No Rest For The Wicked ....

 ... since I am not getting any sleep tonight. Sigh.

Here it is Thursday and I feel like I have a full day on my plate. Monday I had 13.8 liters drained, my Albumin treatment, did the bloodwork at the Liver Dr.'s office, and still made it to the Post for the Riders meeting - that only 5 of us were in attendance. Sigh. RM, so you know, 3/13 we are doing the soup night again.

Tuesday I woke (after a long night of not sleeping much) to just feeling miserable. Seems the day following a paracentesis, I always feel this way. Adjustment of the organs causes some of the discomfort and mild pain. They have to slide back into their original places since being displaced by all the fluid. So I slept a good part of the day, which I needed to catch up on. Nausea came and went throughout the day. Hardly ate. Monday I had weighed myself and I am down to 256 lbs. now. That's overall good, just not how I got there. Would love to drop another 20, and then hold fairly steady....

Wednesday, I spent the afternoon up at the pub, working on the minutes from the Riders meeting. I was already a day late getting it done (I had said I would have them the next day but didn't feel well). Got that sent to the Int. Dir. to review, he approved, and out they went to Riders tonight once I got home around 8pm. Then I started in on a project to collect Rider stats for meetings, rides, events, etc. They count as monthly activity to the District and State, and I presume Nat'l level as well. Our previous director was a Google Docs lover. Why? Does anyone really know why? I don't care for it. I have become more and more for Office, so I fixed/created our Roster/Attendance workbook into my OneDrive. Working on the sharing bit. Then we had a link that would take us into a Google Doc to answer questions about an event we are signing in for. This data is them collected and dumped into a spreadsheet, so we can easily track who does what, etc. etc. That is turning into a chore. Even using CoPilot, right now it requires much more typing and time than I want to spend on it. However, I may find another way to do it, so that is still in progress.

Thursday plans: Yesterday I set up with Kars4Kids to come get the Middle Son's car, finally. It took months to get him over here to sign the title at the DMV so we could have it notarized. Then I gave Youngest a couple weeks to get the remaining personal stuff, and mostly all the trash, out of said car. They reached out wanting to pick it up this evening, but I was not home, and the title/keys were not in the car. I'll put them in there first thing this morning and leave it unlocked for the tow. 

I have a feeling the better part of the day is going to be waiting on CVS. They are supposed to get that special prescription in at the store location near me today. The office said that the stores do not always call the people when the 'scripts come in, so I will wait until after 1pm, then head up there and see if it came in.

No other plans from that for today. I did my readings this morning (BP and Glucose) and all are in the good range. Time to take what meds I do have here. Then grab a bite of something for breakfast. I forgot to pick up milk, so I have a sticky here with that note taped to my phone, so I don't forget.

....and I am outta here!

PeacE

I'm Already Tired ...

 Today is a little more busier than most days for me. Got yet another paracentesis scheduled for this morning at 11a, The way I am feeling right now is that they are going to get quite a bit today. The pressure just feels worse than normal, or at least how it has felt that past few weeks. Will be making sure I get my albumin treatment as well. Then off to the Liver Doc's to have blood drawn for labs - appointment is the 26th. Then I have some off time before my Riders meeting at 6:30p. Yeah, I actually had calendar events today!

I just don't feel like writing today.

PeacE

Running Around

 Saturday. That's the day most people that work 9-5 jobs start in on catching up on rest, household chores, shopping, and all that. Not much different than a regular day for me, but <shrug> whatever. 

Got up about 9 - sleep at least 4 hours - and headed out solo to run "errands". Went by the car wash I have the monthly through, and they have been closed all this last week, and still today. I noticed their sign is down. Closed? Well, I went over to the only other location they have (it wasn't one of the large chains) at 5St & Union Hills and they verified that the one I go to was now closed. So I cancelled the monthly account I had with them. Then I headed back over to Cobblestone @ 35th Ave & T-bird and signed up for their basic wash monthly deal. I had to wait awhile to get assistance there, so today I got a free Platinum wash (their highest) for free, as I had to wait. No different than a regular one, but I'll take it.

Hit p the Walgreens as the Wife and I both had at least one prescription ready each. I did get an OTC anti-nausea medication that the Pharmacist should not interact with my meds, and it is aspirin-free, so should be okay for the liver. I'll check with my Liver Doc when I see him to verify 100%, but either way, right now I am using it. The last three days have been hell with the bouts of sickness, not being able to throw up but still dry heave, the discomfort of it all. I popped 4 of this OTC and within 20 minutes was feeling fine again. It says I can take up to 24 tablets a day... I'll carry some extras with me for now, but need to figure how long it lasts, or did the nausea go away?

