Day 12, Finally Negative

I felt very unwell last night. It was a very rough night since I kept waking up. I managed to get up at noon. Still feeling sluggish. I got a tester to see if the virus is gone. Did the test and waited 15 minutes before I peeked at the result.

Finally  negative! Yay! 

I hope the coughing will be gone soon. To celebrate, I stepped outside to say hello to the cats. I've missed them so much!

Still have to take things slow, but hope my energy comes back soon. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Day 10

Used a tester, still positive. :(

Day 9

 Still napping a lot. 

Day 8

 Day after we went back home. Still coughing, but no fever. 

Day 7

 Day 7, still confined but feeling a bit better. 

Discharged by mid-day.

Family Update: The Last 7 Days with COVID-19

Suspending lakwatsera Fridays for an important family update. I already edited part 2 of the Bohol adventure, but I still need to narrate it. I've been busy nursing the boys back to good health. They are feeling much better now. They are now in day 6 and 7 of their journey. Doctor advised to isolate until they don't have symptoms for 3 consecutive days. It's longer than usual because I'm immunocompromised. 

It's been hard. I've been very calm, but the stress and anxiety of your boys being sick affected my body. I wasn't sure whether I was experiencing the same symptoms as the boys. My vitals though were normal. Last night though something weird was going on in my chest. It was a strange feeling because I've never experienced it. My chest felt like it was liquefying (is there such a thing).

Well, because of what happened I decided to take an antigen test this morning. It was thankfully negative. It's been really hard to decipher whether I was having COVID-19 symptoms or symptoms from my current issues or PTSD. My primary goal though is to stay healthy and stable so I could take care of the boys. I woke up a bit late than usual, but felt better compared to the past few days. 

With Gab's "healing tinola". Best tinola ever!

Flight safety instructions always advise to secure your oxygen first before taking care of others. I guess it's the same if you are a patient and have to take care of other patients. I realized I should have made sure that I was careful with getting triggered. I've been calm, but I was so anxious about the boys I didn't secure myself properly. The air quality has been bad the past week. I had been staying at the dining room to be closer to the boys, but since it's not enclosed I was exposed to the bad air. That probably contributed to what I went through last night. I'll just take it up with my cardiologist when I see her again soon. 

Care package from friends!

All good, learnt my lesson and I've been staying in my craft room where air is filtered better. I also asked help from friends since the boys have to isolate at least a week more. They're going to take care of sending some supplies and change the water in my dispenser. I'm really glad and grateful they are better now and that I have amazing friends supporting us. Thank you from the bottom of my leaky heart. 

And thank you to my guardian angel and vaccines for protecting me. It's truly a miracle I did not pick it up. 

BTW, my inaanak, Jomar Tigcal has published a new book,"Simplifying Android Development with Coroutines and Flows". You can pre-order on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3IV6X0p) and on Packt (https://packt.link/dpbTe). Congratulations Jomar! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Wellness Wednesdays: Live in Love not Fear

I must admit, fear gripped me when Sweetie messaged me that he tested positive for COVID-19. I was in the hospital for a CT scan with Miggy. I felt though that Sweetie was as scared as me so I set my fear aside and told him everything will be alright. The next day Miggy tested positive too. 

I super miss my boys.

It was a miracle though that I did not pick it up where they got it. We suspect it was from the airport or plane ride. From what I recall, the three of us were always together. We were only apart when they bought food and stood in the plane queue. Sweetie covered me throughout the flight because someone kept vomiting. We were seated in front so he kept passing by without a mask. Sweetie said he wanted to protect me that's why when his temperature went up last week he immediately isolated himself. 

I'm still scared. I was with Miggy the whole day last Saturday. We thought his cough was due to GERD, but I had him isolate when I heard him wheezing. The next day he tested positive too. Patients though are contagious a day or two before they test positive and I was certainly exposed. We're praying I don't come down with it. 

I keep reminding myself though that I should live with love not fear. I told the virus it has no space anymore in my body. I am rejecting it! The next 48 hours are critical for me because we'll probably know by then if I come down with it. It's been very hard to decipher the symptoms since I experience being dizzy, raised temp, shortness of breath all the time. I'm just resting in between providing food for the boys and chores.

