Day 22 - LA County moves into yellow tier

Restylane injections…finally!!!

5/24/21. Monday

9:30 – 10:00 - Up and I grab my camera and go downstairs to say good morning to the dog. She’s asleep on the couch so I wake her up by rubbing her tummy three times.  She grabs her toy and we head outside; she goes potty right away.  I take pictures of my new pots and plants.  Return inside: cheese for her, coffee for me.  I go upstairs. I weigh 100 pounds today – I’m up 2 pounds.

10:00-11:00 – Shower. Lotion. Covid-19 uniform. Curl hair. Make-up. I listen to The Daily.

11:00 –12:00 -  I put the last cupcake from Lady Dis in my lunch bag, refill my water, grab my coffee, and leave for my Botox/Restylane appointment in Encino at 12:30 today. It’s been two years.

-Driving. I listen to Air Talk.

12:00-12:30 – Although I’ve been getting Restylane and Botox injections for over a decade, I have a lot of anxiety about this appointment.  I’m vaccinated now…what if the J&J antibodies f—k with the Botox and Restylane and I have an allergic reaction and die?  I’m early so I park in a cul-de-sac and decompress for a few minutes.

12:30 – 1:30 - Arrive at the Med-Spa and it is so great to see A. again (he does my treatments)! He had a 2-month break in service during March 2020 which, he whispers to me, he actually enjoyed, then it was back to work, business as usual. I’m so stressed out, but he puts a ton of numbing cream on the areas and gives me a squeeze ball.  Something interesting, though…A. says that the vaccine caused a reaction in some people who had recently received filler/Botox injections, prior to the vaccine.  Their faces swelled up and they needed a steroid to bring the swelling down. There was a study done about this, but the scientists don’t understand why this odd reaction would occur, nor did they widely publish their findings so the public also doesn’t know about this strange result.

There is paperwork to fill out, consent forms to sign, and I have a consult with a “talking head” Nurse Practitioner on A.’s Ipad while she asks me questions from the health questionnaire. A.’s only a RN, so he needs a NP or MD to perform a consult and give approval for the injections. The power of technology! I Skype with the NP, who says I’m ready to go and encourages me to “Have Fun!” A. injects the product – there is a little pain, but it’s very manageable – and I’m so happy with the result!! He did such a nice job! I pay and leave.

1:00-2:00 – This was a stressful day.  I drive home and listen to NPR Politics.

2:00-3:30 – Home and I heat up the pork stew and read We Came, We Saw.

3:30-4:30 – I’m exhausted from the anxiety overload and take a nap.  L. leaves to get coffee and a brownie for me and other treats for her.

4:30-5:30 – L. returns. I drink my coffee and eat part of my brownie. Bless you, L.

5:30 – 6:30 – I check email at College No. 2 and respond to a few students.

6:30-7:00 – I take attendance and listen to Air Talk.

7:00-8:30 – I go through my entire personal email, delete multiple emails, and get up to speed with agenda items.  I send a few emails to B. during this time and listen to Today Explained.

8:30-9:15 – I take the dog for a walk and listen to The Cost of Care.

9:15 – 10:15 – I work on my Summertime movie Discussion Board posts for my French Cinema class –this assignment is due by midnight. I finish and post my responses to the Discussion Board.

10:15- 11:00 – I check French Cinema to see what the next week’s module and assignments are.  We have one movie left before the semester ends.

I finish the Syllabus for my 6-week Summer class that starts in July at College No. 2 while listening to NPR’s Bill of the Month.  People send in their medical bills/invoices from hell and reporters investigate. Our health care system is so f—ked up.

11:00-12:00 – I do some work in the garage and take a few items down from the side wall.

12:00-12:30 – I read a Money Diary and have three bites of L.’s leftover pork and ramen.

12:30-1:00 – I do a Kathy Smith abdominal workout.

1:30-2:15 – I do an Insanity – Cardio Core and Recovery workout. This week it’s the same workout - Core and Recovery - because “Sean T.” says I’m preparing my body for the pummeling I’m going to get next week.

2:15-3:15 – Blog posts.

3:20 – 4:00 – Kitchen duty and I ready my coffee for tomorrow. I set my alarm for 8:00