My two-shot vaccine regimen has been completed and I have been able to hug my grandchildren, something that is unmeasurable in its pleasure. All five of them caught Covid in their bubble while being social, but it was only a few days long and they survived the worst.
I was able to visit my oldest grandson on his 16th birthday. He is a handsome, tall and a thin nerdy boy with so much hair there must be birds who crave to nest on his head. I hugged and ran my hands over his thin and boney shoulders and down his strong but lean back, Then I hugged my granddaughter who is built like a draft horse and could lift the back of a car. She has a strong and lovely body and will fight weight gain in her mid-life years, but her cheer activities have kept her healthy. She was sharp and lacked patience as a child, but has evolved into a loving person as a 13-year-old. My youngest, a boy at 10, is still evolving, but his hug was free and honest. He will be the handsome and popular young man in college and will probably date the prom Queen who will break his heart and make him stronger to face life's twists and turns.
I have still failed to conquer my chronic cough which has made me hopeful and then depressed with each new attempt at treatment. My allergist finally sent me for a C-Scan which he said revealed an infection in the lining of the sinus cavities under my eyes. He sent me to a well-respected ENT surgeon in the city. I was nervous to meet with her, not for the illness, but because I had to get there on time! My husband and I Ubered after spending the night at my daughter's. The ENT surgeon was nice and kind and told me her 'friend" my allergist was wrong after looking at my scans. She ran another camera down my nose and into my throat (after an anesthetic spray) and said she saw swelling at the part of my throat where I swallow. NO surprise to me as I have a coughing/gagging spell every 1 to 2 hours day and night! She diagnosed what she called "silent acid reflux". I was eager to accept this as I had feared surgery of some unnatural order.
I am now on another set of drugs and waiting to see if this will help. But I am afraid of the diet restrictions on the list she gave me. It seems all I can eat is oatmeal and meat....! This dance will be difficult and I do not believe I will be successful!
Spring is here in all its full glory. Warmer weather interrupted by rains is ahead. I have planted my annual seedlings.
My son and his wife visited last week now that we have our shots. They have not caught Covid nor have any vaccines. They are now registered and since our state is wide-open I am hoping for a perfect family gathering the first of May. I love all of my family and feel blessed for that.
It has been a difficult year and I wish all of you the strength that it takes to get through it. You are all precious souls and need to be here for the rest of us!
For some wonderful German mind engineering go to the link below"
Happiness to hug the grands. Glad to hear your family is doing well and you have escaped surgery, always a plus. Most of us are vaccinated now even the son who got Covid a year ago this April.
ReplyDeleteWhat a joy to be able to hug family again.
ReplyDeleteMy hope is this diagnosis is correct and you get some relief.
We just got our first vaccination today. I am looking forward to actually hugging my grandkids, and kids. I am in a similar boat as you are, except instead of coughing and gagging, I have been hoarse since January. I kept thinking it would go away. My primary care doctor put me on antacids for heart burn and reflux, which was strange to me as I only get heart burn maybe once a year or less. He also put me on pills for thrush because he saw thrush on my vocal chords. I take steroidal asthma medicine. I think that is helping. I don't know how much longer I can keep taking these antacids because they constipate me terribly, so now I also I have to take an undetermined amount (so far) of anti constipation medicine. Taking too much is as bad as not taking any. The package directions are kind of vague. Since I have really never had any of these types of intestinal problems I don't know how much of anticonstipation medicine to take. They also saw a cyst on my vocal chord, I don't know what caused that. I guess they are trying these other medicines to take care of the hoarseness. But my days for continuing this stupid antacid for heartburn that I have never had any sign of having are wearing on me and I don't know how much longer I will continue them. My hoarseness sounded better today, so maybe something is helping.
ReplyDeleteI hope your throat and coughing get better soon.
How wonderful to be with the grandchildren again! Thank science and human ingenuity!
ReplyDeleteI hope the ENT found the cause of the coughing and the proper treatment! It will improve the quality of your life to be rid of that persistent cough for sure.
Take care.
I too hope the specialist figures it out, and congratulations on getting the vaccine and being able to hug your grands once again. It's been a tough year for everybody. But I always like to see you in my blog list. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the positive developments with both the family and the health prognosis.
ReplyDeleteI developed a chronic, nearly continuous cough form BP medication. Fortunately it was easy enough to know how to fix it, but I can definitely feel for you going through the not knowing. It was driving me insane. (My first husband would have said that's not a drive, dear, it's a putt.) I hope something will work for you soon!!
ReplyDeleteThe train music -- can't even imagine the work of that. Wouldn't want to listen to it all day, but fascinating to think about.
Good news your condition appears to be on the right path. Reflux is scary, but I am confident you can handle scary well.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on finding your condition's solution. Nice to hear how you are able to be with your family :)
ReplyDeleteWhen you find that you have lost your way, that there is no way out for you, know that your strength must be in the Lord. He will sustain you, He will lead you to green pastures 💖
ReplyDeleteI too have been diagnosed with acid reflux ... no, wait it's post-nasal drip ... no, wait, it's allergies. Nobody seems to know. Claritan or allegra don't work; I find that Flonase spray helps a bit. But I think the real cure for my problem -- as well as others -- would be for me to somehow get ten years younger.
ReplyDeleteWow! You have been put through the wringer with the medical profession. I sure hope this latest diagnosis turns out to be true just so you can get rid of that cough. I am sure it's difficult to diagnose certain conditions but I have my fingers crossed for you:)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your descriptions of your long unhugged grandchildren. It must have been such a joy to hug them again. I also have a 10 year old grandson who loves to hug, long may it continue. I do hope your cough saga is coming to an end even with diet restrictions. I feel for you there. I, too am having to make diet adjustments and it's jolly difficult. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry the ENT can't' pin it down with more certainty. You know I understand. I have been coughing all night long for months now, and I had reached the end of my rope. At night, every 2 hours, about, I cough, go pee, and go back to bed. Two nights ago, after trying the new pillow, I tried sitting up to sleep. It worked. Imagine, five hours sleep, a trip to the head, and another five hours sleep. Last night too. perhaps there is some alternative to the diet. Hugs from here.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find a solution to your cough. I've given up on mine. They originally called it a radiation cough as it began not long after my radiation treatment for BC back in 2000. But over the years it's gotten worse and yes, I cough, choke, gag... my eyes and nose run, etc. and my nasal passages get stuffed up. It generally happens right when I wake up or after I eat something. Could be reflux? Could be post nasal drip? Could be anything I guess. I know I should go to an ENT and have it checked out, but my cousin has the same thing and they have run every test in the book, tried different meds, etc and still don't know. I hate the thought of going through all that... and I don't want to take medication. Cough drops help... and that's what I use daily.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love miniatures -- I want to go there! I saw a very short version of the train but didn't realize there was this long full version.
ReplyDeleteI've never had success figuring out what causes my slight occasional cough -- post nasal drip, allergies, viral sinus infection, med side effect, reflux for starters. Varies when I have it and have thought it could be different causes at different times. I used cough drops regularly some years ago during a time when it seemed most prevalent, but has become less so now. Have just wanted to be clear of any more serious medical concerns and seems to be.
Sorry to hear about your cough. I hope it will improve now. The model train was amazing. Glad you can see your family again.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry you're suffering through that silent acid reflux. It sounds awful and I sure hope they are able to find the correct solution. My husband is dealing with a weak epiglottis. Sigh...
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm so glad you are fully vaccinated and able to be with your grandchildren again. Sigh... I wish we could feel safe enough to fly to Illinois and Maryland to see our children and their families, but we're still cautious.
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