Day Two Ninety Nine

It's Day 299 today, I've been keeping track of the days on my calendar since Covid took over our lives. Positive test numbers are going up here, another 14 positive tests registered in our small town yesterday, making 74 reported in the last 7 days. That might seem a small number, but high when I consider that the majority of people seem to be following the rules, wearing masks, sanitising hands, keeping the correct distances. But there are sure to be more infections after careless holiday gatherings, and the hospitals are filling up.

One bright light in all this is the arrival of various vaccines. At risk seniors in care homes and their carers and hospital staff are being vaccinated first. I have no idea when my turn will come, but as I was watching the National News yesterday, I counted 31 images of arms receiving a needle... and I only watched the 1 hour broadcast for 30 minutes. Too many needle images! I am hoping the next arm I see with a needle sticking into it is mine!

Abject apologies to any blogger who has left a comment on this blog and wondered why it never appeared. I recently found over 300 comments that somehow got missed, no idea how, blogger seems to have hidden them, anyway, I reinstated them, well, the ones that weren't spam. Some were from a couple of years ago. They used to show up in my email but now they don't. Weird.

And on a lighter note, I saw Mickey out on the street yesterday. He was feeling chilly but enjoying the sun.

Buzz ... click ... beep ...

It has been a very interesting week.
Last weekend I packed up a few groceries and my suitcase, put gas in the car for the first time since March (it only cost me just over $20!), loaded up some rollerblades and hockey sticks I had acquired for the kids, and headed off to visit YoungerSon and family for a couple of days. We last got together in February, pre-Corona.
YoungerSon has an in-law apartment where I stayed, so we were still able to practice the recommended social distancing..

It was lovely to see the grandchildren, and meet their new chickens (no eggs yet!) But I felt rotten all weekend, and by the time I arrived home on Monday, I really felt ill with fever, chills, trouble catching my breath, nasty cough, lost my appetite completely.

You know what we were all thinking!
So I drove to the local Covid-19 Assessment Clinic at Markham Stouffville Hospital.

After waiting in line for 30 minutes in the hot sun, I told the nurse how I was feeling and she took one look at me and told me to go to Emergency next door, RIGHT NOW!. An orderly in full PPE on a golf cart came to get me and whisked me round the corner to Emergency.

It didn't take long for medical staff in full PPE to get me on a gurney in an examination room, wire me up to an EEG machine, then take BP readings, temperature, oxygen readings, blood samples, urine samples, install IV drip. My heart was out of rhythm yet again. A doctor came by and gave me a Covid test.... not a pleasant experience. They even put the pads on me as they were planning another cardioversion.... I've had so many to get my heart back in rhythm I'm used to them by now, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

Then I was told there was a bed for me upstairs on the ward.... what? I only came here for a Covid test! I was planning to go home and unpack after the weekend! I don't want to stay.... but I had to.

By Wednesday they had my Covid test results.... negative, but could possibly be a false negative as I was still displaying many symptoms, high fever, chills, cough, lack of appetite. So I was given a second Covid test. (They don't get any more pleasant the second time) Two negatives are required in my case.

I was placed in a large two bed hospital room but one bed had been removed. All equipment that was not in use was covered in plastic. A large sign on my door warned every hospital worker, nurse, or doctor who entered my room was required to wear full PPE, and dress in extra plastic covering from head to foot as they entered the room. The extra covering was discarded as soon as they left the room and was not used again, even if they had only been in the room for 5 minutes.
A few moments of panic when my cell phone ran dry because I didn't have the charging cable with me... well, I was only planning to be out for an hour, not a whole week! So OlderSon went to my house and picked it up along with other necessities as toothbrush, toothpaste, book to read and 3 pairs of clean underwear!!!!! Had to drop it off in a sealed plastic bag at the front desk.... no visitors allowed.

By Thursday I was much recovered but they were still testing and it wasn't until Friday that I was finally declared Covid-19 free. Phew, sigh of relief.... and for my YoungerSon's family too!
I was worried about my car being towed away but it was OK< no panic. I was able to buy a 5 day parking pass that covered the car as it had been sitting in the Covid test parking lot since Monday.

