Tag Archives: health issues

I never understood how annoying recovery from vertigo could be until now. Then again, I never experienced vertigo that lasted more than a few hours before. Recovery before was pretty quick. Whenever vertigo ended, it was over. Usually, that was almost like a light switch. One moment I had it and the next I didn’t. Rarely, I would feel vertigo lessen over the course of a few minutes or an hour. But it still ended quickly and I felt like myself again before I knew it.

This time, it’s been a long and annoying recovery. I don’t feel like I’m over it at all. I’m doing significantly better, but I still am dizzy a lot during the day. When I wake up in the morning, I have had some of the worst vertigo of the day. It’s a bit scary because I’m worried that I have had a setback and that the day was going to be really bad. But I’m grateful it hasn’t been like that. But just because I’m not having a setback doesn’t mean I’m having amazing progress. The progress is slow and frustrating. My mind wants to do so much and my body just can’t.

I’m continuing to take it easy when I can. I am cautious when I’m walking because I know I might need to hold on to a wall. I do a lot of sitting and laying down during the day. I will nap if I need to because I know that it’s not a bad thing. But taking it easy is never something that I have done well. I usually push myself a lot and want to challenge myself. I guess vertigo is teaching me to be gentle and slow down, but I also want to make sure I’m not wasting my days when I’m finally doing better.

But because of how dizzy I am still getting, what I can do each day is limited. So for the past few days, I’ve been doing things that I can do while sitting down. I have done some cooking while sitting (which isn’t easy and not something I’m doing a lot). I’ve reorganized my dresser drawers and refolded a lot of my workout and athleisure clothes while sitting in front of the drawer. And I’m starting to work on cleaning up my file cabinets and seeing what I really need to keep and how I can make my desk a more productive space while sitting.

I’m not usually someone who sits while I do these types of things. I like being able to walk around while working on a project and having different spaces for different piles. But for now, I really don’t want to do that. Even though I probably could do it, it’s easy for me to just sit and I’m not worried about falling while walking. And I’m starting to get used to how weird it feels to be sitting in one spot while doing these things.

I still hope that I stop having vertigo issues soon. I’m so ready to be over it and to get back to doing more things that I want to do. I try to remind myself how much better I’m doing now than I was doing last week, but I also feel like I’m still so far from how I am normally.

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A little over 2 weeks ago, I did my first COVID test. As expected, I tested negative. I would have been shocked if I tested positive. I don’t really go anywhere or see anyone. I just stay home and be by myself.

I did the test because I wanted to take some extra precautions before seeing my family. The past few times I’ve seen everyone, I just went for the day and spent a few hours. But this time, I was going to be there for a few days and spend the night in the same rental house as my parents. So being extra careful seemed like a smart thing to do.

But as I think most of us know, just because you test positive one day doesn’t mean you will always test positive. From what I have read and been told, the best way to confirm you do not have COVID is to test, then do a quarantine for 2 weeks, and then test again. Because you tend to test positive within 14 days of exposure, this would be as close to a guarantee as you can get that you haven’t been exposed and are an asymptomatic carrier. So that’s exactly what I planned to do.

Originally, I was going to do the second test exactly 14 days later. But after seeing how things were looking regarding the election, I did it a day early. I didn’t think this was a big deal since leading up to the original test I hadn’t been out doing anything so I already had been doing a bit of a quarantine.

Just like the first time, getting an appointment was very simple. It was almost easier this time because I was able to find an appointment that was the same day that I was looking online! It was only 30 minutes from the time I was searching, so it was perfect. I had enough time to get registered to be tested, get my things together, and drive over to the testing location.

I decided to go to the same testing site as before since I knew where it was and it was pretty much the closest location that I could go to (unless I could get an appointment at my hospital, but I didn’t even try that this time). And just like before, there was a pretty long line of cars when I got there. This time, I remembered to look at my car so I could track how long the line of cars was from start to finish. It was a little over a mile, which is what I had guessed it was last time. And like before, the line moved really quickly so it was done before I knew it.

It was the same procedure as last time except for this time I didn’t have someone telling me exactly how to swab my mouth for the test. I could have had that, but I didn’t feel like I needed it and I wanted them to be able to help the people in the car behind me to make the line move as quickly as possible. It’s not that difficult, but I did review all the instructions before I drove to the appointment so I knew I was sure about exactly what to do.

