COVID keeps coming

I am pretty sure I have Long COVID and my pulmonologist thinks so, too.

I have had four cases of COVID since 2020, even though I had my shots.

My breathing problems are probably due to inflammation of the airways caused by the virus. It surely makes a difference in who you choose for your doctor. The previous one said I didn't have Asthma and my lungs were clear. She offered no reason I had shortness of breath. 

The new doctor said I do have Asthma and is looking for the reason for my problems. I am scheduled for more tests and I am using a steroid med in my nebulizer. I will have in home physical therapy beginning next week. My entire body has suffered because of the virus. I cannot walk much at all. Fatigue overcomes me almost instantly. That is one of the symptoms of Long Covid. 

It is hard to believe that before I had the first COVID virus, I lived alone in my house in the mountains. Drove my car anywhere I wanted to go, and, except for a painful knee, I was doing OK.

I thought the isolation from the Pandemic was going to be my worst complaint, but no. While the isolation was harmful to my mental health, the virus which lives inside me has inflamed my entire body, I believe. It does damage to all of the body, not just the lungs or respiratory area.

I am hopeful now that the new program I will be on will help me with all of the symptoms of Long COVID. Soon after my first COVID illness and my shortness of breath became troublesome, I was sent to a cardiologist. I had several tests and they diagnosed me with a faulty valve in my heart. I have been monitored for that, too, but there has been no change since the first ECHO-cardiogram.

When people scoff at COVID as a serious illness, I would like to tell them it is very serious. It changed my entire life. I no longer live alone in my house. I almost always need someone to drive me if I must park a distance from the door of my doctor's office. At times, my sister takes a wheelchair in the car in case I must walk a long way to my destination. 

But my mind is still good and for that I am grateful. I will be teaching again soon on Zoom. My students seem to enjoy the classes and come back for more. 

I have worked for several days scheduling volunteers to work in our NCWN-West booth at Festival on the Square in Hayesville. We have a good number of authors with books on the market now so they are happy to meet the public. 

About 3,000 people attend the festival each year, and some of our writers sell lots of books.

            Rosemary Royston

I will miss being there, but plan to be in Hiawassee in July when Rosemary Royston, excellent writer and well-published poet, will teach a poetry workshop. 

She has published several books and teaches often at the John C. Campbell Folk School in their writing department.  I will enjoy being with my writing buddies again. 

Hope you are having a wonderful summer. Don't get COVID while you are out having fun.

FOR MORE INFO ON LONG COVID:

I will continue with my hospital adventure.

On the second day at the hospital, I felt much better, able to sit up in a chair. However, the nurse came in and took more blood. 

Then they put in another IV for HEPERIN, a blood thinner. So I had two IVs in one arm plus oxygen going all the time. However, more people from the lab arrived and struggled to find veins for additional needles. My poor hands were like pincushions. 

I began talking about going home. When my oxygen levels were normal again and my breathing was much better, I wanted to get out of that place. I knew my care at home would be good, and if I didn't need those IVs or oxygen, I knew I would be better at home. 

Besides losing an IV that had been poorly taped on, and bleeding like I had been stabbed in the heart, my Sunday went as well as could be expected. My food was listed as a Cardiac diet, full of carbs, and no one gave me my diabetes meds. 

"We only give Metformin and Insulin," I was told. Well, I don't use either, so for three days, I don't know what my blood sugar was doing because no one checked it, and I took no meds. 

They gave me my nighttime drugs in the morning. By Sunday night, I was asking for my Ativan, which I only take when my anxiety is very high. I made an agreement with the doctors that I would stay over one night, but I was going home on Monday. The holdup seemed to be with the cardiologist, who wanted me to have an Echocardiogram and a stress test before dismissing me.

I knew I could have those tests done as an outpatient by my own doctor, so there was no reason to stay in the hospital. I called my primary care doctor and made an appointment, and contacted my cardiologist, who said she would see me when I was dismissed. Finally, in the early afternoon on Monday, the hospital cardiologist made her first visit to my room and said she was in favor of dismissing me. 

I have good insurance, and I know that the hospital and all four doctors will receive a good-sized payment. If they had added two more days and two more tests, it would have hit my insurance in a big way. But, I learned from my doctors I saw after being dismissed that the major concern the hospital doctors had was their fear of a malpractice claim. 

Our country is known for lawsuits, large and small, for deaths and injuries, and I assume all doctors are fearful of litigation, especially hospitals. Two members of my family died from medical mistakes, and the doctors were sued, but only one family won their case. My father died from too much sedation in the hospital, but we didn't file a suit. My brother died because the hospital to which he was transferred when he had a fluid buildup did nothing for him for 24 hours. His heart gave out while he waited. We did not file a lawsuit.

