Pure BS...

This article, is among others, is talking about how the Egyptian military has declared they now have a device capable of detecting & curing not just HIV, but also Hep C.   The device, that looks like a handheld stapler with a TV antenna attached to it, is supposed to work on detection & curing via electromagnetic waves.

I really wish this article had been written by The Onion, but it wasn't.  I imagine the Egyptian military is ever so surprised nobody is buying the assortment of crazy they're selling.  There isn't enough perfume in the world to make this dung heap of an idea not smell like BS.

Read the article.  It'd be good for a laugh, if they weren't trying to pass it off as real.  I wonder why this miracle machine doesn't handle TB as well?

Cya...

Planning...

Sometimes having a plan is the only way that I can cope with certain life events.  Unfortunately, I didn't have a plan for the loss of the Telemedicine bus.  I didn't even think about it.  I didn't consider they'd be so ridiculous as not to have the means to maintain the program come what may.

I've lost access to the bus.  I'm going to have to drive to Tulsa (2 1/2 hours 1 way) for a 15 minute to 30 minute appointment.  I've lost respect & trust for my specialist's office & staff.  I've worried over this.  This will cost me $.   This will be a burden on my household.

I plan on making the appointment with them in late March or early April.  I want to make sure this Winter crap is gone.  If I haven't found anything by then, the return trip will be in Octoberish & not during the heat of August.  

I'm going to do some research on my own & ask my primary care physician if there are any alternatives at this point.  There might not be.  If not, I'm entirely done being polite to the doctors in Tulsa.  IMO, they screwed me & everyone else who depended on that bus.  May a bus run them down.

I'm a fairly simmering personality to begin with, but this has had me seething for over a week.  I didn't need it.  I hope I can find an alternative for my sake, my roomie's sake & so I can tell them to go F'Off. 

Wish me luck, I"m going to need it.

Cya...

At Least I Know...

I called my specialist office today.  Apparently I have to somewhat retract my kindness towards my new case worker.  I've been waiting a week for her return call & it turns out she went on vacation.  How sweet of her to tell me this when I last talked to her.  Sarcasms, I haz'em.

It seems I'll be making the drive to Tulsa again.  I hate this drive & I wish nothing but bad things on whoever had anything to do with this situation.  I'll probably rent a car, instead of driving the van.  With as much gas as the van guzzles, renting will be about the same cost & it won't be wear & tear on our vehicle.

I'm having to decide between comfort & $ now.  It'll cost at least $60 just for the trip, not counting extras like food.  Cash I'd rather not spend on this.  The other option is using a driving service medicaid would cover (at least in part) & spending several hours with someone I don't know.  I am not a fan of either, but I'd rather pay for it than be stuck in a car with some stranger for 6 hours or more.  They could be religious or political & then I'd be screwed.

I seriously hate this.  I had a nice routine.  I had my bus.  Now, someone's fuckupery has messed with my life.  I hope those people suffer.  Yes, I'm ranting & cursing, but at this moment I don't care.

Cya...

Yesterday & Tomorrow...

Yesterday was a nice change of pace.  Some friends of my roomie's through her a belated birthday party.  It was a small gathering, but it was nice.   I think it did her good to see people cared enough to arrange the event.  I'm happy they did.  It was a great change of pace for her.

Today is limbo land.  I still know nothing & I don't want to think about the not knowing.   Or the fact I'm really irritated no one has called me back yet.  Doctor's offices are the pit of never returned calls.  

Tomorrow, I will call them & see what I can find out on the matter.   That will be a week, more than enough time for them to come up with some level of information on the matter.   I really wish there was another doctor I could see that was closer.   I hate having my specialist & pharmacy so blasted far away.

This has basically trashed my last week.  I've focused on little else.  I dread this.  I hate the fact they've left me in this lurch.  My ability to be polite is rapidly diminishing.    Not calling/e-mailing to keep a patient informed of the situation is rude & unprofessional.

Hopefully, there will be some answers tomorrow.

Cya...

Monday, Again...

Another week begins & we start by shopping.  That went well enough, except for the fact I had to hit both groceries again.  Wal-Mart can't stay stocked.  That left me a little winded.  I'm still trying to shake this cold.

