Cya June...

It's the last day of June.  It wasn't a bad month, but it certainly was stress-free either.  So long June, I'm  sure you've got places to be.

It's day 2 of Triumeq.  I'm not dead or dying yet.  Hopefully, that'll hold.

We had a decent downpour this morning.  We needed the rain.   

I've noticed some new birds in our trees.  They look like a leaner, grayer cardinals.  It had less of head crest & a slightly longer tail.  I looked it up.  I think it's a desert cardinal.  I suppose it could've been a hybrid between a desert & northern (normal) cardinal.   They're fairly attractive birds.  

I saw my 1st hummingbird this morning as well.  The Hummers & Dragons are back.  Summer is here.

Cya...

It's Here...

My new med, Triumeq  arrived yesterday.   I took the 1st pill today.  So far, so good.  My new regimen will have my thyroid pill 1st thing in the morning.  About 10 - 11 AM, I'll take the Triumeq.   Later in the day, I'll take my vitamins & supplements.  I don't like to crowd the supplements with other pills, they can be rough on the stomach.  Also, anything with iron or calcium in it needs to be taken with some time between them & the Triumeq.

This is the site for Triumeq.  It has quite a bit of info on it.  This medication doesn't need a buffer like I was taking with my Invirase.   It can be taken with or without food,  It's a once daily pill, that can be taken at any time.  As you can see above, it's a bit of a horse pill, but not too bad.  I am sort of concerned with card that came with it to carry, pictured below.  But at least it's fair warning.

OK, it's here & I'm on a new regimen.  Here's hoping all goes well.   BTW, I finally saw a new little visitor in the backyard.  The 1st this year.  A tiny, little, black dragonfly on the clothesline.  The dragons are back.

More tomorrow.

Cya...

Something Got Skipped...

Due to failing reminder apps & Google reminders, I didn't notice yesterday was National HIV Testing Day.  I usually write about it on June 27.   Not this year, I was distracted & experienced technical difficulties.  

I only noticed today because people are talking about the White House's  half-ass attempt to make it appear as if Trump gives a damn about HIV.  Yeah right.   I'll try to remember next time around.

My new medication should arrive today.   Oh boy, here we go.  I'm trying not to think about it too much.  If it arrives, I'll start taking it tomorrow.  A new day, a new chapter in my regimen.  Like or not the current 1 is closing.

Until tomorrow.

Cya...

Forgotten BD's

In less than a month  3 of my siblings have had birthdays.  My father's was in March & my mother's would've been February.   I used to call my sister in December & wish her well on her's, but I haven't been able to get a hold of her much any more.  My father was the last person in my family to even notice my birthday, but that was years ago.  

Every morning, I get online & eventually wind up at Facebook.  I always look for whose birthday it happens to be.  I do my best to always wish these people a very happy birthday.   I hate the idea those well-wishers from social media may be the only recognition these people get on their birthday.   I won't not do it.   Then there be no one to have wished them a special day.  People need to be recognized, acknowledged.

Why is that so hard to understand?   

Cya...

Summer Showers

Among the many things I'm not fond of about Summer is what it does to my showers.  I suppose I should say what  it does post-shower.  Summertime makes even the easiest thing more tedious.  Such as drying after a shower.  The seasonal humidity makes it almost impossible to dry off fast enough not to start a chain reaction of sweat that pours like a river off of your body. So much for that shower.

I have to get my shower business handled, towel off & get to my room fast.  There I turn on a big fan & stand there until it completely air dries me.   Even then, it's not certain I'll stop the post shower sweats.   If you're going to survive Summer, you have to stay as dry as possible.  If not, you're going to miserable.  The only time you should be wet is when you're in the water.

Yet another aggravation of Summer.  Hey at least it seems to be knocking  back the fleas.

Cya...

Countdown...

Somewhere in the next 4 to 5 days, I'll leave behind a regimen I've been on for over a decade. For the most part this is an alteration of my original regimen minus AZT.   It's really weird & disconcerting.  I've been doing this forever  then I won't.   I've been facing that a lot lately.

• I talked almost daily to the lady at the mailbox place, now I don't
• I dealt with 2 aging cats for 17 years, now I don't
• I altered my behavior/routine for those cats & now I don't
• I went to my previous dentist for years & now I don't
• I took these meds for over 10+ years & now I won't

A lot of other things have left, but they seem trivial on their own; some restaurants we no longer go to, TV shows we'd watched for years that we no longer do, etc...  My anchors, my routines have been constantly slipping away this last year or so.  We don't even have the little, white car anymore.   Sometimes, it doesn't really feel like this is my life.  I'm not sure whose it is, but I have a hard time relating.

