Good Bye February...

Until we meet again next year.  February 2013 is over & March is arriving.  I can't say I'm sad to see this month end.  It hasn't been the most pleasant for us.  I'm looking forward to warmer weather & longer days.  I've never been a big fan of Winter.  I can do without all the drear & weirdness of the season.

So far March is pretty open for us.  I have a doctor's appointment on the 11th.  We're planning on seeing the movie Jack.  Other than that we're pretty clear.  

There will be the normal errands & trips to Fort Smith.  I'm hoping it's warm enough to get onto spring cleaning.  My mornings will be brighter soon & I can probably get back to outside, morning exercise soon, weather permitting.

Again, so long February & hello March.

Cya...

Wednesday Again...

This is the last Wednesday of February 2013.   This year is zipping right along.  As usual today is trash day.  I've said before that I like trash day.  1st, it's a marker of how far I am in the week.  But mostly, it's the feeling of getting stuff out of my house I don't need.  

I'm looking forward to warmer weather.  I'll be more inclined to get the house back in shape than I am now. It's hard to deal with serious cleaning, when there are blankets & afghans tossed everywhere.  I'll also be glad to get back to my steps on a more regular basis.  They really helped me keep to my exercise routine & lower my blood pressure.  

In 11 more days Daylight Saving Time kicks back in & thing will be an hour later.   My roomie hates the spring forward time.  I'm not too bad with it.  Spring is on it's way & many of the plants are budding.  Allergens were out in mass today, but I forgot to take my allergy meds this morning.  I'm very thankful for hot tea.  It helps me get through these days.

Albeit I'm not looking forward to grass mowing & fleas, I am looking forward to warmer weather & open doors.  I miss have the windows open & having the house aired out.  Here's looking forward to Spring.

Cya...

Nothing Much...

My roomie is out for the day & I'm here just surfing the web.  I considered my options of things to do, but nothing seemed all that great.  I opted to stay home, until I have to go pick my roomie up from her friend's.  

The problem with my area is that besides lacking in the HIV department, it lacks in just about every other department as well.  Unless your looking to thump a bible, toss a football or scream turn left at NASCAR playing on the TV, you're out of luck around here.  

More than the lack of options in most regards, even more so than the fact I have to drive at least 30+ miles for anything remotely fun, the biggest problem for me in this area, is the inherent boredom.  Sure, I could clean the house or do something constructive, but sometimes you just need to get out of the house.

I'm positive some people actually adore my area.  I'm also pretty sure they're probably inbred hillbillies with 2 trailer homes rigged together, 15 barking hound dogs & even more dead, rusted out cars in their yard.

If I have a goal, it's simple, to eventually live some place a little more lively.  I'd like to have my choices restricted by my limited funds more than a lack of availability of things to do.  If not, my tombstone will probably read that I died of sheer boredom, not HIV.

Yes, I'm ranting about something that isn't as important as HIV testing, meds or research.  But, being bored is depressing & frustrating.  Both of which can & will affect your well-being.  There's little motivation to do anything, when there really isn't anything to do.  Hopefully someday this area will be in my rear-view mirror.

Cya...

Technical Difficulties Expected...

This will be a short post today.  I have things to get done & probably little time in which to do them.  The weather has turned a bit nasty & it'll probably kill my net &/or power today.  Instead of waiting for it to happen midpost, I'll opt for an explanation of my brevity & post more tomorrow.

Cya....

Everything Counts...

I've read many articles on health, wellness & weight management.  Most of them fail in regards of motivating people to actually get active.  Most suggest somewhere between 30 - 90 minutes of "actual" exercise daily. 

Nobody who isn't already exercising needs to start out with a goal of 30 minutes of exercise daily & certainly not 90.  Few, if any newbies to exercise will be able to or willing to participate in such a regimen.  Still, these hardcore exercise Nazis say it's a must & your breathing should like this & your heart rate like that.  Yada, yada, yada...

