Of Moose And Men
The Best Laid Plans Of Both Often Go Astray

Started another hat for Metro knitting, and have actually done some of it on the Metro, but more of it at home. I’m going to work up some knitted dishcloths for the Metro now because I need a couple gifts for my PT shop. When I stopped going for my knee it was kind of abrupt and I didn’t feel like I got to give them a good thank you and goodbye. I went back this week to address some shoulder tendonitis (probably brought about by “aggressive knitting”, at least that’s the story I’m going with, from working with speed on the brioche hat) and I thought it would be fun to gift a couple dishcloths since being able to knit without pain is a big part of why I’m going. I’m only doing one more appointment with the PT in three weeks before I go back to see the orthopedist for a follow up a week or two after that, but that will be plenty of time to whip up a couple fancy looking dishcloths. I’ve done a couple here for myself and I use them regularly, both as dishcloths and to pick up hot lids when I don’t feel like reaching for something heavier. I’ve got plenty of cotton yarn in a couple different colors at the moment, so I don’t even have to go get any more supplies. Perfect.

We did, in fact, settle on “silent migraines” as the cause of the incidents I had from early December of last year through mid-February of this year. None of the blinding pain, but some of the side effects that mimicked stroke symptoms (dizziness, numbness). The two ocular migraines clinched it, since there was no damage present on any of the imaging we did of my brain. Bodies are such fun.

Did not make it through to interviews for the Deputy slot this go round, and after they failed the search for other reasons I chose not to re-apply when they re-issued the announcement. I think they’re at the interview stage, but I’m also not participating in that process (staff frequently helps out with resume review and/or interviewing candidates, and other attorneys are doing so). At this point I’m going to hunker down in my nice little mostly apolitical agency and see what November-January brings. Depending on which way that goes I may decide to look elsewhere or I may just settle down and decide that they pay me well enough and I can focus on other things rather than worry about supervising again.

The knee is better, but still not to running stability. I’m slowly increasing walking speed, but it still has stability issues at times when I turn corners or the like. I’ve used a set of ropeless jump ropes a few times to test the boundaries of how much I can bounce on my feet. That, in conjunction with biking and walking, is my exercise these days.

Took a knitting class on basic two-color brioche knitting and finished a hat this past week, in record time for me (a week!). Pictures over on Flickr, as well as some of the long fingering weight single-color (at-a-time) brioche scarf I’ve been working on since (checks Ravelry) February of last year. I’m on the last color block of four for the scarf, so almost done. I have another scarf on the needles for Metro knitting, and a hat and a blanket in the immediate next queue. I took a crochet class back in March to get some hands-on help and learn some of the basic steps there, but I haven’t done anything past the first project yet. Will probably try and whip out some dishcloths first.

Still haven’t figured out what to do with some of the stuff I cleared out of the trunks. Do I really need my merit badge sash? No. My Eagle Scout medal? Yes. But what to do with the stuff I’m keeping? Display it? Stick it in storage for another thirty years? I may set the husband loose on display options, that’s more up his alley than mine.

I did decide to apply for my boss’ job as Deputy GC. That application went in last Friday, and the announcement closed yesterday. It’s funny, since talking with her about it she’s definitely pulled back the curtain more on the workings of the office and the agency, especially our current hiring needs & process.

In health news, I’ve had a couple appointments, a couple events, and a new diagnosis of sorts. Saw neurology at another facility for an intake for an EEG later this month. Was not best pleased about how they handled the process (they literally just snail mailed me an appointment card with a time & date and no further information about what the appointment was for. Dorks), but the doctors were fine. Took the 30-day monitor off early (by about 6 days) because it had irritated my skin too much where the contacts were. But the neuro indicated that she had not gotten any alerts from it, so it’s fairly safe to assume there was no sign of atrial fibrillation; we’ll see for sure once they get the equipment back and send her the final report. The second neurology office apparently made noises to her about an implantable three year monitor and we nixed that. No thank you.

Had two eye incidents on the 25th and the 2nd, where I got what appeared to be an after-image in my right field of vision that gradually expanded in a crescent out and to the right until it faded completely, all in about twenty minutes. Annoyed me the first time, freaked me out the second time. Saw an ophthalmologist yesterday to check that out, and he pretty quickly diagnosed it as an ocular migraine, but examined my eyes and found no other issues with the retinas, etc. And he said that while he was no neurologist, in his experience if I’m getting ocular migraines the other TIA-like symptoms (numbness, dizziness) might just be signs of migraines rather than strokes. I’m still going through the rest of the testing to rule stuff out, but I’d certainly prefer that these were migraines over strokes. I’d actually prefer to have none of it, but if I’m stuck with one I know which I’d choose.

