Lisa R.
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Posts posted by Lisa R.
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I have another thread describing my son's Covid pneumonia experience. He is now recovering well after fourteen days of symptoms.
He was not vaccinated and became very sick. I was fully vaccinated in March with Pfeizer. I was around him briefly a few days before he developed Covid symptoms. In the middle of his sickness, I had mild Covid symptoms. On my second day of symptoms, I had a rapid and PCR test, taken at separate locations, that were both negative. I needed another test before returning for work. Ten days after my symptoms, I took a PCR test and it was positive. This has caused me to lose confidence in negative Covid tests.
While I had body aches, congestion, and low grade fever for 3 days, it was nothing compared to his symptoms. I am grateful I had the vaccine and cannot imagine Covid without it.
(I specifically asked people not to comment on vaccines in my other thread, so I chose not to mention my Covid/vaccine experience, either.)
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He was discharged from ER after six hours. He spent much of this time lying on the tile floor in the waiting room. He was given a CT scan and bloodwork, and then sent back out to waiting room. He was discharged with an inhaler and not given test results. He's too sick to advocate for himself and didn't ask for results, either.
Husband is on his way to retrieve him. We have access to good medical care. The system here is not as overwhelmed.
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Update: He has double lung pneumonia. He's in an ER waiting room for the past several hours. The ER is packed with Covid patients, and the hospital is full. We are waiting to hear if they will admit him (they would keep him in ER as that is the only option), but they said they may not since they are so full.
It is a 10 hour round trip, but we will go and bring him home to recover if he is not admitted.
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39 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:
Normal. Honestly on the mild side. Covid fatigue is pretty awful.
Mild??
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17 minutes ago, Ottakee said:
In general, they will keep you in the hospital until you are at 95 or above. With covid though they have had to send some people home on oxygen that they typically would have kept due to being overwhelmed.
So yes, without prior medical issues, 92/93 is time for an evaluation....esp if it stays there longer or drops when person is walking or talking.
I just asked him to do this next time he gets up. How reliable do you think a pulse ox purchased on Amazon for $14 is?
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27 minutes ago, Ottakee said:
In addition to the above, have him spend as much time as possible on his stomach.....that helps with the breathing.
Also, if his O2 drops to 92/93 when he walks around, talking, etc it is time to get checked out by a doctor/ER.
I was wondering this. So anything below 92/93 means going for medical care?
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Please do not quote. My healthy 22-year-old son has Covid-19. He has no underlying health conditions. He is recovering in another town that is 5 hours away. He was not vaccinated. (Please do not use this thread to discuss vaccines. We encouraged him to get it, and he did not. I only mentioned the fact that he was not vaccinated because it can sometimes affect the course of the illness.)
Today is his 10th day of symptoms, which include:
Fever -around 101 for the first 7 days, may have low grade fever or no fever now
Body Aches-significant
Fatigue-he can get out of bed to use restroom but nothing else. He is in bed all day. Talking on the phone is difficult and only lasts about 5 minutes.
Stomach issues
No taste and smell
Coughing/congestion
*No breathing issues or chest pain
Sent him a pulse ox from Amazon--not hospital quality, obviously, and it reads between 94%-97%
Three days ago he was prescribed an antibiotic (Z-pack) and steroid after a phone call to our local doctor. The day following this was the day his fever broke. Yesterday he did not take either medicine because he says couldn't eat food due to low appetite and stomach not feeling well. He's a very bright kid, but I can see his cognitive abilities are slower likely due to lack of food. He is drinking plenty of Gatorade and water. All day he lays in bed in the dark as moving around is difficult due to fatigue. We just sent a friend a list of groceries--soup, applesauce, etc. because nothing sounds good. This makes sense with no taste and smell.
Does this sound like a normal course of Covid? This fatigue seems severe. Anything else we could be doing?
