Note: a rather pedestrian depiction of the past two days (minus any actual pedestrian type or related of action)
Ring Ring
Just as I awoke this morning my phone rang. That's never a good sign.
“Sorry for calling so early, are you awake right now?”
“Right now? Well, heck yeah! I'm on the phone, aren't I?”
No, that's not exactly what I said, but I quickly determined that this woman calling was a certified phlebotomist of some kind, and then also, she apparently wanted blood … my blood.
“Is right now convenient? I am just a few minutes away…”
“Sure, why not. I've got plenty of blood and little else on my agenda.”
My ever curious wife asked me who's on the phone.
“BloodGirl367,” I explained, after terminating the call.
“She's not coming here right now, is she?”
“Nope, it'll take her a few minutes to fire up her engines.”
As she was busily getting ready for work, it was immediately clear to me that the wife didn't need the additional distraction (the meet and greet, then ushering her upstairs), so I called BloodGirl367 back and gave her the gate code and the door code and a detailed list of acceptable behaviors allowable within the uncertain parameters I'd not yet established.
Upon arrival, the phlebotomist girl bound about with positive energy vibrations to spare. And even better than that, she continually and somewhat cleverly dropped f-bombs in each and every sentence she uttered while conversing with me. Believe it or not, I truly appreciate that kind of aptitude in a woman. Even beyond that, BloodGirl367 informed me that she played guitar. So there you go… a two for one deal.
“F***. You may not be hydrated enough, so … I'll probably have to come back tomorrow, or even later today,” she advised.
“Well, I'm never truly hydrated. It's this damn tube thing… always leaves me thirsty for more,” I explained.
Based upon my very recent blood work results, it seems as though my calcium is running low. And based on that, it is suspected that my vitamin D is running low. And based upon that, my doctor ordered the formal blood draw.
“Eh, you'll get it. I have the utmost confidence in your blood letting abilities,” I encouraged.
She was able to procure a couple of f****** vials, and that was the end of that. No more tangible excitement for the rest of the day for me.
Making the Grade
Once again, I am playing guitar a lot. My new guitar. My electric guitar with the built-in speaker. And as you might imagine, my skills are improving. Considering my near decade long layoff, I am impressed by my right hand picking action, while my left hand fingering remains somewhat mediocre. Perhaps it's always been that way.
Book It
Oh, here's some news. The Wife Person finally agreed to read my second novel. I've been asking her to read it for the past decade (no exaggeration). You'd think her interest would have been piqued all along, especially considering she was the motivation behind writing the damn thing in the first place, but you would be thinking incorrectly.
Note: My first true to life novel did not suit her, because it involved intimate relations with the opposite sex, which of course, she rightfully wished to avoid reading about.
So prior to dispatching my written work, I began going through the chapters one by one, only to find that my writing technique has greatly improved since then… which means, in its current state, I found this past writing effort to be seriously lacking.
The way it happened is that I hastily finished working on the darned novel back before I became too ill to continue (no editing whatsoever). So the bare bones are there, but the need for editing and revisions is plain and clear.
So what I'm now doing is briefly going through each chapter and editing them one by one, before sending them to her directly. She's read three chapters thus far, but she's yet to comment.
I don't know what that means.
Time passes…
I finally asked her if she liked what she was reading. And she told me that she wouldn't be asking for additional chapters if she didn't enjoy the material.
So there is that.
Energy Reserves August 27th 2024
I'm feeling good. I'm feeling strong. It's late in the afternoon on a Monday. I'm not sure where this energy is coming from. Nothing has changed. And seemingly, nothing is ever different.
Well, I had an all-new and different caregiver this morning, but I don't suppose that's the reason for my overall perkiness. Although, we did talk and talk and talk for the entire three hours. Or mostly, she kept asking me questions and I kept answering them, having an unusually solid command of the language - flowing and going and flowing just a bit more.
Her name was (and is) Taja. And it wasn't that there was anything particularly inspiring about her, nor the opposite of that. But she did seem mildly amused by my ramblings (for which I apologized at the conclusion of her visit, not realizing I dominated the conversation, until it was far too late). I guess you could say, I talked her ear off. Perhaps both ears, assuming she was listening in stereo.
Bonus Coverage
Later in the evening there were good vibrations emanating from and with my wife. I didn't do anything wrong all evening. I didn't say any wrong thing - as more typically, I make plenty of mistakes, having lapses in judgment with the way I present my communications. Winging it by means of improvising doesn't always lead to the best conversational results. Surprising and unpredictable results? Well yeah, most assuredly. But my craving for novelty sometimes backfires. Answer questions in a normal fashion and rarely does anything notable ever happen.
