Tag covid

HEALTH: Broken Bones – Can they hurt later in life?

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This photo resembles how I felt today. I was trying to open a glass jar of red cabbage. Goal, get the button on the top of the lid to pop. Since COVID my left wrist hurts when I try to open jars/cans. THAT jar and others would not open, no matter what I tried.

Is this significant? Well, when I was around 10 years old I played a game with my twin brother. My parents’ home had a hill on the side of it. We loved to run down the hill, as fast as we could, and see WHO could touch the side of the brick house first!

As we became more competitive, when our two hands hit, not touched, the side of the brick house the impact on our hands/wrists was quite strong. Basically, we used the wall to stop ourselves.

Well, you probably guessed what happened. The last time we ran down the hill, determined to beat my twin brother, I got to the side of the house first, hit the wall and SNAP. My hand/wrist went funny.

I still remember that weird feeling we get when we’ve sprained our ankle, slight dizziness, nausea in stomach. I was not feeling well. I had to hold on to my hand. We immediately went inside to have my mother assess the situation. She’s Italian, imagine the “Oh Gesù.”

At first she didn’t believe us. In her mind, we were supposed to be playing “nicely” outside. How could THIS happen?? As my wrist started to swell up, it was clear, something was wrong. She had me take my t-shirt off, SO PAINFUL. She was guessing if I needed a cast, there would be no way to get the t-shirt off later with cast on. So, I slipped on one of my Dad’s button down shirts.

Off to the Doctor we went. Sure enough, broken wrist. Back then they had these very HOT plaster strips they wrapped around my hand up to my elbow to form the cast. I was given a sling and so began my 6 weeks of “no fun.” Hard to sleep at night with such a heavy cast too. Anyhow, it was fun having people sign it. However, it got so itchy inside that after a while, I thought I would go INSANE.

Fast Forward — over 40 years later and suddenly that SAME wrist is giving me issues. I find that interesting. I only feel a bit of funny pain when I try to open a can or a jar. You know the tough ones where the button on the lid has to pop up. Otherwise, my wrist is perfectly fine.

Haven’t people said they’ve had bone/joint pain after COVID?

Pondering this. Thoughts? Anyone with similar issues after COVID?

OR — LOL — Are you going to say, “Welcome to OLD age, HONEY!”

Time to visit St. Jude… The Universe at work!

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COVID continues to rage on and as it does, people are getting sick and seclusion / mental illness is at an all time high. As this is happening, we need to remember to “reach out” to people, check on them.

I say this, because we had four family members die in the past two years, three from COVID. It happened suddenly. As we are getting older, when passings happen, we reflect on our own lives.

The reason I visited St. Jude this week was because of two SURPRISE phone calls.

The FIRST phone call was from a lady whom I talk to off and on. She called to tell me she was at doctor, had blood work done, her breast cancer might be back. OH NO! Time to pray, for this we need St. Jude!

The SECOND phone call was from an older woman, 93, that I’ve known for 35 years. Right before COVID lockdown, her husband died. Suddenly, she sold her house and moved into an Assisted Living place. Imagine that – your husband dies, your world is turned upside down, in your grief COVID strikes and in a new facility you’re told to quarantine to your room. Being elderly, you don’t know what is going on.

Back to the phone call. In November, I tried getting a hold of this lady for Thanksgiving. She wasn’t answering her phone. The Receptionist kept giving me the runaround. Always an excuse on why she was not in room, could not take call and so on. So, I gave up. I’m a friend, not a relative, so no rights. In December, I tried again, wanting to wish her a Merry Christmas — same issues.

Well – the other night she called me. She was a bit incoherent, but gave me the number of another person. Told me to call the person, that person would explain HER situation. Turns out she has been diagnosed with slight dementia and was in the Hospital for a urinary tract infection.

So… the Universe had her reach out to me. Interesting, right!

At least I know her status. I’ve tried calling, again, impossible to get a hold of her, but THIS time her answering machine was on, so I left a message.

So, I went to visit St. Jude. It’s always spiritual to do that. I pass this on to YOU, because another person out there might feel the need for higher prayer. I wish you all well.

NOVENA PRAYERS TO ST. JUDE SHOULD YOU NEED THEM….

I also lit a candle, if you need any special prayers, the candle is lit.

Wishing you well, stay healthy and strong!

Florence, Italy… I miss you!

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I was taking to my Italian mother the other day. She said was one of her cousins was in Florence and it felt so strange. There aren’t many tourists, so to be able to walk and “see” the city was an eery feeling. We are used to so many tourists that we are elbow to elbow with them. Instead, my mother’s cousin arrived in Piazza Della Signoria with open eyes, as if seeing the Piazza for the first time. BEAUTIFUL!

