Internal Medicine and Genetic Reports

These photos may upload badly, but let's see.

The genomics lab sent me reports on certain conditions in which I am considered high risk. I printed them out and gave them to Dr. B yesterday, along with my raw data for Periodic Paralysis (previous blog post). He accepted it all with interest, recognized the validity of the gene.iobio database, and promised to upload the reports to my chart. We also discussed a high impact variant I am showing in gene COL6A3, which is Collagen IV Alpha III Myopathy. He agreed to ask his staff to try to find a Rheumatologist who accepts Medicaid. I won't hold my breath, but I appreciate the effort. COL6A3 is a disorder where the collagen which surrounds muscle cells is broken. This would explain some of my symptoms if I can get a clinical consult to address it. Considering many people in my support groups have both Periodic Paralysis and a collagen disorder (in many cases, it is diagnosed as Ehlers-Danlos), my chances of having both are pretty high, in my opinion.

I want to make clear the reports below are not a diagnosis. They show mutations in my DNA that support a higher than average probability of having or developing the condition.

Next year, I will likely have another Echocardiogram and my first Mammogram, if insurance OKs it.

I also expressed to Dr. B how much pain I'm in all the time. He prescribed a pain medication for temporary use, and Medicaid denied it. It's unfair that someone as ill as I am, with no history of addiction, is being refused a temporary script for pain. Insurance companies insist on demonizing opioids, and I understand to some extent why they are cautious, but patients with serious and painful chronic conditions are being discriminated against to the point that they are dying by suicide. I don't plan to be one of them, but I'm also not making any promises. I shouldn't be debilitated, sometimes vomiting from the pain, and refused treatment because some rando who doesn't know me is paranoid that I'll become a law-breaking addict. It's outrageous. This country is unbelievably cruel.

That is all I have to say for now. I will return soon.

KCNJ12 (Screenshot of a gene mutation in my DNA)

 

One of many variants in my DNA

No one had uploaded research on ClinVar, but I had no problem finding it elsewhere. I've been talking genetics with the Periodic Paralysis support group off and on for many years, so it is a victory to finally see supporting evidence on screen. It's also not the only variant I have in an ion channel. I'll share more later.

In discussing this with the group, it looks like mine may be a rarer form. Mine is definitely familial, as my mom had the symptoms as well (she was fiercely anti-medical, refused care even when crippled, and died in 2014), and there were stories about her father (died in '81) and grandmother (long gone) having some unexplained episodes as well. I do not have the facial and distal extremity abnormalities (low ears, webbed toes) that are associated with Andersen Type 1, but I share a trait with my mom and someone in the support group who pointed out that we (confirmed by Dentists) have abnormally small mouths and troublesome jaws. There may or may not be any significance there.

(Side note: I experienced a dental nightmare this year that traumatized me and I haven't been able to blog about it. Maybe later.)

There are other types of Periodic Paralysis, including an Andersen type, that people in the group have who also do not present the visible abnormalities, so perhaps I'm one of them.

It's Familial Periodic Paralysis, whatever the case. I was diagnosed in 1998 and again in 2011. God knows I prove it daily; my life has been very difficult. And I've been researching and blogging about it (both publicly and privately) since 2001 (MY GOD, I just realized that's 20 years)! I also have other conditions, clinically confirmed, that are now supported by genetic results.

In a public post, I've invited my physicians, present and past, to friend-request me on Facebook to be added to the album where I am uploading more data, as well as dozens of reports generated by the lab. It will require a private message to get my attention, as my timeline settings are very tight, but feel free if this is an interest.

There are many variants in my DNA, and I am sure I've only scratched the surface, but I am pacing myself. Importantly, I am well aware that mutations don't automatically mean a diagnosis (I have a mutation for Epilepsy, for example, but thankfully no manifestation), so I would appreciate it if people would stop trying to mansplain explain this to me. Just leave me to it, thanks.

I meet with Internal Medicine in 2.5 weeks.

Another HKPP Loss

Chovan Vic Cacho Banate founded the HKPP Network in the Philippines region. In the first week of May, he experienced a trigger which dropped his potassium critically low. He contacted the U.S. HKPP Network (my friend Ralph) and they spoke briefly about his symptoms, which had escalated into labored breathing. According to one of his friends from the Philippines HKPP network, he was taken to the emergency room in respiratory distress, where he was ignored while the staff was screening potential COVID-19 patients. He died of respiratory failure at age 35.

