Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Cha Cha Cha Changes


 


   It is another day with more changes happening in my little world.  I had a telemedicine appointment with my doctor today to go over my bloodwork results.  Well...to say my cholesterol levels are a bit elevated would be an understatement.  Those suckers are high!  So onto statin meds I go along with another supplement and after being turned down by my insurance company to go on pregabalin, we are now going to try the gabapentin and hope that I will not have bad side effects from it.  If I do, then we can try to get approval once again for the pregabalin.   I have been warned that the statins themselves can have some side effects, as can the gabapentin...this could get interesting. *  I just found out how expensive my meds are going to be...thank God for GoodRX.com coupons to help bring the price way down even after insurance.



   This past weekend Jeff and I ran up to Spokane to pick up a part for our pellet stove.  While we were up there, there was a shooting a few blocks from where we were.  YIKES!  We also ran into instance after instance of people not wearing masks and no enforcement of the governor's mandate to do so.  There were so many rude people who kept crowding around me even though they could see that I was wearing a mask, which should signal to them that I have concerns about staying healthy.  Trader Joes was a madhouse, as was Marshall's.  The only place people were even slightly considerate was the ARC thrift store, where I did find some lovely treasures.


   Yesterday we went to Moscow, Idaho in the afternoon since I was having a panic attack and needed to get out for a bit.  I think my panic attack was brought on by several things like the shooting in Spokane, covid-19 cases going through the roof with our high school on virtual learning for 2 weeks due to so many students and staff having it (40% of the students were out with it the previous week), family and friends having covid-19 with several struggling and some having to be hospitalized, and knowing that it is hitting the kids in our area pretty hard.  :(  It is sad, scary and in many cases, very preventable.


   Anyway, we went to Moscow and I saw first hand the shortages and price hikes on food once more.  Dollar Tree had very little food on their shelves and the prices at Winco have gone up steeply on some items, while remaining constant on others.  I only found 1 food item and none of the other things I was looking for while at Dollar Tree.  We did stop at Goodwill and Jeff found a brand new car seat cover for his car and a battery powered tool there.  He likes to have multiples of his battery powered tools so he can use one while the other is still charging.  Honestly, I have no problem with him buying tools he needs because he really does use them a lot.  


   Fall is definitely in the air, even though we are having a warm spell here in the day right now.  Jeff ended up breaking the weld on one of the wire connections on the pellet stove when he was installing the new part and was so frustrated with himself.  Luckily for us, he knows how to do welding and our amazing neighbors had a wire welder in their shop that they let us borrow.  Jeff got it all fixed and running and I sent him up with a large container of freshly picked blackberries from our garden as a thank you.  They were so happy to have been given the blackberries and we are very grateful to them for their generosity in letting us use their tools.


   My days are filled with spending time in the gardens trying to coax the last of the produce to ripen before the killing frost comes.  I have had to cover up the pepper and cantaloupe bed several times now, along with the front tomato plants.  The side bed with tomato plants has some natural protection, but I know the time will come soon where it too will either be hit hard or I will have to begin covering it up also.  I'm also enjoying being able to hang sheets out on the line to dry now that the rain knocked the smoke from the wildfires out of the sky.


   Our evenings are now mostly spent with the fire going in the pellet stove and the cats curled up and snuggled in on our laps.  The lap quilts that my mom made us are in constant use now and I have started to have a cup of evening herbal tea once more.  It is a nice routine to be getting back into after the long and busy days of Summer.  Our ROKU had been acting up, so I set it back to factory settings and we are once again able to get things to load and our YouTube channel is also working.  Jeff is happy to be able to watch his bowling...I know he was missing it. ;)


   I'd better go and check the blackberries and see if there is a bunch ready to pick or if I should wait another day.  If they are ready, I shall pick them, if not, I'll water them deeply and try to pick tomorrow.  Be blessed, stay safe and healthy and enjoy the beauty that is Fall!


15 comments:

  1. Sometimes the side effects from taking statin drugs don't work well with us. My cholesterol is too high according to the doctor, but I'm working at getting the numbers down using natural things instead of the meds. Would you consider natural? Googling how to lower cholesterol naturally. All the best to you,
    d

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    1. Hi Deanna and thank you for your input. I did try to go the natural route but it did not work for me sadly. Praying this does though. I know I had to use them in the past and they did bring it down quickly for me. I want to be around for my grandkids and kids so I am willing to try them again.

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    2. I hope you have success with the meds. Sometimes they are necessary.

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  2. My cholesterol total is 188, I can't remember the breakdown on it. For a time it was higher Maybe 202 and the doctors had me try several different statins, and every one of them made me ache. The final one they tried made, I don't quite know how to explain, but it wasn't my bones and it wasn't my muscles, it was like the meat inside my body was really in deep pain. I hurt all over. It hurt to walk because my arms move at my sides when I walked and it hurt the meat in my arms where they rub against my body when I walked. Just slight pressure was agony everywhere on me. I only took that stuff for about three days and realized that something that made me feel like that could not possibly be good for me. I felt sick all over, I had similar reaction to all of the statins but none that severe. Thank God the pain went away after about three days of not taking it.

