Christmases I have known

 

Covid, oh covid

 

 

I was feeling a little bit better today and thought I was take another covid test, sure that it would be negative this time.  And, no, I was wrong.  It was positive!

I had pretty much decided not to go to Seattle with Nick,arriving on Christmas day.  I was really looking forward to the three days on the train.  I had a few knitting projects picked out to work on.  But it's not to be.  Then today, since I was feeling better I was sure I would test nagative and I would go.  Nope.

Nick tested nagative yesterday, but I suspect he has covid as well.  He has a fever, and is coughing and sneezing.  He'll test tomorrow and see.

I am not much for resolutions or bucket lists, but here's what I came up with as a plan for myself for 2023:

March:  Nick and I go round trip to the west coast and back by train.

June: I would love to go on the four day knitting cruise out of Maine.  Then visit Austin while I am there.

July:if my health and my weight allow, get my knee replacement surgery once and for all.

September: - Courtney and I can do an Alaska cruise.

I hope that works out to be realistic and not too ambitious 

Is it really almost Christmas?

 Every year about this time I get all moody (I guess that how to describe it).  I feel overwhelmed.  Sad.  Depressed.  Pressured (by my own self and expectations).  And I usually write and talk about it.  Ad nauseum.   

And here we go again!  Plus, I have covid!  I am feeling so much better than I did just yesterday.  My doctor prescribed Paxlovid and it seems to be working.  Of course I am getting warned by others who have had covid and used this drug- that there can be re-bound covid.  Well, shit!

I was confident that *I* would never,ever get covid.  Yet here I am.  Thank goodness we have all been vaccinated in this family.   I have heard sad stories about people who have lost loved ones to covid- either because they caught it before there were vaccines, or they didn't believe in the vaccine.

And there's the frustration we are having with Amazon.com, and logging into accounts that are requiring two steps of varification.   Bank accounts.  Credit cards.  I found information on my bank's website on how to take care of  the log in problems.  It involves  going to a page that shows all of the places I have accounts and passowrds that may have been compromised.  So I tried to print the instructions out and my printer got funky on me.

First world problems I guess.  Not terribly important in the scheme of things- I hope.

We have a small tree this year because we are going away.  Nick and I are taking the train to Seattle.  Austin and Darcy are flying there (not together).  We will see four of our five kids.  I feel really bad and sad about it.  But Chance insists he will be alright.  He has work,and he will take care of his cat and Austin's cat and Buddy our dog.  It will all be just fine.

Last year we had all of the kids and partners here.  It was wonderful and also overwhelming.  I don't think I have the energy reserves I used to have.  I am older.  I am way out of shape and overweight.  I have a variety of health issues.   And I suffer from depression.  Gee, I sound like an all around fun gal.  (except I never use the word "gal")

I love all of my kids so intensly that I cannot stand it.  No that doesn't sound right.  But it's true.  They are my light,my joy, my worry, my energy and my lack of energy.  I want them all to be happy and fulfilled.  

Having a house full of noisy kids was often very hard work.   I think that they all appreciate that I put a lot into mothering.  But I wonder if they mostly think of the physical stuff- like baking cookies and playing with playdough?   They cannot possibly know the depth of my pain when they are sad or hurting. And knowing that sometimes I was the one that hurt them, or the joy in thier happiness. It is not something that can ever be explained or understood by anyone who has not had a child.  

Okay, I need to put my covid diseased body to bed.

I have covid and it sucks

Ellume Health <noreply@ellumehealth.com>

To:sherwoods7@verizon.net

Tue, Dec 13 at 2:40 PM

 

Test Result: Your test is POSITIVE for COVID-19 Patient: Nancy Sherwood Test Taken: 12/13/2022 2:40:04 PM -05:00 Analyzer ID: 101699197 Lot Number: 22198-819 Hi Nancy Sherwood , Thank you for using the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test. Here is a copy of your test results. Please also find a link to: The Fact Sheet for Healthcare Professionals The Product Overview for Healthcare Professionals

What to do now: Consult a healthcare professional as soon as possible. Please tell them that you tested positive for COVID-19. Please consult a healthcare professional with: This Test Result Record The Product Overview for Healthcare Professionals ellumecovidtest.com/resources/productoverviewhealthcare The Fact Sheet for Healthcare Professionals ellumecovidtest.com/resources/factsheethealthcare If you have no symptoms, your healthcare professional may recommend a confirmatory test. Please see FAQ ‘Can I have a false positive test result?’ on our website. You should self-isolate at home as per CDC recommendations to stop spreading the virus to others. Please see FAQ ‘When can I be with others again?’ on our website. Please consult the CDC recommendations regarding self-isolation: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/isolation.html

