With my medical appointments moved up a month, I have all day to try to accomplish something.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee

0 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 109.8 lbs

Fit app: evening walk
Heart Points
miles miles

Tuesday

I can't get MonsterMustDie to drink water before his blood work today and he keeps forgetting that we have no small bottles of spring water in the house. He has lost the travel cups he used.
MonsterMustDie phoned me at 11:00AM. The blood work was done and he was waiting to see his doctor. Of course, they had a hard time drawing blood because he was a bit dehydrated, as he usually is.

Karen is working at the polls in Greensboro. We don't have anything to cast a vote on in High Point today.

Duke is pushing all three appointments I had on Wednesday up a month so now I have all day free tomorrow.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
Ardens Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories) (2g protein)
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Amy's Beans & Rice Burrito (310 calories)
1 slice pumpkin bread (109 calories)
1 cup hot spiced apple cider (138 calories)
OLLY Magnesium Gummy (336 mg Magnesium) (25 calories)

48 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 112.2 lbs

Fit app: evening walk
Heart Points
miles miles

Monday

It is a sunny morning. MonsterMustDie was still working in a back room full of fumes that smells like he is sniffing glue, after blowing leaves outdoors when he first got home from work at 12:00 noon, but he did not complain when I quietly opened windows in back and turned on fans indoors.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
Ardens Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories) (2g protein)
1/2 teaspoon Marmite (11 calories)
1 Tablespoon Brie (100 calories)
4 slices home made baguette (277 calories?)
1/2 pecan brownie from Cheesecakes by Alex
dinner: baked russet potato with home made chili and chopped fresh spinach (500 calories)
2 cups hot apple cider (326 calories)

24 oz water

9:15 AM weight: 112.9 lbs

Fit app: evening walk
56 Heart Points
3.46 miles miles

walking forward, falling back

Daylight Savings time ended at midnight and we officially "gained" an hour when the clock fell back at midnight.
I woke up at 6:30 AM from a disturbing dream. I dreamt that we were in my car together with him driving and I look over at him and he is unconscious, head hanging down, drooling, hands still on the wheel.

MonsterMustDie is still acting wonky today but he's at home and entertaining himself quietly, mostly. However, every time he opens his mouth, it seems like he is either insulting me by talking like I am an imbecile or criticizing something or someone I like. I know he probably means no harm but he is very annoying today.

I got home from shopping-to-get-out and the entire back mudroom smelled so heavily of solvent and lacquer that the fumes even drifted into the kitchen around the door. He wanted to show me something and I said the fumes were too strong for me to stay there or in the kitchen. (This is not the first time this has happened.) He got very angry and accused me of saying he was spraying inside the house. I told him I knew he didn't do that but the wet or still curing chemicals were still making me light headed and the back of my throat burned. I'm sorry. I can't stand it, especially after lung cancer surgery. I suggested, as I have before, that we find a place out of the house like the shed that pieces can continue to cure and dry for 24 hours. He said he'd just throw EVERYTHING out of the shed. I have no correct words to say but I can't live like this.
It now dawns on me that sitting in these fumes for so long each day might be why he is functioning so bad this weekend.

8:00 AM weight: 111.6 lbs

Fit app: evening walk
24 Heart Points
3.38 miles miles

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
one blue algae supplement
lunch: baked russet potato with home made chili (500 calories)
1/2 pecan brownie from Cheesecakes by Alex
dinner: baked russet potato with home made chili (500 calories)
1 slice smoked Gouda cheese
OLLY Magnesium Gummy (336 mg Magnesium) (25 calories)
Saint John's Wort herbal supplement

48 oz water

Saturday

I baked frozen Samosas for breakfast.
I am planning to go to a Halloween party at Karen & Bob's house tonight. I might be going alone because MonsterMustDie generally does not like gatherings of people and recently his brain has decided that now Karen is mad at us or doesn't like him. Sometimes the part of his brain that controls emotions seems to take over the logical, thinking part. Most of the time, he thinks I am mad at him when he sinks into these moods. I tell him constantly that no one is mad at him and everything is ok.

MonsterMustDie broke down all of the outdoor Halloween decorations this morning and brought them inside. Everything is taken down and in the living room, staged to bring all the boxes down from the attic and put it away.