Maybe I'm being a little over dramatic.   But, some of this feels so odd, sometimes alien.  I'll get used to the new meds, I hope.  But, still, it was another forced step I wasn't really ready to take. 

Cya...

Last Saturday In June...

I'm just not making peace with 2017.  I'm kind of glad to see June head out.  I think I just want some distance from earlier in the year. 

I started the process to get my new med with CVS.  It's still a weird idea & will be for a while.  Of course, in typical fashion, CVS already messed up  the order.  I placed an on-date order & they shipped with a by-date.  that means it could get here anywhere before X date.  Since I have to sign for the package, I have to be here.  That screwed with my schedule.  Thanks CVS.  It's like they practice ways to be difficult.

Not much is going on here today, so I end this for now.

Cya...

Rough Morning...

Had to go shopping this morning & it sort of sucked. It isn't that hot, but the humidity is way high.  We're 89 F here now & it feels almost 100.  It's supposed to rain, I'll believe that when I see it.  

Shopping was dreadful & I picked up an incorrect item, so it has to be taken back.  There were asshats a plenty.  Some of them wanted to be engaging, not pleasant in the least.  

I'm still getting the new prescription sorted out with the pharmacy.  That's always fun.   Hopefully, it'll work out soon.

That's all for now.

Cya...

Changes...

Well damn, I knew this coming, but I've had enough with changes this year.  Technically, my telemedicine appointment went fine.  It was nice to have the bus back & not have to drive to Tulsa for a 10 minute meeting.  I even got Dr Stephens back as a pharmacist for telemedicine.  Yet, something had to be a fly in the ointment.

Didanosine is one of my medications, also know by the brand name Videx.  Well, it's being phased out. this letter shows that.  It's already gone in some parts of the world.  I, was my doctor's last patient on the med.  They've also heard another 1 of my meds may soon be discontinued, Invirase.   So, I'm being put on another med, Triumeq.  I had the test for it several months back, just in case something like this happened.  

I can't tell you I'm not nervous about this.  I've only changed meds twice in 17 years.  The 1st time because AZT nearly killed me & the 2nd, because they stopped making Fortovase.  I've been on this regimen for about a decade. 

Still there are some benefits.  It will be 1 pill & 1 HIV medication instead of 8 pills of 4 different meds.  It used to be a lot more.  I was taking 18 horse-pill sized Fortovase daily, plus all the other meds.   Hopefully, this will work out for the best.  If not, we'll have to try other options.

Sometimes, I really hate change.

Cya...

Apointments...

This is going to be brief.  I have to get around this morning.   I have a telemedicine appointment soon.  I still have to eat & some other stuff.  I'm beginning to hate my fans.  They may makes things cooler, but they also jack up my eyesight.  My eyes are so fuzzy right now, it's hard to see the screen.  

Hopefully, this appointment will go smoothly.  More tomorrow.

Cya...

It's Official...

Move on out of here Spring.  I've been saying that for weeks.  Spring was beyond unpleasant this year.  I barely enjoyed the things that normally make me smile, like the little blue flowers in our yard early in the season.   

Now, it's official, Summer is here.  Hopefully, it won't blaze.  Still, I'm ready to be past spring.  So, Hello Summer, welcome back.

I didn't mention it earlier, but this last Sunday was the month anniversary of Rowan's passing.  It's been absurdly quiet & low key here since.   We still talk about her every day.  I still catch myself going to do things for her.  Unfortunately, eventually that will fade.  It angers me, but it will.   

There are 2 cats on the porch occasionally.  Hazel, formally known as Meth Kitty & a dumb, orange, boy cat.   Do orange males come in any other variety, other than dumb or grumpy?  I think Hazel may be expecting.  I'm not in the place to deal with more than porch cats.  They can come  go as they please.  But, I'm not capable of being more committed than that at the moment.  That probably sounds awful.

The mockingbirds are back in full force.  1 comes to my window to gripe at about the cats.  A female cardinal keeps flying around the porch trying to catch wasps.  She's not graceful.

That's my life now.  In between shopping, errands & doctors' appointments, I watch noisy birds, stray cats & various other little things in the yard, like lightning bugs & lizards.  It could be worse.

Cya...

Bust Morning...

We went out shopping this morning.  We went to a few places.  It shouldn't have been a big deal,  But, some days, like today, it was a tiresome outing.   I'm still a little spent from it.  

Yesterday was annoying.  We needed the rain.  But the power blipped out off & on all day.  I think the last count was either 6 or 7 times.  That also meant that the net  went down & took quite a while to come back up.  Nothing too big, just very frustrating.

All that rain cooled us down.  It also flooded the ditches.  That may explain the abundance of flies this morning.

That's it for now.

Cya...

Storms, Power & Net...

