Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[Suzn]

4 minutes ago, Nysha said:

This sounds a lot like my life. I am extremely introverted and shy as is my son who lives with me. I work at a college and interact with people all day so when I get home I usually lock the door and keep the curtains closed so nobody can bug me. My cell phone message is basically "hang up and text me 'cause I don't check these messages." Thankfully, my best friend lives next door and is an extrovert so any time I want human interaction I can visit her.

The last time I went on vacation I spent 5 days at a casino in Idaho all by myself. It was heavenly to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. It was during the off season so there weren't a lot of guests and I generally had the pool by myself, the restaurants were never crowded, and the staff was extra attentive and willing to chat a bit so I could get my people-fix. 

I hate being at the mercy of the phone.  My cell phone is not surgically attached and in off work hours, I don't check my phone very often.

[CouchTater]

Another introvert here.  I haaaaaate when I text someone and they call me back instead of texting back.  I usually don't answer that call.  I have phone call anxiety that gets worse with time.  I consider it a personal affront when anyone who really knows me, calls me (if it's not work-related, of course).

I spent 5 solo days at a gorgeous resort in Phoenix, 5-6 years ago.  It was awesome.  I hung out with some really cool people on day trips whom I never would have met if I hadn't been traveling alone.

[lookeyloo]

I took a big step yesterday.  I have been coloring my hair to it’s natural dark brown since I was pregnant with Sweet Son. Over the years my hair has grown in Whiter and I’ve had to color the roots every 3 weeks. Last year this time when we were staying with Sweet Son early in pandemic he and I talked about it and decided since I didn’t want to grow it out I should find an expert to help since I was tired of having to color it so often.  Well you know, life, etc. didn’t think much more about it and kept coloring. A few weeks ago son in law saw a work friend who did the same thing and she recommended her colorist. So off I went yesterday and went from natural dark brown to white. Mostly. Most of the old color came out with the new product and he could see the color growing out and dyed it all that color. It is still not white all the way down. The cutter person cut a chunk off too. The color guy said if it bothers me give it a while and come back and he will dye that again. Or just let it grow out a don’t have to come back.  Everyone tells me they like it. Mr lookeyloo was not happy when I left the house but he is pleasantly surprised how it looks on me. I am still shocked when I see myself. I am looking forward to it being all white instead of the platinum blonde color on the Lower half.   I need new eyebrow powder. I wish Sweet Son could see it in person. 
 

I am a non shy introvert. Like people but on my own terms and happy to be alone for extended periods. 

[BetyBee]

When working as a receptionist, I learned how to do small talk. I have no problem with chit chat and I  tend to smile and wave at neighbors. However, I think my husband and I are both introverts. We are homebodies and being in lockdown hasn't changed our lives too much, except for missing our kids and grandkids. I put off phone calls all the time. I hate to be on the phone with strangers. 

I finally got to see Hamilton and in the best way. I watched it with my 12 yo granddaughter, who has probably watched it 40 times! She and my daughter had nice snacks and the seating all set up for our viewing pleasure. It was so fun and it's just as good as everyone says! 

[Absolom]

3 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

I'm kind of wondering if this particular one was due to covid and so many feeling bad. 

I was at the doctor's office in January and they had added a depression screen to the visit process.  We had a little laugh about it and then the doctor who is still relatively new to me mainly due to the pandemic starting two months after he replaced my doctor of 30 plus years asked me really how was I doing and coping.  I think it's a good thing to give the discussion a beginning. 

Who would have thought a chronic medical condition could be a good thing in a pandemic?  It's forced me out to see doctors and allowed me to see family and a caregiver for the help I've needed.  

[Jynnan tonnix]

2 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

I took a big step yesterday.  I have been coloring my hair to it’s natural dark brown since I was pregnant with Sweet Son. Over the years my hair has grown in Whiter and I’ve had to color the roots every 3 weeks. Last year this time when we were staying with Sweet Son early in pandemic he and I talked about it and decided since I didn’t want to grow it out I should find an expert to help since I was tired of having to color it so often.  Well you know, life, etc. didn’t think much more about it and kept coloring. A few weeks ago son in law saw a work friend who did the same thing and she recommended her colorist. So off I went yesterday and went from natural dark brown to white. Mostly. Most of the old color came out with the new product and he could see the color growing out and dyed it all that color. It is still not white all the way down. The cutter person cut a chunk off too. The color guy said if it bothers me give it a while and come back and he will dye that again. Or just let it grow out a don’t have to come back.  Everyone tells me they like it. Mr lookeyloo was not happy when I left the house but he is pleasantly surprised how it looks on me. I am still shocked when I see myself. I am looking forward to it being all white instead of the platinum blonde color on the Lower half.   I need new eyebrow powder. I wish Sweet Son could see it in person. 
 

