The Diary Of Onebrokelady Aged 60 And A Half

Onebrokelady

Cherryfudge said:

Onebrokelady said:

People think of it as a respiratory illness but it's a multi system virus and I don't think there is any part of the body that it doesn't affect. I know that the people that have died from it have died from multi organ failure 😟

I didn't know that - but after my first Covid, although I didn't have it too badly, I was left able to do less. I've never worked out how much of this is because I never go running nowadays, but I definitely felt less fit, couldn't walk as fast as my husband anymore, just generally got more tired. At the time, I felt the virus was still squirreled away in some corner of my system for months after I tested negative. It was as if it found a corner I couldn't reach and lurked there.

DH is now his usual raring-to-go self but I'm prompting him to slow down and he admits he's a bit short of breath (though the pulse oximeter readings are okay).

I can really see the difference that your reduced working week had made for you! I used to work four nights a fortnight so I had a massive gap of ten days between blocks of shifts and I never felt in need of a holiday.  

I hope you're feeling up to visiting your parents soon, but it's probably wise not to push yourself too much.

I think a lot of people underestimate the lasting effects of covid and it's really important not to rush the recovery if you can. I was off for a couple of weeks with my first bout but went back to work too soon and then ended up having three more weeks off. I've definitely been left with lasting effects. My lung capacity is much les than it was pre covid and I now have to use an inhaler every day with an extra one of I get a cold that goes onto  my chest. I have more fatigue than I used to get and my muscles aren't as strong. I'm slowly trying to increase my fitness levels and I'm going to start working on my muscle strength too. My sense of smell and taste has never gone back to normal which is very frustrating. I can taste things now but not strongly.Things also tastes mouldy as well sometimes  and my sense of smell is just weird. I can smell cigarette smoke in the house this week but I don't smoke . I just get a whiff of a freshly lit cigarette every so often or sometimes a smell of perfume ( maybe I have a ghost who smokes and like nice perfume 😀)    

Cherryfudge

A lot of those are similar to mine, though thankfully I've not needed an inhaler, and my taste and smell seem to be okay (though DH and I have discovered that roses that smell particularly good to him have almost no scent to me). I did rest a lot after I first had it, but it's so random how it affects people. I felt I needed fresh air and some exercise a couple of days into my infection, so I went on a local walk, and started off feeling comparatively fine. I decided to extend the walk, but changed my mind as something made me feel uneasy about how much I was doing. (I was out in the countryside so I wasn't going to infect people). I went home and rested again, because I instinctively felt I needed to. Yet even so, I had months of not feeling up to par afterwards, and I've not got back to the levels of fitness I had before.

That's really strange about the smoke and perfume!

badmemory

I know what you mean about sense of smell although not from covid from flu back in 1988.  There is one perfume that always smells like cigar smoke.  Weird or what!  Some smells which are supposed to be nice can be really unpleasant.  I always suspected it must be one particular ingredient but I have no idea what that is.

milann

Could the workmen next door be smoking??????

Glad you enjoyed the time at work.

Onebrokelady

Cherryfudge said:

A lot of those are similar to mine, though thankfully I've not needed an inhaler, and my taste and smell seem to be okay (though DH and I have discovered that roses that smell particularly good to him have almost no scent to me). I did rest a lot after I first had it, but it's so random how it affects people. I felt I needed fresh air and some exercise a couple of days into my infection, so I went on a local walk, and started off feeling comparatively fine. I decided to extend the walk, but changed my mind as something made me feel uneasy about how much I was doing. (I was out in the countryside so I wasn't going to infect people). I went home and rested again, because I instinctively felt I needed to. Yet even so, I had months of not feeling up to par afterwards, and I've not got back to the levels of fitness I had before.

That's really strange about the smoke and perfume!

It is very strange 

Onebrokelady

badmemory said:

I know what you mean about sense of smell although not from covid from flu back in 1988.  There is one perfume that always smells like cigar smoke.  Weird or what!  Some smells which are supposed to be nice can be really unpleasant.  I always suspected it must be one particular ingredient but I have no idea what that is.

That is weird 😳

Onebrokelady

milann said:

Could the workmen next door be smoking??????

Glad you enjoyed the time at work.

It's been happening for months aaa random times like just before I go to bed 

Cherryfudge

I used to work in a place that had a woody/herby/smoky smell, specific to a couple of areas. Everyone but me was convinced it was haunted. However, we had a member of staff who would tend horses before coming on shift, then get changed for work, leaving her coat on an office chair. The smell was often outside that door or in a room on the same side of the building. I always reckoned it was the smell of hay on her stable clothes, but not associated with her because she changed out of them for work.

When she left, so did the smell.

That wouldn't account for your experiences, of course, I just like telling the story.  

The house we now live in smelled of rose perfume in a particular cupboard for years after the previous family left.

Onebrokelady

Woke up at 4am  today with an extremely painful left shoulder and arm. I had to take some painkillers which did help a bit and I was able to fall asleep until my alarm went off and 6.15. My shoulder was hurting again by then so after I had breakfast I had to take some brufen. I try not to take it because I'm not supposed to but couldn't have managed without it today. I spent most of my shift only being able to use my right arm and hand which was interesting 😳luckily I was in clinics so was able to get by. It's just starting to throb again now just in time for bed 😫😫 weirdly I woke up feeling like I'd had the best sleep ever and was full of energy for most of the day . It was another nice day at work with some really funny outgoing children. I love it when the children are chatty 😀

I'm now off for 7 days because my next shift isn't until next Thursday 🎉🎉  so a whole week off without using any annual leave. I'm meeting a friend for coffee tomorrow but not until 12. 30 so I don't have to get up too early. On Friday I have to go over to DD2s flat to be there for the washing machine repair man. I've got to be there by 8 am so Friday will be an early start, she lives by a big sainsburys  though so I'm thinking I might go and do my food shop there as they have more choice than the one I go to. 

Ive done 1 hours walking today too. I was tempted to get the bus into town but gave myself a stern talking to and walked instead. I will walk to meet my friend tomorrow so that will be another 30 minutes of exercise. I really need to keep on with walking because it helps keep my Fibromyalgia under control and I have lost a lot of fitness over the last year because of the other thing but I'm determined to get it back. Once my shoulder is ok again I'm going to do some exercises at home as well. I am doing some physio exercises for my shoulder that I was given last time I had a problem so  hopefully they will help.

Right I'm off to bed now after I've dozed myself up with painkillers 

Cherryfudge

Sounds horrible, I hope it eases soon.