Not a lot going on

[fatesfolly]

I’m getting ready for a busy 2 weeks with me being on the road 14 out of 16 days and then we’re into April with the weekends full of pre-wedding activities (my nephew) and Easter.

Got a hitch mounted on my car last week so I can carry my bike to some local trails. The bike is in the shop now and I pick it up tomorrow.

I’ve lost somewhere around 20-25 pounds. Since I didn’t own a scale, it’s hard to know where I started. A friend was doing the 200 calories every hour thing and I tried it. It mostly seems to be working. And I still work with a personal trainer 2 times a week, but I did take the contract down to 30 minutes with her and 30 minutes on my own doing cardio. As my knees get stronger, I’ll do more.

I have a consult for my other knee for possible meniscus tear on 3/31. An MRI will tell us definitively and I’ll know more about whether I’ll go the surgery route or not.

A new (since I moved here) close friend was diagnosed with cancer a couple of weeks ago. I vacillate between having PTSD and trying to be there for him. Right after the diagnosis, I visited everyday. He went to UNC today and he was cryptic in his text tonight on how severe it is. Interesting enough, it’s a HPV+ cancer… HPV was never mentioned growing up and I guess I’m lucky to have never gotten it or cleared it already. (The std tests last fall showed I am clear of everything.) I see profiles on the dating site sometimes when a guy will say he is HPV+… interesting that he would admit to it in a dating profile. My friend is a gay man and he’s done his fair share of seething about which partner may have infected him.

Speaking of dating, 2025 is not my year. I’ve been stood up, had dates and not been called back, and plain told by a couple of guys after the first date that they were not interested. And despite having subscriptions to three dating sites, I gave them up for Lent, mostly to see if my mental health improves by stepping away. I feel like I’ve cried over men more in 2025 than I have in my entire life. Are there any nunneries hiring?

Comments

[anais_pf]

I tore my miniscus I wanna say 10 years ago, and the orthopedic specialist I saw said that they don't repair menisci "at your age." The doctor looked to be 10 years older than I was. The knee did stop hurting eventually and the knee feels as fine as it can with a little arthritis. So, you may not need surgery, depending on how bad the tear is.

Have you considered dating women? They're generally nicer than men. (Yeah, me neither.) It's good to take a break now and then. Sorry your dating luck has been so bad.

[free_of_whip]

I hate to tell you, but a negative HPV test doesn't mean that you never had HPV or that you cleared it. Something like 60% of sexually active people have contracted HPV. And HPV can go dormant (at which point it won't show up on an HPV test) but then recur even years later.

For anyone young enough, the HPV vaccine is strongly recommended. For the rest of us, recommendations for the frequency of PAP smears take into account the fact that most of us have dormant HPV.

[grail76]

You've always been a dynamo when you put your head into self-improvement mode. I'm sure you'll do well. Sorry the men you're meeting are making you think of a nunnery as a better alternative. Good luck with the travel and the MRI.