Category Archives: Health

March 18, 2022

A Good Report

By Joe

I went to see my doctor yesterday. It turned out to be a really good visit. My A1C has dropped to 5.2. I have been taking Metformin and Jardiance for my diabetes, however, because I seem to respond better to the Jardiance than I ever did to the Metformin, he dropped the Metformin. Also, I’d lost another five pounds since I saw him on February 14. We also talked about my anxiety triggers: work, family, and moving. I told him about how bad Tuesday’s panic attack was, and he prescribed me some Xanax for when I need it. At the maximum, he only wants me to take two a week. I’ve taken Xanax before because I used to have panic attacks when I flew, but as I have flown quite a bit since moving to Vermont in 2015, it doesn’t bother me as much. He told me that if the anxiety increases, he can increase my antidepressant, but hopefully, things will settle down once I move.

My weekend is going to be pretty busy. Besides packing over the weekend, tonight, I am going to see a production of Chicago my university is doing. Chicago is one of my favorite musicals, and I fondly remember going to see it on Broadway with Susan when I went down to NYC for Thanksgiving and my birthday in 2019. Tomorrow night, I have another date with the guy I saw last week. If all goes as planned, he’s going to cook me dinner. I can’t wait. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been on a second date with anyone? It’s never happened while I lived in Vermont. Sunday should be a day for laundry and packing.

Leave a comment | posted in Health, Moving

March 16, 2022

Rough Day

By Joe

Yesterday was a bit of a rough day. I was fine most of the morning at work, but my mother called. Few people can ruin my day like she often can. She didn’t say anything really offensive, but it’s the way she starts in about things. I can’t seem to do much right in her eyes. After I got off the phone with her, I had a full-blown panic attack. I’ve been having panic attacks recently, but this is really the first one that came while I was at work. I’m not always sure what causes them, but I can pretty well pinpoint this one to the phone call from my mother.

Right after I talked to her, I felt like I couldn’t breathe, my heart began to race, I began to shake, and I just want to curl up into a ball and cry. When this happens, I’m unable to concentrate on anything, and I just get so flustered. My head feels like it’s going to explode, and I have this hot sensation all over my head. I got up from my desk and walked outside and around the building, hoping some fresh air might help, but it didn’t. I sat down in one of the comfy armchairs in the museum’s lobby (no one was around), and that too didn’t help. Furthermore, I had a meeting that was supposed to start soon, but I knew it wasn’t that important. So, I went to my boss and told him I was having a panic attack and needed to go home. I know, it was probably not the best idea to drive in that condition, but I felt I had to get out of there.

I needed to be home, in my private space, so I could lay down in the dark for a while. It took a few hours to finally calm down, but it did happen. I was actually able to run to the grocery store, like I’d planned to do yesterday afternoon anyway. While it was only the grocery store, I calmed down looking at food and doing a little retail therapy. By the time I got home, I felt relatively normal again.

I hate the sensation of a panic attack. I used to get these every time I had to fly or anytime money was an issue, like unexpected expenses that couldn’t be avoided. Now, I can probably add talking to my mother to the list. I think one of the triggers may have been her talking about me going home. I haven’t been back to Alabama since the pandemic began, and I think it has done wonders for my mental stability. However, the thought of going back to Alabama again is something that, for the most part, I dread.

7 Comments | posted in Health, Miscellaneous

March 9, 2022

Just Hanging On

By Joe

I wish this post could just be a positive and happy one today, but it’s not going to happen. I’ve been feeling a bit of anxiety and depression the last few days. Monday was particularly bad, and yesterday was not great. I’m not sure if this has to do with anxiety over packing and moving. I feel like I have been on the verge of a panic attack most of the time for the last week or so. I’m hoping that this will get better, but if it doesn’t, I have an appointment to see my doctor on March 17. I’ll talk to him about it then. For now, I’m just hanging in there and doing the best I can.

I have enjoyed being off work the last two days, mainly because I did not even have to leave my apartment. I return to work today. I will likely spend a large part of it catching up on email. I have two meetings, but neither should be bad. It should be a relatively normal day at work. For the past two months, I’ve felt like I have been going nonstop all day every day, but most of the big projects that kept me away from my desk are finished, so now I can sit down at my desk and get to everything else that needs to get done.

Leave a comment | posted in Health, Work

March 2, 2022

Miserable Day

By Joe

Yesterday was basically a miserable day, and I hope today is better. As I mentioned on Monday, I had to go tot he dentist for a crown yesterday. Two hours in the dental chair with my mouth open nearly the whole time. If my jaw is going to be this sore, there are other(and more fun) ways I’d rather get it that sore. Anyway, once the Novocain shots wore off, I was in quite a bit of pain. Basically, the whole right side of my face and down my neck and shoulder hurt. I’d planned to watch the State of the Union Address last night, but I was not able to make it all the way through it. I just needed to go to sleep.

I will be signing the lease on my new apartment today. I’m excited to be able to sign the lease and begin the process of getting the hell out of my current apartment. Once I’ve sign the lease, I’ll send a letter to my current landlords telling them that I will terminate my current lease on April 15. Hopefully, I’ll be out of here sooner.

4 Comments | posted in Health

February 24, 2022

Early to Bed

By Joe

My presentation went well yesterday , at least people said it was interesting and enjoyable. I felt like it went well, and usually I can tell one way or the other by the time I finish. We should be posting the presentation to the museum’s Facebook page by the end of the week.

After, my presentation was over, I took the rest of the afternoon off. I could feel a headache coming on, so I laid down and took a nap. I felt better when I woke up, but it didn’t last. A few hours later, I had a really terrible headache and the area around where I had the tooth extracted was hurting pretty badly. Then, the nausea came. I saw the end of Jeopardy and went to bed.

