a box of grapes to contribute to the potluck. It was a small gathering, but tarkrai has a small apartment, so that's OK. curiousmay9 was there when we arrived, and later Myra showed up with her daughter's friend Harry. Eventually, thatcrazycajun and singing_phoenix arrived. There was a lot of talk (relationship geeking, class and race theory, the multi-generational effects of starvation on a population...say what you want about fans, but they don't make boring conversation *grin*), and a lot of food (including steak for the main course and good fresh watermelon for dessert), and eventually we settled down to make some music. All in all, a fantastic way to spend a Saturday night, we went home full and happy.

Sunday was a lazy day, though we did manage to get to the gym to make up for my not going on Friday. I spent a few minutes warming up on the stationary bike, and then took advantage of the fact that on a Sunday afternoon the basketball court was deserted, and played about half an hour of a game of my own devising, which involves making as many baskets as you can in the span of 10 missed shots. The key to this for exercise is that if you miss, you have to recover the ball, and then make your next shot from wherever you regained control of it, and you have to rotate your starting shots (the ones you make after hitting a basket) from a set of rotating points, so you can't just find your groove in one spot and stay there. A the end of 30 minutes of this, I was feeling the effects, and called it a successful day of exercise, and a lot less boring than the treadmill.



Today, I had my first appointment with an ENT to try and access what can be done about the last of my sinus problems. I had given up in frustration after being shuttled around after my surgery, when no one could quite figure out what was causing the last of my symptoms. This new doctor was recommended to me by one of my co-workers, and I figured it was about time to try and get a handle on this.

I had a nice discussion with him about where this came from, and what had been done to treat it. He examined the visible part of the nasal passages and remarked on what the surgeon had done, and said that that, at least, still looked successful. Nothing had closed back up after so much had been done to knock it all open. We discussed a variety of environmental issues that might or might not contribute, and I've been tasked with two courses of action for the next week:

1) I have a prescription for Zantac, which I'm to take twice a day. Although I don't suffer from the obvious symptoms of acid reflux, some people apparently have what he called "invisible reflux", which can cause the upper respiratory system to shift into high gear and create the congestion

2) I've been instructed to avoid dairy products for 2 weeks, to test if I have a milk allergy. This is actually hard for me, because while I *can* live without milk, cheese is a big part of my daily diet, and it's going to be hard to avoid. But in the interests of better breathing, I'll try anything.

I have a followup on 10/14 to see if we've made any progress.



Coming up this week:

• Lunch date with klrmn tomorrow.
  
• Followup to my GP to discuss my blood pressure, which remained so constant I asked them if they really wanted me to wait a month before coming back in. They said, "Can you come in tomorrow?"
  
• Dermatologist appointment on Wednesday to remove a small cyst
  
• Lunch date with kitanzi on Thursday
  
• Serenity opens on Friday. Woooo!
  

So, um, thanks for reading all that. How are you?

Comments

[braider.livejournal.com]

I did my first-ever Presentation In Front Of A Bunch Of People At Work today - and I did well!

*hug* Glad to hear you're getting looked at - and by pretty women, to boot.

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

Yay! Presentations in front of a bunch of people can be hard. I'm lucky that I spent a couple of years teaching and got used to it.

*hugs*

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

So, um, thanks for reading all that. How are you?

Sucky, but I figure people don't want the details.

Glad to hear you're getting good doctor work. Enjoy Serenity, it's GREAT!

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

Well, if you care to share them, we care enough about you to listen. *hug* Hope things become non-sucky soon)

We'll definately enjoy Serenity! After all, we're the only two people left in America who haven't seen it yet, or does it just seem that way. :)

[magid.livejournal.com]

Definitely more than two left who haven't seen Serenity yet... Very soon now...

[wheezinggirl.livejournal.com]

It just seems that way. We haven't seen it either, but that will all chance on Friday!!!

[callibr8]

Haven't seen it either... and definitely looking forward to doing so!

*hug*

[heathrow.livejournal.com]

Glad to see this big ol' post from you. :)

I think the lack of dairy will probably help the whole diet thing. ;) Get healthy, brother! We need you around!

