For those about to debate ...

It seems that either I'm mis-reading the comments in my last entry, or my gender is perfectly muzzy to those that haven't met me in person.

So, I've got to know - what do *you* think I am?

[Poll #420453]

For those of you that are pro-choice, NARAL has a goal of getting 100,000 signatures on their Pro-Choice Pledge, which is going to be sent onto President Bush.

Take The Pledge

That's all! :)

From The Examiner - San Francisco:

"In an echo of that concert (for the September 11th terrorist attacks) three years ago, Madonna sang John Lennon's "Imagine" while wearing a black dress. Singer Neil Young performed the same song at the 2001 benefit."

And I'm sure that his black dress was just as fabulous.

My lovelies - I like to think that you're all quite smart (okay, so some of you are smart ASSES - but I like that), so perhaps you could help me here.

I need/want a non-insurance-geek perspective on something. Just want to know how something reads to the general public, because I had a real doozy of a call recently.

On some of the applications that come in for our clients, there is a Privacy Policy. Basically, it states that your personal information is not shared with marketers - unless you specifically ask to have it passed around like a joint at a party. (Okay, that's not the exact wording ... but behind the cut, is.)

( We can't *insure* it - but we can *ensure* it. So surely you can't be serious! )

Last night was a very bad night for me. The expectorant seems to have done all it can ... and then some.

( Kind of Gory Details )

I'd been maxing out the Mucinex dosage, to little avail. So, I did put in a call to the doctor yesterday, explained that the antibiotics do seem to be working, but the expectorant isn't doing as much ... even though I'm still terribly wheezy and coughing something awful.

So, I have narrowly escaped Prednisone. Instead, I'll be upping my Advair to 500/50, until the wheezing and asthma subsides. Anything to get me out of the perpetual Yellow zone* that I've been in is certainly appreciated. :)


*For non-asthmatics, "Zone" does not refer to that popular low-carb diet plan. Instead, it's a range for the Peak Flows (how much air I can inhale/exhale), done in traffic signal style. A Green zone for me is 352-440, and means that my symptoms are under control. The only reason I'd use the Albuterol is 2 puffs before exercising. Yellow means that I'm in the 220-351 range, and if I haven't had an attack yet ... it's bound to happen, so hit the Albuterol. Red is the "Danger Will Robinson" zone (0-219), where the attack has reached emergency levels. When that happens, I'm to get my ass to the ER, and fast. En route, it's Albuterol and a burst of Prednisone.

So, now you know entirely too much about asthma. And to add to my geek factor - I have my Action Plan posted at my desk at work. Because I'm such a girl scout in that regard.


[ETA - I may be the only one that thinks it's kind of humorous, but I noticed that the Advair Diskus labels are traffic-light colors. 100/50 is green; 250/50 is yellow; 500/50 is red.]

In honor of MacWorld happening in San Francisco this week, Apple has unleashed a new product onto itsh rabid worshippers the Mac-Lovin' public:
( Trust Us ... We're Apple )

Kellie keeps telling me that I'm getting better ... that I'm obviously at the tail end of this Martian Death Flu.

Sure ... sleeping fitfully through the weekend, when I could sleep, as well as a cough that leaves me feeling like I've been steamrollered. So, I called in sick today. Since I don't normally do this, it was kind of awkward.


It was probably a good thing, considering that I slept until about 10 a.m., and spent the day making noises that had the cats looking at me like "Oh, thank god it's just you. We thought another cat was here" - only to go back to Kitty Yoga or sleeping all day. And those were in the times that I wasn't aching all over and starting to experience cabin fever.


Anyways, that's that. I'm going to try and go to work tomorrow - and if I still feel crummy and blarghy, it's another call to the Good Doctor ... where I'd risk being put on a short-term dose of Prednisone.

I am surrounded by kitties. Teak's big ass is on the computer desk, and Cleo is on the file cabinet, keeping guard for invisible creatures to pounce on - or waiting to stalk Teak. Either way, there are kitties all around me.


The Zithromax is starting to kick in, and I've begun taking the unfortunately-named Mucinex to help clear up my chest ... and hopefully prevent my going on Prednisone. So, I'm gradually feeling better. My raspiness is going away, although I'm still wheezy and coughing. At least it's not like last night, when I had the feeling of someone punching me right in the sternum a few times, as well as wheezing so loud that it was mistaken for snoring.


In other news, since one of my seizure medicines (Tegretol) was knocking me onto my ass when I attempted to take it at doses above 400 mgs per day (at least 600 mgs/day is needed to control seizures), the medication has been changed. I'm now on Depakote ER, which has some *lovely* side effects, including weight gain, hair loss, and the rare side effect of pancreatitis. But hey, it won't sedate me like Keppra might! (Keppra was the other drug being considered - but rejected because of the sedative side effect)


So, there's that. Now, I'm going to start cleaning up the kitchen some ... it's a mess.

Have a good evening and weekend, my lovelies and sexy bitches! :-)

I promised a real update ... well, would you all hate me if I waited a couple more days on it? The changes in climate/weather over the trip are trying to knock me onto my ass with a cold. :-/

The Good: I got to see my friends and family after months of being away from them. Meeting new people (and a few lj friends) in Tampa for New Year's Eve.

The Bad: My parents seeming to swear up and down that my asthma was everything but asthma. Unfortunately, when you're dealing in someone's chronic illnesses on a daily basis, that seems to happen.

The Indifferent: Some things (and people) never change. Tampa's airport is like the "Land That Time Forgot", and we got to stay at the Crackwhore Hotel, formerly known as a Holiday Inn.


Now, I'm dealing with daily headaches (literally) - as well as having nightmares about coming back to the office and finding that I have 99 e-mails. In reality, it was only 65 e-mails ... but that can feel like 99.