I have a healthy fear of hospitals. Those in charge don't know me, what I need or what I can't have. Although my meds are written down over and over and should be on file, no one seems to glance at them. Without an excellent advocate by your side who will speak up when you can't, it is a wonder anyone gets good care. I felt I had to educate every nurse who came into my room about me, why I was there, what I was allergic to, what I needed, and what I could not have. I wanted an Alka-Seltzer, which I sometimes take at night, but no. We can get you something else for heartburn if that is your problem. 

I was finally dismissed late Monday afternoon, and my sister had come home, so she drove me back to my apartment. My stress level dropped rapidly, but I continue to fight the symptoms of COVID, with a cough and fatigue. Those symptoms seem to linger for a while. 

Hospitals are wonderful for emergency care or some surgeries, but even the doctors I talked with at the hospital said our medical system is broken. I had two surgeries in the past three years, a knee replacement and surgery for a broken shoulder. Both were outpatient. I had excellent care at home. The only problem was that the anesthesia made me deathly ill for two weeks after the shoulder surgery. I think they gave me something I am allergic to. You never know.

Estelle Rice, my longtime friend

One of my dearest friends died last weekend. She and I collaborated on a book, Paws, Claws, Hooves, Feathers, and Fins. I will miss her so much, even though she lived in North Carolina and I am now in Georgia, we stayed in touch. I am glad she was able to be at home in her bed when she passed away. 

The good news is I am going strong again now, and I hope to teach another writing class in June or July.

I am blessed with a caring and understanding family and wonderful friends, both online and in person. 

My sister, Gay, my friend, Mary Mike, and I at Estelle's 100th birthday party

Have a good Memorial Day weekend if you celebrate it. I will remember those I know who died in wars our country fought, all young men who never had the chance to grow old. 

Sick at my second home

It is hard to have a positive outlook when you have tested positive for COVID. 

Even though I am sick with this virus I am so very fortunate to be with my sister and in my apartment at her house. She spent most of Wednesday trying to make me comfortable and getting what I need to recover. My niece also helped.

I began feeling sick on Monday of this week but drove down to Roswell as I had planned. I went to Urgent Care on Tuesday to see if I had contracted this illness and was shocked when I was told I definitely had COVID. I felt like I had the flu.

No one could have tried harder or been more careful to follow the guidelines of the CDC, but somehow on Friday of last week, I evidently came in contact with someone and was exposed to this sickness. For two years, I have been self-isolating, social- distancing, and wearing a mask when out in public.

I was told by friends who live in the mountains near me that I was better off staying away from there as the surge had hit. But I don't think I was exposed to it there because I was in Roswell, GA on Friday.

Yesterday I felt bad and was short of breath, but today I am feeling better. I am so glad I am vaccinated and had my booster shot. I hope the worst is over and that Gay and Stu don't get it. 

So, the positive thing about all this is I am here and being cared for by my loving family. I was told by my doctor's office to rest, do nothing at all, just rest and stay hydrated. That would have been difficult if I were home alone. 

So, I have much to be thankful for and a year to look forward to. I am making plans and I hope you are, also. This scourge will end and our country will come together to save our democracy. Once the pandemic is under control, the entire world will settle down and we can stop fearing the future. 

Read Roger Carlton's article on the coming year.

A Second Home

Here I am snuggled into bed in my apartment.

On Christmas Eve, I slept here for the first time. I know what it means to be a minimalist now. Borrowed items from my sister's kitchen and the electric skillet I received at Christmas can be used to make my breakfast.  

The rooms are pretty bare, the cabinets and drawers are near empty. Strangely, I feel better here out of the clutter I live in at home. I am convinced that my own home makes me sick. I want to clear out most of what is in my house in the mountains. Much of it will be brought here, but not all of it! During the past two years, I lived almost all the time in my kitchen, dining and living area, and bedroom. When my dining room became my office, the clutter began to grow. I soon was drowning in paper. It seemed that my furniture grew or multiplied and my open space shrunk. One bedroom became a catchall space and no one could sleep there now. Clutter is bad for me, and I will do something about it when I go home.

I have two closets here at the apartment and love all that empty space. I brought some clothes and shoes and will leave most of them so when I come down in the future, I won't have so much to pack.

We had a quiet Christmas Day.

My nephew began to run a fever and felt unwell that morning, so his mother said she thought it best if we didn't come over.  

