First, this has been another strange week. Some things I have control over, some things I don’t. And some things had unintended consequences.

I had some thoughts over the weekend and decided I wanted to try going off the HCTZ. I can’t even remember when I started this medication but I think it was in 2002 when I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. All signs and symptoms of CHF have disappeared since that time. Plus, I’ve lost a lot of weight. And most importantly, it’s a diuretic and I’ve been battling some digestive issues since I had the lap-band surgery. It seems that I’ve taken to eating rocks – and it just made sense that a diuretic might make that issue worse.

So, since my blood pressure is taken at rehab, I stopped taking the HCTZ and let my rehab nurses monitor changes. If anything, my blood pressure has been lower this week. My feet aren’t any more swollen than usual (my right leg swells at least part of the time). So this is good news.

At the same time, my blood sugar plummeted. Thursday, my two hour post-lunch blood glucose reading was 53. It made no sense at all. I’ve found, by the way, that my eating impulses are much worse when I’m having a persistent (moderate) low. So I ate too much Thursday afternoon and evening. Still, I got up Friday morning to a 74. Okay, when I eat more – my blood sugar goes down? Sure, why not? I think I’ll eat nothing but cookies from now on. Kidding aside, my sugar just wouldn’t come up. My two hour post-lunch was 70, at least, but that’s not high enough to go exercise. I ate crackers. I ate jerky. I ate more crackers. Protein and carbs, right? I made it all the way up to 83 and sorry, I drop 40-50 points when exercising. That’d be unpleasant. I’m sure I could have sugared it up but I already know to expect a crash when I do that.

So, what’s going on (and didn’t I claim this was a quick story?) – well, it turns out that HCTZ raises blood sugar. That might have been a good thing to know! It makes sense that my sugar has dropped while I’ve been off the drug. I see Dr. Great and Powerful on the 20th and by then I should know whether I can get away with not taking it. In the meantime, I skipped the Glyburide this morning, still had below 100 postprandials. I wonder if just maybe I’ll get off all the oral meds eventually.

Story #2: I wrote the other day that I’ve been drinking iced coffee for breakfast. Making coffee is so complicated in the morning! But, gosh darn it, it’s gotten cold. So I brewed coffee this morning against my better judgment. I had the water going in my electric tea kettle, the filter in the little filter holder thingy, and then I reached right through the steam for the coffee. Yep. I steamed two fingers.

So, I have a pea-sized blister on my ring finger. That’s neosporin smeared around the nail. I must say that it hurt like the very blazes most of the morning and afternoon, but it feels okay now. Do you think this will prevent me from putting my hand in the steam’s path again? I doubt it. I have at least 4 half-moon scars on my right arm from the oven door. I’m just that good.

Last story! Blackie has not been around in two weeks. Either he has people after all or he got himself killed. I miss the little dude. Tommy has been keeping me company, however. He brings me dead animals nearly every day lately. Then he stands outside my door and yells until I come out and see his trophy. Tonight, he brought a baby squirrel. The poor little squirrel was faking death while Tommy batted him around, though. I distracted Tommy and the cute little squirrel ran off – right up one of the deck posts. It really wasn’t his best choice and he fell off at the top. One of the more feral cats in the area and Tommy both went after him. I doubt he escaped. Still, I’m rather hoping that Tommy will be mad that I let the squirrel escape and not bring me any more squirrels, chipmonks, baby possums, or birds. It could happen.

And that more or less catches me up for the week. Goodnight again interwebs!