I dropped the test in the collection container when I was done and I was on my way home. From the time I got into the line at the testing location to the time I was getting back on the freeway to go home, it was less than 45 minutes. I know that not all testing sites are like this, but hopefully they can become more and more efficient as they have them set up. I know the LA ones were not this fast when they started. It took time to get the system working the best way possible but now it’s super easy.

And I’m glad it’s easy because at least for now, getting tested is going to be a part of normal life. I don’t expect to do this on a very regular basis unless I need to for a job, but it shouldn’t be a big deal to get tested if you feel like you might have been exposed or you want to be extra careful.

It took a little more than 24 hours this time to get my results emailed to me, but they were just what I expected.

Even though I wasn’t that nervous that it would be any different, it is still a relief to know that I’m healthy and that I was good to go with seeing my family. I don’t want to worry I might get anyone sick, and now I can feel pretty certain that won’t happen. I know nothing is a guarantee, but then again, it never is. Even for other sicknesses like having a cold or something, you can always pass it on to someone even if you don’t know you are sick. But I’m doing everything I can to make sure I’m ok and that’s all I can really do for now.

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Getting a COVID test hasn’t really been something I thought about too much. When the pandemic started, it was not easy to get a test. Only those who had symptoms could get them, and I didn’t really have any symptoms. And then when it was easier to get a test, I felt no need to get one because I wasn’t leaving my house at all. I’m aware that being in LA I am privileged and can easily get a test if I need one and not everyone in every state could do that. But I didn’t do one because I didn’t need to for any reason and figured it wouldn’t be good to waste a test just to do it.

And technically, right now I don’t need one, but I did get one as an extra precaution. I’ve had a really bad cough for close to 2 years now. I know it’s not COVID, but I know that it made some people in my family nervous. So before I am going to see my family, I’m not only doing a full quarantine but I’m getting COVID tests to prove I’m ok. I was told that you should do a test before doing a 2-week quarantine to prove you don’t have it already and then another at the end of your quarantine to prove you weren’t exposed right before your first test. So that’s exactly what I am going to do.

Getting an appointment for a test wasn’t too bad. Originally I was going to go to the hospital to do it, but that ended up being harder to do. So I went to the LA County COVID test page to find a place I could get a test and sign up there. There are a lot of locations near me and appointments were available every day. I was surprised by how easy it was to sign up. And the test was going to be free, but they did ask me for my insurance information so my insurance would cover the cost.

The test was a drive-thru and I never had to get out of my car. I was a bit intimidated by the line of cars when I arrived for my appointment window, but I figured I’d just listen to podcasts and work my way up the line. But even though the line was over a mile long, it went by quickly. I was through the entire thing in under 45 minutes.

The first station I stopped at was just to confirm I had an appointment. I had an email with an appointment code and I had to show that to someone so they knew I didn’t just show up. The next station was to tell someone the code so they could look it up and find my information. Then they wrote that on a bag with all the testing supplies and used a grabber to pass it to me.

This test was not the nasal swab but the mouth swab, so I was going to administer the test myself. Before my appointment, there was a video to watch about how to do it, but they also had people there to help.

So after getting the bag, I drove to the next station where there was a man who was going to guide me through doing the test. First, I had to roll my window back up and cough 5 times while wearing a mask. Then I put my window down a little bit so I could hear the man giving the instructions and he had to take the swab out of the sterile bag and told me how to swab my mouth. You had to get both cheeks, top and bottom gums on both sides, all over my tongue, and on the roof of my mouth. It was about 30 seconds of swabbing and it felt almost like brushing my teeth. Then, I put the swab into the little vial and broke the handle so I could close the vial. Then I closed the bag and drove to the final station where there was a bin to drop my test into. I actually missed the bin and it hit the ground because of the wind, but there was someone there to use a grabber to pick it up and put it in there. And that was it!

Honestly, it was such an easy process. I know that the nasal swabs are a little harder to do, but from my friends who have done them, they still aren’t too bad. Many of my friends have to do multiple tests a week because of their jobs and nobody has said it was too difficult. But it’s still nice that the test I took was the easiest one.

They told me that I would get results within 3 days, but the next morning I got an alert that my test results were in. And they were exactly what I expected.

I actually would have been shocked if I didn’t test negative. This was more to just confirm what I already knew, but at least I have proof.

I’ll be doing another test right before seeing my family, but it’s nice to know that it’s going to be a simple test to do and I have nothing to worry about.

