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shadowkatI managed to brave the torrential rains to get to and from my Doctor's appointment after work. It was in South Brooklyn, or Kings Highway aka Little Russia. Everyone at the doctor's office spoke Russian, and English. The Doctor was fluent in English. Also everyone was pretty much Jewish. It was the NYU Langone Levitt Medical Center.
To get there from Jamaica, Queens - I took the commuter train to the B subway train. Then got off at Kings Highway - it was an elevated station. Walked out and into torrential rains. Luckily I had my handy-dandy clear plastic scoop umbrella, which is basically wind proof - and it kept my head, shoulders and chest, and for the most part back dry, not so much my backpack - even though I tried to use a protective cover over it - it did not work.
I wasn't soaked when I got to the Doctor's office. (Nor had I gotten soaked on the way to work. It was lightly raining at that point.) But it was pouring when I exited the train station, and windy. I walked the two and a half blocks to the Doctor's office - feeling every second of it. I'm sure Kings Highway looks nice on a sunny day? But on a rainy one? Not so much. And the neighborhood was completely new to me - I've not been in this section of Brooklyn before. (Looks a lot like Queens actually.)
While at the Doctor's office - it was lightening and thundering outside. The Doctor commented on it as scary - I agreed, especially since I may have to walk around in it. So I was not in a hurry to leave. The appointment was at 5pm. I'd gotten there early. He was going to do the skin test - but I talked him out of it - because I did not want to go off the antihistamines for two weeks. I tried - and couldn't sleep. He said, I didn't have to go off the beta blockers - their interaction with the skin test was a myth.
I figure I don't need the skin test - I seriously doubt it's changed.
So, we did the blood test again, which he explained. I like him better than the ENT. He explained that the blood test determines if I'm seriously allergic to anything. And if I am seriously allergic, on more than an intrinsic level - in which shots are required, they can give me a pill. I don't need any shots, I can just take a pill specific to that allergy which will take care of it. If nothing pops up - that means I'm not "severely" allergic, and to just continue with what I have and do the nasal spray he's proscribing, which will be sent to me via a pharmacy in New Jersey. He various pharmacies he goes through - which have special deals for specific prescriptions. He showed it to me on his wall.
He got my respect, just for this bit alone.
ME: Well there's the CPAP I was using -
Doctor: You're doing a CPAP?
ME: No! That's off the table. I am not doing it. I tried it. No.
Doctor: Those things are excellent for causing nose bleeds. Most people get nose bleed.
Me: It gave me a sinus infection.
Doctor: They'll do that too. Tends to increase rhinocerous symptoms. I suggest getting a smart watch - it tracks everything. Far better than the sleep apnea test, and more accurate.
He wasn't pushing me to get a CPAP. His view was what was causing the post nasal drip and chest congestion was mainly gerd or acid reflux. Which makes sense.
I really need to wean myself off of the chocolate. It's not good for inflammatory conditions.
Anyhow, after drawing blood - I ventured out into the torrential rain again. The good news? The lightening and thunder had passed, and the winds had decreased or gone down. It was just raining hard. The bad news? I had to walk those three and half blocks, then climb steps, stand on a platform under a shelter in the freezing rain (mid-forties and raining), take a train, get off at Beverly, venture out into the rain on the tiny platform, climb the steps, and walk approximately twenty to thirty blocks in pouring down rain, crossing fifteen busy streets, and two major intersections.
(Basically I walked a mile in pouring rain). At one point I crossed a street where the light changed, and I just glared at the dumb car and dared it to kill me. It didn't, even though neither of us stopped.
Suffice it to say, even with an umbrella and rain boots, and a cover for the backpack - I was soaking wet. My arms, legs, and back pack were all soaked. And my feet were freezing and ached, but not wet - I should have gone with the LL Bean rubbers, instead of the LL Bean rain boots.
I guess I could have tried to call an Uber, but it would have cost me $50 or more. This cost me nothing. The Doctor will cost $25.
***
The plus side of work? I get along with everyone and have had very little interaction with the drill sergeant (aka BYT) of late. I'm mainly interacting with the Philosophy Professor (aka BB) and that suits me fine.
Just bored. Making busy work for myself. Created two spreadsheets to track what I'm doing and I hate spreadsheets. But I do know how to make them. I just tend to forget where I put them.
