Younger DIL refers to the wobblers my body periodically throws as my being “nerfed.” She says G-d nerfed me, to make sure I don’t take over the world.
This is silly, as the Author knows I have zero interest in taking over the world. Just ranting on politics and writing a lot of novels, to be honest. But if that qualifies as taking over the world….
Anyway, this year has been extra special wild. So when the erratic posting (look, more erratic than usual) started a couple of weeks ago, I was just feeling really tired. Later on other symptoms manifested that sent me to walk-in clinic at my doctor’s last Friday morning. This in turn resulted in a lot of tests and…
Well, apparently the ear infection wasn’t so much cured, as it moved elsewhere. The problem being where it moved has the POTENTIAL (not nearly the certainty, but you know, in the majority of cases) of causing permanent harm to essential organs in adults.
So I’m not on an OMG (Obama must go (elsewhere)) level antibiotic. In a long life of taking antibiotics, I think this is the strongest I’ve taken. The kind of antibiotic where you’re told to, no joke, take a pro biotic with every capsule, even if it’s a one-a-day probiotic.
Anyway, to combine with this, allergies have been causing me to cough non-stop which does things to your sleep.
I defeated that last night by — a miracle — remembering to use the steroid inhaler, which is the only thing that stops the coughing, really. So I actually slept. 12 hours or so.
Which doesn’t explain why I woke up feeling absolutely NERFED.
I don’t know how to explain this, but it’s like all of a sudden, for no reason I can figure out, someone removed my will power, interest, power of locomotion: everything. To the point that I could happilly sit here and stare at the wall all day. Which is weird. Normally I HAVE to be doing something, and the worst torture you can give me is have me sit comfortably with nothing to read and nothing to do with my hands.
Note, nothing hurts, and I’m in no way in any distress, save for a complete lack of get-up-and-go.
I’m not sure what to do with this.
I read the morning news, and I’m somewhat upset at attempts to negotiate with Iran — No. Really no. I do understand the exigencies of internal politics, but the mullahs have to go. Completely. eradicated. — Yes. i do understand that if we bomb the oil infrastructure, the oil prices might never recover, certainly not in time for the midterms, but d*mn it. Those critters are going to be a danger to the world as long as they’re in charge.
However, this anger is very distant, as if it belonged to someone else.
And I have a copyedited pseudonymous novel to go over, and Rhodes to Hell to finish. But–
It’s all about a million miles away, and I’m sitting on my sofa, trying to get the motivation to go upstairs and doe the catboxes, which are foul. I will eventually do it. It just seems like… at lot of effort?
Anyway, I thought I should let you know what’s up, in case you were more worried than you should be.
On the extraordinary promo: Charlie Martin and I are trying to organize a site that reviews books and does geeky articles about sf/dinosaurs/old books/space and other things our side of the sf community hankers for. We are starting out on substack, which might not be the brightest thing in the world.
Not today — see nerfed — but I will try to post something asking for workers/reviewers/posters. Look, it won’t pay for a year, but I hope it will pay at least some after. It was supposed to go live this month, but my health has kept me from “piloting” the thing. So, keep your fingers crossed. It’s something much needed for indies, and frankly even Baen authors, as pro reviews are hard to come by.
And in very good news, my brother was released from the hospital yesterday (I just learned) which means he’s doing better and should be able to resume immunetherapy for lung cancer, which hopefully will make it so he dies with lung cancer (eventually) not OF lung cancer now. (G-d be praised, always.) Thank you so much to everyone who has been praying.
If I can get myself to do it, I’ll write him a postcard, which should furnish him with enough Portuguese grammar mistakes and spelling errors to chortle over for a while. (He finds it bewildering I’ve almost forgotten my native tongue and calls me an ex-speaker of Portuguese.)
Okay. Now I’m going to drag butt from sofa and go do boxes. The smell is bad enough to ALMOST motivate me.
According To Hoyt 
Well, being “nerfed” is bad, but there are alternatives that would be worse. [Wink]
Take care of yourself Sarah.
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Catching up on sleep can nerf me for a day. Two, if it was really bad.
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Makes sense to me. You feel good enough that you don’t feel bad, but you feel bad enough that you don’t feel like doing anything. You’re bone-deep tired of being sick and not sleeping.
Thankful your brother is better.
