lorena

Okay, maybe that's a bit grandiose, but that's what it feels like.

For about a decade I've been taking the standard blood thinner, coumadin, to help ward away the possibility of stroke, which my mother and grandmother had at various degrees of severity. It was no big deal for years -- the strength of the pill was offset by eating a certain amount of various green veggies, so I'd take the pill and eat some broccoli and all was well.

Then I got COVID last January. A relatively light case, as they go, but the longterm effect was that it magnified the effect of the pill to the point where I had a lot of bruising, including bruises and swelling on my face. I looked like I'd gone up against Mike Tyson. So my dosage was dropped considerably, and so was the amount of greenery I needed to eat.

At this point it's half a leaf of romaine, or two tiny baby kale, or maybe 3 pieces of dark green spring lettuce, or less than a third of the top of a stalk of broccoli.

I haven't had a full serving of a green vegetable since January and I'm getting hungry for them.

So I asked the pharmacist I deal with about it, and she didn't want to hear about it. She said if I wasn't getting enough greens she could increase my dose so I could have them, totally ignoring the whole Mike Tyson bruises situation. I had my INR bloodtest, which determines how well the greenery is doing at offsetting the coumadin, and it was fine.

Then I got a call from a different pharmacist, who was horrified at the idea that I was feeling undernourished. He has changed me to a different prescription (sorry, can't recall the name), which does not have food requirements -- I can eat what I want. It's taken with a full glass of water twice a day, probably with a small snack as well, but that's no problem. He asked about everything I take, flagged one supplement as possibly a problem (I can drop it) and set it up so I should get it in the mail in a day or so. When it arrives I will need to go without either for 72 hours, then start.

And no more blood tests. My arms are already feeling better for that!

I'm just looking forward so much to having a really nice big salad!

1. After a little experimentation, I've found that it is possible to sing most popular Christmas carols (and possibly other songs) with the only lyrics being repeats of "Epstein". I suggest this for the use of protesters, as I imagine the lovely sounds of four part harmonies with a stunning effect on the bystanders.

2. Does anyone else have tinnitis? And if so, how do you manage to fall asleep when everything else is quiet? I have been listening to rain sounds on a recording, which helps, but it's hard to be relaxed and ready and just NOT tip over into sleep. Suggestions welcome!

3. Songs I have figured out (to some degree) on Native American flute: the guitar lead line to Layla (the piano interval is in C and very easy); the sax lead line to Gerry Rafferty's 'Baker Street'; the Beatles' 'Blackbird'; bits and pieces of many other Beatles tunes; the Beach Boys' 'California Girls', including the key change in the chorus that most people don't notice. If my only real inheritance from my mother's dad is his ability to play anything he could whistle, I'm very glad to have it; it has done well for me all my life even though I can read music (he couldn't).

4. I bailed at the last minute on a dental cleaning today, because I got no real sleep last night (see 2.) and I was not up to driving for half an hour or having someone's hands in my mouth for an hour. I also felt overheated and queasy, and told the receptionist that when I called, and she agreed I shouldn't come in. We rescheduled for Nov. 6, which was Mom's birthday, so I'm not likely to forget to come. It's late at night and I still do feel a bit off, so I'm calling the whole thing self care.

5. And I'm looking forward to seeing the nominations list for Yuletide. Every year there are more diverse possibilities, many of which I have no idea about since I'm not up on the latest Korean or Japanese or Chinese shows. But there are still enough oldbies like me around that I should be able to cobble together some requests and a list of possibilities to write about.