Category: Personal

Posted on
Feb 10, 2022

Health Update – Ajovy

Image from Pixabay.

I’ve now been using Ajovy, the new biological migraine prevention injection, for 6 weeks. I’ve given myself two shots (1 shot every 4 weeks). It’s very easy – it’s a injection pen, so just need to press the pen firmly against my belly or thigh. The needle stings a tiny bit going in but I hardly feel it although I’ve seen other users complaining about it? Maybe I just have had worse pains to deal with so that compared to them the pen is nothing. It certainly is like nothing compared to my migraine (or Crohn’s pains when they were worse).

My neurologist uses the following criterion to categorize migraine pain:

Intensity level #1 – Mild pain, you notice it but it doesn’t stop you from doing anything.
Intensity level #2 – Moderate/severe pain, lessens/stops you entirely from doing things (often mandatory things like work are done because you need money to live, but more voluntary things like seeing friends, cooking yourself or vacuuming can go on a break for weeks/months.
Intensity level #3 – Migraine attack. You can’t do anything but be sick from the pain, and have to rest/puke/be in dark etc. until it goes away.

The good news is that in January I only had 3 actual migraine attacks (level 3) 😀 Compared to 8-9 level 3 attacks  a month I had previously, that’s good! Bad news is that it hasn’t improved my daily headache much – I still have a “background” headache every day (levels 1-2), but Ajovy seems to have made it so that the intensity of them varies a lot more now than at least all of 2021. In January, of the non-migraine-attack-days, about half was level 1 and half level 2, while previously the whole of 2021, the background headache was pretty much always at level 2. So now I’m keeping fingers and toes crossed that Ajovy continues to work, and gently wishing that maybe it’ll even keep improving its effects as time goes on. But even if it only stays as-is, it’s still an improvement to what was.

Although I don’t know if it’s enough to be able to work again, I’d have to go into rehabilitation again to see how outside home, full-day commitment even one day a week and the stress of being around noise and other people affect the migraine in this new situation. The last time I tried, even one day a week, I ended up with migraine attacks on 2-3 times a week and on sick leave for a year because migraine got so bad again but then I had no Ajovy which may or may not make a difference. So I’m living exciting times for the next several months and have a little bit of hope again  😀 

Also, I just counted today, that the longest time I went, since starting Ajovy, without a migraine attack was 18 days!! I haven’t had that long an interval since the migraine became chronic in 2008!! I had a couple of really bad level 2 days in there, but no attack so it counts!

The neurologist will call me on the 21st of March, and that’s when we’ll see if Ajovy has been effective enough to apply for continuation from KELA. Fingers crossed!

Posted on
Feb 6, 2022

The Friday 5 for February 4 2022

Answers to The Friday Five @ Dreamwidth

1) Read any good books lately?

Nothing that stands out. Day before yesterday I finally finished (took me nearly two months) Minette Walters’ Fox Evil and it was only okay. Everything else has also been kind of meh the last couple of months… I’ve been working on these three novels but can’t seem to get going, and nothing else (except fanfic) really appeals me either.

The other book I’m trying to finish Ukkoshuilu by Johanna Sinisalo which is based on myths and has scifi/speculative fiction elements along with various social criticism, and descriptions of exploitation of workers and the unemployed, apparently Russian oligarchs involved with the main character’s ridiculous new job that’s taking advantage of her and the unemployment system by not having paying her for her work and treating her as “biomass” which is easily replaceable… which I have personally experience as well so that part feels like at least someone sees me and other people like me. I’m half way through, and it’s been at least a month and a half that I’ve been working on it; not sure I’ll finish it. I don’t like any of the characters (except the little daughter but she’s not focused on), feels like the plot started only in at exactly the mid-point of the book, and I don’t care what happens to anybody or even what’s the plot. But Johanna Sinisalo’s books are usually good, so I keep feeling like it’ll get going, and be exciting and good if I can just persevere with it.

I’m also working on Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds since mid-December, the synopses I’ve read of it sound really interesting and I kind of feel it too when reading it, but I’m still feeling mostly meh.

I’m actually starting to think the problem might lie with me actually – maybe I’m in a reading slump again! And also I’m impatiently waiting for the last The Expanse book from the library, so that could be a factor as far as scifi reading goes – maybe I just can’t muster interest in other scifi until I’ve read that book!

I’m just happy that I have no problems reading fanfic.

