Valkyrie

Thanks, Simba It really does, unfortunately. My BFF was supposed to come down this weekend for a visit, but we're going to have to reschedule while I deal with this.

Thanks, Protégé

Thanks

I know everyone's been wondering, so here's what's been going on. For a little over a week and a half I've had painful swelling on the left side of my face, which spread to underneath my tongue and jaw, making it very painful to eat or sleep. I went to urgent care, where they diagnosed an inflamed salivary gland and prescribed antibiotics and instructed me to see an ENT if it didn't get better or got worse. Well, it got worse so I tried getting an appointment, but had no luck. So I called my doc and they prescribed steroids to knock out the inflammation. I had a dentist appointment next week, but I called yesterday to move it up because I had so much pain in my mouth, and they were able to see me last night. Turns out I have a raging infection in my lower front gums, which is causing all the facial swelling and pain. I have advanced periodontal disease in just that area, thankfully the rest of my gums are fine. So I'm on more antibiotics and will go back tomorrow for a reassessment, then on Monday for a procedure to clean the lower teeth and gums to see how far the infection has spread. They don't think it's spread to my jaw, but won't know for sure until they get in there. On Tuesday, I got the results of my sleep study and they were not good. I have moderate-severe sleep apnea, so need to get a CPAP machine. I'm just waiting on a call from the vendor. That news was upsetting enough, but it's been put on the back burner because of my mouth issues. During all this I had to deal with unemployment issues (hopefully now sorted), the plumbing issue (sorted), and the news that my dad is in the hospital with heart issues. I'm estranged from my father, but don't wish him ill will. So everything has decided to happen at once and I've had enough, thank you. At this point, I just want to be pain-free and be able to eat normally again. Thankfully the steroids have knocked out the worst of the pain, and once I get through Monday, I should be on the path to healing. Thank you all for being here through everything. It's nice to be able to come here and take my mind off things.

How generous of you

Now he makes me feel much better

Mmmm chocolate donuts... I have a craving now after those delicious descriptions! And good ol' duct tape to the rescue! Is there anything it can't fix? lol I was so glad to see Rick stand up to Heinrich Sr. Heinrich is so wrapped up in his own expectations, he fails to see what's right in front of him. Everything is about him and what he wants...others' needs are secondary to him. Unfortunately, it's just about impossible for those type of people to be redeemed. I think you nailed the road trip to the festival. The easy banter, the snacks and accidental spillage, the scenery descriptions... I was right there with them. It reminded me of travelling to a music festival a few years ago... I was twitterpated, just like Rick. lol At least being a little late is perfectly fine, since it will be going on all day. I look forward to the next chapter.

Hopefully this is something you wrote a while ago and you've already quit

And the shit show continues... Sorry for the vague-book post. I hate it when people do that, but I'm not ready to talk about it yet. Again... nothing life-threatening, but lots of issues happening at once and I feel like I can't catch a break.

My guess is @Parker Owens

We all did

I've noticed a significant lag time when navigating the site and also when making posts. It's taking as long as 50 seconds for a new page to appear or for a post to save. This is in multiple threads - LPW, CoTT - and multiple areas of the site. For example, clicking on "All Activity" or the notifications about the site upgrade. I'm using an HP laptop less than a year old and Google Chrome.

The plumber came this morning and snaked out my drain. Thankfully it wasn't the main sewer and was an easy fix. Let the double entendres begin!

I immediately thought of you when I saw that

Go Sabres!

I had ham and veggie Ranch fries.

Well you're not too far off with the toilet... lol I have to get my sewer line flushed because it's backing up into my utility sink in the basement But before I can even think of calling a plumber in to do it, I'm dealing with our lovely healthcare system and trying to get seen immediately for an acute problem. So far, the soonest I can be seen is February and that just won't cut it. I'm waiting on a call back from my doc to see what my other options are. I also had another doctor appointment via Zoom this morning and the results were not good. Not life-threatening or anything, but it means I'll have to make some changes. I'll fill you all in later, hopefully after my doc calls back and I can be seen somewhere!

Not so good, unfortunately. Everything seems to be going wrong at once.

Both

Actually, the outfit is a perfect counterbalance to the heat of the flamethrower. You know, hot flashes and all...

At least Thistle is defending me.