The only thing weird about today was my doctor's appointment. I had been hoping to convince my doctor to discontinue two of my meds, simply because they were becoming too expensive. I got my wish, but not in the way I expected. When the doctor was explaining how various medications worked to control cholesterol, A1C, blood pressure, and various other things, I noticed something odd. As he explained what the expensive drug was supposed to do, I stopped him and pointed to a row of numbers. "This drug doesn't appear to be working," I said. "If it was, these numbers would be going in the opposite direction." "That bothers me too," the doctor said. "Lets just quit taking this for two months and see what happens." OK. That's what I've been wanting to do for the last two years anyway. Since I was on a roll, I decided to bring up another drug I've grown to dislike. "Do I really need to take this Niacin," I asked? I hate the timed release Niacin, because in addition to being expensive, it causes an uncomfortable flushing reaction that turns my skin bright red for an hour or so. The doctor said that the special version of Niacin was supposed to cause the flushing to occur while I was asleep, so I would never notice it. Nope, usually I'm wide awake. "Well, if the delay isn't working right," the doctor told me, "why don't you just take inexpensive over-the-counter Niacin instead?" Sounds good to me. Over-the-counter Niacin is about $5. The special prescription version of this drug is costing me $80 a month.
My numbers weren't really bad today, but it would have been nice if they were improving instead of getting worse. I'm pretty sure that everything can be explained by a slight relaxation of the strict diet I was following when I was being treated for Hepatitis-C. I still eat very healthy meals, but there are more comfort foods now. Instead of a strict plant-based diet with very little red meat, I'll have a steak now and then and typically enjoy some sausage or bacon with my morning eggs. I didn't used to do this during the year I was eating oatmeal in the morning and kale salads at night. I guess it makes a difference. Probably throwing a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream into my morning smoothie isn't helping matters either. It's a shame that almost everything delicious or fun is bad for you.
The doctor asked me if I was experiencing anything stressful in my life, since one of the tests apparently shows different results under stress. Naw, everything's normal I thought. Just dogs with cancer and spinal injuries, lots of expensive dental work, and a declining income. Today actually was pretty normal. I had one article to write, but I had that finished well before noon. The dogs seemed strong and in good spirits, even though the temperature was a lot warmer. Dot slept well and didn't poop in her bed. What's not to like?
I made an appointment to get a haircut later in the week and finally had a talk with my insurance agent about my homeowners policy. Maybe if it's still sunny tomorrow, I'll get the water off the roof. It's amazing how everything does get done eventually. All in good time, I say.
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