Update 7/28:
We brought him home on Monday. So, he lives in a very small town five hours from here. The only healthcare is a small clinic that fortunately had an x-ray machine. On his 10th day of Covid symptoms, he went to this clinic due to a low pulse ox, and he was diagnosed with double lung pneumonia and sent to the ER. The closest ER was 40 minutes away and overrun with Covid. There were no beds left and anyone admitted with Covid would've stayed in the ER until a bed became available. He spent six hours in a Covid waiting room, much of it laying on a tile floor. Some of the other people in the waiting room were on oxygen. He had a CT scan and blood work and was discharged with an inhaler. Once we knew he was discharged, we picked him up. Friends drove him partway, and my husband met them on the road. We were so grateful! He arrived home around 11:30pm on Monday night.
The hospital sent the CT scan and bloodwork to our local doctor, whom we trust. He said my son is "on the edge" of needing to be hospitalized or not. If he gets worse or does not get better, he will need to go to the hospital. We are less than five minutes away from a large hospital that can provide excellent care, so this is a much better place for him. We are monitoring him regularly and using the pulse ox. It's running 92-95. The doctor said the pulse ox should be fairly accurate, but I ordered a different one today so we can compare. We are getting some food in him now; he has lost over 15 pounds.
I cannot imagine someone with an underlying health condition or someone elderly having this. I cannot.
Thank you for all the comments and private messages. I came here for help, and I received it. You all are THE BEST.
7/31 Update:
DS turned a corner on Thursday, July 29. He came downstairs on his own that day and started eating. Yesterday was better, and today was better than yesterday. I found out his oxygen levels were in the 80s on Monday's ER visit, when he was discharged with an inhaler at the hospital that was full. On his Wednesday ER visit at a different hospital near our house, the doctor said he could go home or be admitted. This is the difference between a health care system that is overwhelmed, and one that isn't. It was sobering to go through this process. He is moving in the right direction but just needs to gain back some weight and strength. He has youth and good health on his side.
Thank you all, again. You've been wonderful.
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Have you ever received this response? I used to hear this throughout my fifteen-year homeschooling journey. When people would ask where my children went to school, and I told them, I would often receive this response. I found it odd because I always felt my choice was not a reflection on them and vice versa. Oftentimes there was a small amount of negativity in their voice as they considered how much they would dislike to homeschool their children. While it was not meant rudely, I felt it was somewhat rude as it sometimes felt that they found my choice disdainful.
Without going into much detail, I am working at a rewarding job but it is with a difficult population. If you told someone you worked at a certain job that could be considered challenging, would you consider this response rude? Particularly if they shuddered and shook their heads?
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2 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:
I would completely divorce the cottage rental from the caretaking job. It's way too open ended. I'd rent the cabin and hire a caretaker separately. I can see both parties in that situation feeling like the other is "taking advantage." You'd need a VERY detailed contract to make that work. Nobody can afford to work full time to pay just their rent . . . they still have other bills. If the homeowner's expectations are open ended (Take care of everything and we'll keep adding to that list as we find stuff) it would not be a good situation. I think it could work out if you have very clearly defined tasks/hours of work, but you won't know what those needs are until you live there for a while. Manual labor is very expensive and the house is tiny. On the surface it seems like a much better deal for the homeowner than the caretaker.
You know, that is a really good point. I like the idea of keeping this separate. I am wondering if the rental income could be put toward a part time caretaker position.
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19 minutes ago, Selkie said:
Horses cause a lot of wear and tear to property. There will be repairs and upkeep for the fencing and stable, plus the pastures will need maintaining. You will also need additional insurance. $400/month may not be worth it when you add up all those costs. It can also be very tricky finding good boarders who will pay their bill every month and not cause unnecessary drama (horse barns are notorious for lots and lots of drama 😉).
Good to know. Thank you.
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17 minutes ago, Thatboyofmine said:
Are you asking how to bring in money each month to pay for the mortgage or make a profit or something like that? Does the small house have a bathroom? Regarding the steep steps, will your home insurance cover it if the caretaker falls down the steps? The chicken coop won't be used at all?
We are not trying to bring in enough money to cover mortgage. The idea is to have someone to be a low-cost or no-cost caretaker in exchange for free rent.
The small house has a bathroom upstairs with a shower. I would assume insurance would cover any injuries on the property.
We would not have chickens, personally. However, I'd love to see the chicken coop used.