The knee has done better the past two weeks. I pushed the orthopedist to be more aggressive at our last appointment and he gave me a cortisone shot to ramp down the inflammation. I’ve been able to walk more easily, did a mile on the treadmill on Sunday (slowly), and have been able to bike again. Which is good because the knee brace was starting to irritate the skin on my leg.

Spent the morning cleaning out two of three trunks we’ve had sitting in the back of the owner’s suite closet since we moved in. One was semi-actively used in the old place, so it had stuff like old financial records that I can now toss, but the other one was one my parents foisted off on us when they moved from Virginia to Texas and it was primarily old boy scout memorabilia. And a lot of dust.

I’m keeping a few of the things, but a lot of it is getting the, “do I really need this? no, not really” treatment and going away, whether to the trash or to donations. And with everything I’m considering keeping I’m trying to ask the question of what I’d do with it (besides store it), and is it something that will bring me pleasant memories or just more stress? And do I want my heirs to eventually have to deal with cleaning it up? The answers for a lot of the stuff is a resounding no, so a lot more is going away after asking that.

Took a break to take a shower and grab some lunch, then I’ll finish packing it up for disposal this afternoon.

We’ve been going through a bunch of personnel changes the past year at work. New General Counsel, permission to hire five new attorneys (up from 13 to 18), three of whom are on board and the last two have a start dates now. But we’re also losing four attorneys, one to retirement, and three to other agencies, including our Deputy GC. Which readers may recall was the position I applied and interviewed for back in 2021 when it last opened up. And while at the time I considered that a bullet dodged (I honestly don’t think I was ready for that), this time I’m going to do some more talking with the current incumbent about the job, and the previous GC about how the interview process went. The ad is out on the street and is open for three weeks, so I have some time to make a decision. Thankfully it’s the same requirements as last time, so with some minor polishing and updating I should be good to go for answering the questions. As of right this instant I’m on the fence. Frankly I like my current job at the small gubm’nt agency and I could be comfortable in it for the next decade or so. But do I want to just ride that out or do I want to do more? I dunno. I look forward to talking about it with the husband, after he’s done with this weekend’s festivities.

Had a third TIA back on the 5th. Again mild, same symptoms, again no damage evident. Ironically it was a day after my appointment with the neurology department. After this third one the ER told me that if the symptoms didn’t change (ie., no drooping face, no slurred speech) to note the date, time, etc. of the attack and let neurology know, but don’t bother schlepping down to the ER because it was highly unlikely any damage was happening while the symptoms were staying consistently mild.

Thankfully nothing has happened (TIA-wise) since then. *knock wood*

After seeing neurology I have a sleep study scheduled for next month. I don’t think I have apnea, but my dad does, and I do snore occasionally, so they’re going to test (I will *not* go on a cpap; not gonna happen). Also have an intake at a different facility next month for an EEG to rule out some sort of seizure disorder. And as of yesterday I’m wearing a 30-day heart monitor to rule out atrial fibrillation (I don’t mind the monitor, but carrying the little phone that goes with it is a P.I.T.A.). So everyone is on tap and I’m getting tested out the wazoo, but otherwise life is getting back to normal. I went into the office twice this week (and would have gone tomorrow as well, but I’m doing an orthopedist visit to check on the knee instead).

My body chose to make the end of 2023 exciting, by having another TIA mid-afternoon on the 31st. The husband was home this time, so I grabbed him, packed supplies for an overnight stay just in case, removed my piercings, and zipped over to the ER. Again, it’s amazing how quickly they jump when you walk in and say you’re having/had a TIA. As with the last one the symptoms resolved quickly, and were not as intense this time around (I kept having to explain to various nurses/doctors that I’d had one earlier in the month and I was going to compare to that experience). CT scan came out normal and since I already have a follow up appointment scheduled for this week I talked them out of trying to admit me for another overnight stay. So a couple hours later and we were home again, and our planned guests came over for card & VR games. Did end up ordering pizza rather than making the stew I’d planned, but that was easier to deal with.

One takeaway will be pushing my orthopedist for more aggressive options on the knee. I need to be able to move more to help with my overall health, and the continuing instability in the knee is a liability there, even for something as simple as walking.

