Good Morning, O'mates
Last March 17th, Nevada's Governor Sisolak enacted our state's first partial shutdown to attempt to curb the growing number of COVID-19 cases, saying, "...the most effective course of action is to direct all Nevadans to stay home and for all nonessential businesses to close to the public for 30 days."
When I heard that I knew in my core, "Four weeks won't be long enough. SIX weeks won't be long enough. Beyond essential businesses, the entire state needs to shut down for two months..."Many of our state's citizens complained, disbelieving that such actions were necessary. Some people even tried to have the governor recalled for his actions, claiming that they were "damaging businesses and families".
I know that so early on in this pandemic, it was difficult to know what to expect in the way of rates of infection, tranmissability of the virus, how long it might be a factor in our lives around the world. I think our scientists now have a much better understanding of such things.
There is a saying that "Hindsight is 20/20"... I know that we can't go back in time and set more protective measures in place. I know that so many people have needlessly lost their lives during this pandemic, and so many more will pass. Affected surviviors may have to worry the remainder of their days about what future detrimental affects from COVID-19 lie in wait for their physical and mental wellbeing.
The government of Alberta, Canada's recently enacted restrictions have seemed very reasonable to me for almost 9 months, now. But, all I can do is shake my head at the earlier inaction by all levels of government around the world as people died. All I can do is continue to wear my mask, stay home as much as possible, social distance, and wash my hands and use hand sanitizer often. All I can do is take one day at a time, hoping that our loved ones care enough about the human race to also take these precautions so that we may all enjoy a future that is as healthy as possible.
This is day #3 back to work after 16 days of quarantine for me. Lost sense of taste smell 11/20 at work and was out the door in about 15 mins. after fearing the worst - then confirming I wasn't imagining things - speaking with my supervisor via phone. Got tested that night at GP's office, then hunkered down at home to wait for results, wearing a mask and social distancing in my own home to protect my Mom. We bought our home together years back, but she's almost 80 and has asthma, so her getting COVID-19 is currently my greatest fear.
Suffered with on off low-grade fevers, that all-over "ick" feeling when a body's sick, fatigue, and continued loss of taste, smell. You know that saying, "Tastes like chicken!"?Well, when tuna salad tastes more like sawdust than chicken...and you can barely taste the mint in a York Peppermint Patty?Yep, it was an issue. Then, to help my body recover from whatever-it-was, I dropped dairy and most sugar out of my diet. (Studies show that mucus membranes produce MORE mucus after ingestion of dairy, and sugar suppresses the immune system. Amazingly, stress also supresses immunity!)
You know how weird, odd, different, and unexpected 2020 has been because of COVID-19?My Mom I had decided to create SOMETHING normal in our home this year, so I made the largest grocery purchase of the year on 11/15, and we planned to spend some quality time in our kitchen, to make our usual family recipes, roast the turkey...all of it. As usual at Thanksgiving, dinner would be just the two of us. Then...this. And all of our plans for a "normal" Thanksgiving were dashed. There was no way I was going to stand over our meal preparations if there was a chance I was shedding the virus. So, Mrs. Callendar provided chicken pot pies for our Thanksgiving dinner. It was all right, but a disappointment.
Got the 11/20 test result back on 11/30:Negative. I asked the PA, "What's the chance it's a false-negative?"The doctor thought that chance was fairly high considering how quickly I was tested after noticing symptoms. So...back I went on 11/30 for Test #2. Speaking with the doctor about my symptons, he listened to my lungs, and said I had pneumonia, prescribed antibiotics, which I started that night. Then, the wait for new results began, again.
More fever fatigue, and coughing. Finally received my secondary test result on Monday, 12/7:Negative!I was so relieved, mostly because I knew that my Mom couldn't be sick with COVID-19, either!What a blessing!It would appear that I had a relatively mild case of influenza and pneumonia. As I had my annual influenza vaccination in early September, I feel my case of flu could have been so much worse.
Yet, the reality of what may continue to lie before us on this dark journey tempers any relief I am experiencing.
Please be safe. Be well
Lily17