Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Has anyone else with pain had worsening of their pain after autumn covid booster#Pain #BPD #mighty minute#chronic illness

Has anyone else who have a pain condition I've got sciatica had worsening of their pain after having the spikevax bluant booster mines pain all over

In 2019 I did a sleep test and they said I had mild sleep apnea and I was borderline for narcolepsy, but I didn’t have to treat them as neither was bad. It always sat in my head, but I didn’t really have narcolepsy so I didn’t think too much of it.
Flash forward a few years, my other health conditions got worse, I moved cities, and COVID happened. I forgot about it until my primary doctor brought it up. I found a new sleep doctor, did another sleep test.
This time, they said I don’t have sleep apnea, but I do have narcolepsy. I’m honestly a bit bummed out. With sleep apnea, there’s a solid treatment option. Narcolepsy can only be helped with some medications, and those only fix the symptoms. I don’t really want to start any new medications, I’m on so many already. I guess I’ll talk to my doctor about it at my next appointment.
Every other diagnosis has made me happy to finally have answers, but after #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #Gastroparesis #PosturalOrthostaticTachycardiaSyndrome and a few more, I’m so tired of incurable issues. Literally tired of it, get it, it’s a sleep disorder?
Anyways, I didn’t expect to find myself so bummed out by this. Especially since I’ve known it was possibility for years. But now I know what sleep disorder I really have.

When Paul (my late husband) was ill, a hospice social worker said to me, “Hospice can be beautiful.” I thought, Are you crazy? My husband is dying. What can be beautiful about that?

Many months after Paul passed away, I finally figured out what the social worker was trying to convey. Hospice care gave Paul the opportunity to be in his own home and get guidance from the hospice chaplain. It enabled me to play a role in keeping him calm during this difficult time. I discovered depths of love that I never thought were imaginable. I read stories to him each night, some that I had written. We savored every moment when he was well enough to walk, talk, eat, and visit with friends and family. We cherished his good days and appreciated simple things, like being able to take a ride in the car to look at the outside scenery or to listen to music at home.

Paul told me about his dreams of pages on calendars breaking away, an indication that he was running out of time. By watching him die, I realized how important it was to focus on finding simple joys in life after his passing. I stopped complaining about petty issues related to people and politics.

It was no longer worth it to sweat the small stuff or become annoyed when I got stuck in traffic. I became a calmer and more patient person most of the time. I remembered to slow myself down, and I made it a point to thank people for their kindness, whether it was my friends, co-workers, or the clerk at the grocery store who packaged my purchases.

After coping with the COVID-19 shutdowns, quarantine requirements, and forced isolation for so many people, you’ve probably arrived at a similar conclusion. No matter how difficult it has been moving through various ups and downs during the pandemic, you have found ways to get through it. And for so many people, this time is much more challenging than what I had experienced during Paul’s loss. Many of you may have had to do caregiving from a distance—providing connection and reassurance only by phone or online, even when you might have lived nearby the person who was sick.

Even if you had the resources to hire a caregiver to assist your relative, partner, or friend, it might not have been possible to find someone to help. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, you may have had to rely on the staff in a nursing home or hospital being at the bedside of your relative, partner, or friend. Instead of you, these people held that person’s hand when they left this world. It’s painful and makes it more difficult to work on what’s next for you.

Sometimes, it’s also likely that you’ll become more reflective about your values. Consider taking time to think about what’s most important to you and focus on those priorities. Eventually, you can find ways to make changes that to help you to lead a more fulfilling life. The insight you glean from your loss can shape your volunteer work, career, relationships, health, and goals. You can’t make the loss go away, but you can use it to help transform and grow.

Learn more in my latest book, Beyond Loss in a Pandemic: Find Hope and Move Through Grief After Someone Close to You Dies: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MDP5473

Visit my website: lindadonovanbooks.com

Today I got my flu shot as well as the updated Covid shot booster. A few weeks ago I got the pneumonia vaccine for at risk people under age 65. It boils down to this. Any medical issues that I can do something to avoid matters. I make my medications a priority and I don’t want to compromise them by having to take more medications that could interfere with their effectiveness. Being blunt, I also don’t to take them only to vomit them out. So many people already have to watch out for drug interactions due to circumstances beyond their control. I know I can still catch a stomach virus or another icky sick contagious thing. I try to exert as much control as is possible. I feel good when I drink enough water and eat healthier. ( I have my flaws of course). I respect people's attitudes and choices about vaccines. I truly do. I simply want to share that it can feel good and feel empowering to do whatever one can to maintain our current level of health.

I am in agony. The pain in debilitating and no one will help me. The Neurologist says there is nothing they can do. I am terrified. I can’t make a fist or walk without a cane. I can’t work or function mentally in school online. I feel so alone. I found a clinic about three hours away and I am hoping to get help. Please if anyone is having severe muscle pain and stiffness, joint pain, migraines, weakness. Please help me or tell me what to do. I can’t function and I can’t get help. I just want the pain to go away. I’m scared and I don’t know where to turn. My whole life feels like it’s ruined. I can’t live like this. I’m desperate

As an older adult whose career was mommy and all that entailed, I looked forward to spoiling grandkids and traveling. But since the divorce 10 years ago at year 36 of my stay married until death almost was, its been a struggle. Finding work, finding money, etc has been one long nightmare. I have fibro and c-ptsd plus depression and anxiety. I lost my emotional support cat 2 years ago and miss him like fire. I have his sister, his little buddy and 3 more adoptees, but none has that love he had for me. So I when covid hit and then he died, I was just too depressed to even function. I ran out of money and now am facing huge debt problems. I have tried selling things and have sold just enough that with begging for help from local charities I can just pay my house payment and car. Relying on food banks is horrible as you get almost zero fresh anything, almost nothing healthy and just a few things to even make a meal. So beans and rice, but no spices. Canned spaghetti sauce and dry spaghetti but no parm..if you're lucky, they have eggs. Even luckier if they have milk and rarer yet, butter to make the box of mac n cheese. If you get cheese, its American processed cheese food or imitation cheese food full of chemicals. I feel like going to a grocery store to get lettuce or onions, garlic fresh produce is being spoiled. Like no one understands how hard it is to find part time work as a senior. ..how hard it is to afford my meds...or food and litter for my cats. I stocked up some a few months ago when I had some "extra" money from selling stuff. When my brother had to declare bankruptcy my dad was alive and they did everything they could to help him. Now its just my mom, who never loved me ( I am 8 years older than my brother) she has resources, but won't do anything to help. She treats me still like its my fault. So, I resent her and wish i didn't.

So I have video visits with my therapist. I started “seeing” him while covid was hanging around. I chose to continue the video visits instead of in office. I’m good with this.
First let me say I believe therapy is helpful.
Second, this therapist was referred to me by my pain management not someone I had chosen. My previous therapist “fired” me. I usually choose women over men because fair or not no matter the education I feel maybe women get women more than the male therapist can.
So to get to the point of this post…. I had a visit this last Friday. I was talking to him and the man fell asleep. That’s right dozing, eyes closing and slowly opening.
Wow! I finally just stopped talking to see how long it would take him to snap out of it. It didn’t take long. Still I k no ow I’m not the most “exciting” patient, my issues may be less to some but they are things I need to work through. When ending our session I told him “maybe your next patient will be more exciting and interest ing for you. I swear the comment went over his head. Would you continue with him and give another chance?? #sevendwarfsigotsleepy