2) Taken any good baths lately?

I haven’t lived anywhere with a bathtub since 1993. It’s showers for me!

3) Do you read paper books, or do you prefer another format?

I prefer paper books, hard cover first then soft cover. But if I can’t get my hands on it as a physical book, I’m also happy to read ebooks on my laptop and/or tablet: epub is my preferred format there, but mobi’s fine too, and other formats if those too aren’t available.

4) Where’s the most comfortable place in your home?

My bed! I love to read in my bed. For tv watching and work on my laptop, it’s my couch. For writing with pen and paper, I like my writing desk even though my neck can’t stand it for long, looking down like that.

5) What’s the most relaxing sound you can put on?

I prefer silence – I’m sensitive to sounds/noise, my constant headache is easily worsened, or triggered into a migraine. My it’s a good head day, I like to listen to my music: the last long while it’s been The Last Of The Mohicans and The Leftovers soundtracks. I can lose myself in the music for hours at a time and do nothing but listen to it for like four or five hours. But I have to be careful not to over-do it because of the before mentioned headache/migraine, so such long stretches of sounds/noise are rare these days, usually more like 30 mins or an hour.

Posted on
Feb 4, 2022

Friday 5 for February 4: The full spectrum of human experience

Picture from PIxabay.

Answers to today’s questions at http://f.riday5.com/2022/02/04/friday-5-for-february-4-the-full-spectrum-of-human-experience/

1. What is the best sandwich?

Wheat bread buttered, topped with thin lunch meat slices, small pineapple chunks, blue cheese chunks and grated pizza cheese at the very top, heated in oven until the pizza cheese has melted and is golden brown.

2. What’s the one thing you own that you really should throw out?

I cleaned out my closets about a year ago, and I can’t really think of anything that I should throw out now. What I should do is fix the stand-mixer so I can use it again, or take it to be recycled.

Logically thinking it should be simple fix with the right tools, but knowing how things are built these days, I’m not sure it actually is because things aren’t built to be repaired but to be thrown out and new one to be bought :/ And also I would have to buy the tool first, and it’s so far down my list of necessary buys that I never seem to get there. Particularly because the last few years I’ve been so fucking tired all the time that I haven’t baked much of anything, and certainly not anything that would need a stand mixer. The tiredness is also why I haven’t put the stand mixer fixing high on the list of things I need to do. So I guess it’ll wait some more.

3. What’s the scariest animal?

Big reptiles – crocodiles, alligators and caimans and I can’t remember if there’s others like that. Snakes are almost on par with them, but not quite. Raised By Wolves which is airing its second season right now, has a big flying snake/reptile and it the awfullest thing I’ve seen propably since I first saw Alien as a kid. I love it but it’s just the most awful thing – makes me shudder.

4. Apples or oranges?

I don’t really like either – I eat them if they’re sliced and part of a cake/salad etc, but I never buy oranges for myself and very, very rarely apples (and only one certain branch of apples at that). Apples are too tart/sour and oranges taste too strong plus the flesh can cause a rash on lips/in mouth for me. I like clementines/mandarins much better and they rarely cause rashes. I do love freshly squeezed orange juice though so I sometimes buy that.

5. What’s your favorite smell?

I’m not sure I have one. Maybe hot-from-the-oven home baked bread? I don’t have good associationas with smells… Just in general almost any smell that is strong enough for me to take actual notice of it, especially artificial smells, is usually also strong enough to possibly trigger a migraine. So I prefer unscented in all things, and actively avoid things like perfumes or scented soaps, candles, detergent etc. I buy unscented versions of everything I possibly can.

Posted on
Jan 29, 2022

The Friday Five for January 28, 2022

Picture from Pixabay

Answers to the friday five @ Livejournal

1. Do you write letters on a regular basis or just for special occasions?

Me and mine have always kept in contact via phone, text messages and e-mails. The only time I ever wrote letters regularly, to my Mom and my best friend, was for few months while I lived away from my home town for studying to be a librarian. And then only because I at first didn’t have my own phone (no telephone at the apartment), but had to use the pay phone in the communal space (expensive and there was always somebody around, so no privacy). But then one of my other co-habitants and I got a telephone line together (we paid it half and half), and then I didn’t need to write letters anymore.

