It's over... just chillin', now; going to cook for my eldest and her friend (here for a sleepover). Looking through recent photos... getting ready for my BIG day on monday.

May watch 'The Queen' later with SheWhoMustBeObeyed.

It is very, very gray outside, and cold, and my muscles are all wonky because my yoga teacher is on crack this week (in a generally good way), and I stupidly read a book about a woman who got hit by a car and lost her memory and forgot that she broke up with her ex so the ex takes her back in and isolates her so she doesn't find out the awful things he did and that she left him and it was creepy and inspired bad dreams so I didn't sleep well, and I have to go get fingerprinted this afternoon for my internship and the whole thought of it is already making me feel like a criminal in addition to setting my teeth on edge about inefficient bureaucracies because everyone's told me that it takes forever and is a big logistical nightmare.

Other than that, I'm fine. :-)

One of my co-workers is going to teach me how to crochet today at lunch. I'm looking forward to that.

I'm having a worrisome day. To make a long story short my husband had a very enlarged lymph node at his right neck and a throat infection. Treated with antibiotics, had some blood drawn. Turns out his liver function tests are pretty elevated. He's not a drinker (has maybe 3 beers a month of less), isn't obese, doesn't have diabetes or abuse tylenol. He has never had a tattoo, has never used IV drugs, or had multiple sexual partners. We thought that maybe the antibiotics he is on (Rocephin and clindamycin) could have elevated the liver enzymes, but doctor says no. His bilirubin is elevated also. On a side note he broke out into a hideous photosensitivity rash today caused by the clindamycin and was switched to Levaquin.

At this time, they're thinking he either has hepatitis or liver tumors or a liver abscess or an autoimmune disease. They ordered more labs including a hepatitis panel and CT scans of the abdomen and neck.

I'm very worried and anxious.

my head hurts.

on preview: I take it back; I'm fine. LoriFla, sorry for all the anxiety and stress. Take care of yourself, take care of him, and don't borrow worry. I'll be thinking of you both.

I woke up at 10:15 and started panicking about what to say to work. After 15/20 minutes I decided to send an e-mail and much to my delight, I learned my boss had decided to take a vacation day. Yeah! Everything's been hunky dory since. Thanks for asking.

I'm so sorry LoriFLA. Stay strong.

So far so good, free breakfast at work, Aunt Flo finally showed up so the fog of PMS is beginning to lift, plus it's Friday and I get to see my BF this weekend!

LoriFLA - we went through some similar stuff with my father. First of all, the fact that it's not something the two of you ignored is so encouraging. A lot of the time guys will brush off this sort of thing (throat infection, enlarged lymph node) and not "bother the doctor." Elsa said it right: don't borrow worry.

I just got out of our 3rd "Org Chart Shake-up" meeting since January. It's hard for me to figure out if I should jump ship like my collegues or stick it out till I get enough experience/vest a bit of my retirement fund. The management keeps telling me that it's all fine, nothing to worry about, typical business cycles, but I know they know I'm too new to know otherwise.

In other words, job stress blah blah blah.

My phone interview was reschedule, which is a good thing. But I still woke up early for it, which is a bad thing.

And now I'm engaged in a delicate game of phone tag with three different people. I just had to send the call I really wanted to take to voicemail because the other guy, who I don't really want to talk to but would like to get it over with, said he was going to call me back in "literally two minutes." It has been 37 literal minutes so far.

My day was going wonderfully until I was told I made a post reminiscent of a bad chain letter. Now I'm sitting in the corner crying my eyes out.

Lori, I hope it all turns out OK.

Glad to be of service, mats.

My thoughts are with you, LoriFLA.

*whuffles LoriFLA* sorry to hear about that, here's to benign tests.

i have a million files to label, sort and log. actually it's only 3,500, but it kinda feels like a million. some one of the admins (who was apparently fired) comprehensively scrambled the MSDS files. not so good for a big chemical manufacturing plant.

enough procrastinating, heigh ho, heigh ho, i'm off to documents control.

(((LoriFLA)))

LoriFla- I can relate.

In late May I went in for a pain in my side. The NP thought it was kidney stones. Esp. since there was a microscopic trace of blood in my urine. The ct scan came back without kidney stones but it showed some inlarged lymph nodes in there (all my "accessible" lymph nodes feel normal) and a "prominent spleen." But the pain in my side got better. All bloodwork including liver function is fine.

So I get another ct scan, this time with contrast, the barium and the iodine in a vein, and the radiologist said that everything was unchanged, and he did not think it looked like lymphoma but there was some issue about the circulation to my liver.