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^I’m thankful
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Sarah, I know I’ve mentioned this before, but please, please give a zero-carb diet (no plants at all) a try, for at least thirty days! There’s no guarantees, but a very good chance that it would help with a lot of your symptoms – I keep reading about your health problems, and cringing, because we all want you alive, and healthy, and feeling good, and writing, for many years to come! I could give you a list of all of the things that it’s helped with for me and for my youngest (Cedar’s sister, Juniper, who has major issues, including autoimmune stuff), but one big one has been the almost complete cessation of any allergy symptoms.
Praying for you!
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I’ve done it. It really only makes me gain weight. This is not auto immune, which is actually better. It’s just an infection…. The allergies are, well…. respiratory. It is the time.
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:waves hand:
I got this result, to, in spite of my sister have awesome results.
Worse, this was in the Navy– so going “no carb” was actually pretty easy. I could get up, get bacon for breakfast, etc, no issue. I never added anything to coffee, which was the major response….
I just got very sick.
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Damn it, Sarah. Now I don’t have any excuse for not cleaning the litter box.
*Stomps off waving the scoop. *
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I am so very glad that I have a self cleaning box.
Well, mostly self cleaning. I service it once a week or so.
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Mission accomplished.
Here’s a thought. Does anyone else use a clump count as a proxy for whether your kitty is getting enough fluids?
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No.
Because we have 5 cats. I guess the upstairs kitty litter, because only one cat uses that box, we could. (Ex-feral VS domestics, self segregate.)
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Yeah, I haven’t lost much weight on it, either (I did lose about 45 lbs. initially, but have been stalled out for the last three years). But eating other stuff causes so many problems, including pain, that I still stick with it. Sure hope you can find something that works for you.
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Re: you and Charlie’s substack: sign me up!
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Have you tested for Covid? The two times I had it, my major symptom was a total lack of energy similar to what you describe.
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That would be a reasonable test in your case, Sarah.
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No, they did blood tests, they know what it is. It’s not covid. It’s not an upper respiratory infection at all!
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Well, well well. I am suffering from the same NERFing. I should be ecstatic. Finally got the consult from my favorite specialist Tuesday I had to wait 4 months for. Instead I no longer find ambition to eat right (went to Black Bear Diner and wolfed down a Grizzly Combo – I recommend taking some insulin before you even look up what that entails – or work out. If you do get increasing vestibular symptoms or hearing symptoms from what I suspect is mastoiditis, I can recommend some appropriate consultants. In mean time look up lymphatic drainage massage for head and neck, and remember it is performed GENTLY. The back pressure from lymphadenopathy can do a number on your balance and hearing organs. OK there. I had some ambition, if only to play doctor which a retired one should not do. Now I think I’ll take a nap.
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If you take an antibiotic and a probiotic, don’t they just cancel out? 😁
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No. If she’s on what I think she’s on, then the probiotic, along with live culture yogurt and fresh sauerkraut, will go a long way to prevent a nasty bowel problem that strips not only the good bacteria from your colon, but also does a whole other bunch of nasties!
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GROAN Dealing with the sarcasm-deficient is such a pain… 😛
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Ask Drak sometime how poorly I respond to UNMARKED sarcasm when a: I’m fatigued – thanks to the dogs, I’m having trouble keeping my days and nights straight, despite the wonders of Provigil and CPAP – and b: the subject is something that I have a significant interest/experience in – and, most importantly c: the point is potentially life threatening.
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You become… a BIOTIC GOD!!!
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*renegade interrupt*
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The Renegade outcome is pretty funny, if mean.
I still like the *thud* when he hits the floor. “Sleep now… destroy entire universe later.”
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“Charge.”
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Are there any amateur biotics?
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Carptapult engaged!
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1: even with Dark Reader on, I don’t always recognize smilies. my apologies.
2: you are oddly enough correct, in that taking the antibiotic and the probiotic too close together can neutralize the effects of the probiotic.
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I’ve been a little worried, at the back of my mind.
Glad that you know what to treat, and are treating it.
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Having much experience with antibiotics, it sounds like Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction from the new antibiotic, which can take a lot of odd forms, from total brain fog to demotivation deluxe.
Probiotics? You betcha. With all the antibiotics you’ve been on, your gut biota has to be a wreck. There are some really great probiotic “yogurts” you can make yourself, and they do very well. Far better than any pills, in my experience. L. reuteri and B. coagulans are particularly good. Florastor (Saccharomyces Boulardii) can be taken by pill, or better yet by making a culture in apple juice (it’s delish!). The key to these seems to be the dosage of the organisms. You need to crowd out the bad stuff with the good stuff, so to speak. You’ll want to keep this up for weeks after you are off the antibiotics. Dr William Davis is a good reference on YouTube for how to make this stuff.