Those medical hospital staff deserve all the praise and thanks we can give them. They are doing their jobs in extremely difficult and dangerous conditions, and they are all dressed up like spacemen. Everyone was kind and patient with me, especially when I couldn't hear their instructions clearly though their many masks. They were so very helpful.
And one more note about the Hospital food..... even though I wasn't in the mood to eat for the first couple of days, the food was very good, very tasty, and no complaints from me!

Boats

One of the subjects for our (probably not happening) art exhibition at the Town Offices was Boats, and here's my version.

This was a boat painting that I started and thought I had finished a couple of years ago, but I was never satisfied with it, so I decided to paint over my original brushwork using a palette knife. I like the texture a lot better, more interesting, and the colours are brighter. I find using the palette knife is difficult to control where the paint goes, but perhaps I just need more practice.

I've been isolated at home now for 10 days. I live alone, not even a dog or a cat to talk to, and the family are isolating themselves too, so I have been going out for walks around the neighbourhood and chatting to the neighbours.... from a safe distance of course. But I am appalled at how many people do not seem to be following the social distancing request. 
Our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to the nation this morning with very strong words. He said "Enough is enough. Go home and stay home. This is what we all need to be doing, and we're going to make sure this happens, whether by educating people more on the risks, or by enforcing the rules, if that's needed. Nothing that could help is off the table." 
Canada is not in total lock down yet, but the future looks grim.

Things Happen in Threes

It's been a rough week. They say things happen in threes, sometimes good things, but more often bad things, but sometimes the bad things get resolved with good things. My week so far...

1. The rear wheel of my car started getting really hot, made some nasty noises and smelled like hot metal. A quick phone call to the local garage, and I took the car in to have the brakes looked at. Brake pads, caliper, rotor, an unexpected cost. The good result: I was able to get the car looked at very fast and my car is safe and roadworthy again.
2. A trip with friends to the city to see "Jersey Boys". As soon as I got off the train I started having difficulty breathing and felt dizzy. I was able to enjoy the theatre performance but felt pretty bad about making my friends worry about me. Two of my friends insisted I needed medical help and took me to the hospital where I was diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia.... again! The good result: An overnight stay at the hospital. Electro-cardioversion put my heart back on sinus rhythm and I'm back to normal. Plus we all got to enjoy "Jersey Boys". And I'm so blessed to have such good friends.
3. Now I have developed the worst head cold I've had for years. Thank you to OlderSon who gave it to me! Runny eyes, drippy nose, plugged ears, marathon sneezes, lifeless brain. The good result: I can't think of anything right now, other than thank goodness I stocked up with Kleenex.

Off the Beat

Arrhythmia. It's very unpleasant, as anyone who suffers from it will tell you. It suddenly started for me back on my 60th birthday.... a thumping irregular heart, tachycardia..... what a lovely birthday present.

I went to my office the next day as usual, and as I'm a person who prefers to climb up the stairs to the 5th floor rather then use the elevator, that's what I did. Or at least I tried. By the second floor I was gasping for breath and hanging on to the handrail. An ultra fast heartbeat of 200 beats per minute caused me to collapse with dizzyness and difficulty breathing. The company nurse was called, and off I went in a taxi to the Emergency Department of the nearest hospital.

That was a few years ago. Since then, the arrhythmia was managed successfully, first with medication and then, when it became constant 24/7 making my life a misery, with synchronised eletro-cardiversions on three occasions and a catheter ablation.



No abnormal heartbeat for 3-1/2 years.... yippee! It's fixed! But then three weeks ago, I felt the familiar vibrations of a fast irregular heartbeat. It didn't last long but managed to land me unexpectedly on the ground a couple of times and has since got a lot worse, so last week another trip to Emergency was necessary.

