I've been having a rough time for the last few weeks, really feeling lousy. I've got tax returns I really need to finish by 9/15, plus I really need to get some antenna work done before winter arrives. But progress is slow, as I've been feeling so crummy.

It got really bad yesterday. I just had not been feeling like myself for a long time. What had changed? Well I had spent five days in the hospital in January, the first such hospital stay in my lifetime. When I came home I started a new medication, which I've now been taking for about seven months. Suddenly I began to wonder about side effects from that new medicine.  

This morning I looked up side effects of that Rx on the Internet. There were a LOT of them listed and some described what I have been feeling! So I made an appointment with my GP to get my annual Medicare exam and to discuss these issues. By evening I was feeling more like myself. And I had forgotten to take my medicine in the morning! Am I on to something?  

Maybe as I grow older I gotta work harder to keep my body working well. Much like I make my ham station better to ensure I can continue to get good results on the air.  

For example I plan to install some ham software on my HP laptop and start using it in my ham shack. That does NOT mean I'm planning to switch from CW to FT8! Side note: Once you start using FT8 do you even have to go into the ham shack? Or do you just need to go in once a week or so to see what your results were for the last week? 😁