How is everyone in the current situation? General Chat

That last time when she went for her regular yearly Xray and check-up, her consultant looked at her and said "Abigail - I never want to see you again". What I already knew was that he was due to retire a couple of months later - what he did not know was that we were emigrating a couple of weeks after that last appointment! She was 17 years old and he had known her and operated on her since she was a 13 months old baby. It was rather emotional all round.

That sign always gave me hope.

I would have to be fully sedated to be in an iron lung.

I read Atul Gawande's book Being Mortal. In it, he talks about identifying that point where you decide it's not worth it for you. His example was a patient who told him "as long as I can eat ice cream and sit watching (American) football" he would do treatments. Gawande's father had a similar prognosis and set his line differently (he didn't want to be dependent upon others).

For me, the inability to move independently is my line. Being immobile would literally kill me. When I had my shoulder surgery, I woke up and my arm was in a stiff sling and stuck to my side. I immediately started having a major panic attack. If I had not been able to get my other hand in there to unstick my arm and physically move that arm even slightly, I would have had to be on serious meds

My OH's mum was a regular in Lodge moor hospital in Sheffield and when we used to visit, it wasn't unusual on nice days to see an iron lung outside in the grounds. The guy had been in that thing for 30 odd years as a result of polio. That was his life, poor fella. Laying flat on his back day after day in a machine that breathed for him and looking at life from a mirror over the top.

When I hear anyone talking down vaccines today, I think of that poor guy

Exactly! If a friggin shot will prevent ANYONE from living like that, then give me the shot.

Well I’ve had a sore throat since early last night, and tonight had a relatively unproductive cough, but not continually. I went and bought a couple covid tests today (I wore an N95 mask in the store). I’ll take a test in the morning. It’s an odd time of year to get a sore throat. Hopefully it’s nothing. I’ve heard the rapid at home tests aren’t real accurate.

Edit. I just looked it up, and if you test positive with a rapid at home test, that’s reliable. But if you test negative, but have some symptoms, that doesn’t mean you don’t have covid.... hmm. I’m working by myself outside, but somewhat around other people. If it’s negative, I’ll ask my neighbor who I’m working for if she wants me to work or stay home, or go get a more reliable test at a testing site.

Hope you are feeling better tomorrow Marc, then you will be able to believe your test result, - assuming that it is negative of course.

Both my OH and I had a bug last week. Throwing up and sore throat. Both tested negative, but it was scary.

It appears numbers are on the increase again albeit the milder version. That doesn't bode well for winter if a new strain comes in. Let's hope not

My test was negative. Throat not as sore as last night. I was definitely tired and slept late.

90 degrees today, a bit warm.

I am so glad your test was negative Marc and that your sore throat is easing. It is very scary - there has been a sharp increase in new cases of Covid in Israel in the last few days and as the reproductive rate is currently at 1.51 the Ministry of Health has now strongly recommended that masks be worn in all indoor places, as when the R-rate gets above 1.0 it means the virus is actively spreading.

It may be milder but people who have been fully vaccinated are still catching it, and the MoH is now talking about a 5th jab. But I have not been able to be vaccinated - I am 80 and my health is not good, so it is a worry. I still cannot go out but anything delivered is brought in, so do I start asking people to put on a mask before they come anywhere near me?

My concussion symptoms came back Sunday. I guess I’d been working too much. I probably shouldn’t have, but I worked Monday too, so that I could wrap up working on a particular area on my neighbors house, and put her deck back together so she can use her front door. She didn’t understand how hard that was for me to do yesterday. It’s an invisible injury.

Balance issues and dizzy, lightheaded, vertigo, headache and light sensitive, some nausea, scuffing my right foot when walking while tired (not picking it up the whole way). I’d just mentioned to some friends a week ago that it had been months since I scuffed my foot walking, couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. It’s 10 days shy of 18 months since my head injury. I hope that eventually this will stop happening. I haven’t worked more than 7 hours in a day, and usually don’t even work more than 5.5 hours, although the past week was averaging over 6 hours a day. I should be capable of that. My last job I worked 10 hours a day, physical work, before concussion.

I do feel better today than I did yesterday, but I’ve done nothing. Still have brain fog too. I’m trying to be accepting of where I’m at, and be grateful that I have been able to do a lot, for many months, without much symptoms, besides headaches. I had been sleeping a lot, often 10 hours a night. This was probably my body trying to keep up with what I’d been doing, and giving me the opportunity to recoup and heal.

Not working tomorrow, for sure, and then I’ll assess my symptoms and go from there. Probably should just take the rest of the week off, and then maybe only work 4 hours a day, with at least one long break. Once I’m able to do that, without acerbating my symptoms, slowly increase my output.

