Notices by Jon (jkirkendall@wandering.shop)

@skinnylatte Biscuitville in North Carolina!

Seen on my way home this evening in Washington DC.

#WashingtonDC #EpsteinFiles #USPol

Hey Mastodon, what's the latest take on content warnings?

When I first joined there seemed to be a lot more. In fact, when I posted my introductory post, I mentioned that I was a psychotherapist and I got some push back from folks about not putting a mental health content warning on it!

So...where are we with CW's? I have found blocking certain hashtags better for myself, but wanted to check and see what others are doing.

Thoughts?

#CW #ContentWarning

Y'all, I woke up, got out of bed, and didn't automatically keel over in pain.

It's quite the Thursday at my house!

I went to middle and high school in #Tehran but never graduated because of the 1979 Revolution. We were one of the handful of families who had multi-year contracts rather than the typical one or two.

I'm in a number of online groups for those who lived there at the time, and so when I see posts from people who were only there for a single year, it should not be surprising — and yet: I'm so taken aback by how many of them have Very Strong Opinions and Sudden Expertise in Iranian politics. #Iran

Good morning, Fediverse!

Just a reminder: every pleasure can be a guilty pleasure if you were raised religiously enough!

When the cleaners are here, they stack the dog beds on top of each other.

Our dogs accept the challenge!

#dogs #dogsofmastodon

Is there a word that describes not getting the bad news you expected, then getting the bad news you didn't expect, then getting good news that reverses all that?

The expected bad news: lupus myelopathy.

The unexpected bad news: I'm looking at an in patient complicated surgery because parts of my vertebrae have worn away because #lupus.

Unexpected good news (this morning): after reviewing the new x-rays, I'm a candidate for a simple outpatient decompression procedure!

💃 💃 💃 💃 💃

I haven't been posting very much lately because I'm undergoing a very intense intro class to Just How Bad Back Pain Can Get.

Good lord.

What's so odd about this is that sitting is 100% pain free. But then I stand up and all the sudden my legs are on fire and all the pain alarms in my brain go off. Take a seat, and it disappears immediately.

Ice on my back helps as does heat on my legs. The biggest help are the supersonic CBD patches I got from the pain doc.

The human body is weird.

I love this so much. The Washington DC public library has started a new project called Friendship Benches. You can sign up for a time slot to go to a public library and talk with a volunteer "grandparent" who has been trained to listen. The program is up and running at several DC library locations.

What a beautiful, analog solution to the estrangement of our current times!

Public libraries rock.

#Library #PublicLibrary

https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/15725662

The dogs are so ready for the #fensterFreitag show!

#dogsOfMastodon

The MRI results were mixed, as things go. Doctors want to rule out lupus myelopathy, a rare condition that attacks the spinal cord and only has a 50% treatment success rate.

No visible signs of distress on the MRI would have upped the probability of lupus myelopathy, so "nothing wrong" would have been bad news.

But the something that did show up (stenosis at L2-L4) doesn't quite explain all the symptoms, so appointments with neurosurgeon and pain management up next!

@nomdeb It's ok - the neurosurgeon is one of the top in the DC area and I'm so psyched that I was able to get an appointment in March! I honestly thought it would be June before they had an opening. I do feel like I have a path forward, and that is giving me hope!

Yesterday was filled with health anxiety as I continue to wait on MRI results that were promised by Tuesday or Wednesday. Called this morning and was told that the report hasn't even been started yet. 🤦♂️

Anxiety not only worships the problem, but can create an entire religion and mythology around the problem.

Today I will deconstruct this particular religion and put my anxiety on hold for a while!

#ChronicIllness #autoimmune

#FensterFreitag #WashingtonDC #Iran

I have to say that never ever did I expect an NFL halftime show to fill me with hope.

And yet, here we are, several days later, and yeah, still hopeful.

#BadBunny

Hey #fiberArts, #sewing, and @crafters Do any of you make and sell messenger bags? Or perhaps knows someone who does? Extra points for expertise in designing bags for those with mobility issues.

Please feel free to boost if you think someone in your part of the galaxy could help.

Thanks!

#lupus #Autoimmune #knitting

Woke up this morning. Toyed with the idea of a morning shower, but instead I rewatched Bad Bunny's halftime show, and now I'm ready for the day!

Alert the media: my health insurance actually approved an MRI of my spine!

I know, I had to read the email three times too. It was originally scheduled last week but got put on hold while insurance "reviewed my case" — which in my experience is code for "we're hoping you forget about it."

Plot twist: I did not forget. And they said yes. Miracles are real, people.

Puppy Bowl at our house this afternoon!

#PuppyBowl #dogs #DogsOfMastodon