I don't know what to say anymore. When are we going to be taken seriously by emergency medical staff? Why would we be there asking for help if we weren't desperate for it? These travesties are breaking my brain and my spirit. It's 2020, Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis has been documented since the 70s, and here we are. Another friend, neighbor, uncle, son, brother, advocate...gone for no reason.

The hospital is 100% at fault for this man's death, and they will never be held accountable. Tell me where the hope is in that?

Rest in peace, sir. I'm so sorry this world failed you.

Don’t stop talking.

On an ice pack on the couch.

Some days, I feel like no one will ever understand my pain. It is so difficult to put into words the feeling of your entire body burning, as if you’re being torn apart limb by limb, every muscle screaming head to toe in desperation. I just want it to end most days. That’s the ugly truth. The internet, as terrible as it is sometimes, is a lifeline to people who exist this way. I’m thankful for the advocates out there who still find enough words to speak out when the rest of us are too tired to do so. I’m not entirely alone in this misery, even though it seems that way when I’m feeling my worst.

Your voice matters more than you can imagine, so please keep talking about it. Being heard and treated with empathy and kindness is the only hope some of us have left.

March update, and a little bit of February too.

Books read:

Complementary Approaches To Pain by NIH and NCCIH (quick summaries of alternative techniques such as acupuncture...not terribly useful in my opinion)

Women In Sports by Rachel Ignotofsky (good)

Women In Science by Rachel Ignotofsky (highly recommend)

The Gingerbread Girl by Stephen King (bad, lazy, not King quality, possibly ghost-written or either written on a day he was really bored)

Love Poems by Pablo Neruda (nice enough, a bit sexual at times, very Song of Solomon)

Books in Progress:

Stillllll working on Anam Cara. It's spiritually heavy, and it's going to take a while to get through. It's pretty, I will say that.

I started Learn French with Paul Noble. I seem to understand it well while I'm listening to it and speaking along, but I don't believe I would understand more than a few words if I visited France, or even the hometown of my 8x Great Grandfather in Quebec (that would be Montreal, yes, he was a founder and trustee). My brain is mush, but I'll continue studying to see if I can improve.

I have Beauty For Ashes by Joyce Myers in my possession, but I haven't made it through a chapter yet. I do intend to read it. If I can find it in eBook or audio form, I'm more likely to do this sooner (vision-impaired). For now, my local coffee shop let me borrow the hard copy.

Someone very kindly sent me three audiobooks on Amazon as a gift today. I will be reading all three as soon as possible, and will elaborate when I do.

Art Stuff:

Credit:
https://twitter.com/twitrartexhibit/status/1105397743634313217

The folks at Twitter Art Exhibit received my postcard (top middle) in Scotland! I was excited to see it among the others. The reception is in May, and I'll give more info when I know it.

I have other projects I want to work on, but I have been too weak and tired to do so. I'll update my art blog with work whenever I'm able to crank it out.

I'm done with the Bob Ross company. I haven't been able to teach since my disability, but I don't like seeing how they're handling business these days. It appears that instructors are being thrown under the bus, so to speak, and a lot of them are quite unhappy with the changes. Rightfully so. Instructors have invested thousands of dollars and an incredible amount of time into doing what they do, and they make the company a lot of money. Good luck to them all. I'm sad to be disabled, but I'm glad I'm not a part of this new drama. No thanks.

I still get questions and comments and get asked for favors sometimes. I no longer teach art, and I do not do commissions. I want people to stop asking or expecting this of me. I feel the need to throw that out there, because I'm not kidding. Find somebody else, preferably someone with consistent motor skills and the ability to follow a schedule. Seriously. I'm done.

Food:

I'm super frustrated with my multiple diets and their associated conditions. I will talk about it all in a separate post.

Misc:

I went to therapy and Internal Medicine. I'll have to make my visit with Dr. B a separate post. It was more eventful than expected. Coming up: the eye doctor who I have not seen in three years (he's great), and nephrology (he's great too).

My birthday is in 10 days, and I have zero plans. I do hope to raise $100 for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, though. Feel free to check out my Facebook on how to help, if you're on there. You don't have to be my friend. It's public. :)

I'll ramble on about social media at a later date. I'm weary.

Systemic disease is a beast. It's not even 7 P.M. but I'm curled up in bed. That's become my normal again. Hopefully better days are ahead. Good night.

March is here already.

And I'm behind on my blogging. I didn't start the year out too well where that is concerned. There is so much to write about these days that I'm overwhelmed, and I end up not writing anything at all. Mostly, I want to improve upon my medical blog and genealogy blog, but I keep dragging my heels. I will eventually tackle the tasks.

