I had a good week with just a couple of appointments. I went to the orthodontist to get prepped and scanned for starting Invisalign. The appointment was a lot longer than it was supposed to be because their scanners were acting up, which wasn’t helped by the fact that I have a very small mouth that is hard to maneuver the scanning wand in.
I also went to the optometrist. I was happy to be able to go to the one that I prefer due to an insurance change, and he updated my prescription and added prisms to make it easier for me to focus. I will go back in six months for the diabetic medical exam.
Michael did not work again this week. He was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but that morning they texted him that they were low on product and he did not need to come in. His job coach’s manager is going to contact them to see what their plans are for his employment, so hopefully we will find out more information this coming week.
I started doing Christmas puzzles this week and have completed three already. I have also finished five books so far this month, as well as a short story called Goblins & Greatcoats. The story is by Travis Baldree and is set in the world of the Legends & Lattes series. It is a fun story that features Zyll, a goblin who appears in the most recent book, Brigands & Breadknives.
This has been a busy month, so I am very glad for a four-day weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. Yesterday, Michael and I had a quiet day at home and enjoyed our version of a holiday feast. We are both picky eaters, so it was mostly beige foods. We enjoyed it though!
This morning, Michael had a manometry study to evaluate the motility of his esophagus. He has previously had a barium swallow and an upper endoscopy, both of which were normal. We are hoping that this test will give us some answers to his swallowing difficulties. The nurse who administered the test was great; she was very patient with him and explained everything that was happening very clearly. Michael had a bit of trouble with one small section of the test, but for the most part he did great. Actually, he did a lot better than I think I would have done!
Tomorrow I am going to a local puzzle competition. I am going as a spectator, partly because I enjoy watching people who can puzzle fast and partly because they are having a puzzle swap table. I am really hoping people bring some good puzzles to trade.
Speaking of puzzling, I just bought a new floor lamp for my living room that is a lot brighter than the one I had. It makes doing puzzles much easier and also helps me take better pictures of the finished puzzles. I am going to put the old floor lamp in Michael’s room since he only has a bedside lamp right now.
I did something a little different this year and bought an advent calendar for Michael. It is a Minecraft Lego advent calendar, and he seemed to really like it. I hope he will enjoy building each day’s item.
Michael and I after checking in for our first flight
I am not much of a traveler because I get so anxious about the logistics of the trip as well as having to find my way around an unfamiliar place and interact with so many strangers. I also have difficulty with a lot of physical activity because I am out of shape as well as dealing with arthritis in my right hip. But I hadn’t been to visit my parents since 2022, and my son Michael hadn’t seen them since 2019, so it was definitely time to make the trip.
After researching flight options and costs, I decided we would fly out on a Saturday and return on the following Wednesday. Since we would just be in the Quad-Cities where my parents live, we didn’t plan any sightseeing and decided to just focus on spending time with family.
Our first flight left at 6:45 am, which meant we had to get up at 3:45 am. Next time I will definitely book a later flight and also try to have a longer layover. Walking across O’Hare is exhausting!
The flights were uneventful, other than a half-hour delay leaving Chicago due to having to wait for our turn on the runway. I have a problem with my ears not popping and being quite painful when they do. I tried a product called Earplanes, which are earplugs that control how fast the pressure changes affect you. They helped a lot on takeoff. I still had some pain with the descent, but I did notice that afterwards I felt fine. Normally I have problems for a couple of days afterwards.Â
Since we arrived in Moline before noon, we took my mom to lunch at Red Lobster. That is a favorite for her and she also gets to take lots of leftovers home to enjoy later. We hung out at her place for a couple of hours and then headed over to check in to our hotel.