Also, today, MonsterMustDie unsuccessfully tried to replace the water filter cartridges under the kitchen sink. What should have taken five minutes took two hours and cannot be finished until the new cartridges arrive on November 6. Returning or exchanging the faulty cartridges was not an option on Amazon, where I purchased them. Meanwhile, the bracket that holds both filters up is hanging against the bottom of the cabinet because he unmounted them to put the new cartidges in.

9:20 AM weight: 113.8 lbs

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
3 Samosas (480 calories( (120mg calcium)
3 cups hot cider
Gummy Fruits (45 calories)
Amy's brown rice + black-eyed peas (300 calories)
OLLY Magnesium Gummy (336 mg Magnesium) (25 calories)
Advil Dual Action - Acetaminophen 250mg, Ibuprofen (NSAID) 125mg
1 bowl home made chili
1 baked potato
1/2 cup party mix

57 oz water

Fit app: afternoonwalk
31 Heart Points
1.69 miles miles

MonsterMustDie was very well-behaved at the Halloween dinner at Karen and Bob's house. He was very quiet but friendly to everyone. He didn't pressure me to leave ASAP and we ended up being there chatting with them for a while after all the other guests left.

Halloween 2025

Woke up feeling ok this morning.
Thinking about all the things I meant to cook yesterday when I didn't do anything.
Final count oh Trick-or-Treaters was 137 but a lot were double-dipping on their way back at our house.

9:00 AM weight: 111.3 lbs

Fit app: afternoon walk
Heart Points
miles

skies are clearing

It's finally sunny this morning. I hope it dries out today. Woke up feeling ok.

My stomach started feeling a bit queazy again after I had just a few chips with chicken salad this morning.
Also had a moment of my heart racing this morning without an adequate prompt.

9:00 AM weight: 111.1 lbs

Wednesday

Another rainy day in North Carolina.
I haven't heard from my family all week and I'm sure they were busy. I called my neice today and she said her mother got home this afternoon from the hospital. She had a group of her mother's friends at the church send her money via VENMO that she used to hire a maid service to clean my brother and sister-in-law's house today. The conversation was brief as her children were tugging at her while I spoke to her.

MonsterMustDie and I carved Jack-o-Lanterns tonight from the largest pumpkins we had on the front steps.

I went to bed early with an upset stomach.

9:00 AM weight: 112.0 lbs

Rainy Tuesday

Still raining today.

9:00 AM weight: 111.1 lbs

Monday

The first thing I did after coffee and meds was scoop the cat box and pull the bins to the curb for collection tomorrow morning.
It is raining today so I doubt I will get my walking in this afternoon.

10:00 AM weight: 110.2 lbs

Sunday

MonsterMustDie feels much better this morning but he woke up with a headache.
I toasted a flatbread he got a the Farmers Market on Saturday for him in the evening, which he ate. I tried to get him to drink some water and gave him some of my BioLyte drink (precious to me now) to try but he said it tasted like wet socks. I'll just stick to trying to coax him into drinking a little plain water as often as I can. Other than morning coffee, I only see him drinking low-alcohol beer all day. His choice, I know, but I try to get him to choose healthier options.
I feel fine except for my usual pain in my right hip.
Outdoor Halloween decorations are finished, except for carving the Jack-o-Lanterns this week.
I bruised the front of my right shin on the attic step while moving boxes back up. No biggie but I want to record that for Bruise Clues later.

9:00 AM weight: 110.2 lbs

Fit app: evening walk
42 Heart Points
1.85 miles miles

Saturday

I've been too anxious over the Novant medical bill situation. I know I need to let it lie for a few weeks until I can send in paperwork.

I also feel ok with my weight enough to stop the intake-blogging for a while.
I need to relax more, keep up my exercises and walking, and get out more into the world.

My sister-in-law had open heart surgery yesterday afternoon - a triple bypass. I spoke to my neice and texted my brother yesterday evening while she was still in ICU after surgery. They said the surgery went well. My brother said she will be recovered in 6 weeks. My neice said she will have a 6-month complete recovery, which sounds more believable. 