We have a thing to go to this afternoon.  It's a very belated acknowledgement of my roomie's birthday.   A lot of things happened the actual day, to push it this far back.  

I'm still waiting to ear from my doctor's office in Tulsa.  They have until Wednesday.  Then I'll start calling & emailing again.  A week should be enough time for them to come up with some answers.

Cya...

Nothing...

I'm doing my best to make this a nothing day.   I'm doing my best to stay healthy.  I'll do my exercise & cook.  Past that, nada.

I'm doing what I can to let go of the stress involving my doctor situation.  I'll call them midweek & make plans accordingly.  I can't do anything more than that.

I'm doing my best not to stay pissed off over the matter.  I find their lack of transparency on the matter to be rude & undermining.  A simple call notifying us they'd let us know when they did would have sufficed.  But, some people can't stand acting like they don't know everything.

I hope everyone's  has gone well.

Cya...

Last Saturday...

This is the last Saturday of February 2014.  This month is ending with me in a lurch regarding part of my medical regimen, appointments with my specialist.  I'm still coughing & wheezing, but most of my cold is has past.

It's in the 70's F.  Too bad it's supposed to chill back 20 degrees tomorrow.  This up & down stuff is awful for my breathing.  We're actually having high allergens right now.  I'm not being bothered by them too much.

It's really hard to think about much right now.  I'm having to try to make plans regarding my specialist without any info at all.  I seriously wish this wasn't being a thing.  

Maybe this week will bring some news & I can get on with things.

Cya...

Still No Word...

OK, I freely admit that patience was never my strong suit.  But, waiting to hear something on the situation concerning Telemedicine & my specialist is damned hard.   My roomie suggested & I think it's a good idea to wait until next week to try to call back.  That will give the almost a week to find something out for themselves.

Who knows, by then they may have actually called or emailed me.  I know this is consuming my posts, but this is very frustrating.  I did nothing to cause this & there doesn't seem to be anything I can do to rectify it.  Hopefully, we'll know something soon.  This whole thing is tiresome.  I hate waiting.

Cya...

Still Not Sure...

I've not heard from my specialist office on the fate of the Telemedicine bus.   I have no idea on what's going to happen with my appointments with my specialist.   I hate this.

I had a nice, easy schedule & now it might be blown forever.  The not knowing sucks.  It's left me very irritable & without a lot resources to get through things right at the moment.

I have to run to Fort smith to get my roomie today.  I need to pay some bills while I'm over there.  I really hope nothing else goes wrong today or for a while.  I need a break.

I'm stressed.  I still have a bit of a sinus thing going.  I'm tired.  Quite frankly, I'm fed up with other people's BS.   Surely that damned doctor's office would have an answer about something by now.  Or, at least some serious info.

Cya...

Seriously, WTF Just Happened...

I'm sorry, but I'm  too stressed to do a real blog post today.  I was supposed to have a Telemedicine  appointment this morning with my specialist for HIV.  Yesterday, at 4:50 PM, the doctor's office leaves a message for me & says the bus will no longer be running. 

There was no explanation as to what that meant or anything.   They called at closing, so I had to wait all night to call them this morning.  Finally, this morning I call & they don't have any answers yet.  Something seems to be wrong with the bus.

They wanted me just to make an appointment & drive up.  I seriously don't want to be back to that again.  It takes 2+ hours to drive the 125 miles, 1 way.   That fails to consider the fuel cost for a gas eating van, the toll costs or food costs. 

 It also doesn't deal with the fact the van has issues.  I don't travel well anymore.  It used to take me a couple of days to recover from this trip.  I'm in better health now, but still, the stress of the situation won't be easy on me.  

Right now, I don't know anything except for my appointment didn't happen.   I don't know when or where my next appointment will be.  The biggest problem here is the people at my specialist office don't seem to have any more answers than I do.  This seriously sucks!  I didn't need this crap.

I've gotta go.

Cya...

Here's Hoping...

I'm feeling better today.  The coughing seems to have mostly subsided.  Especially, compared to yesterday.   I have plans to do absolutely as little as possible.  I'm by no means going to push myself until this crap has been out of my system for a bit.  I don't need a relapse.

My body is still a little sore from everything.  I still haven't caught up with quite enough sleep, but I'm getting there.  No pushing for me.

