Today has been a full one and I am glad it is nearly over.

This morning started with a GP appointment where my blood test results came back. My diabetes management needs adjusting, so my medication has changed. I am now on Synjardy, a combination tablet that brings metformin and empagliflozin together into one. Simpler on paper. A lot to sit with in practice.

What I did not feel I got today was a proper rundown of the side effects, and I have another appointment tomorrow where I plan to push for that conversation properly. I wish medical professionals would simply lead with the information rather than making patients ask. What I do know already is that empagliflozin increases urination as part of how it works, flushing excess glucose through the kidneys. That is a real problem for me. Managing bathroom urgency is already difficult enough without a medication actively making it worse, and I am not entirely sure how I am going to navigate that, especially on days when I am out or studying.

Food management is its own frustration. Texture sensitivities and sensory processing differences make low carb eating genuinely hard. Breakfast stumps me every single time. Lunch has been salad again, with the occasional sandwich. Snacks may need to disappear entirely. It is exhausting.

This afternoon I also found out my new support worker has broken her wrist and is booked off for three weeks. It happened last week while she was on my shift. She fell going to the bathroom while I was finishing my coffee. I feel terrible about it, and it also leaves me in a complicated spot practically.

The one thing that has genuinely carried me through today is Haydn's piano trios. I have been listening to them and they are extraordinary. Haydn wrote over 40 of them across his life, and they sit in a fascinating place in chamber music history, formally structured but full of warmth, wit, and surprise. The cello in Haydn's trios is largely tied to the piano bass line rather than given an independent voice, which sounds like a limitation but creates this remarkable tightly woven texture. The piano carries the melodic weight while the violin sings above it. The Gypsy Rondo from Trio No. 43 in G major is the most well known, with that irresistible Hungarian-inflected final movement, but the quieter, more reflective trios are the ones I keep returning to. There is something in the balance of structure and tenderness in late Haydn that feels exactly right when a day has been too much.

Studies started today too. Relationship counselling and addictions counselling, both already making me think hard. Addiction is not a moral failure or a willpower problem. It is relational at its core, rooted in pain and disconnection, and the neuroscience supports that entirely. What someone is really learning from the substance is always the more important question. First lecture is Wednesday evening, not my favourite time slot, but I am looking forward to it.

#AuDHD #Blind #Counselling #Neuroscience #Haydn #ClassicalMusic #StudentLife #Diabetes #PeerSupport #MentalHealth