Then it was home to drop the drugs off. That, and I really had to go pee. I set up a Home Depot account (will do one for Lowes sometime soon I am sure as well - we shop at both). The front bathroom needs a new flapper. I don't feel like walking around the store, so I made the account so I can do pick-up. Waiting now for the email saying it is ready, then I will head there to pick up. Then it will be off to Sprouts, as they have the Grillo's pickle de Gallo there. I'll get a couple tubs, and see if they have some regular salsa, non-chunky style for the Youngest. Need that to finish off the leftover eggs ol'e. BTW, RM, I forgot to actually cut up the sausage links, or to even get them out for when I made the Ol'e. So I will have to try that next time when I have more of the properly needed ingredients (read: baking powder). Then I will probably head down to the Post like most Saturdays. Not sure just yet.

Going to try to replace our hall light unit this weekend. The old one was a 'stand-alone', and the switch was a turn one on the bottom of this wall sconce-type light. No, no light switch for this one. I have the old one dangling from the wall right now, and the new one is here, I just need to unhook the old, hook up the new one, and secure to the wall. Then be done with it.

Fun Day...

PeacE

Working A Post A Day Early

 Trying to get the jump on Friday, so I am writing this post that will sit here until morning. Previous post was so chock-full of ramblings, I didn't want to add more to it. Saved it for today.

Let's bitch about prescriptions, insurance, medical facilities and doctors (again, and again, and again). 

Update: Last Friday, the gal from the Liver Doc called, I relayed the insurance company message for the office to  'send the prescription to the pharmacy'. So the gal went to CVS Special Prescription Unit (who'd ever thought this was a thing) and they called me Wednesday. Seems they got the request, and now the insurance wants me to call them before they will give the release. Sigh. Not again. Please.

I don't recall exactly what the insurance company actually needed from me, but after talking to them, they released it. CVS was supposed to call me back on Thursday, to get the information of what the insurance informed me. at 4:55pm I realized the lady from CVS had not called, so I called the number she had called from. I got to talk to a nice rep named Joe (aren't all cool guys named Joe, eh Hoosierboy?) and ... let us just say, this is a shit-show. 

So, the basics of how this works, CVS Spec. Presc. Unit (SPU) sends the prescription to my house (not like a normal pick-up in store) by UPS - which means I need to sign for it. I could set a specific day of the week between Tues-Fri for delivery, but I never know when I will be home to sign. They will now ship the prescription to the CVS near me, who will then call me and say it is ready. When I go in to the pharmacy, I'll have to sign there to say I received it. That works!! And it will occur every month (or until I am off it, whatever). He even said he shows no co-pay due on it, even though the insurance rep had given me a Manufacturer coupon to drop the cost, so even better. Now to see when I can get it next week. Only almost 4 weeks without it....

That being said, empty calendar for the weekend. Monday have a paracentesis, and also bloodwork to be drawn at the Liver Dr's office, and my Riders meeting that evening. Maybe this weekend I will post more about the new hobbies and learning opportunities I am looking at.... stay tuned!

UPDATE: The eggs ol'e went over okay. I did a couple ingredient substitutions (small curd cottage cheese instead of creamed, and I couldn't find the baking powder to buy, or at home, so left it out). So it didn't rise up in the pan as it should have. I found it quite bland to taste, so needed to add some hot sauce to it. Wife and Youngest said it was fine. I wasn't expecting it to be a super-wonderful, never-to-be-eaten again dinner, but if they at least like it, I can make it again later. I will admit, I had cut it into 'pieces' in the pan, and I only had one - before my body decided to reject it, and threw it up. I had fought with nausea all day, and still a bit this morning. My Sister and BIL are moving to New Mexico and leave this Sunday. They are doing a yard sale today and tomorrow, to get as rid as much as they don't have to take. I'll be headed that way in about an hour or so. Called Sis yesterday and said I would be by to look at tools the BIL doesn't need anymore, and have a chance to say bye. They will be gone the better part of two years, before possibly returning here.

Last night, at dinner and the rest of the night, that nausea was bad. I think I am going to stop at Walgreens on the way to Sis' to see if they recommend an OTC for nausea, brought on as a side effect of medication. At least, I'm pretty sure it is considering at least three have it listed. Anyways, I need to get off here and get a few things done before I leave.

PeacE

When Did Thursdays Get Hard?

 Man, I am beat and it is only 4:30pm'ish. I'll throw out why, and you can just call me lazy and wimpy.

