I don’t remember what it was I did yesterday, but I think it was picking up something heavy. Anyway, I remember when I did it, I thought, Oh! That doesn’t feel right. And sure enough, I woke up this morning with a stabbing pain in my lower back. It’s not so bad that it’s inhibiting too much movement, but it does make bending over uncomfortable. Some time on a heating pad, pain medicine, and a muscle relaxer should take care of the issue. I just need to take it easy today. Thankfully, I don’t have to return to work until Thursday. The only thing I really need to do today is do some work on my class that starts next week.
I realized yesterday when I received appointment reminder text message on my phone that my dermatology appointment that I thought was yesterday is actually today. I’m glad I figured it out before I showed up for the appointment. I had the date correct on my personal calendar but had put it on the wrong date for my work calendar, and I had been looking at my work calendar. I ended up still leaving work at noon because I had a migraine and needed to go home and go to bed. So, instead of a full work from home day today, I will only be working from home for half a day.
I have no plans for the weekend. The regular season for college football is finished last week, and the only game on this weekend that I might care about watching is the SEC Championship Game tomorrow between Georgia and Texas. I’m not as interested in either team as I would be if Alabama was playing in the championship, so I may or may not watch it. It will be according to how bored I am and what else is going on.
It’s back to work for me today. I feel like I could use a few more days away from work, but I have to prepare for a class on Wednesday and a couple of other things to do at work. One thing for certain, I did not want to get out of bed this morning. I feel like I slept well last night, I did not wake up throughout the night, but I do not feel particularly refreshed this morning. I went to get my flu shot yesterday, and I wonder if this is not a reaction to the vaccine. My arm isn’t sore nor do I have a fever, nausea, or muscle aches. However, I do have a bit of a headache (though this is not unusual), and I am feeling more fatigued than normal, even for a Monday morning. Maybe a cup of tea and some breakfast will help wake me up and get me ready for the day ahead.
By the way, I did not go see Wicked this weekend. I just decided that I was not up to going anywhere over the weekend and just wanted to spend time at home. Maybe I will go next weekend. We’ll see.
I went to work yesterday and completed a few tasks that needed to be done, but by lunchtime, my migraine was back with a vengeance. I ended up going home at lunch and sleeping most of the afternoon, which helped my migraine. Thankfully, I am feeling better this morning, but if you have migraines, you understand what I call a shadow migraine, also known as a hangover migraine. The technical term is a postdrome migraine. For me, I feel a bit achy (though not as bad as the main migraine), like I am in a brain fog (things just seem to take longer to process), and a feeling of being physically drained. For some people, a postdrome migraine feels like having hangover. I’ve had my share of hangovers over the years, and for me, a postdrome headache is not nearly as bad. It just feels like a dull headache in the background.
The migraine I’ve had this week was one caused by weather changes. The migraine started along with some light rain and got worse as a stronger weather front moved into the area. I often get a migraine either as the weather front moves into or when the precipitation begins. This one seems to have started before the rain began. It is supposed to start raining this afternoon and go through tomorrow morning before starting again late tomorrow night. On Saturday, we are expecting a mix of snow and rain before it becomes only snow on Sunday.
I don’t know what all these weather changes will mean for my migraines, but I am hoping it won’t be too bad. I am planning to have a friend over for Thanksgiving next week, and I have a lot to do to get ready. However, if I have a rough migraine weekend, I may just not be able to host Thanksgiving. I really want to because I love all the cooking, but I can only do so much when my migraines are causing issues.
Luckily, I don’t have to work today. I have an appointment up near Burlington at noon, so if I went to work today, I’d have to leave around 11 am and would not be back until before 2 pm. It just wouldn’t be worth it.
Besides, while I am in the Burlington area, I have a few errands I need to run. One of those errands a is to run by a grocery store. (The other is to have lunch at a Mexican restaurant I enjoy.) I had planned yesterday to try a new soup recipe, but I realized it called for three cans of cannellini beans, and I had only gotten one. It’s definitely soup weather, and I love a good soup. The soup is a Creamy White Bean and Kale soup. The soup has two of my favorite things in a soup, beans and kale. I usually only buy kale when I am going to make Zuppa Tuscano, but this recipe looked pretty good, even if it is vegan, although I think the addition of ham, or even Italian sausage, in this soup might be pretty good. I haven’t decided if I will modify the recipe with a little ham or not; I’ll see what my mood is when I’m making the soup. The recipe says it’s for four people, but that sounds like a lot of soup for just me, so I may half or at least third the recipe. Anyway, this soup is what I plan to make for dinner tonight.
