Goodbye January & Just Great...

 

The 1st month of 2022 is almost over.  I suppose it wasn't bad as far as Januaries go.  Still the weather had been a bit of a pill.  People this month on the other hand, have been mostly a bunch of dangerous idiots, at least in our State.   COVID is still there & they're acting like it's a myth or a cold.  We jumped over  100K active  cases in less  than 3 weeks.  It seems to be going back  down some now.   

This piece isn't great, but it'll have to do.  I saw others like it, but they were all behind paywalls.  It details how a South African woman who was inadequately treated for HIV developed COVID.  She had COVID  for over 9 months & developed 21 mutations.  Once properly treated for HIV, she recovered in 9 weeks.  

People with compromised immune systems can allow COVID to mutate rapidly.  This is likely how we got the beta & omicron variants.  Africa has an immense number of people living with HIV who are not or undertreated.  Vaccinations for COVID & treatment for people with HIV & immunity issues is necessary for CVOID to be controlled.

That's all for now.  Goodbye January.  Take care,

Cya...

Nice Morning...

 

It's a nice, bright morning.  We haven't been having a lot of them.  I intend to enjoy it.  The latter half of this week looks to go to some frozen hell weatherwise.  So, I'm enjoying the sunlight while I can.  

There wasn't much for articles this morning.  There were continued posts over Moderna's vaccines & COVID.  Nothing new yet.

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

OK Really...

This is the last Saturday of January 2022.  The 1st week of February looks off.   Besides handling normal stuff & bills, we both have appointments.   I need to get labs done for a telemedicine mid month.  The bad part of this is that the weather is going to get weird.  The next days we could up all the way 70s.  By the end of the week we could be under freezing again.  I hate this roller coaster weather.  It's rough on everything.

That's about it for now.  Everyone's  still posting about Moderna's vaccine attempt.   It's potentially a big deal, so I get it.  Take care.

Cya...

mRNA Early...

 

This article deals with mRNA vaccines & a little of how they work.  These are some of the vaccines being used to treat COVID.  The technology is decades old & began as research for fighting cancer.  

At this point, it's being tailored to better suit changing variants of COVID.  The company Moderna & others are looking forward & continuing research into vaccines against cancer.  The research is also moving into treatments  for  HIV & autoimmune disorders.

This may not work.  But it's a step forward & more information in the fight against HIV & possibly other illnesses.  That's all for  now.  Take care.

Cya...

Early But Maybe....

 

This piece focuses on Merck's drug Keytruda.  The medication has been in development since the early 2000s.  It's been used as an IV treatment for against  various cancers.  This article tells the med may aid in treating dormant HIV.  HIV medications can't treat the latent or hidden virus.   This drug may be able to help with that.  As long as dormant HIV stays in the body, the person remains infected.

It's early, but this does sound like it has possibilities for the future treatment of HIV.  Now we wait & see where this goes from here.  Will it work?  Will it be feasible?  

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Ugh Updates...

 

I wouldn't hate Windows updates so much if they didn't come so often & take so long.  File I could download from any other site in under a minute, take 15 - 30 minutes from Microsoft.  Then there's the  slow install, that usually restarts the process at least once.  Then there's the actual system restart.  An update that on any other program would take a couple of minutes takes 30+ minutes & a restart for Windows.  It's to the point almost every update has a preview, the update & then various patches to fix the update.    Just do it right or not at all.

That's all for this morning, I spent  my time dealing with another Windows update.  Take care.

Cya...

Blocked, Stupid & Gone...

 

I have a few gripes.  I found a few promising articles  this morning.  When I tried to look further, I got  blocked.  I didn't even see enough to tell if the article was worth trying to find elsewhere.  I understand people need to be paid for their work.  However, if most sites with HIV info have paywalls, who are they really reaching?  Probably not the people who could benefit from the info.