We want you to stay healthy so we can all enjoy the free ice cream here, after all!
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I’m not worried about that one – Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions are low on the list unless Sarah is at high risk for Lyme Disease or one of the others in the same class.
I’ll admit that I had to stop and look it up again, as ISTR that I only saw 2 cases in 20 years of active clinical practice.
your comments about home made probiotics are well made.
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I dunno, being tired would make sense to me: all your energy is going to your your immune system.
It must be ecstatic to have an actual invader to fight, instead of just your own cells.
… assuming it remembers that’s what its mission actually is…
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You don’t want to take over the world– but you’re a responsible person.
You clean up messes and fix stuff, as best you can.
:looks around the world and gives a meaningful look:
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Don’t tell her to clean up!! Lord only knows what’ll happen to the world!
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You have a point.
…So is this a Class 1 or Class 4 world-ending event? ;)
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do feel better we’re not promised tomorrow but we can hope
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I took Biaxin 20 or so years ago and found myself so stupid/depressed I couldn’t remember how to set the microwave. Just stood there, staring at it.
Turns out a side effect of Biaxin is depression. FWIW, maybe other antibiotics do that.
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I had that a couple of years ago, also tied to a constant cough which was tied to a bronchial infection. Also finally got a mega dose antibiotic. Once I got to the point of being able to sleep, there was a period where all I felt like doing was sitting and listening to music.
Hopefully this is a sign of you getting better as well.
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Not to be silly, but have you checked for Mono? Kid had it and it only seemed like a cold.
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It’s not mono. Mono would be easier.
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The Reader nearly died of (unspecified) complications of mono at 19. He ran a fever of 104+ for about 36 hours before it broke.
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yeah. It would be easier. This one is …. a mess.
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a few years ago my daughter got sick and was out of school for 6 weeks. They tested her multiple times for influenza, covid, mono, strep, etc. Only rarely did she ever run a fever, and then low grade. Everything they tested for came back negative. But she would sleep 20+ hours/day. Eventually she got up one day and felt better. No idea what she had.
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Age 19. Mine wasn’t mono, but strep throat with tonsillitis. Ran a fever of 104 F. Got thrown into the hospital. “Um. Okay. Guess I am sick.”
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hope this gets over for you quickly.
I have lived nerfed for years now. The only reason I feel it is nerfed is that once in a while I will have a day where i have energy for a few hours and then overdoing it because I have so much to do.
I’m pretty sure my nerfed is a combination of long term pain and heart. I do have the autoimmune system eating issues with inflammation. Going to a straight meat diet fixes it. I’m a carnivore and i still cant take eating nothing but meat. it sucks the will to live out of me after awhile.
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I lasted about 6 months on keto. 2 months on carnivore. Same problem in both cases. Food exhaustion. I pretty much stopped eating because I was so bored with what I could eat.
Although I did stop craving ice when on both diets, so that’s an unexpected bonus.
When I realized I was down to one meal per day and spending most of my time nerfed (thanks for that word, Sarah) it was time to stop.
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My dentist said a couple years back that craving ice is a sign of low iron. Why I was not told this in childhood, I do not know.
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It’s easier to scream at girls about how chewing is bad.
Says teh grumpy mom who nagged her daughter into tell her buddies this obvious thing.
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I chewed pencils as a kid. I’ve finally figured out that it was allergies irritating my TMJ and eustachian tubes so that only chewing made things feel better.
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My mom told me this because she was chronically anemic. Apparently my body absorbs food iron but basically ignores the pills. The available forms of pill iron go straight through and cause other problems.
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I have had those types of days. Usually after a lot of stress days in a row, eventually the brain just shuts down and needs to do “nothing”, no I mean “NOTHING”. It’s a day of just letting the back brain recover/reset/reform.
I use it as a warning sign that I need to go do a me day OR ELSE I’ll be taking a sick week. Just a day of zombie zoning out, sitting in the shade/sun and just listening to the music of the universe. And sipping tea.
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Well. Interesting – last couple days I’ve felt like it would be unwise to be driving anywhere, and I have had errands to run. Perhaps that will be better today.
—
I finished Witch’s Daughter last night. I liked it, a lot, and everyone should buy it, and Witch Finder is a fine prequel and everyone should buy that too.
OK, that’s all true but not especially helpful, right?
I don’t know if it’s really a spoiler to reveal that Everything Turns Out All Right; few works end like Hamlet, with Fortinbras reflecting on the carnage and all the principal characters dead.
