by Judy Handley | Mar 4, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 64: Detta Arrived
Date: Monday, March 4, 2024
Weather: Overcast and Misty; High Temp 46, Low 39 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA
There is not much of a chance that we will see the sun for the next seven days. Well, maybe a little on Friday. But it is going to be a dreary week. As I said in last night’s log, we will just have to make our sunshine indoors. This afternoon I had an Encore meeting with our Treasurer and then I came home to await the arrival of my friend Detta from New Hampshire who always brings a sunshine with her. Today she drove to Connecticut to visit with her father and then on to Cape Cod to deliver a birthday eve dinner. But we ran into a little snag. As the salmon was baking in the oven, Detta started feeling a bit queasy. She thinks she has food poisoning from something she ate for lunch and is unfortunately spending this birthday eve in the bathroom. No dinner for Detta. We are just hoping this will be a ‘short course’, 12 hours or so. I feel so bad for Detta, but I will just have to do what I can to support her.
by Judy Handley | Mar 3, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 63: Washer Woman
Date: Sunday, March 3, 2024
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Warmer; High Temp 51, Low 43 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA
I don’t feel much different from yesterday, but yesterday was a HUGE improvement over the day before. The antibiotic is really making a difference. So, life is good. And I must have more energy than I have had since I got Covid 11 days ago. This morning, I got up and decided that everything in the house needed to be washed. So, I played the role of washer woman today. I took a shower and washed my hair. Then I gave Shadow a bath. The bed sheets made one washer load, and then the comforter came off the bed to be washed. The towels and bathmats were next. Then my clothes. I had hoped to get some other house cleaning done, but all of the washing took most of the day. My body told me that I needed to take an hour and half of the afternoon to take a nap. When I got up, I went to water plants for friends who are out of town. When I got home, Shadow and I played ball outside for longer than usual because it was warm, and then I collapsed on the sofa and read my book.
Tomorrow, I have my first meeting since Covid hit. I had to completely clear my calendar for the last 11 days, but this week it is back to normal.
by Judy Handley | Mar 2, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 62: DUNE and Gloom
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2024
Weather: Rain and Wind; High Temp 46, Low 43 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA
Thanks be that I can report that I definitely feel better today. The drainage and coughing are still with me, but it is minimal compared to what it was. And I think I can safely say that I did have a sinus infection or at least my body was fighting hard to ward one off. I took the first dose of the Azithromycin five day Z-Pak last night before bed and was better by morning, But I think the Claritin D that I switched to last night (from regular Claritin) kept me from getting a good night’s sleep. I honestly felt like I didn’t sleep at all, but I know I had to doze off between the one-hour intervals when I checked the time on my phone. If it does the same thing tonight, I will stop taking it and go back to the regular Claritin that does not have pseudoephedrine. One is an antihistamine, and the other is a decongestant. But I have taken Sudafed many times with pseudoephedrine, and it has rarely kept me from sleeping. Or maybe my problem was the inhaler. I have never used one before and I have no idea how albuterol affects the body. I am not going to do the inhaler before bed tonight and hope that was the problem. All in all, it was a good day fighting my way back to wellness. With one more day of R&R, I’m hoping to emerge on Monday morning ready to get back to normal daily routine.
It was a rainy day from mid-morning onward. Just one gloomy day. I took Shadow outside a few minutes ago and it is a little blustery out there tonight. The forecast calls for high temps in the 40’s all week, but there is a chance of rain every day. My friend Detta Porat is driving down on Monday evening to spend the night. Tuesday is my birthday, and she is going to clean house for me as a gift. So, I guess it doesn’t matter if it rains. It can be gloomy outside, but we can make our own sunshine indoors.
I watched a Stephen Colbert recorded show from Thursday night while eating lunch today. His guests were Rebecca Ferguson who plays Jessica in Dune and Dune Part 2 and the director, Denis Villeneuve. Dune Part 2 is now in theatres across the country, so I decided tonight to watch Dune (part one) to refresh my memory before going to the theatre to see Part 2. It is the kind of movie that really needs to be seen on the big screen.
by Judy Handley | Mar 1, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 61: Yippee, Covid Free … but
Date: Friday, March 1, 2024
Weather: Sunny, Still Chilly; High Temp 37, Low 34 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA
My March came in like a lion. I tested covid free today, but I was feeling just awful. I thought I got a good night’s sleep, but before noon, I was exhausted and just couldn’t keep my eyes open. I had to take a nap. When I woke up at 2 pm, I felt even worse. I was going to wait until tomorrow to test for Covid, but I decided to do it right then. I tested negative for Covid, definitely the highlight of my day, but I immediately called the doctor. I needed help figuring out why I should feel so much worse even though I am Covid free. I was told to go to the closest walk-in clinic, so I did just that. After a lot of questioning and examining, the doctor said it was her opinion that I have developed a bacterial infection in my sinuses. There were no indications that I have pneumonia. She prescribed an antibiotic, an inhaler, and said to keep taking Claritin, but switch to Claritin D. I’m sure hoping that I can report that I feel a tad better this time tomorrow night.
by Judy Handley | Feb 29, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 60: Covid Day 8, Back Up Hill a Bit
Date: Thursday, February 29, 2024
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Windy, Feels Chilly; High Temp 46, Low 35 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA
It was a few degrees warmer today than forecast, but it was hard to tell because of the wind. Despite the weather, I am feeling better today. I was actually able to lie down and sleep, rather than sitting up, in the early morning hours. But I am not ready for prime time. I put on my mask and went to CVS this afternoon to get some vitamin C and black elderberry syrup. While checking out, I had a coughing fit. I would not have wanted to be the person at the self-checkout counter next to me. And as I told the doctor in my Monday telemed appointment, there is every indication that I am fighting off a sinus infection. But he insisted I wait until next week to ask for an antibiotic, so I am following the doctor’s orders.
On this last day of February, I leave you with the following thought. Please forgive the language, but when I saw this morning, I was sure Pooh was speaking for me.
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.
