Sick - ups and downs

I woke up today feeling good. I had breakfast and my energy dipped.

I napped. Napping helped. More rest was needed. I then headed out for the first time in days.

Fresh air does wonders. I ended up at the drugstore. There is a huge shortage of cold and cough medication.

I have nighttime cold and cough medication. It's the daily medication that I needed. Luckily, I found some, but it was slim pickings.

It was great to feel much better when I left home until I had soup upon my return. I'm now congested, so I'm off to breath better with my nose spray.

Wrist tendonitis

I haven't been posting regularly. It's mainly because I have been resting my left wrist.

A while back, I noticed swelling in my left wrist. Two weeks ago, it was noticeably swollen. I went to an urgent care clinic to have it checked out. I had a nice doctor who diagnosed what I had as being wrist tendonitis.

I got anti-inflammatory medication and a prescription for a wrist-thumb splint. I have been wearing the splint all the time, except when I am showering or washing my hands. I'm nearly done taking all my anti-inflammatory pills.

Yesterday was the first time in ages where I didn't see any signs of swelling. I had more range of motion with my wrist. The pain isn't as bad. I am happy to see some good progress.

The rest has helped. I have learned not to use my left hand as much. It's interesting that my right hand is the dominant one, but my left wrist is the one with the problem.

I hope that I make a good, full recovery.

Telehealth experience

I did something different this morning. I had my first telehealth experience. My company offers EQ Care as part of its health benefits plan.

For a while, I have not been thrilled with the health care that I've been receiving from my doctor. We have a good rapport. I have liked doing phone calls with her during the pandemic. I don't have to wait at the doctors office for at least two hours.

I don't like her support staff. Everything from telling me to get my health card renewed when the province of Ontario says that it's okay to have an expired one during a pandemic, to another saying that I have to come in for my appointment no matter what, has rubbed me the wrong way.

The catch to doing EQ Care is that you do need your camera turned on. It works rather well through a browser on my phone. I can also download the app.

I had a great experience. I got my prescription renewed and it got sent to my regular pharmacy. A person from my pharmacy called me to say that it would be ready whenever I was free to drop by. Yay!

Rocketman, affection, and a cold

On Saturday, I went to see Rocketman at long last at the theatre. I loved it. I love movies about music and the lives of rock stars, both fictional and fact.

At one point in the movie, Elton John is on the phone with his mom, coming out as a gay man. She says to him that she knows, "You'll never be loved properly." It was a sad moment on how removed his parents were at dishing out affection.

It made me a bit sad that I don't have a man to dish out affection these days. I also miss the companionship. They are minor for me right now, as I need time to heal emotionally after this breakup. I decided to buy a book on healing after a relationship ends. Although I am doing well under the circumstances, I still have moments of sadness when memories flood in. Having a resource to get me through it doesn't hurt.

I have a slight cough and a stuffed up nose. I am on cold medication and am drinking a lot of fluids. I hope that the extra rest that I'm getting this weekend will help.

Honesty about anxiety and depression at work

I had a decent talk with my newest addition to my team. One of my students and I were training her on Monday. At the end of the session, what I didn't expect was this woman sharing that she has been depressed and anxious for two years.

It hit home for me. I have been there. So has my guy.

The good news is that she is on medication, which has put her back on track. She feels good. It shows. She is funnier during our team meetings.

I was impressed that she trusted us to share what she has been going through. Add to that mix the fact that her past two team leads have said negative things about her with little justification and my manager asking her to submit weekly reports (she is the only person on our entire team doing this task) can add to that depression and anxiety.

I thanked her for sharing all this information. I told her that I'm happy that she is on my team. She seemed to be absorbing the information well. She also asked thoughtful, intelligent questions today. She has potential. It probably hasn't been noticed by others.

I'm optimistic. I let her know to leave the baggage and negative past work experiences behind her. We are working with a clean slate now. She appreciated it.

I stands for injections #AtoZchallenge

My blog post's title sound eerie and perhaps negative, but I don't feel this way. It's all good.

On Friday, I went to see my ophthalmologist. The clinic looks like a place where you would go select your frames for a spiffy pair of eyeglasses. It's in a fairly modern, new building. I actually had to ask if I had the correct unit number, for it wasn't displayed at the front.

The receptionist wasn't exactly the most friendly person to deal with. Everything coming out of her mouth felt like a rapid interrogation:

• May I help you?
• Can I get your health card?
• Can you confirm your birthdate?
• What's your family doctor's name? Do you know her first name? Address?

After she had all the answers that she needed, I sat in the waiting area. There must have been thirty people sitting there at 10:00 am. Naturally, you can't get too comfortable.

Moments later, you hear one technician call out your name. The problem is that you don't know which room the woman is in. For some reason, she chooses to sit in the room and yell out names. So, I followed the voice and had some scans done on both eyes.

I went back into the waiting room. Another technician yelled out my name. This time, if felt like a maze. I had to ask where she was. I followed her voice again. It's an odd setup.

I had more vision tests done. My eyes were dilated. I am getting used to this procedure where everything close up ends up being fuzzy.

During my second hour there, I got to meet my ophthalmologist. He has a calm tone to his voice. I felt reassured and in good hands.

He took a look at my eyes. He confirmed what my optometrist has concluded the other week. This time, I got a better diagnosis and a thorough explanation. I had a stroke in my right eye, which caused a vessel to explode. The blood is blocking my central vision. It explains why some of my vision is blurred.

He recommended injecting a drug in my eye, which will provide oxygen and nutrients. The idea is to break the blood clot and see how much of my vision can be restored. The uncertainty doesn't shock me. My mom had a serious stroke that has left her right side of her body rather weak. However, she has made good progress under the circumstances.