But the ending of Witch’s Daughter is my favorite bit. Lots of stories end with ‘they lived happily ever after’. In this one, the main character gets to pick what that means, and we get a few scenes of the day-to-day implementation of happily ever after. Not that things are closed off – plenty of room for More Stuff in More Books.
Oh, and don’t cross the King of Faery: quite astonishing power to grant ‘happily’.
Now, how much of that to put on AMZ?
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DId manage to get out.
And, an up-tick: I take Ozempic; today actually got my prescribed 90-day supply. Haven’t had more than 4 weeks at a time in more than a year. Maybe supply is increasing.
Actually seems like spring. Almost nice enough to have my morning coffee out on my back deck.
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Speaking of reviews, I spent much of the afternoon finishing Witch’s Daughter and submitted a review. Did my best to avoid spoilers but I tried to get out why I liked it.
Reviewd a few other (non book) things today, but haven’t seen the ‘zon acknowledge any of them yet. Not sure how long it takes.
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Someone told me they’d left a review a week ago, and it still hasn’t shown.
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The few I have submitted seem to take about a day. Also put mine in, so we’ll see.
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I’m beginning to think that maybe I am somehow to blame – along the lines of when I get the sniffles, you seem to come down with pneumonia…
I was out of the picture the last four or five days, just barely getting the most essential things done (not even that, some days – things like skipping a shower and/or not getting the kitchen cleaned up).
Which reminds me, I am somewhat better today. Must head off to get the kitchen done, shower, and see what I need to pick up tonight for the planned meals through Sunday.
Feel better, please, Sarah. I’m out of here, though.
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Sarah:
I’m presuming you are on one or another antibiotics in the class know as FQ from your comment.
I’m also glad to note that your coughing is more straight forward than I had thought it might be.
The biggest open question for you: Have they managed to identify the bug which is infesting you?
This could be by some form of direct or blood culture ; sputum culture; or urine culture, DNA screening or bacterial antigen screening.
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yes. BUT they are worried it might not die. So they want me back in ten days.
I just want to stop feeling like I’m not really here, just calling in. I mean, I just did a 2 hour nap, on top of sleeping 10 hours.
This is the antibiotic, right?
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The body needs rest to fight the disease, and the cure usually. Don’t be harsh on yourself. Take the nap, and another if you need to. I took one myself this morning after everyone left.
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The “FQ” refers to the class of antibiotic, yes. and yes, the FQ’s can have some weird side effects even in more or less ‘true normies,’ and I’ve heard of fatigue being one of them, even if not officially documented.
Wanting you back in 10-14 days, or SOONER IF YOU DID NOT GET BETTER, was the standard of care that I was taught and practiced back in the days of listening to your patient, and using four of the five senses to evaluate your patient, so that you only needed the lab work or imaging studies to confirm which of the likely diseases was the problem. With an experienced mind, and well trained hands, that handled over 97% of the problems seen even in a busy ED. The labs and images usually guided you to the need for further tests in the other 3% or so, often including either sticking tubes into or up natural body orifices, or sticking needles or knives into the body to make new orifices.
Sadly, that type of hands on medicine hasn’t be properly practiced in going on 20 years now, and the dependence on so called ‘objective, quantifiable tests’ has become predominant.
Good antibiotic stewardship STILL depends on having some form of specific findings – culture and sensitivity testing of the cause of the infection; changes in specific antibody titers; or changes in the excretion of specific by products of the infection; to help guide the proper use of antibiotics.
Otherwise, you may end up using the equivalent of a 10 gauge goose gun when a properly selected .22 will do. FQs are among the 10 gauge goose guns of oral antibiotics.
;While I have been out of clinical practice for over 15 years now, I’ve kept up on antibiotic stewardship as that has been a long time interest of mine.
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On the probiotics: I had my immune system nuked from an antibiotic regime (may not have been the highest level, but 3x a day doesn’t mess around.)
The probiotics that reset my system were “spore encapsulated” and you had to order them direct from the website, because the ‘Zon versions were cheap knockoffs. (Always check the manufacturer’s website for these sorts of things.) The value of the encapsulation is that it manages to get the stuff inside much further down the digestive system, getting them past the stomach where most probiotic beasties die. The yogurt and fermented stuff never made it far enough to do any good.
I’d suggest you look into a high-end product like that to use after the antibiotics are done. Seriously, my gut was almost normal for once in my life.