The hotel was basic but decent. They had a full breakfast which was just okay, but the room was very clean. Sunday morning I did a quick 300-piece puzzle while waiting to go meet my Dad & Carolyn for lunch. It was good to see them. We had a nice chat over lunch and then we took some pictures outside of the restaurant. After that, Michael and I just chilled the rest of the day.Â
On Monday we hung out with my mom and my youngest brother Jeff; then we all went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Tuesday morning I took my mom to her neurologist appointment, where we learned that she does not have Alzheimer’s. Her previous blood test had suggested she was borderline, but her MRI was negative and her new blood test was negative. Her current diagnosis is mild cognitive impairment due to chronic small vessel disease in her brain. So not great news, but better than it could have been.
We also visited most of her doctors to fill out paperwork so that Jeff and I can both speak to the doctors about her health. Mom wanted to get her hair cut and then chose Applebee’s for lunch. After that, we spent some time at her place and took some pictures.
Wednesday morning we checked out of the hotel and met my dad for breakfast. Unfortunately Carolyn wasn’t feeling well due to side effects of a new medication, so she didn’t join us. After breakfast, Michael and I had some time to kill before going to the airport, so we headed to the library and hung out for a while.
We arrived home Wednesday night around 10:30 pm and were greeted very loudly by our cat, who was quite put out that we had been away. The friend who had checked on him every day had said he was very talkative with her as well. It was so nice to be home and still have two more days of vacation, since we had both scheduled our time off through Friday.
I am so thankful that the trip went well and we didn’t have any trouble making our flights or getting around in the Quad-Cities. It was so good to see my parents and brother and have Michael get to spend some time with them as well. Given how well things went, I am open to planning another trip with Michael if we can agree on a place where we could find interesting things to do and see.
This post is really just a list of random things that have been happening in my life over the past few weeks. But first, here is a picture of my cat Peanut Butter sleeping on my son’s backpack:
I got two more bookcases to store puzzles, but I built the first one and it fell apart. My fault for going cheap – Target no longer had the one I liked from them, so I got them off of Amazon. I’m going to try to build the other one and see what happens. I kept the shelves from the first one so I can have extra for the second one.
A couple of weeks ago, we started seeing what looked like gnats in the apartment. After some research, I found out they were drain flies. I poured boiling water down the drains and bought traps for them. I also contacted the apartment office and they added us to the Orkin list. The Orkin guy came on Friday and treated the drains, so hopefully we won’t see the bugs again!
I got my ears re-pierced. I originally had my ears pierced as a teenager (had to do it twice because they got infected the first time). Then a couple of years ago, I got out of the habit of wearing earrings and the holes mostly closed up. So I finally went somewhere and got them re-pierced.
I got my third library card. I already had ones from my local library system and from the Queer Liberation Library, but I got one from the Free Library of Pennsylvania after finding out that anyone who lives in PA can get one for free. Once I had the card, I added it to Libby and checked some of the books on my TBR. I found two dozen books that my local library either didn’t have or only had a physical copy of, so I am very happy with that.
One of my front teeth needs a root canal. A lot of dentists have been dropping the insurance company I have, so it has been challenging to find people for things. I did find a local endodontist, but I can’t get the rool canal until mid-August. The pain is mostly under control right now, but sometimes it does get pretty bad.
After the root canal, I still have one tooth that needs a filling before I can start with orthodontics. I need to talk to my dentist about that first, though. I really like her bedside manner, so to speak, but when she gives novacain, she always hits the nerve directly. She says this is the best way to do it, but it is quite painful and I have never had a dentist who did that before.
One piece of really great news – Michael got a job! He is a donation processor at a thrift store, and he is working twenty hours a week. He just finished his second week and is feeling pretty good about how it is going. So far, he has been learning how to sort the clothes and other donations that come in. The next thing he will learn is how to tag the clothes. He is pretty nervous about being able to do it quickly enough, but they seem like they are willing to work with him. He has had his job coach with him so far, but she will just be coming once a week now.
Michael has been having some swallowing issues that I recently became aware of. He describes it as a pressure in his chest and a feeling of release after he drinks water. If he is unable to drink water right away, the pressure increases and become painful. I took him to his primary care office and they referred him to GI and gave him a medication to try in the meantime.