Live in love, not in fear. Have faith that God will protect you and keep you safe from harm. 

Keep safe everyone. 

#BeKind #StaySafe 

Home on Mondays: Dealing with the Dreaded Two Stripes

The boys have been okay. It's day 3 for Sweetie and he said his cough has lessened. He's also been exercising while isolated. Miggy is on his second day and he said his cold and cough has worsened. He started taking medication yesterday so probably the virus is pretty riled up. It's been hard for me to determine how I'm feeling since I always have something everyday. I'm also monitoring my temperature and O2 and other symptoms. So far nothing out of the ordinary. 

We went through the same thing last month when the boys had flu. We learned a lot when they isolated, so taking care of them now isn't as hard. I'm also much better now compared to a month ago, I just need to make sure my energy lasts until I turn the lights off before bedtime. 

In case you have someone who needs to isolate in your home, here's a list of what we've done:

1. Room supplies - we always have the following extra supplies in each bedroom: toilet paper, alcohol, dishwashing liquid and sponge, masks, and air purifier.

2. Own plates and utensils - to minimize interaction we learned it's better to provide plates, utensils and drinking glass/mug for the patient. We used paper plates and disposable forks and spoons last time and that wasn't really sustainable because it added to the trash (plus not environment friendly). I immediately gave the boys their own set once they quarantined. 

3. Water - what goes in the room doesn't go out, so we've been buying 6 to 8 liter water bottles for the boys. The virus is airborne and we don't know how long it lasts on surfaces. Also have a friend who said he was infected from their office water station. The big water bottles last 1.5 to 2 days per person. 

4. Medication - took us 3 days before the boys went for e-consultation. What we did this time was immediately do e-consultation. We've been using AIDE app and they have so far been consulting with the same doctor. I ordered the meds from Mercury Drug online and sometimes I get via the Watson's app also. If you need it same day Mercury Drug delivers the same day, just be patient and watch for their email. Watson's has express delivery, but I think it's not available on weekends. 

5. Food - to conserve my energy we've been ordering food via Grab. Friends have also been sending, so we're always eating something every hour (hehe). The doctor advised to eat more fruits and veggies. I got help from friends to buy for me since buying via the grocery hasn't been a good experience. Ahh, one thing helpful is to have snacks available. We usually have bread and instant oatmeal which they eat for breakfast also. That way I don't have to rush to prepare food in the mornings. 

The list is so far the key elements to managing the illness. My friends have offered to send a helper, but I'm wary of exposing someone else. So far things have been manageable and we're coping well. This morning I ate breakfast slowly and did one load of laundry. Things have been quiet and I've been able to enjoy watching vids on YouTube. It won't take long and I'll have my boys back soon. 

#StaySafe #BeKind

Am I Getting Vaccinated?

Sweetie got his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination today. Hooray! He's so far okay. He said his arm just feels a bit heavy. To prepare for this day I had him check several things with his doctors. They have a family history of DVT and he had knee surgery two years ago. I'm glad his doctors checked if it was safe for him to get vaccinated. 

As for me, my doctors are still on the fence about me getting vaccinated. I had to pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in the lungs) and the cause is still unknown. They have been trying to figure it out since 2018 and we have no clear answers yet. I thought the tests I did in the past few weeks would solve the mystery, but not just yet. 

Since my anatomy is so different I've been reading a lot about how the vaccine affects people who have issues similar to me. Two issues I come across often is clotting and anaphylaxis. I have asthma and it's oftentimes triggered by allergies (bad AQI and some types of food). So it's just really complicated for me now. 

I've just been staying home. I only go out when I have an appointment with my doctor. I'm experiencing cabin fever already since I've had to stay home even before the stricter measures were rolled out. It's been a good thing because I've been able to avoid hotspots. So it's up in the air for me now until my doctors figure things out. 

If you have a loved one with medical issues, be sure to check first with their doctor if they should get the vaccination. 

CB///*Yr2/40  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/67 #StayHome #BeKind