Over a year ago, I started taking a edible gummy with about 10mg THC (or was it CBD?) to help relax me at night and help me fall asleep. These worked great for a long time, and because I didn't need to take one daily, it was affordable. My product was usually on sale twice a month for $18 for 2 bags (10 pieces each) so my normal order was 4 bags about every 5-7 months. Even though these seemed to work just over the satisfaction line, I did some looking for similar products that may be a bit stronger - not to "get high" or the munchies, but to put me in a deeper relaxation, or even knock me out. I found a bundle deal that these were D9 (some classification in the dispensary market) and stronger. So I bought them a couple months ago. Over the past couple weeks, I noticed I have been taking one almost every single night, late at like 12-1 in the morning, then another 1-2 hours for it to kick in... Now you see why I am up at 5am and just then trying to get some sleep - and end up sleeping most of the day away. So I have like 2 bags pretty full, and a third from the stuff from before, but I found another product to try. This one claims to be natural supplements. They only had strawberry (yuck) but it isn't strong. It says take 2 at normal bedtime routine. They also claim it is not a cure for chronic insomnia (which I am pretty sure I have some form of that). I slept last night from about 12am-8am. I still felt groggy and like I had not gotten enough sleep, but that's from days that I can't catch up on in one night. So now I have 4 cannisters of these new ones. They seem to work. Forty pieces per can, should last quite awhile.

Wow, all that to say I slept decent last night.

I did the morning rituals (pee, poop, wondered what day of the week it was) and sat at the computer. I have a morning routine I pretty much follow to the letter in regards to things I check when I sit here. If I have the time, I do emails (which can lead to other things to do) then FB real quick (try to avoid the Reels), then it depends on what I need to get done. Today, I had nothing on the calendar, so thought about what I was going to do today. Didn't feel like the Post. I know, I got RM's Eggs Ol's recipe, so I should do dinner tonight and make it. I put together a list of items that I know I needed to make it, then thought, well, I should go to Peoria Discount, too. So I did. The Discount is nice if you are able to find something you want/need, but you can't just go there like a regular grocery. After Discount, I called up RM, and went for a visit since I was on that side of town. Stayed longer than I meant to, but I was just tired, and was comfortable just sitting there. Finished my tea, and said I needed to go. Got gas, stopped at the Fry's for the food items needed. Texted the Wife, got a few more items to pick up for her (glad I remembered to text - she gets mad when I go to the store and not check with her). 

Then I went home. I unloaded most of the groceries. I have the box (Discount uses them instead of bags) with all the cold stuff out of it, that I will have Youngest bring in...whenever I see him. Not sure if he is sleeping or out of the house. Got everything for dinner, minus the baking powder. I could not find any at the store! And I WALKED THE WHOLE STORE!! Surely we have some here, as it isn't in many recipes these days. Or I'll just not add it and see what happens. I think it is to supposed to help the mixture rise better when baking, so it may be needed. Yes, I did buy snack foods for the Youngest and myself. I made sure I did not overdue it, but I had to get that bag of caramel something flavored Lay's chips, and the Cheeto's Flamin' Hot Dill Pickle flavor. They were out of my pickle de Gallo though. Thought I ordered some from Amazon, but I just looked and I did not, so need to figure something out. I got two bags of tortilla chips....

I'm worn out at this point. I just want to sit or lie down for a few hours - maybe a nap even. But, need to get stuff done. So I mowed the front yard (it needed it bad). By the time I was done, I was sneezing and dripping snot down into my beard. I guess so plant in the neighborhood near us, has some kind of  fuzzy spore and they coated a portion of the yard, then went flying into the air when mowed (like they should). Let's add in other pollens and dirt, and my allergies were to the point almost making it so I couldn't do anything. The trimming didn't get done. I was out of breath, fatigued, oozing snot, coated in dust and pollen, and sweaty (it is over 80 degrees here!). I put the cord and mower away, then got in the shower.

I never understood how people take those 30-minute or longer showers. I have always been a 'get in, get clean, rinse, get out. Today, it was different. I put it as hot as I could tolerate, did the wash/shampoo, rinse, conditioner, then I just sat there on my shower chair, letting that hot water rain down on my head, neck and back. I didn't want to get out. If I had a pool, and it was warm enough (the water) I would have just spent the rest of the daylight hours in there. That shower never felt so good.

So now I am in my PJs, doing little bits of projects I have all over the house. Some I can't move forward on until I have something, or something else needs to happen. No, I am not making excuses. I know there are some stuff here that don't fit that criteria, but it just isn't happening today. I'm off to play Warcraft and enjoy my V8 Splash Fruit Medley on ice.

PeacE

Wasted Day Pretty Much

 I didn't make it to bed until about 4:30am, and thin I finally dropped off at some point after 5:07am. Which led to me sleeping in until near noon, as my body was just beat. Tonight, I am up all night, trying to counter-act the sleep issue. If I can stay awake for most of tomorrow as well, I should get back onto the night sleeping fairly easy.