This is definitely challenging to deal with. I’m not yet 57. I’m able bodied, but my brain isn’t being cooperative. I try and remember how far I’ve come over 18 months, the shape I was in then, too now. I’ve made lots of progress.

Those symptoms can also be due to dehydration so make sure you are drinking plenty of water.

Also regarding headaches: I was getting headaches for weeks on end. I'd go to bed with a headache, wake up with a headache, and spend the day with a headache. Sometimes I could function, othertimes I couldn't do anything. Started taking norco for it when it got bad enough to affect my ability to function. Talked to my Dr and he sent me to a pain management specialist.

My headaches are caused by arthritis in the neck. I do the radio frequency on it (aka electrocution) and it deadens the nerves for 6-12 months. It lasts longer now that I'm retired and am not sitting at a computer all day.

I say this because the injury that caused your concussion may have also caused arthritis in your neck and it's the arthritis that is causing the headaches. If so, the radio frequency should give you relief from the headaches. It's worth getting an mri to check.

I would definitely cut back on your work for a while Marc. I think you are right to listen to what your body is saying, and the temperatures that you are enduring won't be helping either. I hope you feel better soon.

@who owns who - How are you feeling now Marc?

I am feeling better then I was, but still have all the symptoms, just milder.

I haven’t worked the past three days, although I might see what I can do tomorrow. Just more and longer breaks, work a shorter day. What I’ve been taught is to rate my symptoms 1-10, and if anything rises by a factor of 2, to stop and rest, wait until I get back to my baseline before resuming whatever activity.

I noticed that I’m quicker to get frustrated, which is also a side effect. But knowing that, and being conscious of it, I’m able to nip that in the bud.

@Toedtoes, I know you meant well, but I don’t really need someone trying to diagnose me over the internet. You’re very knowledgeable about dogs, and people are looking for help with those issues here. Stick to that. I was not looking for, or really wanting advice or opinions, and honestly was a bit taken a back by your comments. I understand this is an open forum, and that can happen, but I was just giving an update on my post concussion syndrome, which I’ve shared about since I got the concussion.

At this point I should probably refer to it as a TBI (traumatic brain injury). I have spoken with doctors, seen a neurologist a few times, been to months and months of physical therapy, with therapist trained in brain injuries. There is definitely an aspect that involved my neck as well. I appreciate you sharing your experiences too. But they are different from what I’m currently dealing with. My headaches, which I have had frequently over the past 18 months are sometimes from the neck. Sometimes not. The feelings I was experiencing in my head, which I hadn’t felt in many months, are how I’ve felt each time my symptoms showed back up. Pre-concussion I almost never had headaches, at least not since I stopped drinking 7 plus years ago.

@who owns who I apologize. I was not trying to diagnose you or belittle your issues. I guess I was just hoping that some of your continuing symptoms might have other causes that can be treated and not just all longterm brain trauma issues.

I probably came across too strong. I know you meant well.

It’s been a challenging 18 months. I’m still hopeful that given more time I will stop having these issues. I hadn’t experienced anything but mild headaches for months. Something happened to trigger a reoccurrence. I’ll go back to the doctor or neurologist, mostly just to have this reoccurrence documented in my medical file. In all honesty, the neurologist was useless.

The physical therapists are the ones who have taught me the most. Also much more compassionate then the doctors. When I first went to PT I couldn’t balance on one foot. When I tried to do that with my eyes closed they had to catch me. The first few months they only worked with me in a room at the back of the office, by myself, where it was quieter, with the lights dimmed some. There was too much activity for me where they were working with other patients.

I should go back to physical therapy again too. Unfortunately it’s not something that heals with a cast, or surgery for torn muscles or ligaments. Nothing shows up on a CT scan. I can’t wish it away. I need to accept where I’m at today and stay positive, do the physical therapy exercises, make sure I get plenty of sleep. Not push too hard, but stay active. It’s a balancing act

I went to the doctors today and he’s sending for more physical therapy and also wants me to have an MRI. Not particularly looking forward to that, having my head strapped down. I read that 80% of the time an MRI doesn’t show anything in TBI. But that would also rule some stuff out too, if they don’t see anything. I think the insurance has to approve the expense.

The nurse who took my blood pressure and stuff has a father who’s also dealing with the long term after effects of a head injury, so it was nice to talk to someone who understands.

Was an intense news day in the states. I was not happy about both rulings from the Supreme Court, as well as the potential of other past rulings being overturned based on the reasons used for overturning what they did today.

It's sickening.

I do not "do" politics here but it is one of the things discussed on an international forum where I post [and am a moderator, as things can get out of hand at times, especially when it relates to my Country] - so am fully aware of the latest rulings from the US Supreme Court and possible future ones based on it.

The cartoon you posted, Marc, hits the nail on the head.