Good luck with all that doctoring, Laura!

Good luck with all that nature, Steph.

Sorry C is having such a rough time of it Cindy. At least his bloodwork looking good is a consolation.

I forgot to mention that I took Mom up into the Ozarks for a few days in Eureka Springs. It was the first overnight vacation either of us have had in ages, and she enjoyed it even though we didn't do anything too taxing—just a lunch excursion in a railroad dining car, seeing Thorncrown Chapel, and touring some of the gift and jewelry shops downtown. After some mishaps with getting Friday dinner reservations Mom picked Gaskin's Steakhouse, which was new to me. They got her to try their mushroom soup, which I'd have never guessed she would have liked, but it was amazing. She got all worried about a cat we saw wandering around outside, but our waiter told us he's been there for twenty years, so that cat has lived a better life than either of us.

Oof, that is a lot of stuff. I am thinking of all of you and sending all of my good vibes your way, so please know that. Cindy and Steph, man it is amazing to see this interaction of knowledge. You people, rock. Seriously. All good thoughts your son's care team's way. And, you know, that insurance effing does what it's supposed to do.

Laura, that's a lot of appointments, but it's good that you're getting thorough care!

I will not address the snake talk.

The cicadas are SO LOUD. I find it utterly cool. DP thinks it sounds like the background from a 50s/60s sci-fi movie. He's not wrong.

My insurance company rejected a dosage increase on the stupid expensive growth hormone injection that I take to help with nutrient absorption (apparently it makes the villi in my intestines lengthen to increase area for absorption). My weight has gone up, which is good and means I'm absorbing more (and I don't need bi-weekly magnesium infusions), which is good, so the dose has to go up, which is... bad? According to the insurance company? Like, the drug is helping in exactly the way it's supposed to, so, yeah, let's make sure she can't get it anymore. Uh, OK. Now, the intestines are probably adjusting to their new normal, too, so they're maybe(?) absorbing better anyway, but... maybe not? Who knows? Anyway, I'm monitoring my weight, and it's fine, and I get blood tests once a month, so hopefully the mag level holds. The doctor has submitted an appeal. It is just mind boggling, though.

And in good news -- I am employed again! Part time W-2 for now, and on the way to full time with benefits, salary increase (I mean, relatively speaking -- at part time, it's half of what full time will be, which will be more than a 10% increase over last full-time job). I also have some contract work that I will continue, so... I'm a freaking contributing member of society again. Holy shit. I am beyond excited.

Yay Jen!

Yay Jen!!

Why is my shoulder weirdly super annoyingly painful? Like, it’s not that painful on a 1-10 scale. But it’s just continuing to be painful and I can’t figure out a way to stretch it or ice it or whatever that relieves it and that is obnoxious, especially since I can’t figure out why it hurts. I think I’m just getting old and I hate it.

Awesome Jen! Insurance companies need some serious smiting.

Happy to share tips and recipes from my high protein/no carb diet.

Always happy to get these. This time around I want to get better about making X number of servings then actually freezing and labeling the leftovers. I have a habit of freezing leftovers but then have no clue what that frozen thing is until I defrost it.

I don't think we anticipate any cicadas here or in Otter Lake. My sister did report that the black flies were particularly vicious this year so I won't go north until they die off. She also reported that the extreme mouse population explosion of last summer doesn't appear to be happening this year, but there have been reports of moles.

Jen, congrats on the job!

I hope the people responsible for rejecting your medically necessary treatment get cicadas in their undies.

Hooray, Jen!!!

Occasional Yard Guy made a HUGE amount of headway in the backyard. He should be able to finish up tomorrow; then we need to put down some grass seed (or decide we want to put down pavers over part of it) and then a border of mulch along the fence. Then I'm getting that hammock. Which I will not be able to use until the cicadas are gone (they're already so loud, and it's not even Memorial Day—I forgot how loud they get).

Holy shit. I am beyond excited.

Congratulations! That's so great.

Thanks, all.

cicadas in their undies

...that made me laugh so hard. I want to remember that curse.