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We are looking at a some property in the country with 13 acres. There is a family house on the property along with a large chicken coop, two-horse stall shelter and a very small house. Currently the owners have two horses, a pig, several chickens, a peacock, and some geese.
We are trying to mitigate the expenses and/or time for the property's upkeep. We do not intend to have animals other than our small dog.
We are wondering about the possibility of having a caretaker live in the small house rent-free in exchange for helping with the property. However, when we saw the house, it is very cute but very small--possibly 600 square feet with a small kitchenette. There is an upstairs with a very steep stairway. Outside in a small separate area is storage with washer/dryer and sink. This person could utilize the chicken coop, too.
This property is in a town of 10,000 and the relator said there is a shortage of rental property.
Also, I saw that to rent space for horses is $200/month for self-care and $300/month for full care. We could rent out the two stalls for self-care, which would net $400/month.
Any ideas on how to make this work?
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It's hard when someone says they should seek counseling and medical help but refuse it.
In the meantime, I would not try and give solutions but give empathy and validation. This can be powerful and can provide help, too.
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13 hours ago, Ottakee said:
This is just hard. Mini mid life crisis here.
Somewhat off topic here...
It sounds like you are discouraged, and I get it. Please know that much of this discouragement is likely Covid-related. This is a discouraging time for many people, in general. I just wanted to pop in and encourage you that much of the "hard" is not you, but it is Covid wrecking our normal socializing and community-related activities.
Now back to the topic. I hope you find healthy and happy companionship. You posts always sound as if you are an active, adventurous, and generous person. Those are all attractive qualities.
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For those that were pursing medical school, PA school, vet school, dentistry, etc. what was the difficulty level of organic chemistry compared to the other upper level classes for those undergraduate degree?
My daughter would like to go to PA school; her major is biomedical sciences. She just took organic chemistry I this summer. She said she understood all the information, studied really hard, and did well. Still, she feels a little discouraged as she is thinking all her classes going forward are going to be this difficult and require this much effort. She says she *can* do it, but she's now wondering if she wants to. I've told her to keep in mind she did the class online (this was her only option for the summer) and she did it without tutoring or any friend/classmate support as she was at home.
Here's my question: Are organic chemistry I and II the hardest undergraduate classes for a pre-professional degree? Or are they are all the rest of those required classes really that hard?
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I do not wish for this thread to debate specifics such as whether or not masks are helpful stopping the spread of Covid-19. I'm just using masks as an example of a much larger problem regarding the contradictory information we are receiving.
The purpose of this thread is to discuss the confusion of articles and videos and interviews saying opposite viewpoints. Actually, viewpoints is likely the wrong word. People are making scientific statements which should either be proven true or false, correct? For example, "scientifically, masks prevent the spread of Covid-19" and then another article says, "scientifically, masks do not stop the spread of Covid-19". Or "masks are safe to wear all day" or "mask are unhealthy to wear all day". In both of these cases, one is true, and the other is false.
Again, these are just two paraphrased examples to show that, to those of us who are not medically trained, it has been somewhat confusing to find truth. I have a relative, scientifically trained, who recommends the information coming from Johns Hopkins. So, between talking to her and Johns Hopkins information, I have developed a way to try and sort through the confusion.
You can subscribe to the Johns Hopkins newsletter here: https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/news/newsletters/e-newsletter-sign-up.html
How are you sorting through this contradictory information?
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18 hours ago, Ellie said:
Well, bless his heart. And yours. 🙂
He is probably recovering from his bad experience. There are behaviors that may take to assert themselves, because of his bad experience.
Gobbling food: that's probably a self-preservation thing. 😞 It isn't good for him to gobble; I would probably give him little bits at a time, in his bowl, so that he has to eat more gently. Also, I would make sure he's waiting calmly before you feed him. If he won't eat the dry food, he won't eat it. Maybe try it again after awhile.
It would be good for you to walk him daily. Keep the leash short, so that he's walking by your side, and walk as if you have a purpose. 🙂 That kind of walk engages his mind as well as his body, and is better for him than a walk where he pulls you all over (which you didn't say he did, but that's often how people walk their dogs).