Oklahomans are  stupid & many deserve to die from COVID.   During the 1st week of January we have about 24K active cases.  Less than a month later  due to stupidity & Omicron we have over 129K.  That's  more than a 100,000 case increase.  There is no  excuse.  Our hospitals are glutted & there's no room for people who have actual emergencies; heart attacks,  broken bones, strokes, etc...  These people aren't just stupid, they're selfish asshats willing to endanger everyone.  DIE SOON IDIOTS.

Finally, because of striking workers & supply chain issues, the stores are more bare now than ever.  Basic things like regular crackers & cereals are gone.  I support workers.  But to strike during times like this isn't hurting the company.  It only hurts the people who depend on those products.  It also makes some of them anti-worker.

Fix your paywalls,  get vaccinated & stock the shelves. That's all I'm asking.  Doubt I'll see any of it happen.   OK, gripes are over.    Take care.

Cya...

OK Men...

 

This piece is about the gender divide concerning testing & treatment of HIV globally.   This piece by the UN's OCHA, states they had nearly reached their global goals concerning the testing & treatment of women.  

However, that was not the case with men.  When it came to testing & treatment of HIV, the numbers were much worse.  They estimate there's nearly 3/4 million men unaware they're HIV+.  They also estimate there are over a million not  receiving  treatment & nearly a million not virally suppressed. 

Looking at this as a global issue, it becomes very difficult to ascertain the cause of these disparities.  It's an even bigger issue in sorting out how to handle them.    

Until more men get on board with fighting HIV, this fight will never end.  There are a lot of reasons why these men will say they haven't handled this.  I can give them a good reason to handle it, to live.  We are to the point that diseases like HIV should be mandatorily treated globally.  I just have no idea how that would happen.

Cya...

So Far Better...

 

Winter can go now.  I wasn't feeling well yesterday.  Between the weather, heaters & blankets my sinuses were in bad shape.  My eyes felt gritty & dry.   The big problem is how I sleep during the cold.  During the Summer, I sprawl & roll a lot.   In the Winter, I huddle down under covers & don't move much.  I may sleep deeper during the cold months, but I wake stiff & sore.  Yesterday was bad for the soreness.  My back was not in a good place most of the day.  

So far this morning, I'm doing better.  It's supposed to get into the 50s & it's bright out already.  Both of those things should make it easier for me.  Maybe after this week it get passed some of these more frigid nights & just be cold.  That'd be nice.

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

Not As Bad...

 

It's not as cold as yesterday, but it's still cold.  At least it's a bright morning.  The rest of the month looks to stay cold, but not as cold.  It is Winter after all.  I still don't like it.  No part of body enjoys the cold.  I get a lot of ENT issues.  My skies is prone to drying & cracking even after all the lotion. My eyes hate the dryness.  Body stiffness is a common issue.  On top of that, it's often dreary & hard on people with SAD.  

I might be able to  deal with all of that if it wasn't so  erratic.  The temps roll up & then plummet.  The frigid air still hasn't killed all the grass & I'm still seeing bugs.  Who imported bugs from the Arctic?  That was supposed to be the deal.  We suffer through the cold, so the season will kill off the grass, pollen & bugs.  None of that is happening besides the suffering.

I hate Winter.  That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Stupid Cold...

 

I know other places get a lot colder than we do.  Right now, that seriously sounds like a their problem situation.  Waking up in the teens is not for me.   Even with the heater going all night, my room was still damned cold this morning.  I hate being cold.  2 minutes on the table & my steaming tea is lukewarm.

It's supposed to start warming up some this week.  I hope so, I can barely type in these temps.  I've had to redo half of this already.  That's it, I didn't find any articles & my fingers are cold.  More tomorrow, take care.

Cya...

Cold Type...

Woke to a cold room this morning.  It got frigid last night.  It was only 19 when I checked the temps.  It's made it up to 23.  We might not get above freezing today.  It's slightly overcast, so the sky's glowing a bit.  

I'm not warm yet & I type for crap when I'm this cold.  This will be it for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Greying & Cooling...

