March 15th 2008

Okay, I've really been slack about posting.
My apologies, hon, but I've had a lot going on, and still do.
Medically, I have had 2 warts removed from my leg, my blood sugar I believe has been stabilized, (more on that in a minute), gone off Chantix and on to Wellbutrin for the smoking.
I'm in physical therapy/rehab for my frozen shoulder, 3 times a week for at least 8 weeks, to get my shoulder unstuck.
Dolly Parton has rescheduled her concert due to medical concerns.
(I.e., due to the size of her breasts and her age, her back's giving out and she's been forced to reschedule...) regardless, she's still appearing at the Fox April 29th, just 6 weeks later than originally expected. Grandpa Don and I are planning on going... we have excellent seats, too.

I'm currently up to 40 units of insulin daily, in addition to taking the oral med, Metformin twice a day.
This has brought my morning blood sugar down to "normal" levels - this view is confirmed by what Dr. Springer has said about my AiC levels being excellent.

I'm very seriously considering changing jobs - I don't know where that's going to go though. I've been with this company for 13 years now. More on that in a bit.

This morning, a tornado blew through downtown Atlanta - I saw firsthand the missing windows at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, although thankfully I was at home, in bed when it rolled through the city.
I saw the missing windows downtown because I went to check on Uncle Bobby & Aunt Sheba's house, and they currently live on the side of town that was affected.
They're currently in Tennessee on vacation.

That's about all I got now, I'm going to go eat lunch now.

Love you!!

Winter Storm 2008 part 2

Okay, it's a crappy picture, however what's to be expected from a cellphone camera?

Anyway, when I posted the previous entry, the only snow coming down was a flurry - and from all accounts, it was turning to rain and sleet with no chance of accumulation. So, I thought no biggie, rainy ride home and it'll be okay.

Then, I went outside during my dinner break to have a smoke and saw this. My heart sank. I honestly don't mind snow when I'm at home and don't have to go anywhere or do anything, however being at work when something like this happens is well and truly a nightmare in the making.

What a difference a few hours makes - by 10:30 pm, it had indeed all changed to rain, and the majority of the danger had passed, although with the temperature hovering just above freezing, bridges and overpasses still posed the potential for issues. My relief did show up, so I managed to make it home relatively on time. This doesn't change my position on snow though. I still hate the stuff.

Stopping smoking the Chantix way and other medical news

I have decided that 34 years of smoking is enough, and I have started on Chantix. This is the latest in my attempts to quit smoking, having tried the patch (a couple of times), nicotine gum (nasty nasty stuff), cold turkey, and Wellbutrin.

This round of treatment is also the single most costly attempt I've made - the "starter" pack cost over $100, and the first month's supply of pills cost around $140. Quite the out of pocket investment, so I'm obviously determined to make this work. My plan is to do this regimen for at least 2 months and then go back on Wellbutrin for a couple of months, until I've managed to break the psychological addiction of smoking.
That's usually ended up being my downfall...I can deal with ending the physical addiction, however inevitably, something happens that triggers me to start smoking again.

Anyway, as of this post, I've been on Chantix for 2 days now. I'll write more about this after I've put down the smokes for the last time, and continue detailing the effort.
(Side note to Andrea: if I **EVER** catch you smoking young lady, you won't be able to sit down for at least a month. I don't care what your mother says, I'll kick your ass.)

The regimen starts with a half dose for the first 3 days (ie 1 pill instead of 2) , then a pill in the morning and a pill in the evening. Apparently, I'm also the guinea pig for the family, since Sheba, Bobby and Grandpa Don are all waiting to see how this works out before they commit to trying it.


On another front, I'm scheduled for an MRI of my shoulder on Thursday the 17th. After undergoing a few months of Chiropractic treatment abetted by massage therapy and still having limited mobility of my left arm (the condition is known as "frozen shoulder"), I went to the Doctor and got a couple of shots in the shoulder - they didn't do much good, so he's now sending me to have the MRI so we can get a better picture of what we're dealing with. I'm honestly not looking forward to a surgical solution to this issue, however I believe that will end up as a last resort.
I'm still on 10 units of subcutaneous insulin daily, however I've lost 11 more pounds - based on what Doctor Springer said when I started the insulin, I've only got about 40 more to go and I should be able to come off the insulin and manage the diabetes through diet alone.

That's all I have for now... you're being stubborn and haven't made your appearance yet, (Grandpa Don was wrong about that, quelle suprise) but I'm still holding out for the 21st/22nd. We'll see.