1. I went through another round of health problems recently, holy smokes. It started in the first half of February with slight toothache and gum pain in my upper right side, which I decided to ignore at first since this spot tends to hurt me once in a while and then things go back to normal on their own. But it was different this time, the pain was coming from another source (it felt like it was located in the bone) and kept getting worse day by day, to the point of being completely unbearable one week ago. On top of that, I managed to injure myself pretty badly while brushing my teeth, so I had two different painful spots in my oral cavity.
I believe I've already said it somewhere, but it's worth saying again: I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am that my mom is a dentist (a very good one too)! I told her about the pain on Thursday evening and the problem was solved on Friday morning. Turned out it was my upper right wisdom tooth that was causing the internal pain, so she extracted it. This means that I have only one wisdom tooth left, the one that hasn't given me any troubles yet. The couple of days that followed were rough because the wound wasn't healing well; same for the injury I accidentally inflicted on myself while brushing. But yesterday things finally took a turn for the better and right now I can barely feel that I lost a tooth.
2. I saw a doctor today. I had some suspicions since I've been experiencing intense pains in one specific spot in the past several months, so I finally got that checked. Thankfully everything turned out to be okay! It doesn't explain where these pains are coming from, but I was glad to hear that my private parts are healthy and safe. That's always one less thing to worry about. My medication doses were adjusted, so that might make a positive difference too. Soon I'm going to go to a hospital in order to register for my tonsillectomy surgery (which I hope will take place this year), then I might need some extra vaccinations. I hope these things can help me restore my health a bit!
3. I lost about 6 kilograms since the second week of January. My endocrinologist advised me to shred some weight as I have Hashimoto's disease and it's more dangerous when it's combined with obesity. I made changes in my diet and started moving around more, but I know that being frequently sick and/or in pain is what made me lose most of that excess ballast. Reading about my best friend's struggles with weight loss made me realise that I am very lucky - I lose weight easily compared to most people. The transition from junk to healthier food was very smooth for me and I stopped feeling hungry after more or less 2 weeks. Overall I'm a small eater by nature, I believe that helps a lot as well. I used to eat much more than I needed (or even wanted), that's why going back to normal doses wasn't a challenge.
I'm still overweight, I'm still visibly chubby, but there are differences. Here's what I noticed:
- I certainly feel less pressure in my joints and I think I feel lighter as a whole,
- my blood pressure has lowered (it still isn't perfect, but got better),
- my clothes feel quite loose, I need to wear my belt on its tightest setting,
- pooping tends to be a lot harder, lmao (stuff just doesn't want to come through),
- I have much more energy. This is honestly the best thing out of them all!
I don't stick with any specific instructions, I just follow my own intuition. I wouldn't want to lose all the excess kilograms - I get sick very often and my appetite plummets every time that happens, so my body depends on its own resources, I believe it's safer for me to be a little bit heavier. I'm sure my weight is going to fluctuate, but I feel comfortable with my current shape and I wouldn't want to get much bigger. Best of luck to everyone who is on their journey to healthier weight!
4. I will make an attempt to sell my Cintiq 13HD. This is something I've been considering for months, but the thought still makes me sad. I bought this tablet with the help of my friends, mom and grandma, so it has sentimental value for me. I'm also pretty sure I won't be able to own such an advanced drawing tablet ever again. On the other hand, I analysed all the reasons why I should sell it and there's quite a lot of them. As I mentioned before, I want to take a big step away from digital drawing. Traditional art is growing on me very rapidly (I'm AWFUL at painting, but I genuinely enjoy doing it!), so the tablet wouldn't be used much. I'm not going to take digital commissions anytime soon, I really, really need a long break from them, even the mere thought of them makes me shiver right now. I could definitely use some extra money because my financial situation isn't good and I wouldn't want to resort to my emergency fund again. I used up over 1/3 of it already, ouch!
I have one more reason and this one tips the scales for me. Namely, my back pains, eye strain and headaches have diminished significantly as soon as I limited my tablet usage. Out of all three, the headaches were by far the worst but, unlike the other two, I didn't link them to digital drawing. Now that I know and feel the difference, I'm not really willing to draw on that tablet again... My eyesight is very poor (and worsening), so the 13 inch display of the Cintiq is simply too small for me, to the point using it causes me various kinds of physical pain. I have a 21,5 inch monitor and heck, even this one feels too small on a regular basis now as I constantly catch myself leaning forward in order to see what's on it. I originally planned on getting a 27 inch one, I really regret I didn't stick with those plans, dang it :C
If I manage to get this tablet sold, I will certainly grab a much cheaper Wacom or Huion! I might also get that 27 inch monitor if my funds allow it, but that's of less importance. I want to have a drawing tablet and I'm sure I'm going to use it sporadically - creating digital art doesn't feel as fun as it once did for me, but I know that won't last forever. For now, I need to prioritise my health. I'd also love to keep practising with my paints and focus on personal doodles, I think the time has finally come for me to go back to my roots, as well as give my characters some well-deserved attention!
5. The consequences of my dad's drinking are beginning to catch up with him. He's in total denial as always, but it's as clear as day that he's in bad shape right now. I don't necessarily get a kick out of his suffering, yet it's true that me and all of the family members have much more freedom whenever he's unwell. It's because he isn't the usual himself: he isn't pestering anyone, isn't watching TV from dawn to dusk, isn't trying to control every single thing, isn't attempting to stir up conflict, isn't behaving loudly during the day and isn't snoring (even more loudly) at night. Overall, he's a lot calmer when he isn't capable of drinking too much and the house becomes a safer, better place. I don't believe any of this is going to open his eyes, but I'm enjoying the peace and serenity.
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This is all I've got for today, thank you for stopping by! There's finally some stability in my life and I feel happy about it. I hope it lasts for a little longer!
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