Gallbladder Chili, hope for nicotine & a couple other things

I know they've been around awhile, but aren't freezers remarkable things?  Back on Sunday, June 7 I made a small pot of chili for dinner.  But while it was bubbling away, I was fast losing my appetite and didn't know why.

I wound up letting the chili cool, pouring it into a container and putting it in the freezer.  3 hours later, I was in an ambulance, headed to the hospital for a blocked bile duct and emergency gallbladder surgery.

It's been hidden in the back of my freezer ever since, along with a frozen Italian roll.  I'd forgotten about them until last night when I was trying to make some room in there.  And seeing as how it's Thursday, and Soup Day in the Teepee... I wonder how it will taste.

Okay, it's delicious.  I just keep thinking, when I made this chili I had a gallbladder.  Ah well!

Yesterday my sister texted me and said she'd recently learned that GLP-1 drugs have been helping people with long covid.  I contacted my doctor's office and left a message, a couple hours later they returned my call and said Dr. Cole would discuss it with me early Thursday morning.  

Last week I had 2 relatively good days, Tues & Wed.  I was able to attend that Senior outing for lunch at the Old Sewickley Hotel.  But since then, the symptoms returned with a lot of inflammation in my temples and around my eyes, and pain in the jaw & mouth.

Dr. Cole is a young doctor, but honest and knowledgeable.  He told me he would not prescribe a GLP-1 for me for long covid symptoms.  He asked me if I'd gained a lot of weight since my last visit (last Sept) and I said I'd lost almost 20 lbs. since last summer.  He said "You probably have a high BMI but not enough to qualify.  Douglas, you have a history of issues with your pancreas, kidneys & liver.  Those GLP drugs put you at a higher risk for further complications."  

I told him about NHS studies of low-grade nicotine patches helping some with their long covid symptoms and he said "Can't you try upping your dosage of acetaminophen?  Those patches are for smokers and can adversely affect people with hypertension.  If you want to try them it's up to you, but you'll need to monitor your blood pressure."  Will do.

After I got off the phone with him, I put my first patch on my left underarm.  Here goes nothing.

It just occurred to me, today is my dad's birthday.  He died nearly 27 years ago and would've turned 90 today.  It's hard to believe he's been gone so long.

Finally, have you seen the movie "Obsession" that was released earlier this year?  Made on a shoestring budget of $725,000 it earned over $400 million at the box office.  I said awhile back I was done with horror movies, but saw the film was playing on Peacock this past weekend and curiosity got the best of me.

The movie is about a young man who has a secret crush on his friend & co-worker Nikki.  One day he buys a "One Wish Willow" stick at a novelty shop and wishes Nikki loved him more than anyone else in the world.  So what happens when his wish is granted?  It both is and isn't what you'd expect, but I found it brilliant as it was horrific.  

The next day, my niece Sophia texted me and said she'd heard I seen it, and would I recommend it.  Her boyfriend Luke wanted her to see it.  I warned her it was very good but wasn't pretty.  She told me later she did like it, but covered her eyes a couple times.

Speaking of pretty, here she is with her young man Luke.  All I can say is... my goodness.