I am a non shy introvert. Like people but on my own terms and happy to be alone for extended periods. 

I love that you are putting some focus on yourself, and what makes you feel good. Wish that your son could have seen your new color as well  - I'm sure he would have loved it! And glad that Mr Lookeyloo approves 🙂

[GeeGolly]

My husband and I "communicating":

Me: So Friday is 2 weeks post 2nd vax. I'm not sure I'm ready to trust this invisible vaccine to fend off this invisible killer virus, quite yet. I kinda wish the vax showed up as a purple force field. How about you?

Husband: I'm good. I'm not concerned.

M: You ready to eat in a restaurant?

H: I'm in no hurry.

M: How about a movie theater with no masks?

H: No

M: Would you grocery shop without a mask?

H: I see no reason to answer these questions and rush things.

M: So you're a little nervous too.

H: No, I just have some concerns.

🤣🙃🧐

Edited March 31, 2021 by GeeGolly

[QuinnInND]

We decided to take a huge step this spring break and we came with my MIL and my husbands uncle and aunt to Florida. Where we are isn't a big spring break area really. They seem to be a few miles over, which keeps it quiet. We spent the morning kayaking around and the afternoon chilling on the beach while the kids played in the sand. We're all vaccinated except for the kids, so we feel ok about this. We're still masking in public and I've wiped everything down in our rental. I found Clorox wipes for the first time in a year. And Lysol spray, which has been used liberally. It's so relaxing to sit and watch the waves. It's been so long since we've done this.  Two words. Delicious. Seafood. 

I've also bounced the idea of contacting my sister off Mr InNDs aunt and uncle. In a "I know someone who was asking me" sort of way. They said they would go for it. With a burner phone or a fake email. My MIL said it might be better to let my sister know I love her still at least. I'm still on the fence about it though. But sitting here watching the waves has given me time to think. 

[GeeGolly]

5 minutes ago, QuinnInND said:

We decided to take a huge step this spring break and we came with my MIL and my husbands uncle and aunt to Florida. Where we are isn't a big spring break area really. They seem to be a few miles over, which keeps it quiet. We spent the morning kayaking around and the afternoon chilling on the beach while the kids played in the sand. We're all vaccinated except for the kids, so we feel ok about this. We're still masking in public and I've wiped everything down in our rental. I found Clorox wipes for the first time in a year. And Lysol spray, which has been used liberally. It's so relaxing to sit and watch the waves. It's been so long since we've done this.  Two words. Delicious. Seafood. 

I've also bounced the idea of contacting my sister off Mr InNDs aunt and uncle. In a "I know someone who was asking me" sort of way. They said they would go for it. With a burner phone or a fake email. My MIL said it might be better to let my sister know I love her still at least. I'm still on the fence about it though. But sitting here watching the waves has given me time to think. 

You could mail a letter while you're in FL.

[QuinnInND]

5 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

You could mail a letter while you're in FL.

You're brilliant!! I didn't even think about that. 🤦‍♀️ Off to the dollar store to get a pad of paper, some envelopes, and then to Walmart to get stamps. Thank you! ❤️

[Scarlett45]

As evidenced, I haven’t neglected my first baby man Blake. 

[QuinnInND]

Well, I've got my pad of paper. Now how to start. I've gotten as far as "Dear *sisters name*" then I'm stuck.  😐

[crazycatlady58]

4 minutes ago, QuinnInND said:

Well, I've got my pad of paper. Now how to start. I've gotten as far as "Dear *sisters name*" then I'm stuck.  😐

" I love you no matter what happens know that ."

[Leeds]

10 hours ago, DangerousMinds said:

Imma pin mine to my shirt and keep wearing my mask just to trigger the anti maskers! 😆 /jk

I'm old so can you explain "imma"?

 

[iwantcookies]

5 minutes ago, Leeds said:

I'm old so can you explain "imma"?

