Goodbye March...

 

It's the last day of March & to be honest I'm ready for it to be over.   There wasn't a lot that I cared for this month.  Just about everything I needed it to be, it  wasn't & vice verse.  It wasn't a horrible month, it just wasn't good or pleasant either.

There wasn't much in the way of articles.  I am feeling better this morning.  That's mostly due to the bright  morning & lower allergy levels.  Who knows how long either will last, so I'll enjoy them while they're here.  

That's about it for now.  Goodbye March.  Here's hoping April is a little better.  Take care.

Cya..

Last March Trash Outing...

 

It's the last time taking trash to the curb for March.  Of course it's a wet, dismal shit of a morning.  Hopefully this will end soon.  March hasn't  made the time change easy. It's mostly been a pissy, grey brat.

I wasn't feeling well yesterday.  It was a weird day for  us & I wound up feeling off all day.  I went to bed a little early.   I did something I rarely do.  I slept a full  8 hours.  I can usually only do that when I'm sick.  I don't like it.  Sleeping that long leaves me groggy for hours.  Of course, it's a dreary damn morning, so waking is even harder.   

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

HIV Meds, COVID, The Flu...

 

I woke up feeling like crap, so this will be a short post.  I did find this piece, it concerns COVID's interaction with some older HIV meds & the flu.  Like many diagnosed when I was, my 1st meds were a cocktail of pills.  Among those was a protease  inhibitor.  I was on a few back then, now I'm  not on  any.  According to this article, these meds lessened COVID infections rates & severity. 

The other point was that a combination of COVID & the flu was dangerous.  These people had a higher chance of severe illness & death.   So, get vaccinated against COVID & the flu.  If not a combination case could be highly damaging or deadly.

That's all for now, take  care.

Cya...

Allergies & Irritation...

 

Allergen levels in this area have topped the charts & it's taking a toll on me.  My eyes & nose hate everything.  This will be here for the duration of tree mating season.  

Wearing the face mask has finally got me.  The area where the straps touch is irritated & rough.  I'm not sure if it's eczema or dermatitis.   The same treatment should work for a minor case like I have.  Luckily,  COVID numbers are  down.  There aren't any active cases reported in my area at the moment.  Of course that could change.  

That's it for this morning.   Take care.

Cya...

Complete...

 

When it comes to treating HIV, many promote a more complete treatment plan.  They go beyond the medical,  social & nutritional needs of a client.  They look at the more personal, spiritual & perhaps environmental needs of the person. 

All of these are important & can lead to very successful plans.  However they can go too far.   Would  it  be  nice to have people around who were  also HIV+?   Yes, but only if not every word out of their mouths wasn't about HIV or slathered in toxic positivity.  

The problem with any treatment plan is simple.  There are no best-for-all plans.   Some people will need a lot of hand holding.  Other people will hate it.   Some will want a lot spirituality, some won't. Same goes for  every aspect of treatment.  Nothing will work for  everyone, not even the meds. 

A good plan takes the individual into account & is tailored where it can be.  There may be many alterations to get to a good point.  The primary thing any plan needs is honest, transparent conversation between clients & providers.  You can be happy, but sometimes all that sunshine & lollipop business can be too much.

Cya...

Renewal...

It's that time of year again, DHS benefit renewals apps arrived.  We did them online, since there's basically no chance of actually interacting with anyone nowadays.   Due to COVID  & cutbacks, even the local lines take you to a statewide answering service where you have to wade through an automated system to get to real person.

The problem with the renewal process is simple, the website is jinky at best.  At worst, it simply doesn't  work.  We think we got our apps through alright, but we both got kicked out before we could check the apps.  It'll let you log back in, but not see your renewal app.  It just shows you did it.  So, fingers crossed.   If not, it'll get fixed as we can.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Sort Of Surprised...

 

I found an interesting piece this morning.  This article dealt with women, not men or transgenders.   That alone is a rarity.  I'm not going to discuss this much, it should be read.  It deals with the successful outcomes of an injectable PrEP in women.  It is worth a read.  

I have to get around & go shopping.  So far it's a  nice, bright morning.  It's  supposed get warmer  finally.  I'm over the cold weather.  

Take  care.

Cya...

Some Light...

 

It was chilly this morning, but at least there was sunlight.  There isn't much going here today.  There was even less happening with articles.  