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I just wrote about the pandemic and the importance of wearing masks yesterday. Wearing a mask is a small thing we can do to stay healthy. This has been true since the pandemic started. But now, it’s even more important to stay healthy because we are starting to be in the flu season.

The flu is something most of us are pretty familiar with. I would guess most people have had the flu at some point. I have only gotten it a few times, but one of those times was really bad. I ended up in the ER because I was so sick. I got medication to help relieve my symptoms, but I remember being sick for a week or two after that. I had a high fever, lots of body shakes, dizziness, and labored breathing. This was years ago and I still remember how awful it is. And I wouldn’t want to get it again.

Besides not wanting to get the flu because of how bad it is, I don’t want to end up in the hospital if I get sick. I know we have been lucky in LA and that the hospitals haven’t been overwhelmed yet. But there is no guarantee that once the flu season is really here that they won’t run out of beds between COVID and flu patient. So it is really important to protect yourself from getting the flu.

Wearing a mask will help. So a mask is like a two for one protection! You can protect yourself from 2 viruses at once. I think that masks may end up being something more common in the future for the protections we get during the flu season. We won’t know until masks are common all the time, but it will be interesting to see what happens in the future.

But getting your flu shot is so important and something that everyone who can get one should do. I know there are some people who cannot have the flu shot due to various reasons, so of course, if you have been told you cannot get one, don’t do it. But most people can get a flu shot. Even if you hate shots, a lot of places offer the vaccine in a nasal mist. I’ve done both the shot and the mist in the past. So I know what both are like and they are both good options for different reasons.

The best time to get a flu shot is about now, so I made sure I went to the hospital to do it yesterday. My hospital has walk-in flu shots every day (there are drive-thru flu shots on Saturdays only). In some places, you have to make an appointment or you have to do drive-thru. So you should check with your hospital, medical center, or office where you typically get flu shots. There actually was no line when I went, but I think that was mainly due to me picking a random time on a Tuesday. The nurse who was at the vaccine station told me that they have been so busy every day, so I guess I was lucky.

I was offered both the shot and mist options, but I was reminded that the mist contains a live vaccine. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it can be something your body has to work with. You cannot get the flu from a live vaccine, but you can sometimes have symptoms that are similar to a mild cold. For the shot, you can sometimes have those symptoms too, but they aren’t as common for me. I usually only get the symptoms that are like a cold when I’ve had the mist one. So I decided to get the shot this time, even though I hate shots.

I warned the nurse about all my issues with needles and the things that help me not pass out. I’m glad I talked to her about it because I do better when I know when the shot will be happening. For many people, they do better when they are surprised. So making sure I won’t be surprised is important to me. I also like to warn nurses and medical staff about how my body reacts to shots so they don’t worry when they happen. I know sometimes it makes them nervous to hear what can happen to me, but it’s better to tell them so they aren’t unexpected.

Fortunately, I didn’t pass out completely this time. I did black out a bit, which is what seems to be happening more and more for me. Maybe I need to stop saying I might pass out and say that I used to pass out but typically don’t. When I black out, my body tenses up and I hold my breath. I know that can be scary to see happening, but this nurse was prepared for me to react that way so she wasn’t scared. I also got super pale and clammy when I got the shot, which I wasn’t expecting. But it was fine. I was only blacked out for maybe 10 seconds and my breathing was back to normal as soon as I could focus again. The nurse had me stay seated in the chair for a few minutes (we were outside and there was no line, so I felt ok doing that) so she could make sure I wouldn’t pass out. And then I was on my way back home.

I think because my body tenses up when I get shots, my arm tends to hurt a bit more than what most people feel. They always tell you not to tense any muscles when getting a shot and to stay loose and limp. I do that, but then my body takes over and my muscles are activated. So I’m guessing I feel the way that someone would feel if they were making a muscle when getting a shot. I’m writing this and it’s been about 26 hours since the vaccine and my arm still feels like it’s a really bad bruise and it’s a bit stiff. But it’s much better than it was the day I got it, so I expect that I’ll be feeling fine in a day or two.

But even with blacking out and the sore arm, I have no regrets about getting a flu shot. This is something I am doing not only to protect myself but to protect anyone else I might be around. I’ll be doing another full quarantine soon so I can see my family, and the flu shot will also make sure that I won’t be bringing the flu to them. I’m trying to do whatever I can to stay healthy and the flu shot is something simple that accomplishes that goal.

So just like I said yesterday, wear a mask. But also, get a flu shot!

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