I’m also going to get some replacement piercings that don’t need the reverse pliers to take out so I don’t have to carry those with me or otherwise risk not being able to have an MRI if needed. I still want to wear the jewelry, but not at the expense of not being prepared to test at the last minute where needed.

Spent the early afternoon culling books from my office. Mostly old triathlon books that I am not going to use again, and who could find a better life elsewhere. Rearranged some of the remaining books, and left some space for more which are sure to come. This shelf serves as my Zoom background when working from home, and always gets compliments, so I like to shake it up from time to time. Plus I really do need more space to fit some of the stuff (books and legos) I got for the holidays.

The husband is up in NYC for a day trip, seeing musical performances numbers 99 and 100 (he’s currently in number 99) for him for this year. He realized he was really close to 100 about a month ago and I urged him to go ahead and aim to hit it before year’s end just for the bragging rights of his “year of theater”. And it gave me a good space to clean without him getting bored and wanting me to drag him out of the house to go do something. 😉

This upcoming year is going to be a challenge. There’s the knee, and the ongoing medication adjustments from the TIA (BP was almost in the normal range this morning, which was nice to see). There were some shenanigans with pay for our top ranks at work, including me, because our former GC was a bit fast and loose with his legal work, so I will take a slight haircut on base pay for the year. Not paralyzing, but definitely annoying. And whatever else life tosses my way. Nothing unsurmountable (so far), just mostly annoying. Though I would like the knee to get back to normal sooner rather than later, since moving is important to me and I would like to do it like a normal person again, and not a semi-invalid.

Likely going to go catch up on some comics this afternoon, and maybe hit a long-delayed cross-stitch pattern that I had lost the bits for on the shelf, but which have now been found.

The week between Xmas and New Years can be an odd one. Cleaning up from Xmas, figuring out where new things need to go. Finishing off leftovers. Etc.

Two weeks on the new drugs, and also dropped a decongestant that I’ve been taking for forever (20 years?) because it can raise BP. Other than the withdrawal from the decongestant (felt like a bad head cold, especially on day three), things have settled in. Of course there’s a weird paranoia that comes with having had a TIA – is any odd sensation, which would not have raised an eyebrow prior to three weeks ago, related? They’re not, of course, but that doesn’t stop one from idly questioning each and every one. I’m more likely now to move out of a position that will give me pins-and-needles now than I was previously, if only to prove it’s not my brain misfiring (as opposed to just cutting off nerves/blood supply). Whee! Bodies are such fun.

Picked up new glasses this afternoon, which was a whole other adventure in being more active than I have been. The new Echo frames are fantastic. The other regular frames I picked out back in August seem to be cursed. Second set of lenses, second set of “this isn’t right”/headache inducing oddness. I have to go back next week for a pair of readers (prescription adjusted for close work – yay aging eyes), so I’m trying out the regular ones off and on, but I swear that VSP either did nothing with the lenses, or they just can’t get the prescription right. Especially since the Echo frames are, as stated above, fantastic – no issues seeing out of the new lenses there. *shrug* Hopefully they’ll be able to test the lenses and see what’s going on there.

The in-laws came down for Xmas and we had fun playing card/board games and what not with them. And of course the usual Xmas stuff of gifts and stockings and what not. Fare was relatively simple, no big bird or beast, but the melting potatoes were a hit again.

We have another couple coming over for New Years eve, and I need to plan out dinner. They’re mostly vegetarian, which is easy enough, but I did a risotto already for them pre-Xmas so I need to plan something else this time.

Toward the end of the stay in the hospital I was getting my full grump on, because all the tests were coming back normal, but no one was telling me when I was getting discharged, and when they came to ask for food orders for lunch and dinner that day I. Was. Over. It. Lack of sleep, semi-planned dehydration (so I didn’t have to call the nurse to get unplugged so I could go pee), and several blood draws didn’t help their case.

And now I have to schedule a follow up with them, but they keep calling when I’m in work meetings.

So far the new medications (a statin, a baby aspirin, and now a BP reducer) have been okay. I had a light headache in the evenings the first few days, but that could have been lack of sleep or staring at screens for too long as easily as the new prescriptions. Just picked up the BP medication today around lunch time, so it wasn’t that (that just caused a little lightheadedness, like poppers but less fast, and definitely less sexy). I’m guessing it’s just the body adjusting to the new equilibrium on these things. No headache so far this evening, so hopefully that’s done with.

Definitely annoyed that I have to take more drugs. I hate taking medication, and I really hate having to add to the pile. Whatever; I’ll deal. But I’ll still be annoyed at some level by it all.