Endicott puts the kids to bed, Endicott reads a book to them

[rolanni]

This is a longish post mostly about (my) health, which I concede is a fairly boring topic.  There is, however, something of Actual Interest starting about half-way down.  Your search-phrase is Speaking of wicked.

So, just about caught up with housekeeping, bill-paying, and laundry.  The cats are being a little clingy still, despite having had Mary's undivided attention.  Next time we go on tour, I guess we'll just have to bring them along.

Or not.

Frequent auditors of this blog will recall that, right before we went on tour, I had a visit with the vampires.  The panel of tests came back with good results, except that pituitary function was up, which was considered a sign that it was pushing the thyroid to work harder, which meant that (maybe) the dosage of my meds needed to be increased.  The bitter irony here being that, though I had been pulling the falling-asleep-between-sentences thing throughout the writing of Alliance of Equals, I didn't even mention it during the annual examination immediately prior to the blood test, because it seemed pointless.  Not that my doctor doesn't listen to me, but she listens to the test results harder, and we've been down that road too many times.

Happily, this time the test results took up the slack.

Long story short, we're three weeks into the slightly higher dose of meds, with a book tour taking up a week of that (maybe not the best timing, there), and I'm noticing a definite decrease in the fall-asleep-snap-awake thing (which is actually A Rather Unpleasant Sensation, not to mention the hash it makes of productivity, and the potential for producing Real Mayhem, should I fall asleep while driving), so, hoping the six-week blood test will be such that I'm allowed to keep the higher dosage.

But!  This little skit demonstrates a flaw in my otherwise perfectly agreeable personality (ahem), which I'm going to have to address.

I'm going to go out on a limb, here, and make the crazy assumption that health professionals are going to be playing a larger role in my life as I meander down my timeline.  Health professionals being human, they come with their own set of assumptions and experiences, particularly with regard to grey-haired women.  That's fine, but here's the thing.  I get bored.  Particularly, I get bored when I have stated a fact regarding my health which the tests then fail to support -- or don't support definitively.  After the third time, I figure there's no point to repeating myself, and I stop, even if I feel that there's still a problem.

Clearly, I'm going to have to Get Tough about repeating myself and pushing for solutions.

I'm also going to have to get back with doing yoga, which got kicked off-track after PhilCon, and, with one thing and another, never got back into the schedule.

Boy, that's a lot of virtue in my future.  I'll have to adopt a wicked new hobby somewhere along the way, so as not to become unbalanced.

Speaking of wicked -- While we were on-tour, we received a head's up from Bookseller Kate Reynolds that A Night in the Lonesome October (written by Roger Zelazny; illustrated by Gahan Wilson) has been reprinted in trade paper by the Chicago Review Press, in their Rediscovered Classics line (which seems to also include Mary Stewart's Entire Ouvre; as well as Gwen Bistrow, Anya Seton, Rosemary Sutcliff, and, like, a dozen other authors/books I read in my now far-distant youth.  BN will give you a list of the titles in the Rediscovered Classics line; Amazon is not so courteous).

For those who may be new reading here, A Night in the Lonesome October is. . .it's an advent calendar for Halloween.  Each of the chapters is dated, starting on September 30, and it is meant to be read one chapter a night, through Halloween.  Steve and I read it to each other every year, and our copy is starting to show the results of our dedication, so we're happy to be able to purchase a back-up copy.

And that?  Is all I've got.

No, wait; it's not.

I also have a picture of Trooper:

Trooper at work

Today's blog title brought to you by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, "Endicott."  Here's your link.

Comments

health!

[nfurman.livejournal.com]

Please please take care of your health, and never ever believe any health professional really cares about it as much as you need to. I just went through a scary result of that.... Be well!

Re: health!

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I am remarkably fortunate (knock wood) to have only Very Minor health issues. But, yeah, I'm going to have to start Paying Attention and Insisting, on my own behalf. I can do these things for Steve, but I'm in the way of being careless about myself.

Adulting, as has been observed elsewhere, is hard.

I just went through a scary result of that....

This sounds ominous. Everything good now?

Re: health!

