Infirmary Thread #18: Keep Your Social Distance!

[Elara]

A migraine started while I was asleep last night. I started waking up about 3am. When I could go back to sleep, I was aware of the pain, which would then wake me up. I finally took something about 7:45, and then overslept. But the pain is at least somewhat under control, for as long as that lasts. Now, let's see if I can injure myself out with the horese.

Mine, on Monday, only lasted about 6 hours.

I feel pretty good today.

Short ones are always better.

Okay, that looks like a potentially gruesome murder weapon. Has it been used as such in scary movies?

^
Something similar like that was used in the original The Fog.

That's what I was going to say, too. It's the only one I could think of.

Maybe this will be a good year for migraines, at least.

Nooo! You must not say things like that! You'll jinx it!

[RJDiogenes]

Oops.

[scottydog]

I cut my hand putting Christmas decorations away. Sometimes I forget how sharp ornament hooks can be

[Lupine]

^Ouch!
Speaking of: there are still a few Christmas lights still up around the valley.

[scottydog]

^ Some people leave them up all year round

[RJDiogenes]

For some people, every day is Christmas. Which means they should be giving me a lot more presents.

[scottydog]

^

[Cayla]

There are some people here, who have decided to leave up their lights, to brighten the dark winter evenings during the pandemic.

[RJDiogenes]

That's a nice idea.

[Cayla]

At church, there was a 101-year-old member, who died from COVID last week. There are 2 more, who were in nursing homes, that are now in the hospital with the virus.

At work, since I have been off, we have 3 more patients with COVID. The one, is a 62-year-old male with asthma. He has been sick for 2 weeks. Last Wednesday, my boss sent him to the ER. The hospital wouldn't admit him, because they were at full capacity. They sent him home. On Friday, he had a massive stroke, and was life flighted to a main campus hospital in downtown Cleveland. He is not doing good. This patient is one of my favorites...he recently retired from UPS, had both knees replaced early last year, and his wife went through treatment for breast cancer in late 2019.

[Lupine]

^
As far as I know our neighbor is still in the hospital.

[RJDiogenes]

Ugh. That's terrible. I'm afraid now that this is going to turn out to be even worse than the Spanish Flu.

[Cayla]

An update on my patient....He is out of ICU, spent one day in a step down unit, and then they sent him to a rehab facility, because they don't have a regular room available for him at the hospital. It affected his left side and speech. He cannot walk or talk.

[Madeliaette]

& our client is now back home, safely. her dog is so happy to see her - i think the hospitals turf them out asap, and as she has 4 care calls a day plus a private carer/friend come in 6 days a week for a few hours and a dog walker/feeder....she got sent home earlier than others. she looks quite well....MUCH better than last week!!

[Lupine]

My sinuses are a bit sore this morning.

An update on my patient....He is out of ICU, spent one day in a step down unit, and then they sent him to a rehab facility, because they don't have a regular room available for him at the hospital. It affected his left side and speech. He cannot walk or talk.

Sounds like it caused a stroke.

[RJDiogenes]

An update on my patient....He is out of ICU, spent one day in a step down unit, and then they sent him to a rehab facility, because they don't have a regular room available for him at the hospital. It affected his left side and speech. He cannot walk or talk.

That's bad, but it could be worse. It's very possible that he can recover to a good degree. What's his home situation like?

& our client is now back home, safely. her dog is so happy to see her - i think the hospitals turf them out asap, and as she has 4 care calls a day plus a private carer/friend come in 6 days a week for a few hours and a dog walker/feeder....she got sent home earlier than others. she looks quite well....MUCH better than last week!!

That sounds encouraging. And she has a lot of support. I'm sure her dog will do a lot to lift her spirits.

[Cayla]

^
His home situation is good. His wife is there, and his kids live nearby. It's sad that the two largest healthcare system in Cleveland, doesn't have any room for patient.

[RJDiogenes]

It's getting to be that way everything, both for short-term and long-term care. The guy's lucky to have good family support.

[Cayla]

I think it is going to be bad, during the next 6 weeks. It is winter. Everyone is indoors. There will be a chain reaction of cases, due to the holiday gatherings. Once the weather breaks, and people can be outdoors, and once the vaccinations becomes available to more people, then the virus will begin to slow down.

My mom and Terry are getting their vaccines next week.

[Lupine]

I wish I could get my aunt vaccinated.

[RJDiogenes]

Yeah, I still don't know when my Mother can get vaccinated and she's well into the high-risk group. However, I just got an email from the place where emma is staying and it looks like she can get one this week, before she leaves.

[scottydog]

I slept in a weird position last night, and I'm totally blaming The Wife because she took up most of the bed, forcing me to scrunch and contort in such a way that my right leg was forced to go places that an older man's right leg should never go

The result is that I think I pinched a nerve in my right hip/buttock region. It's sore there and my leg is ever-so-slightly tingly, all the way down to my toes. I went online and pinched nerve seems to be the best diagnosis. The treatment is rest, gentle stretching, and avoiding the kind of activity that caused the problem.

So I'm getting a can of paint and will paint a stripe down the middle of our bed, informing The Wife of the dire consequences of daring to cross said stripe

[Lupine]

Yeah, I still don't know when my Mother can get vaccinated and she's well into the high-risk group. However, I just got an email from the place where emma is staying and it looks like she can get one this week, before she leaves.

Leaves?

[RJDiogenes]

So I'm getting a can of paint and will paint a stripe down the middle of our bed, informing The Wife of the dire consequences of daring to cross said stripe

Oh, I love that episode.

Leaves?

Oh, yeah. She kind of got kicked out, because she was mean to the staff and because they say she needs more care than they can give her. I'm working with the VA nurse to get her into a VA assisted living place with memory care, but there's a long waiting list. In the meantime, I think we've worked out some living arrangements with a mutual friend in the area. Not entirely settled yet, but I think she'll be okay.

[Gary]

I can't remember if I posted this back in July, but I was quite irked/worried because my PSA had come back fairly high compared to the year prior. So, my doctor had me scheduled to return in six months with his replacement (doc retired in December). I started researching ways to lower the PSA and was smacked in the face with the possibility that too much added sugar in one's diet could be a factor. I went cold turkey around October -- no treats, no sugar snacks, nothing. The only sweets I eat are dates and any other natural substances. I don't drink much in the way of dairy anymore, preferring soy based milk instead. I gave up soda years ago because the HFCS gives me a bellyache. I only drink La Croix or Pomegranate juice.

This past week, I met the new doc and caught him up with the past 25 some odd years of goings on with his predecessor and myself. I re-iterated the idea about sugar and asked if it's possible the people who end up with prostate issues or prostate cancer are typically overweight. He cocked his head for a moment in thought and responded, "You know, I think you're right about that." So, assuming I get my butt in gear and start exercising, I should be better off.

Today, I get a call from the nurse with the results from last week's blood draw. My numbers are 0.74 lower than last July's, AND they're lower than the previous year's result. That is fantastic news the proves I'm on the right track. I've been working to get more cruciferous vegetables in my diet and will continue my quest. I had a recent discussion with the local fitness guy at work and mentioned to him I quit sugar cold turkey. He asked if I noticed any difference in my well-being. Well, yes. I'm nowhere near as lethargic as I used to be, nor do I feel nauseous or run-down. He was greatly impressed as am I.