I realize that making a full recovery is difficult. However, if I can get most of my vision back in my right eye, I'll be happy. 

So, I have six injections with this drug. I had the first one on Friday. I am thankful that I have a decent drug plan. Otherwise, I would have to pay $2000 for all six injections out of my own pocket.

I go monthly for each injection. We'll see how things go.

My manager pinged me on our instant messaging application a few hours after my appointment. He told me of some news that made me happy. I will save that for a future blog post.

He asked me about my appointment, so I told him. He told me never to get injections in my eye. My mood changed. I could feel some stress moving in.

My ophthalmologist advised that injections are safe. I risk infection, but the odds are slim. As long as I don't rub my right eye or have water seep into it during the first 24 hours, I'm good. I did get a bottle of sterile artificial tears, which made a world of difference.

In my case, using drops containing medicine in my eye won't get down to the blood clot. My manager is a worry wart. He has an eye condition and is adamant to not have anyone pry into his eye. In his case, he has a pupil that will not close. He simply puts prescription eye drops in his affected eye.

I frankly think that our eye problems aren't similar. He wants a face-to-face discussion about my eye situation. I really don't.

I changed the topic and said that I need my workload reduced. He tried to be jokey, but it turned out worse. He first suggested to get Portuguese egg tarts, which I love. However, he wasn't willing to buy any. Instead, he suggested that I do and that he would eat them. Again, I didn't find it funny.

I basically told him that our instant messaging tool causes me stress. I get distracted when folks want information from me immediately. I told him for a long time that I have been thinking about not logging on to it. My mentioning it on Friday wasn't a first. 

I told him that his remark about never having injections doesn't make me feel good, as I have already had one. He apologized. I also said that I was logging off the instant messaging application. We were done.

I have no regrets. My health is more important than hearing nonsense that was making my blood boil. Again, I need to reduce my stress and this online conversation did not help.

My ophthalmologist has asked that I see my family doctor. So, I have an appointment on Tuesday. I need to talk to her about whether I need to be on high blood pressure medication or if there are techniques that I can employ to destress. 

I am trying meditation. I exercise daily. I need something else.

Medication, diet, sleep, and travel

I decided to take Monday off as a vacation day. This weekend is a three-day weekend for me. It is much needed!

My guy has been on medication to counter depression for nearly a year now. I have definitely noticed that his mood is more stabilized. Of course, any medication has side effects. In his case, it has increased his blood sugar.

It has been helpful that I have been able to support him. I lost sixty pounds and have kept it off for five years. I reduced carbs and sugar from my diet. He has done the same. 

His doctor has decided to put him on another medication, to keep his blood sugar down. 

"Sorry I haven't called you," he apologized on Saturday. "I haven't been exercising since I went on my new medication. Exercising while talking to you helps a ton."
"It's okay. You are probably enjoying not working out in favour of sleeping in."

Although we both laughed, it is a fact. My guy would rather sleep in than exercise. I don't blame him! He has promised to exercise three times a week. He simply needed to test out his new medication.

My guy hasn't travelled much lately for work, which has been great. We have been spending more time together. He does have a trip in December for a week. That's not bad at all.

Costco and real Coke

My guy loves shopping at Costco. He called me tonight while walking on a treadmill at the gym.

"The new Costco is fifteen minutes away from my place if I walk there," he explained. "It opens in early November."
"That's great. You might as well live there. You can set up your bed with a new mattress and call it home," I replied.
"Shopping makes me happy," he admitted.
"I know. You get high on saving money," I said factually.

He loves talking to me while working out. He shared the results of his blood test. He knows that I have plenty of supportive suggestions to offer, as I have been there.

He is on a mission to reduce his sugar. His medication that he is on for depression spikes his sugar levels. He is doing well and has lost some weight.

We had a discussion about Diet Coke recently. When we first started dating, he told me that he'd take me to a movie and buy me real Coke instead of a generic cola.

"You can tell when a guy is really into you when he buys you real Diet Coke," he hinted.
"That's true. You are into me in more than one way," I said.

We both chuckled. So true.

Chatting about letting his hair down

My guy has made it safely to Dubai. We have a nine-hour time difference, which makes scheduling time to chat a challenge at times.

Saturday worked out okay. I had to go into work. It was my second Saturday at the office. I have one more to go. I am hoping that it will be the last one for a while.

I pinged by guy at around 14:30 my time. I asked him why he was still awake. He had just had dinner and got back to his hotel. He wanted to talk with me, so we did.

He was a bit jetlagged and tired, which was perfectly understandable. We teased each other and recalled some wonderful times that we have had together.

My guy has been shaving his head for a while. He has finally decided to grow his hair back a bit. It is winter and he wants to have a warmer head, which makes sense.

I told him that I couldn't wait to run my fingers through his hair and spend time braiding each other's hair. He laughed.

He had forgotten that I was at work on Saturday for a bit. I am glad that I got to hear his voice. It certainly made a Saturday workday more bearable.

He told me that I am a strong person, and that my cough and congestion would fade. He knows that I rarely get sick.

It always lifts my spirits talking to him. For a few days now, my left ear has been clogged due to being so congested. I learned that if you stick your index finger in your ear and move it upwards, it creates a vacuum that helps drain the fluid and relieve the pressure. Sure enough, it has worked nicely for me. My hearing is definitely improved.

I am taking mucus and phlegm cold medication, DayQuil and NyQuil, and an antihistamine. They say that you shouldn't be mixing medication as I have been doing, but the combination works wonders for me right now. I don't take them all at once!

My guy and I are planning on chatting again tomorrow. In Dubai, his workweek starts on a Sunday. We both felt a bit comforted knowing that we are both partially working this weekend.