Computer Tips -Tech Info

I’ll go ahead and warn you this is a very non-technical oriented post – just some musings about science fiction – life, health and a few other things including this site and my computer work.

The Doctor Who series is premiering the finale of The End of Time tonight and I’m greatly anticipating that although it’s the end of David Tennant’s run as the Doctor. I’ll be sorry to see him go, but I think I can say that about most of the Doctor’s I’ve seen portrayed over the years with maybe one exception. Anyway in the lead up to this finale there have been hints that “your song is ending” which in many ways resonated with me as well. In many ways I feel as though the way I’m doing what I do is going to be changing dramatically……

Many of you that have stopped by before or know me personally know that I was diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease a couple years ago now (2 years December). Leading up to that I had roaring and pressure in my right ear accompanied with hearing loss, random dizziness and the occasional vertigo spell on a fairly random and unpredictable basis. I would go weeks without hearing out my right ear, sometimes a week or to of mild to moderate dizziness and the stray “swhirling vortex of death” that I’ve called vertigo.

There seemed to be a correlation to my allergies, I was tested and started immunotherapy (allergy shots) for dust mites which was my more severe reaction. So, for the better part of two years I’ve been getting those shots every other week and going through a cycle as follows. Day 1 get shot, day 2 feel like I’ve run a marathon on day 1, day 3 exhaustion continues. Day 4 ear starts to roar. Day 5-7 intensity in ear increases, day 8 dizziness, fatigue, day 9-14 symptoms subside and rest up for next shot.

I should note that has been an improvement on where I was prior to this because when I first went to the allergist I couldn’t recall the last time I was able to hear out my right ear. So, those symptoms have improved and are at the very least more predictable (which in some ways is a good thing.)

Unfortunately though the way I have worked for the last 13 or so years has been far more demanding. Computer appointments are the most demanding usually requiring correspondence, research and then of course the onsite time. Everyone wants things done YESTERDAY and some would be willing to come and drive you out even if you had malaria to try to get you to fix their problems (and complain if it’s not finished right.) Don’t misunderstand, I am very fortunate to have some very kind, understanding customers, but you know how the world is, there’s always someone that would come and ask you a work question on your deathbed. “One more quick question…”

Between the computer work, piano lessons and my other work (including online projects amounting to around 30 or so sites….) I’ve been typically working 60-80 hour weeks. Not that I’ve done that for ALL of 13 years, but in recent years that’s been the norm. When I’m feeling well that’s fine in a way…. I guess one of the things I identify with about the Doctor Who series is I’m fascinated with most everything and love the “thrill of the hunt” of solving problems/etc. Drop in, fix something and leave…… I know, it doesn’t always work out that way, but….

Sometimes (like around Christmas/New Years) I’ve been able to force a 2 week break from the race that has been my work life. That has worked out well and even this year has been able to somewhat recharge my batteries.

However, in October I started having other symptoms that were hard to explain. Really some of these go back a bit longer than that. Nerve pains and numbness in one thigh which was diagnosed as a simple injury to the nerve. I was told to take B12 and it would heal slowly. (That was April.) In October though I started having left hand shooting, electric pains which I at first thought may have been an injury climbing up and down out of the floor doing PC installs. I asked my Physician about it and he did a couple screenings and suggested that it would heal slowly. I had suspected carpal tunnel as a possibility although thought I always have a fairly neutral/good hand position for most of what I do….. piano/typing/etc. But I god a wrist brace to sleep with for a while to see if immobilizing it helped. It didn’t and what’s worse my right hand started doing similar things. By Thanksgiving it was more than just my hands… all my knuckles have a dull ache, my lower back, my upper back and neck is sore and stiff, my shoulders hurt, my feet, knees, hips. Really and truly at this point in time every joint in my body aches. It’s typically a bit worse in the mornings or if I’ve been in one position for too long, but sometimes something just suddenly hurts for no apparent reason.

Add to that…. I’ve had burning sensations in my left and right arms on occasion where the skin was painful to the touch. I had to roll up my sleeves as it was like having a bad sunburn. Fortunately those have been short lived experiences, but the joint pain persists. I was realizing just a bit before Thanksgiving that it hurt to grasp the steering wheel and doing small work with my hands was either 1) too painful or 2) at risk of being too painful to really want to attempt it.

I turned down several appointments (laptop work) in large part because of this. I wanted to see if things could get better over the Thanksgiving break. I thought if I rested more and “caught up” things would get better. They haven’t. After Thanksgiving I had just enough in the “gas tank” to make it to the piano lessons I had scheduled (I have about 23 students now), a few high priority computer appointments and tried to email the others that had called to let them know it would be January before I could schedule.

I’ve rested up somewhat over the Christmas/New Years break and visited my GP again. He suggested about 5 blood tests for Thyroid, B12 level, Folates, and two Rheumatoid related tests. While the tests are not back yet, and the Rheumatoid related tests are not definitive I’m suspecting that Rheumatoid arthritis may be the culprit… the symptoms seem to match. He did refer me to a Rheumatologist and it may be 6-8 weeks before I’m scheduled, but at least the ball is rolling to try to figure out what’s going on.

So…. in a way my song is ending…. I have spent a good part of the last year or two working my tail off through the week to keep up with Piano, computer work, and my online work only to spend most of the weekend sleeping and resting up for the next week. When I say most of the weekend sleeping that is not far from the truth. I remember weekends that I slept until 12 or so and then took an afternoon nap 3-5 or so and went back to bed around 12 midnight…. so what is that up for about 10 hours? On top of that I didn’t even feel like doing much of anything in those 10 or so hours but sitting around. In the new year I really can’t keep doing things the way I have. I have been trying already to prune back to the things that 1) I like the most and 2) are the most cost/benefit effective. I like solving computer problems, but am at a point where I will not be able to respond nearly as quickly as I have in recent years. So, there are a few businesses that I’m making more of a priority to continue supporting and a few individuals, but just looking at what I have ready to do in January I am essentially booked through the end of the month unless something ELSE happens. That is taking into account the people I’ve already talkd to and will be contacting this coming week for scheduling.

I have moved more towards piano lessons in the last year and that is actually a good thing as they’re more sedate/less stressful and usually if you’re sick they don’t want you to drag out anyway because (“oh we’ve already had that”)….. This site? This site has had a high benefit for me as have all of my online work and I expect to continue posting here and working on those sites as I’m able. But…. depending on what I’m told by the Physicians…… there may be long absences here because there are a lot of things that I want to do before time robs me of my ability to do them all……

Back to your regularly scheduled content……

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