I have finally started addressing my health issues with a doctor. Some will argue that I have gone to the wrong place, but that's for me to work out.

I e-mailed my chiropractor a few weeks ago when my back was hurting really bad, and asked him if we should look into x-rays to check up on how the previous injury was doing. He agreed, so I went in for x-rays last Thursday.

While I was there, he commented on my weight gain. When I told him that I had gained 50lbs. over the course of the last year, he asked if I had a family history of Thyroid issues. I told him that I didn't know for certain, but Diabetes does exist back up Mom's side of the family tree. To maybe offer some more symptoms for him to develop an opinion of the condition, I informed him of the increase in my water consumption, and that I am perpetually tired. And in the e-mail I sent him previously, I explained that while my back was hurting I had a numbness and tingling in my lower legs. He suggested that the numbness could be related to Diabetes, and promptly scheduled me to meet with the other doctor in the office for bloodwork.

When I left the clinic Thursday, they handed me a stack of papers to fill out. These papers were for me to report my health conditions, health history, and family health history to the doctors. I filled them out Thursday evening and returned to the clinic on Friday. The doctor I met with reviewed this information with me, took two vials of my blood, and scheduled me for a return visit on Tuesday to go over the lab results.

I'm not too worked up over hearing about the results, but I am rather disturbed at the thought that I could be Diabetic. I have enough health issues as it is that I really don't care to add that label to my collection. That, and I shudder at the thought of Insulin injections. I am pretty certain too that my cholesterol levels will be rather "out of whack", so I'm already looking for diet solutions to correct that. If you have any suggestion for low-fat/low-cholesterol meals that I can prepare quickly and inexpensively, please let me know.

Regardless of what happens Tuesday, I shall attempt to post an update once I find out anything.

I woke up this morning at about 5:30 local time to the feeling of my bed shaking. I thought at first that it was like that feeling you get when you're "falling" in your sleep, but then I heard my closet doors rattling. I figured at that point that it was just the train yard, so I went back to bed.

When I woke up for the day a little bit ago, I had messages on my computer that I would have never expected. These ranged from "Did you feel the earthquake?", to "Here's a news report about the earthquake you had." The point when I realized this was what I felt was a bit surreal, and I'm still not quite sure what to think of it.

The 'quake was a 5.2 down in south-eastern Illinois, and people as far away as Chicago and Cincinnati reported feeling it. The USGS has some more detail about it, including seismic graphs.

The last earthquake in this area was back in 2000, and was no stronger than a 5.0. I would have been back in Rensselaer then, so I don't remember feeling it. I'm just wondering though, if this increased seismic activity will spur further events in the coming weeks or days.