More information about your result: A positive test result indicates it is very likely that you currently have COVID-19 disease because proteins which are small parts of the virus that causes COVID-19 were found in your sample. Therefore, it is also likely that you may be placed in self-isolation to avoid spreading the virus to others. You should follow CDC guidance to reduce the potential transmission of disease. There is a chance that this test can give a positive result that is wrong (a false positive result) especially if you use the test when there are very few COVID-19 infections in your local community. Your healthcare professional will work with you to determine how best to care for you based on the test results along with medical history, and your symptoms.

Can I have a false positive test result? There is a chance that this test can give a positive result that is incorrect (a false positive result). Anyone who receives a positive test result needs to consult a healthcare professional. This is especially important if you belong to a high-risk group or develop emergency warning signs. If you have any doubt about your test result, please discuss it with your healthcare professional. Your healthcare professional will work with you to determine how best to care for you based on your test result along with your medical history and symptoms. The percent of positive test results that are true positives (also known as Positive Predictive Value or PPV) varies with how common infection is in a population. As the number of infections in the community decreases, the number of test results that are false positives increases. When the number of infections is low, false positive results may be more likely than true positive results. For example, if prevalence of infection in a community is 5%, 37 out of 100 positive results from the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test would be false positives. If disease prevalence is only 1%, 75 out of 100 positive results would be false positives. It is difficult to determine how many infections are in asymptomatic individuals and false positive results may be more likely if you do not have symptoms of infection. If you do not have symptoms of COVID-19 and get a positive result, your test results may need to be confirmed with a molecular SARS-CoV-2 Test. Positive results from the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test are presumptive in asymptomatic patients, and have a higher risk of being false positives, particularly if you do not have a known SARS-CoV-2 exposure and/or live in an area known to have low numbers of SARS-CoV-2 infections. For low-risk individuals, the CDC recommends that persons who receive a positive antigen test should isolate until they can be confirmed by a molecular test.

When can I be with others again? If you have symptoms at time of testing or develop symptoms: After self-isolating for at least 10 days since symptoms first appeared AND At least 24 hours with no fever (without fever-reducing medications) AND Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving (excluding loss of taste and smell, which may persist for weeks or months after recovery). If you have no symptoms at time of testing and continue to have no symptoms: After self-isolating for 10 days since your positive test. If you tested Positive and have no symptoms at the time of testing: After self-isolating for 10 days since your positive test. For more information on when you can be around people again, please visit the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/end-home-isolation.html

Test accuracy In a clinical study conducted in the USA from October 2020 to November 2020, the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test correctly identified 96% of positive samples and 100% of negative samples in individuals with symptoms. In people without symptoms the test correctly identified 91% of positive samples and 96% of negative samples (please see FAQ ‘How accurate is the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test?’ on our website).

Sincerely, Ellume In USA - This product has not been FDA cleared or approved but has been authorized by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). This product has been authorized only for the detection of proteins from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens. This product is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the declaration is terminated or authorization is revoked sooner.

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2022 Christmas Card

 

Dreams

 Dreams are so strange. They are never planned and usually the content of a dream is unexpected.

Last night I dreamed about my Grandma Thompsen.  We talked and joked and she was so alive.  My sister was there as well.   We askedher about her life. Where she lived and how about her siblings and their families.    

I wonder if either of my Norwegian grandparents had ever even met the other one's family.  I know that my grandmother's sister was in Oregon, my Tanta Lina.  So they spent time with her.  But what about my mysterious grandfather?   Nobody ever talked about him at all.  It's strange.  The relatives we know in Norway, and from Norway are almost all from my grandfather's side.

I am sure that what got me dreaming about my grandmother is the document I ofund on Ancestry.com.  I got their marriage certifiate.  It doesn't really say a whole lot- in fact nothing about the two people getting married asided from their age and where they were from.

No matter how grown up, my children will always be my babies

I wrote this five days ago on Facebook;

My daughter Courtney Sherwood had surgery today to remove her thyroid because she had thyroid cancer.

Here's the report from her doctor. I am so relieved (as is the whole family)

My Courtney