Chatty Chat in 2020s

The more I use it, the more I love ChatGPT—not just because it helps double-check my writing for correctness. It’s incredibly helpful in so many ways, from medical advice to dietary guidance to information about various places and so much more. It even gave me some food and drink ideas I never would have thought of on my own, ideas that might have been hard to come up with the old-fashioned way. Well, maybe not hard, but not easy either.

It gave me a few different soup recipes that are bladder-friendly, and I want to try them. I’m trying to eliminate as many bladder irritants as I can. I’m still experiencing burning on and off, and it’s hard to tell exactly where it’s coming from. I still don’t know for sure if I ever really had a yeast infection or, if I did, whether it’s actually gone. I don’t always get the applicators up there successfully, so sometimes I have to dab some on my finger and apply it that way.

I’ve also been thinking of ways to add some pizzazz to my water since plain water is so boring, but water flavor packets can be expensive and not very healthy. ChatGPT suggested I add some of my herbal teas, and since I have plenty of them, that’s a great idea. I love how Chat has become more interactive, asking follow-up questions to keep the conversation going. That way, I get even more useful information.

The more I think about it, the more I believe Rhonda is correct in thinking I have cystitis. The problem is that I’m getting conflicting information about whether having cystitis means you have an infection. My leukocytes seem to go up when I experience the burning sensation. I also found out my bilirubin is high, but it doesn’t seem like something to really worry about. With only about 83K cases of bladder cancer per year, I’d say it’s unlikely that’s what’s going on. I think they’ll do some imaging, but in the end, they’ll probably tell me it’s cystitis and that I just have to watch what I eat and drink.

I’m definitely not giving up my coffee. Yeah, figures that has to be on the list of irritants. I’m not giving up wine either, though I don’t drink it every day anymore. But I can swap out my Sweet’N Low for Stevia, which ChatGPT said would be better for me, as well as change or drop some other things. Rhonda’s nurse said strawberries aren’t good, and they aren’t a thyroid-friendly food anyway. Of course, neither is spinach, but I still eat it.

I don’t know for sure what’s going on with me, but I suspect my bladder is just getting sensitive to certain foods and drinks, which is causing the burning sensation—hence, the rise in leukocytes. From what I’ve read, simple irritation alone, without infection, can cause them to rise. Hopefully, I don’t have stones or any structural issues, but I won’t know that on the day I see the urologist for the first time. Appointments always lead to more appointments. Hopefully, I’ll only end up needing two: one to discuss my symptoms and another for imaging.

A couple of years ago, I created a Facebook group for journaling, but I got sick of it and let it sit there. Last night, I decided to turn it into an adult coloring group. I only have a couple of members, and for now, the group is private. I thought about making it public since it would be interesting to see who might find it and want to join, but I don’t want to get into the whole moderation game like Andy loves to do with his groups.

Again, I don’t think the doctor is going to find anything significant. But if last night’s dreams are anything to go by, then—as a psychic—I should be worried. Not necessarily about my bladder, but about something bad happening. It may not be dangerous, but it could be pretty damn unpleasant like the norovirus was.

I had another dream involving water. First, though, I had a dream that Tom received a subpoena to go to court, but he wouldn’t tell me what it was for. But the lake dream definitely has me concerned. Whenever I have dreams like that, something bad usually happens within a few days, so it may not even be connected to my bladder issues. That appointment isn’t for nine days, and I don’t expect to learn much at that time, so I wonder if something else will happen in the meantime. Wouldn’t surprise me with my shit luck but I hope not!

In the dream, I was sunbathing by a large, round lake with a bunch of other people around my age. In a split second, I was in the middle of the lake, not remembering how the hell I got there. The shoreline seemed so far away. I shouted to people, but no one seemed to hear me. I started to panic because I was so far out, and that’s when I woke up. Knowing I might drown before reaching the shore caused me to panic, and these are the types of dreams that often signal trouble ahead.

Interestingly enough, I asked ChatGPT if certain foods could increase the chances of dreaming, and cheese was listed as one of them. Well, I had a piece of Muenster cheese before bed.