Done Since 2023-11-05

[mdlbear]

Not a bad week, I don't think. Not all that good, but not bad. I'll take it. The PET/CAT scan results came in on Tuesday; I'm guardedly optimistic about them. I'm more worried about not being particularly worried, than I am about the diagnosis, if that makes sense. But at least I have the results, and oncology appointments scheduled for two weeks from tomorrow.

Less pain than last week, after some adjustments on Monday. Also, (nurse)Val is magical. I'm still having problems, but on the whole they're tolerable. That does not mean I'm comfortable.

Everyone in the household has been a bit under the weather the last few days, mostly sore throats and coughing. Not COVID-19, thankfully -- we're all testing negative for that. I may be the least affected, probably thanks to my 76-year-old immune system. Gotta be good for something...

The problem I've been having with the shower in the Lair (and the reason why I shower at the Whidbey house instead) is that it doesn't seem to ever warm up. It turns out that it's hooked up backwards. Every other single-lever shower control I've encountered starts out cold, and mixes in more hot water as you rotate the handle counterclockwise. Not this one. Growf.

Nick Brandt's haunting underwater photos portray climate change in a new way. There are two previous parts of the series, collectively called "The day may break".

Notes & links:
1105Su  Remember, remember...
  & awake maybe 3:30ish; S=~3.5; to find that the catheter bag had detached.
    Or, as I put it at the time, "FUCK FUCK FUCKETTY FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK"
    -> there was a pad under the sheet, but it had slipped.  Caught _some_ of it.
    -> shower, change bottom sheet after putting on a slightly-too-small mattress cover.
    -> failed to find leg strap (which I'm pretty sure I brought)
    -> so used (self-stick -- see last item yesterday) tape
    -> ... and apparently made good use of the extra hour at the end of DST
  * up 7:30; S=5:12;
  @ Guy Fawkes Night
  * order new bite guard
  x load E's boxes into Molly -> will have to do this next week
  ~ swap mice - the rechargeable one is better for travel.  battery one in my backpack
    -> except that it isn't, and I don't know where I might have put it in that case
    -> but of course it was, over on the left side.  :P
  : first car on 10:00 boat; arrived at RS at 10:48  (Sunday am; light traffic)
  % DAMN - left the big jar of Miralax up on Whidbey.  :P
  @ Opinion: Growing older, it’s good to remember: we are all on borrowed time | WaPo 
  % 18:01 17g polyethylene glycol (laxative); 1g acetaminophen -> next dose after 2am
  % 21:58 17.2mg senna (2 tabs)
  % left the phone on the kitchen counter; getting it would have required moving

1106Mo  * litter boxen
  & awake 6ish; Ticia
  * up 6:30; S=7:19; Dutch
  % 07:00 acetaminophen -> next dose after 3pm
  & in house 10:15ish.
  % 10:27 17g polyethylene glycol
  & call UW urology  -> will get a callback from an RN
    *- catheter too short  *- more pain than I can control;  *- bleeding
    -> (nurse)Val called back 13:15 and left message while I was trying to answer (weird)
  % brain fog all morning, even when sitting still = no pain.
  @ Sphinx may have been built from a natural rock feature eroded by wind... 
  * leave 2:20 for 2:45 checkin for 3pm nurse appt at NW urology
    -> arrived 10m late because I stupidly went to the outpatient clinic first.  :P
    % I've been somewhat disoriented all day, maybe some of yesterday too.  Pain?*
    -> fortunately checkin didn't take long, so I'm here on time anyway.  Whew!
    -> I was wrong about the length -- they're all the same -- and Val is magical
    -> Mandi came in briefly.  -> will have to keep catheter until prostate is treated
    -> more lube (neosporin or aquaphor); changed statlok position; ibuprofen
    -> 4 new statlocks of different sorts;  *- follow-up appointment in 3 wks
  % 16:49 acetaminophen -> next dose after 1am; 17:07 spasm
  % *N said I was looking gray this morning, so I guess pain.
  & Wikipedia dive starting from Dagger (mark) - see previous line
  % 21:14 back in Lair, cat fed and treated.  How the fsck is it only Monday???
  : the new leg straps aren't all that good.  May need to use tape tomorrow.

1107Tu
  & awake 5:30ish
  * up 6:30ish; S=7:22; Dutch
  % 07:23 1g acetaminophen - next dose after 15:30
  : the new leg strap worked fine overnight.  Slips when walking with a leg bag, though.
  % 09:57 very little pain -- 1.5 or 2
  * 10:25 leave for 11am Memory Keepers IRL at Third Place Books  -> returned ~2:30
    % Some nice talks, though multiple subgroups meant that I missed some things.
  % PET/CAT scan results are in:  not metastasized; prostate and nearby only
    " 1.  Multiple foci of increased uptake indicating PSMA expression in known prostate
          primary with extension into right seminal vesicle.  
      2.  No findings to suggest nodal or distant metastases. "
    It also casually mentions hardening arteries and a 5mm kidney stone...
  % 16:09 1g acetaminophen
  @ What the !#@% is a Passkey? | Electronic Frontier Foundation
  & oude Genever because (unofficially)favorable test results
  % 17:45 neosporin+lidocaine
  @ Preparing For The Long Winter Ahead Coping
  % 21:03 spasm; gas, no shit
  % 22:11 17g polyethylene glycol, 17.2mg senna
    -> been looking all over the house for the PEG; found it behind Panther's display
  @ 'Endemic' SARS-CoV-2 and the death of public health - John Snow (archangelbeth)
  : Ticia seems to have really gobbled up her wet food tonight -- salmon.  (Of course it
    looks like she may have pushed half of it off the back of the plate, but it still
    seems like she ate more than usual.)

