I wrote this post last month but have hesitated to post it. It's been sitting in "Drafts", so here it is.
Last October my health insurance sent a traveling health professional to my area. They called and said they wanted to set me up for a diabetic eye exam. Even though I already had an appointment with an eye doctor in November, they said it was free and I should still keep my appointment.
The lady came with her apparatus for checking eyes. It looked like one of those virtual reality game thingies you look through. She took a picture of the inside of my right eye but was not able to line it up to get a picture of my left eye. It became a circus because she had me hold the thing myself, then she had me lie down, then she jabbed the edge of the thing in my eye, then she told me to hold my eye open with my finger. Then she gave up and told me I have a Tiny Eye.
What the heck.
November came around and I had my regular diabetic eye exam. My doctor told me my left eye is hooded which is slightly blocking a bit of my left peripheral vision. There's the tiny eye again. WTF
Most people just tell me I look sad or tired. I see that in the mirror, and I don't like to look that way. In case you are wondering, yes, I use Retinol and sun screen.
I have been using facelift tape for a few years. Only two little strips, just to smooth the nasolabial folds and marionette lines. It helps to ease the sad effect these lines give to my face. As for my eyes, I just relied on my glasses to hide them.
Then my daughter introduced me to to Peter Thomas Roth. Not the person, the Temporary Facelift Cream. She uses it on her neck. She told me to apply it above what I want to lift,
Lucky me it was 40% off (Amazon), so I bought some. One day I decided to try it on my forehead. Ten minutes later my eyebrows were lifted. It also reduced the hooding over my eyes. Wow! A temporary non-surgical solution. It does have a learning curve. Apply too much or apply it unevenly leads to some wonky effects, then I need to wash it off and start over. For the first time in years I added a little eye makeup, just pencil and mascara. I felt like it made a difference.
The tired me
The awake me
This cream works best on parts of the face that don't move a lot. It will last more than 8 hours on my forehead and 5 minutes around my mouth. It's expensive, but I feel it's worth it.
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That was January. I also had a regular doctor check up. I mentioned that sometimes, with certain foods, like hard boiled eggs yolks or chicken, food can get stuck in my throat temporarily. If I try to drink some water it has no where to go but to sputter up my sinuses. I am in danger of choking when that happens. Thankfully it rarely happens. I have consciously determined to be aware of this and not drink water if food gets stuck. Waiting a minute or so will allow me to swallow the food. And yes, I take small bites and chew well. My parents taught me to chew my food and eat slowly. I mentioned this to my doctor so she ordered a swallow study.
In February I had to go to the hospital in Fond du Lac where they have a GI doctor. I had to drink barium and eat food with barium stirred into it, or spread on it. I had to eat applesauce, peaches and cookies (things I don't eat anymore), all mucked up with barium, live on x-ray camera. What fun. Anyway, I have a narrow place in my throat, so I'm supposed to go back this month for a consult with the GI doc.
In other health news, I finally had a DEXA scan. I don't know why some of my insurances in the past have denied that. I had a scan when I lived in Hammond and they told me my bones were strong like someone younger. Anyway, this time my scan showed this:
1. DIAGNOSIS: Osteopenia.
2. FRACTURE RISK: 10- year probability of a major osteoporotic fracture is 23%
and the 10 year probability of hip fracture is 14% in this patient based on the
WHO fracture risk assessment algorithm (FRAX).
I was surprised. Anyway, now I'm on calcium and vitamin D3, which constipates me more than the evil statin did. I'm increasing fiber and magnesium. I am wondering if the PPI (omeprazole) I was taking for heart burn for such a long time contributed because it can block calcium absorption. I was not able to stop taking it until I gave up sugar and severely reduced carbohydrates, and even then I needed to wean myself from taking it. I always take vitamin D3 but not always calcium, until now. I've never broken a bone. My mom fractured both hips in her 70's and had osteoporosis.
That's about it for now.