Some go as far as to discredit any exercise that isn't intense & for an extended period of time.   That's BS.  Moving, no matter how little it may be, will always be better for your health than staying sedentary.  This is the anti Depeche Mode moral, everything counts, even in small amounts.  

10 minutes of slow walking for someone weighing 200 pounds or about 90 KG will burn about 40 calories.  If you give up a can of soda a day that's around 150 calories (give or take a bit on the kind).  So, if a person just gave up a can a soda & slowly walked for 10 minutes daily, he would reduce his normal caloric intake by 190 calories a day.    That's over 1,300 calories in a week or 5,700 calories in a month.   If everything else stays the same, that would mean losing at least a pound a month.

Maybe in the next month that person can walk 10 more minutes or walk those same 10 faster.  Maybe that person decides to reduce more high caloric food stuffs from their diet.  All of these little modifications add up.  No one got fat overnight.  No one will get thin overnight either.  No one ate their way to being 200 pounds overweight in a month, so why would you think you could lose it that quickly?

My advice on this matter is simple.   Be aware & keep moving.  Know what your eating & drinking.  Keep moving & exercising.  Don't hurt yourself or make yourself take on some freaky diet.  Be patient, if you keep moving, you'll get there.

Cya...

Saturday...

I'm thankful for this morning.  It was the 1st morning in quite a bit, I not only had nothing actually required of me, but also nothing problematic popped up demanding my attention.  Mornings like this have a way of being rare.  

I am not a morning person.  Never have been & have no desire to be 1.  I really dislike mornings & if it wasn't for meds & things that need to get done, I wouldn't get up during the early A.M..  Only perky people really like mornings.   I don't like perky or chipper for that matter.

I'm fairly unforgiving of things that make me deal with them in the morning.   I'm so happy I don't have kids.  I probably would've strangled 1 of them in my sleep for disturbing me.  You will never win any favors with me by waking me up.

This morning was good.   There were no required errands or chores.  The cats didn't make any huge messes.  Somehow the internet worked.  Tomorrow morning will probably be screwed as hell, but for today, I'm thankful.

Cya...

Common Sense...

This article states a blatant fact about HIV treatment.  Adequately treating HIV in + people not only treats their condition, but that of the community.  When HIV treatment is widespread in an area, the viral transmission rates drop.

By treating the individuals, you're treating the community.  It's a simple concept, but some fail to grab it.  The likelihood of a person transmitting the virus is lessened if they are being treated & educated.  HIV is isn't something you can hope to cure in a surgical strike.  It needs a full catch-all net approach to even have a chance of lessening the numbers of infected.

It's a good article, read it.

Cya...

Testy & Tense...

I had planned on writing about some article or another, but that isn't happening.   The weather is odd & so am I.  I've been feeling wired & exhausted for most of 2013.  A lot of crap has fallen our way & I was hoping it'd be dealt with by now.  It mostly has been, at least as far as I can tell.  But still, I'm feeling tense.  

I was hoping today would be quiet & easy so I could focus better.  That didn't happen, I had a wide open morning with nothing to do.  I was just going to go through it & enjoy having nothing on my plate.  So much for that.  My internet was slow last night & died this morning for a while.  Thast left me dealing with Suddenlink, yuck!  Then my "lovely" pharmacy called for a refill order. 

Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but after last month's screw ups with them, I'm left feeling anxious.   I managed to get through my morning stretches & midday exercise, but I'm still unfocused & frazzled.  I really wish everything would get it's act together & stop being such a total F'Up for a week or so.  That would be just F'in wonderful.

Sorry for the rant.

Cya...

Telemedicine Done...

I had my telemedicine appointment today.  Although it almost didn't happen.  Thanks to Oklahoma's freaky weather, Monday it was unseasonably warm & humid, but today it chilled down a lot.  It actually snowed for  quite a bit here this morning.  The worst of it fell north of us.

The snow almost stopped the bus from coming.  As it was, they were nearly 30 minutes late.  Now, everything else in my day is running a little behind.  I'm not sure if this white stuff will stick or not.  Unless it gets colder, it should melt off soon.  The problem lies in the overnight hours.  We're supposed to have rain & it could freeze.

