Weekly Ramble 5/18/24

Oy. Stick a fork in me. I’m so done with being sick.

There isn’t much to report this week as I spent the bulk of it in bed. As providence would have it, my doctor’s practice has been repairing their entire communication system in the wake of a cyber attack.

This means: no phones, no messaging, no office access to records. Nada.

If you want an appointment, you walk in and hope they have availability. You can’t make a future appointment because they have no way to track it. And if you get an appointment, you walk away with a handwritten script for a prescription.

Wild, right?

I knew this was undergoing because I’d tried to leave messages with a number of doctors and specialists the previous week. So, bright and early Monday morning, I dragged myself into an upright position and drove myself to my GPs to be there when they opened at 8:30.

I got an appointment for 9. The verdict?

Double ear infection with one close to rupturing. Ten days of antibiotics, the kind often used for sepsis.

Needless to say, it’s been a fun week with ear issues, including constant ringing, imbalance, and nausea. Through it all, I’m so thankful that it didn’t morph into vertigo as I’ve experienced long term issues with that. And while I spent most of the week in bed, better at home than in the hospital with sepsis.

A couple friends commented, “You’ve been sick a lot lately. What’s going on?”

Bryan and I talked about it. He doesn’t think it’s been that often. I agree. That said, I think when I do get sick, I go big. The flu in February and double ears/sinus infection in May. I googled 2-4 illnesses/year is actually normal for adults. I don’t recall anything worse than the sniffles since last summer.

I did, for the sake of longevity, find this article and will do what I can to right the ship. I already do a lot of these things, but the rest of May will be devoted to dialing in some extra effort.

I’m still not well. Today one ear is still blocked and ringing loudly, but my balance is back. The meds make my stomach hurt but I’m finally able to eat and am doing what I can to get back to 800 grams of fruits and veg as well as 100 grams of protein. This is hard when you don’t want to eat.

The week was mostly a wash.

Five Favorite Things This Week

My camera roll is shockingly empty this week, but there are still things that served as bright spots in the week.

Kindle Unlimited

As a departure from my last illness when I binge-watched TV, this week I binge-read. Thanks to Kindle Unlimited I could check out most things that I couldn’t get from the library.

I don’t keep a membership to this Amazon service year-round, but every once in awhile when I know I have time to read or there are books that I can’t get from the library, I’ll dive into a subscription. This week I read 7 fiction books and have started another 2 nonfiction, so I felt like it was a worthy investment.

Real Pseudoephedrine

Pseudoephedrine is the active ingredient in the original Sudafed. Over the years, the package that you grab off the shelf contains phenylephrine since the former is often abused and used in the manufacture of illegal substances.

You can still buy pseudoephedrine, but it’s a controlled OTC substance. You have to show your ID at the pharmacy in order to purchase it, and they track your purchases to make sure you aren’t buying more than regular usage.

Anywho, getting that version of decongestant has been really helpful this past week.

Rose Bushes Gone Wild

Our new-to-us rental house came with a front yard full of roses. The bushes have been going wild. Despite the gardeners’ best efforts to tame one right in the path of the front door, it’s gone extra wild.

In anticipation of Game Night, I cut the most dangerous branches and shoved them in a pot of water to bring in the house. It’s probably a $200 bouquet for free!

Fresh Fruit

As you know, I’m taking Andrea’s Nutrition Coaching Program. The first step in the program is to start eating 800 grams of fruits and veg. From my 2BMindset days, I know that veggies have a great impact on how I feel, but since doing the Whole 30 many moons ago, I’ve hand some fruit-phobia to get over.

It’s been so nice to let myself enjoy fresh fruit again, especially in the wake of being sick. This week’s favorite combo for me is a fruit salad of strawberries, red grapes, and blueberries. The men, on the other hand, are going wild for Cosmic Crisp apples.

Things You Might Like

Clearly, I’ve been out of the office for the bulk of the last two weeks, so I haven’t sent out any sales, etc. that I might normally do during the Trifecta. That said, you might be interested in one of these resources from the store:

Prayer Requests

My main request is that our family can get over this sickness. The girls and I were planning to take FishBoy19 to Disneyland for his birthday this week, but that likely won’t happen. Our tickets expire at the end of the month, so it would be great if we could all get healthy and be able to go!