I love trying new soups. Sometimes, they are really good and I can’t get enough of them, and sometimes, they fall flat. Do you have a favorite go to receive for when the weather cools down in fall and winter? If so, let me know. I may want to try it.
This morning, my bed is calling me back to it. I would love nothing more than to just crawl back into my bed with its warm blankets and go back to sleep. If I did not have a class to teach this afternoon, I would call in sick with a migraine; however, instead, I took some medicine for the headache I woke up with this morning. I am hoping it will improve before I have to leave for work. Maybe after I have some breakfast and take a shower, I will feel more energized, but right now, my energy level is low.
At least, it’s Friday and tomorrow, I can go back to bed after feeding Isabella. I can do the same on Sunday and Monday, too. On Monday, I have a medical appointment at noon, and since it is up in Burlington, I am taking the whole day off. I need an extra day out of the office. Nothing bad has really happened, but work has been putting me in a bad mood this week. There are reasons for my grumpy mood, but I just need to get over it and go about my day.
I woke up this morning with a headache. I hope it will bet better as the day goes on because it is going to be a long day. I’m still at my conference and have sessions to attend this morning, then sightseeing this afternoon, and dinner with coworkers tonight. I may go back to bed for a while though. Have a good day everyone!
Today is going to be a busy day. I have a class to teach first thing this morning, then a meeting shortly afterwards about a class I will be teaching in the Spring, a going away party for a coworker who will be leaving our department for another across campus, and this afternoon, I have an appointment to be fitted for my hearing aids. Tomorrow, I have a luncheon for an organization that I am on their board. Sunday, the time changes as Daylight Savings Time ends, so don’t forget to set back your clocks. Then on Monday, I have a dentist appointment first thing. From Tuesday through Friday, I will be at a museum conference.
I eat breakfast every day. That has not always been the case, but I often wake up hungry. The change came for one of two reasons. It’s either because I wake up earlier in the mornings and have time to actually eat before getting ready and running out the door for work. I get up earlier because I sleep better with my CPAP and feel more well-rested in the mornings, and also, Isabella is so insistent that she wants to be fed early in the mornings. The other reason I eat breakfast is that once my diabetes was under control, I woke up with lower blood sugar in the mornings and was thus hungry. The problem with eating breakfast every morning is that I don’t have much variety in what I have for breakfast. I do not like sweet breakfast foods except on rare occasions. If I am somewhere that serves good French toast, then I’ll have French toast. So, more often than not, I have a biscuit, cheese toast, or an English muffin. If I have enough time, I will make some grits, biscuits and gravy, or maybe even savory scones, but I usually only have time for that on the weekend and when I have done some preparation the night before. On rare occasions I might make some bacon and eggs, but as a general rule, eggs are not one of my favorite things and can occasionally make me nauseated.
This morning was one of those mornings when I looked in my refrigerator and freezer and thought, “There isn’t anything that looks appetizing this morning.” So, I made a cup of tea. I’m still waking up congested, so a cup of hot tea seems better to break up the congestion than coffee does, especially since I put cream in my coffee. As I write this, I have been thinking of what I want to make for breakfast, or do I want to hold off on eating until after I leave for work? If I hold off, I can go by Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, or stop at one of the local delis to get a breakfast sandwich. While I did wake up hungry this morning, I think I could easily wait to get breakfast on my way to work. When I finish typing this I will make my decision on what I will be doing for breakfast this morning. Tomorrow, I will be working from home, so I will have a little extra time and will likely either fry up some ham and cook a biscuit or two so I can have a ham and cheese biscuit, or I may make a bowl of cheese grits. This morning, I just don’t have the energy for either of those.
I am still feeling a lot of fatigue from having Covid last week, so I will be glad to when today is over and I can be a little more relaxed for the next few days. Next week is going to be very busy as I am hosting some guests at the museum, which will likely have me working longer days than usual. I need my energy back to get through next week. The week after that, I will be gone for a conference all week. So, there won’t be much rest for the weary over the next couple of weeks.
I wish I could have stayed in bed today. Going back to work these past two days has worn me out. I am constantly exhausted, and even though I was so tired yesterday, I felt like I could barely hold up my head last night, I had trouble falling asleep. Then, I woke up earlier than usual this morning with a migraine and could not fall back to sleep, especially since Isabella realized I was awake and wanted to be fed. I wish I could stay home today and get some rest; however, I have a couple of meetings in scheduled for to today. Plus, I was out four out of five days last week. I also have some phone calls to make and emails to answer. Anyway, as much as I’d like to crawl back into bed, it’s not a luxury I have today.
Joe
The Closet Professor 