I've been extremely tired and in a lot of pain, and pushing myself to the point of physically crashing. I'm struggling with achieving a reasonable balance in nearly every facet of my life, and while balance is something I will always strive for, what I only want to do at the moment is sleep.

I returned to counseling today, and it amounted to a rant session about my limitations and my inability to deal with peers who've crawled out of the woodwork to support the terrible current events that have taken place over the last two years. People I've grown up with, or are related to, or have been friends with for years are suddenly bigoted, and in some cases, cruel. That has been a difficult adjustment, and it has made me question how I ended up in their realm. Most of the answers are obvious: was born into the family, grew up in that town and went to such and such school, and share certain general interests. In other words, we were compatible by blood or proximity. In a few rare cases, people simply changed, or they always carried such views, but hid them until now because they feel more comfortable letting their ugly flag fly. As for what to do with them, there's no real answer. I've already cut my Facebook down by hundreds, and I've ditched the majority of the family. I've learned through studying minimalism that it's not just about stuff. It's about people too, and how they affect your quality of life. In math terms, you can ask yourself the question "Is this person adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing?" I've seen some people even make a written list. Remember the old slam books from junior high? They were terrible, but not completely unuseful. When struggling with someone's presence, weigh their pros and cons. It sounds like solid advice, but it's a whole lot easier said than done.

Back to my limitations, I've been doing what I always do, and that's push myself until my body crashes over and over again. I live in HUD housing, which has to be kept in acceptable condition, and there's nobody here to do that except me. Even if there was someone else living here, I wouldn't be sitting around expecting them to do everything. I have to be able to operate my body. I have standards for my living conditions in addition to that, and I try my best to achieve it for the sake of my own sanity. I've never been diagnosed with OCD, and I don't think I qualify, but if the diagnosis ever arose, I would do nothing more than shrug my shoulders and say "Fine with me. At least my body isn't gross and my apartment doesn't look like garbage." And that would most likely be the end of the conversation, because it's my body and my apartment, so thank you, that is all.

My counselor suggested I find a local service for people with disabilities that offers to help me with cleaning and shopping. Except there isn't one. I live rural. None of the grocery stores that I shop at deliver here. There's also no restaurant delivery (not even Pizza Hut for heaven's sake), and the only people who offer to clean are locals who are unlicensed and looking for extra money. I'm not desperate enough to let a stranger in here around my medications and inherited collectibles (the latter will eventually find new homes, but that's another story for another time). I can't afford maid service. Family is not an option.

So there's little 'ol frustrated me with the frustrated muscles. I'm doing what I can, and overdoing it often, and paying the price. There's nothing normal about living with systemic disease, and it could be a lot worse, but it's not something that I can bring myself to accept, and that's where my head comes into this. I know how to acknowledge that this is my life. I don't have a choice. But to accept it is a step that I can't seem to reach. I don't know if I ever will.

I have no solutions, but I will keep trying to make it day by day, and continue to do the best I can with what I've been given.

February So Far

Hello folks, I'm back. :-) Thanks for coming back, too.

I went on hiatus for reasons I will not state, but it was needed and I will say that February has gone a little better this year than last. If you've been here long enough, you know that last February involved the myotonic episode of doom which had me yelling in pain, throwing up, and unable to move. Bad times.

I have been feeling on the verge of these episodes once again, but so far I've been able to prevent them with Magnesium. That mineral comes with its own set of problems, but I've found it to be absolutely necessary to my function. Of course, I'm still on a tremendous amount of potassium, as well as kidney and heart drugs. I'll update the medical blog in the near future. I've been dragging my heels where that's concerned.

I remained on Facebook and Twitter most of the month, and didn't take a break from Instagram at all. IG seems easiest to deal with these days, and I'm learning how to tolerate the occasional buffoonery that I run into there (fun fact: Instagram is NOT A DATING SITE. Leave me alone! Rawr!), ha! It has been fine for the most part, and I appreciate the likes and nice comments I receive.

The biggest news is that I started counseling. What should have been an hour and a half intro consult turned into three hours. We both agreed there is a lot to address. I maintained my composure with the exception of mentioning kids in cages on the border, and dealing with ableism. Those subjects brought me to tears, but I managed to unload a lot of my life story without a problem in that short period of time. There's plenty more to talk about. While I am still having dark moments, and it was hard to bring up a lot of the things I've been through, I'm glad I decided to start this journey. My counselor seems kind, she's my age, and we agree on a lot of things politically-speaking, so she can relate to my frustration concerning that. We'll see how she handles the rest of my turbulent life, but so far, this has been a good decision. I have complete freedom in choosing if and when to return, and I plan to do that in March.