It's a definite enough thing that my roomie rearranged her schedule so she wouldn't be out in it tomorrow.   Hopefully this will all be cleared up soon.  I really hope whatever weather comes, it doesn't knock out the power or internet.  

I'm a bit chilly & I have stuff to get done, so I'll post again tomorrow.

Cya...

PS... My lab results were fairly good, not great for other people, but typical for me.

Issues in Leaks...

There was supposed to be a better post today, but that isn't turning out to be the case.  I was about to begin my post when I heard something coming from the bathroom.   It seems the shower faucet had decided to leak at a pretty good pace.   

I had fixed the hot water side of it a while back & thought fixing the cold side wouldn't be any big thing.  Silly me!  It turned out to be a pain in the ass.  I'm hoping it's fixed.  I hate plumbing.

Cya...

Gotta Run Today...

Have errands to run today so the post is nil.   I will say that my roomie's financial issue has been resolved.  It cost us $50 US & it was the best $50 we've probably ever spent.  I'm just happy it's over with & we can move past it.

Cya...

Good Article...

This article is a good read.  There isn't really anything I can add to it that I haven't already said before in this blog.  The article is about young people in the USA & why they aren't getting tested for HIV.   

It talks about marginalized people, but also of those ignorant of the reality of HIV.  Love, sex, & stigma was a short phrase in the article referring to young people trying express themselves via sex & fearing the stigma of HIV too much to talk about it or protect themselves form it.

It's a good read, hope you look at it.

Cya...

Yesterday, Itchy Eyes...

Yesterday was the 1st time this year that allergies got high enough for me to takes meds for them.  According to Pollen.com, we were in the upper end of the medium-high zone.  I normally wait until it's in the high zone before I take meds.  However, this was the 1st high day of the year & I opted to play it safe.

I forgot how much I hate allergy meds.  Yes, they helped with the sinus issues, but I still had to use allergy eye drops for my eyes.  I felt like crap later in the day.  By 10 PM, I was exhausted from them & this is the non-drowsy version of the meds.

Today, allergen levels are lower so I didn't take them.  I still feel the after effects of them though.  I'm dried out & slightly groggy.  I hate allergies only a bit more than I hate the meds.

Cya...

New Drug, Old BS...

This article is among the few that hit today about GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) being given priority status by the FDA.  Basically this means the process of approval for this drug will be expedited .  The drug, Dolutegravir is being developed as a means to combat HIV in patients who have developed resistance to Raltegravir.

This is great & all, but that didn't seem to be the point of any the articles I readr.  The articles all seemed to focus on $.   This drug would better equip GSK to to do monetary battle with Gilead.  I know $ is important, but it would seem the idea of new medicine to fight HIV could take precedence at least for a little while.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

Cya....

Errand...

There's a light at the end of the tunnel for my roomie's issue that's been hanging over her head for a few weeks now.  She has to wait until Monday to know for certain, but this could possibly work out much better than I'd actually thought it would.  We could seriously use some good news.  This year has been rough so far  & we're still coping with some crap from 2012.  To be honest, we're still trying to finish off some stuff stemming from 2011.

Hopefully, this will all be over Monday.  Until then if you're in the mood for totally unnecessary stupidity in regards to STI's (VD), then read this article.  It's depressing & I really don't even want to acknowledge it more than that.

Cya...


PS... Happy Valentine's Day

Tomorrow...

Tomorrow is the beginning of the professional phase of the problem my roomie is dealing with right now.   Last night she opted for us to take a drive out there today to locate this place.  I'm very happy she did.  Neither of us had ever been there.  The address in the phone book was out of date & Google directions was only off by 5 miles.

This is not a pleasant endeavor to say the least.  If we had waited until tomorrow to try & find this place, it would've only added to an already stressful endeavor.  Now we know where it's at & that's 1 less thing to worry about tomorrow.

