Monday, November 24, 2008

11/24/08

Ok, so, I'm doing fairly well today. My strep throat issues have finally resolved about 90%. I was able to function over the weekend; so, that was a big step up in the being sick department. Friday, I had supper w/ frog, which was nice. We went to Applebee's; and then, we did some shopping because I needed a new outfit to wear on Saturday to our company holiday party. I did end up buying a cute outfit, which made me feel pretty good.

On Saturday, I was a very busy fish. I got up in the morning for a shower, found out that I couldn't drop the dog off at doggie boarding until she had her kennel cough vaccination, and ended up having to take her to the vet before I could take her to puppy camp. I got her all taken care of, though, and Pet Pals told me she was pretty good while at their facility (which was clean, dry, and warm to my great pleasure). After that errand was run, I popped over for a nail appointment. Then, Hub and I dashed our way to Des Moines in only two hours. I went to sleep in the car so he could speed without me yelling at him. We have our ways to co-exist, you know. The holiday party was nice; it wasn't anything spectacular, but it was nice. We did a little bit of gambling at the casino (the party was held in the "events" center attached to the casino), and Hub won enough money to pay for puppy camp! Woo! We spent about half an hour in the jacuzzi; and then, we slept in the BIGGEST BED EVER. I kept telling Hub that we really need a bigger bed because I don't think I felt him move at all the entire night. It was ni-ice.

Then, on Sunday, we spent for-ev-er in the car. We went from Des Moines to Tama to see Jaz and the godkids. Then, we went from Tama to Tiffin so I could drop off some back-ordered jewelry to one of my hostesses since we were on the road anyway. Then, we went from Tiffin to Pet Pals to pick up Epona Marie; and finally, we went home. Jeesh! I had to do some lia sophia work last night; but after that, Hub and I watched Survivor Series before having some mac & cheese in bed (Jeff Hardy didn't wrestle, which disappointed me tremendously). Is there anything better than mac & cheese in bed?

Ok, so that brings us to this morning. I decided to stop by McD because I hadn't had an egg mcmuffin in a long time, and I decided I wanted one. I get behind this blue car...and the woman orders half the freaking menu it seems like and pays with a $100 bill. Who goes to McD w/ $100????? They have a dollar menu for freaking sake; take a buck. It took five minutes to get her change because, I guess, they don't see $100 bills often, and they all had to ooh and aah over it. I was one minute late to work because of that chick's $100-freaking-bill. Bah humbug.

Oh, tis the season, or something. Be jolly.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Keep On Rocking With Your Freebirth

I walked the dog last night! Woo hoo! I wasn't sure I was going to be up to it because I'd been feeling so crappy, but I haven't spent much time w/ her over the last five days because I've been so freaking sick. So, we took a short walk when I got home from work. It was fantastico.

I didn't sleep well last night, which is boo. I took my zolpidem and everything, but it just wasn't in the stars I suppose (heh). I got about four hours, I think. I imagine I will go to bed early tonight to make up for some of that sleep. *lol* They say you can't stock up on or make up sleep, but I sorely beg to differ.

OH!

I watched this show last night on the National Geographic channel about freebirthing. Freebirthing is the term for women who have decided to forego all conventional (hospital / doctor) and alternative (midwife) medical treatment during pregnancy and birth. So, these women have decided to not go to a doctor for fetal monitoring, and they have decided to give birth at home...alone...by themselves...Now, I'm generally not big on being brought down by "the man." If a person wants to try something a new way, I'm usually all for it. The thought of these women giving birth at home, though, with no sort of monitoring whatsoever is pretty out there. I guess I'm of two opinions on the issue:

1. I think that it is a bad idea for someone to forego medical care completely when they are pregnant. There are so many potential complications during pregnancy and then during birth, that going it completely alone doesn't make sense to me. It is a frightening thought that someone could go full term without ever knowing that she has a complication. It is more frightening to think that someone could get halfway through the birthing process, have something go wrong, and be alone with no help available. (I say no help available because apparently when hospitals or doctors find out a woman wants to freebirth, they withdraw their "services.")

2. I'm never one for telling someone they can't do something. Hospitals have even gone so far as to tell women who want to freebirth that they may be prosecuted if they do so, which is untrue (freebirthing is legal in all of the United States). I have never liked the idea of taking away someone's choice on an issue simply because you, Joe Bob, or Representative Spikes dislikes the notion of it. SO, while I may not agree? You will never hear me tell someone they can't do it.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

11/16/08

So, ...I've managed to somehow get strep throat, which means I haven't moved since Wednesday.





*SIGH*

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Blargh

I'm sure there's more I wanted to talk about, but I can't remember all of it right now. So, we're going to start w/ the important stuff. I went to the MD yesterday for my annual exam (which, if you're a chick, you know that this consists of more than taking your height, weight, vitals, and history for the last year). I am 5'2.5" tall, and I certainly weigh more than I should. My blood pressure is good, and my lungs were clear. Eyes, ears, and throat all good. Breast exam was good; no lumps. Pelvic was good; no lumps in the abdomen. I'm waiting on the results from my Pap, but I don't anticipate any problems because she said everything looked fine when she was down there. Here's the thing, though: I have to go back for a fasting blood draw. My doctor wants to check my RA factor and my thyroid. Apparently, my thyroid level has doubled within a year. She checked it at my last annual; and then, she checked it again approximately halfway through the year, and it had doubled. According to my MD, this isn't normal. She said I was less than one point away from being put on thyroid medication. If my level goes up with this check, I *WILL* be put on thyroid medication. Apparently, my body thinks there's not enough of the stuff the thyroid produces; so, my thyroid is making too much of it...or something like that. My doctor said this could be a large contributing factor as to why I feel so damn tired all the time. She is also checking my RA factor because she said that the fact that ALL of my joints ache is of concern. Coincidentally, I hurt like a sumbitch right now; so, yes, I'm concerned, too. The thing is...I'm not sure if I want to get my hopes up that something might actually be wrong with me. For the last year...maybe two?...I've pretty much convinced myself that I'm just tired and lazy, but what if there is an actual, legitimate reason for that tired, aching feeling? (Two separate reasons, but still.) Would that motivate me to get better, feel better, take better care of myself? Or, if I started treatment, would I finally feel like doing the things I want to do? I had, kind of, chalked it all up to being a lazy bastard, but what if that isn't all of it? Anyways, the doctor and I also discussed methods of permanent birth control because I've been on the pill since I was 17, and I'm ten-different-ways of over it. Hub and I aren't having children, and I'd rather just find a permanent solution. So, my homework is to find out what my insurance will cover in regards to sterilization. I'm also supposed to find out if a certain gynecologist is in my network. After that? Maybe an appointment will be made for a consultation. Who knows.

...later...

So, ok. I'm doing my best to NOT think about what the doctor told me, but I have done a little reading. I have completely managed to freak myself out. It turns out that RA is on the rise in women, but nobody knows why. Turns out hips and knees are commonly affected, along w/ hands, which is where my pain is always located. Turns out RA is a big contributor to hypothyroidism because the auto-immune disorder inflames the thyroid making it malfunction, which means it makes perfect sense for a person to be diagnosed w/ both. I'm trying to also give benefit of the doubt to other stuff: possible cold, weather changes, etc. However, I've felt this way for a long time. I can't even begin to count the number of times I've begged off doing something with Hub because I've been too tired. Nor can I even begin to count the number of days I've just not "felt well" because I was hurting, achine, or fatigued. So, some of this stuff seems to fit - I'm just going to feel like a complete dork if none of it is true.