This time the doctor tried chemical cardioversion, which is an IV drip with anti-arrhythmia medication, but it didn't really work, so the decision was made to put me to sleep, attach the electrodes and run 200joules of electricity through my body for cardioversion number 4. And it was successful, and I'm back in sinus rhythm! Fingers crossed that it stays that way.

Anyone out there in blogland suffering from the same problem?
The worst part of this whole process is peeling those sticky ECG and electrode pads off my tender skin.

Here's a fascinating computer animation of various types of arrhythmias....
http://watchlearnlive.heart.org/CVML_Player.php?moduleSelect=arrhyt

Trying to be a Patient Patient 3

Recovery from Total Hip Replacement is definitely not going to plan.
My top speed plan, that is.

It is 4 weeks from today that I had the surgery, and I really believed that I'd bounce right back to my normal energetic self by now, but no such luck. Still walking with a 4 wheel walker, and I can't imagine trying to walk with a cane just yet.
I suppose we all recover at different speeds.
However, I'm able to go outside with the walker every morning. I can maneuver myself in and out of bed, and up and down my front steps without crumpling into a sobbing heap. So that's progress.
My main problem is not the hip itself, but lymphedema, a puffy leg, ankle and foot that can be quite painful, but even that gets a little better each day with application of ice packs and resting my foot on a huge pile of pillows, so I'll soon be out there line dancing again!
Won't I?
Grrrrrr all very frustrating......

Trying to be a Patient Patient 2

The fourteen days spent in recovery at the nearby Seniors Retirement Residence was quite an eye opener, renewing my determination NOT to become a permanent resident during my advanced years. But I suppose if I was really in my dotage, I probably wouldn't mind the lifestyle.

The staff were very attentive, bringing me toast and coffee every morning, and assisting me and my trusty walker on the slow roll to the dining room for lunch and dinner every day. I had help in washing my hair and showering... no modesty here!

Clean towels and housekeeping every day, nurses on call 24 hours, they could not do enough for me. And there were all sorts of entertainment and activities available if I had felt like taking part. One evening I shared a table with 3 white-haired nonagenarians and we had a fine time colouring pages from an adult colouring book. It was fun!

Of course, the residents were 80% widows, and only 20% widowers.... be warned, men! You're going to pop your clogs first!

It was a bit like being at a geriatric boarding school.... lots of cliques, and groups of friends who seemed to criticise other groups. I often occupied an empty chair at the dinner table with 3 lovely ladies: Ethel, Mildred and Mary (names have been changed to protect the innocent). The three of them were merciless in criticism of the usual occupant of my dinner seat, who was visiting her son. Then one day the missing lady showed up, and I have to admit, I agreed with them!
Oh no, I'm turning into one of them!

Trying to be a Patient Patient 1

Well, here I am back to blogging and I have some stories to tell.....
The Total Hip Replacement surgery went well. After all, it's a routine operation these days. I'm sure my surgeon replaces 3 or 4 each week.
When I went to the Pre-Op meeting at the hospital back in May, I found that I was scheduled to have surgery on the same day, and by the same surgeon, as another lady..... and this lady turned out to be what I politely call a "difficult" person, arguing with the pharmacist and the physiotherapist, and generally having a gloomy and grumpy outlook. Oh no, I thought..... I'm going to be in the same hospital room. Not looking forward to that!
OlderSon took me to the hospital on the appointed day, and once I had changed into my green hospital gowns (so flattering!), there she was in the waiting room, still looking grumpy.
I said hello, but my surgery was first, so pretty soon they walked me reluctantly (can't change my mind now) into the operating room and I got up on the very narrow table. I was given an IV of some sort of stuff that banished all my cares but didn't actually send me off into la-la land completely, and before I knew what was happening, the spinal was taking effect and I could hear loud sawing, drilling and vigorous hammering going on. I thought I was on a construction site..... which of course I was.
A few minutes later, or so it seemed, I was wheeled into recovery, and then, thank goodness, was moved to a private room on the cardiac floor due to my history of  cardiac arrhythmia..... hooray! I don't have to share a room on the surgical floor with with Ms Grumpy!
The next day, I was sent to X-ray, and the technician said I was the second one to arrive who had hip surgery the previous day. Ah.... I thought I knew who it was. I asked if the lady was co-operative. The technician rolled her eyes. I had my answer!
I was scheduled to go home on day 3, but was kept until day 4 due to problems with low blood pressure and dizziness. But by day 4, I was up walking the corridors with my walker, and had even conquered the steps up and down with my cane.
YoungerSon came to collect me, and instead of going home where there is nobody to help me, I had booked a 2 week respite stay at the nearby Seniors Retirement Home. Lots of stories to tell about that! Next time.....

