Yo! What’s up? I have some silly news to share. I may have mentioned in the past that I won some stuff online a couple months ago. Well, the items are taking a long time to get here, which is fine, since none of it is urgent or anything. A couple more things arrived this week.
I got these amazing hand warmers for working! My hands are so TOASTY!
I also got this fabulous 4.5 foot stuffed shark.
And my mom surprised me for Valentine’s Day by giving me these:
So the shark and the stuffed dog lead me to a rather dumb story. About a month ago, I realized I was sleeping weird. My head was kind of angled down, and I realized it was because my three pillows were crazy flat. I never really thought about how old they are — one is my pillow from when I was a kid.
So, I asked my mom to get me a pillow next time she was out, and she instead gave me a pillow from one of our guest rooms. It’s a huge poofy perfect pillow. So, I threw one of my old pillows away — yes, just one — and replaced it with this newish one. Then my mom bought me a new pillow anyway, so I had two giant poofy pillows. Then I got a stuffed bee pillow, the shark and the dog. I already had a cupcake pillow and a bunny pillow. So, now, Pillow Fest 2021 is taking place on my bed. And I haven’t slept this well in ages. (Boy, I sure typed “pillow” a lot, hahaha. Now the word looks crazy weird. PILLOW!)
Now I’m saying it weird in my head, and it reminds me of this:
I do have some super mega ultra bummer news. The best primary care doctor I’ve ever had is leaving the city. I am just so upset about it. She did so much for me. If you live in the Knoxville area, I 1000000 percent recommend Dr. Rachel Wilson. She listens. She didn’t weight shame me. She flipping researched my autoimmune condition to treat me correctly, which included prescribing me a perfect blood pressure medicine. She helped me get my medication for my autoimmune condition while I was waiting a way too long time to get an appointment with a rheumatologist when I first moved here. I am going to miss her more than words can express.
All the good doctors I’ve ever had have moved or retired — or I had to move. The primary care doctor I had before this one — in South Carolina — never listened to me. He once implied that I was faking knee pain to get drugs. I had to INSIST on getting a dang X-ray/ (He didn’t see anything. I had to self-diagnose. I broke my toe in 2016 and walked weird for a long while, because I also lost a toenail. After it finally healed, and I started walking normally again, and that’s when the knee pain started. So I figure it was just the transition from the way I was walking.)
I went to a gynecologist for constant pain in my ovaries, and she said I just needed more fiber and blamed everything on my weight. She didn’t listen when I told her of my family history. The awesome PCP I mentioned earlier helped me out. I still have pain, but now I know that it’s nothing urgent for now. And that yes, indeed, I have ovarian cysts.
Far too many doctors blame symptoms on weight, and I absolutely hate it. I have been overweight basically all my life, but I was always fairly healthy. My blood pressure was good, my cholesterol was great, pulse great — all my vitals were always great, even with an autoimmune condition. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-30s that I started having issues. But so many doctors when I was in my 20s would dismiss me and issues I had because of my weight — EVEN THOUGH I had a rare autoimmune condition. “Oh, you’re fat. Case dismissed.”
Speaking of my rare autoimmune disease — granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) — Rare Disease Day is Feb. 28. I didn’t even know this was a thing until a year or two ago. So, if you’re bored and want to learn about my condition and the insane stuff I have to deal with or worry about, here you go. And to those with a rare autoimmune condition or any condition, really, I wish you well.
Until next time!
Frazzled Daisy 