However it was fun opening presents with Gay and Stu and having our dinner here, just the three of us.

I did not get Christmas cards mailed as I have done in the past. I did send out some Email Christmas letters. I love the cards sent to me by friends and family.

It is so nice to be remembered and to hear from them.

I have a friend on my mind tonight. 

She has been taking chemo for the past year. She is in the hospital now and was under Hospice care at home until yesterday when she was moved to Asheville NC under strong pain meds. She is suffering so much.

That is why I support Compassion and Choices. I watched my sweet husband deal with the horrible pain of cancer and I know, if I had a choice, I would want to have a say in how I want to end my life. I think anyone who has watched a loved one suffer knowing there is no cure, would want that person free of pain more than anything. I know I felt that way with Barry. Unless someone tells the doctor what the patient wants and what the family wants, the doctors will continue to prolong the suffering as that is what they think they are supposed to do.

HOSPICE

My friend, Ellen, a doctor who works in a Hospice Center, says many relatives or close family members will insist they do everything possible to prolong the life of the patient even if he/she is suffering great pain and has no chance of recovering. 

Don't we suffer enough just living with our illnesses and aches and pains, with our losses and griefs? Why make us suffer even more at the end of our lives? 

I am grateful for my kind and loving sister and brother-in-law who do so much for me, even providing a relaxing retreat for me. Lexie is not sure she wants to stay here, but she finally decided, if she couldn't go upstairs with Gay and Smokie, she would stay with me. In her own bed, she is curled up and is sleeping away.

ACCEPT AND MOVE ON

I am trying to look at the positives in my life the past two years instead of dwelling on the things that have been tough, and the changes that will likely be permanent. We must accept those changes and move on in new ways to enjoy our lives.

Hope you have escaped COVID and will have a happy and healthy new year.

 

FAVORITE PLACES

This lovely vine has bloomed all summer and thrived. I don't know the name of it, but that doesn't matter to me. It makes me smile when I see those happy flowers outside my window.

My little Lexie claims the chaise lounge as her own. On sunny days she asks to go out on the deck where she escapes the air-conditioned house. 

She falls asleep quickly but her ears are always tuned to every sound, especially the movement of the deer that roam around on the mountain and in my yard.

This summer, being isolated at home due to COVID, I have enjoyed many different colorful flowers and plants that light up my deck and bring the birds and butterflies. 

Autumn is slowly approaching the southwestern region of North Carolina. Tourists will soon arrive to see the leaves turn red, orange, yellow, and gold.

The dogwoods around my house are beginning to change to fall colors. I have about 25 dogwood trees on my property. They are filled with white blossoms in the spring, filled with green leaves in the summer, and become brightly colored in fall. 

Fall is a happy time in these mountains. Fall festivals draw crowds every weekend. The John C. Campbell Fall Festival has always been one of my favorites. The Punkin Chunkin festival here in Clay County brings in visitors from far and wide. The highways between here and Atlanta, GA are crammed with traffic.

October is a favorite month to vacation in the mountains.

I remember how excited I was when Barry and I would drive up here from southwest Georgia many years ago to vacation. We often rented a cabin on the lake. Gay and Stu joined us and our friends the Clarkes often visited while we were here. 

Carefree and glad to leave behind responsibilities at home we spent hours on a pontoon boat laughing and talking, exploring the coves and waterways of Lake Chatuge. We drove the back roads admiring the mountain ranges and soaking up the rural countryside. 

.

Blue Ridge Parkway in Autumn

Since the spring of 2020, life has been far different than it was in those days when we escaped reality here in the quiet of this region of the United States. Like many over the past months, I found myself wondering where I should be. I have no family here and am cut off from my friends due to this horrible pandemic. I have gone through periods of depression, anxiety and frustration with the entire world. I know I am not alone with those feelings because I talk with others who have felt the same way. 

Still, my favorite place is right here where my best memories reside. 

My close friends are here and I am fortunate to meet and make new friends through my classes. I think about what I am grateful for every day. I am grateful for kind and generous people who reach out to me and offer their help if I need it. 

I have been sick the past week with an upper respiratory infection. Because my symptoms are similar to COVID, my doctor's office wanted me to take a test. I had to wait until the next day to get results and was so thankful the test was negative. Although I had only been to the grocery store and a doctor's office, I knew I could have been exposed to a stranger who didn't know he was ill and was not wearing a mask.

After taking an antibiotic the last two days, I feel much, much better. Tomorrow will be a good day and I look forward to watching the leaves change, driving along country roads, and taking Lexie for a walk. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead wherever you live and that you find kindness and love all around you.