By this time I changed from the NP to a regular doctor. He said that in the absence of modern technology, I am a "pretty healthy guy," but he just sent me in for another ct scan, two days ago, and I am awaiting the result now. If it looks suspicious, it's biopsy time, and since these are deep lymph nodes, the biopsy won't be easy. I feel OK, albeit sore from a hard workout last night and volleyball this morning but that's normal. I have not dropped any weight really like is common with lymphoma.

So it could be nothing, or could be one of a number of things. . .and I think I have decided to let them call me since I am having a really busy day, and off at 2.

I hope your hub comes through everything fine, though.

(((danf))) too

Best wishes to you and hubby, LoriFLA.

the day here is zipping along nicely. I vacuumed yesterday so I wouldn't have to do it today and we could just settle in the cave with a bottle of wine after work.

Thanks all.

danf, thanks for sharing your ordeal. From your story it sounds as if everything is going to be fine. I'm hoping that your last CT scan is unremarkable.

Other than health worries my day is going well. I'm making salmon and fresh green beans for dinner. In a minute I'm riding my bike to my son's school. We ride our bikes to and fro. On Wednesday he was pedaling furiously, hit an uneven part of the sidewalk and flipped over the handlebars in a spectacular fashion. Only a couple scrapes and no tears were shed. We've been riding pretty slowly since.

{{LoriFLA}}

My day is meh. Seriously. Bored to tears, comtemplating just leaving work without taking personal time and going home to mow the back yard. Birthday party for my 4-year old nephew in law tonight. Canning tomatoes over the weekend.

Meh meh meh.

Boring day. Stuck at the front desk, which has been really slow and that's bad, because my tolerance for people goes down when there are less of them, weirdly enough. And the first people here today were creepy. Yes, creepy. Meanwhile, in other news, the boss called in sick. Must say, she's only worked here for a month and this is like sick day number three. I love her. Embrace slack, new boss! Other than that, I ate too much lunch and it's freezing in the museum. In less than three hours it will be the weekend and this is a Good Thing.

good luck to lori & to danf, here's hoping all tests come out negative for everything bad.

hugs to lori and danf. Hope it's nothing.

( Years ago my son woke up with a lymph node the size of a literal golf ball. It turned out to be cat scratch fever. Really. He was fine.)

My day?

NEVER take a spin class if the spin instructor's FIRST spin instructor shows up after five years and takes class with you. You WILL work your tail off. And sweat like a longshoreman in Miami.

(It was fun tho.)

Really quiet. My coworker's at a training so I'm alone in the building with no intention of working! The sun has come out and I think I'll ride the long way home, along the beach!

Big, big hugs to Lori and danf. I really hope everything turns out OK.

My day is great. We made homemade tortillas for lunch. That was fun. Now the kids are napping (well, the big one is having "quiet play time" in her room). We're going to a party tonight for one of our oldest and dearest friends. He and his fiancee (also a good friend of mine) are hilariously funny humans. I can't wait to see them.

Adding to the hug chorus (can one have a hug chorus?) for Lori and danf.

my tolerance for people goes down when there are less of them, weirdly enough.

mgl, I feel the same way mostly. With enough people, they all just kind of fade into a generic background-noise-like mass. With few enough individuals, I tend to get snagged on each of their peculiar annoying habits.

It's like I have a general level of annoyance to maintain, and it gets spread thinner with crowds so that no one person takes the entire burden.

Ah, the waiting. Everybody does it.

i had a particularly horrifying dream about people escaping a demented squatting situation only to be put into a ridiculously abusive prison situation, all the details of which were so disturbing i haven't been able to really shake it.
At least with the post apocalyptic rebellion underground dreams there is a moment of liberation or a plan having played out. When two people escaped in one part, what they would have to do next made the trip to Mordor look like a cakewalk. One attempted escape in the prison i don't stain your brains with.
In fact, i have to stop describing anything about this because it will only agitate and angrify you.

Lori, he may just be allergic to the clinda - that'd be my guess - or he could have gallstones, which is no biggie. Stay focused on the positive and don't cross any bridges until you get to them.

(((Lori and danf)))

I dropped off my scripts to be refilled and headed to the library. I was in the library for only a few minutes and started to feel hot, dehydrated and shaky. I finished up at the library, blew off picking up my scripts (I'll do it tomorrow) and headed home. I slurped down two glasses of water and a glass of soda. I'm still feeling rather wonky but better. I probably shouldn't have driven feeling the way I did, but I was discombobulated and just wanted to go home. I don't know exactly what brought this on as I had drank a couple glasses of water before I left home and it was cool-ish outside and the library has a/c. Whatever. I just want a nap now.

Good luck, Lori!

Damn, Dan... sorry to hear that you're poorly.

After a brace of 11-hour days at work, today started at 0530 -- I mean, actual work; I was up at 0415 -- and secured about an hour ago.

