2023 quick summary.
Ok, so I’ve got a lot to catch up on here since my last post in December 2022. Here we go.
I kept my head above water business-wise in 2023 with one steady client who had me on a monthly retainer for their social media posts, email marketing, as well as direct mail campaigns for their customers. I wove in a half-dozen other projects that added some extra billing and it made for a decent year of freelance work.
On the personal side, my wife had one of her worst years. She struggled to find doctors who could help overcome two major health obstacles: chronic insomnia and a dysfunctional GI tract. She also underwent gall bladder surgery, and the recovery was painful and difficult for her. Eventually, she healed up and we turned our focus back to seeking out a diagnostician for her GI issues. We kept striking out, but kept up the search nonetheless.
In October, we experienced rather ugly disruption. One of my wife’s doctors had asked her to stop a medication and start a new/similar one, and it didn’t go well. This happened about a week after the Oct. 7th Hamas attack on Israel. She had a terrible reaction to the sudden medication change, and it landed us in the ER. A few hours into the exam, her personality turned into someone I didn’t recognize, and they transported her to a behavioral health wing at a nearby hospital. It was really hard to watch. Several days later though, she stabilized and I the person I knew reappeared. She eventually returned to her normal, lovely and intelligent self, and we began to put back together the pieces of a shattered month.
November was filled with the inexorable GI doctor searches, and we struck gold with an amazing practice in Largo. One of the rock star doctors there had a hunch, and had her swallow a small Bluetooth capsule that tracked the motility of her stomach and GI tract. The results showed us that she has a condition called gastroparesis, which is basically a super slowly-emptying stomach, and slow intestines. This was a real diagnostic breakthrough, and gave us a new roadmap for diet and medications. The insomnia condition still eluded us, but at least we had one major issue somewhat under control.
By the end of 2023, despite some big bumps in the road, we had a better set of tools for managing my wife’s health. And we even did a little roadtrip from Florida to Pennsylvania to attend a wedding. While in the northeast, we got a chance to scoot into Manhattan afterward and see old friends and family as well.
We ended the year feeling like despite all the hardships, we counted a few wins too.