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CT Scan and Summer Purgatory
Monday, I woke up early because I was already nervous about the CT scan on Tuesday.
After breakfast I did laundry, washed my trombone, and made a grocery list.
At the grocery I found Dr. Pepper Float Ice Cream! Yay!
For dinner I made meatball subs...or rather, "Joe's Spuckies Meatball Spuckies."
The recipe was from the Vault Dweller's Cookbook, which is designed around the foods in the Fallout video game series.
Joe's Spuckies is apparently some kind of fictional Boston/New England chain specializing in subs, specifically meatball subs.
Ads from the game:
It was super easy to make, and the meatballs were so good that we agreed to make them again the next time we do spaghetti. A blend of beef, pork, and turkey with finely chopped carrots and onions, a zesty dried spice blend, panko crumbs, and parm cheese. I browned them in a pan then let them simmer in the marinara for 20 minutes while I toasted hoagie rolls with garlic butter in the oven. When the meatballs were done I slathered them in sauce, topped them with melty mozzarella and a little pepperoncini, and there you have it.
I ate a whole sub, which is a lot for me, and despite that I did not feel any burning or cramping at all. Idk what to think.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
I barely got any sleep because of nerves.
Those of you who have regular medical procedures are probably rolling your eyes, and rightly so.
It's such a minor procedure. I don't know why I get all worked up over all things medical, but can only assume it's
A) previous bad associations, and
B) my dad's aversions have rubbed off on me, which is actually a GREAT motivator to face my fears since he was an idiot who died because he didn't listen to his doctor.
Aaaanyway. I got up early to mix up the Omnipaque 350 (the dye) with about two bottles of water.
Drank the first bottle at 6:15 and started the second at 7:15 while driving to the radiology building.
Of course I had to, uh, "evacuate" several times during the 20 minutes spent in the waiting room, but otherwise felt fine.
The scan was even easier than I'd anticipated. They didn't require a hospital gown, and I'd been told the scan would take 15 minutes but it actually only took 2-3 minutes. And it was just lying on a table that moved through a doughnut-shaped ring with my arms over my head. It was like a horizontal version of an airport body scan. Twice a recorded voice prompt told me to take a deep breath and hold it, which I did, then it would tell me to breathe normally again.
That was it. Done and done.
On the way home I stopped at Wawa for a flavored coffee (treat yo'self.)
And by the time I got home, the results were in my inbox!
It was a written summary of what a medical professional had observed in the images. From my uneducated interpretation of the results, most things looked normal and the things that AREN'T normal are at least not DIRE. I have a slightly enlarged liver, and the gallbladder could not be seen on the scan. Googling these things was pretty inconclusive.
But about that time the PA called to go over the scan results with me. She's not a GI, but she certainly knows more than me, so I felt relieved when she said that there was nothing to be immediately concerned over. She did suggest getting some liver function tests done, but said that would be up to the GI or PCP. When she didn't mention the absence of the gallbladder I asked about it, and she was like, "Oh, that. Yeah sometimes it's hard to see."
In a week I'll see what the GI has to say, but am going to stop worrying about all of this until then.
When Jameson was up and about I vacuumed, practiced trombone, had lunch, and went for a walk. It was hot and muggy and I felt gross afterward, but any day that's in the low 90s I've got to exercise even if it's uncomfortable.
For dinner we had leftover meatballs.
------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, I had lingering effects from the Omnipaque (an entire morning of diarrhea, sorry for the TMI but I'm a Real Human and a biological organism just like you.) Drank loads of water and only half of my coffee, and felt uncomfortable for two hours.
But hey! No acidic burning in my stomach! Lol.
When my stupid colon seemed to finally settle down I got dressed and practiced trombone for a while.