I'm not an organized person. Breaking Bad and I are actually more a like personality wise than Babs and BYT. We're both absent-minded professor types who can find everything but have no way of explaining how.
I may work on my book tomorrow - mainly because I'm bored, and tired of playing on toxic soap fanboards. The soap opera fandom could try the patience of a Saint.
Wales is upset because Elon Musk is following her on Substack. (I warned her that Substack had some creepy people on it. Musk doesn't follow me on Xitter - but that's because I spend most of my time making snarky comments about a soap.)
No, I won't be following knitting and gardening on social media - don't like either. Have tried both. I kill plants. (I killed an Aero Garden and have been known to drown cactus.) And in regards to knitting? You have to be able to count. I know I've tried. Again - I can't count. It's hard to explain this to people. Since my mother also does it - I'm guessing it's a genetic quirk? Example? 1,2, 5, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16. (See? I skip over numbers without realizing it.)
Me: The mediation app suggests counting backwards from 10,000.
Mother: Oh dear god, no. I can't do that.
Me: I got confused. It kept me awake worrying over what came before 10,000. Was it 9,999, or just 9,000? Then I tried to do it, and kept skipping over numbers and had to start from scratch finally giving up.
Physical therapists didn't believe me. Until I did it out loud.
PT: Okay count for me.
ME: I can't.
PT: try.
Me: 1 (lift), 3 lift, 4 lift, 6 lift, 8 -
PT: Okay, just do five and I'll count.
In high school? They had us number our answer score sheet for a multiple choice style test. I flunked, not because I didn't know the answers, but I screwed up on the numbering and put them under the wrong numbers. My mother was livid, but he refused to let me retake it. She still remembers it - I really don't have any memory of this - but she does.
So I double check everything at work, and let excel do it for me. Numbers just don't make logical sense to me. I honestly do not understand the difference between 10,000 and 10,000,000. I have to see it, make it tangible somehow. I can figure out math - but I do it via pattern analysis.
I think in patterns. Whatever works, right?
***
Considering either a Great Lakes trip, or better yet a trip from either NY or Boston up through the North Eastern islands, coast line to Toronto, stopping over in Prince Edward Island and through Cape Breton. Co-workers were all for the later. I've also considered a train ride from Toronto to say the Canadian Rockies and back.
Since mother's friend Anita died, she's said very little about her. Mother grieves a bit like I do? The less said, the better. We vent in my family, but we don't like to focus on things.
To get there from Jamaica, Queens - I took the commuter train to the B subway train. Then got off at Kings Highway - it was an elevated station. Walked out and into torrential rains. Luckily I had my handy-dandy clear plastic scoop umbrella, which is basically wind proof - and it kept my head, shoulders and chest, and for the most part back dry, not so much my backpack - even though I tried to use a protective cover over it - it did not work.
I wasn't soaked when I got to the Doctor's office. (Nor had I gotten soaked on the way to work. It was lightly raining at that point.) But it was pouring when I exited the train station, and windy. I walked the two and a half blocks to the Doctor's office - feeling every second of it. I'm sure Kings Highway looks nice on a sunny day? But on a rainy one? Not so much. And the neighborhood was completely new to me - I've not been in this section of Brooklyn before. (Looks a lot like Queens actually.)
While at the Doctor's office - it was lightening and thundering outside. The Doctor commented on it as scary - I agreed, especially since I may have to walk around in it. So I was not in a hurry to leave. The appointment was at 5pm. I'd gotten there early. He was going to do the skin test - but I talked him out of it - because I did not want to go off the antihistamines for two weeks. I tried - and couldn't sleep. He said, I didn't have to go off the beta blockers - their interaction with the skin test was a myth.
I figure I don't need the skin test - I seriously doubt it's changed.
So, we did the blood test again, which he explained. I like him better than the ENT. He explained that the blood test determines if I'm seriously allergic to anything. And if I am seriously allergic, on more than an intrinsic level - in which shots are required, they can give me a pill. I don't need any shots, I can just take a pill specific to that allergy which will take care of it. If nothing pops up - that means I'm not "severely" allergic, and to just continue with what I have and do the nasal spray he's proscribing, which will be sent to me via a pharmacy in New Jersey. He various pharmacies he goes through - which have special deals for specific prescriptions. He showed it to me on his wall.
He got my respect, just for this bit alone.
ME: Well there's the CPAP I was using -
Doctor: You're doing a CPAP?
