I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me

[the_siobhan]

End result: Still testing negative. THANK YOU for all the suggestions and advice, I will keep them in my pocket for next time.

***

You would think that having a week off work would give me time to finally get caught up on all the things. You would be entirely incorrect in that assumption.

This is probably because I hit a pretty solid wall on Friday night and just went, welp no more work for me. Take-away roti and beer and video games was how I spent the last two days of my week off work.

Maybe this weekend.

***

Housemate is still in the hospital. They are now testing negative for covid but the doctors are trying to chase down the reason for all the other health problems they've been dealing with. This is a good thing, their doctor has been trying to get a specialist referral for eight months so they are finally getting some traction on that.

This is what it takes now I guess. Same thing happened with the Old Man was referred to a specialist with a two-year waiting list. He finally got the tests he needed done when the issue landed him in Emergency.

***

As for me, I think I might have actually done something to my knee - either the gout actually damaged something or I also managed to twist it maybe when it was already hurting so much I didn't notice. I can bend it fine now, but it seems like it doesn't want to completely unbend all the way? Like if I straighten it fully it legit feels like there is a twig lodged under one side of my kneecap.

It doesn't hurt and I've been walking around on it for the past couple of days - yesterday to my gf's place and today to the hospital to drop off some clean laundry - both places about a half hour walk each way. But every once in a while one of the muscles to the side or back will spasm, and that does hurt.

Very weird.

***

Builder didn't come around all last week. I told him we were plague house so he scheduled his crew to work on other sites. In theory he's back tomorrow.

This is the sooong that neeeveer ends...

Comments

[cornerofmadness]

glad they're getting the help they need at the hospital and glad you didn't catch anything

[the_siobhan]

I'm kind of shocked honestly.

[cornerofmadness]

Understandably

[kest]

So glad you don't seem to have gotten the bullshit. Best of luck to your housemate also...at least being Canadian no one is facing a multi-tens-of-thousands of dollars bill for the hospital stay, but also it seems perhaps a less than efficient way to run the system. You should probably go see someone about the knee if you can...it could just be swollen or bursitis or something, but knees get tendon tears that sometimes apparently don't feel like anything but then can suddenly fuck you all the way up. Bodies, man.

[the_siobhan]

Gods yeah. They could never do this in the US.

The health care system has been underfunded for years and our current premier is moving funds from public to private practices so it's an entire mess getting care right now. Once you can get in it's good and it's covered. And we still do triage for urgent conditions like cancer. But fuck the whole access to specialists thing has become A Problem if you have anything more subtle than a broken bone.

My sister is one of the very rare people who was able to get a GP who was accepting new patients. He graduated in June and his patient roster filled up in like... two days.

[greylock]

Gods yeah. They could never do this in the US.

Isn't that where they are going to move?
(I mean, I'd not be moving to Trumpistan in the next year or so).


The health care system has been underfunded for years

I think it's a western world thing. I was pondering last night when the peak social state was and, ignoring a lot, I reckon it was between the '70s and '80s. It's been all downhill since the '87s crash.

[ysilme]

I'm glad to hear you managed to not catch it! Don't be too hard on yourself, you've certainly got more than enough reason to be exhausted and needing breaks, and those two days sound just what you needed to unwind a bit.
It's bitter that you need to have something bigger to get the necessary medical attention also for your other issues in a more timely fashion; sorry to hear it happened both to your housemate and Old Man. I hope housemate will soon get the help he needs.
But your poor knee, that sounds uncomfortable! I hope pampering it a little will make it better. I don't know if you have this available, but I find comfrey salve most helpful with such issues; we can get it as a regular sports salve from the pharmacy.
Sending a heap of positive vibes your way, it sounds as if you could do with some! *hugs*

[the_siobhan]

Yeah, I'm trying to be kind to myself. I might need to take a few more days just to sit here and shuffle paper around.

The sports salve is a good idea, I'll try that. It seems to be a little bit swollen today with all the walking which has me concerned. Man. I do not need this to be something long-term.

[houseof9cats]

He finally got the tests he needed done when the issue landed him in Emergency.

American-style! Growing up, my only health care was emerg at Albany Memorial*, and only because it was a benefit for nurses who worked there. So, my mom worked double shifts until I was sixteen.

*I also had CHAMPVA, but the nearest base was a three-hour drive and my mother was unmarried and separated from my father (the insured), so they harassed her and we stopped going.

That is to say, I can name that tune in one note.