The ducks, as you can see are getting bigger. They don’t have their Carnucles yet (the red stuff on the faces of Muscovy ducks, similar to a turkey), but they have their adult coloring and feathers, and they’re getting their wing feathers in. This puts them around 8 weeks old. They are rapidly outgrowing the night time crate, so we are working on getting the run and then getting it put together. It looks like buying one is going to be a LOT cheaper than making one, and probably faster as well.
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a PM to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
Monday Youffraita
Tuesday: bigjacbigjacbigjac
Wednesday Pam from Calif
Thursday art ah zen
Friday FloridaSNMOM
Saturday FloridaSNDad
Sunday loggersbrat
As most of you know, I didn’t make it to the MRI on Tuesday because Medicaid transport insisted on using an Uber, and there just aren’t many ubers in this county, especially at 4 am when going an hour away. My new MRI appointment is for November 15th, unless one of my doctors can get that moved up.
I did go to the Rheumatologist on Wednesday. My blood work came back ‘inconclusive’. My ANA levels are sky high, as are my inflammatory markers and some of my immune blood cells. But no markers for lupus, RA or any other autoimmune issue. So it’s ‘autoimmune disorder not specified’, or, it could be my Fibromyalgia. Apparently, a small percentage of Fibro patients have a high ANA, though it’s rare.
In the doctor’s notes from the appointment that are available on the portal, she claims we discussed my fibro, but.. I don’t remember that being mentioned even once. And if it had been I would have asked about treatment because I have NEVER gotten any treatment for it other than OTC pain meds (which I now am not really supposed to take because of the kidney cancer). So when I go see her again in January, I guess I’ll have to bring it up.
She’s also pushing for me to come off prednisone. I agree, I’ve been on it a long time, but every time we try to wean me off it, my lungs go non-functional, I mean I can’t even walk to the bathroom without ending up on the neb. And I won’t live like that if I can help it. IF there’s something else that insurance will cover that I can use and it works, great, but last time we tried to get me on something, Medicaid wouldn’t cover it and even with the company discount plan it would have cost $300 a month, and that’s unsustainable. It also would have meant weekly trips to the pulmonologist in Gainesville for shots, in addition to all the other doctor’s appointments I have. Each trip usually requires at least one day’s recovery before I’m functional to do much, so that’s 2 additional days out of my week (if I can’t schedule it the same day as another appointment). Now that was 5 years ago, so maybe there’s something different out, or maybe something that Medicaid will pay for now that it didn’t then.
And I’m telling you folks, I’m tired. I’m tired of all these appointments every week. I’m tired of losing days to recovery, and I’m tired of having more seizures every month. Even Nizz’s in home wound care and therapy take it out of me, because I have to get up earlier and get them up, and deal with other people in the house, and not be able to lie down and rest while they are here, etc.
Also found out that despite having gotten the vax for pneumonia, my titers for it are non-existent. So I have to make another appointment with my GP to get that vax, again. Without it I risk ending up with pneumonia if I catch a cold, or worse, this winter.
On the bright side I’ve lost another pound, down to 258. 8 more pounds to go to hit my short-term goal. Maybe I’ll get there by New Year’s.
Here is your weekly science video:
And your weekly banned book read along: