It's Halloween & I really hope it's a good night for everyone. I really tried to care about this, but I'm just too spent on everything else. This month has been hard & November's not looking any easier.
As much I wish scares, thrills & candy to everyone, I just want this to be over. I'm really over being this tired & burned out on things. I'm just not seeing a fix.
Goodbye October.
Take care.
Cya...
Yesterday was the 1st time we had the front room stove going. It wasn't freezing, but it was definitely cold. We usually need to have it going somewhere from here to mid November. There was a year that it didn't get lit until Thanksgiving, but that only happened once. Windows are closed, no fans, blanket are out & stoves are lit. That's never a good combination for my eyes or breathing. It's back to the time of year I have to decide, do I want to breathe or be warm?
Tomorrow's Halloween. Yay, I suppose. This used to be a big day for me, not so much for years. I'm not warring with holidays any more, but they just don't seem to matter. If anything, they're sort of a nuisance & the mail doesn't run. I'm not seeing upsides to them anymore. They're just reminders that I haven't been in on the joke in years. Nothing feels like the holidays anymore. It feels like people are celebrating nostalgia more than the holiday, glory days & all that.
The shutdown BS is still ongoing. There's no sign of any change soon. It'd be nice for once in my life not to be on losing team that all these people seem to hate. Guess it's a little late for that.
That's all for now, take care.
Cya...
The government shutdown is still impacting us, but there's been a slight change. It's a delayal, not a fix. Maybe something can happen in the meantime. These politicians aren't looking at the people at the bottom of this dogpile. The people on top are irritated. Those in the middle are feeling some constraint. The ones at the bottom are getting crushed. Not that these senators & congress people care. It's just a game to them.
It's a dark, windy morning. We have stuff to do today, less than expected but still a lot.
Take care.
Cya...
It stormed last & it's raining. We've had well over an inch dumped in that time, probably nearing 2". It's going to be dark all day. Tomorrow is supposed to be windy. Great, we'll still be having to deal with stuff. Next week, will be busy as well.
There wasn't much posted about HIV that I haven't already discussed. This situation has me rattled, so that isn't helping. I wish I could say when this might get better, but I don't know. As usual, the things impacting my life aren't my doing or something I can control.
That's it for now, take care.
Cya...
This is going to be a busy week for us & it'll be followed by the 1st of the month stuff. Little of this is of my doing or volition. The benefit crap has put us in a bind & there are lot appointments, errands & regular week things to be handled.
It's a dark, wet morning & I'm already tired. So far, being 59 has absolutely sucked. Nothing good comes from the dark of the year. A few sparkles, bits of candy & holiday specials can't fix these crapfest months. On top of that, the time change is this weekend. It'll be even darker.
That's all for now, take care.
Cya...
This article states getting vaccinated for Zoster, shingles, can significantly lower risks of cardiovascular illnesses, like heart issues & strokes. The decrease ranged from the mid 20s to high 40s% less risk for these events in the vaccinated.
Shingles or zoster can be vaccinated against. There are different types depending on age & health status. I've had the 1 of 2 doses of the Shingrix vaccine. It was more suitable for my age & for people with immunity issues like HIV, cancer, TB, etc...
There has been more published on the benefits of vaccinating against shingles. Give this material a read & come to your own decisions. With my health, it only made sense. I'll finish the doses in mid November.
That's all for now, take care,
Cya...
Sorry for the bad rhyme in the title, but this article about a new practice in Aberdeen, Scotland's A&Es (ERs). They are making it routine for everyone needing lab work to be automatically tested for HIV, hepatitis & other blood borne illnesses. They had success with their trial run & plan to keep the practice. I've thought this should be standard for years. It could help people be diagnosed & treated sooner.
The benefit drama continues. We started our plan yesterday & will continue this week. It doesn't look like the asshats in DC will get things fixed anytime soon. I don't know how this will play out. I hate this.
It's still dark & raining. We got over 2" yesterday. It came down slowly all day & night. There will be more. That could help get the area to this month's rainfall average.
That's all for now, take care.
Cya...
My roomie & I have a plan how we're going to approach to the benefit cuts coming. It isn't a solution, that's beyond us. It's a buy some time strategy. I hate this.
A lot of things I depend on are shifting & there's nothing I can do about it. I'm tired of being at the whim of others. People who aren't on assistance or disability have no idea how little control you have over aspects of your life. Just when you think you've figured out the system, they change it or kill the whole thing. They want you desperate & broken. What they really want is for you to suffer & then die.