One of our bassists from Tootsie is local to Orlando, and he's asked me to record a few bars of a jingle for a project, so I did that with Jameson's help. Then I worked on a setlist of party band music for Groove Slayers, a local band that I'm subbing in with as a favor to a trombonist friend while he's out of town. I don't mind party/wedding bands, but I DO mind the late hours and playing at bars. This is only two nights, and I owe this friend a lot, so I'm gonna try to enjoy it and appreciate that he asked me to cover his gigs :)
Nothing else to report. It rained in the afternoon, I went to the grocery for a few things, cleaned the bathrooms, and felt tired and a bit depressed. I want to be working.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, Jameson got a new pool guy to service our pool because Pinch-a-Penny has let it turn green again.
New pool guy seems nice and the pool already looks better (he had to shock it.)
Nothing at all interesting all day. But at night we went to Boxi Park, which is a little outdoor venue with a stage for local bands, and some old shipping containers that have been converted into food stalls (hence, "Boxi"). We were there because Jameson's friends Lea and Simon invited us, and because The Hooligans were playing (Jameson and Lea have performed with them before), and because why not have a night out with friends!
We got there before our friends, ordered food, and listened to The Hooligans.
Our lobster rolls from Claw & Order, with herb lemon mayonnaise.
They were REALLY good! Jameson liked the fries a lot, I wish I could replicate them.
When our friends arrived we had drinks at the bar and socialized with the band for their first set break.
Once they were back playing again it was hard to hear anything over the music, but we did the best we could to have conversations while drinking and sweating. It's still stupid hot out around here, and every time I used the restroom there were gaggles of women in there not to use the toilets but to soak up air conditioning in the one place it was provided. This venue should really look into other cooling options.
We had a fun time and it was good to get out for a bit with good people.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday I woke up feeling pretty good, but in the late afternoon when my stomach was empty I had some mild cramping/burning, so I am back to thinking that this could be an ulcer and that alcohol was certainly not helpful (no kidding genius.)
After breakfast I got dressed and went to the radiology clinic for a CD of my guts! Obviously I want to look at them!
The radiology clinic is near a tailor that I use regularly, so I stopped there too to get some thrift store pants hemmed. From there, a 40-minute drive to Whole Paycheck for ingredients to make a carrot-miso-pasta recipe that my sister sent. It calls for white miso, and Jameson doesn't handle MSG well, and Whole Paycheck's ethnic foods often have much lower sodium than stuff at the Asian grocery stores.
After lunch I looked at the images of my guts. I could identify heart, lungs, and some intestines...and nothing else! Thrilling :p
Since I was out of bread I decided to make a loaf.
I chose a dinner roll recipe that someone said they'd successfully converted to loaf-form.
It's similar to a Japanese milk bread: tangzhong, milk, egg, bread flour, butter, sugar, salt, yeast.
I chose the Pullman pan this time in case the quantity of dough was too much for the regular bread pan.
Turned out pretty good! It shrank and crinkled on me a bit, so possibly overproofed, or maybe it's just another example of Florida's barometric pressure messing with things. Either way the crumb was satisfyingly chewy yet light, and it smelled super buttery. If I weren't slicing it up, this bread would do that "feathering" thing that pull-apart dinner rolls do. I bet this will make amazing toast!
Before bed my aunt called to check up on me.
I know I'm almost 40, but with my parents gone, it feels extra special and touching to have someone checking that I'm ok.
She did freak me out, though, by reminding me that the CT scan may not have found everything and the GI may recommend further procedures. Argh, I don't even want to think about it. Medical visits fill me with fear.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I woke up freaking out because sometime in the night I developed a sore throat.
It's been feeling funny ever since we went to Boxi Park. Hoping that it's just a cold and not covid or anything. So far no other symptoms, so I'll see how it develops. But I am already freaking out about health stuff this week and really don't need anything additional to worry about :(
My stomach was perfectly normal at breakfast, so there's that.
Today I swept the pool deck, finished reading the latest installment of Saga, enjoyed my buttery bread with lunch, practiced trombone, and watched anime. It was too hot for outdoor activities.
For dinner I made us this recipe, which my sister had sent me a while back. It's pasta in a carrot miso sauce, topped with toasted panko and a carrot top/parsley gremolata (kind of like a pesto.) It's supposed to be vegan but I added a chicken breast.