I hope if anyone is hesitating to seek counsel that you will choose to take that first step. I am on a low-income sliding scale that is reasonable even for someone with as little money as I have. Friends have been helpful too, and I appreciate them so much. It's good to know I don't have to deal with my brain alone anymore. I don't regret speaking out about how I was feeling, even if some people are judging me (who cares what they think, really)!

My photos are horrible, but I'm going to share anyway, as I do.

I tackled the storage room (this is a 2nd bedroom...I am overhoused as I've stated in the past). I can see the floor again, I swept, mopped, organized...yay.

Which wiped me out with muscle weakness. Boo.

I'm having more episodes lately for a variety of reasons.

Weather fluctuations are always a factor, if nothing else.

I discovered Murphy Oil Soap and it is my new BFF.

(You should have seen that range hood beforehand. Yuck.)

Due to Gastroparesis, I have decided to switch back to a mostly pescetarian diet. I didn't tolerate the other meats well at all, and things began going downhill again. I'm a plump woman, but nobody needs to be losing 23 pounds in 21 days like I did last year, including me. I do want to lose weight, but it will be done the right way or not at all. That's how I roll. The haters can deal with it.

(I was unfriended over this on Facebook by someone with body image issues. Sorry I'm not extreme enough for you. But actually not sorry. Peace.)

Anyway, I've stocked up on seafood, which is thankfully affordable here.

And I made my way to World Market to pick up a Clearly Canadian mineral water. Almost an hour later, I left with all of this. I usually hate shopping, but I can't resist World Market's food section. Thanks to my stepdad for covering the cost of all of this loveliness. My only lamentation was they had no Inca Kola.

Those chocolate bars are 100% slave-free, and I'm glad they had them in stock. I've followed Tony's on social media and know they're doing good. The bars are huge and will take me weeks to eat because I only consume 2-3 squares per day. It's totally worth it. I'll consider it an early birthday gift, I guess.

Pics of my occasional cooking shenanigans are on Instagram.

That's all for now, I suppose, but I'll be back by the end of the month.

Love to all.

A Grumpy November Update

NaNoWriMo was a mistake. I've been writing about my life, and it couldn't be more dreadful. I hate everything. I want to end NaNo now (wanted to by the 8th, truth be told), but I'm going to push through to the end. Some of the content is worth keeping. Some of it sucks. Either way, I'm bored out of my mind, and often depressed. Blogging usually helps, but lately, I don't even want to do that.

Exhaustion and chronic pain are the underlying issue, I realize. It brings me to tears lately, and I'm not usually a crier where that is concerned. I also went to the doc last week, and I'm so frustrated with their negligence I want to throw all of my medication in the trash and say to hell with staying alive. I know I need to stop letting them get to me that badly, but I'm forced to rely on people who are unreachable and unconcerned with the fact that my condition declines every time they ignore and/or screw up my medication paperwork. I end up temporarily losing an expensive medication from my regimen because insurance denies coverage, and I have to wait a week or two or five for it to be corrected. So I'm on a med, then off of it, then on it again, then off of it again, etc. every few months. It's not safe, but I'm made to feel bad for getting mad and making them address it because they're busy. I know that, and I've never once implied that I'm their only patient. I just need people to get this right because they are directly affecting my muscle strength. The alternative is to stop the medication altogether and suffer. That's obviously the wrong answer.

But I don't have the right answer, either. And I'm so freaking tired of this.

I am physically stronger on the medication, but the frequent stress on my body and mind over consistently obtaining it is making me wish all of this would be over. I'm as calm as always on the outside, but internally, I'm not coping. I think about dying too much; both wanting and not wanting to do it.

I watched more footage of the HKPP conference in Dublin, and couldn't wrap my brain around all of the new info. My cognition isn't in the best shape. I am no good at this, or to anyone anymore. I would probably benefit from a companion to help me sort out things sometimes, but who would want to deal with all of this, or with me at all? I don't even want to deal with me, and it angers and upsets me that I feel like wanting anybody to do anything for me. I'm a mess.

There is not enough sleep on this planet, but I'm going to try to achieve some. I've reached out to some friends in Mississippi, and I'm going to drive over there for a get-together tomorrow night. May it be a remedy for my dying sanity, or at least a band-aid. I'll take anything.