Hopefully, I’ll be feeling better today.

7 Comments | posted in Health, Work

February 18, 2022

A Busy Day Off Work

By Joe

My day will start off going down to Dartmouth for another Botox treatment, I can tell the past treatment has worn off because I’ve had more frequent headaches. While the shots aren’t pleasant, the results seem to be mostly worth it. After my appointment, I need to go to Target for a few things, and then maybe an early lunch before heading home.

This afternoon, I’m going to see another apartment. The one I saw yesterday was a nice enough apartment with a beautiful view, but the view came with having to drive up a mountain with a dirt road. The the warmer weather and rain, the drive was horrible. I’m not sure I could do that on a regular basis. If the apartment had been really spectacular, maybe I could have, but it was not. Nice, but not spectacular.

After seeing the apartment, I am meeting some friends for dinner and a movie. We are going to see Death on the Nile. I’ve been looking forward to seeing it since I saw the Kenneth Branagh version of Murder on the Orient Express. The movie is at 6 pm, so the plan is to go somewhere for appetizers, then see the movie, and have dinner afterwards so that we aren’t pressed for time.

It’s a lot going on, but I hope it will be a good day.

2 Comments | posted in Health, Miscellaneous

February 16, 2022

Doctor, Doctor

By Joe

Nearly two weeks ago, I slipped and fell on the ice walking to my car. The pain in my lower back from that fall was not getting any better, and I my nose had been bleeding some, not majorly, but it was definitely something going on. On Monday, I had a major pain around my right eye and the right side of my nose. So, with the sharp pain in my nose (I have had a few episodes of minor nosebleeds) and the continued pain in my back, I decided to go see my doctor. It’s almost always impossible to get in to see him for a same day appointment unless I can convince the administrative assistants and/or his nurse that to something urgent, but not so urgent that I need to go to the emergency room. I called at 8:30 am to see about getting an appointment, and amazingly enough, he had a 9 am appointment available. I took it.

While I may have had a 9 am appointment, I didn’t actually see him until nearly 10 am, but I’m used to that. I really like my doctor for several reason (a purely shallow one is that he’s hot, not as hot as Dr. Gabriel Prado in the picture above, but still pretty hot). I like him because he listens and explains things. He has never made me feel awkward about anything, even when I was embarrassed to talk to him about something. He never dismisses me because he thinks it’s a very minor thing. He always takes me seriously. Furthermore, he has done wonders for my health. My blood pressure, cholesterol, and A1C are all very good at the moment. I’m losing weight, and he’s gotten me the help I need for my migraines. I really think he’s a wonderful doctor, and most importantly, I have never felt rushed when seeing him he always takes the time that’s needed with me, which is why I don’t mind waiting in the exam room for an hour. I actually enjoy, instead of dreading, seeing my doctor.

So, when I saw him on Monday, he looked at my back and felt around where it hurts, and he told me that I had a deep bruise on my pelvis, and it would get better in a week or so. He said that this type of injury is slow to heal. He gave me some exercises that will help, told me to use dry heat and ice on it, and gave me a muscle relaxer to help. As for my nose, he said that it’s so dry up here this time of year, that it’s very common to have dry nasal passages which can result in minor bleeding. He told me to put a little Vaseline in my nose.
Side note: the doctor pictured above is a Brazilian neurologist named Dr. Gabriel Prado (Instagram: @gabrielndsprado). I wish my neurologist looked like that, but my neurologist is female. While she’s a nice looking woman, she’s not my cup of tea, since I like men and all. Dr. Prado is one very sexy doctor and has the best smile. That is one thing he has in common with my regular doctor; they both have great smiles.

1 Comment | posted in Health

February 7, 2022

Better

By Joe

I took Friday to rest and recuperate after my fall on the ice on Thursday. I was feeling much better Saturday, so I went o Burlington with a friend to have dinner. I have to admit that was a mistake. I drove, and while normally driving doesn’t bother me, I could not use my cruise control (salt and snow sludge on the roadways obscures the collision control sensors, so the cruise control won’t work), and that made it uncomfortable for my injured hip. By the time I got back from Burlington, my hip was in agony and I did not have a full range of motion in that leg.

To pamper my hip, I spent the day with a heating pad on my hip and binged RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6. It helped, and I am feeling much better. My shoulder has improved the most, because I still have a bit of pain in my hip. I’m hoping I feel better when I wake up this morning. It just takes time to heal.

Winter Hazards

By Joe

I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I slipped and fell on the ice again yesterday. This time it wasn’t down my stairs. At least when I fell down the stairs, I landed in snow, and while going down the stairs was still painful, especially hitting my arms trying to grab the railing, the steps were covered in snow and somewhat cushioned my fall. Yesterday, I hit a solid sheet of ice that was on top of our parking area.

I have a set of spikes that fit into he bottom of my shoes, which I thought were in my apartment but when I went to look for them as I was leaving, they weren’t where they should have been, so I knew they were in my car. I was doing my best to be very careful, but all it takes is one misstep and as slippery as the ice was yesterday (it was lightly raining which added to the slipperiness), it was way too easy to misstep.

I’m not in as bad a shape as the guy in the picture above (nothing seemed to be broken), but one butt cheek is pretty sore, since that’s what I landed on. I also hurt my shoulder and neck as I was going down. I’m either going to have to be much more careful or learn how to fall correctly. My poor body just can’t take this crappy winter weather.

2 Comments | posted in Health, Weather

January 28, 2022

Miserable

By Joe

I had a headache most of yesterday, but it was mostly tolerable until last night. My headache intensified and I ended up going to bed at about 6:30 last night. I hate having headaches, but usually they are manageable. Last night’s wasn’t. I hope today is better.