Almost Four Weeks...? Really?

Hey folks,
Been a long time since I last posted. I've been laid up with a back-to-back pair of health problems-- none of which I'm eager to discuss in depth-- but I've been home sick for about two weeks. Kind of unpleasant, really.
Anyway, just a quick note to say that I am still here, and plan to get back into the blogging groove ASAP.
Hope you've had a fun end-of-October/start-of-November and that you'll come back and read this space again soon.
Drew

A Busy Week Indeed

Well, it's Friday and I'm thankful, be it to God, the Greco-Roman pantheon, what have you.
Tuesday was the hardest day-- getting the kittens to the vet to get spayed, getting myself to DC to undergo "shockwave" therapy for that miserable kidney super-stone, then voting in the primary and home. Kat took off from work to make sure I got back to the condo, for which she has my boundless gratitude.
Wednesday wasn't so bad, catching up at work and all, but Thursday-- well, yesterday was rough. I'd left my painkillers at home and sure enough, Valentine's Day afternoon found me with a flareup of kidney stone-like discomfort, escalating toward real pain.
Kat emailed that she was leaving work at 3:20, so it was easier for me to decide it was time to head home.
Left work at 4pm and went to Alexandria, only to find Kat was still in DC. Miscommunications abounded, leaving me to go to the condo and pick up our paperwork for the kittens, after which I walked about a mile to the vets to pick them up.
Kat and I could not believe how wonderful it was having them home, and the kittens seemed to agree--they never left our sides last night, purring and head-butting and showing us in every way how glad they were to be back. We have to take them in a week or so to get the stitches removed, which is probably about the time I'll need to go back for a follow-up with my doctor. (BTW, Dr. Shin, my urologist, absolutely rocks. Probably the coolest doctor I've ever had.)
Anyway, been a tough week for me and the kittens-- and not that great for Kat either. But this week we have friends coming to visit Saturday and Sunday, plus a day off Monday, so that isn't so bad.
Hope you have a great weekend too!

Updates!

Hey everyone!
Seems like I've been offline awhile but I've been plenty busy... and there are posts to come explaning all of it, believe me.
First, a short update: I'm fine. The kidney stone issue appears to have been resolved (for now), though I'd like my doctor to confirm that. I'm drinking more water and trying to cut down on caffeine and dairy, both of which are not good for that particular affliction.
Second, had a fantastic time seeing my aunt and uncle out in Colorado last Thursday. We don't get to visit nearly often enough, and I even learned a good deal about my dad's early years-- stuff I'd never heard before. Gonna have to post about that.
Third, the kittens have gotten BIG! Kat and I need to post new pictures. Chrissy is still skinny, Janet is still a tank, but they're full-sized now and I probably shouldn't call them kittens any more.
Last, still working on my novel. Sherin and I are committed to a six-month program to get our first novels done, which is eminently doable. We just need to stick to it.
Hope all's great! So comment and let me hear how you're doing!

Health Update

Looks like I'm going to live awhile longer.
The doctor seems to think I had more than one kidney stone, and had me scanned to see if there are more. If it's really bad, I might need surgery to clean them out--but otherwise, I'll just have to hydrate and down painkillers.
Could be much much worse.
So that's the news on the health front.
Tomorrow, off to Denver for a three-day business trip. Looking forward to seeing Nancy and Ed (my aunt and uncle) while I'm out there.

Weekend of Purgatory

Bad weekend, folks, health-wise that is.
I had some pain in my lower left back, right around my kidney, last Wednesday. Thought it might be a kidney stone, since I've had them twice before, but Thursday it was okay--then Friday night it resurged with a vengeance.
Agony.
The kind that leaves you sweating, nauseous and unable to rest comfortably in any position, vertical or horizontal.
Couldn't sleep, naturally.
Saturday morning, I thought about dropping out of an editorial meeting for SFRevu but figured I could make it on Advil. Wasn't fun but I was functional.
Sunday was better. Kat and I went into DC and Pentagon City, had a nice day (more in a later post) and came home... and the twinge flared up again. Not nearly as bad as Friday but I still made a doctor's appointment.
So why am I going on about this?
Because:
- I'm a 43-year old man who's seriously overweight and might have health issues I don't suspect;
- My father toughed out feeling bad for a long stretch, only to learn (too late) that he had cancer;
- I'm newly married and don't want to take chances on the years (decades?) I plan to spend with my wife and future children.
So it's better for me to find out now if I have some serious health problems.
I'm getting older and don't take my health for granted the way I used to.