Life
This will be a very brief post because I am still very sick. It was COVID--I finally tested positive last Tuesday. COVID is very dangerous for my immune disorder (ME/CFS), often triggering a worsening that can last for months or years. The last time I caught it, in January 2022 from my father-in-law's nursing home, I was very sick for about a month and my ME/CFS was worse for about six months. This time, I was able to get Paxlovid (it wasn't available last time), which has been shown to reduce the chances of lingering effects, so I am hoping that will make a difference. At this point, though, 10 days in, my energy is still pretty much zero. Sitting up for any period of time does me in (hence, today's short post), so I've been spending my days lying flat on the couch--thank goodness for reading! My sore throat is much better (not fully gone yet but almost), though the sinus and chest congestion feel just a bit worse today. Because of my immune dysfunction, I am very prone to bronchitis, so I'm hoping to stave that off. The good news is that I tested negative today, so hopefully, my family is safe now! My view this past week:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgqJdM7muTfR71VC5JyGImhDPcH9M05MfkE2pye95Tg53r_R5Cof5tXX4CjGLdvaJ3N9vLJdCbIufs37-M_dEruEp48qpzhK56t9LDLNgB_WH7eq2fKXF_45lFL5n2Li2QxkdlBlD5uA8ITknWw1yIAQM730PqPTDfPlch3PjXgMrqCmwY0npgA/s320/6D82A7FD-466F-462D-A822-3D92E9A33FBC.heic) |
My cozy nest on the couch!
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2iIq2Ma9rNS-mZ4nbh9TWt4rHfq2miCnHz-aicKpX2kVtR2WWxjOpcIlsNkpFBfZQCkXV2LZ5g2DoxZzjsQOgW6zQv3qa9F90R9Jn0IjuNjDMxgb2We9rzP722C-B9fkTrq3OfNHsUI7r6_4edwKmDppeZCeb-Bbk8nm3J3vdn8-KnUt-vl3J5A/s320/0A32BD10-9222-4C65-9638-B1B1D6BE9A8F.heic) |
I try to get out on our screened porch when I can
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What We're Reading
I am reading the biggest of my books for #BigBookSummer, Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon. I'm so grateful for this enormous, epic story to lose myself in! This is book 4 in the Outlander series, and though last summer I said that book 3, Voyager, was my favorite so far, this one is giving it some stiff competition! Much of it is set in America, in western North Carolina in the Great Smoky Mountains, an area we have visited and love for its natural beauty. Jamie and Claire are basically homesteading there, in the wilderness, and I am loving the descriptions of that familiar natural world, as well as the historical details and plot twists inherent in this series. And there have been some big time travel-related surprises that made me squeal in delight! Thank you, Diana, for giving me this fabulous world to escape to!
On audio, I finished listening to
Hereafter by Tara Hudson, another book for
#BigBookSummer
Challenge. This is a YA novel about Amelia, who is dead--well,
technically, a ghost. She is in the river, where she has once again had
what she thinks of as a nightmare (though, of course, she doesn't sleep)
where she has relived her terrifying death by drowning. Still shaken,
she notices a car with its headlights on, slowly sinking, and next to it
a boy who is also sinking. Although she can not normally touch or
affect living people, she somehow manages to save his life. When he is
pulled from the water and is being wheeled into an ambulance, she goes
to him to make sure he is OK ... and he sees her! This has never
happened before, and it affects them both deeply. There is a bit of a
love story here (YA, after all), but also some fascinating afterlife
details and even a war between good and evil. I enjoy a good ghost
story, and this one was good!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIWWDGf663naioHrLAvz7c1AnQVZk9Od_1sTtBue6zCASqv1d5K9neO177PvJRhCwsi5gtPl3xwgFcN7uRF1zWCM2kKP6CNt2MfZO25sWaCtw9SdAtBhSuFjVhVQlulfq6lSvBYlv6roIsRPS8fnoFyPvf71RFXp6DBTcysgrahTdiXnSckJXow/w130-h200/Lonesome-Dove.jpg)
As soon as my husband got home from his trip last week, he said, "Are you done with
Lonesome Dove?" He immediately dove into that amazing novel. I think he's enjoying it, though we haven't been able to read next to each other in bed this past week since I've been isolating. (my review at the link.)
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What are you and your family reading this week?
So sorry to hear you've been so sick. My husband took Paxlovid when it first came out and had success with it. Hope your good reading continues and that you feel better every day.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barb! I'm hoping it will prevent the long-term worsening I had last time.
DeleteHope you will be able to downgrade Covid leavings sooner than last time. Saw you on YouTube and you sounded as bad as you say. Take care, enjoy what reading you can.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathryn! Reading has been saving me :)
DeleteYou poor thing! I'm sorry to hear you're sick! I hope you were able to get the Paxlovid early enough for it to help. So glad you can still read! That makes all the difference to me when I'm sick. The first time I had Covid (have caught it five times!) I could only listen to audiobooks, and had to keep rewinding because I would fall asleep.
ReplyDeleteYou make me want to go back to the Outlander books! I only read #1 and #2 (on audio).
Thanks, Laurie. Yes, I'm very grateful I could still read! Helped sooo much! Wow, you've had COVID 5 times? Yikes. I know you mentioned health problems recently - are they related to post-COVID effects? Outlander books 3 & 4 are definitely my favorites!
DeleteLike you, I've had several months of good health in a row. I attribute it to getting more sleep (especially while traveling) and cutting out processed food for the most part, but who knows? I'm waiting for the ax to fall, but also trying to appreciate the time while I have it!
DeleteThe low-immune issues are the same as I've always had, but Covid gave me a worrisome high heart rate and high blood pressure, which is only just starting to come down again.
Hope you feel better soon!
Sleep and diet definitely help! Ah, yes, the HR and BP issues are known under the umbrella term of Orthostatic Intolerance (OI) and are an integral part of my disease, ME/CFS, and often long-COVID (which often develops into ME/CFS). The high HR when upright is known as POTS. I have it, too, along with a BP that drops too low when upright (NMH), and I take medication for those - a big part of what allows me to function. Very happy to hear yours is starting to normalize on its own!
DeleteSo sorry you're sick!! I hope the Paxlovid helps you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nicole!
DeleteI am so sorry that you have/had Covid and I hope the Paxlovid helps to make the effects much less. I especially hope you felt better for your birthday!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Helen - I had a very nice birthday with my husband and son :)
DeleteOh no! I am so sorry you've been sick. Thank goodness for books to keep you company. I hope you can get lots of rest and take it easy for an extended period of time.
ReplyDeleteYes, books saved me these last weeks!
DeleteSo sorry to hear that you are so sick with Covid. What a rough summer. At least you have a wonderful book to recuperate with. I also loved Voyager, and Drums of Autumn is so different but the setting is wonderful. Take care and hope you feel better and stronger soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yes, this book saved me these last twp weeks! Loving it!
DeleteI am so so sorry you have the plague! It's bad enough when you don't have other issues to start with it. I hope that by next Monday you are starting to feel better. My cousin, who is generally are pretty healthy person, got in last May and it took her at least 6 weeks to start feeling almost normal. It's now July and she still tires easily.
ReplyDelete