 

I am going to 

[Jeanne222]

8 hours ago, doodlebug said:

It is a Medicare rule that every patient be verified by two identifiers; most of us use name and birthdate.  Even if both are already on the records/in your chart; we're required to ask.  I was once at a seminar my employers set up to educate us as to HIPPA and various other rules.  When we were told about the identifiers, I mentioned that I had been in practice more than 30 years, had patients who had been seeing me almost that long and whose kids I'd delivered and who I'd literally interacted with 100 or more times.  I knew them by sight and could summon up their name from memory when I ran into them at Target or the county fair  or whatever.  Didn't that count as one of the identifiers?  No, no it doesn't.  

The pandemic has done a real number on everyone's mental health.  People who were already depressed got worse.  People who had never been depressed started exhibiting symptoms.  IMO, it is a very good thing that your doc is screening for it.  Hint: if you have to wonder whether you're depressed or not; you're not.

I'm an introvert who also loves music.  I have an extroverted sister who would go out to see a band every night of the week while I am less enthused than that.  Last weekend a friend celebrated her 50th and had a Van Halen cover band playing.  The lead singer is a friend of hers and they aren't doing many gigs these days, so he offered their services as her birthday present.  She arranged a room at the local Eagles lodge and there were maybe 30 of us there, most of us already vaccinated and it was heaven on earth.  I'd almost forgotten how great it is to hear live music.  Good news for the band: the management at the Eagles lodge liked what they heard and offered them a paying gig at their outdoor venue this summer.  A win-win!

Yes I remember now the nurse did ask for my drivers license!  

Talking with friends in another part of the country, Florida, one of them said two acquaintances told her at their doctors appointment they were asked about abuse!I

I think we will see more hardships coming from covid then we could ever imagine.  Everything's different.

Glad you had a good time at your gathering.  Getting back to some kind of normal.

[Love2dance]

9 hours ago, CouchTater said:

  I haaaaaate when I text someone and they call me back instead of texting back.  I usually don't answer that call.  I have phone call anxiety that gets worse with time.  I consider it a personal affront when anyone who really knows me, calls me (if it's not work-related, of course).

Me toooo! I just really don’t like talking on the phone any more. My daughter hates texting. So I’ll text her and two minutes later she will call me. Ugh. If I wanted to talk on the phone, I would have called. When she calls me, I will talk to her on the phone. But she wants to talk for an hour. (I know, Covid, so I do understand.) I get so antsy to get off the phone. We live less than an hour from each other, but she has been very, very lockdown strict and our only contact in person is dropping things off on each other’s porches. My son prefers texting, so we are more communication compatible. What a strange world we live in. 

[Love2dance]

I bet you look great, @lookeyloo. How brave to go natural. I gave up having perms during Covid and have decided my natural soft wave/curls are good enough. I know it’s healthier for my hair. 
 

I’m so jealous, @doodlebug of your live band party. I miss dancing and live music so much! I hope they open up concerts in the park here again this spring and summer.
We have started to meet with a few other couples at a local park and dance to classic rock music played on one couples’ wifi speaker. We stay eight feet or more away from each other and all have had our vaccines. We are so grateful for this little bit of social interaction. But there’s nothing like live entertainment.

[BetyBee]

9 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

Yes I remember now the nurse did ask for my drivers license!  

Talking with friends in another part of the country, Florida, one of them said two acquaintances told her at their doctors appointment they were asked about abuse!I

I think we will see more hardships coming from covid then we could ever imagine.  Everything's different.

Glad you had a good time at your gathering.  Getting back to some kind of normal.

I have had that question asked for years at the doctor's office - in the form of "Do you feel safe at home?" I think it's an important question that may help an abused women to speak up in a safe place. I live in Illinois. 

[Jeanne222]

We woke up to snow this morning!  After the great week we just had I thought we were done with snow!

I remember years ago.  Maybe 1963 or 64 I had Easter clothes for my two and we had a terrible blizzard in NW Indiana!   My friend and I went to church.  She wasn't afraid to snow drive.   Hubby went to an earlier mass.  Kids stayed home!

Memories!

[QuinnInND]

1 hour ago, BetyBee said:

I have had that question asked for years at the doctor's office - in the form of "Do you feel safe at home?" I think it's an important question that may help an abused women to speak up in a safe place. I live in Illinois. 

I've never been asked that question ever at the Dr. Interesting how different things are in different parts of the country. 

[doodlebug]

10 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

Yes I remember now the nurse did ask for my drivers license!  

Talking with friends in another part of the country, Florida, one of them said two acquaintances told her at their doctors appointment they were asked about abuse!I

I think we will see more hardships coming from covid then we could ever imagine.  Everything's different.

Glad you had a good time at your gathering.  Getting back to some kind of normal.