1108We  * litter boxen
  * up 6:30ish; S=6:53, BP=122/82, P=70; bed exercises
  : NB: the wide legbands work very well for holding up leg bags; the narrow ones slip
    less when used on thigh as a stabilizer.
  @ Starwood Pet Travel
    amaebi | Off to the races international cat-wrangling
  @ Prostate Cancer Stages | American Cancer Society looks like I'm probably IIIB
  @ 14:20 1g acetaminophen
  * call   : Rachelle W - Nurse Navigator 206-606-5065.  (pronounced like "Rachel")
    -> answering machine msg. says messages left before 3:30 will be answered same day
    -> called back 206-606-8300 scheduled for 1127Mo
  : call from giffords.org re: gun violence
  @ Climate: Scientists warn 2023 likely to be the hottest year on record
  @ Supermassive black holes are messy eaters big on recycling | Space
  @ Cats can make at least 276 facial expressions, study says - The Washington Post
    Feline Faces: Unraveling the Social Function of Domestic Cat Facial Signals
  % 16:34 lidocaine
  * SL:  ibuprofen for lair and desk; prunes, coffee for lair
  @ My simplicity toolkit: Intro · Jens Rantil
  % catheter pain p=4-5
  @ 22:45 1g acetaminophen; neosporin+lidocaine
  % 23:44 200mg ibuprofen  (next dose > 4h)

1109Th
  * up 7am; S=7:09, BP=119/76, P=70; bed exercises
  % 08:28 200mg ibuprofen.    -> the irritation is similar enough to inflamation that an
    NSAID is probably the right thing
  % 09:59 17g polyethylene glycol, 17.2mg senna
  % attempted a shower.  Never even got warm except for a couple of seconds -- uninsulated
    pipes, probably.  But cleaner.
  % comparatively little pain, after cleaning the tube and applying neosporin
  @ These haunting underwater photos portray climate change in a new way (minoanmiss)
    Nick Brandt The day may break WOW!
  % noonish:  cold.  I'd forgotten that the greenish hand-woven sweater had pockets until
    I rediscovered them yesterday.
  % 14:00 Sleepy.  Drifty.  Waiting for something.  Godot?
  % 15:12 sitting in a slightly off-center position; hurt when I went back to a normal
    sitting position.  Also the catheter hurt when I moved.  Not comfortable.
  & add kids' names and ages to form sent to Lena at escrow company for closing Wed.
  % 21:42 200mg ibuprofen
  * 22:32 heading for bed

1110Fr  * litter boxen
  & awake 4:30ish; S=4:26; anxiety about R.  some reading.  
  * up 7:30; S=5:42;
  * no E' this week
  % 9:20 200mg ibuprofen.  11ish lidocaine
  % rather out of it.  to the extent of taking half of somebody else's leftover pizza
  * 15min: set up new set of wire shelves in house behind kitchen island (more like 90m)
    -> got back a pretty amazing amount of space.  3 shelves mostly unpopulated
    % possibly a little more than I should have been trying.  -> k helped
    % 13:27 just one bend too much  -> need to sit with heat for a while.
    -> ordered another package of shelf liners
  % 17:25 200mg ibuprofen  -> less/no pain at 18:02
  & 18:10 Bartell run for j's meds, N's applesauce.  No excretory incidents.
    & applets and cotlets as hazard pay.
  * reload drugs for extended stay
  ~ tried to make a astrological!cancer icon, but couldn't find a font that worked
  & 23:08 sleepytime tea

1111Sa  Veterans Day
  & awake 4:30ish;
  * up 7am; S=5:58; bed exercises
  % 07:10 ibuprofen
  * order 10 KN95s from BonaFide -- handy to have around
  & call (NurseNav)Rachelle about medical oncologist
  * drive up to RE with k  -> Ivar's  -> arrived 2:20
  * at RE: pack some paracord;  found some superglue for nail repair
  % FUCK!! somehow managed to forget to pack my meds.  IDIOT.  Need checklist.
    Would I even _use_ a checklist, or would I forget that I have it?
  @ Pigeons are still (sometimes) faster than your internet - The Washington Post
    see also, Paper Pings
  % a bit of a sore throat -- do I have the household bug?  18:30 worse
    -> but it feels more like something stuck to a vocal fold.  Maybe a piece of pickle
    -> blackberry liqueur seems to help.  Couldn't open the Manneschevtz 
  % 18:30 200mg ibuprofen
  : g" is having back problems  -> lent him the heating pad from the desk chair.  I'm okay
  @ Young People May Be The Biggest Target for Online Censorship and Surveillance—and the
    Strongest Weapon Against Them | Electronic Frontier Foundation

Comments

Lair shower

[hangingbyastitch]

I forgot to mention that? Whoops, sorry. Yeah, its warmest right next to off, then rapidly cools down due to the three gallon tank. Also, the lines to the house aren't very deep, so the "cold" setting is cold in winter and "cool" in summer.

Re: Lair shower

[mdlbear]

You probably did mention it; I just haven't used the damned thing often enough. I did remember you telling me about the small tank (kind of hard to forget).