ME: No! That's off the table. I am not doing it. I tried it. No.
Doctor: Those things are excellent for causing nose bleeds. Most people get nose bleed.
Me: It gave me a sinus infection.
Doctor: They'll do that too. Tends to increase rhinocerous symptoms. I suggest getting a smart watch - it tracks everything. Far better than the sleep apnea test, and more accurate.
He wasn't pushing me to get a CPAP. His view was what was causing the post nasal drip and chest congestion was mainly gerd or acid reflux. Which makes sense.
I really need to wean myself off of the chocolate. It's not good for inflammatory conditions.
Anyhow, after drawing blood - I ventured out into the torrential rain again. The good news? The lightening and thunder had passed, and the winds had decreased or gone down. It was just raining hard. The bad news? I had to walk those three and half blocks, then climb steps, stand on a platform under a shelter in the freezing rain (mid-forties and raining), take a train, get off at Beverly, venture out into the rain on the tiny platform, climb the steps, and walk approximately twenty to thirty blocks in pouring down rain, crossing fifteen busy streets, and two major intersections.
(Basically I walked a mile in pouring rain). At one point I crossed a street where the light changed, and I just glared at the dumb car and dared it to kill me. It didn't, even though neither of us stopped.
Suffice it to say, even with an umbrella and rain boots, and a cover for the backpack - I was soaking wet. My arms, legs, and back pack were all soaked. And my feet were freezing and ached, but not wet - I should have gone with the LL Bean rubbers, instead of the LL Bean rain boots.
I guess I could have tried to call an Uber, but it would have cost me $50 or more. This cost me nothing. The Doctor will cost $25.
***
The plus side of work? I get along with everyone and have had very little interaction with the drill sergeant (aka BYT) of late. I'm mainly interacting with the Philosophy Professor (aka BB) and that suits me fine.
Just bored. Making busy work for myself. Created two spreadsheets to track what I'm doing and I hate spreadsheets. But I do know how to make them. I just tend to forget where I put them.
I'm not an organized person. Breaking Bad and I are actually more a like personality wise than Babs and BYT. We're both absent-minded professor types who can find everything but have no way of explaining how.
I may work on my book tomorrow - mainly because I'm bored, and tired of playing on toxic soap fanboards. The soap opera fandom could try the patience of a Saint.
Wales is upset because Elon Musk is following her on Substack. (I warned her that Substack had some creepy people on it. Musk doesn't follow me on Xitter - but that's because I spend most of my time making snarky comments about a soap.)
No, I won't be following knitting and gardening on social media - don't like either. Have tried both. I kill plants. (I killed an Aero Garden and have been known to drown cactus.) And in regards to knitting? You have to be able to count. I know I've tried. Again - I can't count. It's hard to explain this to people. Since my mother also does it - I'm guessing it's a genetic quirk? Example? 1,2, 5, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16. (See? I skip over numbers without realizing it.)
Me: The mediation app suggests counting backwards from 10,000.
Mother: Oh dear god, no. I can't do that.
Me: I got confused. It kept me awake worrying over what came before 10,000. Was it 9,999, or just 9,000? Then I tried to do it, and kept skipping over numbers and had to start from scratch finally giving up.
Physical therapists didn't believe me. Until I did it out loud.
PT: Okay count for me.
ME: I can't.
PT: try.
Me: 1 (lift), 3 lift, 4 lift, 6 lift, 8 -
PT: Okay, just do five and I'll count.
In high school? They had us number our answer score sheet for a multiple choice style test. I flunked, not because I didn't know the answers, but I screwed up on the numbering and put them under the wrong numbers. My mother was livid, but he refused to let me retake it. She still remembers it - I really don't have any memory of this - but she does.
So I double check everything at work, and let excel do it for me. Numbers just don't make logical sense to me. I honestly do not understand the difference between 10,000 and 10,000,000. I have to see it, make it tangible somehow. I can figure out math - but I do it via pattern analysis.
I think in patterns. Whatever works, right?
***
Considering either a Great Lakes trip, or better yet a trip from either NY or Boston up through the North Eastern islands, coast line to Toronto, stopping over in Prince Edward Island and through Cape Breton. Co-workers were all for the later. I've also considered a train ride from Toronto to say the Canadian Rockies and back.
Since mother's friend Anita died, she's said very little about her. Mother grieves a bit like I do? The less said, the better. We vent in my family, but we don't like to focus on things.