All the energy that used to be focused on articles about HIV related items has had to be redirected into other areas for a couple of years.  There were issues with tRump, COVID, elections, riots, etc...  Now, there's the crappy actions of Russia.  

People only have so much, their energy isn't infinite.  The resources that used to be focused on HIV articles has been hijacked by life in fairly unprecedented times.  Who knows when things will calm down enough for people to recover,  refocus & begin again?  

Take  care.

Cya...

Clouds...

 

Another chilly morning & I'm hating on clouds.  I'm sick of their puffy selfs hiding the sun.  We've had rain, let the sun shine. Clouds act like jealous siblings vying for attention.  Sure the sunshine's nice, but I've  got gloomy rain, isn't that better?  Sure Jan.

Just rain & get the hell out of the sky.  I've had it with overcast, BS mornings.   Bring on the light.  Rant's over.  Take care.

Cya...

A Little Better...

  

I still woke up later than I'd liked after the time change.  But a week ago, I'd been up a little early.  The time change isn't easy on a person.  At least I got more sleep last night.  I have to get there in increments. 

It's another grey morning, but not as dark as yesterday.  We got over an inch of rain.  That leaves us still under the monthly average, the ground needed it.  Just wish it would rain without all the storm drama & foreboding darkness. 

That's about it for now.  The adjustments continue.  Take care.

Cya...

Not Easy Morning...

 

The time change has not been an easy transition this year.  It's been a week & I'm still having issues waking.  It hasn't helped that it's been dreary almost every morning since.   I'm sick of grey clouds & cooler weather.  I need some sun.

That's all for now.  I need to get around & shower.  We'll go shopping after that.   Hopefully, we'll be back before it rains.  The rest of this week looks to be dismal as well.  Oh Joy.

Cya...

Sprung..

 

Alright weather, Spring is here & it's time to get these colder temps out of here.  Pack up the wintry BS until next year.  I'd like an actual Spring, not just a 2 week  interlude between freezing & armpit.  

The extra light is helping me get through the Winter issues.  Hopefully, most of the drear is behind us.  I need a lot more light.  So here's to a nice Spring, hold the drama.

Take care.

Cya...

More Fallout...

 

US COVID numbers may be going down, but the virus is far from being under control.  There are parts of  the world, where the numbers are as high as they ever were.  Parts of Asia, especially China, are facing incredible levels of COVID due to the latest variant.    

Last March 4th, I got my 1st dose of Moderna's vaccine, a month later I got the 2nd, the booster came in December.  There may be a 4th dose, who knows?  They have numbers of those who were infected, who were hospitalized & those who died from COVID.  Those numbers are inaccurate.

There are people like me, who may have had an early, unidentified case of COVID.   It's known there were cases in my area when I was hospitalized with what they thought was pneumonia.  They never really knew what was wrong with me.

The numbers don't count all the people who died, because they couldn't get into COVID flooded hospitals.  Many died of normal health issues & trauma & they aren't counted in the COVID deaths.  A lot of people withered & died early due to lack of social contact, consider the housebound & rest home residents.   

Then there is the fallout of people not being able to  be tested/treated for HIV, TB, hepatitis, STI's, cancer, etc...  There has been a report of surges in alcohol/drug usage during the pandemic.  Not surprisingly, alcohol/drug related incidents, illnesses & deaths also jumped.  People with mental illness & the disabled have mostly been left to their own devices, which were limited to begin with. 

I didn't cite articles in this post.  Google an aspect of it & you find many pieces of each part.  Those affected by COVID, directly or not, have been severely underreported.  This wasn't out of malice,  but due to being overwhelmed, ill prepared & unaware of those in need outside the imminent presence of COVID.  COVID was a disaster in every way.   The fallout may never be completely understood or known.  It has happened, is happening & will continue long after this virus is contained.  

Sometimes an illness is more than just a diagnosis.  Disasters impact regions, not just the epicenter of  the event.  We have to accept that what affects part of the whole, eventually impacts the entirety of it all.  Until then, we will always wind up right back in the same place we are now.

Cya...

Another Ugh Morning...

 

It's another dreary March morning.  It's as warm as it's going to get.  It'll be in the mid 30s tonight.  We  might have a couple of these nights next week.  I'm over Winter weather, get on with it Spring.  Mornings like this make it hard for me to do much of anything.  But we need to go shopping in a bit & run a few errands.  

There was talk of rain to wash away some of this pollen.  That didn't happen.  Not a great start to the morning.   Hope everyone else's day goes better.

