Thursday Still Tummy Issues

My sore tummy continued to make the day difficult. At the start of the morning, it was mostly faded by sleep and some painkillers, but eating made it worse and worse. By the evening, the bloating and discomfort were quite distracting, and I just read and did small chores. I tried the pink stuff, and that did not help, but the antacids, chewables, did seem to work.   I woke on Friday, the day I am writing this, and at first there was no sign of it, but the pain returned, and I had another antacid chewable.

I woke from forgotten dreams, tired and found my tummy hurt less, and that was a blessing, at first. I also got a text that Scott W was under the weather, so we would not meet for our usual weekly meeting. I texted Brad to let him know we were off. He joined us once and may continue to meet with us.

The discomfort soon reached a familiar level, and I wrote the blog with this slight distraction. It was not long, one of the few times under 500 words, but it was a day of mostly reading and trying to get better by not eating anything that would make it worse, but, alas, it seems anything makes it worse.

With the blog published and me running late, I slept in and then did not do very much of anything but surf the web and read depressing news reports. No coffee, as that and alcohol were not good for a sore tummy. Friends suggested that this might be the flu, but I do not have any respiratory issues. More like food poisoning or an allergy issue. I vote for the side effects of pills and creams used to fight my skin rash. Two of the creams have a long list of side effects, including flu-like symptoms.

On the skin rash side, things are finally improving. I spoke with the Dermatologist’s office and need to return for a test that was missed during my Monday visit. They briefed me again on how to use the meds, and the compounding pharmacy sent me a full tube of the same stuff I was using from samples ($35, as insurance refused to cover it). Sadly, I have lots of refills, suggesting this improvement will take some time to completely remove the rash. Also, the preferred treatment is injections (DIY infections), but that requires the aforementioned missed test.

On the lab results, my cholesterol is low (all types), which is vastly better than high. The rest were good or good enough. My doc sent me an OK after reviewing them, as did the Dermatologist.

I am feeling guilty that I am not getting more done. I took a shower late and then applied all the creams in the proper ritual. I should sing a chant while doing this. Corwin stopped by, found my unfinished bagel with cream cheese and salmon, and, when I was dressed, suggested he try a croissant too. We settled up for the cleaning he did last week. He both headed out as I was off to get some soup for lunch and do something.

Elephants Delicatessen was my stop, having decided on their “The Cure soup,” a version of chicken soup. It came with a piece of bread, and it was an excellent late lunch. I read the newest Analog SciFi Magazine introduction. I learned that Analog and some related zines were now under a startup company, but unlike CBS or the late and mostly zombie Washington Post, the editorial staff was retained, and the format will remain. The editor who wrote the piece did say there will be change, but most of these will be gradual and improve the reader’s experience.

I am letting my subscription lapse, not because of the changes, but because I cannot find the focus and time to read Analog. But it is excellent, inexpensive, and I recommend it. It is also small and great for travel. I was happy to at least read something from the newest issue.

With soup in me, and my tummy not happy about even chicken soup, I head to the comic book store. I review what is on the ‘back wall’ of the recent issues. I do not know the economics of these sales, but I suspect that unsold comics are destroyed and not paid for. I cannot imagine they are returned. I picked out three: Our Billiant Ruin: Horror at Crane Mansion (number 1), The Last Day of H.P. Lovecraft (number 3), Disney Villains: Maleficent (number 5). Published by Dark Horse Comics, Boom! Studios, Dynamite, respectively. I talked to the staff for a bit and learned that Boom! and Dynamite were small publishers.

I read them later. The Disney one was interesting as it involves the villain against other creatures (a new story). The Lovecraft one art was a melted, horror-filled dream world. It seems more a pastiche than a comic, with a long text spread over two pages (an invented text, I think, as it does not have endless sentences). The story seems to be that there are two Lovecrafts: the man who dies after a failed, mostly uninteresting life, and the author and his material that will live on, spawning more and more writing. Ruin reminds me of some Doctor Who comics and, while interesting, won’t have me waiting for the next issue.

I returned home, and my tummy was unhappy. Sleepy time tea helped. I drove to Walgreens and got a bottle of the pink stuff and chewable antacids. Dinner was eight crackers. I read more Hornblower. Painkillers and antacids helped the most, and I was finally able to sleep around midnight. I read when I could not sleep.

Looking out my window, the trees still have bare limbs, but the robins and tiny birds fill my backyard. The small birds fly just over the robins, who ignore them as if they cannot even acknowledge such a rude display. I saw a huge white heron fly by (likely headed to a watered area to collect its fill of frogs). So far, no eagles or hawks have appeared for me; I heard many last year. I miss my jays and ducks, but changes in temperature have driven them to higher elevations and farther north. Our hummingbirds are still around, and I see them usually every day. The roses are cut back, and so they have less to search for the little bugs they enjoy. I do not spray the roses because the hummingbirds enjoy the insects, and I usually have strong, plentiful canes. I would rather feed the locals than have a perfect bloom.

I dream that I am traveling and I have trouble getting my luggage off trains and making my connections. I finally make a connection. Next, I am at a catered party with many work friends for a conference, and I keep spilling my food and making a mess. I just cannot get it together. I wake and manage to fall asleep. I rise after the sunrise.

Thanks for reading!