Fell off the grid for a bit, didn't I?

It happens to the best of us.  Plus there's still a lot of house renovations going on.  And yeah, that was supposed to be finished, but you know how it is.  One thing is shiny and new, and the thing next to it looks like crap. lol  Yeah.  Really.

Juicy bits---plant-based diet works well for me, but DAMN it's hard to find stuff they don't add milk or eggs to!  Didn't eat for most of the day the other day, so yeah... was feeling a little woozy.  Stopped by a gas station to find something to snack on.  Found a bag of chips--no, NOT the best choice but better than most--dill flavor.  DILL.  Whipped out my trusty app, "Is it Vegan?" and scanned it.  NOPE.  NOT vegan!  Whey in the ingredients.  I mean, really?  Who puts milk products on potato chips?  It wasn't ranch flavor.  It was DILL! lol  Pickles and milk.  eeeeew!

Oh well. lol  I had a good laugh and moved on.

Other health issues are hanging out there and awaiting scrutiny by specialists.

Lung nodule still needs to be evaluated.  I opted for a second opinion due to the fact that the first pulmonary doctor didn't know the difference between 1.1 mm and 1.1 cm.  HUGE difference!  So that appt will come soon.  She did express deep concerns, as did the rheumatologist, with regards to the plethora of lab values that were out of range.  Most of these were associated with the liver.  Long story, that.  I see that specialist July 20th.  The symptoms and pain is getting worse, so we'll see if I can hold out that long.

Well, I plan to post a bit more often.  Right now there is SO much I need to say.  But I just can't at the moment.  Much to be done with regards to choosing paint, lighting, etc. to finish the front bath.  And there's the kitchen to be dealt with.

Till tomorrow....

When a kidney stone is a GOOD thing

When they lead you to have a CT scan and something is found that may have otherwise have not been found until much later.  "Early" is a good thing.  Really.

So, yeah... last weekend wasn't one of my better weekends, but hey.. stuff happens, right?  When your urine looks like cranberry juice.. it's high time to go have it checked out.  Suspected kidney stone(s)... and off to the ER so I can be sent to radiology for a CT scan to confirm there is in fact stones and where they are.. and if they're obstructing anything.

Yep.  Two stones, they said.  One in the ureter (ouch!), and the other in the kidney and not moving thus far.  Drink a lot of water, take these drugs... and if things get worse come back.  Ok.

Things got worse, but not in the way you would think.  Back I went.  Saw two D.O.'s (love those docs)... and they think something AI is going on and that I should see a rheumatologist.  Okay.  Off I go to see yet another Dr.

A few days later I'm looking at the sheet they sent me home with from the hospital, the one from my CT scan.  The one that sat on my dining room table for about a week.  And there at the top of the list of findings was this....

ABDOMEN: Lung bases: No infiltrate of effusion.  A 1.1 cm nodule in postro basal segment of left lower lung.  Follow-up using Fleischner criteria suggested.

Top of the list of findings, and you guys didn't, you know, consider mentioning this? lol  Okay.  Well, the rheumatologist did.  "You need to have your primary care physician refer you to a pulmonologist. That nodule needs further investigation."

Well alrighty then.

I've been looking for another PC physician because the one I have, as I've discovered over the last year and a half, is more interested in writing prescriptions than actually helping.  He takes an eternity to refer me to specialists when needed, ignores symptoms for so long that I have to literally INSIST on getting a referral, and this... seems to be no exception.  I found a pulmonary doc I want to see and called my PC doc and made the request, explained why... and... have heard nothing back.  If I were already a patient I could have made the appt myself, so I was told by the receptionist.  But they require a referral.

Spoke to the receptionist at the pulmonologist's office and she was actually quite shocked that my dr hadn't bothered to call for a referral right away.  She is taking it upon herself to get my records sent over and try to do things from her end instead.  I like this clinic already.

And my primary doctor is... so fired.

Midnight, Music, Musings Part 3

As late as it is you would think I would be sleepy. I don't sleep well at all, but then...I am a human receptacle for stress and anxiety. And I can't seem to convince my other half that he can't use me as a dumping ground or we won't last long. Yeah. So there's that. The truth is often quite difficult to speak aloud. But when you have to protect your health you have to speak up. So I have.

So here I am. Awake. Anxious. But that's life. Listening to music and pondering my strategy on rebuilding my health..and my life.  Well, and least the low-carbing is going steady and strong.

Note: Fat Bombs work!  Easy on the fried stuff. Don't over-do dairy or protein, do 2-3 fat bombs a day. Working for me.

