COVID-19 getting closer. Damn!

[southernlady]

P.S. Something happened with Liam's testing, but they had to repeat it and the situation caused his surgery to be delayed until Friday. So, the pacing will restart then!

Sorry for the delay.

 

[DianaCox]

I’m in the state (AZ) that’s now number 1! And Dad is having his brain surgery (ventriculoperitoneal shunt) on the 29th (it was supposed to be on the 26th but it’s been delayed). We are in the thick of preop testing, most of which involve taking him to COVID-infested places. As soon as he is recovered from surgery, he starts bladder cancer treatments.

And he’s got a UTI. And he’s supposed to get a Shingrix booster, but both surgeons said no. Canceled the fitting for compression stockings, but keeping the appointment for getting him new hearing aids (been waiting 3 months for it). And I have a few appointments of my own. And Charles has his own appointments, including EGDs every 3 months. (Even though he has cirrhosis with ascites, his LFTs last week were better than mine - go figure!)

I need to retire, because I have a new full time job.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

Yes, you do. You may have TWO full time jobs!

 

[Spiky Bugger]

So...MrSue’s COVID-19 test (or tests, because they do two swabs, two vials) came back negative.

I’m still waiting.

 

[hilary1617]

I’m in the state (AZ) that’s now number 1! And Dad is having his brain surgery (ventriculoperitoneal shunt) on the 29th (it was supposed to be on the 26th but it’s been delayed). We are in the thick of preop testing, most of which involve taking him to COVID-infested places. As soon as he is recovered from surgery, he starts bladder cancer treatments.

And he’s got a UTI. And he’s supposed to get a Shingrix booster, but both surgeons said no. Canceled the fitting for compression stockings, but keeping the appointment for getting him new hearing aids (been waiting 3 months for it). And I have a few appointments of my own. And Charles has his own appointments, including EGDs every 3 months. (Even though he has cirrhosis with ascites, his LFTs last week were better than mine - go figure!)

I need to retire, because I have a new full time job.

I'm sorry - this is must be very stressful. Please remember to take care of yourself too!

 

[Munchkin]

Stay healthy everyone.

Meanwhile, a bit of positive COVID news. I have a good friend who moved to CO after she retired to a sort of family compound. No not like the Kennedy's, just a bunch of family members who all chose to live on the same tract of land in a rural area. Most of them are older than she is and she is over 70 so almost all high risk. They were all diagnosed with the flu last December and they all recovered. They were approached in May by one of the organizations doing exposure tracking and they all agreed to be tested. Turns out they all had COVID. Not just the flu!

My friend said they were sure at the time their diagnosis was correct. Flu! Anyway, they are all OK.

 

[DianaCox]

They had COVID in rural Colorado in DECEMBER?? How did they get exposed??

 

[DianaCox]

Spiky Bugger - Did you get your test results back yet?

And in the annals of surviving quarantine, Dad wanted (and needed) a haircut badly. I gave him the first haircut I’ve even done - only half badly.


(No I didn’t give him a shiner - I got him a new CPAP and the new mask is rubbing on the skin under his eye.)

 

[hilary1617]

Well done. I love how he looks at you so directly and has that wonderful smile!

I wonder if this really was such a bad flu season this winter as originally reported or if COVID was really more widespread back then.

Sue, how are you?

 

[Munchkin]

They had COVID in rural Colorado in DECEMBER?? How did they get exposed??

Best guess scenario. A close by neighbor was visited by his son's wife's family travelling from India. They are Chinese and had been visited by family members from China right before their trip to the US. They stayed there over Christmas and they hosted a Christmas party partly celebrating the relatives visit and showing them what Christmas was like here. If I have the dates right the party was a couple weeks before Christmas.

Found out how my friend Howard was exposed too. He was the craps dealer for a private high roller party at Aliante Casino. All here from China to celebrate Chinese New Year. Howard died. Illogical to me, he was younger and in better health than my friends in CO.

There is no doubt COVID was here in December! Why did it take so long to start seeing a significant number of cases? Maybe many were misdiagnosed as flu? I bet they are going to test people who had the flu in December!

 

[JackieOnLine]

new mask is rubbing on the skin under his eye

ouch!

he looks pretty good, though, even if he does have some health problems. and he looks happy.

 

[southernlady]

(No I didn’t give him a shiner - I got him a new CPAP and the new mask is rubbing on the skin under his eye.)

Sounds like his cpap needs adjusting. A well fitting mask will not rub him that way.

 

[DianaCox]

Dad had his shunt surgery yesterday morning. He’s fine, although the anesthesia and pain meds are making him seem worse, both mentally and physically. He is NOT being cooperative about getting help going to the bathroom, which has resulted in some skirmishes between us in the hospital overnight and since we got home this afternoon.

I’m exhausted from “sleeping” on a hospital guest bed made out of rock hard plastic, and being awakened every hour by his antics, after a 3:45 am wake up the night before. But at least I didn’t get a new hole in my head.

Deciding the quit smoking due to having no choice for 30+ hours at the hospital seemed like a good idea. As I approach 42 hours, I am struggling a bit. Not exactly the nicotine - somehow that has never felt like and addiction to me. But the soothingness of the smoking ritual - going outside to smoke, the puffing, tapping the ash, and the little rush - is mostly what I miss.

I’m so tired right now, I’m sure I’ll make it through tonight at least.

 

[southernlady]

Glad he’s home from surgery. Now to the healing.
As for your not smoking...keep it up.

 

[JackieOnLine]

I'm glad it's over and hope he recovers soon and you both can get some rest. good luck on quitting smoking: I hope that sticks!