Replacement Parts on Order

I'm getting some spare parts today.... a nice new shiny hip joint!

If you need all the gory details, look here.
So I'm scheduling some blog posts for the next few days.
If you or anyone in your family has had hip replacement surgery, leave me a comment and tell me how it went!

Open Wide!

A visit to the dentist is never scary when Doctor Bob's in charge.

Neeps, Tatties and a Broken? Nose.

Neeps and Tatties
On Friday I spent most of the day in the kitchen of the Presbyterian Church preparing Neeps and Tatties for the next day's Robbie Burns supper. You don't need pictures, I've done this many times before. When I arrived, there was already an army of volunteers peeling the Neeps (turnips) and the Tatties (spuds, potatoes) so I set to by chopping green onions. By the time that job was finished, some of the cooked turnips were ready to mash. Just add a large dollop of butter, a couple of beaten eggs, salt and pepper, and bake in the oven with some grated cheese on top... yummy!

Then in the afternoon it was the turn of the Tatties. Add generous dollops of sour cream, butter, cream cheese, chopped green onion, some salt and pepper and some milk, and mash like mad!

Altogether we prepared 18 large turnips and 70 pounds of potatoes. Enough to feed 160 people. Phew!

A Broken? Nose
I think it might be broken but there's nothing I can do about it.
I was looking after TessaDog while YoungerSon and family had a weekend winter adventure. We were playing chase the ball in the snow. I bent down to get the ball, and Tessa jumped up at the same time, and I heard a mighty CRUNCH! Her hard head and my vulnerable nose collided. Lots of blood dripping onto the snow, but I finally managed to staunch the flow with a crumpled kleenex, while desperately trying not to get blood on my new Olympic mitts, and at the same time Tessa jumping up and down trying to get me to throw the ball again.... total chaos! And did I mention that it was -14C at the time? Brrrr.
Now I have a cute nose bump that wasn't there before. Oh well. Thanks for the nose job, Tessa!

Robbie Burns Night
Burns Night is usually celebrated on Rabbie's birthday, 25 January, but ours was a couple of weeks early, as usual. There was the Address to the Haggis, accompanied by a bagpiper, and followed by a toast to Rabbie Burns. There was Scottish Country dancing, singing of Scottish songs, and quoting Burns poetry. And the best dinner you can get for $20.00. Here's mine......

On looking back at previous Burns blog posts (just click on the Burns label at the end of this post), I see I've taken a pic of my dinner every year. Probably because it's always SOOOO GOOOOD!

The Best Medicine

As I mentioned a couple of blog posts ago, I've had a ten day dose of the really horrid fluey cough and cold which everyone else in the neighbourhood seems to be suffering from.

But I had some very special medicine to make me feel better.

It worked!












Hilary awarded me (and Isaac) a POTW... Thanks Hilary!

Germ Alert!

This is me today. Except I don't have a cat, that's the only difference. Coughing, spluttering, sneezing, can't breathe. Better buy shares in Kleenex tissues, I'm getting through so much of it. I have a sore throat and my arms and legs hurt.
I think I'll snuggle down in my favourite chair in front of the fireplace and read my book. And sip on some hot honey and lemon drink.

Yes, you guessed, I'm feeling rather sorry for myself, as I HAVE A HORRIBLE COLD! I'll be back in 2015, germ free I hope.