My other blogs --alter egos.

In case you guys didn't know--I am making a better effort to post more relevant content on my other blogs.  Meaning, on Boo's Juicy Bits... that's more in-tune with what it was created for--health, weight loss, anything relevant to health, and.. it may or may not get racy at times (just as a heads-up).  All Things Ephemeral.. can be more reflective, or maybe a literal 'alter ego' to this blog.  Either way, I've been lazy in the past because it was made known to me that no one wanted me to delete any of my blogs (3).  So, I was making it easy on myself by just mostly copying and pasting from one to the other.

No more.

I'm stepping up and making a decision to try and keep things separate as possible.  So if you read just one, you may miss out on something else.  Unless I happen to mention it in another...

Can't say for sure how it will all go.  But I do find that once I've gotten one feeling or topic or what-have-you out of my system... I often don't feel like talking about it again somewhere else.  Just saying.  So... keep that in mind if you want to know everything that's going through mine. ;p

Now, THIS post WILL be posted on all three blogs.

Now... If you look in the sidebar.. you will find the links to my alter-egos should you dare to read.  As my sleep improves... there is honestly no telling what I may talk about.  Keep your curiosity in check,  or not. lol  Read at your own risk. ;)

*smooches*

The disingenuous scale

Well, as far as 'weight' goes, the scale does this ridiculous up and down thing, hovering on digital insanity.  Appearances can be deceiving, so I'm not worrying about it, but it is really is nice when you can SEE and measure progress in numbers when it comes to this whole fat loss thing.  Damn scale, how I loathe thee.

But then, my appetite still hovers in the deep abyss that even I can't reach or understand.  Although, I have experienced a slight twinge of hunger a couple of times lately.  Maybe that's a small start of something more 'normal' in terms of...well, of whatever.

Yesterday was a total bust though, as I wasn't able to take in more than about 700 calories.  Yeah.  I know.  Dangerously low.  But many days I fight to get in 1300 to 1500 on average, and I have to get that in at one meal.  Low carbing means I can load up on the healthy fats and raise the calories enough to sustain life.  ha ha.  That really was supposed to be humorous.  But without a good appetite, getting enough to eat is a struggle, and it is as hard to lose fat NOT eating enough as it is when you're eating too much.

The good news is that I'm finally OFF the protonix!  THANK GOD!  Took popping carafate and going through discomfort, but I'm off.  I'm on another class of OTC medication for reflux as a bridge until things settle, then I can wean myself off of that.  But so far so good!  And one of the side effects, or lack thereof, of getting off of the PPI is that I can sleep better again!  I knew getting off that crap would be a good move.  :D

Well, I have about 21% power left to do some research for the rest of the master bath restoration.  And I mean, this is a full-on restoration.  The whole bathroom is being gutted and replaced.  :)  So I'm off to do that....

Laters!

Still here. Sort of. Feeling adventurously unhinged.

It will take me a few to catch up...  Really not the easiest time for me to talk about everything right now.  Lots going on in life and inside my head.

Not entirely sure where I'm focusing my energies, and that can make it a little confusing here if I talk about it too much.  Or at all....

But when I do... there will plenty to say....

Hang in there.

I am.

Trying.

Sort of.

And damn these dreams.  Wicked cool.  And interesting.  Makes me feel adventurous...and maybe not in the most conservative way.

Weight loss, good. Thriving, not so good.

Low-Carbing seems to really be hitting the sweet spot as far as weight loss, and there is still much to be done as far as tweaking things a bit so that my energy level rises enough to feel more like a human being.  I can live with that for now.  But I'm thinking it's all the other debris that I need to clear away that will fuel the fire of vitality.  Not sure how to do that just yet, but I'm working on it.

I mean, finding answers to complex issues isn't always the easiest thing in the world, but I can keep at it till I drop, that's for sure.  IF I don't have constant interruptions making things even more difficult than they are.  THAT is another talk show (DAMN but I need breathing room!).  Even so, I can't just rollover and give up, so it just may mean breaking out the big guns to keep on going.  Fine.

There are so many things I miss about having my own space, and that will be somewhat rectified soon, but I'm making a list of things that have to be dealt with, things that MUST be dealt with in order for me to thrive, live.  LIVE.  This has to be done.  PERIOD.  There is no more putting this off.

List of things that have to be rectified.  A list of goals.  Let's just say... there are going to be a few lists.

I've pulled the cord, gotten off the train, and I'm standing on my own two feet, even if I'm working on my energy level.

It's done-deal.

Done.

That's an awful long track with a lot of possibilities....