hummingwolf: squiggly symbol floating over rippling water (Gold fractal)
hummingwolf ([personal profile] hummingwolf) wrote2010-03-17 09:24 pm

Updatish

Am tired. Here's hoping this entry makes some kind of sense.

Best things first: On Saturday, [livejournal.com profile] hasufin came by to pick up some old computer equipment and drop off a brand-new monitor for me! I'm still getting used to the wide screen, the brightness and clarity, and the way the LCD screen looks different from different angles, and I'm still playing around with settings trying to decide which work the best for me. The monitor is awesome and my friends are awesome and I'm very happy. :-) Old monitor (which was a gift from [livejournal.com profile] xforge and [livejournal.com profile] stevenglassman, IIRC) still works after all these years (even if it can't quite decide which colors it wants to show anymore), so it may end up going to my exceedingly patient landlord for continued use.

Sunday: Rested, mostly. Also watched DVDs, as I am continuing the process of dealing with my pop-cultural deficiencies. Have now seen several episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy, which undoubtedly helps me to understand certain friends a bit better.

Monday: Doctor appointment, which was really a P.A. appointment though the doctor was around the office somewhere. After that, I went to a nearby Whole Foods to try out some gluten-free items. I haven't mentioned in any entry that I've been trying a gluten-free diet recently, but I have--mostly because going gluten-free is one of the few things I could think of that I hadn't already tried doing for my health problems. I have noticed some improvements, but that may be because I have simultaneously been trying to do everything which has ever helped me all at once.

That last part may require some explanation. Continuing to do everything that has ever helped in the past may seem logical, but what we'd actually been doing for the last couple of years was hoping that treatment with antiepileptic drugs alone would solve my problems and I wouldn't need to do anything else. (If nothing else, this approach did save money.) Well, Keppra does keep me from losing consciousness quite so often, but it turns out that I do need to do more if I want to get a life! So yeah, I'm adjusting my food intake, taking loads of supplements, re-starting Ritalin at a low dose, and hoping that things get much, much better.

Tuesday: Enjoyed the spring weather! Walked a bunch of places, then realized that it was way past time to buy new shoes. For new people and anyone who's forgotten: I loathe shoe shopping. Shoe shopping makes me cranky. For many years, my concept of Hell has revolved around trying on a bunch of shoes in a futile attempt to find some that fit. Anyway, I tried on a bunch of shoes, and I did buy a pair which are not the best possible fit but should at least give me blisters in different places than the old pair did.

Wednesday: Went to a thrift store to do some clothes shopping, which I hate somewhat less than shoe shopping. Thought back to the many childhood shopping trips with Mom and her friends where they threatened to revoke my membership in the girls club because I did not enjoy clothes shopping the way they did. "How can you not love shopping for clothes??" Because it's no fun and I don't wanna and why can't we go shopping for toys or books or groceries instead?! Ahem. Anyway, I'm still not used to being as wide as I now am, so it took me a while to figure out which jeans were most likely to be big enough. Am hoping that current lifestyle regime will give me enough energy/boost my metabolism/do something enough that I can get down to a size closer to what I was wearing before the epilepsy diagnosis. (Don't worry, folks: I know I'm not fat, and I'm not about to go on some crazy diet. Mostly I miss having enough energy to go on long walks for fun. Also, I endured the torment of shopping and bought clothes in 2007 that I never got the chance to wear out because the weight gain was so rapid. Some of those clothes were cute!)

Thursday: There are two plans for tomorrow. Plan A: Pick up prescriptions. Plan B: Collapse. After having three busy days in a row, Plan B is more likely. Still, I live in hope.
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[identity profile] rialian.livejournal.com 2010-03-18 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
===Were you up my way this afternoon? I could have sworn I saw you when I was driving down Rockville Pike with a client....
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[identity profile] hummingwolf.livejournal.com 2010-03-18 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
Nope, not this week! Was in your neck of the woods about a week & a half ago, though, seeing a different doctor.

[identity profile] hasufin.livejournal.com 2010-03-18 04:06 am (UTC)(link)
I'm glad the new monitor is working out!

Did the backup complete successfully?
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[identity profile] hummingwolf.livejournal.com 2010-03-18 12:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, it did! I waited for the backup to finish before setting up the new monitor. Didn't take too long.

Thanks again. :-)

[identity profile] daisydumont.livejournal.com 2010-03-18 03:29 pm (UTC)(link)
glad to hear all this! but i'm wondering how bill nye helped you understand some people better. interesting thought.
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[identity profile] hummingwolf.livejournal.com 2010-03-18 05:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, it's basically a pop culture thing--I can get more of my friends' references now.

In other news: How d'you like this weather?

[identity profile] daisydumont.livejournal.com 2010-03-18 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
ah, i see. :)

it's brilliant! i realized i was overheated, wearing my winter coat out this morning. it'd be great to have this weather year-round!

[identity profile] rhiannasilel.livejournal.com 2010-03-18 08:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Isn't this weather amazing? I feel like a bear coming out of his cave after a long winter.:)

Good luck with the gluten-free diet. The Glutino pizzas are actually quite good if you're looking for quick meals.
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[identity profile] hummingwolf.livejournal.com 2010-03-19 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
It's so beautiful out right now. :-)

Thanks, Rhianna! I'm not at all convinced that I need to be gluten-free--there are other things I changed at around the same time, and so there's no way to know for sure yet. Am planning to stay very low-gluten for another month or two, then re-add some wheat or barley to see if I feel better or worse then.

[identity profile] rhiannasilel.livejournal.com 2010-03-20 10:53 pm (UTC)(link)
We were at MOM's today and they have a great selection of gluten free foods.

[identity profile] windsparrow.livejournal.com 2010-03-19 12:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Here's hoping for continued improvement, doing everything that has ever helped. It sounds exhausting.

It's always good to hear from you.
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[identity profile] hummingwolf.livejournal.com 2010-03-19 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you, Andi! It's good to hear from you too.