Out of Spoons – Page 11

Walked to the Grocery Store

My husband and I are going to become car-less in a few months. My car barely passed the smog test last time around (and basically needed intensive care to get it through). There’s no chance it will pass this year, and it needs a ton of stuff fixed.

The car isn’t unsafe, exactly. But, the car was made in 1994, and although we’ve had plenty of repair work done over the years, it’s pretty much ready to give up the ghost. It’s been on a salvage title for years, ever since some idiot backed into my car at a gas station. But, that’s a story for another time.

What about my husband’s car? He doesn’t have one. He’s legally blind.

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The Moment I Knew Something Was Wrong

I’ve never really been “healthy”, so maybe I didn’t have as big a change to deal with as those who have several years of wonderful health before something bad happens.

But, I remember the exact moment I knew that something was severely wrong with me (beyond my allergies and borderline anemia). My husband and I were walking from the train station to the hotel we would be staying at while attending a video game conference.

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Out of Spoons, Spoonie Writing 0

Recovery Day(s)

My husband and I went to an 80s themed party that was for a relative’s 50th birthday. Fifty is a milestone birthday, and milestone birthdays often are celebrated with a much-bigger-than-usual party.

When a healthy person goes to a party, it kind of goes like this: Get ready. Go to party. Eat/drink whatever is there that looks good, have fun hanging out in a crowd of people, go home. If the person doesn’t drink too much alcohol, then the healthy person is probably just fine the day after the party.

This isn’t how things work for me, a person with fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and severe allergies. Going to a party takes a ton of planning ahead of time, extra-careful management of my health, and at least one or two days of recovery afterwards.

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Dining Out Requires Research

For my birthday, I wanted to go to a fancy place downtown that my husband and I have never been to. They have an outdoor balcony, and I thought it would be nice to sit there, drink wine, and have a nice dinner.

But, because I have a ton of food allergies, I cannot simply go out to dinner, especially at a place I’ve never been to before. If I want to live through the experience, I have to do a ton of research first.

This particular restaurant seems to be one of those places that likes to change up its menu, maybe seasonally, maybe whenever the spirit moves them, I don’t know.

Out of Spoons, Spoonie Writing 0

Rheumatoid Arthritis Ruined My Day

Today, my husband and I went to Target. Technically, it’s one of those Target “superstores” that have all the usual Target stuff and a grocery section. I got a gift card as an early birthday gift from a relative – and we needed some stuff.

The plan was to buy a rug to put underneath the kitchen trash can and recycle bin, some socks to replace the ones I have worn out, and an 80′s looking headband (which I will wear at an 80s themed birthday party for a relative that is coming up soon).

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health insurance, Out of Spoons 1

Freaking Out Over My Health Insurance Subsidy

I’m going to greatly summarize what just happened. A little while ago, my husband got a bill from my health insurance company. For some unknown reasons, my premium went up DRAMATICALLY because my subsidy had been taken away from me. He later explained that when he got this bill, he was afraid that he would have to get (another) job.

Let me put that into context. My husband is legally blind and gets Medicare as a result. He has optic nerve atrophy, which cannot be cured. He has tried, in the past, from time to time, to get a “regular job” – but is greatly limited by what kind of job he can do because of his vision. In addition, he already has a job doing freelance writing and audio production.

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Out of Spoons, Spring Pollen Season 2017 0

Spring Pollen Season is Over

The pollen count has been nice and low for the past week. The highest it got was 7.1, and the lowest was a glorious 2.3. I believe this means that I have survived this year’s Spring Pollen Season.

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Spring Pollen Season – Day Seventy-Eight

Today, the pollen count was 7.7. It is just a little bit higher than yesterday’s pollen count. Somehow, I have unintentionally managed to force myself to be productive and get paid writing work done even while I’m sick and experiencing “brain fog”.

Out of Spoons, Spring Pollen Season 2017 0

Spring Pollen Season – Day Seventy-Seven

Today, the pollen count was 7.6. It is going up, again. I’m tired of writing about it, and flat out exhausted from all the extra allergens that have been in the air for far too long.

This may be the pollen season that never ends. I’m in California, so there is no chance of winter snow coming to freeze the air and kill all the plants. The air here is fairly dry, which means there’s hardly any mold to worry about. So, that’s one allergen I don’t have to fight with.

I woke up sick today, again, and feeling anemic. I am tired, tired, tired.

We are supposed to get some cooler weather over the weekend. I’m hoping that will be enough to end this horrifically long pollen season.

Out of Spoons, Spring Pollen Season 2017 0

Spring Pollen Season – Day Seventy-Six

Today, the pollen count was 7.4. I am more than ready for Spring Pollen Season 2017 to be over. As predicted, I was sick today because of the allergens I got exposed to yesterday. It is not possible to stay indoors for the seventy-some days that this pollen season has lasted.