 

It's a grey morning & the drear is supposed to last for a few days.   Yesterday was warmer, but the chill's rolling in.  The rest of the week looks to be cold.  I know we need this weather, but it messes with me.  Beyond SAD, the heaters/blankets cause me breathing & sinus issues.  There's also the matter of sleeping.  I sleep so deep in the Winter that I move a lot less throughout the night.  I wake up stiff & sore.  I have to use ibuprofen before bed or I wake up in the night with sore wrists, elbows or shoulders. 

No matter how much I understand Winter, I'll never like it.  That's it for now.   Take care.

Cya...

Annoying...

 

Some mornings are just annoying & that was this morning.  You wake up feeling good & then the F'ery kicks in.  On mornings like this, it's usually nothing big, just a bunch of little crap lined up in a row; computer updates, ice maker issues, in the way cat...  In the morning, I'm just trying to go from grumbling, zombie stares to a real living person.  Leave me the hell alone.

Luckily, it's decently bright this morning & warming up a bit.  Neither will last long this week, so I'll take while I can.  Luckily, other than getting around, I don't have anything to do this morning.

I'm annoyed with Oklahomans.  For the past week, our daily number of new COVID cases has been over 12K.  We did have 30K+ active case with a rolling average in the 4K range.  Now we have over 110K active cases with a rolling average of new cases over 10K.   Oklahomans get yourself taken care of.  Either vax & be as safe as possible or just die already.

That's it for now.  Take care. 

Cya...

Warmer & Brighter...

 

Yesterday was dismal.  The faucets had to drip most of the day.  There were only a few hours above freezing.  It was in the 20s when I woke & it's almost above freezing already.  Today should be a lot warmer.  Most the snow has already melted.  There's only some left  in the shadows.  

We have to go shopping in a bit.  That's about it for today.  A lot of stuff is closed on MLK day.  That'll probably be our only outing.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Snow On The Car...

 

I've don't understand how meteorologists measure snowfall.  It's not like rain, it doesn't fall even.  Even without wind, there are dunes.  I estimate by how much is on the car.  

It's supposed to warm up today.  So far, that hasn't  happened.  I got the tougher bristled broom & swept off the step & car.  There was over 3" on the car & about 2" on the step.  So, I'm guessing we got between 2 - 3+" of snow.

Hopefully, it'll melt off today.  Nothing stuck to the roads.  They're almost dry.  OK, we've had our 2022 snowfall, check.  We don't need another until 2025.  

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Grey & Freezing...

 

Woke to some serious cold accompanied by wet blanket, grey skies.  The ground's a little wet, but nothing much.  We have snow & rain chances today.   It's supposed to get above freezing soon.   I tell myself, we need the Winter, but, I still hate it.  Got a look at the gas bill & we weren't as cold as last year.  We only used about half the gas for heating this time.   We'll see how it goes.  We're not a full month into Winter yet.  February & March could be awful.  February has gotten to be our coldest month here.  

That's it for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Cold & Early...

 

Today's the last day of this warmer spree.   After this  it'll colder days & freezing nights.  The 10 day forecast shows Winter weather.  We may get snow tomorrow.  We've had few flakes already, but nothing that survived the ground.  As much as I don't like it, we need the cold weather.  Things need to rest, reset & die off.

I saw a lot of articles this morning. Most were too early in the research to have been reported about.  Only investors, grant overseers & other researchers should have seen these  works.  A lot of this will never make it to fruition.  They should wait before putting research info out for the public.  It gets confusing & frustrating.

That's all for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Reprieve Ending...

 

It's been warmer here the last couple of days. We haven't needed the heater  as  much or left the faucets dripping overnight.  That ends this weekend.  There might be snow on Saturday.  Winter remembered it was  here.

It's warmer & bright this morning.  I'll enjoy it while I  it's here.  Not much happening today & interesting articles were non-existent.  That's all for now, take care.

Cya..

OK...

