by Judy Handley | Feb 28, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 59: Covid Day 7, Slipping Downhill
Date: Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Weather: Stormy with High Winds; High Temp 52, Low 28 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA
I must begin by saying this case of Covid I have is miserable. Today I feel like I am slipping downhill, worse today than yesterday. Either that or the Claritin the doctor asked me take is making things worse. The point of the Claritin is to dry out my sinuses. That hasn’t happened yet, but now I have a tightness in my chest that scares me. I have learned to dread going to bed. I know that at some point in the night I will have a very long coughing fit and not be able to go back to sleep easily. That, plus the fact that sleeping while sitting up straight is just not restful. All I can do is hope that things are better tomorrow.
I did go to my 6-week post-op appointment today. Everything looks good and I should be starting PT now. But the earliest appointment I could get was March 22. Until then I was instructed to walk, walk, walk. I should work towards one 30-40 walk every day, plus 2 to 3 shorter walks. I can loosen up on the BLT ban. BLT stands for no bending, lifting, or twisting. I should keep up with the processes I have in place to eliminate bending as much as possible, but if I am walking the dog, it is okay to bend down to pick up his poop. I should still limit lifting to 10 pounds, and twisting should just be avoided. And I can start riding on my exercise bike again. That made me extremely happy as I think riding the bike every night will help strengthen my right knee. The next appointment is in 8 weeks near the end of my PT and just before my knee surgery.
by Judy Handley | Feb 27, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 58: Covid Day 6, No Better, No Worse
Date: Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Weather: Partly Sunny Day, Rain Tonight, Warm; High Temp 55, Low 48 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA
There has not been much change in how I have been feeling over the past 24 hours. So, no progress, but no slide backwards. I have started taking Claritin, as the doctor suggested, but it is too soon to tell if that is helping to dry things out. I almost dread going to bed, as nighttime is the roughest. I sleep basically sitting upright, but I still have a coughing fit period. I can’t wait until I can lie down flat and really enjoy a good night’s sleep.
If I made a graph of my Covid symptoms, it would show that the symptoms gradually got worse and worse over a three-day period. They then improved for the next two days and now, on day six, the symptoms have plateaued. I am really hoping for a sharp improvement in that graph tomorrow. But tomorrow, no matter how I am feeling, the focus switches from Covid to my back as I have my post-op appointment. I will test in the morning, but I am sure I am still positive. I have been quarantined for over the required five days, and following CDC guidelines, I just need to wear an N95 mask to go out in public. It makes me nervous, guidelines or not, to be around other people if I am still testing positive. But I desperately want to have this appointment and hopefully get the go ahead to resume some level of exercise other than walking. My right knee would be very happy if I can get permission to ride my recumbent exercise bike every night. We shall see.
by Judy Handley | Feb 26, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 57: Covid Day 5
Date: Monday, February 26, 2024
Weather: Cloudy AM, Sunny PM, Warmer; High Temp 44, Low 33 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA
Another Covid day and another day of progress toward wellness. I had a telemed appointment with a young resident named Pedro this afternoon. He just got over a bout of Covid and had identical symptoms to mine. He recommended Flonase nasal spray and Claritin to dry up my sinuses. He also suggested using a neti pot, but I have never been able to make myself do that. I have a kit, so I might give it a go. And Heather brough over a ‘do it yourself’ ramen noodle soup with chicken. The chicken and veggies were in one container and the chicken broth made last night after their roasted chicken dinner was in a separate container. I have enough to make soup again tomorrow. Yay! It was delicious.
This morning Jane Woodin posted the poem copied below. It is a little depressing, but it makes you think.
Pity the nation whose people are sheep,
and whose shepherds mislead them.
Pity the nation whose leaders are liars, whose sages are silenced,
and whose bigots haunt the airwaves.
Pity the nation that raises not its voice,
except to praise conquerors and acclaim the bully as hero
and aims to rule the world with force and by torture.
Pity the nation that knows no other language but its own
and no other culture but its own.
Pity the nation whose breath is money
and sleeps the sleep of the too well fed.
Pity the nation — oh, pity the people who allow their rights to erode
and their freedoms to be washed away.
My country, tears of thee, sweet land of liberty. ~Lawrence Ferlinghetti
(Book: Ferlinghetti’s Greatest Poems https://amzn.to/49qBP5s)
by Judy Handley | Feb 25, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 56: Covid Day 4
Date: Sunday, February 25, 2024
Weather: Beautiful Sunny but Cold Day; High Temp 32, Low 28 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA
Have I only had Covid for four days? It feels more like four months. I have completely lost track of time. But I am feeling better today. When Heather and gang got home at 10:30 last night, she brought over their humidifier, and it really helped me to get a good night’s sleep. And the highlight of today was another Goldstone delivery. The whole family came over after dinner so I could see them through the frosted storm door.
I heard the doorbell ring and expected it to be them as Heather said they were coming over. But no one was at the door. Then Shadow discovered the boys making crazy faces at me through the dining room window.
Between back surgery recovery and now Covid, I haven’t seen a lot of them in 2024, but hopefully by next week we can be back to normal.
by Judy Handley | Feb 24, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 55: Covid Day 3
Date: Saturday, February 24, 2024
Weather: Overcast, Rain Overnight; High Temp 47, Low 17 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA
The sky is crystal clear tonight, giving the perfect backdrop for the full moon. I was just out with Shadow and got to see the full moon in all of its splendor, but I didn’t stay out long. It is 28 degrees F outside, but Weather Underground says it feels like 18 degrees. There’s not that much wind, but it is coming from the north, and it really feels chilly out there.
Day 3 of Covid was the worst yet. I barely slept last night. Every hour, a cough would wake me up, and then I would spend what seemed like the better part of the next hour trying to get back to sleep. Then I’d cough again, and the cycle would start all over. When I got up this morning, I felt really awful. My temp was 101, so after taking Shadow out for his morning constitutional, I got in the shower in the hopes that would bring my temp down a bit. It did, but I still felt awful. I washed my hair, so I laid down on the living room sofa (with Shadow on top of me) to let it dry and didn’t wake up until almost 2 o’clock. I still felt awful, but I knew I would feel better if I took Shadow out for a walk. I needed to braid my hair first, and I could barely do that. It is the first time in my adult life that I have thought about cutting off my hair. But I was finally able to get it braided, and then went out with Shadow to make our quarter of a mile walk. When I came in, I ate lunch, and laid back down again. This time I didn’t wake up until 7 pm. It’s almost 10 pm now, and I am ready for another long winter’s nap. I am feeling better than I did this morning, so I’m hoping tomorrow morning will be even better. This strain of Covid is miserable, but I know it could be worse. At least I can breathe, and I do not have incessant coughing. So, I’m counting my blessings and hoping today was the worst day and that it will be uphill or at a plateau from here.
