Such A Monday...

 

I didn't sleep well last night.  Everything kept making noise.  The stupid cat kept charging the window to shoo an outdoor cat.  I had to push her out of my room & close the door.  She tried to get  in & rattled the door for a while.  It made my room stuffy.

I tried to call for a refill with my pharmacy, but my medical provider hadn't provided new refills.  Now I'm waiting for that.  It'd be nice if people could just do their jobs.  

There's a lot going on & there will stuff up in the air for a while.  I'll be lucky if crap settles down before Summer starts.  A lot of people just need to die for making everyone else's life so much more difficult.

That's all for this morning.  I still have shower, go shopping & yes I'm running late.

Cya...

Sneezy Morning...

 

The pollen levels have been high for weeks.  There's been a lot of sniffling, sneezing, coughing & eye watering.   This will probably be the way of things for a while.

The car is back.  We'll see if everything is order with it soon enough.  I'm trying to get a drug refill handled with the pharmacy.   Not much else is on the schedule for today.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Dark Tuesday...

 

This will be a short post.  It's dark.  We could get rain today & we need it.   This area didn't meet it's monthly average for January & there hasn't been any precipitation this month.  I hope it does enough to cover the difference, then move on out of here.

Saw a blip of an article at HIV.gov.  It was about the importance of pharmacist concerning HIV.    I've often trusted my pharmacist over my doctor.  Meds are their area & they tend to better informed.   Check with your pharmacy & see what services they offer.  I bet it's more than just getting orders refilled.

That's it for now, take care.

Cya....

1st Busy Tuesday...

 

It's the 1st Tuesday of 2026 & it's going to be busy.  There's an appointment & a bill in Fort Smith.  There are errands to handle when we get back; mail, pharmacy & the like.  We need to be around a little earlier than normal, so this will be brief.

Hope this 1st week of 2026 is treating everyone well.

Cya...

Using Pharmacies...

 

Most of us have had to go to a pharmacy.  I'm in my local drugstore quite often.  Many provide more services than just getting prescriptions filled.  Some provide financial & bill paying options.  More importantly, these places often over vaccinations, assistance in getting meds filled & advice concerning your medications.  

This article is about a move to empower pharmacist to  do even more in regards to testing, prevention & prescribing.  This would be screening for HIV, STIs, hepatitis & potentially other communicable illnesses.  This would allow the pharmacy to provide testing, education, meds such as PEP & PrEP.   

Many people see a pharmacist more often than any other health professional.   They are often have better knowledge of medications & assistance plans than doctors.  The stores generally have more accessible hours & locations.  Expanding the role of the pharmacist could be a huge boost when dealing with these types of illnesses.  It could save a lot of funds that could be spent elsewhere.

Give this a read & look into the services your local drugstore offers.  

Cya...

Last Wednesday In June...

 

This should've been a normal midweek for us.  The trash would go out & we'd run a couple of errands.  I still need to go by the pharmacy & check the mail, but there's been an addition.   The boy cat has to go to the vet.  It's not good.  I might know more later.  For now, I have to get around.  His appointment is soon.

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

Steps...

 

Things are moving forward for now.  My labs were drawn yesterday.  Over half of the results are back as expected.  I'm still waiting on the actual HIV related tests.  

I called the pharmacy & they said they could handle my Dovato again.  They'll need to have the script transferred back to them.  I'll call later & see if that went through.  If so, I should pick that up on Monday.

It is supposed to get into the 50s today.  That'll feel so much warmer.  15 days until the time change happens.  

Things are looking a little better for the moment.  I'm sure something else challenging will pop up soon.  But, for now, maybe I can be a little bit more at ease.

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

Nuisance Morning...

 

It's been an annoying morning.  People close by are having their roof redone.  It started just after sunrise.  I get they have to work when they can, but damn they're loud.  They've been pounding all morning.

Last month my Dovato had to be transferred to another pharmacy due to pricing issues.  I called my old pharmacy & they said they couldn't do it this month, but probably could the next time I need a refill.  For now, I'm stuck with Walmart.   Maybe next time.