We had the GI appointment, and she wants him to continue using the medication and have a couple of tests – a barium swallow and an upper endoscopy. She said that it could be related to reflux, or it could be EOE like I have, or it might be a motility issue. She said the suggestion of achalasia made by the primary care office is unlikely because that is a more severe problem than he seems to be having.
Michael was more nervous about the swallow test than the scope because he has a lot of sensory sensitivities related to food textures. He had the barium swallow test Monday morning and it was unpleasant but he got through it. The first date they had available for an endoscopy was October 20th, so it will be a while until we get to that.
On another note, he has made some real progress with dental work. When he first transitioned to an adult dentist, he needed work done on several teeth and required sedation to handle it. Over the last few years, he has stepped down from twilight sedation to a combination of a pill that he would take an hour before the appointment along with nitrous oxide given during the appointment. This time, he just needed one tooth filled, so the dentist recommended trying it without taking the pill ahead of time. He said he would still give him nitrous if he needed it once they got started, but Michael did just fine without it. I’m so proud of him!
As today is Mother’s Day here in the US, I have been thinking about my mom and her relationship with books. Growing up, I hardly ever saw her without a book in her hands. She would often have more than one going. Her favorite genre was romance, but she also liked mystery/thrillers.
My mom and her mom and sisters would share books between them. When one of them finished a book, she would put her initials on the inside front cover and then set it aside to be passed on to the next person. I remember us driving to my grandmother’s house just to drop off a bag of books that my mom had finished (and usually pick up a new bag!)
I definitely learned by example to love books myself. I read several hours a day growing up and even into my adulthood. I still read around 8-10 books a month, and, to this day, I feel strange sitting down to eat without having a book in my hands!
My mom was recently diagnosed with borderline Alzheimer’s and confided in me that she hasn’t been able to read for a while now. She can’t concentrate enough to follow a story. This is one of the saddest symptoms to me so far, although I’m sure there will be more difficult ones to come.
Did your mom have a passion for anything that she passed on to you? What’s a memory you have of her that means a lot to you?
March has been one of my busiest months in a while, and I am ready for things to slow down.
One of the things that has been keeping me quite busy is being on the planning committee for the 10th Autism Mother to Mother Luncheon that is taking place this Saturday. I am in charge of registration, which also includes getting everything ready that we are going to hand out in the folders for each mom. I am glad to be working on that and not more people-intensive things like fundraising or recruiting volunteers, but it has still been stressful at times.
I haven’t been able to do much puzzling because of the luncheon planning. I completed two puzzles on my own and two puzzles with friends at the church brunch & craft event. Even with that, one of the puzzles I did on my own was only 99 pieces!
Here is how far I am on my current puzzle:
I did reach a milestone on my puzzle Instagram – I hit 1000 followers! I am quite pleased by that. I only have 150 followers on my Bookstagram, although probably half of those are people I know IRL and I usually average only 10 likes per post on there. I’m not really sure if it will grow much because most of the accounts I look at to consider following are into romance, romantasy, fantasy, or thrillers. On the other end are more literary accounts, which I prefer but don’t feel I can compare myself to. It is harder to find people similar to myself on there, whereas with puzzles it is quite easy to find common ground and even if their tastes are different from mine, I don’t usually mind too much.
I have also started posting my puzzles and book reviews on my Facebook feed. There are a few people who like them and since they aren’t on Instagram, I do it mainly for them. I get nervous posting books that relate to my faith journey because I have a number of conservative friends on there, but no one has said anything mean or argumentative so far. I don’t really want to spark debates; I just want to share what is going on with me and hope maybe it will make someone think a bit.
Michael is still job hunting, but he has had some success in his health journey. He has been climbing stairs during the winter while it has been too cold to go on walks and can really tell a difference in his stamina. He also weighed in at 199 lbs a few days ago when we saw the weight management doctor, which was very exciting! I am very happy for him to be taking care of himself so well. I wish I could say the same about myself.