Another Periodic Paralysis Patient Lost

Kendra Rowan has died at age 33. She was a highly gifted artist. This is such an unfair disease and the loss of this young woman is more devastating than I can express.

I can only hope my obituary is half as nice as this one when it's my turn to go. As it states, Kendra was a volunteer at Common Art for the Homeless. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made in Kendra's name to Common Art for the Homeless. Send checks to: Common Cathedral, 15 Newbury Street, Boston MA 02116 (write "Common Art" in the note section). You may also donate online at http://commoncathedral.org/donations. Where it says "Add special instructions to the seller", write: "Direct to Common Art".

I'm so angry I can't stop crying.

I'm taking a break. I don't want to talk about this anymore.

August 2018, In Pictures

I went to see Dr. B, who decided to test a new med.

It's going somewhat ok, but I am just...blah. So tired.

It spite of that, I managed to accomplish some things this month.

I recycled a back seat full of glass, plastic, and paper.

The nearest recycling center is pretty nice.

Another artist happened to be there at the same time.

She claimed my still life props, so that worked out nicely.

I have a clean and organized living room again. Woohoo!

I have a difficult time sitting up at a desk, but I'm trying.

I'm mostly still propped up on pillows in bed or on the couch.

Next up, the kitchen! I've been working on it all week.
I have more things going to the recycling center next month.

I'm saying goodbye to old glassware and other random items.

I'm pretty happy with the result. Minimalism is happening!

How adorable is my Christmas owl mug?! See you soon, little cutie!

This is still a lot of stuff, but a few of these items were gifts, so I'll never part with them.

The pantry is coming along. That pretty box holds open containers of noodles.

The Thai neighbors gave me more habaneros from their garden!

I vacuum-sealed them for the freezer, since it'll take a while to use them all.

I returned to the park on Portersville Bay for a few photos.

I scored a fresh red snapper filet, so I made fish stew and ceviche!

And last weekend, I made enough Ramen for an army, ha! It was for my vegan gaming group.

Pandemic Legacy (Season 2)

I mostly watched, as I was tired and couldn't really sit up long enough to participate. I'm glad I was able to at least be there for a little while and share the veggie ramen I had wanted to make. I had to avoid the beans and legumes myself, but it turned out pretty tasty! Hopefully in the future, I'll feel like hanging out with my friends a little longer.

I've been watching drawing lectures, and I'll sit up and draw along with the professor as my muscles allow. I will update my art blog as I go along. I received a lot of feedback from friends about my mild concern with figure drawing (long story, just know that very little about my life has been normal), and I appreciated it very much. It turned out to not be a big deal at all, and in a rare moment of bravery, I even drew myself in the nude (work I will neeeevvver share, so don't worry about that). I feel like I have learned a lot with this professor in a short period of time, and I look forward to more drawing practice. On an unrelated note, I have an acrylic painting in progress also.

In between all of that? Meltdowns, thanks to Periodic Paralysis, chronic pain, digestive disease, and sleep deprivation, but I'm managing it all as best as I can one day at a time.

Hurricane Katrina changed my life 13 years ago today. I've spent some time reminiscing, but it's not something I've wanted to dwell on. Keep rebuilding, Gulf Coast. We may have a love-hate relationship, but I'm proud of ya.

There have been a ton of hits on the blog this year. Thanks for reading my mess, y'all. Enjoy the rest of your summer. Or winter, if you're on the southern side of this spinning ball of insanity.

XO

Internal Medicine Aug 2018

I saw Dr. B at my local clinic for a follow-up. We discussed gastroparesis, diet, insomnia, sleep deprivation, tinnitus, chronic pain, potassium, and hormones.

My insomnia and sleep deprivation reached a dangerous level once again. I was disoriented, and it was no longer completely safe for me to go anywhere alone. I have felt on the verge of collapse. Tinnitus has also been a big issue. I told him this, and we went over my options. Unfortunately, with Periodic Paralysis, the risk is very high with any sleep aid, anxiety medication, antidepressant, or muscle relaxer. Most of these medications have already been attempted over the last 28 years (yes, even in childhood I was asking for help because of this) and made me too weak and sick to function. Dr. B suggested trying the lowest possible dose of Ativan, beginning with a fraction of a pill, to see if it does anything. In my desperation, I agreed.