It got colder again last night, but not too bad.  We still needed the heater & water dripping.  That'll be the case tonight as well.  After that, we may get a pass for a bit with slightly warmer temps.

Take care.

Cya...

UUGGHH!!! WTF Day...

 

Yesterday started off well, it was even bright out.  We had a lot planned for us.  There were bills to be paid locally & via mail.  It was a big shopping day.  There was a trip to the bank.  A stop buy the mail place & getting lunch.  Meds had to ordered.  All of this should've been handled by 12:30 - 1:00.  That didn't happen.  We still had to eat lunch & wait for a plumber to show by 3:00.

When I called around 9:30 to check on my meds, the pharmacy had some disturbing news.  They wouldn't be able to fill the order for my HIV meds.  There was too big a discrepancy between the cost of the med & what my insurance was paying out.  This just started, probably with new year.  There are a lot pharmacies around here, but most have the same provider.  That left Walmart.  I called & the long, ordeal of waiting for an answer began.  I didn't know until nearly noon if this would be a fix.  

Walmart did fill it & had it on hand.   I'm not sure what I would've had to do if they couldn't have.  I'd been playing phone tag with my specialist in Tulsa.  My regular pharmacy may eventually be able to get this fixed for me, but until then I'm at Walmart for my Dovato.  This isn't what I wanted, but it will work.  

The bank, bills & mail got handled.  Shopping was done & meds picked up.  The plumber did show & fix the issue.  Everything got sorted, but the stress of it wrecked the day & wiped me out.  I'm still a bit frazzled.    Albeit, we finished everything on our list, it wasn't a good day.  There was way too much crap.

Today needs to be a major nothing day before we head into this upcoming cold front BS.  It's supposed to last about a week.  I hate cold, dark, Winter.

Take care.

Cya...

Blog & HIV Anniversaries 2025...

 

I started this blog 14 years ago.  I don't always know where it's going, but it's still here.  I've tried to keep this related to HIV matters relating my situation & area.  Sometimes it's just about my life & how I'm getting by.  Here's to making to 15.

It was 25 years ago I was diagnosed with HIV.  I was given 5 years to live at that time.  It's been 5 times that.  I'm not sure that's a good thing.  It's been really stressful & difficult at times.   I started new med last September & things were going well.  This morning I found out that my pharmacy has issues covering it.  Now I'm scrambling to find another provider.  Too much of these 25 years have been confusing, hard & anxiety ridden.  Maybe the 5 years wasn't the worst option.  Hopefully this med thing will work out soon.

That's all for now.  Happy Anniversary to the blog & my HIV.

Take care.

Cya...

Yesterday...

 

Yesterday didn't go as planned.  The pharmacy didn't get my meds in so we didn't go there.  Hopefully, they're in today.  We did get the sofa & chair ordered. We got a reasonable price buy.  I just hope they're decent pieces.  The only place with furniture in stock around here is very expensive.  They won't get delivered for up to 2 weeks out.  

OK, we did it.  We bought furniture.  Something we've been knocking around for quite a bit.  Here's hoping it goes well. 

That's all for me today.  Take care.

Cya...

Maybe...

 

It's cloudy & my mood is still in a funk.  I don't know when that's going to change.   I called the pharmacy.  They didn't get anything in today, but said my order should be in tomorrow.  Here's hoping they're right.  I don't need things screwing with my meds. 

It's going to be an odd week.  Besides our regular things, we have a few out of town things to handle.  After this week most of those things should be handled, but there could still be stuff in the wake of the matter. 

That's it for now, take care. 

Cya...

Hello February...

 

February is here & it's a leap year.  It's starting warm up but that probably won't last throughout the month.  Maybe it won't dip too much.  I'll have to get labs drawn this month for a telemed appointment the beginning of March.

There isn't much going on here.  We're still waiting for regular TV to return.  At this point only a couple of things we watch have restarted.  

