When Isabella woke me up this morning, I was not ready to start the day. I got up long enough to feed her, then crawled right back into bed for a little while. Now I feel like I’m running behind and trying to catch up.
I’ve had a migraine since Wednesday night. At times it seems to ease up enough that I think it’s finally breaking, but then it comes right back. I’m heading to work today, but if I’m honest, I’d much rather turn off the alarm, pull the covers back over my head, and sleep for the rest of the morning. I’m hoping today is the day this migraine finally lets go.
This will be short because I woke up with a migraine and am heading back to bed as soon as I finish writing. I got up long enough to feed Isabella, send a text to my boss, and put together this post.
Some mornings are just like that. The best thing I can do is listen to my body, take my medication, and rest. Hopefully, a few more hours of sleep will help, and I’ll be feeling better later today. Until then, Isabella has been fed, work has been notified, and I’ve done the one thing I wanted to accomplish this morning.
I worked late last night giving tours to kids attending a camp on campus this week. It was after 9:00 p.m. by the time I got home, which meant it took me a while to wind down for the night. Even Isabella seemed to notice. She let me sleep a little later than usual this morning, a rare gift from a cat who normally believes that breakfast should be served at precisely the same time every day.
I’d really like to go back to sleep for a while, but I know that’s probably not going to happen. Once I’m awake enough to feed Isabella, my day has effectively begun. She may return to one of her favorite napping spots, but she has made it very clear that I should remain awake and available. Instead of trying to go back to sleep, I’ll make a cup of coffee and something for breakfast before it’s time for me to stop eating and drinking because of the ultrasound.
The good news is that I’m working from home today, even though I’ll be back at the museum tomorrow and again on Friday, which is usually my work-from-home day. Today will only be a half day, though, since this afternoon I’ll make the trip up to Burlington for my biannual liver ultrasound.
Fortunately, my recent bloodwork showed that my liver has remained stable and has not gotten any worse. That’s always encouraging news. Even so, my doctor continues to order an ultrasound every six months to screen for liver cancer or any other signs that my condition may be progressing. It’s one of those appointments I never particularly look forward to, but I’m grateful that we keep a close eye on things. Catching a problem early is always better than discovering it too late.
For now, though, I’m going to enjoy a quiet morning at home, get some work done, and spend a little time with Isabella before heading north. Some days are busy, some days are routine, and some days are simply about being thankful for good test results and another ordinary day.
I talked with Isabella’s veterinarian yesterday about her bloodwork results. Overall, the news was reassuring, though there are still a few things we need to investigate.
Her bloodwork showed a slightly elevated BNP, a heart enzyme that can sometimes indicate stress on the heart or other cardiac issues. It can also be elevated because of high blood pressure. Both the vet and I suspect that hypertension is the most likely explanation, but we want to be certain.
One thing that has become obvious is just how much Isabella’s asthma has been affecting her. When she has an asthma attack, I can see the fear in her eyes when she comes looking for me. On top of that, she has a pretty severe case of what we might call “white coat syndrome.” The trip to the vet was stressful for her. Strange people were handling her and taking her to unfamiliar places. Even the calmest cat would find that unsettling.
The good news is that her chest X-rays looked normal. The veterinarian reviewed them again to make sure nothing had been overlooked. I have a great deal of confidence in her judgment. She has been practicing veterinary medicine since 1983 and has decades of experience behind her. In fact, she is now semi-retired and even gave me her personal cellphone number in case Isabella’s condition worsens and I need to reach her directly.
To be thorough, we are going to schedule an echocardiogram to rule out any underlying heart disease. If there is a heart problem, we have likely caught it very early. Most cat owners do not receive that kind of warning. Often, heart disease is not discovered until it has progressed much further. The technician who performs the echocardiograms is supposed to call me today to schedule the appointment.
We have also increased Isabella’s steroid dosage because she has continued to have some coughing episodes. However, there is encouraging news on that front: this morning she did not have an asthma attack. Hopefully, that is a sign that the increased medication is already helping.
There is one other issue we are monitoring. Isabella has been licking a spot on her belly enough to create a bald patch. Excessive grooming is usually caused by either itchiness or anxiety. Since she has had no contact with other animals, fleas seem very unlikely. Both the veterinarian and I suspect that stress and anxiety related to the asthma are the more probable causes.
In other news, I am heading to Dartmouth this morning for my next round of Botox treatments for chronic migraines. I will admit that I am a little anxious because a new provider will be administering the injections this time. She is a physician rather than a physician assistant or nurse practitioner, and my past experiences with doctors giving injections have been mixed. Still, if she regularly performs Botox treatments, I am hopeful she has plenty of experience. I certainly need this treatment. I have been battling a migraine that has waxed and waned in intensity since Saturday night.