He might bark more once he feels like this is really his home.
I'm thinking that yes, it's his teeth that are causing him to smell so bad. You'll know more after you see the vet.
Thank you for that dog-walking tip. Yes, I made the leash shorter and encouraged a faster walk with less sniffing. This worked quite well. He did get quite a bit more exercise this way.
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17 hours ago, MercyA said:
Oh, how wonderful for you and for him! ❤️He sounds like a very good little dog.
My husband and I are both a little allergic to dogs, and weekly baths totally take care of it. You may need to keep that up.
The itching could be from a lot of things, and, yes, itchy dogs do lick themselves. He could have flea bite dermatitis--an actual allergy to flea bites. So, even though the fleas are gone, his skin could be still reacting. He could also be allergic to dust, pollen, or certain kinds of foods. He may have a skin infection (fungal and/or bacterial) and that would account for the smell and the scabby skin. Dogs with allergies tend to get skin infections more easily. The vet may do a "skin scraping"--take some skin cells and look at them under a microscope. They may prescribe special shampoo and/or antibiotics.
Antihistamines work for some dogs and not for others but they are worth a try. Definitely try hiding it in some kind of soft cheese. Feed a couple pieces of cheese with no meds and then pop the one with the meds in his mouth. 🙂
Most dogs eat quickly. 🙂 He won't drink much if he eats only wet food. I owned my Chihuahua mix for about 15 years and never could get him to eat dry food. That's okay. Thankfully wet food is not too expensive when you have such a little dog. Sometimes little dogs tend to be picky eaters. Wet food is perfectly healthy, but after he has work done on his teeth, you may want to learn to brush any remaining ones.
He is still very new to your house. He's growling because he's nervous, probably. I wouldn't be too concerned if he is otherwise gentle-natured.
It's hard to tell if he'll bark when you're gone, but you can get him used to you leaving for short periods at first, then longer periods. My dog was *not* supposed to be barky and she is. Just depends on the individual dog.
Some dogs are playful their entire lives and some are never very playful at all. It's just a personality thing. Also, he may get more playful the more comfortable he gets. And he might bark more later. 🙂
It would be lovely for you and for him if you decide to keep him. There are so many dogs who need homes.
I hid the 1/2 Benadryl tablet in cheese and it worked! Thanks for the tip.
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I have never had a dog before. DH has allergies to dogs, and that was the biggest reason we never had one.
We are at home A LOT now, and youngest DD is home from college. So, there are 3 adults in the house with lots of time. I signed up with a fostering agency and told them I had the time to help, but I would need a hypoallergenic breed.
A yorker came available, and we picked him up on Tuesday. He was given up by a woman who adopted him from a shelter two months ago. His age is unknown, but they estimated he is 5 or 6 years old. This woman also gave up a 6 month old cat who had kittens, so she was just a terrible animal owner. 😞 The poor little dog was covered in fleas and given flea treatments the night we took him.
He is a delight. He is totally house trained, hardly barks, and only needs attention. He likes to sit near us all day long. His teeth are terrible, and he will only eat wet food, which the agency provided. He does not appear to drink much. Fleas were gone the first night, but he does scratch a lot. He looks like a mess--long hair in places, very little hair in other places. Scabs. Two cuts on his head that are healing. I was told I could give him 1/2 Benadryl, but he won't take the pill wrapped in bread/coated with peanut butter. We've given him a couple baths to try and alleviate some of the itching. The agency has scheduled a vet visit for Wednesday.
He would be the perfect dog for a retired couple. He doesn't demand anything; he just wants company.. If I walk around the house he follows me right on my heels. He stays downstairs and does not even try to go up the stairs. He can jump right up on the couch, so I'm not sure why he doesn't even attempt the stairs.
Questions:
I am giving him 2/3 can of wet food. I was told to sprinkle some dry food in, too, but he will not eat that. I feed him 2x/day--1/3 can each time. He hardly drinks at all. He gobbles up the food instantly. Is this ok?
He LOVES us. When we pet him and pause, he will put his paw on our arm so we keep petting him. He lays in front of us so we can rub his belly. However, when one of us comes downstairs at first, he growls. Then he is so happy to see us--lots of tail wagging. Why does he growl? He has such a gentle nature.