Tomorrow is my Telemedicine appointment.  They gave me a new caseworker.  I like this better already.  She sent me her email.  I can avoid phone tag.  I hate playing phone tag & it seems that's all I ever do when I call that office.  Now, I'll just send off an email & set back.

We're over halfway through the month.  We have a little over a month left of Winter.  I know I've been sick & there have been repairs needed.  Still, so far, nothing's been too horrible.  I hope a cold & a crapped out faucet are the worse 2014 has to offer me.  My roomie has already surpassed that, but maybe her worst has passed as well.

Cya...

Spent, But On The Mend...

I'm getting passed this crap I've had, but I'm still worn out over it.   We had to go shopping this morning.  The  shopping wasn't that bad, but the wind was.  I was very gusty out this morning & it was blowing debris every where.  When we got back I spent several minutes coughing crap up.

It doesn't help that we made it up into the low 70's F yesterday.  I mean, give me a break.  From below freezing to 70's in a few days is a rough transition.  Luckily, we're supposed to drop back down into more seasonal  temps soon.

I looked at articles on the web today.  Most were about topics I've covered a lot already.  The only 1 that stood out was on using Marijuana or THC to fight HIV.  The article was too brief on the matter & really didn't offer anything concrete so I let it go.  Maybe they'll post more later.

Here's hoping for a good, quiet week.  I still have to go to Telemedicine on Wednesday & then to Fort Smith on the Thursday.  I just want everything to go as smoothly as possible.

Cya...

Recovery...

So far, the sink fix is holding.   Too bad I'm not.   My body had no appreciation whatsoever for the various contortion routines I had to do in order to change that faucet.

Besides being exposed to who knows what under that sink, I also had to twist my body into positions I don't normally assume.  I'm not a master of plumber sutra.  Hell, I'm not even a novice. 

My back is killing me where I leaned against the shelf.  This morning I woke up to a throbbing neck pain.  I had to crane my neck back at an odd angle for quite a bit during the installation of the new faucet.  Now, I'm paying for it.

They say, "Every form of refuge has its price."  You either call a plumber & wait, then give him a lot of $.  Or you do it yourself & pay for it in aggravation, sweat, pain, teats, cussing, soreness, etc..

The weather is warming up & I was hoping to be on the mend, but this endeavor has knocked me back a bit.  Hopefully, it won't be for too long.    I'm very tired of being sick already.

Cya...

Tired Sigh & The Kitchen Sink...

The sayings supposed to be, "Everything but the kitchen sink."  My life didn't hear that, "but".  The sink started  noticeably leaking last night. It'd probably been leaking for while within the housing.

I hate anything to with pipes, leaks & plumbers.  If somehow you get through it without spending a fortune,  the process is usually sheer hell.  We went to Wal-Mart & they no longer carry the really cheap faucets & I had to go for 1 about $15 than I wanted to spend.  

We got back.  The old faucet fought some coming off.  The new 1 seems to have installed well enough.  I'm holding off on verdicts of success on this matter for a while.  

I'm starting to feel better.  I didn't need to be under a sink, but we had no idea how long it'd be before this little leak turned into a geyser   At least it's done & we got post holiday, Valentine candy on sale.  Go us!

Have a great weekend.

Cya...

Happy V-Day...

It's Valentines & I'm at home trying to not cough & sneeze.    I've done both so much, I'm sore.  My sides ache & my nose is tender. 

We made it through shopping, but it was an effort.  Luckily all we have to do this weekend is to try & get over this yuck.  Hopefully, this will be over soon

Both of us are still tired & run down.  This is just a cold or a sinus thing.  Luckily, it's not that hellish flu that's been going around.    Still, this is the worst cold I've had in a long time.

I hope everyone's Valentine's goes well & that you all have a great weekend.

Cya...

Warming Up, But Still Yucky...

We're int he 50's F today.   That's a significant warm up from the last bit.  It's weird to think here in Oklahoma,we're in the 50's & farther south has been covered in ice & wintery crap.  

I'm thankful for the warm up, but I still feel like crap.  I'm getting better, but I'm worn out.   I'm sleeping better but not great.   I hope this stuff vacates soon.  It's very tiresome.  

