Thank goodness, I am working from home today. We got more snow last night, and I really don’t want to get out in it. Plus, I went to bed early last night because of a bad migraine. I was actually on the couch watching Jeopardy, and I fell asleep before seeing Final Jeopardy. I love watching Jeopardy, so for me to fall asleep during it, it should be a sign that I was really feeling awful. I still have the same migraine this morning.
I have a few work things I need to do today, but it’s mainly to answer some emails. However, I also need to complete some final preparations for my class that starts next week. I am both excited and anxious about my class. I have taught World History, American History, and Art History, but I have never taught a college class that I have designed myself, and especially one without a textbook. No textbook exists for what I am teaching. I have created classes from scratch for high school classes but not for college and especially not for a mix of undergraduate and graduate students. It’s a subject I know a lot about, and probably one of the few experts today on this particular subject, but it’s all rests on me. It’s a new experience and while I know my subject, I think most of us can agree that a fair amount of anxiety goes with all new experiences.
One last thing, my visit with my doctor went well yesterday. There were several things I wanted to discuss with him, and it all went well. There was a new medicine I was hoping to talk to him about for my sleep apnea, and he actually brought it up first. I have trouble with waking up with a headache due to my CPAP, so I would love to be able to sleep without it. Also, I have had shoulder pain for several months. He told me it was a rotator cuff injury, but not a tear, so it won’t need surgery (this was my biggest fear), just physical therapy and a possible injection if PT is not enough. We also discussed my mother’s dementia. He understood what I was going through because he is going through a similar situation with his own mother. All in all, it was a good visit. My A1C, heart, and lungs are all good. I did not have a comprehensive metabolic panel done, but that will be done at my next visit in four months.
I forgot to add this to yesterday’s post, but here’s your Isabella pic of the week:
Joe
The Closet Professor 
January 3rd, 2025 at 3:34 pm
Isabella looks content! I’m not sure how much work I could get done if that lovely man was on my sofa…although truth be told I’ve been sick since Tuesday…I never turned on the TV yesterday, Joe! Also a huge Jeopardy fan…got to attend a filming back in the early 1990’s with one of my sons. We’re supposed to get some snow tonight but a monster storm is due on Sunday. I’ve already rescheduled my doctor’s appointment on Monday…I need to go Tuesday and Wednesday for some thyroid tests with radiation medicines…hopefully roads will be passable. I was told I wasn’t a candidate for the Inspire sleep apnea but I can’t remember why the pulmonologist said that…wonder if that is an option for you, Joe? I never had to teach a course without a textbook—I’ve taught real estate law to undergrads and legal research/writing to law students, but without any overlap of under & grad students. The course definitely sounds promising for you! Fitting the pieces together. Again, sorry about the migraines…
January 3rd, 2025 at 4:18 pm
I went through all the tests for Inspire. According to the ENT who did the laryngoscopy, I was not a candidate because my throat opens and closes the wrong way for Inspire to work. She said that a UPPP (the word is really long to spell out) might either cure the sleep apnea or change the way my throat closes so Inspire would work. The key word is “might.” I discussed it with my PCP, and he said it is one of the most painful surgeries to recover from and without a guarantee that it would work, he really didn’t think it would be worth it.
January 3rd, 2025 at 10:46 pm
Isabella 😹😻