Now I'm away from work, typing on the work-provided laptop before I resume studying T-SQL. Contemplating an early supper of some kind of cold plate (potato salad and chicken salad, maybe) given the heat. Then relax for a bit, go to the reservoir, and speedmarch my li'l heart out.

Lori, thinking about you and your husband. I like Ikkyu's online diagnosis.

My day is frustrating -- I have a project I'm trying to finish so I can get paid so I can pay rent, but the feedback I was expecting to get this morning (i.e., "This is fine, do it just like this," or "No, no, go in a different direction") has not yet materialized. So I may be in the position of asking my boss to pay me for half the job, which she'd do, but which makes me feel icky and irresponsible.

Other than that, I have a date tonight with someone who's really cool and who makes me laugh, but I'm worried that she'll eventually start making me feel like an unsettled, aimless kid (which I kind of am, in comparison).

Also: MUST. KILL. MOTHS.

Feeling heartburney and unhappy that this probably means I should go see a GI doc. (Which pales in comparison to everyone else. HUGS ALL AROUND.)

Should work on GRE stuff. Should eat some lunch. Should go to the gym. Mostly want to play Katamari.

More thank-you's to everyone!

ikkyu2, thank you. Gallstones and pancreatitis was suggested by the doctor as a possible cause for the elevated values. We're hoping it's just gallstones or the meds. I should have said he could have or may have hepatitis, tumor, etc. His ALT is 300 IU/L. AST and bili are elevated also, although I don't know the exact number.

I've read that clindamycin can cause abnormal LFTs. Although when my husband asked about this, the doctor said the values wouldn't be this high. Physical exam was unremarkable, except of course for the lymph node and red, swollen tonsils with exudate. The liver is normal in size. He has no symptoms - no jaundice or pain or N/V, etc. He's not on meds other than the current antibiotics. No epigastric pain. He lives a pretty clean life and is healthy so this these abnormal results are distressing. I'm trying not to sweat it until there is something to sweat about. Husband is feeling fantastic and isn't worried, which is encouraging.

Thanks all for letting me blab about this. It makes me feel a little better.

Tonight I'm running to some happy music and watching another movie with the husband. I don't think anything can top The Lives of Others. We watched it last night and it was fantastic!

** huge good thoughts for Lori and danf **

Today was as boring as hell. I had to proof and massively correct a document on back pain (sample: "in one year, approximately 7% of the population will consult a doctor with back pain". *sigh*. I'm having a change of job soon and it can't come soon enough.

It's the start of the last bank holiday weekend of the year in the UK so I've got three days off. Three glorious days off.

At the moment I'm almost done with a bottle of rosé and am watching the gliders munch on what's left of my beetroot risotto. Oh, and playing with a rather fantastic toy.

It was tiring. I had to unload a lot of stuff between my regular duties. Near the end of the day they saw how swamped I was getting and had this new guy John help me. he has red hair, and I have black hair so we've duffed ourselves 'the whiskey brothers,' he's Johnny Red, I'm Johnny Black.

It was pretty much a day like any other, until dinnertime. I picked up a couple of tacos al pastor from this place, and I must say that my world is a brighter place now. Ultra yummy, and they had a light enough hand with the cilantro that I didn't even have to pick any of it off.

Made baklava, shredded a butt-load of paper with out new shredder, drove a Nissan Altima (weird car), made plans both to go sailing AND kayaking next week!
Good day

Big hugs to danf and LoriFLA. Waiting to find out if anything is wrong is the worst.

My day on Friday was not exciting. Did some work, went for a swim, chased pigeons off the balcony, messed around on Flickr for a bit, went to bed and have woken up with a stuffy nose. I know it's healthy for me to be out and about but I swear everytime I leave the apartment some bugger sneezes on me. I might start wearing a mask all year round.

*hugs LoriFLA and danf*

Albany map indicated that the closet PO to my hotel was in the mall...but they're remodeling so it closed. Bought packaging at Staples, but their UPS wasn't working. Went to other UPS, where they taped my boxes into bigger bundles to bring down the price. Went to NY state museum but didn't get to see everything before it closed. Had local pate and lamb. Friend whose wife just had baby lives here, but hasn't responded to my messages...somewhat concerned, but he had let me know that he needed to process something I told him (that I thought a close friend of his has had an on-off crush; I don't want to hurt this guy, but I'm not interested).

Occhiblu, have you read anything else of Margot Livesey's? Eva Moves the Furniture is about ghosts, but isn't as dark as her other work--I haven't read her last, though. One of my regrets of not applying for fiction at Iowa was missing the chance to be able to study with her--she now teaches at Emerson.