I called in for meds.  Apparently they didn't send in for refills on some of the order.  I may have to wait a bit.  I'll be OK, but I did try to handle this last time.  So, the doctor transition isn't utterly complete yet.

That's it for now, have a good month.

Cya...

Think So...

 

I called in a refill to my pharmacy on Friday.  As of yet, I'm not sure it's in.  I'll find out when I get there.  They say they think it's there, hopefully it is.  It's a shopping morning & a little warmer.  Our Easter meal went fine.  We keep things small & simple now, so there wasn't much to mess up.    

That's all for now.  I hope your Spring festivities have gone well.

Cya...

Pharm Barriers...

 

California made it legal for pharmacist to prescribe PrEP & PEP without a prescription. This article talks about matters concerning this issue.  While most pharmacist said they values their role in providing such services, very few had actually done so.  Many of the barriers were within the institution.   They didn't have the resources, funds, time or staff to provide these services.  Beyond that some pharmacy owners balk at doing so due to ideological issues.  

Even with allowing another means to prevent HIV, there are issues.  Testing, consulting, reviewing these matters all take time & manpower.  Things these pharmacist are often lacking.  Then they often face the BS beliefs of the owners.  There's still much to do in the fight against HIV.  

That's all for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Didn't Need A Boat...

 

The sun's shining & things are starting to dry.  The rain's passed, but there was a lot of it.  We didn't get as much as nearby places, but it still rained nearly 4.5" in a short period.  There are a handful of chances in the 2 week forecast for more rain.   That close after this much precipitation could lead to more flooding.  We've already surpassed our monthly average rainfall totals.

I'm trying to get things in order.  I called the pharmacy for a refill.  Next week I'll have labs drawn.   I still have a primary care appointment the last monday of the month.

That's it for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Bad 1st Day Of Fall...

 

I had a bad start of Autumn.  I was already feeling a little off.  Allergies & the weather weren't helping any.  My stomach held a revolt most of the day.  Then things decided to get worse.  Optimum, the company bought out Suddenlink this time, decided to let the cable & internet crash & stay off for several hours.  Very little got handled yesterday.  I was exhausted when I went to bed.

Other than shopping & running by the pharmacy, we have nothing else to do today.  I'm glad about that.  I  doubt, I could handle much more.

Take care, hope your 1st day of Fall went better.

Cya...

Still Rough...

 

I had a rough day yesterday.  Post mowing allergies took a swipe & hit hard.  I had some serious cough fits & sneezing.  I felt off most of the day.  This morning's more of the same, just not as severe.  The damned wind has been blowing almost non-stop.  It's annoying.  I'm really beginning to hate that sound.

We have to finish up bills this morning.   I need to  stop by the pharmacy.  Then it's back home.  Of course, it's supposed to get cold again tonight.  Between the wind, allergies & temp shifts, I'm wondering when I'll feel decent again.

So much for a pleasant month.   Take care.

Cya...

Curriculum...

This article is about pharmacy colleges integrating the National HIV Curriculum.   For the 1st time in the midwest some university programs will incorporate the curriculum.   This is a big step.

The curriculum allows students & professionals to be better trained in HIV, medications, co-issues etc...   This an online program that can be used during training or for part of a continuing education for professional training.  This program is free & provides CME/CNE credit. (continuing med/nurse ed)  There is no point in not utilizing this resource.

Take care.

Cya.

Icky Friday...

I went to the pharmacy for a prescription.  While there, I got my flu shot.  Normally, these things are just get the shot & it's over for me.  However, this time there were issues.  Within in a few hours, I felt like I had the most minor case of the flu you could contract.  It wasn't pleasant.  There were aches, chills, a slight fever, nausea & diarrhea. 

I feel better this morning, but that wasn't fun at all.  I'd also like to mention again how nice it is to get my meds at an actual physical location instead of having them shipped.  So far, I've had no major drama with this set up.  I hope it stays that way.  I don't miss CVS Speciality at all. 

Take care.

Cya...