So, seeing as how I didn't get out of bed before noon, not much got done today. I ended up heading up to the pub mid-afternoon. Had a pitcher of soda, then was off to the Post for our General & Aux. meetings. A friend there, S, had gotten in mood today, and ended up cooking a load of tacos. We are talking handmade, tortilla over flame, stuff it, mold it, serve it up with rice and beans. Yeah, well, she said she brought like 60 tacos, and she wanted me to take a plate of them home for the Wife and Son - so I did. I grabbed a mix of the chicken and beef she made up. They were so good! I had like 4 just while at the Post! Wife was happy as she did not have to worry about supper fixin's. RM sent over her Eggs Ol'e recipe yesterday. I glanced at it briefly, scanned the procedure, and went on my way. This morning I should write out the list of ingredients I will need to get, as I need to check what we have here. I never know what food, seasoning, anything at times, that we have here, as I don't do the normal, regular shopping.

Tacos got me ordering from Amazon tonight. S had brought up some sauces for people to use for the tacos, and one was a brand name of "Melinda's" and was a green salsa Verde sauce. I put it on my tacos to try, and it is the bomb! I found out it is her favorite as well. Walmart carries it, but I am lazy, so looked it up on Amazon. I had some other items sitting in the cart, so figured I would just round things out and get the order in. Added some Grillo's Pickle De Gallo as well. Most of the stuff should be here before Friday. I think there was one package scheduled to arrive in about a week, but it isn't food, so doesn't matter.

Over the past few months, there have been so many physical and chemical changes going on with me, that sometimes, I just don't know what to think about it all. Not sure how they are related, but I am sure there are some common factors going on. The first thing I noticed, was my reading habits. I just could not pick up a book - ANY book - and have my attention stay focused for more than a few minutes. I find myself re-reading sections, or having to turn back to recapture what I had read, and seemingly forgot in 30 seconds. Might be the encephalopathy. I have spoken of my memory issues, so could be. My moods swing precariously. I am able to go from extreme happy and carefree to 'want-to-kill-you' angry in a half-second. This is something I think I notice more from abstaining from alcohol. I'm able to catch the urge to shift moods, and do my best to avert it. Throw in the litany of nausea, fatigue, sleeplessness, cramps, a paracentesis once a week, and some old age, and I am a walking time bomb, I swear.

After the meeting tonight, I came home and the in the mail had arrived a billing statement from my PCP. Insurance hasn't paid yet, so I am not paying, but I went ahead and entered the DOS and billed amount, patient amount, etc. into the spreadsheet I am making. I whipped out the new Excel book, and actually found some information that is helpful, and I will use. There is a bit more in there that is more advanced than my skills at the moment, but that means I have about 1/3 of the book to learn new stuff from, and make my spreadsheets nicer. That Word book was pretty worthless. That's the problem with ordering without being able to put your hands on the book and look inside it.

Welp, I am going to get out of here, and go find something else to do. Lord knows there is a list somewhere of everything I need to do, and I hope I never find it....

PeacE

Advocating For Myself

 The Wife and I were talking last night, mostly about the medical stuff going on for me. Specifically the lack of the new prescription from the Liver Dr. and the fact that when I have a scheduled paracentesis, they aren't giving me the albumin per doctor's orders. It's sad when I have to advocate for my own care. I had to point out this morning about the albumin, which they apologized for, and of course, I received three bottles of dosage today. Nothing new on the 'scrip since I last talked to the lady at the office. For once during this whole liver debacle, I would like 30-45 days where my medications are all available, require no prior authorization or special orders, and would have a chance to work on my body! The last five months the dosage(s) has changed, or added more meds, or toke off meds, or .... Sigh. Just month and some for my body to know how the chemicals are supposed to work, and the doctor would be able to get a better "reading" of what is needed. Sometimes, I just feel I can't win.

I did have the paracentesis this morning, and the total drained today was 13.2 Liters (approximately 30 lbs.) and I weighed in afterwards at 266.0 lbs. I'm down three pounds since last Monday. I know I overate quite a bit this last week, too. Had potluck dinners at the Post Friday and Saturday, and you know you don't go home hungry from them! Plus, just at regular meals, I might have an extra snack during the day, or get seconds of dinner (if available). I was surprised to see it was actually lower. So, now I need to concentrate on food portions, and types (to eat healthier) to get the weigh to keep coming off.

I'm up on an all-nighter it seems. Tried to lay down around 11pm, but the body and mind just were not having it. I passed on taking an edible, as I don't want to make my body start to rely on it each night. It is an assisting aid, not the main thing. Played some games. Watched a couple episodes. Decided to write in here to get it out of the way for the day. Have a General Aux meeting tonight, so thankfully no agenda, nor minutes, need be done by me. But I do need to work on the Riders for next Monday.

No idea for plans today. It is Tuesday. I got RM's Eggs O'le recipe yesterday, and I may go to the store and get the stuff I don't have, and try to make it tomorrow night for dinner. I have a Prime Rib in the freezer I need to use before it gets freezer-burnt, too. Need to look up a crock pot recipe or something. Thinking about actually grabbing up that book on Word and seeing if it has anything I could use and learn in it.

PeacE