When the rains finally arrived, they couldn't be nice & gentle  No, they had to be thunderous, full of vim & vigor.  Lots of hard rain, wind & lightning.  We've had a series of power blips & net outages already today.  The storms are supposed to last all day, so this will be short, before the next power blip.  

Nothing else going on here today besides laundry, so that'll be it for now.

Cya...

1st AC Day....

We made it to June 16th before turning on the AC this year.  I'm pretty sure that's a record for us.  We were supposed heat up again today, but the sky is overcast.  It's pretty humid, but not much in the way of rain.  Just some wind, sprinkling & thunder.   We've been experiencing a Thunderdrizzle.   Actually, I think they're called dry thunderstorms.

Not much else is going on today.  Until tomorrow.

Cya...

Presidential Dis...

I've remarked about how ever since Trump was elected, there's been a virtual drought of HIV related articles.   I suspected it had to do with this man & his people.   It turns out, not only is he not looking to aid in fight against HIV or helping those living with the virus.  He seems to be actively working against us & trying to roll back the accomplishments that have been made.  

This article was written by a member of the  Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA).   This piece details why 6 members have resigned from the council.  It gives their view on Trump & his administration in regards to HIV & the fight against it.  It isn't pretty.

Cya...

Supposed To Rain...

I have thing

That's the story of Summer in Oklahoma.  It was supposed to rain, but it didn't.  It comes with 2 variations.  There's, it piddled for 5 minutes & upped the humidity to 100%.  There's also the shower turned into the storm from hell.  Which either flooded us or still barely gave us any rain.  No middle ground in Oklahoma, I think it's illegal.

• It's hot
• It's humid
• There were no good articles
• I have things to do

That's all for now.

Cya...

Summer Is Here...

No faeries have danced in the moonlight to welcome the season yet, still Summer is here.  Puck & his ilk missed the beat this year.  Yesterday was & the foreseeable future will be hot.  I'm just hoping the humidity dies down some.  A dry 95 is far preferable to a humid 87.  

As we venture into Summer, it's apparent our yard is full of volunteers.  We have morning glories, petunias & even an elephant ear plant no one planted.  At least no one with 2 legs.  I think petunia seeds rode over in cat fur.  I have to work to keep the runners from the rose of sharon bushes & crepe myrtles from taking over.  If the house were abandoned, in a decade this yard would be full of nothing but crepes, rose of sharon, wild roses, winter berry bushes, petunias, morning glories & the ever persistent creeper.  It's be a jungle in no time.

The brown outdoor cat took a trip inside yesterday.  It didn't last long, but it's a start.  I think she was hiding from mockingbirds.  Tinkerbell was none too happy to see her.

That's about it for now.  Until tomorrow.

Cya...

Mornings...

Mornings aren't as dreadful as they used to be.  Before I started my thyroid med & still had the other 2 cats, the AM was a stressful time for me.  I never knew what level of mess the cats would cause overnight.  Tinkerbell isn't much of a mess maker.  She doesn't bring near the chaos that Rhiannon & Rowan did.  

Before the thyroid meds, I was much more prone to wake up with a lot of anxiety.  It wasn't a full-on panic, but it was very unpleasant &  interfered with my sleep.  Moments like that are very taxing.

Mornings aren't all sunshine & happiness for me now.  I still have early hour anxiety at times.  It's just not as intense.   Then, when I notice there's no mess to clean, I have to remember why.

I have to be on a thyroid medication & we've had 2 cats leave our lives.  Those things suck, but I'm trying to look at the good of it all.   Our cats are no longer ill & at least there is a medication for me to take,  

I have to head in a bit, this is it for now.

Cya...

PO'ed

Walmart strikes again.  Last year, they killed my favorite frozen dinner, Corky's pulled pork.  It was pretty good BBQ, especially for the price.  I had to switch to Farm Rich's BBQ pulled pork.  It was only the meat & no sides.  Still, it wasn't bad. Today, I discovered, Walmart has cancelled that as well.  Too add insult, they also killed off my favorite BBQ sauce.  Apparently, Walmart hates BBQ.  

Thus my shopping trip was tiring & somewhat unproductive.  Walmart sucks.

Cta...

No Article Day...

Ever since the election, articles over HIV/AIDS have been in short supply.  If you look, at 1st, they seem abundant.   But after a bit, you see it's mostly rehash of articles & topics, some several years old.   Past those, you find OpEd, rhetoric & stuff better suited to TMZ.  

I have no idea how long this article drought is going to last, but it's disappointing.   These articles represent news & advancements concerning HIV.  When they're not there, does it mean everything's been put on hold or are people just not publishing?  Either is a dangerous option.

Maybe tomorrow.   Maybe we need a rain dance for this drought.

Cya...

Drugs...