It may not sound like much, but it's at least a little off our load.  Sometimes all you can do to a problem is pick at it.  Hopefully you can whittle away at it, until it's a manageable thing.

Here's hoping tomorrow goes smoothly.

Cya...

Tuesday Drizzle...

Not much happening today.  I got through my morning stretches & midday exercise.  My roomie had errands of her own to run.  I look out my window & it's drizzling.  I hate drizzle.  Rain or don't rain.  This cloud spittle is dreary, damp & annoying.  

Days like this make it very hard for me to get motivated to do anything.  The skies are grey & I need a light on just to see in the house at noon.  If you're going to rain, then let it rip.  We're still 2"+ shy of our monthly average rainfall.  So get to it.

Hopefully tomorrow will be brighter.

Cya... 

Coming Up Short...

Didn't have much to say today, so I went to Pinterest.com & typed in HIV.  Most the pics were about fashion.  Sure there were items about the virus, tests & meds, but mostly it was about fashion & accessories.  

About half of these fashion plates were by designers supporting HIV.  Others had nothing to do with the virus whatsoever.  Why were they there?  Who knows?

That's the way it goes when you try to look up or research something online.  You never know what you might find.  Will you find what you're looking for?  Will it be pertinent?  Will it be totally unrelated?  Will it be utter BS?  May it possibly turn out to be that crucial piece of the info puzzle you've been searching for?  Yes, No, Maybe.. Thank You for playing...

My roomie & I run into this fairly frequently.  We try to be as informed as possible regarding things that impact our lives.  We are both more than competent researchers, but still it's not easy wading through the tripe on the web.

Recently, I discussed a screw up with my meds.  If I had not kept up to date on my meds, I might not have caught it.  If I hadn't have caught it, I could seriously be dead.  More recently my roomie is dealing with a weird financial issue, that quite frankly stumped us.  We started researching only to find out this issue had everyone guessing.

Once certain we were out of our depth, we continued researching so we could understand things as much as possible when she finally takes this matter to a professional.  We're not happy about having to admit we're incapable in this instance, but better to admit it & get help, then screw it up.

I guess the point here is, that even though internet is an amazing resource, it has it's limits.  It's limited by what's posted.  How that material is posted.  How refined your research skills are.  Finally, there are some things that professional don't post about their fields.  Then there are times even if professional material is posted, you might not understand it.  The net is great, but sometimes you need real people & face time to solve your problems.

Cya...

Today...

Today is turning out to be nicer than yesterday.  We had some rain last night & the grey skies have parted.  There's another storm brewing for Tuesday, but that's then.  For now, I'll enjoy the sunshine.  I've gotten about half my exercise in already, which will beat yesterday's total.  I felt like crap yesterday afternoon & got very little done.

My philosophy about exercise & weight loss is simple, "keep moving."  As long as I keep moving & watch what I eat, eventually I will lose the weight I want.  This isn't some race I'm in.  As long as I'm mostly moving forward, I"m OK with that.

I have a telemedicine appointment on the 20th.  Hopefully, everything will go alright.  I have to try & pick up my lab results this week.  Not much else going for me today.

Cya...

6th Saturday...

This is the 6th Saturday of 2013.  I don't feel like I've accomplished much of anything so far.  This season has had some major curve balls for my roomie & me.  I'm not making excuses here.  I'm acknowledging a person only has so many resources before they're tapped.  We've been hitting tapped out a lot lately.

There are a lot of areas where I wanted to be doing more by now, but I'm not.  Things have popped up here & there that have demanded too much of us to focus on anything else.  It's getting better, but there are still some things lingering about.

We're having to prioritize our lives & deal with things we didn't necessarily want to be front & center but  are, at least for the time being.  Problems & crisis don't care about your schedule & are prone to wreck any regimen.  The trick here is to remember you can get back to it.  Just because your routine was temporarily disrupted, doesn't mean you can't go back to it.

Between issues with cats, weather, health, etc... our schedules have been challenged, but we'll get back into the groove.  It's just the crap life throws at you.  You can't dodge all of it.