Cya...

No Easy Adjustments...

 

There won't be any easy adjusting to the time change this year.  Besides the overcast mornings, the trees have decided to include everyone in their seasonal orgy.  The tree pollen levels have gone to 11.  Actually over that by a bit.  That's as nearly as high as pollen.com rates levels.   I did not consent to be part of frenzied tree copulating.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Reasonable...

 

There's news of massive surges in COVID numbers in China.  There are reports of COVID numbers rising in places  that have relaxed or abandoned COVID  protocols, such as Britain.   Now, there's Ukraine.   

Beyond the ravages of war, this piece details concerns of a viral nature.   There is a reasonable fear of  things like HIV, COVID, TB & others spreading during the Russian onslaught going on in Ukraine.  The effects of this aggression will be felt for decades.  

The fear of these illnesses spreading valid & reasonable.  Take care & best wishes to those in need. 

Cya...

Adjusting Poorly...

 

I'm adjusting rather poorly to the time change.  It  might've gone better if the weather hadn't decided to do this pissy, grey skies thing it's been doing since Sunday.   While I really appreciate the light later in the afternoon, I hate trying to wake on these overcast  mornings.  The light that does come on mornings like this is that weird orangish, cloud strained color.  It's hard on the eyes.  I'll adjust eventually, just not this morning.

Take care.

Cya...

Ugh Sprung...

 

I qualify more as staggering forward than springing.   The time change might have gone better if it hadn't been such a dreary morning.  There's rain chances for today & tomorrow.  The area needs the rain, but I need the light, at least it's warmer.

This piece briefly details the starting of Moderna's HIV vaccine trials.   The piece isn't much, but probably all they could publish at this time.  Now, it's a wait & see game.   These participants are brave souls.  There's no money that could've got me to be involved with this trial if I'd been HIV-.  

That's all for now.  I'm trying to fully wake up before we head out shopping.  Take care.

Cya...

Almost Spring Ugh...

 

I'm only sort of here this morning.  The time change is never easy for me, but I got out of bed close to the right time.  I wish at some point they'd just split the difference between the 2 times & let it be.  It usually takes me a couple of days to adjust to this, sometimes longer.  This is it for now.  Springing forward is exhausting.

Cya...

Melting...

 

It actually snowed yesterday.  We've had frozen yick this year, but little actual snow.   For a few moments it was pretty.  Then the cold, slickness of it hit.  The ground was too warm for anything to stick well.  It's  halfway melted already & we're just above freezing.  It'll be gone in a few hours.  Hopefully, that's the last of Winter & it's wintry weather.   

The state COVID site has dropped down to weekly reporting.  We were averaging about 150 new cases a day.  The active number of cases was in the 2K range,  which is our lowest.  Still the number of deaths is high.   Maybe we can get past it this time.  

Not much happening today.  We'll move clocks  forward & normal stuff,  but that's about it.  Take care.

Cya...

Hurried Grey Morning...

 

In a bit of a hurry this morning.   I need to get cleaned up & get out the door to go shopping.  It's supposed  to start snowing in a few hours & keep at all afternoon.  The ground's too warm for it to stick much.  Still, we'd rather be back inside before it gets serious about dumping snow on us.  It's the warmest it'll get today & it's freezing.  The faucets will be dripping all day.  

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

Just Another Thursday...

 

It's another March day.  Today looks to be decent before tomorrow falls into wintry crap.  The tree pollen is so bad, I spent my morning rinsing my out eyes & coughing my throat clear.  To hell with tree sex & wintry weather.   At least the trash went out with no issues.  This Sunday the clocks Spring forward, joy.  Hopefully with the Spring Equinox the temps will start to rise & we'll get more sunlight.  

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Needed...

 

Before this slide back into wintry weather, I was starting to feel better.  Now, I'm not.   I'm dealing with all the issues of early Spring & the crap Winter likes o fling at us.  The cold, drear has brought back the stiffness & doldrum anxiousness while the trees are dumping truckloads of pollen into the winds.  I'm not a happy camper.  And of course Windows had to update this morning.

That's my rant for now.   I wish I could take Winter to the curb like we'll do with trash this afternoon.  I've had my fill of this crappy season.   Take care.

Cya...

Put Off...

 

The weather started it's week long downgrade.  We had to have the heater on last night.   My breathing is more off than it has been the past few days due allergens.  With any luck this will be gone by next Monday.  Winter sucks!