The Maximization of a Minimalist
I took to sleeping around midnight, then awoke at 2:57 a.m. … buzzing - my physical energy levels notably having increased. But … I'm stuck. I am stuck in quiet mode. I want to play guitar. I want to go outside on the balcony and smoke a cigarette. And heck, I even want to get up and walk around the room, almost feeling as though I could actually do so.
Yes, I have all this physical energy, having no idea where it came from.
Detective Work
Nearly a week ago my body shifted into death mode. Muscles aching. No physical energy. Trouble breathing / getting oxygen into my lungs. Symptoms I had not experienced in two or three years. Symptoms I used to experience daily for several bedbound years from end to end. Admittedly, I was frightened. What if suddenly my debilitating weakness regained control?
It didn't. And I still have absolutely no idea what's led to this discernible up shift.
252 in the Afternoon
I don't seem to be accomplishing much at all today. I did call the hospital again, still trying to schedule for a feeding tube replacement. I've been making the effort for the past three months… unsuccessfully. There always seems to be a paperwork mishap. Some key ingredient is always missing. If not that, whenever I call to schedule the procedure, the people on the other end of the phone don't seem to know what I should do next.
My feeding tube is supposed to be replaced every 4 to 6 months. Of course, I was initially procrastinating due to the horrific pain I had been experiencing / not wanting anyone to touch the damn thing or anywhere near that area. But it's almost been a year already. The damn tube apparatus is nearly disintegrating. So my efforts continue.
16 Days
That's how long it's been since the horrific pain ceased to exist. Those two grueling months are now in the books. And I used to think the preceding months were absolutely awful (as I have noted here, and these recent blog entries).
Solutions Unsung
What I did each and every day was physically manipulate the area, basically, traumatizing the area to the extent where I couldn't take it anymore. And then one day, something burst internally. Or popped. Or broke free.
Along the way, there was a fair amount of internal bleeding, as evidenced by the blackened color of my defecated waste materials - but in the most recent ten days, the internal bleeding has ceased entirely.
I may still have an infection going on, but I'm guessing it's mostly topical / embedded within the external layers only. And with the way my body is hypervigilant, attacking any and all foreign bodies, I am somewhat confident a resolution will come to pass on its own. Modern medicine's got nothing on janky home remedies enacted in a fit of desperation.
Another 48 Hours
So that's a snapshot of the past two days running. Nothing to see here. Not really. So I guess you could say I'm feeling reasonably content now. When things aren't terrible, they are good. Yep, that's my new motto.
Take care,
Howard
Ring Ring
Just as I awoke this morning my phone rang. That's never a good sign.
“Sorry for calling so early, are you awake right now?”
“Right now? Well, heck yeah! I'm on the phone, aren't I?”
No, that's not exactly what I said, but I quickly determined that this woman calling was a certified phlebotomist of some kind, and then also, she apparently wanted blood … my blood.
“Is right now convenient? I am just a few minutes away…”
“Sure, why not. I've got plenty of blood and little else on my agenda.”
My ever curious wife asked me who's on the phone.
“BloodGirl367,” I explained, after terminating the call.
“She's not coming here right now, is she?”
“Nope, it'll take her a few minutes to fire up her engines.”
As she was busily getting ready for work, it was immediately clear to me that the wife didn't need the additional distraction (the meet and greet, then ushering her upstairs), so I called BloodGirl367 back and gave her the gate code and the door code and a detailed list of acceptable behaviors allowable within the uncertain parameters I'd not yet established.
Upon arrival, the phlebotomist girl bound about with positive energy vibrations to spare. And even better than that, she continually and somewhat cleverly dropped f-bombs in each and every sentence she uttered while conversing with me. Believe it or not, I truly appreciate that kind of aptitude in a woman. Even beyond that, BloodGirl367 informed me that she played guitar. So there you go… a two for one deal.
“F***. You may not be hydrated enough, so … I'll probably have to come back tomorrow, or even later today,” she advised.
“Well, I'm never truly hydrated. It's this damn tube thing… always leaves me thirsty for more,” I explained.
Based upon my very recent blood work results, it seems as though my calcium is running low. And based on that, it is suspected that my vitamin D is running low. And based upon that, my doctor ordered the formal blood draw.
“Eh, you'll get it. I have the utmost confidence in your blood letting abilities,” I encouraged.
She was able to procure a couple of f****** vials, and that was the end of that. No more tangible excitement for the rest of the day for me.
Making the Grade
Once again, I am playing guitar a lot. My new guitar. My electric guitar with the built-in speaker. And as you might imagine, my skills are improving. Considering my near decade long layoff, I am impressed by my right hand picking action, while my left hand fingering remains somewhat mediocre. Perhaps it's always been that way.
