Couch 227 - The Safe Couch

I have come to the conclusion that a lot of gardeners have some degree of ocd. A lot of the members of the online gardening group i am in were horrified, some did say horrified that i chop of leaves and branches and palm fronds and leave them on my garden beds as mulch. A few said it looked untidy. There are few of us wild gardeners in the group and it always starts a debate when one of us posts.

Hugs, QM. I'm glad you're not living with your family anymore.

Hugs, Scarlet. I'm glad you were able to talk to her and some things got clarified. I hope your phone and in-person sessions help with the whiplash feeling.

I'm happy for you.

Find a new group!

A charity I give to overcharged my card by $100. I contacted them to see what they can do about it, if anything. They are researching it to see how it happened. Overall they are a good charity and glitches happen so I'm not overly upset. Just I kind of needed that $100 this time.

I'm bored. I'm at work and I paid the bills already. I'm hot, then I'm cold, then I'm hot, then I'm cold. I keep turning the heater off and on. If I was at home I would have a blanket on and probably would be fine. Just right now since I am at work I don't have a blanket. I do have pillows, but no blanket. And I'm incredibly bored. Which makes me hungry. I almost called out today....mental health day. I'm now thinking I should have. But it is pass out paychecks day and that is my job so everyone can get paid (even though everyone has direct deposit) so I felt it was important that I be here. Good thing too. They need me to answer the phones today because the Project Manager usually answers the phones but she had to go to the dentist.

I've never done this before, but If it's a credit card you can contact them to reverse the payment as it was taken without authorization. Even if it's a charity doesn't mean it's okay.

They offered leaving early again today (using our PTO) so I took it, since it's my friday. H and I are going through the filing cabinets this afternoon and shredding all the stuff that we don't need to keep anymore. Mostly it's old bills that I insist on filing.

I'd leave early if that was an option. That is one thing, one of the few things, I miss about retail. When it was slow they would offer you to leave early. Sometimes it was nice getting off work a few hours early.

I hate doing that. I never know what to keep or get rid of. Some stuff is so old it's become sentimental at this point, like the first apartment lease I signed when I was 19.

When I found it hard to give up certain pieces of clothing, I took pictures of them.Not my idea originally. I got it from one of those tiny space videos, but it really did help.

Kit maybe you could take a blanket to work for next time.

Ugh. I am in a fix. I have had a uti since yesterday, i just got a scrip called in - next time, do not call my doctor, go straight to doctor on demand - fingers crossed they will door dash it, i am half falling over with heat and pain, and i still have to clean my space for the cooling changeover tomorrow. I am a super wimp, no doubt. Heaven help us if anything serious physical should ever befall me. The tiniest tummy ache and i roll up into a little (well maybe not so little) ball.

Here's my (at least) yearly post on the topic. My Primary Care Provider's office called me today and said I NEED to come in for a Pap Smear. UGH. Really? We are go through this again? The Dr.'s office said that the insurance is requesting it. Not to be crude but I don't give a hoot what the insurance wants, it should be a decision made my primarily me with the help of my doctor. My doctor has said before that I don't need it because I'm low risk because I am a virgin. Don't need it so why are we doing it? The lady was kind of pushy on the phone so I have an appointment tomorrow at 10 AM. All I have to say is that the Dr better be quick or it's not going to happen. I've never successfully gotten through one of these examinations and I'm not sure I am going to get through this one. I know the whole thing is supposed to take like 5 minutes but she better take like 5 seconds because I usually start freaking out. So I'm going to tell her that if I say stop, she has to stop. The whole thing is ridiculous. I'm at higher risk of getting Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (family history) yet no one tests me for that! I'm sort of ranting and sort of freaking out. I hate everything about a Pap smear and I hate my doctor right now and I hate the insurance company for getting on the doctor for not giving me this stupid test and I hate cancer and I am not happy about my appointment tomorrow.

Hope you feel better soon unaluna.

You're not being a wimp. UTIs can be super painful. Pain is pain. None of it is easy. Leave the cleaning for now just get into bed and rest. Drink loads of water too.

Sending you love from across the pond.

Speaking as someone who hasn't had one done either. Low risk doesn't mean no risk, but it should always 100% be your choice to do it though. If you really don't want one done you can still cancel the appointment. You're allowed to say no. You could also possibly change your insurance provider.

Young Una, UTIs are a nasty business. Are you doing all the usual home remedies like cranberry juice and enough water to re-submerge the Titanic #2? Oh my Una, draw me like one of your French girls!! Oops, do excuse me. Also hot water bottles, washing only with warm water. And whilst it is usually recommended for thrush, I use natural yoghurt for soothing.

I saw that! What could possibly go wrong?

Una, hope you feel better soon!

Well I might as well TRY to get it over with being that the doctor brings it up at every possible appointment. I can't change my insurance provider because my insurance is through my work and it's actually really good insurance. It's an HMO but it's Platinum. So it's like the best insurance I've ever had, and I get their point of view, better to catch it early than to get to it too late where it costs them more money so they are actually doing a good job by getting on my doctor. I just don't want to do it. My friend offered to go with me, but I can't imagine undressing in front of my friend and having the test done with a friend there. It's bad enough there has to be a doctor AND someone else in the room, like a nurse or whatever they are. I'm being whiny and complaining because I don't want to do it and I don't want to have a panic attack.

Would it be an incentive to know you don’t have to do it or hear about for 3 years if you get it done tomorrow?

There are no screenings for non-Hodgkin’s. Otherwise I’d be getting one—though my father probably had undiagnosed celiac disease, which raises the risk for non-Hodgkin’s. Gluten = death for my family, I guess.

SlumberKitty, you can exercise a lot of control over the procedure. Your friend can stay in the waiting room. You can tell the nurse to stop at any time. You can tell them to go slower, to stop, to show you the equipment they use. You can breathe through the experience. You can be an active participant, don't let them bluster through you. You can try this time, not finish the test and try again at another time. Take security items with you, essential oils, a blanket, a donut, a bottle of whisky.

Yes, that's the incentive. So I can stop hearing about the blankety blank test! Every single appointment it's like you need to have this done. How about today? (And I swear I'm always on my period when I have a PCP appointment though I think she thinks I'm lying to her.) Let's schedule it. Let's not. We'll just do it next time. Well the day of reckoning has come I suppose. Although if I show up tomorrow and she says I don't need the test, I swear I'm going to be like, then never bring it up again. Because sometimes she has been the reason why the test hasn't gotten done.


I wish there were a screening for Non-Hodgkins. My Dad had it but recovered from it. My Aunt has had it twice and has recovered from it twice. But I swear it is a curse on that side of the family. And since I got all the bad genes from both sides of the family, I think I am destined to get it.


I didn't know about the celiac connection. I always learn something from you @@