I thought Yorkies barked a lot. I'm wondering if he would bark is he was left alone. Since it is quarantine, someone is always at home. I'm wondering how he would do if he was left alone in the house.
He is not playful at all. He just loves to sit with us. I'm wondering if his age is older than we were told.
Even with baths, he doesn't smell great. Is this because he keeps licking his fur--to help itching or his bad teeth?
Should we be doing anything else?
Since my dh doesn't seem to have any allergic reaction, I'm tempted to keep him. But I work 3 days/week, and I'm not sure how he would do alone.
I know there are lots of dog lovers and dog experts here. Any feedback or help is appreciated.
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I have never had a dog before. DH has allergies to dogs, and that was the biggest reason we never had one.
We are at home A LOT now, and youngest DD is home from college. So, there are 3 adults in the house with lots of time. I signed up with a fostering agency and told them I had the time to help, but I would need a hypoallergenic breed.
A yorker came available, and we picked him up on Tuesday. He was given up by a woman who adopted him from a shelter two months ago. His age is unknown, but they estimated he is 5 or 6 years old. This woman also gave up a 6 month old cat who had kittens, so she was just a terrible animal owner. 😞 The poor little dog was covered in fleas and given flea treatments the night we took him.
He is a delight. He is totally house trained, hardly barks, and only needs attention. He likes to sit near us all day long. His teeth are terrible, and he will only eat wet food, which the agency provided. He does not appear to drink much. Fleas were gone the first night, but he does scratch a lot. He looks like a mess--long hair in places, very little hair in other places. Scabs. Two cuts on his head that are healing. I was told I could give him 1/2 Benadryl, but he won't take the pill wrapped in bread/coated with peanut butter. We've given him a couple baths to try and alleviate some of the itching. The agency has scheduled a vet visit for Wednesday.
He would be the perfect dog for a retired couple. He doesn't demand anything; he just wants company.. If I walk around the house he follows me right on my heels. He stays downstairs and does not even try to go up the stairs. He can jump right up on the couch, so I'm not sure why he doesn't even attempt the stairs.
Questions:
I am giving him 2/3 can of wet food. I was told to sprinkle some dry food in, too, but he will not eat that. I feed him 2x/day--1/3 can each time. He hardly drinks at all. He gobbles up the food instantly. Is this ok?
He LOVES us. When we pet him and pause, he will put his paw on our arm so we keep petting him. He lays in front of us so we can rub his belly. However, when one of us comes downstairs at first, he growls. Then he is so happy to see us--lots of tail wagging. Why does he growl? He has such a gentle nature.
I thought Yorkies barked a lot. I'm wondering if he would bark is he was left alone. Since it is quarantine, someone is always at home. I'm wondering how he would do if he was left alone in the house.
He is not playful at all. He just loves to sit with us. I'm wondering if his age is older than we were told.
Even with baths, he doesn't smell great. Is this because he keeps licking his fur--to help itching or his bad teeth?
Should we be doing anything else?
Since my dh doesn't seem to have any allergic reaction, I'm tempted to keep him. But I work 3 days/week, and I'm not sure how he would do alone.
I know there are lots of dog lovers and dog experts here. Any feedback or help is appreciated.
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4 hours ago, NorthwestMom said:
Ahoy from age 50. 😂 It's pretty great here.
Your job here is to start building interests that do not revolve around your kids. I love being a mom and I loved homeschooling my kids (now 20, 18, and 14), but this gig does not last forever. I would be 100% down for grandchildren like Stacey, but that probably won't happen for several years yet. Do you have any elders in your family that you admire? How did they spend their middle years?
I went back to school at age 45 and was the oldest one in my classes (even older than all but one professor). It was fine and I feel like I was able to be an example of "Always keep learning" for my kids and my classmates (who could have been my kids, LOL). I am now working full time and I am older than most of my peers in a young field, but my life experience as a parent and homeschooling mom has helped me tremendously. My life did not end when my kids grew up. If you don't get this particular job you interviewed for, you will get a different one if you allow yourself to keep moving forward. I don't recommend bringing a new person into the world simply because you are loose ends, but puppies are fun. 😊
If everything continues to go right for you, you will be alive and healthy for the next 50 years or so. You can't live 50 years reminiscing about your early parenting years and how cute your kids were when they were little. It's unfair to them and to you. Time to get out there and focus on your own development.