Book It
Oh, here's some news. The Wife Person finally agreed to read my second novel. I've been asking her to read it for the past decade (no exaggeration). You'd think her interest would have been piqued all along, especially considering she was the motivation behind writing the damn thing in the first place, but you would be thinking incorrectly.
Note: My first true to life novel did not suit her, because it involved intimate relations with the opposite sex, which of course, she rightfully wished to avoid reading about.
So prior to dispatching my written work, I began going through the chapters one by one, only to find that my writing technique has greatly improved since then… which means, in its current state, I found this past writing effort to be seriously lacking.
The way it happened is that I hastily finished working on the darned novel back before I became too ill to continue (no editing whatsoever). So the bare bones are there, but the need for editing and revisions is plain and clear.
So what I'm now doing is briefly going through each chapter and editing them one by one, before sending them to her directly. She's read three chapters thus far, but she's yet to comment.
I don't know what that means.
Time passes…
I finally asked her if she liked what she was reading. And she told me that she wouldn't be asking for additional chapters if she didn't enjoy the material.
So there is that.
Energy Reserves August 27th 2024
I'm feeling good. I'm feeling strong. It's late in the afternoon on a Monday. I'm not sure where this energy is coming from. Nothing has changed. And seemingly, nothing is ever different.
Well, I had an all-new and different caregiver this morning, but I don't suppose that's the reason for my overall perkiness. Although, we did talk and talk and talk for the entire three hours. Or mostly, she kept asking me questions and I kept answering them, having an unusually solid command of the language - flowing and going and flowing just a bit more.
Her name was (and is) Taja. And it wasn't that there was anything particularly inspiring about her, nor the opposite of that. But she did seem mildly amused by my ramblings (for which I apologized at the conclusion of her visit, not realizing I dominated the conversation, until it was far too late). I guess you could say, I talked her ear off. Perhaps both ears, assuming she was listening in stereo.
Bonus Coverage
Later in the evening there were good vibrations emanating from and with my wife. I didn't do anything wrong all evening. I didn't say any wrong thing - as more typically, I make plenty of mistakes, having lapses in judgment with the way I present my communications. Winging it by means of improvising doesn't always lead to the best conversational results. Surprising and unpredictable results? Well yeah, most assuredly. But my craving for novelty sometimes backfires. Answer questions in a normal fashion and rarely does anything notable ever happen.
The Maximization of a Minimalist
I took to sleeping around midnight, then awoke at 2:57 a.m. … buzzing - my physical energy levels notably having increased. But … I'm stuck. I am stuck in quiet mode. I want to play guitar. I want to go outside on the balcony and smoke a cigarette. And heck, I even want to get up and walk around the room, almost feeling as though I could actually do so.
Yes, I have all this physical energy, having no idea where it came from.
Detective Work
Nearly a week ago my body shifted into death mode. Muscles aching. No physical energy. Trouble breathing / getting oxygen into my lungs. Symptoms I had not experienced in two or three years. Symptoms I used to experience daily for several bedbound years from end to end. Admittedly, I was frightened. What if suddenly my debilitating weakness regained control?
It didn't. And I still have absolutely no idea what's led to this discernible up shift.
252 in the Afternoon
I don't seem to be accomplishing much at all today. I did call the hospital again, still trying to schedule for a feeding tube replacement. I've been making the effort for the past three months… unsuccessfully. There always seems to be a paperwork mishap. Some key ingredient is always missing. If not that, whenever I call to schedule the procedure, the people on the other end of the phone don't seem to know what I should do next.
My feeding tube is supposed to be replaced every 4 to 6 months. Of course, I was initially procrastinating due to the horrific pain I had been experiencing / not wanting anyone to touch the damn thing or anywhere near that area. But it's almost been a year already. The damn tube apparatus is nearly disintegrating. So my efforts continue.
16 Days
That's how long it's been since the horrific pain ceased to exist. Those two grueling months are now in the books. And I used to think the preceding months were absolutely awful (as I have noted here, and these recent blog entries).
Solutions Unsung
What I did each and every day was physically manipulate the area, basically, traumatizing the area to the extent where I couldn't take it anymore. And then one day, something burst internally. Or popped. Or broke free.
Along the way, there was a fair amount of internal bleeding, as evidenced by the blackened color of my defecated waste materials - but in the most recent ten days, the internal bleeding has ceased entirely.
I may still have an infection going on, but I'm guessing it's mostly topical / embedded within the external layers only. And with the way my body is hypervigilant, attacking any and all foreign bodies, I am somewhat confident a resolution will come to pass on its own. Modern medicine's got nothing on janky home remedies enacted in a fit of desperation.
Another 48 Hours
So that's a snapshot of the past two days running. Nothing to see here. Not really. So I guess you could say I'm feeling reasonably content now. When things aren't terrible, they are good. Yep, that's my new motto.
Take care,
Howard
