Blood Letting & Icy Plunges...

Not much to post about today, but, here we go.   I had blood drawn yesterday.  It was supposed to be today, but the weatherman called for a semi-serious ice storm yesterday.  Nothing went as planned.   Most of the storm stayed north of us, this area only got some icy air & drizzle.  There's much sign that we had any precipitation at all.

The blood letting was heavier than normal.  I was expecting my typical for test; CMP, CBC, CD4, HIV-Viral Load.   When I got there, the specialist had ordered 10 test.   2 of which weren't handled because I had not been told to fast beforehand.  An additional test was also not handled due to the lab tech not understanding exactly what the doctor wanted.  

Even with 7 tests, they wound up using 9 vials.  The lab tech was great though.  I didn't feel a thing & there's still no sign of bruising.  Usually, the needle is starting to hurt halfway through just on  4 vials & I leave bruised.  I hope I get her again.

My appointment is 2 weeks,   Other than that, health matters are hopefully handled for a bit.   I don't need to get any more illnesses.

Take care..

Cya...

Moody...

I'm not sure what's up with me lately.  It could be the weather, the gloom, my meds or something new.  I've been very moody & it's tiring.  I'm staying fraxious & burned out.   I could be catching something or my thyroid meds could need adjusting.  It could also be, I'm just over these blasted grey skies.   If they're going to be dark, they could at least rain.  

Cya...

Still Not Testing...

I've found a brief article today. From it, I took this quote.

Almost 40% of women and more than 50% of men aged 15 to 44 years had never been tested for HIV between 2011 and 2015, according to a report published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.

It's a brief read, but it gets to the point.   A huge number of teens & adults have never been tested for HIV.   In Russian Roulette you start at a 1 in 6 chance of being shot, just over a 16% probability.   Unprotected sex with these people could be up a 1 - 2 chance.  are those the odds you want to play?   Use condoms & get tested.

Cya... 

More Blahs...

We had to get out this morning & run some errands we forget to handle yesterday.   It was an easy outing, but I feel like crap this morning.  I'm already spent.   We have to go out again tomorrow, so I'm not planning on much today.   I'm glad the skies are bright finally.   They've been overcast for days.  The grey will probably be back soon, but for now, it's nice.

Cya...

Another Grey Day...

I know it's Winter, but does it have stay so dismal?   It's very hard for me to handle anything on days like this.  It's just draining.   I'm glad I don't have to handle anything today.   It was supposed to rain yesterday, but all we got was this overcast yuck.  

I've been staring at this for a while now & I just don't have much else to write today.

Cya...

Tele...

Telemedicine has been a real boon for me.  I could get by without it & may have to again at some point.  But, while it's available, it provides a great service to me.  This is part of living in a rural area with a chronic illness, especially a condition loaded with so much preconception & stigma.

This article, goes into Tele-IPT.  IPT is interpersonal psychotherapy.    This is generally conducted in person, but in IPT, it's done via a phone, possibly a video chat.   It has shown to help with rural HIV patients.   Many + people, often those living in rural areas, face depression.  

Both the virus & the locale are isolating.  It can be hard to be social in rural areas under the best of circumstances, let alone dealing with a highly polarizing illness such as HIV.   As much good has come from me having the telemedicine bus, I'm certain Tele-IPT could be a real game changer, even a life saver, for many people.

Give it a read.

Cya...

Hello February...

The 2nd month has begun.  So far, my head is not a fan of it.  We've had a lot of temperature flux & there is no sign of that ending soon.  Going from near 70 to low 20's & then back up several days in a row is hard on a person.   I'm very congested. 

We have to start dealing with bills tomorrow.  It's always nice to get that handled.   It'll be a colder morning.   I'm glad we're not getting really warm  & staying there too early in the season, but I'm still no fan of colder weather.

Hello February.  Let's hope this goes well.

Cya...