Cya...

Fringe Life & Mental Health...

This article talks about how mental health issues fuel the spread of HIV in men.  It goes on to further discuss the effects of being a person living on the fringe.  I've blogged before about disenfranchised people being more apt to experience stigma & stress.  These factors affect these men's mental health.  Their impaired mental health impacts these men's ability to make good choices in regards to many factors that can lead to them becoming HIV + or further spreading the virus.

All these factors; economic instability, being foreign born, ethnic, non-mainstream religion, being gay, etc... have notable affects on these people's lives.  These factors stack as well.  The more you have, the higher the stress levels.  Each time the resulting stress impairs these men's health, mental health & decision making ability.

I truly feel, to really fight AIDS, we're going to have to get to a point where our society promotes inclusion of all people.  Until these people feel more franchised with society they will continue to live on the fringe & experience all the effects of doing so. As horrible as this virus can be, as bad as the lack of meds & $ for treatment are, these things are nothing compared to the terrible nature of  the stigma that goes with all these things that force people to the very edges of our lives.

Cya...

What Winter?

According to the weather service, the 10-Day  forecast for my area is actually hot for February in Oklahoma.  We'll between the 50's to 70 F during the day & our coldest will be the upper 30's.  This is dead-center Winter in Oklahoma, so what gives?   We had 1 decent snow & it wasn't that great.  We've had very little precipitation.  There have been fire & high wind warnings all season.  

Allergies are already picking up.  The mowing season could be longer or the weather could get so hot it just kills the grass.  There are flowers in our yard that haven't bloomed in 2 years, because it's been so dry.  Some of them may finally be dead.  The bugs are sure to be hell, hopefully the fleas won't be too bad.

The house I live in is in a mouse prone area.  Last year I caught several throughout the winter.  There were a few back in November as it was cooling down, but none sense.  I've had a descent bird population all Winter.  Some birds that should've left for the season, but didn't.  

This Summer could prove to be a real pain.  Hopefully it won't, but it's not looking good.

Cya...

Again With The Discrimination....

This  article discusses the Israeli Medical Association's ethics committee requirement for doctors in their nation to treat all patients regardless of illness.  Now, why that sounds progressive & great, you need to really think about it.  In 2013, medical professionals in an allegedly civilized nation were having to be told they must treat patients with HIV.  Sort of knocks the wind out of those sails doesn't it?

I'm very glad the committee made the announcement.  However, it seriously sucks it had to be made in the 1st place.  I'm not sure if this committee has any teeth to enforce this declaration.  Even if it does, how many of these doctors will risk it & refuse to treat a + person?

So, yes Virginia, there's still such a thing as HIV discrimination.

Cya...

Good Piece...

This article (read it) talks about the need for a new measure of life expectancy & prognosis for HIV patients.     At this point it's no longer enough to simply consider CD4 counts & viral loads.   The article is a bit dense for being so brief, but worth the read.

It brings up the matters of treatment timing & types.  It also discusses the idea of comorbidity.  The idea  other factors in a HIV patient's health could be leading to death as well as the actual virus.  This could be liver or kidney issues due to the meds.

Many things until now have mostly been brushed to the side in regards to HIV+ people's health.  Some are in situations just as detrimental to their health as the virus.  The presence of coinfection is quite notable.  

Until now, HIV research has been mostly about keeping people alive & possibly finding a cure.  It's time face the possibility there may be no cure.  We have to find a way to increase our understanding of how to really live with HIV & not just exist.

Cya...

Not Much...

We got off to a good start today, only to have Walmart's inconsistency create another errand for us to run.  We'll have to go to Fort Smith to pick up somethings that just can't wait & Walmart had no reason to run out of, but they did.  

I really hate inconsistent businesses.  I don't care if they're places I shop or restaurants, I despise it.  I'ill drop a place faster for being inconsistent than actually being subpar.  If they're always subpar at least I know what to expect.

Due to this, some of the things I'd planned on doing tomorrow have been pushed up to today.  This is cramping my blog time.  I'll try to do more tomorrow.