Here is a screenshot of my puzzle Instagram when it hit 1000 followers:
It has been a busy few months, yet I’m not sure how much progress I have made on things.
Michael did have two work assessments, but still has one more scheduled. He is applying for jobs as well. I believe his job coach is now on board with our feelings that Michael would do best in an office environment and without customer interaction. Now the hard part is finding something close by and part time.
Michael’s health is good. He has been losing weight. He is also meeting with his therapist regularly and has really taken ownership of those sessions. I recently took him to the podiatrist, which we learned should probably have been done several years ago, and he gave him some suggestions to assist with his issues. The main problem is flat feet.
Last weekend Michael flew to Minneapolis with his dad and stepmom for his cousin Kyle’s wedding. It seemed to go fairly well, although he was glad to get home.
I am still working on my health issues.
Mental Health – I am very happy with my psych nurse practitioner. We tried increasing my sertraline to help with my anxiety, but it had some side effects that I didn’t like. So now we are trying buspirone, which is supposed to help with anxiety but also may help with some other issues I have been experiencing.
GI – My allergist determined that I do not need Dupixent. She said my condition would now be described as PPI responsive esophageal eosinophila. She wanted me to take the PPI for three more months and then see the GI doc. It took two weeks and several phone calls to get the prescription to the right place and to get the GI clinic to schedule my appointment. It was very frustrating and I had to escalate the issue at both doctors’ offices.
Dental – I have had a cleaning, two fillings done, and a root canal. Next up is a permanent filling over the root canal and an extraction. After that, I’m going to check what’s still available on my insurance and make plans for additional work to be done.
Diabetes – My diet went downhill for a couple of months, but I am doing better with it now. I was starting to feel really tired all of the time and even had some sleep disturbances which my PCP thinks may be related to my blood sugar. She ordered me a Dexcom continuous glucose monitor, and I am looking forward to being able to track my blood sugar and hopefully be more in control of things.
Arthritis – The arthritis in my right hip has been acting up lately. My hip hurt so badly one day that I wasn’t able to put my right sock on, and I had to have Michael help me. After that, I bought a sock aid that Renee recommended, which is really nice. I also had difficulty standing for greeting at church last time I did it. I spoke to Pastor Shannon afterwards and asked if they had a tall chair that I could sit on while greeting. They do have one, and she agreed that I could use it for that.
In fun news, I have been spending my down time reading, puzzling, and streaming shows. I started a second Instagram account to post about books, since my first one has become mostly puzzles. I haven’t posted much on the book account yet, but I hope to keep adding to it.
In puzzle news, I bought a fun accessory – a desktop vacuum. It works great to clean up puzzle dust and even has a nozzle to get in the corners. I also framed my 2000-piece puzzle, Novel Avenue, and hung it above my couch. The frame I got is a bit flimsy since it was intended for a picture or a poster, not a puzzle, but it works for now.
Desktop vacuum
Novel Avenue puzzle
Last Saturday, Kim brought over her puppy Remus for our weekly lunch and a movie. He had just gotten fixed, so she didn’t want to leave him alone. At one point, he laid down on the couch in the same spot that her previous dog Sabbath had chosen when he was here shortly before he passed away. It was so sweet.
I wanted to write a catch up post since it has been a while. The main areas I want to cover are Michael, work, health, church, and friends.
Michael left his job in May. He was having an emotional crisis and just couldn’t handle it anymore. I’m not going to post the details because it’s not my story to tell, but it was a difficult time. It has taken a while to get new services in place, but we are meeting with a new employment agency next week, and he is planning to complete a community based work assessment. This will involve working for a few hours at several different jobs to see what he likes and has aptitude for. It will also help the new agency to get to know him.
Work is going well. I am continuing to enter new products and also supporting the staff with the ERP. I recently approached my boss about reviewing my title and compensation and did get a new title and a raise. My title has changed from Data Specialist to Software Analyst, which I feel is a good reflection of what I have been doing for a while now.
