DAY 329: "Reaction Report, part 10"

     Received my Pfizer booster shot yesterday, along with this year's flu-shot. Took both in my right shoulder but in no time the left began to hurt more. Finished the evening with a vast headache, but now, just a bit sore overall.

     The medical attendant had no answers to my general questions and suggested I try Google. Avoiding the usual disinformation, I read on WebMD that the Pfizer vaccine in March was rated as 87% effective against the Delta variant, but that I could expect 45% efficacy by the end of the seven months after I received my 2nd dose.

     Also, according to Fauci, one's immunity ramps back up within a few days after getting the booster --- with peak protection occurring two to four weeks thereafter.

     With heavy travel expected this holiday season I'm assuming that hospitals everywhere are preparing for a rise in flu and Covid cases. Let's all do our part to keep those numbers down if we can.

     Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

 

DAY 318: "Interview with Paul, part four (conclusion)"

     Paul & I conclude the last part of our interview:

♦ what's working at home been like, any unforeseen complications? has work been understanding?
Synch issues with some email, but it has been ok. Check-in my staff in morning, then deal with emails, texts and phone calls. Board of Directors and management has been supportive. I have never missed a month of work in my life. Board presidents really helped with some of my duties. I have a lot on my plate and just last week finally caught up after 2 weeks back to work.

♦ have they had any bad illnesses there too?
My evening concierge got sick and was out and in the hospital for a couple weeks, that put stress on me during recovery. I don't know what his issue was. Won't say. He does have Crohn's, too.

♦ what else has been helpful?
Meditation during the dark times. Literally that is all I had to keep it together at times. Thankfully I had someone to help. Alone with this would be a disaster.

♦ how have others been helpful, other than by being sympathetic?
Neighbors bringing over dinners and lunches. Checking in, getting perscriptions. Watering our lawns, taking out garbage,etc. We are lucky to have such great neighbors and friends.

♦ what are your recommendations to others?
...Pneumonia vax. What else? Yes, stay on VAX and still be diligent. Don't be around non-vaxxed people or crowds. It sucks, I get it, but I played by all the rules and I was slammed. Doctors said if I wasn't vaxxed I would be in ICU on ventilator or dead. Stay hydrated and healthy.

♦ what questions should i have asked you, what other info do you want to impart?
I could not stomach any gory or sick movies! Tried starting new American Horror Story and it was too much.

Very thorough questions.

And I forgot to mention a couple songs that resonated with me:

"Hedda Gabler" by John Cale

"Vicious Streak" by New Order

"North Star" by Robert Fripp

They just hit me emotionally, I guess. I need calming music. Cale's is more dirge, but it was a song I played constantly when I left home for Seattle. 

Thus ends our interview. To date, Paul is doing well.

DAY 311: "Interview with Paul, part three"

     When we last left off, Paul & I were talking about his symptoms and his stay in the hospital. Now we move on to the details of his ongoing recovery:

♦ what has recovery after your stay been like and are you seeing progress?
The 1st week back home was very tough. I have been on oxygen for 6 weeks. I developed pleurisy too, which was very painful. 1 day of extreme hiccups which were a sign of healing process per my doctor friend. Coughing was horrific. Could not sleep, and just lie in a daze of brain fog. No taste or smell. That's about 50% returned.

♦ you mentioned some of the lingering physical effects, like what?
Fatigue, out of breath/panting are the worst. Brain fog lifting and smell/taste returning. Any exertion starts the cough and panting. Still get night sweats here and there. Wake up with damp t-shirt on my chest.

♦ any changes in your careful diet? are you continuing with your yoga? have these helped?
Minimizing carbs, sugar and portion control are the biggest factors. No eating after 8pm. Have not gotten back into yoga yet.

♦ there's talk of permanent or long-term effects; what's expected in your case?
Breathing capacity would be mine, I suppose. Short term memory seems to be bothersome at times, but that could be age too.

♦ how often are you in contact with your medical team?
Communication via email with doctor and his nurse. The My Chart app is great. I get all results, emails, reminders, refill availability, etc. If your doctor is connected, get on his portal access for patients. Had check up last week and one in a month.

♦ what's the insurance situation been like: a nightmare, a deleterious cost?
I have only gotten 2 bills, but I imagine it will be a pricey event. So far, after insurance, I owe $224 for CT Scan and $21.00 for chest x ray.  

My initial emergency room doctor evaluation was $678.00, apparently because he is "out of network," so I owe $486 out of that. Strange, since Swedish is IN network. 

I am forced to have Kaiser Permanente via work, however I hate HMOs, so I pay extra monthly to have PPO coverage via them. I will have to appeal that charge. I'm sure when all is said and done, it will be a couple thousand...

♦ what's a daily recovery routine like; you mentioned oxygen...
Wake up, take finger poke glucose test, pop all my asthma pills and inhalers, eat something, take a Diabetes pill, turn on computer and work.

I work from home and then go into the office around 1 for the remainder of day. Get home, get back on oxygen to catch up and chill, as usually fatigued.

♦ how do you feel right now?
OK, but low energy.

      To be continued...!

DAY 305: "This Month in Covid History (October 2021)"

10-01 --- US reaches 700,000 COVID deaths
10-01 --- Merck sells back Federally-funded Covid pill at 40 times cost
10-04 --- Rep· Ken Weyler (R-NH) refuses Covid vaccine because "tentacles"
10-11 --- Texas Gov· Greg Abbott issues anti-mandate mandate
10-12 --- Data confirms COVID-19 as the no·1 cop killer

10-13 --- Conservative propagandist Dennis Prager "deliberately" contracts & spreads COVID-19
10-17 --- White-wing televangelist Kent Christmas places a pox upon pro-mandate businesses
10-18 --- US General Colin Powell dies of Covid & cancer complications
10-19 --- Racist Xian, Rick Wiles, claims Covid vaccines implant alien egg parasites
10-19 --- Crazy MAGA Doc, Stella Immanuel, says Clones Of Satan aim to Kill anti-vaxxers

10-20 --- Brazilian Senate finds Bolsonaro responsible for pandemic deathtoll
10-21 --- England's lockdown-free policy leads to 50,000 new Covid cases
10-24 --- Florida Gov· DeSantis offers USA's anti-vax cops a 5K signing bonus
10-26 --- US Rep· Chip Roy (R-TX) denies Ivermectin is for horses
10-29 --- FDA authorizes Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5-11