Turned out very tasty, I really enjoyed the sauce and would have liked it as a soup also. It also seemed like the type of thing that could be modified easily; for example, adding a smoked chipotle for a southwest spin, or some nutritional yeast to make it more "cheesy". The chicken was too dry so that kind of ruined the dish unfortunately. Jameson thought the pasta + carrot sauce would be good as a casserole, topped with Ritz crackers, and I have to agree. If I make it again we're gonna do it that way.
Jameson was supposed to hang out with friends but they bailed on him, so we watched Insidious and Insidious 2 instead.
I can never take horror movies seriously, but this one was at least creative and had fewer plot holes than many others I've seen.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, I definitely have some sort of head cold. But there's no cough, runny nose or fever, and minimal sneezing. My throat just feels and looks irritated, and my sinuses feel sore. Not sure what is up but glad it's minor.
Today's activities: drove to a shopping plaza for a Yankee Candle and walking sneakers; to the grocery for a few things; practiced the trombone for a scant 30 minutes; went for a neighborhood walk (cut short due to rain.) Jameson was out with some friends this afternoon, and he picked up dinner for us on the way home.
Next week's activities:
- Plumber coming tomorrow to fix the hot water in the guest bathroom
- GI doctor appointment Tuesday afternoon
- Party band rehearsal on Wednesday
- HelloFresh meal subscription starts up again
- Making "strawberry fluff" cookies
- Possible car repairs
- If I don't hear from the transcription job, resuming job applications
After breakfast I did laundry, washed my trombone, and made a grocery list.
At the grocery I found Dr. Pepper Float Ice Cream! Yay!
For dinner I made meatball subs...or rather, "Joe's Spuckies Meatball Spuckies."
The recipe was from the Vault Dweller's Cookbook, which is designed around the foods in the Fallout video game series.
Joe's Spuckies is apparently some kind of fictional Boston/New England chain specializing in subs, specifically meatball subs.
Ads from the game:
It was super easy to make, and the meatballs were so good that we agreed to make them again the next time we do spaghetti. A blend of beef, pork, and turkey with finely chopped carrots and onions, a zesty dried spice blend, panko crumbs, and parm cheese. I browned them in a pan then let them simmer in the marinara for 20 minutes while I toasted hoagie rolls with garlic butter in the oven. When the meatballs were done I slathered them in sauce, topped them with melty mozzarella and a little pepperoncini, and there you have it.
I ate a whole sub, which is a lot for me, and despite that I did not feel any burning or cramping at all. Idk what to think.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
I barely got any sleep because of nerves.
Those of you who have regular medical procedures are probably rolling your eyes, and rightly so.
It's such a minor procedure. I don't know why I get all worked up over all things medical, but can only assume it's
A) previous bad associations, and
B) my dad's aversions have rubbed off on me, which is actually a GREAT motivator to face my fears since he was an idiot who died because he didn't listen to his doctor.
Aaaanyway. I got up early to mix up the Omnipaque 350 (the dye) with about two bottles of water.
Drank the first bottle at 6:15 and started the second at 7:15 while driving to the radiology building.
Of course I had to, uh, "evacuate" several times during the 20 minutes spent in the waiting room, but otherwise felt fine.
The scan was even easier than I'd anticipated. They didn't require a hospital gown, and I'd been told the scan would take 15 minutes but it actually only took 2-3 minutes. And it was just lying on a table that moved through a doughnut-shaped ring with my arms over my head. It was like a horizontal version of an airport body scan. Twice a recorded voice prompt told me to take a deep breath and hold it, which I did, then it would tell me to breathe normally again.
That was it. Done and done.
On the way home I stopped at Wawa for a flavored coffee (treat yo'self.)
And by the time I got home, the results were in my inbox!
It was a written summary of what a medical professional had observed in the images. From my uneducated interpretation of the results, most things looked normal and the things that AREN'T normal are at least not DIRE. I have a slightly enlarged liver, and the gallbladder could not be seen on the scan. Googling these things was pretty inconclusive.