 

The bad thing about research is it's ongoing, especially about newer topics.  For over a year, researchers have vacillated on the subject of HIV & COVID, now add in vaccines & boosters.  The material alters between how HIV impacts the severity & risk for COVID, with or without the vaccine/booster.  It's confusing & a little annoying for someone who's read a lot of articles on the matter.  For a novice, it must be boggling.  I'll just go with the avoid it as much as possible & get the shots.

It's going to bright & warmer today.  That's good.  Take care.

Cya...

Yesterday Went Well...

 

Even after finding out the stupidly high number of COVID cases in my state, we had a good day.  By stupid I mean, our numbers are worse than last year's at this time.  

Last year, a more people were trying to stay safe, not now.  Since about Thanksgiving, stores have been full of unmasked people acting like they'd never seen a Walmart before.  Most of these maskless people are probably not vaccinated.   I see loads of little kids too young to voice concern in these crowds without masks.  They're all so pro-life, but they won't protect their kids.

Other than shopping, we didn't do much yesterday.  But, it was sunny & we felt better.  Both of which were nice.  You have to take the silver linings where you can.  

That's all for  now, take care.

Cya...

Bright Morning...

 

It's easier to wake up to a bright, sunny morning than  an overcast sky.   I feel better & I'm in a better mood.  It's still a colder than I'd like, but at least there's sunlight. 

There's not a lot going on this morning & articles were lacking.  We have to go shopping in a bit.  I think that's about it for now.  

More tomorrow.  Take care.

Cya...

Something's Up...

 

We had a pet bed.  It was in my room for a while.  I washed it last Spring & put it away for the season.  When I went to get it this Fall, I noticed some tears in it. We stuffed it in a pillow case & it went to my roomie's room.  After a while, it started causing her allergy, itch issues just having it near.  We decided to toss it.  I put it in a trash bag last Sunday.  

By the next day, the left side of my face & eye were swollen.   At 1st, I didn't suspect the bed.   I thought I'd had bad allergies or I'd slept with my hand under my face.  But even as the swelling went down, other issues lingered.   I was having a lot allergy, energy & digestion issues.   

We didn't think about it until last night.  I think the pet bed was toxic.  I looked them up & there is a problem with cheap pet beds from China.  Some are full of toxic materials that could quite easily affect animals over time.  The bed was in my room for quite a while & didn't bother me.  I think when it got torn, it let the interior materials leak out & that was the problem.

Lesson learned, don't by cheap materials from China.  They may not meet safety codes anywhere else in the world.  Walmart no longer carries this kind of pet  bed.  I need to check where things are from.

That's all for now, hope we get to feeling better soon Take care.

Cya...

2nd Saturday...

 

The 2nd Saturday of 2022 is a cold, grey mess.  It might rain & we need it, but don't need the drear.  So far, I'm liking Winter even less than normal.  December had a lot  of stress & the dismal nature of  the season is letting it carry over.  I get why someone might like the cooler temps of Winter.  But, why would anyone (not a vampire) like the drear?

There isn't much going on in my life at the moment.  Apparently there's some kind of shuffling in my doctor's office.  So far, it doesn't seem to affect me  directly.  If it does, I'll have to handle it when I know  what's actually happening.  The letter was weirdly vague.

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

Transplants...

 

This article is over organ transplants to HIV+ people.  This article  admits the limits of the research.  This is the 1st article I've seen discussing the outcomes of transplants to HIV+ patients.  While there were  some differences between patients with & without HIV, they were similar.  

Patients with controlled HIV do well, and should have ongoing access to life saving liver and kidney transplantation.

While that's a big statement, more research is needed.  In addition, no studies are currently available covering the aftercare of those receiving organs from HIV+ donors.  This is a good read, but just a first step.

Cya...

Frigid Day...

 

It's just above freezing at the moment.  That won't last long.  It's supposed to plummet.  This is our high for the day.  It's going to be in the teens tonight.  This weather is making me feel like crap.  Everything's off.   I hope it doesn't lead to my roomie or me getting sick.  I despise cold weather.

