I am sick of this cough!!!

Eeek! About four weeks ago, I caught this really nasty cough at the dialysis center. Ten boxes of tissue, 7 bags of Ricola, and about 6 bottles of Robitussin later, it is still with me. Oh, I almost forgot about the nasal rinse.

It's not a cute cough either... it actually sounds like it's coming from the bowels of the earth. It reminds me of Lord Voldemort (Yes, I am re-reading Deathly Hallows - That is not a crime, is it?).

Hopefully, I am at the tail-end of it. My accupuncturist recommended Natural Herb Loquat Extract to soothe my throat. Tell you the truth, the loquat syrup has a minty mediciney smell, but it does not taste THAT bad (ha!). At this point, I am up for anything. At least I am doing my part to stimulate the economy, I am keeping the tissue, Ricola, Robitussin, and even the loquat people employed.

Tired...Dead tired

I've been working long hours recently, and I am so tired from it. One of the testers said I sounded pregnant since I am so punchy. She may be right -- I have "twins" coming soon. One is a web launch on October 23 and the other is an internal web launch on November 13.

Not quite "twins" but I will be glad when its over.

Hopefully, my drop in energy level is due to too much work and not too much dialysis.

Black and Blue Again

Yes, sir: another bad stick. This is the third time in a month, and my arm now looks like a leopard... or a zebra (a zepard?). Earlier this month, I've resigned myself to wearing long sleeved shirts, but then this California hot spell came. Oh, the horrors of displaying my arm in public!

The tech and the nurses decided that that spot may be cursed. Hopefully, another spot is luckier.

日本語を話しましょう (Let's speak Japanese)

ペスブクには “Let’s learn Japanese” ページが あります。 私は 新しい 漢字や 文法や 単語を ならって います。 毎しゅう 月曜日と 金曜日に 私は ふくしゅうを します。

Translation:
In Facebook, there is a “Let’s learn Japanese” page. I am learning new kanji and grammar and vocabulary. Every week, Monday and Friday, I review (my lessons).

I did not intend to show off my Japanese writing skills, but merely illustrate how I’ve been spending time during my three and a half hour “oil-change”. I feel somewhat productive, and with that and my almost daily lessons and practice reading Japanese posts in Facebook, I feel that my skills are improving. I am pretty sure I have a bunch of gramatical errors in that three-sentence post.

On a health note, my energy streak is coming back. In the last few weeks, I have had a summer cold, pinched nerve on my toe, gout, and that time of the month (ugh!). ENOUGH already! I’ve missed my workouts at the gym and the pool (which probably gave me the cold). I am glad I am at the tail-end of things. Maybe next week, we’ll do laps again!

Recently...

My access point is hurting the past few days. It has an intermittent tingling sensation on it and it does sting. Kinda reminds me of Harry Potter's scar. Whenever Voldemort is near, his scar hurts. I wonder what is nearing my horizon.

Same ole, same ole

There has really nothing to write about lately, dialysis-wise. Things are becoming more routine: week after week, month after month. I still do not look forward to the three hours, fifteen minutes hooked up to get my biweekly "oil-change," but I think my boredom-busters are helping me get through it. Lately, its been a combination of Brick on my BlackBerry, Big Bang Theory on Mondays, and Food Network on Fridays. I still have my language books handy (Japanese and Italian - what a combination) in the event that Hubby wants to watch some sports.

The challenge lately is keeping my phosphorus levels down. During my last lab tests, my phosphorus was at 6.5, and I am quite puzzled why it is at the level. I do not eat nuts, dairy, or sodas and take my binders regularly. Maybe I eat too much protein... we'll see, tomorrow is another test.

The latest mystery is my energy level is back up. I do not have that drained feeling on Saturdays and am able to do more chores around the house. Not sure what is causing this, but I am enjoying this surge of energy and hope that it will last.

农历新年 (Gung hay fat choi)

Happy (Chinese) New Year. Happy Valentine’s Day!

It has been really busy during the past few months: with the holidays, my birthday, the “holiday” dialysis schedule, a new location for our (martial arts) dojo, work, and ugh – Jury Duty. Almost two weeks of my already precious time was spent sitting on a trial: three days of selection, three days of trial, and three days of deliberation. And we ended up as a hung jury -- oh, well. I was fortunate that I was switching projects at that time, and my workload was somewhat lighter. If not, I would have been a bigger wreck.

Last week, I felt that I was starting this lunar new year with a sense of renewal: I am getting used to the responsibilities of my new project. Yesterday, we just released a new version of our website. Lastly, except for the occasional travel to Burbank and San Diego (for work, of course), my dialysis schedule is getting back to normal.

Given that, I could not help getting frustrated with the medical challenges that are here and will be in the near future. My KT/v (the measure of the effectiveness of dialysis) has substantially decreased in January. I had to redo my 24-hour urine collection for the month and am now doing that on an inconvenient weekday, instead of a more convenient Sunday. The vascular surgeon also found a narrowing on my fistula, and I will need to go under the knife again. I am hoping to schedule that surgery in early March, although Hubby would really prefer the surgery in a week or two.

Sigh… I guess the year goes on.

To end on a happy note, for Valentine’s Day, we will be enjoying a nice, romantic dinner at Fiore here in Clayton tonight: A romantic end for the new year.

Laissez les bon temps roulez (Let the good times roll).