I'm breaking a 0.5mg dose in half and taking it at night. I am extremely tired, I'm having more muscle weakness than usual, and the tinnitus is still at full screaming volume. That's the bad news. The good news is that I'm finally getting a few hours of real sleep, and my anxiety has lessened a little. That alone is enough to make me want to keep taking it. At some point, I may have to get off of it. The muscle weakness is a problem, but for now, it's manageable enough.

I requested a hormone panel, and the results were normal. I'm not in menopause, or even pre-menopause. I had to have surgery in 2010 to remove small tumors and nuke my psychotic uterus, and I haven't had a noticeable cycle since, but Dr. B explained that I'm still ovulating and experiencing hormone fluctuations. That explains a few things, as Estrogen is a pretty severe HKPP trigger.

My weight is steady now, and although I'm still having plenty of problems with gastroparesis and intestinal motility, the situation has definitely improved. I haven't been back in the ER and I'm tolerating a little more food again. I'm still trying to figure out what I can eat and what I can't. I can say without a doubt that fiber is out. It is my number one enemy. I occasionally try vegetables to see if I can digest them without a problem, but most of them are a no-go. I don't do well with beef, pork, or chicken. I am currently mostly pescetarian, and it's not a perfect diet, but it's going ok. I am still eating a lot of tomatoes, brothy soups, and soft foods that contain little to no fiber. I've been baking fish, boiling shrimp, and making ceviche. Noodles digest well, but they don't do my HKPP any favors, that's for sure. I still eat them sometimes, and handle the side effects as best as I can. I am supposed to meet a new gastroenterologist next week. I'm on the fence about going, but I probably will.

I'm saving up to drive to Jackson if and when my renal doctor wants to do that HKPP interview he talked about. I appreciate people who want to know about the condition and bring awareness. I spent so many years being disregarded that I am still very defensive about having this condition. I tuned into the live stream of day one of the Periodic Paralysis International Conference today and was instantly upset on behalf of those who stated that they weren't being taken seriously and were suffering from lack of treatment. I don't think I'll ever stop being angry that this happened to me and continues to happen to others. It's disgraceful. It's unacceptable.

I don't take my doctors for granted. I hope to God they know that.

I'm so damn tired, but I'm getting by, and life is maybe 10% more tolerable with the new medication. Right now, I'll take whatever I can get. I will keep you posted.


(Cross-posted to the medical blog.)

Ride For Rare Diseases (Periodic Paralysis Advocacy)

Cyclist Gabriel Low is riding his bike across the country to bring awareness of Primary Periodic Paralysis! He can be followed on Facebook and Instagram. There are quite a few news stories about him on those pages, if interested.

I know this condition affects him and his family, and I'm glad to see that he is thriving in spite of it. People like Gabriel are making a difference for those who are battling rare and under-diagnosed diseases such as Primary Periodic Paralysis. I really appreciate his advocacy!

(Cross-posted to the medical blog)

Somebody dropped an anvil on my head, and other ramblings

I'm on the tail end (hopefully) of one of the worst headaches of my life. I have a lot of headaches, but this felt like something crash-landed on my head. My blood pressure rose, my entire upper body was screaming, and much despair was had. I'm still in a great deal of pain (level 9 if I have to use a pain scale), but currently upright, so I wanted to give some sort of an update.

This is George the resident rooster.

He's loud.

Pretty, but loud.

I thought he liked me, but he gave me the side-eye the other day

when I told him to stop eating the neighbor's flowers,

so I'm unsure. I'd like to think we're friends, but you'd have to ask him.

Did I mention he's a bit loud?

Most of my stretched canvases in the closet found a home.

May they encounter happy trees on their new journey.

This is what the diet is looking like these days.

Feel free to ignore the condiments. They're not getting used.

The noodles are Gastroparesis-approved,

but killing me in regards to Periodic Paralysis.

Therefore, I'm having to keep them at a minimum.

I'm still trying to eat solid food occasionally, with mixed results.

The best case scenario, it seems, is low-sodium, low-fiber soup.

This one is a pretty good example.

It's not the best-tasting stuff, but it's acceptable.

I can hardly express how happy I was with this dish.

Patagonian scallops, Gulf shrimp and crab, Icelandic cod,

Vidalia onion, and red and yellow peppers in a tomato broth.

It was beautiful. I will make it again someday, and add rice.

I'm still sick in bed till my misery subsides. I posted an absolutely awful video blog on Facebook (friends only) mirroring this post, but with a little more detail. Time to lie back down with my ice pack. Tomorrow, I'll try to look presentable enough to promote Red Nose Day. See you then.