I wish I had a few more days to stay home, continue to rest, and, finally, get rid of this cough. However, eventually, I had to go back at some point. Luckily, I only have a few things that need to be done today, and, and hopefully, all of them should be wrapped up fairly quickly. I have a tour to give and a few emails to send. I also think I have one phone call that needs to be made. Next week is expected to be a pretty busy week, and I have a few preliminary things to take care of to make next week go smoothly. I should be able to just hide away in my office most of the day, especially this afternoon.
I am feeling much better. There is still some congestion and the previously mentioned cough. Other than some fatigue, I am actually feeling pretty good. So, it’s back to the grind.
Slowly but surely, I seemed to be improving. I still have a cough, headache, some congestion, a sore throat, and fatigue, but I don’t feel as awful as I have the last few days. Luckily, I have not had a fever throughout this whole illness. The congestion and the headache don’t seem as bad, and I was able to sleep through the night last night without waking up too much. When I did wake up, I was able to fall back to sleep more easily than the night before. i told my boss yesterday that I would not be back for the rest of the week. If I continue to improve, I should be able to return to work on Monday. Until then, I’m going to continue to get rest.
Thankfully, I’ve had my faithful companion with me throughout. Isabella has not been bothering me except first thing in the morning to get fed and at night when she thinks I should go to bed. Several times a day, she comes and checks on me, but then returns to her blankets to sleep her day away.
I know I often say that I hate Mondays and just want to stay in bed, but it is even more true today. Sadly, I’m the only person at the museum today, and I have an important meeting this morning. However, I started getting a cold Saturday night. My throat was feeling raw, and while I know it’s likely post-nasal drip, it doesn’t mean I don’t feel awful.
I was supposed to go to the Stowe Foliage Arts Festival with a friend of mine yesterday, and I almost canceled going, but I’d started feeling better and decided to go. I should have gone with my first instinct, but decided to go because my friend and I were supposed to go out to eat at a new restaurant I wanted to try. Probably none of y’all have ever tried to drive through Stowe during peak foliage season, but traffic was bumper to bumper. Then, we arrived at the site of the festival only to find out that it had been canceled due to high winds Friday night that caused the main tent containing the festival to collapse. We were able to walk around a bit to see the foliage, but it was a big disappointment.
Stowe, Vermont taken yesterday by me
We went out to eat and by the time I got home, I was completely worn out. I went to bed early hoping to feel better today, but I don’t. So, I really wish I could just stay in bed today. It won’t happen. To add to this, it’s currently 41 degrees here, but the temperature will drop to nearly freezing when I’ll be heading home from work. Most of this week will have highs in the low 50s, but we will have lows below freezing most mornings this week. We might even get our first snow of the season.
I’m glad it’s Friday. It hasn’t been a bad week, though somewhat busy. However, I’ve had a migraine for the past few days. I ended up going home from work early Wednesday and Thursday. I’m working from home today and plan to take it easy. Luckily, there isn’t a lot of must do things today because I still have a migraine.
Yesterday, I went to the ENT to have him evaluate my hearing. The whole visit took less than five minutes. He introduced himself, looked in both ears, declared that there was no damage that could be fixed with surgery, and then said that the hearing loss was due to nerve damage and only hearing aids would help. So, now I’ll be returning to the audiologist to be fitted for hearing aids.
Hopefully, my migraine will improve and I can enjoy this weekend. I’m planning to go with a friend of mine to the Stowe Foliage Arts Festival. We’ve gone to a few arts festivals together and always have a good time. With this one being in Stowe, one of the most expensive places in Vermont, I doubt there will be anything I can afford, but it will be fun to browse through the booths.
I realized last night that I did not post an Isabella pic of the week, so here you go. This is about the closest she ever comes to cuddling, though she most often lays on my hip if I’m on my side. Sometimes, if I’m on my back, she’ll lay down stretched out from my belly to my chest. Mostly, she just prefers to be near me, not on me.
I went home from work early yesterday with a migraine. It was one of those migraines that came and went all day long. Most likely, it was caused by changes in the weather. It was supposed to be a sunny day, but it rained on me while I was driving home. It continued to rain off and on for the rest of the day. Some places around me are also having snow flurries this morning. In other words, the weather is a mess right now and causing havoc for my migraines.
I’d probably stay home today, but I have a tour to give first thing this morning, and I have an appointment with an otolaryngologist (ENT or ear, nose, and throat doctor) later this morning. I had gone to an audiologist for my tinnitus, which is particularly bad when I have a migraine, and my insurance requires that I also see an ENT before the audiologist can move further with any type of treatment.
I’m not sure how the rest of my day will go. It will probably depend on how the migraine I still have is after I have my doctor’s appointment.
I woke up a little later than usual this morning, and I don’t have much of ann idea for a blog post today. However, I will say that my dental appointment for my crown went pretty well, but two hours in a dental chair is a long time. The temporary crown has been put in place, at least that part is over. The next step will come in about a month when the permanent crown will be ready. That’s usually a quick process. The temporary crown is taken off and the new permanent crown will be put in place. The last time I had this done, it took at the most ten minutes.
