Last Day of June
It's the last day of June, 2024.
Thank Goddess. Truth be told, I can't wait for this month to be over.
I'm not going to go into details about everything that's gone down in June and why I'll be happy to see the month in the rear view mirror. All you, dear reader, have to do is read some of the blog entries of the past month (and those of May) to see what's been going on health-wise with me, among other things/events, but it will be good to start looking forward to the month of July.
My diabetes is still somewhat out of control, though not wildly so (according to my diabetes specialist); part of this is due to the fact that I no longer take metformin in any form due to the cost, and while the diabetes specialist hasn't replaced it with another drug to this point, I've upped my insulin dose somewhat. So my blood sugar levels are not good, despite the fact that I'm not eating any of the wrong foods (well, not too much anyway...have you seen the price or vegetables at the grocery stores? Eeek!!).
In other health related matters, there is no change in the condition of my right shoulder, arm, back and leg. In fact, the shoulder is getting worse in a lot of respects, and I'm experiencing problems using my right arm and hand as well. I have a sharp pain in the upper thigh on that side that comes and goes, sometimes being seriously debilitating. The orthopedist is still unable to see me due to his time constraints, and I'm still waiting on tests for the shoulder and the lower abdomen/back/thigh regions - but the earliest may be late this year or early in 2025. Basically just hanging in there, sometimes feeling like by a thread. My health issues are not being helped by the weather and Mother Nature. The temperatures have been either very hot or somewhat chilly for this time of year, and when coupled with my allergies (which are very bad due to the serious allergy season this year), I just feel miserable. (Even with the medication I take for them.)
The situation in the world continues to be very much a downer, with the Ukraine-Russia war still ongoing, the situation in Israel with its Palestine neighbours nearing a flashpoint, North Korean and Russian aggression on the world stage on the rise, and the situations in Canada, the United States, and Europe not being stable. Anti-semitism seems to be at an all-time high, and the economy is...not good. While COVID-19 is not the disease it once was, the no-longer-a-pandemic continues; the world is trying to return to a pre-COVID style of life for the most part, but people continue to make not smart (read: stupid) decisions in terms of physical distancing and not wearing face masks, among other things). I've had my eighth dose (the first 2 shots, and 6 booster shots), the last one in late April, but it's important to remember the vaccine is not the be-all and end-all cure, folks.
And then we come to the weather... Ottawa and the valley have experienced a bizarre couple of months so far. The hot weather arrived in the middle of spring, and while there have already been some blistering heat waves that have set temperature records for the Ottawa valley, there have also been some very cool (for this time of year) days as well. Throw in the forest fires in Newfoundland and Quebec this year so far, with the smoke that has brought into the area, and the air quality index has been...not good. There have been quite a few bad days this past three weeks or so. For me, this includes difficulty breathing, chest pain, sore throat, irritated or burning eyes, and some brain fogging. I've done my best to stay indoors, not do too much, keep the air conditioning running (with the Hepa filter) and hopefully keep the smoke out of the house, and hydrating as best I can. Still, I've had several really bad days and I've got a bad headache today and am coughing with a sore throat. Not a happy camper, to say the least. I'm just hoping that the rest of the summer, including July, won't be a miserable month between the temperatures, the allergies and the overall weather conditions. Hoping for the best. 'Nuff said about that.
So, what am I expecting in the new month of July? Not much, really. I've got a footcare appointment and an appointment at the Gastrointestinal Institute later in the month, but otherwise nothing medical on the horizon (unless my body has other plans). I don't have a lot of plans for July, other than to do a bit of reading, work on some gaming adventures and material, and run some rpgs and perhaps play some board games with my two gaming groups. (I won't be getting to play in any games this month, as none of my fellow players has chosen to run something for me to play in this year. A little sad about that, but I'm somewhat looking forward to running games this month.
Meanwhile, nothing planned for the day. I'll be staying indoors, resting, reading a bit, drinking fluids to stay hydrated - just relaxing for the day.
