How's Everyone Doing?

[blackcauldron85]

I'm glad you're mostly recovered, Rumpelstiltskin!! That sounds scary. I'm so happy you tested negative, but your poor cousin. Besides loss of senses, which sucks, is she breathing okay and otherwise feeling okay?

[UmbrellaFish]

I’m glad you’ve recovered Rumpel! You must have been in quite a lot of pain.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Oh so you are ok now after the surgery? Glad you tested negative, too. Sorry about your cousin, I hope she and everyone get their senses of taste back as well.

Yes, it was a keyhole surgery, which is less traumatic for the body than old school surgery. One can only hope that everybody will get their smell and taste back eventually.

I'm glad you're mostly recovered, Rumpelstiltskin!! That sounds scary. I'm so happy you tested negative, but your poor cousin. Besides loss of senses, which sucks, is she breathing okay and otherwise feeling okay?

Thanks. It was actually a relief when they found out what it was, even if I would have been way happier if it had been something less serious. But after having been sent home from the emergency room some hours earlier, when the doctor there claimed he couldn't find anything wrong with me and there was nothing more he could do (and another doctor a couple of days earlier, during a gallbladder stone attack, which was probably the reason for the whole thing, actually asked me if I was doing drugs), the second doctor I met after showing up again later took it more seriously and gave the correct diagnosis.
My cousin is still in quarantine, but otherwise fine (except the loss of senses).

I’m glad you’ve recovered Rumpel! You must have been in quite a lot of pain.

Thanks, hope your recovering is going well too. Yes, it felt like one of the more intense gallbladder stone attacks, which I had had now and then for about a year, except that this time the pain refused to gradually fade away as the hours passed by.

[Disney Duster]

Wow Rumpel, ouch! So sorry you had such pain! And that doctor not taking you seriously! So glad you are better now.

[blackcauldron85]

Doctors can be the worst sometimes- I'm sorry you had a hard time getting diagnosed. .

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Yes, sometimes the doctor can be the bottleneck. There are stories from the news where people in far worse condition have been sent home, sometimes with fatal consequences. But fortunately this is rare.

[UmbrellaFish]

Welp.

I was going to get the vaccine yesterday. It was first come, first serve. I waited 4 hours in my car and then got a call that I had an appointment to get the vaccine somewhere else tomorrow (now today). Since there was no sign of the wait being over, and I was afraid to miss work, I left the line and decided to wait until today. I saw on Facebook that somebody who came at the same time I did ended up waiting 7 hours, so I would have missed work probably.

Today I found out my appointment is going to be pushed back because the vaccines are stuck due to the winter weather. Where’s Balto when you need him!

Kind of upset and sad and stressed. I know I’m lucky and fortunate to be on the list and to be eligible for the vaccine, and it’s nobody’s fault that I haven’t gotten it yet. But it’s just disappointing that I will have to wait even longer when I thought I was going to get it sooner.

UPDATE: After the news report and calling the county health department and being told no vaccines were being given out today— I got a text message saying my appointment was still on. After almost no wait time, I got my first dose!!! I’m so elated!!! Yesterday was 11 months since I was sent home from my job due to the pandemic. Now it feels like normal is a little bit closer. Thankful!

[blackcauldron85]

! That's a happy ending! How are you feeling (any side effects??)?

[Farerb]

I'm glad you managed to get the first dose, Umbrella Fish.
I got the second dose two days ago.

As for side effects, after the first dose I didn't feel anything besides the usual arm ache. However after the second dose is when I felt the worst. I had a fever above 39°C (which is approximately 103°F), I was nauseous, had a headache and lack of appetite. That was yesterday, today I feel much better but I'm still a little bit sick, but better than yesterday. I heard that some didn't have these side effects though, like my entire family didn't except my sister in law.

[UmbrellaFish]

! That's a happy ending! How are you feeling (any side effects??)?