I haven't slept well in a while now. It rained last night & I overslept this morning. A train jolted me awake & I've still got the shakes from that. Waking up is generally the worse thing I do every day. Nothing good comes from it.
That's all for now. I'm not sure when I'll be back to being me again. I'm just an exhausted bundle of nerves & stress now. Something needs to give soon.
Cya...
I'm to the point where doing much of anything seems like a monumental effort. This Summer sucked. The weather was mostly dismal or blazing, yet still somehow dark. Among all the appointment, our youngest cat passed. Then the other had to go to the vet. There were the endless trips of taking the car to fixed. This Summer cost us.
Then the days got shorter & the damn 'Ber months showed up. There was my hellish birth month. It's dark earlier & I've had to get the house ready for Winter. The yard is handled & most of the house is closed up. Each window I closed felt like I sealing myself further into some dark hole. There's no breeze, little light, no fans to buffer noise, it's just grey. Soon, the time change will happen & make it all worse.
2025 is in the top 5 of my worst years. Now this orange stain & his asshat army have screwed up & my benefits will be suspended. His followers have no sympathy, decorum or grace. It'd be nice if there was a plague to end them all. If that happened, I bet they be better treated than they would've treated anyone else.
I'm barely doing anything. If given the option for a good out, I can see myself happily taking it. There are things left for my roomie, but not me. There hasn't been for some time. If all I can muster is just an anxious existence than I'd rather not.
Sorry for the downer.
Cya...
I'm not doing well this morning. It was announced yesterday, unless this government shutdown is handled soon, many could lose access to their benefits. These programs are generally referred to as SNAP, but there are other programs being hit as well. If this happens, it will be a serious issue for me & I don't see a work around.
Sorry for the limited post, but I'm trying to deal with this. Every time I have things working, something beyond me happens & my actions sinks the ship. I can't do anything about this. Yet, I'll be caught in it's wake, where the congress people won't be.
Cya...
According to this article, Yale Medical School is opening a interdisciplinary center. It will focus on HIV & aging. The goal seems to be how comorbidities; such as alcohol intake. There are many issues that will affect a HIV+ patient as they age.
This is new endeavor. It probably should've been started a decade ago, but it's here now. It'll be interesting to see what comes from this effort.
That's all for now, take care.
Cya...
HIV's ability to create hidden reservoirs throughout the body is it's most insidious aspect. There have studies on this years & techniques developed; "Kick & Kill" So far, these haven't been that successful beyond adding to the research pile.
More research has developed. Inactive HIV becomes a provirus. These remain hidden & inactive until certain conditions are present. It's viral, program bomb waiting to go off. This article deals with that. How the virus targets specific types of tissue throughout the body; gut, colon, brain, blood... The virus has a precise concealment for each tissue type. Greatly increasing it's chance of survival & spreading.
There are many provirus's in human bodies. They can range from herpes simplex to influenza. They include Epstein Barr, hepatitis & HIV. Dealing with any of type of viruses or the provirus predecessor is complex & difficult. With current research, sometimes they are impossible to eradicate.
While this research doesn't directly move us towards a cure or vaccine. It does provide vital information for developments ahead. Give this piece a read.
Cya...
Once again, there will be no real transition between seasons. I'd put off most of the yardwork, because it had stayed in the upper 80s. Now, it looks like 70s might be a rare thing after this week. Instead of gradually cooling, we're dropping off a ledge.
This morning was bright, but fairly chilly. I'll have to close up the house completely soon. I hate that. The fans we be stowed & the outside noise will creep in. Not to mention relearning the various sounds the house makes that the fans buffered.
It's getting dark early. There's just a little over 11 hours of sunlight. Soon, the damn time change will happen. Then it'll be dark stupidly early. I hate the dark of the year.
I say "to hell" with the 'Ber & 'Ary months. I bet they'd say the same to me.
Cya...
I'm angry this morning. Yesterday could've been a good day, but it wasn't because of someone else's crap. My computer worked, the car actually worked, shopping went well. Still it sucked because the water was out. Do you know what you can do in a town when the water's out, basically nothing.