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Planning on being arround. Just bemused at having four doctor's appointments with three different doctors in a 2 week span.

Lack of dairy might help the whole diet thing, but.....cheese. I love cheese. And milk. And butter, and....*pout*

[magid.livejournal.com]

Some people have big reactions to one form of dairy, while the others are less problematical...

[zencuppa.livejournal.com]

I am still transitioning from full time stay at home Mom, to fulltime/flexible schedule freelance writer/Mom.

So, other than the occasional whiplash of change, good :-)

And on the health front, I am starting running again this week, wish me luck!

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

Even the whiplash of change can be good, as long as you can roll with it. :)

Good luck on the running thing. Remember, don't look back -- something might be gaining on ya! *hug*

[poltr1]

Clue me in. I'm guessing thatcrazycajun and singing_phoenix live in Louisiana and made it out OK. If so, that's Good News!

Oh yeah. Eat your oatmeal. :)

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

Originally, yes, Matt is from LA, but he and Mary met in NYC and now live in Atlanta courtesy of Mary's employer promoting her a few years back.

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

They currently live in Atlanta. thatcrazycajun is originally from LA, and singing_phoenix is actually in LA right now for her work.

I love oatmeal, though I usually eat oatmeal in milk. No dairy. See, its insideous!

Of course, kitanzi points out that in two weeks, I either find out it has remarkably helped my sinus problems, *or* I get my dairy back. So it's a temproary thing.

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

And if it fixes your sinuses, I think you'll find it's worth it. (And if it doesn't, I'll take you out for ice cream to celebrate the return of dairy!)

[magid.livejournal.com]

What's Impossible Pie?

(Glad the health stuff is manageable.)

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

A Bisquick concoction. You can find recipes on the boxes.

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

Exactly so, though it's much more flexible than their version. You can pretty much put whatever you want in it, though something wet like tomatoes should be de-seeded, and still require a little more cooking time. I usually like to do italian ground sausage and broccoli and shredded cheddar cheese. Super easy and very tasty.

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

Basically, its meat and veggies and cheese in a Bisquik crust. I maintain that the pie is merely Improbobable, but no one really listens to me. :)

Manging the health as best I can. Can't fall over and die before I get a chance to see you again, can I? *hug*

[magid.livejournal.com]

Just as long as it's either Impossible or Improbable, but not Infinitely Improbable; otherwise we'd have to find a warp drive fueled by it :-)

Exactly. *hug*

[maedbh7.livejournal.com]

I'm doing ok; thanks for asking :) My toe continues to be infected; I am not impressed. *hugs* -H...

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

I lecture your toe sternly! (And hug you!)

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

I know all too well how that feels. Hope you feel better son, love. *hug*

[joyeuse13.livejournal.com]

No cheese??? *hand to forehead*

I'm glad you're taking care of yourself.

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

I am too, though I'm torn on the dairy experiment. If it succeeds, then I pretty much have to give up stuff I love forever. If it fails, I don't, but I'm no closer to finding the solution to the problem. Catch-22.

*hugs*

[joyeuse13.livejournal.com]

There are soy versions of some cheeses, but I don't know how good they are, or how close to the real thing.

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

I haven't tried. I have tried soy milk and didn't think much of it. I'm not bothering to spend much time looking for alternatives until I determine this is going to be a long-term thing or not. (So far, I haven't noticed much effect, but it's still early days.)

[jerusha.livejournal.com]

If you do end up having to give up on dairy, let me know and I'll get you contact information for a co-worker of mine who had to give up dairy for that reason.

(Short form: some milk-substitutes are palatable, others less so, some will cook like milk and other won't (and that set doesn't necessarily map to the first set); there are no good soy hard cheeses, but "cream" cheese and sour "cream" are solved problems.)

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

I've been better, but we'll see.

I'll give you and kitanzi a call on Friday night after I get to Atlanta?

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

That sounds fabulous. Looking forward to seeing you! *hug*

[kyttn.livejournal.com]

It is so lovely to see a nice long entry from you about what is going on for you.