Thank Goddess. Truth be told, I can't wait for this month to be over.
I'm not going to go into details about everything that's gone down in June and why I'll be happy to see the month in the rear view mirror. All you, dear reader, have to do is read some of the blog entries of the past month (and those of May) to see what's been going on health-wise with me, among other things/events, but it will be good to start looking forward to the month of July.
My diabetes is still somewhat out of control, though not wildly so (according to my diabetes specialist); part of this is due to the fact that I no longer take metformin in any form due to the cost, and while the diabetes specialist hasn't replaced it with another drug to this point, I've upped my insulin dose somewhat. So my blood sugar levels are not good, despite the fact that I'm not eating any of the wrong foods (well, not too much anyway...have you seen the price or vegetables at the grocery stores? Eeek!!).
In other health related matters, there is no change in the condition of my right shoulder, arm, back and leg. In fact, the shoulder is getting worse in a lot of respects, and I'm experiencing problems using my right arm and hand as well. I have a sharp pain in the upper thigh on that side that comes and goes, sometimes being seriously debilitating. The orthopedist is still unable to see me due to his time constraints, and I'm still waiting on tests for the shoulder and the lower abdomen/back/thigh regions - but the earliest may be late this year or early in 2025. Basically just hanging in there, sometimes feeling like by a thread. My health issues are not being helped by the weather and Mother Nature. The temperatures have been either very hot or somewhat chilly for this time of year, and when coupled with my allergies (which are very bad due to the serious allergy season this year), I just feel miserable. (Even with the medication I take for them.)
The situation in the world continues to be very much a downer, with the Ukraine-Russia war still ongoing, the situation in Israel with its Palestine neighbours nearing a flashpoint, North Korean and Russian aggression on the world stage on the rise, and the situations in Canada, the United States, and Europe not being stable. Anti-semitism seems to be at an all-time high, and the economy is...not good. While COVID-19 is not the disease it once was, the no-longer-a-pandemic continues; the world is trying to return to a pre-COVID style of life for the most part, but people continue to make not smart (read: stupid) decisions in terms of physical distancing and not wearing face masks, among other things). I've had my eighth dose (the first 2 shots, and 6 booster shots), the last one in late April, but it's important to remember the vaccine is not the be-all and end-all cure, folks.
And then we come to the weather... Ottawa and the valley have experienced a bizarre couple of months so far. The hot weather arrived in the middle of spring, and while there have already been some blistering heat waves that have set temperature records for the Ottawa valley, there have also been some very cool (for this time of year) days as well. Throw in the forest fires in Newfoundland and Quebec this year so far, with the smoke that has brought into the area, and the air quality index has been...not good. There have been quite a few bad days this past three weeks or so. For me, this includes difficulty breathing, chest pain, sore throat, irritated or burning eyes, and some brain fogging. I've done my best to stay indoors, not do too much, keep the air conditioning running (with the Hepa filter) and hopefully keep the smoke out of the house, and hydrating as best I can. Still, I've had several really bad days and I've got a bad headache today and am coughing with a sore throat. Not a happy camper, to say the least. I'm just hoping that the rest of the summer, including July, won't be a miserable month between the temperatures, the allergies and the overall weather conditions. Hoping for the best. 'Nuff said about that.
So, what am I expecting in the new month of July? Not much, really. I've got a footcare appointment and an appointment at the Gastrointestinal Institute later in the month, but otherwise nothing medical on the horizon (unless my body has other plans). I don't have a lot of plans for July, other than to do a bit of reading, work on some gaming adventures and material, and run some rpgs and perhaps play some board games with my two gaming groups. (I won't be getting to play in any games this month, as none of my fellow players has chosen to run something for me to play in this year. A little sad about that, but I'm somewhat looking forward to running games this month.
Meanwhile, nothing planned for the day. I'll be staying indoors, resting, reading a bit, drinking fluids to stay hydrated - just relaxing for the day.