Even though there's commercials about calling 811 before you dig because of utilities, they didn't. What makes it worse, is they worked for the gas company. They knew to call, but didn't. The water went out at 10AM. The break wasn't fixed until past 8PM. It took over an hour to get any pressure. Then almost 3 more for the water to run clear & not stink. It wasn't until this morning, we had any water pressure. So over 12 hours for the fix and 12+ more things to be close to normal.
We went to Fort Smith & ate before going to a friend's for a bit. The place we ate had gone down hill. That's how things go over there. We find a place & it's good or even great. Then a few times later, it's not as good, then shortly after, it's just bad. Inconsistency is the biggest problem with eateries in Fort Smith. Then it's the ridiculous costs & subpar service.
That's it for this morning. I'd like for today to go well, but storms are in the forecast. I'm just hoping they're not bad. We've had enough crap to last us for years to come.
Take care.
Cya...
I was having a relatively good morning for me. Things were going along OK. Then I tried to rinse a glass out & there was only a trickle of water. Apparently, this is city wide. Something just had to happen. There can't be a good morning. I hate waking up. It always sucks. Now I can't even shower & we have to go out.
I'm too annoyed to do more this morning.
Cya...
The earliest HIV regimens or cocktails contained many types of meds & often dozens of pills. By the time I was taking meds, I was on about 2 dozen a day. In a few years that lessened by 18 pills. The med Fortovase was dropped in favor of an adjacent drug Invirase with a Norvir booster.
After a few more years, another med Didanosine or Videx was discontinued & I was put on Triumeq. For a little more than a year now, I've been on my latest med, Dovato.
My early meds were replaced due to causing many health issues dealing the heart, lipids, blood pressure, etc. Some of the early drugs were fairly toxic. thus a lot of testing to see how your body was handling them. Some of them ruined my hair & were hard on my teeth & skin. These meds came with a host side effects, many gastrointestinal.
Now I'm on a 1 a day - 2 drug med. They're developing PrEP that can be taken monthly or biannually. There are long acting injectable HIV meds that can last months. Weekly and monthly oral options are in development. That would mean between 12 - 52 pills a year. In the beginning that wasn't even 3 complete days of meds for me.
The meds are more effective, safer & easier to manage. Biannual PrEP could functionally put a hold on HIV. The only threats are ignorance, hate, greed & the orange stain. If these obstacles can be overcome, there might be a chance to control HIV.
That's all for now, take care.
Cya...
We handled the car yesterday, it was pricey. Our new glasses arrived. My prescription barely altered, so I haven't noticed much of a difference. My roomie says her's is a fairly notable change.
There's a couple of errands today & that should be it. Tomorrow's plans fizzled due to a friend's schedule. That's OK, it can be a nothing day.
My keyboard or something may be screwing up. It wasn't responding last night. It seems fine this morning. We'll see how things go.
That's all for now. Take care.
Cya...
Sorry for another short post, but we need to get the car down to have the brakes done. Stuff keeps dogpiling on our midweek. It's tiring. I have other things to handle besides car crap & appointments. That's it for now.
Take care.
Cya..
I don't think we have anything to do today. It all starts back up tomorrow & runs through the week. There are several appointments, errands, bills, shopping & car things. That's probably leaving things out like yard stuff & getting meds.
I've finally started Fall yard stuff. I was dealing with a bush when I got a surprise. It was full of fire ants. They covered my lower left arm. There are several stings from the elbow down to my hand. There are a couple on my right side & a sting on the back of my neck. I hate fire ants. They serve no purpose here, let them die.
That's all for now, take care.
Cya...
HIV has been around for decades & outreach for the virus is nearly as old. Professionals of numerous backgrounds in health & social issues have made astounding efforts to educate the public about HIV. There has been attempts in nearly every conceivable area to reach people about HIV/AIDS. This is regarding education, awareness, testing, treatment, support, etc...
Yet quite often, I see pieces blaming the people who've made these amazing attempts accused of not trying hard enough. There was an article this morning detailing how although overall HIV numbers were down, those among Hispanic males had increased significantly. This wasn't just a statement. It was all but an accusal of deliberate, racially based exclusion. At the best, it was alluding that this group was being overlooked to a focus on others.
If after all these decades, any group can't figure out about HIV, it isn't a "can't", it's a "won't". The men in this group had the same means to get the information as everyone else. They had the ability to find a place to be educated, tested, treated... Stop treating HIV professionals as bigoted, racist, sexist villains. They can't make people listen or act.
That's all for now, take care.
Cya...