Best wishes to you!
Exactly this.
My youngest just left for college and my circle is filled with people my age with college-aged kids. Some moms are really struggling. The ones that aren’t are the those that cultivated a live outside their kids. They are great moms—involved and attentive—but they have a solid friend group and regular volunteering or part time/full time job.
I maintain its good for our kids, particularly our daughters, to see us having balance in our lives. Balance gets easier to achieve, I believe, as our kids get older. We need to work at it and plan ahead for it.
A part time job can do wonders, by the way. I’d start there.
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2 hours ago, Sneezyone said:
It is a lot of fun. If you want to ensure variety And have a large enough group, you can have two entrants per category—meat/main dish, sides, soups, salads, desserts—and then declare an overall winner at the end.How do you score the food? Points for presentation and taste? I was thinking of bonus points if the dish was homemade. (I think a couple participants might purchase a favorite treat or dish.) In our competitive group, bonus points would encourage homemade items while allowing prepare food also helps everyone participate.
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I do love the idea about the food contest. I think I might do this at Christmas. This works for me in two different ways: 1) it’s a fun Christmas game 2) it’s a great way to have a potluck dinner and share food preparation time for me.
It also accomplishes one of my goals to get everyone to participate and not just want me plan and execute everything.On 10/30/2019 at 7:14 PM, Sneezyone said:We have a ‘put your foot in it’ dinner complete with a trophy made from the casting of one of my kids’ feet. Everyone brings a dish that they think is the bees knees and we all taste and score the food. The winner gets the trophy. We even have the winner’s name engraved. We usually pair this with games and a white elephant gift exchange. That’s always fun, less so now that my grandma isn’t there to feign horror at the raunchiest items. I will never forget the year she threw all of her ‘dish’ votes to my sister’s unset, no-bake cheesecake. She always did love an underdog. 🤣
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We have adult children and aging parents at our Christmas gathering. Most of us purchase items we need and want throughout the year, so no one has a long Christmas list.
Any fun or memorable ideas instead of buying Christmas presents for everyone?
In the past we've:
-drawn names and adults purchase items up for an agreed upon amount for the name drawn. We've done this with wish-lists provided and without.
-gone on a vacation over Christmas break and made it clear that the vacation was the present. This is my favorite idea, but we won't be doing it this year.
-I had a white elephant-type game where I bought all the gifts which were desirable because they were nice or desirable because they were funny. Gifts were stolen and fought over and it was really fun. I've done this 3x.
-Last year I did an "auction" using Monopoly money. If anyone's seen Survivor, it was similar. I had a variety of items, gave everyone the same amount of play money and held the auction. It was a surprise to have the auction and was fun.
For the white elephant game and auction, I had: things like a nice blanket, games ( Catan and Code Names), home made fudge, Christmas ornaments, a new cooking gadget, a new book, etc. The most in-demand item is always the certificate I make. One year it gave the certificate winner the ability to be exempt from putting away Christmas decorations. One year it gave the power to require the family to watch of movie of the certificate-holders choice.
Any ideas of fun ideas that make memories and involve a gift but don't involve spending lots of time thinking of ideas, purchasing, wrapping and giving stuff that we could just get ourselves?
(Disclaimer: none of us are really good with crafts, so while the "every gift has to be homemade" works well for some families, it would flop over here. LOL)
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Boardies with Covid experience of vaccinated
in The Chat Board
Posted
Exactly.
I believe that being vaccinated is no guarantee that you will not catch Covid. I believe you will have milder symptoms, so I still stand behind vaccines.
However, if you have Covid symptoms, even mild ones, and test negative, you should not assume you do not have Covid. If you've been exposed to Covid and test negative, you should not assume you are negative, with or without a vaccine. I was careful after I tested had my symptoms and tested negative, and I'm grateful.