I've discussed drugs & their relationship to HIV.    In this case, IV opiod use & Truvada.  Not necessarily together.   I've mentioned the growing number of HIV cases in rural US & how it's being caused mostly by IV opiod usage.   I've also made my feelings about Truvada or PrEP clear.

This article is 1 of many detailing the FDA's decision to recall the Endo's opiod Opana ER. Too many people are it as an IV street drug.  Increasing HIV cases & deaths via overdose.

This article discusses how the FDA cleared the path for generic  Truvada. This doesn't do anything about my arguments against PrEP, but it does alter things.  This could mean more people could afford the drug. That doesn't come without complications.  It also means the Gilead's pocket book will be hit hard.  Then again this won't go the market for a year or so & Gilead is already pushing the next big thing in PrEP.

Interesting developments.

Cya..

Nice Day In June...

So far, today has been a relatively nice day.  OK, we had to go to Walmart earlier & that's never really a fun thing to do.   Still, the weather is nice & we aren't expected to much else today.  

I don't have much to write about today.  But, I do appreciate this day's more pleasant nature.  There's  a light breeze, some sunshine & birds singing.  

Hope you're having a good day.

Cya...

Seriously Stupid...

For some idiotic reason, the state of Mississippi is going to start charging for HIV tests.  $25 a pop.  That's cash most people don't have on hand for a what-if.  This is despite the state being 1 of the highest states for HIV rates in the nation. 

These are pertinent  articles:

HIV screenings no longer free at Health Department

Mississippi plans to get rid of free HIV testing

The 1st article is brief.  The 2nd is more in depth, but for some reason the title says Missouri instead of Mississippi.  Both tell how this state is about to hinder the 1st line in the fight against HIV, testing.

Dangerously ridiculous.

Cya...

Final Bill..

Going out in a bit.  This month got off to an odd start.  Some of the bills had weird due dates & the last will get dropped off today.   

I have to admit, I'm still sore from the movie excursion.    I shouldn't be, but the theater was a mess.  I've never had to wait that long for a film that had no real line.  That's why we didn't see the movie earlier on.  We didn't want to have to stand in a line.

My back, feet & neck are still twitchy.  It made sleeping an issue.  I'm trying to get my body to relax.

That's all for now.

Cya...

Rough Going...

We went to see a movie yesterday.   That was the good part of the day.  A lot of everything was annoying & somewhat painful.    The movie was running late.   We normally try to get to a movie 20+ minutes before opening.  This lets us get better seats, go to the restroom, get drinks, etc...  Yesterday, it allowed us to wait in a line for 30 minutes, because the previous showing was running that late.   So, there we stood for 30 minutes.  My feet hate me.  The movie was good, but just about everything around it was vexing.  I'm tired today & don't feel like doing much of anything.

Cya...

Out...

We're getting ready to head out, so this will be short.  The rain lowered the temps a bit.  I did manage to find this article.  It's about honoring the long term survivors of HIV/AIDS.    It's a good read,

Cya...

Finally, Rain...

It's been threatening to rain for days. It's made everything a humid, miserable mess.  Today, the teasing stopped & it actually rained.   We may get up to an inch.  That'd be nice, considering how low we are on rain totals.  Maybe, it can clean up the air as well.  

Not much else going on right now.

Cya...

Start Of The Month...

I searched the articles & found few newish pieces.  Most dealt with the stigma of HIV.  I've covered this a lot.

It's the 1st of the month & bills are getting handled.  Unfortunately, that means dealing with lines of annoying people.   But, at least it's underway.

The shrubs in the yard are starting the 2nd round of blooming.  The  Rose of Sharon bushes are starting to bloom.  The crepes won't be far behind.  Most people's are already underway.  The magnolia's are blooming.   All these blooms mean the hummingbirds should be here soon.  Then the dragonflies.  My 2 favorite summer fliers.

We're still being dodgy in the weather department.  Not quite raining. Refusing to move on & let the sun shine.

That's it for now.

Cya...

Tiresome Morning...

We had some errands & grocery shopping to do this morning.  Normally, it's no big deal.  This time it was irritating,  time consuming & tiring.  We finally got back & I'm tired.  I don't have much left in me for the day.  There isn't much else going on, so this is it for today.

Cya...

Overcast June...

Hello June,

We'd like to welcome you to 2017.  We would appreciate it greatly if you could improve on the track record of previous 5 months.  They, so far have been fairly disappointing in most regards.  There were many instances of serious drama, illness, stress & even loss.  The weather wasn't quality either.  Perhaps you could look into that for us. 

June, as you emerge, Spring gives way to Summer.  May this be a great time for us.  I'm looking forward to a prosperous, happy month together.  Set the bar high for July.

Cya...