Working on sections over a few days would be a good way to start! I know I'll be slow at first, and having good long breaks in between would limit the stress for both of us.

A grooming table sounds like a great idea. He's 13 so he's definitely learned to stand on a table, but I love the idea of saving my back and keeping him accustomed to it.

This is tough given the distance, but my inclination would be to push to get him seen tonight. Strep and Covid can both have inflammatory cascades that are better treated early. Totally understandable that literally the last thing he wants to do is get out of bed and wait in urgent care. Strep rashes can feel rough like sandpaper. I like KSera's thought about a nurse advice line in hopes they tell him to go in. Or a friend or campus security who could accompany him? Or if he's at all a rule-follower, do you know any healthcare providers in the US (personally or professionally) who would advise him to be seen? Could even call your local nurse advice line and relay their advice to him.

@Pawz4me your Shih Tzu is adorable and beautifully groomed! Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed reply--the specific recs for tools and techniques are incredibly helpful. Same for the suggestion to watch a million YouTube videos to figure out who knows what they're doing. I think both the repetition and the chance to develop a sense of other people's trial and error will make this a better experience for puppy and me 🙂 He's a very good boy, so I do think I will be able to groom him. He won't love it but I think it will be comparatively easier on him as he's a rescue with some abandonment and anxiety issues. He just wants to be with the pack, forever and always! 💜🐕‍🦺💜

This is really helpful to hear from a few people. I’ve never used clippers before and was (perhaps irrationally) afraid!

Cool, he’s mostly black with a white tuxedo. We don’t have high standards, just a puppy cut that’s mostly one length all over. But sometimes when I clip around his face between groomings I regret making his head look squooshed. I do think I could learn to do a better job, though!

Any tips on learning to groom at home? Paws, face and ears seem the trickiest, and I watched a YouTube video on paws... Would love any suggestions for tools, techniques, etc. I'm thinking he might look a little silly for a few months until I get the hang of it?

Great ideas on this thread! I'd combine them-- Bento box with compartments equaling the number of food groups you want to include, maybe 1. Protein 2. Carbs 3. Dairy 4. Fruit (or one tiny cookie?) 5. Veg Tweak the amounts so the veg/fruit does get eaten, not just crackers and cheese. Or if you go with mac-n-cheese or chicken rice casserole, I used to put frozen portions in a lunchbox and kiddo would eat defrosted for lunch. Some prefer reheated, but amazingly my picky kid was happy with simply defrosted food. Depending on the size/thickness, I'd include a freezer pack for foods that defrosted quickly, but not for foods that would be just defrosted by lunch time. Bit of trial and error to figure it out.

FWIW low ferritin with normal hematocrit and hemoglobin is very common, even more so after Covid. Doc recommended increasing and maintaining ferritin in the 80-100 range for women and teen girls, much higher than the reference range most labs say is normal. Huge decrease in fatigue getting ferritin levels up.

For sure! MCAS is all about inflammation. But the terminology doesn’t matter as much as finding what works for you. Quercitin and perilla seed extract both stabilize mast cells so they don’t release as much histamine, along with 1,000+ other inflammatory mediators. Covid seems to exacerbate or induce mast cell activation in many.

Quercitin, perilla seed extract? Wondering if there’s an MCAS component.

I emailed this link along with CDC wastewater data for my state to dd17’s school. We have more historical wastewater data than most states, and our wastewater levels are actually higher now than the original Omicron wave, when the school had a mask requirement. Also included info on risks of reinfection and LC in young people. Head of school replied to thank me for bringing it to their attention, said the links were helpful and that they would meet to discuss. Not sure if anything will come of it but I’m hoping they send a message on the surge, refresher on health policy and recommend masking.

From personal experience I'm not sure exactly how long our QT3 battery lasts because I don't always have the QT3 fully charged when I need it and frequently rely on my cell phone power bank when the battery runs out. The SmartAir link below says the battery lasts about 3 hours, though, and the Twitter thread they cite is what got me to consider buying the QT3 and extending the battery life with a power bank. https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/students-using-qt3-portable-hepa-air-purifier-in-schools/ I'm not familiar with the filters worn around the neck, but I will say the cone of the air flow on the small personal Medify I tried is much smaller and feels much weaker. Comparison charts I saw at one point had data showing the QT3 was significantly more powerful. Although it's a little hassle to carry for me it makes up for that in effectiveness. Recently saw Air Canada may have banned personal filters on flights, but I don't have a source and really hope it's not true, or at least that other airlines don't attempt the same.

More on difficulty of finding a doc for mast cell issues--if a specialist insists only on treating those with elevated tryptase, they're missing tons of people with symptoms who can be helped by treatment. We need many more docs who will diagnose and treat based on clinical symptoms, response to treatment and/or lab markers other than tryptase. The paper below explores the two competing approaches to treating mast cell diseases. We have to drive 2 hours for a doc who uses Consensus 2 criteria despite having two huge research hospital systems nearby. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/dx-2020-0005/html

No one here has been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos, but my understanding is that getting mast cell issues well-controlled can make a difference because tryptase and some other mediators released by mast cells can break down connective tissue. So that's my thought, to do whatever you can to calm mast cells. Many more people are discovering they have mast cell issues post-Covid but it's hard to find a doc to help with mast cell stuff. Have you tried mast cell stabilizers like quercitin and perilla seed extract, antihistamines (our allergist says Allegra/fexofenadine is the only one we have excellent evidence doesn't cross the blood brain barrier at all) a low histamine diet or prescription meds for mast cell issues?