But about that time the PA called to go over the scan results with me. She's not a GI, but she certainly knows more than me, so I felt relieved when she said that there was nothing to be immediately concerned over. She did suggest getting some liver function tests done, but said that would be up to the GI or PCP. When she didn't mention the absence of the gallbladder I asked about it, and she was like, "Oh, that. Yeah sometimes it's hard to see."
In a week I'll see what the GI has to say, but am going to stop worrying about all of this until then.
When Jameson was up and about I vacuumed, practiced trombone, had lunch, and went for a walk. It was hot and muggy and I felt gross afterward, but any day that's in the low 90s I've got to exercise even if it's uncomfortable.
For dinner we had leftover meatballs.
------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, I had lingering effects from the Omnipaque (an entire morning of diarrhea, sorry for the TMI but I'm a Real Human and a biological organism just like you.) Drank loads of water and only half of my coffee, and felt uncomfortable for two hours.
But hey! No acidic burning in my stomach! Lol.
When my stupid colon seemed to finally settle down I got dressed and practiced trombone for a while.
One of our bassists from Tootsie is local to Orlando, and he's asked me to record a few bars of a jingle for a project, so I did that with Jameson's help. Then I worked on a setlist of party band music for Groove Slayers, a local band that I'm subbing in with as a favor to a trombonist friend while he's out of town. I don't mind party/wedding bands, but I DO mind the late hours and playing at bars. This is only two nights, and I owe this friend a lot, so I'm gonna try to enjoy it and appreciate that he asked me to cover his gigs :)
Nothing else to report. It rained in the afternoon, I went to the grocery for a few things, cleaned the bathrooms, and felt tired and a bit depressed. I want to be working.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, Jameson got a new pool guy to service our pool because Pinch-a-Penny has let it turn green again.
New pool guy seems nice and the pool already looks better (he had to shock it.)
Nothing at all interesting all day. But at night we went to Boxi Park, which is a little outdoor venue with a stage for local bands, and some old shipping containers that have been converted into food stalls (hence, "Boxi"). We were there because Jameson's friends Lea and Simon invited us, and because The Hooligans were playing (Jameson and Lea have performed with them before), and because why not have a night out with friends!
We got there before our friends, ordered food, and listened to The Hooligans.
Our lobster rolls from Claw & Order, with herb lemon mayonnaise.
They were REALLY good! Jameson liked the fries a lot, I wish I could replicate them.
When our friends arrived we had drinks at the bar and socialized with the band for their first set break.
Once they were back playing again it was hard to hear anything over the music, but we did the best we could to have conversations while drinking and sweating. It's still stupid hot out around here, and every time I used the restroom there were gaggles of women in there not to use the toilets but to soak up air conditioning in the one place it was provided. This venue should really look into other cooling options.
We had a fun time and it was good to get out for a bit with good people.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday I woke up feeling pretty good, but in the late afternoon when my stomach was empty I had some mild cramping/burning, so I am back to thinking that this could be an ulcer and that alcohol was certainly not helpful (no kidding genius.)
After breakfast I got dressed and went to the radiology clinic for a CD of my guts! Obviously I want to look at them!
The radiology clinic is near a tailor that I use regularly, so I stopped there too to get some thrift store pants hemmed. From there, a 40-minute drive to Whole Paycheck for ingredients to make a carrot-miso-pasta recipe that my sister sent. It calls for white miso, and Jameson doesn't handle MSG well, and Whole Paycheck's ethnic foods often have much lower sodium than stuff at the Asian grocery stores.
After lunch I looked at the images of my guts. I could identify heart, lungs, and some intestines...and nothing else! Thrilling :p
Since I was out of bread I decided to make a loaf.
I chose a dinner roll recipe that someone said they'd successfully converted to loaf-form.
It's similar to a Japanese milk bread: tangzhong, milk, egg, bread flour, butter, sugar, salt, yeast.
I chose the Pullman pan this time in case the quantity of dough was too much for the regular bread pan.
