I feel weird saying this, with all the horrible health stuff roaming around, but... I went to the doctor today, and she fixed me. I'm sitting here on the couch breathing deeply and painlessly, I've coughed exactly three times in the last four hours, and I walked home briskly - briskly! - without once stopping to lean against a building or a lamppost to gasp and wheeze until I could drag out the inhaler. I haven't felt like this since October.

How did the doctor do it? By looking at my medical history and noticing that the pulmonary function testing I'd done years and years ago, and never heard a peep about from anyone since was "entirely consistent with asthma." Which none of the people I'd seen for various respiratory issues over the last half-decade plus had ever bothered to mention, or possibly ever even looked at.

So I got a nebulizer treatment right in the office because my lung capacity on their little blowy-test was such utter crap, and started a 5-day course of prednisone, and a permanent course of Advair and more PFTs in 3 weeks and another follow-up in two months to make sure everything is doing what it's supposed to. And (aside from the utter rage at whoever let the first PFT results slip through the cracks) I feel so normal I don't know what to do with myself.

Except release fifty metric shittons of health~ma in the direction of all the other Buffistas. Please, please let things start getting better for everyone.

With as much as it costs to ship books (you get a set shipping allowance), I only really think it's worth it if the book sells for maybe $10 or more.

Oy, my brother and one of my best friends, who live in cheapass parts of the country, are challenging the repair costs. And believe me, I google the parts costs and have (and will) asked pointed questions at the mechanics. And have won some. But a) she had a fucking 70s beetle that her dad and brother fix and b) he buys salvage/at-auction parts and spends umpteen hours doing the work himself. Neither have EVER dealt with a dealer, much less a big city mech. Yay, they save money, but I don't have the time nor the free labor.

I don't do car repair. I live on the east coast in an urban center. I'm going to pay a premium.

I went to the doctor today, and she fixed me.

Woooooo!

Thanks, Debet. That's kind of what I figured.

JZ, that is AWESOME.

JZ, that's fantastic! And think of the money you'll save now that you don't have to take a trip to Lourdes.

[winky emoticon goes here]

I could never have afforded Lourdes. The best I could hope for is a pilgrimage to the Madonna Inn.

Nice, JZ!

Yay, JZ.

Yeah, I'm willing to pay for car repairs because I lack the expertise.

YAY JZ!!

Does the work in your mouth add up to five figures

Not this year!

(Overall, oh yeah)