I'm glad to hear you are on Zantac. You might see if you have a local BJs or Sam's Club if they are less expensive than prescription Zantac. Dr. B recommends the Ranitidine (generic) 150 mg po bid to a great many of her patients. Ranitidine is what we call an H-2 blocker, so it not only works for acid reflux/GER, but also interacts with histamine receptors that are not affected by regular antihistamines. Here I can get a bottle of 100 75 mg tablets at Sam's Club for about $4, just in case it is worth your while to look around.

*HUGS*

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

Checking my bottle, they did indeed fill it with Ranitidine. My doctor has me taking 300mg twice a day. He explained that normally, that'd be a 1/day prescription, but with my size, he expects I should take it twice.

Of course, Wal-mart's pharmacy filled it and said I didn't owe them anything for some odd reason. Who am I to argue with a zero dollar copay? *shrug*

I'll try not to be so absent from these pages in the future. *hug*

[a-blue-moon-cat.livejournal.com]

Health problems are no fun. :( Hope things get better. :)

You know, what's strange about all this is that I remember when you started on LJ, and I thought that an on-line diary was kinda strange/silly/whatever? *smiles* In a way, I stil do, still I don't post my life details for my flist to read, most of the time. Best to keep my rants private. *grins* But LJ has a lot more to offer than just diary-keeping, and those are the parts that I enjoy. :) I still stumble across LJs that read like some high-schooler's diary, and those are quite boring! Went back to skul 2day after flu. JB and SH borke up. Jilly still hates me! I hate u, too!!!! And these are always public ones, you know? *laughs* So sure the poor dears have *no* idea that anyone can google and read their LJ. *snorts*

Well, I couldn't give up dairy either. So I hope you don't have to. That soy stuff just does not taste like the real thing, no matter what anyone says. :)

About the salt business: don't forget that there is a hell of a lot of salt in prepared food, in cans, in frozen dinners, eating out, etc. Canned gravy has more salt in it than you can shake a stick at, for example.

As for me, things are pretty much the same. If I don't get a promotion at work, though, I'll have more time to job-hunt. Ugh. And by checking my LJ, you can see that I have become totally into the wars that are starry. :)

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

Health problems are no fun. :( Hope things get better. :)

Thanks. *hugs* It's really mostly minor stuff, on the whole. Just aggrivating to deal with. As my dearest cadhla said to me the other day, "The human body is facinating. I mean, how does it work?"

You know, what's strange about all this is that I remember when you started on LJ, and I thought that an on-line diary was kinda strange/silly/whatever? *smiles* In a way, I stil do, still I don't post my life details for my flist to read, most of the time. Best to keep my rants private. *grins* But LJ has a lot more to offer than just diary-keeping, and those are the parts that I enjoy. :) I still stumble across LJs that read like some high-schooler's diary, and those are quite boring! Went back to skul 2day after flu. JB and SH borke up. Jilly still hates me! I hate u, too!!!! And these are always public ones, you know? *laughs* So sure the poor dears have *no* idea that anyone can google and read their LJ. *snorts*

Yeah. I don't tend to get super-deep in here, but it *is* a useful place to let people who care how I am know how I am and what's going on in my life. I sort of see it as an "open letter" to my friends than a diary. Everyone brings to and takes from Livejournal what they need, I suppose.

Well, I couldn't give up dairy either. So I hope you don't have to. That soy stuff just does not taste like the real thing, no matter what anyone says. :)

Four days in, and I haen't seen a change, so I dunno. I'll give it the fully 2-3 weeks the doc asked for, and we'll see where it stands then.

About the salt business: don't forget that there is a hell of a lot of salt in prepared food, in cans, in frozen dinners, eating out, etc. Canned gravy has more salt in it than you can shake a stick at, for example.

Oh, yeah. And hamburger helper and the like are packed with sodium. Been trying to eat healthier as a general rule anyway.

As for me, things are pretty much the same. If I don't get a promotion at work, though, I'll have more time to job-hunt. Ugh. And by checking my LJ, you can see that I have become totally into the wars that are starry. :)

Good luck on either the promotion or the job-hunt. And yeah, noticed the Star Wars thing, but it doesn't surprise me. I seem to recall we owned both the original and non-special edition Original Trilogy on Laserdisc, once upon a time. :)