Today's News and Weather Report

[la_samtyr]

Another nasty-hot day. Ugh. It was more or less ok early, before noon, but that soon changed. It's mostly the humidity that does it. Just heat isn't quite as bad but once you add in high humidity and/or dewpoints -- ugh ugh ugh.

I think I am almost over the cold -- at least I hope so. Things are starting to pile up, and it's not pretty. :/ Mostly laundry and general cleaning since I do dishes by hand and I don't really have that much garbage to speak of (I recycle as much as possible.) Also, the errand list is getting longer. :p

Details about today's dr. visit are under the cut.

I went in to see the dr. today. Even though I think I am close to being over the cold, I still have a rotten cough. So it was another trip to the x-ray tech just to check things, and also tests for possible flu and/or pnuemonia (sic). I couldn't really blame him for being extra-cautious since the entire office clientele is mostly older seniors and others who are already in "less than optimum" health.

Yes, my cough is that bad. Yes, I sound like I was a 3-4+ pack a day smoker for decades. Me, who never smoked! Not that I was such a goody two-shoes mind you but because, you know, *horses*. You cannot smoke around horses, barns, etc. Anyway, I had other uses for my allowance, like books. And more books. And records. And saving for travel. And stuff for the furkids. And maybe clothes for me. So you can see that things like beer and cigarettes were almost always tied for last.

Anyway, I got the Rx for more cough syrup *and* a new antibiotic. On the upside, I get to stop my bp meds for awhile just to see how things go -- *hopefully* I can quit that Rx altogether.

And like any good little patient, when I got home I decided to see what else might be causing this blasted cough on the intrawebz. And my best guess? Acid reflux (GERD) which I have been suspecting for sometime now and which generated another Rx. *sigh* This is basically everything that is highly processed, has high acid (notably tomatoes and citrus fruits (sob), any and all soft drinks, etc. etc.

It also probably include wheat gluten... but we shall see about that. It looks like the local food pantries will be getting quite a lot from me, because I just *adore* tomatoes -- especially Italian pasta dishes, like spaghetti, lasagna... Woe! That will be *so freakin' hard*! I practically live on that stuff!

Ok, time to go to bed and get some sleep so I can try and go to the Y *early* tomorrow and get in some kind of workout. Niters all!

Comments

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Hope you soon feel better and it cools down.If you do have GERD, there is very effective medication for it, but I would think your cough was the effect of the bad cold you had.

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

The trouble with GERD meds is that a lot of them are *barely* covered by my insurance plan, so I have to pay nearly full-price for them -- which also means they wreck my monthly budget as well. The most expensive one I take is for acid reflux. *sigh*

In any case, eating less highly-processed, high-fat foods, etc. can only be good in the long run.

As for the cough -- it probably is due to the cold but otoh, it never really seems to go away, and most allergy tests I've had are 'inconclusive.' So again, it's worth trying.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I forget how lucky I am that a flat fee of around £100 ($150) a year covers as many medicines as I might require here,

I hope your cough soon goes.

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

i have to admit that I envy you that flat fee. Here I spend almost that much per month; last month's bill (July) was just a fraction under $200. :(

[engarian.livejournal.com]

OMG, it just sucks that your drugs are so expensive and barely covered by your insurance. I hope that you get over the tail end of your cold quickly and that the changes in your diet get you back to stability. Happy workout!

- Erulisse (one L)

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

I'm sure the diet will help some. After all, highly over-processed foods are the enemy right? right. I've been trying to be more vegetarian anyway.

Yeah, there are times when I really hate the US health care system here but some parts of it work really well. Other parts, otoh... *sighs* Never mind, it's already been talked/discussed/debated to death; no sense flogging a dead horse eh?

[chaotic-binky.livejournal.com]

If you can get the acid reflux under control you can go back to tomatoes when you are fully healed inside.It took me a while - I lost 20 pounds and can eat acidic fruit again, now I am not red raw in my oesophagus - I love tomatoes too :D

Hope everything works out well and your symptoms stop soon.

*hugs*

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

I'll be satisfied if I can eat tomatoes on a limited basis if it just means I can feel well again. (The 'losing weight' part will help for sure. :)

*hugs*