Turned out pretty good! It shrank and crinkled on me a bit, so possibly overproofed, or maybe it's just another example of Florida's barometric pressure messing with things. Either way the crumb was satisfyingly chewy yet light, and it smelled super buttery. If I weren't slicing it up, this bread would do that "feathering" thing that pull-apart dinner rolls do. I bet this will make amazing toast!
Before bed my aunt called to check up on me.
I know I'm almost 40, but with my parents gone, it feels extra special and touching to have someone checking that I'm ok.
She did freak me out, though, by reminding me that the CT scan may not have found everything and the GI may recommend further procedures. Argh, I don't even want to think about it. Medical visits fill me with fear.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I woke up freaking out because sometime in the night I developed a sore throat.
It's been feeling funny ever since we went to Boxi Park. Hoping that it's just a cold and not covid or anything. So far no other symptoms, so I'll see how it develops. But I am already freaking out about health stuff this week and really don't need anything additional to worry about :(
My stomach was perfectly normal at breakfast, so there's that.
Today I swept the pool deck, finished reading the latest installment of Saga, enjoyed my buttery bread with lunch, practiced trombone, and watched anime. It was too hot for outdoor activities.
For dinner I made us this recipe, which my sister had sent me a while back. It's pasta in a carrot miso sauce, topped with toasted panko and a carrot top/parsley gremolata (kind of like a pesto.) It's supposed to be vegan but I added a chicken breast.
Turned out very tasty, I really enjoyed the sauce and would have liked it as a soup also. It also seemed like the type of thing that could be modified easily; for example, adding a smoked chipotle for a southwest spin, or some nutritional yeast to make it more "cheesy". The chicken was too dry so that kind of ruined the dish unfortunately. Jameson thought the pasta + carrot sauce would be good as a casserole, topped with Ritz crackers, and I have to agree. If I make it again we're gonna do it that way.
Jameson was supposed to hang out with friends but they bailed on him, so we watched Insidious and Insidious 2 instead.
I can never take horror movies seriously, but this one was at least creative and had fewer plot holes than many others I've seen.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, I definitely have some sort of head cold. But there's no cough, runny nose or fever, and minimal sneezing. My throat just feels and looks irritated, and my sinuses feel sore. Not sure what is up but glad it's minor.
Today's activities: drove to a shopping plaza for a Yankee Candle and walking sneakers; to the grocery for a few things; practiced the trombone for a scant 30 minutes; went for a neighborhood walk (cut short due to rain.) Jameson was out with some friends this afternoon, and he picked up dinner for us on the way home.
Next week's activities:
- Plumber coming tomorrow to fix the hot water in the guest bathroom
- GI doctor appointment Tuesday afternoon
- Party band rehearsal on Wednesday
- HelloFresh meal subscription starts up again
- Making "strawberry fluff" cookies
- Possible car repairs
- If I don't hear from the transcription job, resuming job applications
no subject
At least they haven't found anything serious and the doctors & nurses have begun to rule out some of the more serious issues.
I'm really ticked on your behalf that you're not hearing back from the transcription job. Am I remembering right that they needed a background check, and that's the step you're stuck in? At best they might just be behind in those. I know the checks at work can sometimes take days or sometimes weeks... and it doesn't seem to matter if someone doesn't have a record or has a record a mile long.
no subject
Yes, very glad that the issues are generally mild (in fact they're pretty much gone now that the meds are over, except for the day after I drank alcohol, which is very understandable). I doubt it's anything serious, but because I'm approaching the age when my mother likely developed pancreatic cancer I'm definitely going to be taking abdominal distress seriously for probably the rest of my life.
I actually just heard back from the recruiter. It's not their fault (and I KNOW it's not their fault), they've forwarded everything to some government agency that has to do my background check and clearances. They can't take me on until my background check goes through. I've been through this process before, but the longest it has ever taken is six weeks, and we're approaching that now so I'm worried.
Whether I have a record or not, if I messed up anything on the paperwork it could also delay everything. I always worry about this when it comes to my stupid apostrophe in my last name, it always manages to cause problems for me!