Have a great day! Here’s your Isabella pic of me week:
It’s going to be a long day, and this is going to be a short post. I don’t have to work tonight like I normally do when I say I have a long day ahead. In fact, I’ll be leaving work early today. No, it will be a long day because it starts out with teaching a new class. I’ve taught classes similar to this one, but this has some clear differences. I have my fingers crossed that it goes smoothly. There isn’t as much to do during the middle of the day, but I have to leave work early because I have a dentist appointment. It’s time to get the crown on the tooth I recently had a root canal done. It’s going to be a long day of dreading that appointment.
It started raining off and on all day yesterday, and today we are expecting constant rain throughout the day. Along with the rain, I also have a migraine. I was doing fairly well yesterday when the rain started, but just after lunch I saw an unusually bright aura, and within a few minutes, I had an awful migraine that has only gotten progressively worse. Thankfully, I was scheduled to leave work early yesterday, and I am working from home today. Luckily, I don’t have much work to do today. I have some class preparations to finish and a few emails, but mostly, I can just rest and recuperate.
I sat down to write a post this morning, and I started on several, but none of them felt right. I just didn’t have any good ideas. I think it’s mostly because I’m tired. It’s been a long week, and it’s only half over. Maybe, the rest of the week will be a little easier.
I guess one thing I could write about is how my ultrasound went on Friday. Like the blood test done at the first of the week, the abdominal ultrasound did not show any problems. Everything seemed normal. However, I’m still experiencing pain that comes and goes and varies in intensity. Although I did not see my primary doctor when I went to the clinic, he did review my test results. He believes I have an GI issue that could be viral or bacterial, and it should continue to improve. He said they have had a lot of patients with similar issues, so he really thinks it’s something that’s going around, probably because students are back in town. Anyway, he said that if it gets worse or is not better by the first of next week, he wants to do more tests to rule out an issue with my gallbladder or pancreatitis.
So right now, I’m just waiting it out and hoping it will improve if I stay on a bland diet. Ugh! I hate bland diets. The BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast) is to keep from aggravating my digestive tract. I guess we will see. This has been lingering for nearly two weeks now.
There are certain times of year in Vermont that most people are not particularly crazy about, mainly winter and mud season. Summer is not a favorite of mine because so many places don’t have air conditioning, but I don’t mind the winters too much. I think the snow is beautiful. The only time I really hate is mud season.
Whether you like the weather in Vermont, there is one time of year that makes it all worthwhile: the beginning of autumn. When the leaves begin to change to the rich hues of yellows, red, and oranges always still mixed with a bit of green here and there, it feels like living in a postcard. Vermont is a beautiful state, but it’s so colorful this time of year.
Usually, leaf peeping season is a few weeks at most before stick season followed by winter hits us. Autumn in Vermont makes it all worthwhile. Some Vermonters don’t like this time of year because of the leaf peppers, people who come to Vermont just to see the leaves. They come from all over the world to experience Vermont in the fall. The leaf peepers usually drive slowly to take it all in and cause traffic problems constantly. They often also have no regard for private property.
Not only is it beautiful, but it’s also the perfect temperatures. It’s cool in the mornings and very mild in the afternoons. It’s that time of year when it’s the loveliest to be outside and hike the trails in the mountains just to enjoy the temperatures and the beauty of nature.
While many Vermonters complain about the tourists this time of year, it’s not that bad. Vermonters seem to be professional complainers. It’s just in their ornery nature. Vermonters have strong opinions, and they don’t mind telling you all about them. Vermonters also love their peace and quiet, which is why the tourists this time of year drive them crazy.
Leaves are not the only reason to love this time of year. It’s also apple picking season. There will be lots of apple festivals with abundances of cider and cider donuts. When it comes to donuts, I love the light airy texture of a yeast donut glazed to perfection. Few things beat hot donuts at Krispy Kreme, but since moving to Vermont, the have a definite rival with cider donuts.
Fresh cider donuts are out of this world delicious. They aren’t light like a hot Krispy Kreme donut and have a more cake like texture. However, the crispness of the outside juxtaposed with the soft velvety interior is wonderful. Instead of a glaze, they are most often dusted with cinnamon and sugar. It’s a really delicious treat.
People will also tell you about the wonders of a slice of apple pie with cheddar cheese. I’m not an apple pie fan, but people swear by the combination of apple pie and sharp cheddar cheese. To each his own I suppose. It’s certainly not the strangest of Vermont desserts, that belongs to Grape-Nuts pudding.
Quick Health Update: I had my ultrasound yesterday, and it showed now issues. My spleen, pancreas, kidneys, and gallbladder all look fine. I have a fatty liver, but that usually doesn’t cause any symptoms. When the radiologist reviewed the ultrasound images, he found no issues that could explain the abdominal pain I’ve been experiencing. The nurse practitioner I’ve been seeing forwarded the results to my primary physician for him to decide the next step. I’ll keep you posted.
Joe
The Closet Professor 