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pennie_dreadful) wrote2015-06-16 05:49 pm
pennie_dreadful) wrote2015-06-16 05:49 pm
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(no subject)
Long time, no post. Shit has happened (a lot of shit has happened), so in no particular order of importance:
-I am an aunt again, and oh my god baby is adorbs. he has red hair! The first and only redhead in the family. It sucks that my sis and bil live about four hours out of town, but they hope to be able to move back here this summer
-found a place to move into, comes with a washer/dryer hookup, and I SCORED A FREE WASHER AND DRYER. Seriously almost all of my appliances and furniture I've gotten for free or super cheap, this is one area of my life I am consistently lucky, yay small mercies.
-okay so when I bought health insurance I picked the best plan I could afford because I knew I was going to actually be using it preventatively as opposed to if I was ever in an accident or something. I had a couple of (I thought) minor health issues that I thought I should probably get checked out before they became major health issues. Found out I have been living with a torn ACL for almost two years, so I have to wear a knee brace and do physical therapy and I also had to get shot. In my knee. I'm not normally weird about getting shots but when sharp pointy things are meant to go in places that my brain says they should not be able to penetrate it kind of is freaky. Eugh that was not fun.
There was also the issue of me getting really, really out of breath when I exercised, which at first was like, duh I'm out of shape, but then I got to the point where my muscles felt stronger, I felt like I could have kept going, but I still had to keep taking breaks because I was wheezing and completely unable to breathe and it was really frustrating. My gut was saying something is physically wrong (asthma maybe), so eventually I stopped strength training and just stuck with walking.
Also, I have nodules on my thyroid gland, which caused it to swell up massively, which I really only noticed after I started losing weight (ONE HUNDRED POUNDS SINCE AUGUST!!!). So who knows how long it's been that way. My thyroid function is totally normal, though, so my primary care doctor (who is super awesome, I love her and also her NP) refered me to an ENT, and that's when I found it's totally bigger on the inside and is starting to choke me from the inside out, hence my exercise-breathing issues. So I have to have my thyroid gland removed next Tuesday. My ENT said that if it got much bigger they might not be able to intibate me, and they definitely can't do a tracheotomy, so the timing on this, is wow. Nick of time almost.
So yeah I've been MRIed, CTed, X rayed, ultrasounded, and exsanguinated, and it all comes out to around $10,000. Just to diagnose all of this shit, not to actually treat it. And it would likely have remained undiagnosed and untreated until I totally blew my knee out and couldn't walk at all, and/or ended up in the ER unable to breath on my own, because I am unable to afford the full $235 a month that my health insurance costs.
I really kind of did not take this news well. I saw some promising info on shrinking goiters with kelp powder and iodine supplements, but seeing the CT of my trachea getting smaller, and smaller, and smaller, was really super freaky so I was like YES GET THIS THING OUT OF ME but also he has to totally slice my neck open. This will not be a fun experience, at all, but. I gotta do it. I had a couple of panic attacks over it, not even necessarily over the surgery itself, but just other things I could usually deal with totally overwhelmed me and I just ugh. But I'm good now (I think, hell I still have a week to get worked up again) but I will be good. Gonna use my vacation time at work, and file a claim with Aflac, (next on the to-do list, I fucking hate to-do lists) so money will not be a problem. Kinda looking forward to all that time off from work, tbh, even though it's not exactly for a fun reason.
'kay, bye.
-I am an aunt again, and oh my god baby is adorbs. he has red hair! The first and only redhead in the family. It sucks that my sis and bil live about four hours out of town, but they hope to be able to move back here this summer
-found a place to move into, comes with a washer/dryer hookup, and I SCORED A FREE WASHER AND DRYER. Seriously almost all of my appliances and furniture I've gotten for free or super cheap, this is one area of my life I am consistently lucky, yay small mercies.
-okay so when I bought health insurance I picked the best plan I could afford because I knew I was going to actually be using it preventatively as opposed to if I was ever in an accident or something. I had a couple of (I thought) minor health issues that I thought I should probably get checked out before they became major health issues. Found out I have been living with a torn ACL for almost two years, so I have to wear a knee brace and do physical therapy and I also had to get shot. In my knee. I'm not normally weird about getting shots but when sharp pointy things are meant to go in places that my brain says they should not be able to penetrate it kind of is freaky. Eugh that was not fun.