9:00 AM weight: 110.5 lbs

Pumpkin Pancake Day at the Farmers Market and pancakes were sold out before 10:00, but we did see some unusual cut greenery. 

ocra pods and hairy balls

MonsterMustDie had a fainting spell late in the afternoon while we were in a gallery in downtown Winston-Salem. I looked over and he was seated on a bench, leaning back, in a cold sweat. We waited several minutes with me putting cold compresses of wet paper towels from the bathroom on his forehead and the back of his neck. I made him send a message to his doctors via MyChart as soon as we got home. As it turns out, he had only been eating sweets and low/no alcohol beer all day (sounds familiar) to I cooked a couple of pork tamales we had in the freezer, topped them with mild salsa for him and made him drink some water for dinner.

friday

I did not sleep well at all last night. Was up until at least 12:30AM. Then I woke up when I heard MonsterMustDie stirring around at 5:30AM.
It's been a very anxious, frustrating day. I spent all day trying to deal with the Novant medical bill again with Medicare and Novant billing and got nowhere.

Message from Angela Perry, MD, sent October 6 at 4:40 PM
Good afternoon, I agree that this should not have resulted in a charge for you. I have turned this back over to the billing department to see if it can be resubmitted. Thank you.

Message from Tonnya B, CPT, sent October 7 at 8:32 AM
Hi Julia, I apologize as we can not sent this message to the billing office. Please give them a call at 844-266-8268. Thanks, Tonnya B, CCMA

It looks like the doctor copied my medical history from Duke and Atrium onto her files in a way that made it look like she performed an examination and then billed everything as a new patient appointment with my while charging medicare for everything Duke and Atrium did. She actually sent me a message admiting it was a mistake and that I should not have been billed for any of it but the woman in the billing department at Novant Health refuses to speak to her and insists the paperwork submitted states that she performed a very detailed physical exam and that the "coding department" says everything was submitted correctly and there will be no other review or changes to my bill.

I then phoned Medicare again to ask why I do not have my claims forms from them and they said they had mailed them to me nearly a month ago. I still don't have them so I think they believe my monthly Medicare statement is my claims form. No. I checked. The woman at Medicare said I can't ask for another claims form until a month after the last one was sent out, which will be Saturday at the earliest and I have to phone them to ask for the forms to be sent - she could not put in the order for me yet. And no one may be able to do that on a weekend so I should wait til Monday. Then it will take 15 business days to get the form in the mail.

I think I am completely robbed of the money they insist I owe for the nonexistant Welcome To Medicare exam and now there is no way I can have an annual physical exam and wellness visit until after October of next year. Medicare is not easy but I'm still glad I have been able to be treated at Duke for everything this year. I'm glad I was finally able to have a couple of things done through Atrium, like the original mammogram that detected breast cancer, before the problem with Novant happened. I sincerely hope I can continue my recovery on my back and surgeries without any problem. I don't know what to do about updating my Medicare coverage for next year, if I need to, and I have no one to advise me on this. I am trying to do everything right. I am doing my best.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
2 cups coffee
1/2 Asian pecan pastry
2 cups whole milk + Kefir (300 calories) + 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (40 calories)
Teriyaki Salmon filet + brown rice, aduki beans, roasted carrots and broccoli.
pumpkin seeds roasted with salt and olive oil (80 calories) (4g protein)
1 Ardens Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories) (2g protein)
1 Orgain 30g chocolate protein shake (160 calories) (650 mg calcium)
1 cup chamomile + lavender herbal tea

24 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 112.4 lbs

not Friday yet

MonsterMustDie did not remember he left both of our ChillOut thermal carafes at work. He tried to take my one remaining cup - the large Orca stainless steel that Jennifer had given me - and I would not let him. I was able to fish out a not-so-great small, cranberry-colored 1-cup thermos I bought years ago at, of all places, Crate and Barrel but he would not use it. Tomorrow, he will probably once again forget the cups are gone and try to take my Orca cup with him.
Instead of working on the paintings we started, I went shopping for eye glasses for her and stainless steel carafes for me. We found some nice frames for her new prescription. I am still on the hunt for the right travel cups but I did find Orgain 30g on sale and some delicious-looking walnut cranberry bread at CostCo while shopping with her.
Got a text from my brother that his wife is having open heart surgery tomorrow. Phoned him several texts later to find out more of what is going on. She was "feelng things" wrong with her on wednesday and had a CT scan that reveals "a lot of things messed up" including her "widow-maker artery" is 90 percent blocked. They kept her in the hospital to monitor her and she has bypass surgery scheduled tomorrow afternoon.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
1 Oatmeal+Walnut+cranberry cookie (150 calories)
Dinner was brown rice, aduki beans, roasted carrots and broccoli.
1 Ardens Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories) (2g protein)
1/2 Asian pecan pastry
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement

20 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 111.8 lbs

Fit app: evening walk
40 Heart Points
3.78 miles miles