I have a Telemedicine appointment next Wednesday.  I've seen my labs & they look fairly normal for me.  Not great, but what I expected.  I doubt my CD4 will ever be where they want it to be.  

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day.  Normally, we'd go do something ironic for the day, but both of us are just to out of it to do anything.  So, home we stay.  Have a happy V-Day.

Cya...

Still No Joy...

I was in bed early again last night.   I slept somewhat better than I did the night before, but still not great.  I woke up with a slightly less sore throat than yesterday morning.  I didn't immediately reach for the ibuprofen.   They didn't come into play until noonish.  

Somehow we got trash out, even though neither of us really felt like it.  The light fixture in the dining room bit the dust.  I've got another 1, but I'm not dealing with until my head feels better.  I don't want to be up on the steps & start feeling light headed.

We're supposed to be getting warmer.  In less than  week, we could see the 60's.  That's a bit unseasonal.  Hopefully, we don't heat up too quickly. Still, not dropping into then teens at night would be nice.  

I've done well to stay focused for this long, until tomorrow.

Cya...

Well This Sucks...

I went to bed way early last night.   Somewhere well before 11:00.  I felt like crap & I knew I needed to get some extra sleep.  I went to bed with achy muscles, a slight fever & a headache. All went well until about 3:30 AM.  I woke & had to go to the bathroom.  My head was congested, my nose was stuffed up & somehow I felt worse than when I went to bed.  I got out the vapor rub & tried to get back to sleep.  That never quite happened.  I'd sleep for a bit, then need to roll over or adjust my head so I could breathe.  When I finally drug my butt out of bed, I felt like hell.  Here's hoping a hot shower, so food & drink, plus ibuprofen will knock this stuff down some.  Sorry this is short & in a single paragraph, but that's all I can do today.

Cya...

Not Well...

I woke up last night with a stuffy head & a very sore throat.  I'm betting all the scorched air from the heaters is what got to me.   I got up & resented that action very much.  I wanted to be in the nice warm bed.

But, I had to go shopping this morning.  Wal-Mart was a slow, hellish mess.  I had to hit the other grocery as well.  These trips have left me exhausted.  My throat is doing a little better, but I still don't feel well. 

Luckily, I'm in for the day.  I have some minor household stuff to deal with & that's it.  I don't know if I could handle much more right now.  

Even though I've been exercising, I still feel overly spent from the little things this last week.  I know my roomie's in the same situation.   I'll be glad when this all settles down  a bit.

Cya...

Yick & Yuck...

I look out my window & I see spots of leftover snow covering a mushy brown yard.  The sky is still overcast, the air is wet & it's just an unpleasant day.    Days like these don't motivate me to do much of anything  except crawl back in bed.  

Neither my roomie or me are feeling 100%.  This season has done a number on us physically & emotionally.  The cats are finding covers to burrow themselves into.  They're only coming out for the essentials; food, water, litterbox, etc...

At least it's slightly warmer today.  I can stop having the faucets drip for a while.  My hands are doing somewhat better.  But all this time with heaters is giving me nosebleeds.   I guess there's always a trade off.  Oh well, just the rest of February & some of March to get through & then things will be moving on to Spring.

Cya...

Spoke Too Soon...

I thought it was supposed to warm up  yesterday.  I was wrong.  Not long after I posted, it dumped about 2" of snow on us.   It seems to be light & fluffy, more importantly already melting.  

This Winter has been nasty.  My sinuses have been a pain.  My projects have gotten postponed.  We've dreaded going out in the cold,  I'm over it already.

Normal Oklahoma Winters are cold & not so much fun for me.  This is not a normal Winter for these parts.  We've been all over the place & have been very wet. Every time I get on the mend, the weather fouls it up again.  OK, Winter, just try to be normal for the rest of the season & I'll be fine.  

Stay warm & healthy.

Cya...

Warming Up, Maybe...

We're supposed to make it into the 30's F today.  It'd be nice.  This teens stuff is nasty.  We had to go shopping this morning.  I'm sure neither of us was happy with the idea, but we got it done.  

The weather hasn't been kind to me, but I'm holding up better than my roomie.  She was already worn down by some previous medical stuff & this crap has been a bit much.  