That is all I have for today. I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday.
The museum reopens today. The floor waxing was finished on Friday, and the floors needed the weekend to dry before we could return. After more than a week of working from home, I’ll be heading back into the office this morning.
Unfortunately, I’ve had a migraine since Saturday night. Despite taking all of my rescue medications, it seems to have gotten worse rather than better. At the moment, I’d much rather crawl back into bed than go anywhere. Still, after being away from the museum for over a week, I feel like I should be there when we reopen. I’m going to see how I feel after I’ve been up for an hour or so before deciding whether I need to call in sick.
It’s already shaping up to be a strange week. I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon, Botox on Wednesday, an audiology appointment Thursday afternoon, and I’ll be working from home on Friday. Sometimes it feels like my calendar has a mind of its own.
One thing I’ve never gotten very good at is calling in sick. Even when I know it’s justified, I always seem to feel guilty about it. Perhaps that’s something I should work on. For now, I’ll finish my coffee, see how the migraine behaves, and make a decision from there.
This morning, like yesterday, I took some time to slow down before starting the day. After breakfast and coffee, I spent about thirty minutes meditating. I know today is going to be stressful because of a meeting I have later this morning, but I wanted to begin the day centered and calm rather than anxious and rushed.
The meeting will require me to strongly advocate for my point of view. That is not something that comes naturally to me. I can be outspoken when I need to be, but it is rarely comfortable. Thankfully, I know that at least one of my colleagues feels the same way I do, so I won’t be alone in making the case. My colleague is generally more outspoken than I am, and that support is reassuring.
For now, though, I feel relaxed, focused, and ready to tackle the day. My in-office workweek is already half over, and I hope the next two days pass without too much stress. One thing at a time.
I hope everyone has a wonderful day!
P.S. The photo above also reminded me of something. A few years ago, there is no way I could have comfortably sat like that. Since losing weight and becoming more active, I can. It may seem like a small thing, but sometimes the little changes are the ones that remind us how far we’ve come.
This migraine just will not go away. I left work early yesterday because it had gotten so bad, and it only worsened throughout the afternoon and evening. Thankfully, it’s somewhat better this morning, but it’s still lingering enough to make me wish I could simply roll over, pull the covers back up, and go back to sleep.
Unfortunately, life and responsibilities do not always cooperate with migraines. I have a couple of meetings this morning, and unless things suddenly take a turn for the worse before I leave for work, I’ll head in and try to make it through the day. Hopefully, it will stay manageable and not intensify again.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that migraines are exhausting in more ways than one. Even when the pain eases, they leave behind a sort of fog and fatigue that can make even ordinary tasks feel overwhelming. So today, I’ll just focus on getting through what needs to be done and hope for a quiet evening and a better tomorrow.
I hope everyone else’s day is off to a much better start.
I went to bed early last night because of a migraine. Unfortunately, when I woke up this morning, the migraine was still there and has only gotten worse the longer I’ve been awake. To make matters even worse, I woke up thinking it was Sunday…only to realize, to my horror, that it is actually Monday.
So today, I’m staying home, using a sick day, and going back to bed. Sometimes that’s just what you have to do.
I hope all of you have a much better start to your week than I have had so far.
It’s work-from-home Friday today, and honestly, I might not even get dressed. One of the small joys of working from home is being able to ease into the day with a cup of coffee, comfortable clothes, and no commute. Since I worked some extra time yesterday, I’ll only be working half a day today, which makes the start of the weekend feel even sweeter.
The best part is that I’m finally feeling better. The rain has finally moved on, and with it, the headache and sluggishness I’ve been fighting the past few days. It’s amazing how much weather can affect how we feel, especially here in Vermont where gray skies can seem endless at times. Today feels lighter in more ways than one.
I’m looking forward to a quiet weekend, a little rest, and hopefully some sunshine. After a long, rainy stretch, it’s nice to finally feel human again.
I’m running a little late this morning, so this will be short. The rain is still lingering, and so is the migraine that came with it. After I fed Isabella, I crawled back into bed for a little while longer, hoping a bit more sleep might help. It did, at least enough to get moving, though now I’m paying for it by running behind.
At the moment, I’m trying to finish breakfast and savor my morning coffee before I start getting ready for work. Some mornings feel rushed before they even begin, and today is one of those days. Still, I’m hoping for another quiet day at work—nothing too chaotic, just enough calm to get through the lingering headache and the gray skies outside.
Rainy mornings have a way of slowing everything down, including me. Maybe that’s not always a bad thing, even if the clock disagrees.
Joe
The Closet Professor 