2018

January

On the 4th, I noticed my red and white blood cell counts were rising again. That had me on edge until the 8th when I got the best news—my tests for leukemia and bone marrow issues came back normal. Total relief. Then on the 11th, I got so excited when I found Officer Palma on Facebook.

February
Woke up on the 5th to a message from Officer P—totally AWESOME! I’m not expecting anything from it, but it was still really cool. Then on the 18th, I was surprised (but pleased) to hear from Stacey. I also wrapped up Socio—almost 16,000 words!

April
Had a bit of a scare on the 10th—my blood pressure read 168/107, and I still hope it was a fluke. A week later, after six+ hours without water, it finally came back on. What a pain!

May
On the 12th, Tom suddenly went deaf in one ear. I did a bunch of research, which, as usual, was full of conflicting info. It’s probably a virus, but it’s stressful not knowing. I’m just as worried about him as I am about myself.

June
Glad I got my PCP appointment over with on the 4th. Not all the test results were back, but my cholesterol got worse. She sprayed nitrogen on a precancerous spot on my back. On the 5th, I saw that my T3 and T4 are fine, but my TSH is back up to 16. Ugh. On the 23rd, Tom found some sleeping earbuds that finally helped me sleep through all the traffic noise! I’m worried I might have chronic fatigue syndrome—I’ve got most of the symptoms. On the 26th, my nieces cut me off. Apparently, I’m not allowed to express myself the way they are. I’m just done with the family drama. Two days later, on the 28th, I had a “bleeder” for the first time in a year. Also, happy 61st to Tom!

July
On the 2nd, I got a really strong gut feeling that we’re not going to be living here till Tom turns 66. I don’t know when we’ll leave, but it feels like it’ll be in a year or two. The 11th brought some relief—Tom’s MRI was clear, just as we figured. On the 25th, I finished Stealing Kat, my NaNo project, with just over 10K words. Then on the 29th… we said goodbye to Burkey boy. 💔

August
On the 22nd, I found Nissan, the bus driver I briefly knew (and had a crush on) in Springfield back in the '80s. I messaged her on Facebook but don’t expect a reply.

September
By the 18th, I knew for sure—moving here was a HUGE mistake. The constant construction, landscaping, and water shutoffs are unbearable. I can’t do another five years of this. On the 29th, I noticed “Polycythemia Vera” listed on my health portal. Weird—my red blood cells weren’t that elevated that often, were they?

October
Our crown tail betta died on the 9th. Just heartbreaking. But on the 13th, I got a beautiful new butterfly betta. On the 15th, I saw my endo and stopped at the lab. I’m trying a new med plan—50 mcg of levothyroxine for a week, then adding 5 mcg of liothyronine. If it works, I’ll follow up in two months. Fingers crossed. On the 16th, lab results were about as crappy as I expected. T3 and T4 are fine, but my TSH shot up to 27. I even showed my endo the skipped meds chart I made in Google Docs. On the 29th, the water was out again—for hours. And it’s going out again later this week. I am so done with this place.

November
On the 5th, I officially called it—Marie and I are done. She chose to walk away, and honestly, I’m glad. I’ve forgiven her too many times for the same crap. I care about her, but I’m not dealing with crazy anymore. On the 9th, the sky turned a strange brown-gold from the wildfires farther up north. On the 21st, I got a call from my endo’s nurse asking me to head to the lab. Tom even left work early to take me. But then came the bomb—my TSH is 33. That’s the same number I started out with five years ago! So now I’m back to 75 mcg of Levothyroxine, since the liothyronine combo didn’t work. On the 24th, we lost Simon. 💔

December
I turned 53 on the 4th! But I was still sick, and now Tom’s catching it too. My energy’s wiped out—not just from the flu, but my TSH is still 22. The good news? Apple cider vinegar shots helped my cholesterol a lot. I also joined Kindle Unlimited and I’m loving it so far. On the 11th, we lost Dumbo. Another heartbreak. On the 22nd, after five days of monitoring, I might have stage 2 hypertension. We also learned Tom’s mom passed away four years ago. I had a few words for some of his family, and now Ryan and Jennifer want to add me. Yeah, no thanks. My PCP said my blood pressure is good in the mornings, so no meds for now—just keep up the lifestyle changes. Honestly, I’ll take good news wherever I can get it. We also brought home two adorable 9-week-old cinnamon-hooded rats, Fuzzy and Woody. They’re such a bright spot in a rough year.