Sept 1: [summary]
Anyhow, today like a big boy I took the bus to the hospital by myself (usually darling wife drives me and hangs out) but now we’re getting into her busy work season and I need to do this on my own… After the injections, I’m spaced out so will retreat to a little café to regroup.
Next week, our little tiger starts at a new “forest preschool” run by the YMCA which will require me doing afternoon bus rides and then switching to the old timey tram/trolley.
I figured out a routine where we’ll do the switch waiting at the Uno bus terminal station which is a building that looks transported out of a Greyhound station in Chicago in 1963 with newspaper vending machines, cigarettes on offer, and rows of plastic seats but it’s a place to sit down and wait for the bus out of the weather
8:44AM / Wakey: Oh, “Dave is sending a little updates, it must mean it’s a Hospital day and he’s nervous/anxious” Yep 1 hour til bus, still in bed pajamas and coffee mode. Get up get up
I need this guy’s “eye of the tiger” ;)
9:55AM / Bus: Made the bus with perfect timing. Sitting in front ‘co-pilot’ seat to dig vistas along absurdly narrow roads the bus choogles down with nible dexterity & seasoned skill.
Have a transfer at dreaded station bus loop to another bus/company.
Charged up my pre-paid value card on the fly. (This is Hareca card, not be confused with the 383 other cards)
Brought kindly Dr gift packet of Post Coffee (of course i decorated gift bag with appropriate stamps) to go with stainless steel travel Bodum French press gifted last time. Includes 3 kinds of pre-ground coffees (helping her replace can kohi habit)
10:22 / Outfit: Blue Stetson-brand felt fedora, short sleeve shirt (handy for injections), shoulder bag from Kathmandu (note: give it some saddle soap, 7 years old already!), cheap & cheerful & (importantly) soft headphones, & yes Margaret, a mask.
Maybe inspired by a tip about wearing darker blues now in Sept, inexplicably put on a tie from Chiang Mai for today’s character study.
PS glasses still need adjusted. So tired.
Made my busswitch… sounds really basic as im a super transit rider in many countries but, our area has 3 different bus franchisees providing service in various areas, and all of the signs are only in Japanese characters (and shockingly) but a little opaque to slow-minded like me.
By far the best of the three is the one that comes out to our home (called Uno bus) with beautifully maintained vehicles, great Wi-Fi, power outlets, comfortable seats… This one is a little bit more “standard issue”
Re above: That meant to say “unshockingly” because of course it’s written in Japanese because this is Japan duh but still, having the ABC version (especially on the special green bus designed to do a tourist loop) would be a super easy quick useful addition.
K, at hospital. no snaps permitted (obv)
Snack in between the various check points, gotta not fade
3:55PM Good news is: survived the *multiple medical checkpoints* of the hospital, including all the checkout/billing/insurance desk + got 13+ prescriptions submitted including some new medications (muscle relax, migraine) and will be delivered by courier.
3:58PM / Liberal Cafe: Got late lunch & siphon coffee at “Liberal” where boss calls me Mr Friday & exchanges postcards / ¥1250 for daily set minus rice plus coffee – shared a book of paintings from Shikoku & Germany
When i arrived at Liberal café, the boss says “oh it’s Mr. Friday” and I felt like a regular.
I might do a super low-key art exhibit there too (postbox paintings) will totally let you know and we will do an “opening” even if it’s just two of us with siphon coffees.
4:00PM / Bus switch: Caught bus and at Okayama station, oh my goodness, there are foreign tourists, wearing shorts, talking loudly wearing, backwards baseball hats & eating ice cream. It’s all so strange! :) {no one comes to Okayama}
4:33PM / Home: Oh im home & in bed / thanks for hanging out with me on my journey… Helps the anxiety tell my story along the way
Bonus / Data: geeky medical imaging fun delivered by app
The data in these clumsy screenshots doesn’t necessarily need interpretation by we laypersons but just the fact that they “exist” is fascinating. Dozens of images, and all sorts of blood test results all of the Japanese is still beguiling and difficult to translate medical terms of course but still… The fact that it exists is very pleasing
Briefly: blood flow to my frontal cortex of brain is insufficient which impacts executive function (i get confused and non-verbal) and easy weakened but spinal fluid does not seem to be “leaking” although there is a clear impingement on cervical spine (i think result from car crash Jerome Idaho, 1988)
MECFS study: Mortality in Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
“The findings suggest patients in this sample are at a significantly increased risk of earlier all-cause (M = 55.9 years) and cardiovascular-related (M = 58.8 years) mortality, and they had a directionally lower mean age of death for suicide (M = 41.3 years and cancer (M =66.3 years) compared to the overall U.S. population [M = 73.5 (all-cause), 77.7 (cardiovascular), 47.4 (suicide), and 71.1 (cancer) years of age]…”
Oh, and: Importantly: The master of my little secret kissaten trimmed these three beauties off a tree to see me on my way / he said yuzu but look like sudachi… but I’m not all that smart about these matters. Regardless bound to be tangy.
[Fast forward] Sept 4: Today on “tidying up with daveo” comes a variety of tasks involving: figuring 日本語 characters to identify medications and then, a “Laverne and Shirley-esque” (or “I Love Lucy” if you’re older) series of manual tasks, scribbling letters, tearing packets & sorting into bins #mecfs
The tasks are way quicker and easier now as most of the medications are bundled into “morning, noon, evening, bed” packets by pharmacy & TCM are in numbered sachets // although there are always situational outliers and new meds to test out before putting into the routine #pwme
Pod and Book addendum