That's it for now.  I refuse to address the politics of today any more than I have already.  This blog isn't about that.   If this was a sane world the matter would've already be handled.

Take care.

Cya...

Irritating...

 

Almost immediately after I posted yesterday, the cable & internet went out.   Suddenlink or whatever they're  called now, sucked as usual.  On top of their automated system sucking, when you do get a person, their accent is so heavy, it's hard to understand them.   The representative was overly curt & denied there  being an outage & just set up a service appointment.  A while later we called back & there's a service  outage.  It last throughout most the day.

I'm posting now while I can.  It's at least sunny outside.  It's supposed to be frigid again tomorrow.   Take care.

Cya...

Another Winter Anniversary...

 

My father passed away a year ago.  I'm still not sure what I think about that.  We weren't close.  Still, another person connected to me is gone.  For now,  that's about all I have on the matter.

Winter is here & it's being harsh.  It's been frigid.  Thanks to heaters & mounds of covers, my eyes aren't happy.  I'm prone to  eye issues during the cold part of the year.  I think it's all the dry air & fibers.  So far, nothing serious, but I'll watch it.  Hopefully, it doesn't mean an extra trip to the doctor.

That's about it for today.  Hope your new year is going well. Take care.

Cya...

11 & 22 ...

It's my blog's 11th anniversary.  I've not stuck with much of anything this long.  This blog is a history of my life, much of it dealing with HIV.  It's old enough to be in 6th grade.  Last year, I was hoping for a better year.  2 years ago, I'd just got out of the hospital for was probably a minor case of COVID & 2019 hadn't been easy on me.  The last couple of years have been fairly awful.  Let's see if 2022 can do any better.  The bar's really low.  Here's to another year.

This is my 22st HIV Day.  On January 3, 2000, I was diagnosed, so my HIV status is actually older.  It'd be nice to think this virus could vanish as people like me  get older.  I don't think that will happen, but it'd be  something if HIV was just a bad memory.  Here's to the upcoming year, cheers & hoorah!  Raise a glass!

Thanks for reading.  Take care & be kind.  Maybe next time this COVID crap will be in our rearview mirror.

Cya... 

Moving Up...

 

When I started my HIV treatment with Tulsa OSU Healthcare,  I had several people revolve in & out.  Some were staff that changed positions, many were interns/residents.  But in the beginning, it was  Doctors Damon Baker & Johnny Stephens.  Baker  was the primary push behind HIV at OSU & he was there when their telemedicine started.  I saw those 2 every 3 - 6 months.  Stephens was the pharmacist.  In fact,  he's the only person I've never doubted when it came to HIV & the regimens used to treat it.  His knowledge & the way he carried himself, made this much easier.  Most other people, including doctors, are idiots when it comes to HIV & the various HIV medications.

Dr Baker moved on several years back.  He's now a big player in OSU medical school.  He's been a major  face in the Tulsa area fight against COVID.  I'm thankful for what he's done for me, but I'd rather still have him as my doctor.  I'm greedy that way.

This article is about Dr Stephens.  I haven't  seen him in years, but he's the reason my treatment is on the path it is now.  Again, happy for all he's accomplished, still wish he was my pharmacist.  Good people in medicine are hard to find.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

OK 2022...

 

2022 began with a lot of noisy rain.  There were also fireworks.  January has started off grey & wet.  I choose to look at as if we've nearly met our monthly rain averages early.  Look at me  trying to be positive.  How rare.  We've had almost 1.5" already this year.  The monthly average is only a little over 2" for January. The rain's supposed to last until this afternoon.   I'd like some sunlight, but I doubt that'll be a thing today. We're heading into some frigid temps for a while.

December closed out 2022.  It had some markers in for me.  Christmas Eve 2021 was the last time I spoke  to my father.  He died 9 days later.   Alice cat passed on the 27th years ago.  Another anniversary was that somewhere in early December 1999, I smoked my last  cigarette.   That's 22 years of not smoking.  That's longer than I was a smoker.  

That's all for now.  Happy New Year.

Cya...