2. Do you stockpile cards and notepaper?

I didn’t used to but now… No cards, but notebooks yes. For drawing, and fountain pen friendly paper. Since a few years ago when I started drawing when I bought several of the so pretty notebooks for drawing and also others for watercolor from https://www.lotusblubookart.com who does amazing blank art books (very happy that I bought them then, because she doesn’t sell the ones I bought anymore, and raised prizes because she changed to higher quality materials and are now much too expensive for me). And then even more when I discovered fountain pens because that lead to trying out for fountain pen friendly paper, and also learned to make simple notebooks of my own with Tomoe River paper.

3. Are you in the habit of writing thank you notes or just send something via e mail and call it good enough?

Thank you notes aren’t a thing here, at least in my circles. And we never got them when I was growing up, either – I know because I was always the first home so I’d pick up the mail. Now that I think about it, letters in general weren’t much of a thing either my for family as far as I can remember – we kept in touch with our relatives and friends with the telephone, not writing letters. Typically we’d get bills, magazines, news papers and other “official” mail, not hand written personal ones (except for Christmas and birthday cards). Then when text messages and e-mail came along, we started using those along with telephone calls.

4. Do you have any stickers or fun ink stamps?

I never did have before, but last year I bought some MU print-on transfer stickers. I have looked at ink stamps, but don’t own any… I worry that I might get bored with it, always having to use the same one(s) and I’m not sure I spend money on them just in case that happens. Stickers have so much variety! I also have a few Washi tape rolls.

5. Without looking (and I’m going to have to trust you here), how many stamps do you currently have on hand (a roll, a sheet, something like that)?

Maybe about 6 MU print-on transfer sticker sheets most of them half used already, about 15 Washi tape rolls (most of them those really narrow ones) and zero stamps, ink or postage.

Posted on
Jan 13, 2022

The Friday Five for 14 January 2022 – TV Shows

Answers to this week’s questions at https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/107390.html

1. What is the first TV show you remember watching?

Pikku Kakkonen, a Finnish tv series for little kids. It started in 1977 when I would’ve been 3 and I know I watched it because it just has always felt familiar and like I’ve always known it. But the first one I have an actual memory of watching, is Nils Holgersson aka Peukaloiset retket aka The Wonderful Adventures of Nils aka Nirusu no Fushigi na Tabi (1980 – 1981). When I was a kid, Nils Holgersson was very important to me, and I still remember the Finnish version song from the tv series.

I have very faint memories of other little kids things but I’ve no idea whether they were tv shows or movies, or what they were. I couldn’t explain these enough to, say, to my Mom or other older people for them to ID them.

2. What is the first “grown up” TV show you watched?

I’m not sure! I started watching them early I think. Maybe Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1982 – 1983) or The Thorn Birds (1983)? Those two are certainly some of the oldest first run tv shows I remember watching.

The earliest Finnish grown up tv series I remember watching is Vihreän kullan maa (1987 – 1988), then I can’t remember watching Finnish tv shows until Tuntemattomalle jumalalle in the 1990s. I don’t like watching Finnish language movies and tv shows because of the awful dialogue. Either its wooden and unnatural, sort of formal and not how people talk in real life, or the rhytm is natural but pronounciation is unclear and I need subtitles because everyone is mumbling their lines. Basically I can never forget these are actors saying words, so I don’t watch Finnish things except for a very special few cases where the thing in genres I prefer and is so praised that I want to check it out.

3. What is the first TV show you watched from the start to finish when it aired live (i.e., not via reruns)?

One of the kids shows, like the Nils Holgersson one mentioned above.

4. What is the oldest TV show you’ve watched?

Edited: Actually, looks like it’s I Love Lucy! That one started in 1951. Alfred Hitchcock Presents, according to IMDB. I’m not sure all episodes were aired/if I caught all episodes if they did. The oldest Finnish one is propably Heikki ja Kaija (1961 – 1971) that I’ve seen some of on re-runs at some point ages ago.

5. What is one TV show you will stop and watch if you come across it on TV, even though you’ve seen every episode at least 20 times?

I don’t watch live TV anymore except for special things such as the governments COVID-19 sitreps (not all of those anymore either) or the Independence Day Reception every year (one eye on it, one eye on something else). Back when I did still watch live TV, Sledge Hammer! and Dark Skies were shows I always watched if I could even on re-runs. Otherwise, there haven’t been reruns of tv shows I’m a huge enough fan of on tv channels I have had access to.