Does he have any hacks for safer dining?

When indoor dining is unavoidable (which for me is super rare) I've used this portable filter as a layer of protection. When I was researching personal portable filters this looked like the best, as long as it's very close with grates angled to blow directly on you. I've also tried a lower-profile personal Medify the size of a water bottle but the QT3 is far superior. Obviously eating in a car or outdoors would be safest of all. https://www.smarterhepa.com/products/qt3-portable-air-purifier-the-small-lightweight-qt3-delivers-clean-air-wherever-you-go-personal-fan-and-hepa-filter-includes-lithium-battery Two in my household don't like to carry a filter and prefer to take their masks down for each bite, then put it up to chew. That drives me bonkers--I'd much rather set this up and unmask for as short a time as possible. It's rechargeable and can connect to my cell phone power bank if the battery runs out. Another option is installing a SIP valve on a mask and drinking a protein shake for lunch. But I admit most people won't go the lengths I do!

Thanks so much for everything your family has done to contain transmission! Dh took Pax and was negative and feeling better for 6 days, then started having mild symptoms again (sniffles, raspy throat, more fatigued) and tested positive again for 4 days. Today is the first day he's negative after rebound, and he's planning to continue to rest, not resume working out and keep up with really healthy eating and supplements for another month or two to support full recovery and reduce risk of Long Covid. He doesn't drink but avoiding alcohol is another way to support immune function in the recovery phase, which I've come to think takes longer than we realize, even for the common cold. Hoping your whole family is feeling better soon and has a healthy spring!

What I'm hearing from modelers on Twitter is that the peak for the US in general is probably a couple weeks away, and that at the moment there aren't a bunch of new variants lined up after JN.1 as it gains dominance. So we may see a sharp spike and subsequent drop in cases, like we did with the first winter Omicron wave, with a quieter period after that. I don't find our baseline of "lower cases" to be low enough, personally, but there's a decent chance, barring surprises, that we could be seeing much lower transmission mid-to-late Feb and March. ETA: Telling my peeps to pull out all the stops on mitigation and avoiding exposure now for sure.

Solidarity! I'm this person in our extended family and social circles. A small thing that could make a big difference individually, and decrease overall rates of transmission, but with public health actively trying to mislead people on modes of transmission and risks of reinfection to the general population it's a tough and lonely place to be.

School starts back up Jan 2 for dd17 and I expect it will be an absolute viral shitshow.

For one of my pregnancies I received strict instructions to drive no more than 90 minutes at a time, then to walk 15 min before driving again. Not 15 minutes total for a rest stop--15 minutes just to walk, with additional time for getting fuel, going to the bathroom, etc. Doing this definitely increased the driving time for road trips, but I didn't feel stiff and sore at all. Like--not in the least! I couldn't believe it, because I typically get all knotted up on extended drives. I'm not sure if walking would help you specifically, but I do wonder if setting aside significant time on the drive to stretch, walk, do yoga or whatever might ease some of the pain and discomfort you experience with long drives. May you find what works for you, physically and emotionally!

I'm liking Recovering from Emotionally Immature Parents: Practical Tools to Establish Boundaries & Reclaim Your Emotional Autonomy by Lindsay Gibson. There are related books by the same author, but this one seemed most to the point.

Being the oldest seems like a factor here, to me, in addition to the mismatch. When your sister's kids are late teens and 20s, they won't be there or visiting all the time, just due to life phase. Busy, don't feel like going, whatever. You're the family culture buster partly because your kids are the oldest and reaching this developmental phase first. Same with staying in a hotel, since no one else has done that. I was the villain with my in-laws when we started staying at a hotel for visits, but now all dh's siblings do the same and it's easier on everyone, including MIL and FIL. And it's kind of wild when adult children develop their own sense of family dynamics, and make their own choices about how often and with whom they want to connect. I agree with other posters that focusing on what you want for yourself in terms of visiting, as your parents age, is the way to go. And ground yourself in and communicate your and your immediate family members' experiences, feelings, life phases and needs. Everyone else can deal however they see fit.

Dh tested positive a couple days ago and will probably start Paxlovid this evening--prescription is at the drugstore. Dd20 has Long Covid so we're aware of long term complications and would like to do whatever we can to minimize those risks. On the other hand, I've read a recent study found a much lower reduction in LC than earlier studies had found, and also that it's less effective with recent variants. Anyone have recent experience--let's say, this fall/winter--or up to date info? For now dh is on black seed oil, quercitin, melatonin, EPA, NAC, zinc, vits C, D & K. Would discontinue some of that for the course of pax.