Nurse Rhonda in The 2020s

Going to make this entry about my appointment and write about other stuff in another entry. I may not feel good for a couple of days and therefore not up to writing much because of the shingles vaccination I had, but we’ll see.

It’s a chilly and windy day out there so it’s a good thing I didn’t wear a tank top.

I could faintly hear Ray’s TV when we stepped outside. As long as we don’t hear it inside our place. His house also has its original windows which are crappy single-pane windows that let sound pass through easily.

I hate starting over with new docs, even though this is technically a nurse! This is the third time since being here and we haven’t even been in Florida for 3 years. However, while I didn’t like the waiting time, I liked Rhonda, the nurse I saw. She knew and understood everything I told her except for the sleep disorder.

She managed to save me an appointment by giving me a list of what I should eat and how much of each thing. Going to try having 1200 calories a day. So no need to see a nutritionist, at least at this time. I’ll see her in 4 months and we’ll discuss my lab results and see if I’ve lost weight then. She doesn’t think I should go under 150 lbs given my age and reminded me that your height doesn’t automatically determine what your weight should be. Your age and muscularity is a factor as well. I’ve got a lot of years and a lot of muscle on me. Even 12 lbs would make a difference at my height. No one thought I looked fat at that weight and even I’ll admit that while I certainly wasn’t skinny at 150, I wasn’t that big either. It was still both weird and nice to hear her say, “You don’t have that much to lose,” even though I’m not doing this for looks.

She shocked the shit out of me by telling me she dropped from something like 255 to 130. She was very skinny. So much so that I would think it was in her genetics to be that way. She says she works hard every day to keep her weight down and that it took her about a year to get most of the weight off.

To start from the beginning - we found the place easily and arrived early. The waiting room was dead and the TV and music were at a reasonable volume even though I still prefer nothing at all. My phone or journal is enough to entertain me while I wait.

After 20 minutes of waiting a guy came and got me. He took my vitals and input my medications. Another 10 minutes or so and Rhonda came in.

She knew right away what I was talking about when I told her that the thyroid medication can cause anxiety. I also told her I couldn’t stand to get my TSH in the normal range. Before I could point out that doctors told me as long as I was under 10, I was okay, she mentioned that. So it’s good that she was understanding and not any kind of a denier. Based on my current weight and energy levels, I shouldn’t be over 10 now.

As I’ve had to do at times, she mentioned that others have to sometimes cut a bit of time off as well before food and drink after taking levothyroxine or even skip a day or two but I want to do all I can to avoid skipping altogether because that can make me more anxious. She said I would need my dose decreased if I hit 150. I don’t know if I can sustain a diet of 1200 calories a day, but I’m going to try my best. Maybe knowing I’ll be seeing her again in 4 months will motivate me because she’s going to check my progress then. I’m going to have three 300-calorie meals, and the rest of my calories will be snacks and coffee. So my portion sizes are going to have to go way down, and it’s going to take time to adapt if I ever can. I can only have 3 ounces of meat per meal, 25 to 35 carbs per meal, and 10 carbs per snack. I’m going to look up keto recipes for various meal ideas and she gave me some suggestions too.

She gave me a referral to the ENT and I showed her my fingernail that keeps splitting. She said she once had a nail that kept splitting and her manicurist put some kind of an acrylic overlay on it that allowed it to grow out past the split.

She listened well and didn’t make me feel rushed or anything like that and said to just message her over the portal when I’m ready for refills on medications.

I hope I’m not going to regret the shingles shot. It’s a two-shot dose. The second shot I’ll get when I see her in 4 months. It was rough on Tom for a couple of days after he got his because he felt like he had the flu with symptoms of fatigue, muscle aches, and chills. Rhonda said the second shot is typically rougher and Tom agreed. They both insist it’s worth it as having the shingles is no fun at all. My mother had the shingles but I don’t think the vaccine existed then. It’s recommended to everyone over 50.

I updated her on all the cardiac testing I had and told her I have high cholesterol and why I’m not on statins.

She confirmed that my mammogram and GYN check-ups were up to date.

Labs will be the week before I see her again.

Last updated March 12, 2024