I have been making a lot of progress on my health lately. I met with a new psychiatrist. She is a nurse practitioner at the Penn State Hershey autism clinic. Our first appointment was about an hour and a half, and we covered a lot of information in that time! We decided to keep my meds where they are for right now and reassess at our next appointment. I am currently taking Risperidone and Sertraline. I am thinking of trying to switch from the Risperidone to a mood stabilizer that would be less likely to cause weight gain.
I also had an EGD recently to check for the level of eosinophils in my esophagus. The pathology report seems to say there weren’t any, which is good news, although the doctor did say there were rings and inflammation visible, which is continued evidence of EOE. I have a telehealth appointment scheduled with my allergist to discuss next steps and what medication would be most appropriate for me.
Another important step I took was visiting a new dentist. I have had one bad experience since leaving my previous dentist due to an insurance issue, but I was hopeful about this one because I had gotten a good referral to them. I was so pleased with them – everyone was friendly and helpful. The doctor explained everything very well, and we are going to work through my dental issues over time. I am scheduled with them for a cleaning and two cavities to be taken care of. I also got referrals for one tooth extraction and one possible root canal. I think that will be a good start, although there will still be more to be done.
My diabetes is going okay. I have had a harder time lately keeping my carbs down. My A1C recently went up from 5.9 to 6.4. The doctor was still happy with that, but I know that I need to do a better job. It’s a constant struggle!
I am still loving my church, The Journey. I am actually watching the service from this morning as I write this post. I didn’t go because I was feeling depressed when I woke up and couldn’t get myself together to go in person. Thankfully, they stream the service online. I have joined the community ministry team and am looking forward to my first event with them, the Back to School party. It’s a Saturday afternoon community event with free food and haircuts and backpacks with school supplies. I am going to help with registration.
With regard to friends, I am still seeing Kim most Saturdays for lunch and a movie. She is going through a difficult time right now. Renee has been busy, but we still text and talk sometimes. I am hoping to plan a visit soon. I have done a couple of things with Suzanne, and she is a good support if I am having a hard day. On a sad note, I haven’t had any contact with Jessyca for several weeks. She lost her job and the last I heard from her was two days after that happened. She has not responded to any of my messages since then. I am so sad about this because I miss her a great deal and I also am quite worried about her.
So that’s an update on my life right now. I feel good about the progress I have made in a lot of areas, and I am looking forward to continuing my efforts to make things better.
Wow, it’s hard to believe it has been over seven months since my last post! A lot has happened in that time.
Told my husband I wanted a divorce
Found a new home for our dog
Sold our house
Paid off our debts with the proceeds
Found an apartment for me and my son
Finalized the divorce
Went back to my maiden name
Found a new church
I am really happy in the new apartment, and I love the church I found. I have only been going for about six weeks, and I just attended a mixer for new people yesterday. It was a lot of fun. I am also part of a table group that meets every other Wednesday night, and later this month I am going to a three-week class called Intro to the Journey to learn more about the church.
I was recently diagnosed with diabetes, which has precipitated some huge changes in my life. I have had to change a lot about how I eat, including quitting Mountain Dew cold turkey. The combination of the new diet and the medication I am on seems to be helping, as I have a lot more energy now. I have been able to get a lot more done at work and even work some overtime again. I had been feeling discouraged about my energy levels for a while and assumed it was autistic burnout, but it seems like the way I had been feeling was actually a physical issue.
I have even started puzzling again. I am working on The World of the Bronte’s. It is the same style and size as The World of Jane Austen, which I did a while ago and framed. Once this one is done and framed, I’m going to hang them both on the wall above my TV. So far I have sorted the pieces, done the border, and worked on a few of the buildings.
Michael seems to like the new place as well. We finally have a good Employment Specialist, and he has two phone interviews this week. I’m really hoping they go well!
In So Many Words 