    I don't know why my cholesterol went down by 20 or so points by itself a year or so after trying the statins. I have Graves disease and have had to take thyroid replacement medicine for several years now. I think my cholesterol depends on what my thyroid is doing. I hope you have good luck with the statins working for you. My Dad took them and never had one problem with them.

    I have noticed when I go anywhere that many people just seem in such bad moods. I think everyone is worried and there seems to be no escaping the various social, economic, and mental effects of this virus and we are all on short fuses, some people have shorter fuses than others.

    My 11 year old grandson was possibly exposedd to Covid at school last Friday. The school let my daughter know about it on Monday. My grandson's school this year wasn't requiring masks for everyone. My grandson wears a mask at school and on the school bus, but the kid sitting next to him does not wear a mask. The other kid tested positive for Covid and now we will pray and wait and see if our grandson got it from him. That school district required masks last year and the kids did well. This year the school district caved into the demands of the anti-maskers and masks were a choice. My daughter said that the school has now,, as of this week, changed the rules back to everybody wearing masks. Well!! I hope that wasn't a week too late for my grandson. After his quarantine, he will insist on not missing school. He likes school and has recently started to learn to play the trombone and doesn't want to miss any classes of it.

    Take care.

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    1. Oh goodness, praying for your grandson and that he did not catch Covid from his seatmate. Luckily my grandson (the one I mentioned) and his mother both tested negative for covid after he was exposed. However, other relatives are now dealing with it and a good friend is also really struggling with it. I pray she is keeping in touch with her doctor and will go in to the hospital if needed.

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  3. I hope the statins don't result in any side effects for you, Debbie. I was on statins for several years (didn't feel any side effects) until my doctor decided to take me off of them and I've been off of them for over a year, now. Take care of yourself and I hope all will be well for you.

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    1. Thank you Bless. I am taking the statin drug and gabapentin now too. Just started both. The gabapentin is making my brain even foggier feeling than my normal fogginess, so I am praying that passes soon.

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  4. I hope you have luck with the medicines.
    WOW I can't believe you have had frost and temps cold enough for heat already. That is crazy. I live mid country and today is the coolest day we have had since early in spring and it will be warming back up in a couple days. No sight of frost in next couple weeks - at least.
    Glad you are getting produce still.
    Stay well.

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    1. Hi Cheryl :) we are heating up again too so I am trying to keep my gardens going. It is pretty normal for us to have these large swings in temperatures here at this time of year. The lawn even started to grow again after our weekend of rain so hubby will have to get that done once more. :)

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  5. I'm so sorry you got triggerd both from the shooting and from people not following the health rules.

    Oh and I so relate about not getting the prescription your doctor wants you on because of insurance playing doctor. I had that happen years ago with medicine for reflux. My doctor figured out a work around so my insurance did pay eventually and I was on what she wanted me to be on. But oh my gosh, what a waste of energy.

    I'm still getting tomatoes but will be pulling them up in the next day or two. We're supposed rain over the next few days and then the temps are supposed to fall next week. I'm ready for Fall, I think. And slow and steady, I'm putting my garden beds to bed for the winter.

    Take good care. sending hugs and prayers.
    SJ in Vancouver BC

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    1. (((((HUGS))))) and thank you my friend. Have you tried apple cider vinegar for your reflux? The meds that I was put on for that never worked for me but drinking some apple cider vinegar each day did.

      My tomatoes are slowing up in the front garden bed, but the side garden ones are just starting to ripen. I put those in much later than the front ones and they were skinny sad looking plants that I found on clearance at the end of the season. They are now healthy and robust and producing well! To be perfectly honest, I am excited about the gardens starting to slow down a bit and can't wait for the gardening season to be done. I'm getting tired. LOL!

      Love you and take care!

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    2. My reflux went away when i started using a cpap machine. The tech at the CPAP office said it's a symptom of sleep apnea that a lot of people including doctors miss.

      I pulled my tomatoes out today...and I'm tired too.
      Hugs
      SJ

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    3. Wow, I had no idea that reflux was a symptom of sleep apnea. I'm glad that it went away for you.

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  6. Please try to avoid getting sucked into taking statins. Those cholesterol numbers are artificially unrealistic in order to rope everyone into keeping big pharma in business. Learn about your body and how you can be healthy with food and exercise as your medicine. Sten Ekberg on You tube has tons of good information; straight up and easy to understand. Be well soon.

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    1. Thank you Rita for the suggestion on that youtube channel. I will check it out. I usually try to not go the statin route, but my numbers were dangerously high this time so I need to get them dowwn quickly. Hopefully once I get them down, I can keep them down without meds. :)

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