Cya...

1st Sunday, 2nd Month...

February is up & going & this will be a slightly busy week for us.  The 1st week of the month always is.  There are errands to run & bills to be paid.  Still it's nice to have the majority of over with by the week's end.  

This is our schedule & it allows us some sense of control over our environment.  Having this bit of control gives us a little breathing room & lessens stress for us.  Not to mention, the bills are paid, woohoo for us.  

I know this might seem like a small thing, but my roomie & I are at a point where we have to take whatever wins we can.  So, we really count the little things.  Recognizing them helps alleviate some of the chaos & stress in our lives.

Right now there are some issues in our lives that are somewhat out of our hands, at least for the moment.  We both hate that kind of thing.  It's the waiting & the sense of dread from dealing with the unknown that drives us nutty.  We try very hard to make sure to clear out as many of the stressors in our lives as possible. 

People underestimate stress.  They often don't acknowledge what stresses them out or to what extent they're taxed by it.  Stress affects everything in your life; social activities, focus, sleep, health, etc...  There is no such thing as a stress free life.  The only way to without stress, is to be dead.   

But, we can try to take care of what we can, when we can to lessen the load we're carrying.  Say you have 10 problems, 9 are small & 1's huge.  Don't try to fix the huge problem 1st, take out all the small issues & then you can focus on dealing with the monster.  It might be tremendous, but for now it's a single thing, not 10.

Cya..

February...

I've been a little too stressed to even comment on the fact we're into the 2nd month of 2013.  I have to say January threw us some nasty crap & I hope it gets resolved soon.  I seriously don't need the stress.  

Today is groundhog day in the USA & it looks like we're in for a much warmer than normal February & a warmer than normal March.   Just freakin' yippee.  The weather service is giving this video/article.  This is definitely not good news.  Besides higher electric usage, it also will mean more mowing & yard spraying for bugs.  I was really hoping for a cold Winter to kill off all the damn fleas & such.  This could turn out to be a nasty Summer.  I hope not.

So, good bye January & hello February.

Cya...

Buyer Beware...

I've been on my current regimen for several years.  The only reason I'm on this 1, is that about 4 years ago 1 of my meds was discontinued.  If not, I'd still be taking fortovase, instead invirase & norvir as a replacement.  I'm also on didanosine & lamivudine,  Better known as videx & epivir.

I've been on some form of epivir/lamivudine since my 1st regimen.  My very 1st regimen was fortovase & combivir.  Combivir is a combo of epivir & retrovir (aka AZT).  It turned out, I'm allergic to retrovir.  I wound up hospitalized & needed 4 units of blood & breathing treatments.  I also ended up on dapsone for a while & gained a lot of weight.  At that point I was put of epivir, videx & fortovase.

Over time, fortovase was phased out & invirase & norvir replaced it.  Then generics made epivir & videx become lamivudine & didanosine.  I've been on this cocktail for years now.  I know it's a dinosaur but it works for me.  

This last order from pharmacy had a surprise in it.  A complete & dangerous screw up.  Someone must have checked the wrong box somewhere, instead of lamivudine, I wound up with lamivudine/zidovudine.  Zidovudine is another name for retrovir.  The pharmacy had sent me the generic version of combivir.  The stuff that nearly killed me.  

Luckily I always check my meds when they come in & I saw the mistake.  Now, I'm just waiting for them to call me about what to do about this botched up order.   Was someone in the wrong for sending me the wrong order?  Yes, but that's beside the point here.  You have to take control of your meds & know your regimen.  If something comes that isn't right or seems off call your pharmacy & figure it out.  The wrong medicine can kill you.  

Most likely this was a matter of a wrong box being checked.  The pharmacy should not have sent it regardless, because of my allergy.  However, in the end, it was up to me examine my order & not take the wrong meds.  Luckily, I'm the right frame of mind to handle those things now.  Early on in this illness, I wouldn't have been & might very well have taken the wrong medication.  Sorta scary, huh?

Cya...