What has really out me off are these racial disparity articles regarding HIV.  I know it's there but the articles are crap.  I saw a piece I thought I could use.  It was over how HIV+ Black men were more susceptible to cancer & had worse outcomes when diagnosed. 

It became clear,  the authors were merely reporting circumstances.  There wasn't  much in the way of actual research.  They simply took at broad numbers after the fact.  It was like most the other race/gender based articles I've read concerning HIV alleging these groups' harsher realities.  There was no support to their statements.

I believe the numbers are there.  These populations are probably having the issues reported.  But without actually researching the hows & whys of the matter, this is data interpretation, not research.  This is the beginning of the issue, not the conclusion.   If they're going to report on these disparities they need to research why the differences exist in the 1st  place.   Only then can the matter be  addressed.  This wasn't research, it was  bad reporting.

Cya.

Off Plans...

 

Next Sunday Daylight Saving Time will start.   The following weekend will be the Spring Equinox on the 20th.   I was starting to make plans on washing & stowing some Winter things.   Then Winter stuck it's head up again.  Most of the week will be colder, but the weekend is forecast to be frigid.    

I hate Winter.  I'm tired of heaters, blankets & scorched air.    I want some warm & bright mornings to wake up to.  I really need all of this to move on,  but that's not up to me.

Hopefully this will be our last  round & we get into  Spring things.   Take care.

Cya...

Rolling In...

 

I woke to a fairly bright morning.   It was nice while it lasted.  The clouds are rolling in & bringing a week's worth of cold, wet wind with them.  I hate this roller coaster weather we've had for the last month.  We get warm, we plummet, rinse & repeat.  I hate Winter.

That's about it for now.  There were no notable articles,  maybe tomorrow.   Take care.

Cya...

Dim Morning...

 

Not feeling that great this morning.  Pollen is way up, it's been windy & people have been burning for the last couple of days.   It's overcast & supposed to rain.  Then the colder weather will set in for the week.

I'm sick of Winter, drear & feeling like crap.  I'm ready for Spring.  I need a lot more light.

Hopefully, the weather won't get bad this week.  That's about all for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Slightly Irritated...

This colder weather was supposed to be over.   The beginning of the week was supposed to drop to the low 30s, but that was it.  Now, the forecast is calling for next weekend in the low 20s.  I hate Winter.  I didn't want it & it won't leave.  I'm sick of  being cold.  I'm tired of blankets & heaters.  I want to put  all of this behind us for the year.

Winter sucks!

Cya... 

Post Appointment...

 

For the moment, we're all caught up.  The bills are paid, the trash is out & the appointments have been kept.  The bills will restart tomorrow with the 1st of the month stuff & trash will go out next week, but at this moment, it's all handled.

I met a new doctor at a new place for telemedicine yesterday.  I won't see her again.  She was a stand in until my specialist's office can replace my last doctor.  Hopefully, this will be handled by the next time we meet.  The place was small town, new & nice.  It looks OK now.  Let's see how it looks in 5 years.  Other than that, the appointment went as expected.

I write about these a lot, but the tiny blue flowers have returned to the yard.  I like them, they make me smile.  The little things of joy are a sign Spring is almost  here.  There are some small purple flowers  as well.  We may have another brush with cold before this over, but the I think most of it is over for now.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Telemedicine Appointment....

 

I have a telemedicine appointment with my HIV specialist.  Today will be different.  I'll be meeting a new doctor at a new place at an off time for me.  My last doctor went to work for an HIV charity in Tulsa.  Good for them, not so much for me.  I can't change the new doctor or location, but hopefully I can get a better  time  for the next appointment.

Other than that, it's trash day & the start of a new month.  After a week of frigid temps, we hit the 70s yesterday.  By next week, we'll be back into more seasonal temps for a bit.  Cooler, but not freezing.

That's all for  now, take care.

Cya...

Bye Bye Hello...

 

February has ended & none too soon.  The last month sucked.  That month suffers from Short Month Syndrome.  February is the short, ugly, bald, fat man sitting in the corner plotting his revenge  on everyone for liking the other beautiful, proper length months better than him. 

Hello March, can we please do better.  A cut back on the drama would be nice.  Also, less cold weather please.  So here we go with March.

I have an appointment with telemedicine tomorrow.   We'll probably get our assistance renewal process underway this month.  I hate that, but it has to be done.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...