I remember that feeling years ago. I was in Florence in June, it was so packed with people that I could not enjoy the city and I wanted to leave. I thought, I am DONE, I do not need to visit Florence for a long time.

THEN, one year, I visited in late November. I was walking the streets, hardly any people. Like my mother’s cousin, I had this strange feeling that something was wrong. Where were the people? My next thought was… ah, it’s late November – no tourists – this is GLORIOUS!

Fast forward to COVID 2021. My friend is in Florence right now. She said that August is SO HOT, over 100 degrees, she can see why the Italians go to the seaside the whole month of August. She remembers going around town with me, but couldn’t remember where restaurants and shops were.

So, I marked up this quick map for her. Once I did that, she had her bearings. She said there are not that many tourists. When outside you don’t need a mask, but inside you must have it. Also, because of COVID there were no new things to see in the market place or the shops. Everything seemed as it was from 2 years ago. Oh… this was funny. She was looking forward to a good dish of pasta. The pasta came, but it was SUPER AL DENTE. Not good.

My Italian girlfriend said her husband did that sometimes. I mean, there is AL DENTE, and there is ULTRA AL DENTE. She would tell her husband, “You must have been REALLY HUNGRY to serve pasta like this! YUK!”

Anyhow…

Traveling right now is challenging and different, because COVID rules / regulations keep changing.

If you are traveling… BE SAFE!

Florence… I miss you. I’ll be back.

A Christmas Surprise at the mailbox

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Who said that Santa Claus was on lockdown and would not deliver presents this year?

Look what I received in the mail for my Christmas tree.

COVID has challenged us this year, but it has also made us more “thoughtful.” The old fashioned way through the mail. I mean the Post Office rather than our Inbox.

Imagine my surprise, when I ONLY receive bills in the mail, to find a package on my door step. I felt like I was 8 years old again.

WOW – I double checked to make sure I had gotten the name right. YES, it was for ME.

A clever ornament. A snowman, s’mores and coffee – PERFECT!

There’s still time for ALL of us to send that SPECAL SURPRISE to someone.

I have to work fast…

Pay this JOY forward and make “someone else” HAPPY!

COVID-19 –> Praying, donating… What can you do to help?

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PrayingWe are in uncertain times. If you believe in God, prayers are needed.

For Easter, I spoke with friends who are in need of prayers for different reasons.

Let’s spread a message of HOPE and DETERMINATION to BEAT THIS!

I wish the media would understand that sharing POSITIVE messages instead of NEGATIVE ones constantly would bring us together, rather than divide us.

A SAD SITUATION TURNED POSITIVE  –> There is a company that makes caps/gowns for University students. So, sad, because students will not be wearing caps/gowns for graduation this year. On positive side, this company is making face masks for hospitals.

If we have a little more right now, we can donate or offer to help others in some way.

I challenge ALL of us to think about this today. What can WE DO to help?

AN EXAMPLE: Our small bookstores, trying to stay in business. I will order a book and donate this book to children in the hospital.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE: The other day, I received a message from my hairdresser. She said their team was doing fine, they understood that some of us might be sad, alone, fearful. They left their phone number, saying we were not alone, if we needed to talk… CALL.

There is ALWAYS something we can do!

Good Friday during COVID-19 —> The Easter Bunny is “essential…”

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For those of you who celebrate Easter, I wish you a safe and prayerful Good Friday.

If you believe in God, it’s an important time to pray for our World.

I apologize to this news source, as I do not have the proper writer/publication information to give credit to this article. Hopefully, the writer forgives me for sharing, so that parents with children know they can celebrate Easter, even in quarantine. I believe in America the message is the same.

HAPPY EASTER!

Quarantined? Try a good movie…

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As most of us are quarantined, we’re trying to find things to do. The news this morning was dismal for the next two weeks. Stay home or be prepared to get sick and maybe die.

So… if that is the case, and we MUST stay home, WHY NOT watch a good movie. Change our mood, lift our spirits up, start singing – ANYTHING but doom and gloom.

Sharing with you a few favorites, older movies, but still GREAT!

I’m sure you have some of your own — comedy, drama, horror (sorry, don’t watch those), adventure, documentaries, etc.

If you’ve watched something recently — SHARE IT!

Oh — Amazon Prime: Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan!  Edge of your seat!

You’ll FORGET the virus for a few hours – GUARANTEED!