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What you described for yourself today sounds like me almost every day nowadays. Lack of energy, lack of focus, just disconnected, when I have to be connected to get through my job situation. Some days are better than others. “Nerfed” is a good word for it.
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Oh no. I’m sorry.
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Eh, same stuff I’ve whined about before. Probably just me being close to old, out of shape, diabetic, depressive, and burned out on my current job. Feels a lot of the time like thinking is walking through chest-deep mud. How much is physical, how much is mental, how much is physical-mental, how much is spiritual, I have no idea. I don’t think it’s quite as easy to pin down as your infection (for which Shells and I are praying for you btw, as I’m sure the entire Hunosphere is).
It is AWFULLY tempting to just sit and stare at the wall and pet a dog or cat, though, sometimes.
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(staring at wall. Petting cat)
Hunh?
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*Points up at 11B*
What he said. Jase says, “Sit MOAR, scritch MOAR!”
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Antibiotics, as the name says, are made to attack life. Stronger ones do it more. They are wonderful and miraculous and a fantastic modernity asset to humans living more years, but they are powerful drugs and should be respected.
As a random dude on the intertubes, my advice is to vary the probiotics you are taking across various and sundry offerings, and the point above about spore-based is valid. The gut biome keeps being found to be more and more important, and more closely connected to the brain. Like voting in Atlanta, you should stuff that ballot box with probiotics as much as you can manage. Masses of 3am probiotics appearing out of the blue are not temporally required, but wouldn’t hurt anything.
Feel better soon.
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ahem
“Nerfherder”
(grin)
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”Who’s ‘scruffy looking’?”
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Ah, you have what my dad refers to as, “My get-up-&-go, got up and went without me.” Hope you start feeling like yourself soon.
My wife went to work today, and by 10 AM was already texting me how awful she feels. She put in for a substitute for tomorrow. Hopefully a 3 day weekend will be enough she can finish off the school year, which ends next Thursday.
BTW, I was kinda enjoying the little troll yesterday. It’s been awhile since you let such a dufus through for us to play with.
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I prefer “My get-up-&-go has got up and went”. [Very Big Lazy Grin]
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Niece has a substitute starting this week, through next school year, for grade school aged. Their second, a boy, was delivered via c-section this morning. Mom & baby doing fine as of the first report. Nothing since.
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I was having fun, but the punch-in-the face comment was a bit much. He never did say anything about his blood pressure medications. :)
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Sometimes the only way I can sleep without choking on my snot is in a recliner. You might consider it.
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As long as I remember the inhaler, I’m fine.
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Point One: I’ll stick you on the prayer list (which is something I have managed to begin to do since, well, since most of the world has gotten younger than me).
Point Two: “Nerfed” is bad, but at least you haven’t been “NARF!-ed”
https://www.eventeny.com/users/pic/22017-business-product-ubar4j7gvw161598375923-1200.jpg
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I’m tired and semi-numb too, but that’s “end is in sight, might hear train whistle” (also known as “May”), and trying to sort out a minor medical thing. (A “BTDT got the tee shirt “ thing.)
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Off topic. Local elections in the UK where, in very early results and the polls, Labour is being annihilated being almost one for one replaced by Reform (Nigel Farrage) across Labour’s former “Red Wall” heartlands in the North and Midlands. The Conservatives seem to be outperforming, admittedly low, expectations as their strength is in the south and the shires and Farrage doesn’t appeal there but they’re likely to,lose on balance too, just not as catastrophicly as Labour. The Greens, a particularly toxic blend of radical women, students, and immigrant Muslims are likely to make gains, particularly in London where almost 1/3 of the local government seats are.
The narrative will be interesting, but the establishment parties are getting destroyed and there’s a very good chance Starmer will be forced out. HIs replacement will likely be worse and it’s highly unlikely Labour, who has a huge majority of seats despite not winning a majority of the vote, will force the government to fall since they’ll all lose their seats since they’re all hugely unpopular.
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That was on my my list for finding out more about, so thanks.
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Same.
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Not nerfed, but with the current knee issues, normally I’m good for 2 hours of yardwork per day. For reasons (contractors, plus the pine cones are overwhelming), I did 3.5 hours. Broke for lunch and I could barely walk. (Trailer is still full of pine cones. Will dump it tomorrow.) Sitting in the comfy chair was my best bet. “It hurts to move my leg, at least more than not moving it.”
Ortho surgeon appointment Wednesday. I fully expect “I told you so” about his preferring a TKR when I went for arthroscopic last October.
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