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| Covid Chronicles: My journey through the wringer (Page 4/12) |
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Marko
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OCT 11, 12:49 PM
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How many of you out there, have heard Puddles sing, with his Puddles Pity Party ?
I first saw him on Neil Patrick Harris's "Circus Awesmemous" special. Incredible.
Keep fighting Chris. Glad to see some checkmarks in the win column.
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sourmash
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OCT 11, 01:02 PM
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Loving the pet family pics!
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Zeb
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OCT 11, 05:04 PM
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Keep fighting, Chris. My 78 year old mother in law beat this. You can, too.
I don't know if writing this makes it worse for you or better. Whichever it is, I can tell that your mind is still solid. I'm glad to hear that you've seen the emotional bottom, and are pulling up from there. Your physical health should follow soon.
God bless.
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IMSA GT
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OCT 11, 05:41 PM
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My family is praying for you big guy. And, you do realize that you were part of a very important project, and that young man is probably looking over you too. 
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Rickady88GT
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OCT 11, 09:43 PM
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How are you doing?
I keep checking it on you man, it's going to be all good. You got this thing kicked
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Synthesis
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OCT 11, 09:51 PM
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Chris’ Covid Chronicles
There’s sunlight through the trees today… I can smell the ocean in the distance, though I can’t yet see the edge of the forest… With any luck, I’ll be there within the next several days and can finally kick back and put my toes in the sand.
That is the metaphor I am using for the way today has gone.
I slept with supplemental oxygen all night long, and while I had a low grade fever most of yesterday, today has been fever free thus far. The oxygen, piped directly into my CPAP machine, helps me both breath deeper and more fully than I have in a couple of days and the CPAP I already own to make sure I don’t suffocate at night helps pressurize the airways to ensure I get enough oxygen flow, even with the inflammation in the lungs. In fact, speaking with the respiratory therapist who has visited me several times now, CPAP and BiPAP are two of the more advanced courses of treatment as oxygen needs ramp up, prior to the need for induced coma, intubation, and ventilators. If you get past where a BiPAP or CPAP can help you, you’re in super rough shape. Since I already have a CPAP, I am ahead of the curve, which is helping reduce my need for O2 in combination with the Remdesivir and Dexamethasone.
Anyway, the point is that I slept very well last night, which is a key piece toward recovery… Rest is important. Other than the care crew coming in every few hours to check vitals, draw blood for prep for my transfusion of antibodies today (I finally know my blood type!), and various other needs, I barely even noticed, and that is so peaceful for the soul.
The good news from my doctor today, and she said she danced a jig when the numbers came back, was that my inflammation numbers are down in my labs. In a case that progresses, this number will continue to climb, which implies that more and more lung inflammation is occurring, and any other places that are directly being hit by the Covid virus (including heart, etc) in that particular patient. Because my numbers are down, this means the Dexamethasone (a steroid) is doing its job with alacrity and the Remdesivir is starting to kick in to block the RNA replication process that Covid tricks your own cells into using to do its dirty work. These numbers will continue to be monitored. I’m not out of those proverbial woods, but there’s a cold Mai Tai waiting for me at the edge of that beach I mentioned earlier, and I am determined to get there and enjoy it.
The discussion with the doctor today about my very good recovery prognosis hinged around that fact that if I hadn’t blacked out on the toilet like I did on Wednesday, I likely would have stayed home until the breathing trouble started, and would not have received the early treatment I did to combat this and get this good news. I would be further along, meaning a longer road to recovery through the weeds and swamp that is Covid. The blacking out was a blessing in disguise.
On an unrelated note: I’ve got my laptop in here, along with my iPad, etc. I’m an IT Systems Engineer for a living. I’m never far from a screen. I’m also an avid connoisseur (read, rabid devourer) of media. My home Plex server has approximately 40TB of movies/TV Shows/Music, all legitimately owned… And I’ve exhausted my entire collection in the last 10 months of home isolation and consumption… I started to go a little stir crazy today, and may or may not have pulled the trigger on a Nintendo Switch… When you call Target across the street, gasping into the phone about you’re hospitalized with Covid at the hospital across the street from them and need them to hold one for you so a friend can pick it up, they’re pretty accommodating. I can’t really afford to keep it, but Chris + insanity leads to bad things. Today I got my fix in on some Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and that helped break up the monotony of being isolated today… I understand this thing will let me play against others out there in the wild. Someone tell me how to list my friend code so I can start kicking all your asses at Mario Kart.
Finally, there are heroes everywhere… The heroes who scrub up every day to come in and help people like me heal. The heroes who provide supportive comments and constructive ideas to help burn the storm clouds away. The heroes who simply comment to say “I see you, and acknowledge you, and you are loved…”
And then there are the anonymous heroes who have gone through this wringer already and survived. Who have donated life-giving plasma with antibodies so that others may heal faster and start to produce their own antibodies. I was the recipient of one of these extremely generous gifts today, and it can only improve my odds…
I couldn’t begin to list all of my heroes right now, but know that if you are reading this post, you are among them.
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82-T/A [At Work]
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OCT 11, 10:02 PM
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Really glad to hear you had a good night man... really glad to hear it. Hopefully tonight is just as good and better. We're all pulling for you here...
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Raydar
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OCT 12, 04:35 AM
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Yeah... reading about your progress makes me happy.
If you are well enough to be bored, it sounds like you are on the mend.
To give you something to listen to...
Are you a fan of Leo Moracchioli?
He does metal covers of... damn near everything.
He plays all of the instruments on (most of) his videos. His wife joins in, sometimes. Both are very talented.
He's got his own channel on You Tube. I'll just leave a couple here.
This one is hysterical.
And one of my other favorites.
[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 10-12-2020).]
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Boondawg
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OCT 12, 09:45 AM
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Good to hear you got a good nights sleep!
Keep pushing brother.
You got this!
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Zeb
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OCT 12, 10:10 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by Synthesis:
Chris’ Covid Chronicles
There’s sunlight through the trees today… I can smell the ocean in the distance, though I can’t yet see the edge of the forest… With any luck, I’ll be there within the next several days and can finally kick back and put my toes in the sand. |
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I read that, checked where you're from, and thought, "He's delirious." Then finished the next sentence, and thought, okay, he's getting better. I actually live just three miles from the bay here in New Jersey, so "I can smell the ocean" is a real thing. Go to Google Maps, find "Barnegat Lighthouse." Go 7.75 miles west southwest, and you'll be in my neighborhood. So, when you're ready to actually put those toes in the sand, let me know. It's a little late for swimming this season, but the beach is always there. Best part of the year, because all the tourists are gone.
Keep looking for that sunlight.
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