I wanted to wait until I slept a night to answer this. Right now, my arm feels barely sore at all. It felt a wee bit sore around the area where the shot was last night and while I was trying to sleep, but this morning it’s not so bad. So really I haven’t had any bad side effects so far.

farerb, I hope you’re feeling back to 100% either today or very soon!

[blackcauldron85]

farerb, I'm glad you're feeling better today...I hope you keep feeling better day by day!

UF, I'm glad you haven't had side effects...I guess you have a short break before the fever & aches come.

My parents and aunt just had their first doses this week, so that's a relief for me. I've been working from home, so besides my asthma, I'm not "at risk," so hopefully in a few months I'll get it? Who knows. I'm glad that a lot more people are able to start getting the doses- life feels more hopeful for sure.

[Farerb]

Thank you both. I do feel better now, it only lasted for two days, and only the first one was really rough.

[Disney Duster]

I'm glad you are feeling better now, farerb!

I hope you don't get the side effects, or that they aren't that bad, Brelly! I'll say a prayer for you.

[Farerb]

Thank you

[UmbrellaFish]

Thanks, Duster! I woke up this morning and realized my arm wasn’t sore at all. I’m glad farerb is feeling better, too!

[Disney Duster]

Wow, awesome!: )

[blackcauldron85]

I've been up since 4am and while going to the first grocery store of the day, I was going to stop by Dunkin' Donuts to get coffee. The drive thru is sooo busy that I went inside for just a moment. I don't even know if I was in there for a minute, but I left without getting anything-- inside was sooo packed. I had 2 masks + a filter on, but SOOO many people had no mask on...I thought I was going to have a panic attack (I've never had one in public before)...I know I probably wasn't in there for long enough to get Covid, and I've sanitized my hands 2 times since getting into my car but holy cow. I just wanted coffee.

[UmbrellaFish]

Amy, I’m sorry you had that experience. This time has worn us all down. At least you were smart and prepared with your masks and your hand sanitizer. It is surprising and sad how many people still refuse to wear masks. I hope your day has gotten better.

[Disney Duster]

Oh no, Amy! Scary! But so glad you didn't have a panic attack, and Brelly is right, you were so smart to be so prepared!

[blackcauldron85]

Thanks, you guys. <3. At the 2nd grocery store, there was who I assumed to be someone who was homeless, and as I got a shopping cart, he complimented my Ariel tattoo...I said thank you...he didn't ask anyone getting shopping carts for money...I almost never have cash, so I don't usually give people who are homeless money, but I got him a $10 grocery store gift card and have it to him when I returned my shopping cart, and he was thankful. Good deed done.

But, at 3pm, my dog Lucy had a follow-up vet appointment (she had had a UTI a few weeks ago). Unrelated to the UTI, but her tummy had gotten bigger. When we were last at the vet, no one commented on it, but she has gained 6 pounds in the past 2-3 weeks since she was last there, and all the staff commented on it...they did x-rays, and it appears that she has an enlarged spleen. The vet and the vet tech both separately said that on the table, she just lay on her back and asked basically if that's normal behavior for her. I said half the time she is a couch potato who just wants her belly rubbed...My husband and I don't know if she's in pain; he said a few days ago that she was panting and whining...she has just been barking to come inside when my husband and I were on work calls, and when I checked on her after he said she was acting weird, she was fine, just laying down. So I figured she was acting like that since she was outside longer than she wanted and may have been warm. But now I wonder if she's been lying down extra out of not feeling good.

The vet is supposed to call us by Tuesday, I guess to say what the specialist (they sent her x-ray off) said...? The one article I read online said an enlarged spleen is always caused by an underlying issue, and sometimes just medicine is needed. The vet said it could be cancer, it could be benign-they have no idea yet. So scary. I'm worried about Lucy. She had cancer a few years ago, so this just sucks. My husband said if she gets cancer again, we just can't afford to spend what we did the first time.