Health Update #3

 So it's Monday and SO tested negative yesterday while I tested positive. I'll test again on Wednesday and hopefully will be negative by then. I feel fine, just a residual cough and drippy nose. This has been an experience and one I'm not ready to repeat. I'll be asking my PCP for another booster soon!

Big news today was the parting of ways between a couple of networks and some high-profile anchors - Tucker Carlson will have more time to hide out in the woods of western Maine and peddle his conspiracies from whatever platform he can find. And Don Lemon will certainly be picked up by another concern, one that will overlook his mysoginistic ways. I was never a fan but tolerated him on the morning show. I'd love to have a beer with Kaitlin and Poppy and dish the dirt on him. 

A weekend fire obliterated one of the best restaurants in nearby Waterville. The Last Unicorn had been there since before our time in this state and I was so happy Susan Lowe introduced me to their food. They had been through several ownerships and managements and had just recently reopened after a post-pandemic reset. A real loss for the area. Not sure what plans are - rebuild or not.

Tuesday Update: Test is currently processing so we wait 15 minutes and pray. Still feel fine.....Gosh darn! Still Positive! Sigh.

CNN did NOT see the need to add any testosterone to the morning show today which is good. I think Kaitlin and Poppy do a great job. I missed their sign on at 6 so I do not know if they addressed Don's absence. They have spent some time on Tucker this morning. 

Health Update #2

 Where we are now:

I was still testing positive as of this Tuesday morning while experiencing very minor symptoms. However, as a result of the heavy-artillery antibiotics for the diverticulitis, I ended up with a raging yeast infection, which now seems to be resolving after a course of treatment I self-diagnosed this as I was not about to head off to Express Care yet again. I was able to include treatment in this week's To Go order with the groceries. (Thank you , Hannaford!) 

SO still hacking and coughing and tired. He tested positive on Monday morning but went to do a pickup on his prescriptions yesterday and added a couple of at home tests to his order. Meantime the 5 tests I ordered online a week ago arrived so we're set for a bit, hopefully until we clear this. I am hoping for some clear warm weather soon so we can open the windows again - that was such a joy last week when the temps were in the 60s.

I have continued to sew, wearing a mask as I do so, although I find it hard to believe I'm still contagious after a week. But I can't be too safe. And production must continue. The first show is only 2 months away and I am behind in production. I'm still awaiting confirmation on 2 new shows - 1 day show in Brunswick in August and 2 day show in Topsham in November. Fingers crossed on both.

Meantime the sad news from Maine this week that we have joined the list of states with mass shootings. A 34 year old man, just released from prison here, shot his parents and another couple, then fled and shot at people on 295. He's in custody. Not sure how/where he was able to obtain a gun but the result is just horrendous. Lots of rambling posts on his Facebook about abuse etc. Will we ever know the truth? And what makes some people react this way while others either lay low or put their abuse to use for the common good? What part of our society signals these people that the way out of their personal hell is to pick up a gun? We need to change that. I should add that this past weekend also saw 3 different cases where people were shot - and in at least one case, killed - for making a simple mistake - turning into the wrong driveway, ringing the doorbell of the wring home, attempting to get into the wrong car. What tells people that the proper response is to pick up a gun and shoot? What tells people they need to answer the door with a gun? Or even travel with a gun? Why do people feel the need to be constantly armed? (I hate that there are politicians and others in the media who are peddling fear to achieve their agendas. What are THEY afraid of?)

Health News (sigh)

Whoever said "Getting old isn't for sissies" has my vote for quote of a lifetime. TWIL I have diverticulosis. I learned this because I developed a case of diverticulitis, a very painful inflamation/infection of one or more of the small pouches that develop on your colon with age. The pain sent me to Express Care Tuesday morning, where the diagnosis was first discussed. The only way to confirm this was to get a CT Scan and the only way to get that scan was a) have my PCP order it as an outpatient or b) go to the ER and have them order it. The first problem with a) was that because of the backups in the healthcare system there was no guarantee that I could get a scan in a timely manner. The second problem was that my PCP was off that day (My PCP's office is connected to Express care.) So it was option b) - I steeled myself for a long boring experience and arrived at the ER at 10:15 am. After an hour spent in the waiting room, I was taken for a blood draw and then back to the waiting room. (I should add they did not appear very busy as it was still early in the day.) Finally I was taken back and installed in a cubicle. (I should note here that this was the same day that a certain former POTUS had a date with the NYC DA and if it weren't for current technology I would have been totally out of the loop. My thanks to Seth Abramson for keeping me on top of all that transpired in NY.) It was easily another 2 hours before a PA came in to check my symptoms and explain that he would order a CT scan and if the diagnosis was correct, the usual protocol was a course of antibiotics, although new thinking is that it is not necessary. (So why confuse me with conflicting information?) I managed to convince a nurse that I really needed some sort of hydration and she brought me ice chips - I had not eaten breakfast nor had anything to drink other than a cup of coffee. Finally, I was wheeled off for my scan at 4:45 pm and back in my cubicle by 5 pm. Mercifully, the MD who took over for the PA was speedy with the results and he, being a gentleman closer to my age than the PA's age, told me he would recommend the antibiotics, which made sense to me. I finally left the ER at 5:30 and came home to a dinner and water and I was happy to be home. The pain has abated and I think I'm getting a handle on this. It will mean some changes in diet and life but they will all be good.

But we weren't done with the health news - The SO attended a meeting Friday morning with someone who later that day tested positive for COVID and dutifully notified everyone. Sunday morning SO woke up with stuffiness, a cough, scratchy throat - you get the picture. An at home test indeed showed he was positive so he's been laying low and I'm the one who has been sanitizing and masking and worrying. My big fear is that we will both end up in quarantine. And you never realize how many common touch points you have in a shared home until you have to think about it! I will be testing a bit later and if negative, will run out for a quick trip to get more tests. I'm hoping SO will take the initiative to take himself to the Dr. and get a prescription for Paxlovid so he can clear this as soon as possible.

Quick Update: no Dr. visit but we spent all Tuesday morning in the ER because he fell TWICE in the bathroom last night and cracked 3 ribs. No Paxlovid - contraindicated because of other meds - but some pain meds to help him function/sleep. It's just one thing after another some weeks. And after we got home, while he slept, I did an update with my PCP's office about my issue last week and I also talked to someone from the Maine CDC whose job it is to follow up on COVID cases for their stats. Hoping this is the last time I have to recount all of the past week.

Stay tuned!

Update # 2: As of Weds. am, I am positive although very minor symptoms. Fingers crossed here.