It's Friday & there isn't much to do, except try to stay warm.  The Olympics are underway.  That is such the highlight of my life, all sarcasm intended.    All they've done for me is interfere with the shows I'd actually be watching.  

Hope you're staying warm wherever you may be.

Cya...

1st Thursday...

It's the 1st Thursday of the month & it's pretty damn cold out.  Hell, it's cold inside.  I've had the heaters going & I can barely keep it at 60 F.  That wouldn't be so bad, if it wasn't so wet here.  This old house is like a sieve for air & moisture.

My hands aren't happy today.  For that matter, neither is the rest of my body.   I have to do some running around later.  My roomie is off visiting a friend.  I'll need to get her & see if my labs are in.  That's if I feel like the lab stuff.  I'll have to stop & get gas, which means getting out of the car.  Yeah for me, I get to be out in the cold more.

I think I've mentioned about a 1,000 times that I hate cold weather.  All I want to do this time of the year is bundle up & hibernate.   Bears have the right idea.   There may be better stuff to blog about today.  But, at this moment, I'm too cold to care.

Cya...

Cold & Worn Down...

Yesterday should've been an easy trip to the dentist office for a cleaning.  It wasn't.  For some reason every idiot driver decided it was his/her day to show off their incredible abundance of assholery & stupidity.  What should've been a quick 1 - 2 hour trip, turned into a 4 1/2 hours of serious unfun driving.  

It didn't help that the weather dumped rain, snow, sleet & serious fog on us.  Every old codger decided they just had to get out there & show the world they could still drive.   Yeah, you can drive as long as no one goes of 15 mph.  If you can't drive the speed limit, get off the road.

I had less than fruitful shopping errands as well as the dentist.  We finally got something to eat & we headed out as quick as possible seeing that we were stuck behind papa pain-in-the-ass & mama-molasses.

We were already on the sickly side of things. We didn't need this frustration.  Today has been fairly sluggish.  It's cold & we had to get the trash out.  Fortunately that's about it for the day.  I was going to go get my lab results, but I don't want to deal with that today.  Maybe tomorrow.

Cya...

Dentist...

Going to be out today.  I have a dentist appointment & it may take some time getting there.   We're having some bad weather & I'm not sure how the roads are doing.  Of course, my pharmacy has to call right before I'm getting ready to leave.  I hate that place.  Lately every time I have to deal with CVS, it turns out to be a real pain.   But, I need to get my meds, so they're a necessary evil. I'll blog more tomorrow.  Have a good day.

Cya...

Flower Power...

According to this brief article, Geraniums may be an upcoming tool in the battle against HIV.  The report is short, but worth a read.  I'm sure more will be coming out on the matter if it pans out.  

Apparently, extracts from the plant can fight the virus in a way no other medication can.  The say it can can prevent replication & deplete the virus's reservoirs.   The extract could be cheaper & more effective than current ART's.

This is all just breaking & much more research will be needed, but any new angle is good.   Even if it doesn't work, it's still more info on the matter.  

Cya...

6 More Weeks...

According to the groundhogs, we're in for 6 more weeks of Winter weather.  That seems the case for today.   We're supposed to gt up 4" of snow & sleet today.  I think we're about halfway there already.  

I'm fine with this, as long as there's no more sudden, extreme warm ups in the mix as well.  My hands still look like hell but feel a lot better than they have in a bit.  That's a definite good thing.

As long as we only get snow from here out, we'll be fine.  It might pack down, but it's not nearly as slick as ice.  32 F is our high today & we  hit that by 9 AM.  Luckily we don't have to go out for anything today.

Stay warm & stay safe.  

Cya...

It's February & All's Stuffy...

We did another big up & down in temps yesterday.   My head is congested & pounding.   I've managed to get in my exercise & that's about it.  

This has been a weird & rough Winter so far.   It's not the coldest for Oklahoma, but it's the most roller-coastery  1 that I can recall.   My roomie, the cats & myself are fairly miserable from this BS.  

It's very hard to concentrate on anything.  It's showing in my blogging & just about everything else.   I hope I'm feeling better by Tuesday.  I really don't look forward to getting my teeth cleaned while I feel like this.  Luckily, I'm not contagious, so I can't give anyone this crap.  

Until tomorrow.

Cya...