I've talked about the access telemedicine gives many to medical services. But there's more & much of it today is accessible online. Thanks to advances in technology, much of the information you could need regarding HIV is online. Through various government sites, HIV related sites & local aid pages.
My roomie has been diving into the world of webinars or web conferencing. Health professionals, medical providers & educators are using these as well. This article is about 3 upcoming webinars about HIV prevention for medical providers. These are from Dr. Stephen Rawlings via the Maine State Department of Health & Human Services.
Webinars are providing information to people in a new, more accessible format. Not every professional teaches at a university or many don't have access to professional seminars. Just google HIV & webinars, the results are notable.
That's it for now, take care.
Cya...
Found 2 interesting pieces this morning. 1st, an article over HIV & the gut. It talks of the gut's relation to the virus & possibilities in treatment. The gut & gut biome have been historically left out of many medical conversations.
The 2nd was a piece over care centered on a person's involvement with their own HIV journey. This starts with a person's active involvement in prevention of HIV. Patient centered care should have always been the push, but it's easier for the medical professionals to say "just do this." People must be active in their healthcare.
Finally, the ongoing. The car is back & it might work. Next appointment is a brake job. Things are coming together for my roomie's personal plans. There's a lot more planning there. For the moment, I think we're as caught up as we can be.
That's all for now, take care.
Cya...
This is another filled day. We have to get the car back. Here's hoping it works. There's errands, a bill, mail & a trip to the bank. That's not counting taking trash to the curb. I hope tomorrow is a nothing day.
Anyway, I need to get around. It'd be really nice if things settled down a bit. This is really grinding on me.
Cya...
The mechanic called about the car this morning. The car throw codes for 2 things; an O2 sensor & a crankshaft sensor. Both of which came up in our searches for possible problems with the car. Apparently you need a better scanner to read an older car. There goes $360+. Hopefully this will do it.
The car should be back to us this afternoon or tomorrow. That's all for today. Take care.
Cya...
This is a short, complaint post about being up much earlier than I wanted. Why? Because we have to take that stupid car to another mechanic shop & hope they can figure what's wrong with it.
I hate all of this. It's bad enough Fall's here & daylight is lasting less than 12 hours. But to make it worse, everything keeps breaking & demanding attention. I hate mornings, Fall & this car is working it's way up that list.
I have to go, take care.
Cya...
Because of car issues, we need to handle shopping today. This should've been a nothing day. Things hate when we get those & do their best to screw things up.
This will be short. I need to shower & handle some things before we go. I'm sorry I say this so much, but I need things to let up. I'm exhausted & nerved out. I really wish either things would end or I would. This has just been too much, for too long. My roomie has some future plans that sound good. I'm not sure about me. I'm tired of just surviving & not even doing that well.
That's it for now, sorry for the downer post.
Cya...
It should be a do nothing day. We need that. This last month has been busy & stressful. We'll have to deal with the car again on Monday. I hope this new place can figure out what's going on with it. Other than the car, finishing bills & errands is all we have planned for the week.
Take care.
Cya...
This article is about a protein HIV develops which can inhibit some people living with HIV's recovery. This can happen even while on a drug regimen. Even if their blood work looks better, their health may not recover as well it should. This is a newer topic & I've seen a few abstract pieces the last few days.
Even after a decade on my earlier meds, my CD4 never rose above the 200s, even when my viral load was undetectable. It wasn't until I was on newer meds that my numbers came into a normal range. Even now, my health isn't what it should be. It could be something like this protein or damage already done by being + this long.
This research is novel & shows these endeavors must continue. Science is about finding out what you didn't know & challenging current models to ensure their accuracy. Studies like this are ever evolving. When they stop, is when problems develop.
Give this a read. It's still fairly light at the moment. Take care.
Cya...
The beginning of the month is here. Tomorrow will be a bank run, shopping & errands. We got the car bak with no new info, just a referral to a place with better diagnostics. We'll go there on Monday. Maybe they can figure out what's up with it.
That's about it for for now. There may be more appointments, but they haven't been made yet. For now, it's a nothing day.
Take care.
Cya...
OK October, I'm already not happy about the 'Ber months being here. Then your predecessor was awful, busy & expensive. Things from last month are still playing out. We don't need anymore agita for some time. So hold the drama.
The car's at the mechanic. Not sure if this something new or the same old game with new twists. Hopefully we'll find out in a bit. I need to get around. Take care.
Cya...