[nfurman.livejournal.com]

It remains to be seen. I took some antibiotics ( which I never do) and they actually caused a bout of C. Difficile- which not only kills people, but I really sort of hoped it would! After extreme un-helpfulness on the part of health care…. and research by my daughter, and refusal ( well, inability) to pay 1000 for an antibiotic- actually leaving out more incompetence here- I went for something affordable and a lot of careful self-care, diet restrictions, and , holding thumbs- we'll see in a couple of weeks. So yes, research, advocate, and know that what they know or care about is extremely limited- even if you get a good one ( dr. or equivalent) / We out here at least care a lot!!!! I am in fact in the process of a lot of Liaden re-reading. All 16 Foreigner books got me through the 2 weeks of literal starvation… Now Liaden is cheering me up :) All good thoughts to you both. You are treasures to many of us.

Re: health!

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

OK; that's waaay too much fun.

Good on you -- and your daughter -- for being proactive. And, yes, hoping hard for a positive outcome.

Health

[susan beaty (from livejournal.com)]

I recently went doctor shopping after I decided the prior doc Was Not Listening to me. The results were gratifying; an ongoing problem that I'd had for 2 years is now GONE. I'm a happy camper.

Re: Health

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I had a doctor who really didn't listen, which was beyond frustrating, and led to a very scary episode, years and years ago, when I came down with a Mystery Infection, and wound up being treated by my gyn, who did listen, and who helped me find the doctor I have now.

The results were gratifying; an ongoing problem that I'd had for 2 years is now GONE.

Excellent!

[catlinye-maker.livejournal.com]

Sometimes even repeating yourself over and over to every medical professional who stands still long enough doesn't work, sad to say. We mentioned my MIL's problems with actually breathing after anesthetic to the nurse setting up the surgery appointment (as part of the routine questions) to the anesthesiologist, to the surgeon, and to the team responsible for her care post-surgery. She wound up intubated 3-4 times in a row after surgery because every time they removed the tube they'd give her a nice dose of narcotics and whoops there went the breathing response. Finally got off the cycle by threatening the hospital with legal action, and getting a very angry respiratory specialist demanding to know why no one was listening to the family.

Now she's got an official diagnosis of sleep apnea and because it's from a doctor and thus "real" they're very careful with any drugs they give her and she hasn't had a problem like that since.

If you find a doctor who will actually listen to you, treasure them. And get them to give you pertinent doctor's notes for the rest of the medicos.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Eep. You'd think they'd notice something after the second time in their own hospital?

If you find a doctor who will actually listen to you, treasure them. And get them to give you pertinent doctor's notes for the rest of the medicos.

Around here, we've had a major shakeup in the medical community, with one hospital leaving town to a Grand New Facility forty miles away, and the remaining hospital gathering all of the remaining indie doctor's offices and labs and whatnot to themselves. The idea is that all records are now in the hospital database, but there seem to be...gaps in the system, as yet. So, yeah, doctor's notes. Belt and suspenders...

Trooper lucky

[catherine ives (from livejournal.com)]

I see that Trooper is working extremely hard getting through that massive pile of files he's sitting on. Or almost on. He's lucky because he does most of his work while asleep. Wouldn't we like to be able to do that!

thyroid trouble

[gerald heaton (from livejournal.com)]

Here's a solution (partly, but it works)
Get iodine supplements
My wife lost her thyroid to cabcer and I slomst lost mine.
My DR is a supplement fan as she says American medicine is NOT THE BE ALL AND END ALL it says it is.

Iodine was in most American foods until the early 70s when 1 (ONE) study said it was bad.
Iodized salt is not a replacement as the iodine in the salt leeches out.
Also America is the only country that allows potassium bromides and bromates in breads, which has been proven not only to be a cancer causing agent, but it destroys iodine.

There are 2 or three books on the benefits of iodine WHICH IS NEEDED IN OUR SYSTEMS not just for the thyroids but other parts of the body.

I have reduced the cancer flags for my thyroid by 65% since I started ob iodine supplements (over a 6 month period)

Re: thyroid trouble

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

You guys live in the Vast Center of Our Great Country, I think -- correct me if I'm wrong. I have all my life lived within 60 miles of salt water, and have always been told that the salt in the air is sufficient unto the needs of one's thyroid. Do you have titles for the books?

Re: thyroid trouble

[gerald heaton (from livejournal.com)]

When I get home, I'll find the one we ended up using.

OK iodine books

[gerald heaton (from livejournal.com)]

"IODINE WHY YOU NEED IT"
And can't live without it (5th edition)

David Brownstein M.D.
Amazon

Also
"The Iodine crisis"

Lynne Farrow and David Brownstein (BN and BN Nook Amazon )

You also might read their comments on table salt and why it is bad for us.
(It doesn't have the nutrients we need)

Re: OK iodine books

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Thanks!