There was also the issue of me getting really, really out of breath when I exercised, which at first was like, duh I'm out of shape, but then I got to the point where my muscles felt stronger, I felt like I could have kept going, but I still had to keep taking breaks because I was wheezing and completely unable to breathe and it was really frustrating. My gut was saying something is physically wrong (asthma maybe), so eventually I stopped strength training and just stuck with walking.
Also, I have nodules on my thyroid gland, which caused it to swell up massively, which I really only noticed after I started losing weight (ONE HUNDRED POUNDS SINCE AUGUST!!!). So who knows how long it's been that way. My thyroid function is totally normal, though, so my primary care doctor (who is super awesome, I love her and also her NP) refered me to an ENT, and that's when I found it's totally bigger on the inside and is starting to choke me from the inside out, hence my exercise-breathing issues. So I have to have my thyroid gland removed next Tuesday. My ENT said that if it got much bigger they might not be able to intibate me, and they definitely can't do a tracheotomy, so the timing on this, is wow. Nick of time almost.
So yeah I've been MRIed, CTed, X rayed, ultrasounded, and exsanguinated, and it all comes out to around $10,000. Just to diagnose all of this shit, not to actually treat it. And it would likely have remained undiagnosed and untreated until I totally blew my knee out and couldn't walk at all, and/or ended up in the ER unable to breath on my own, because I am unable to afford the full $235 a month that my health insurance costs.
I really kind of did not take this news well. I saw some promising info on shrinking goiters with kelp powder and iodine supplements, but seeing the CT of my trachea getting smaller, and smaller, and smaller, was really super freaky so I was like YES GET THIS THING OUT OF ME but also he has to totally slice my neck open. This will not be a fun experience, at all, but. I gotta do it. I had a couple of panic attacks over it, not even necessarily over the surgery itself, but just other things I could usually deal with totally overwhelmed me and I just ugh. But I'm good now (I think, hell I still have a week to get worked up again) but I will be good. Gonna use my vacation time at work, and file a claim with Aflac, (next on the to-do list, I fucking hate to-do lists) so money will not be a problem. Kinda looking forward to all that time off from work, tbh, even though it's not exactly for a fun reason.
'kay, bye.
no subject
BUT KNEES GODDAMNIT. D: why do they fail us? You have my utmost sympathy if they decide to stick a needle in it. It was. Ugh. weird. Weeeeeird sensation, man.
Being an aunt is fun! My oldest nephew is almost FOUR and he is so funny. I love playing with him and getting him riled up. He calls me Aunt Kiki. I MELT SRSLY.
Ha, thanks! I don't even keep track of my weight, really, other than when I go to the doctor, so that was an exciting thing to realize. None of my clothes have an X on the label. 'Tis a good feeling. I still don't bother food journaling, tbh, intermittent fasting takes care of my calories, I still mostly avoid sugar and grains but I do make berry smoothies a few times a week, since they have the lowest sugar content and pack a pretty big nutritonal punch. Dark chocolate is my other treat, or chocolate dipped strawberries if I feel extra fancy.
I'm afraid I'm tall and big boned, and I have actually been considering growing my hair long again, idk, I swore I would never grow it back after I chopped it off, but I kinda miss it. Hrm. God, just imagine if we were neighbors, though. Late night bake sessions and fic binges. Why has this not happened, universe? :(
no subject
I know why my knee fails me; I had a nasty fall rollerblading when I was 17 - landed on a sharp rock. I got no medical attention at the time even though it would have been free because my father didn't give half a shit, and the older I get, the grumpier the knee becomes. Apart from the IUD appointment, my last checkup of any kind was my visa medical in 2007. I have something of a hospital phobia but mostly I just hate dealing with this shit and am too used to not dealing with it and it always makes me hate America. At least I'm getting a few teeth fixed lately?
I am fairly awful with the sugar in most forms - at least I don't do sugary drinks at all, or sugary American breakfasts. I'd got better, but this winter wrecked all my good habits, and lately I keep stress-eating at work. Counting works for me as a way of having limits and control. I am good at counting things, lol.
That we both used to live by Marietta at different times just makes it even more hilarious. :/ well. I should not be allowed more cake, anyways. More fic, though. Trying to keep my gears turning here but mostly I'm just poking at things that aren't going anywhere.