The abuse question is also part of the new standard of care.  My medical assistant asks every new patient (once they're alone in an exam room with the door closed), 'Do you feel safe at home?  Is anyone abusing you?'  She rarely gets a positive response, but I do think it opens the door just a crack  We also have information about domestic violence in all the restrooms including wallet cards with phone numbers to call for help.

[peppergal]

19 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I see.  I just have to fight format so much.  Why must this be so difficult?  It must be me, because I email it to my paralegal and she fixes it and returns it in good form.  She’s vague about how she does it.  Pretty smart of her. 

As weird as this might sound GoodWill has a bunch of free tutorials on MS products including Word as part of their job training assistance.  They can be found at their edu.gcfglobal.org  website.  They are broken up into topics so you can skip the ones you know like how to create and save a document, and dive into what you are trying to figure out like lists, wrapping text around pictures, creating columns and tables, etc.  

 

I went to school way back when dinosaurs like Word Perfect and Lotus 123 were roaming the Earth, so my engineering school required us to use LaTeX to turn in papers.  If you think Word is bad, you actually have to program your paper in LaTeX.  You would go into a plain text editor like notepad and type out something like 
 

Quote

 

\documentclass[12pt]{article}

\begin{document}

\section*{Notes for My Paper} Don't forget to include examples of topicalization. They look like this: {\small \enumsentence{Topicalization from sentential subject:\\ \shortex{7}{a John$_i$ [a & kltukl & [el & {\bf l-}oltoir & er & ngii$_i$ & a Mary]]} { & {\bf R-}clear & {\sc comp} & {\bf IR}.{\sc 3s}-love & P & him & } {John, (it's) clear that Mary loves (him).}} }

 

 

and then compile it and spend hours trying to find the misplaced bracket causing the font size to change in the middle of the fourth paragraph. 

[QuinnInND]

My view whilst I sit and compose a letter. Not a bad office. 

[doodlebug]

43 minutes ago, QuinnInND said:

My view whilst I sit and compose a letter. Not a bad office. 

Looks just like a postcard.  Nice pic!

[QuinnInND]

Just now, doodlebug said:

Looks just like a postcard.  Nice pic!

Thank you! 

[GeeGolly]

Beautiful beach shot @QuinnInND. Where in FL are you?

Edited April 1, 2021 by GeeGolly

[Jeanne222]

2 hours ago, doodlebug said:

The abuse question is also part of the new standard of care.  My medical assistant asks every new patient (once they're alone in an exam room with the door closed), 'Do you feel safe at home?  Is anyone abusing you?'  She rarely gets a positive response, but I do think it opens the door just a crack  We also have information about domestic violence in all the restrooms including wallet cards with phone numbers to call for help.

We seem to think of domestic abuse being younger people. I’m reading elder abuse is also a big problem. 

My step father was a terrible abuser when he was drinking. Years ago there was nothing.
 

Now police officers and first responders are on the alert. 

My husband fell and they asked him several questions about his fall. I didn’t realize they had separated us so we could both be asked what happened!  A friend asked me ‘did they separate you’?  I replied yes and she told me that’s what they do. Elder abuse. 

3 hours ago, QuinnInND said:

I've never been asked that question ever at the Dr. Interesting how different things are in different parts of the country. 

This was my first time in 81 years!  Time’s a changing!

At least thanks to our discussion you’ll be prepared for it!  Lol

[DangerousMinds]

2 hours ago, doodlebug said:

The abuse question is also part of the new standard of care.  My medical assistant asks every new patient (once they're alone in an exam room with the door closed), 'Do you feel safe at home?  Is anyone abusing you?'  She rarely gets a positive response, but I do think it opens the door just a crack  We also have information about domestic violence in all the restrooms including wallet cards with phone numbers to call for help.

When I was I grad school for Social Work in the late 90s, I worked with a doctor at San Francisco General Hospital doing research on asking patients about abuse. The results did show that more women felt comfortable coming forward when asked in that setting. Nice to know that decades later it’s finally made its way to other parts of the country. 🤣🙂

[doodlebug]

9 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

Beautiful beach shot @QuinnInND. Where in FL are you?

She's in Destin.  Here's the full photo she posted, complete with the watermark from the original copyright holder.  You can see the top of the watermark in Quinn's picture.

https://www.google.com/search?q=fl beach pics&tbm=isch&hl=en&tbs=rimg:CdF928eKBQIDYTJakH_1zzbKB&sa=X&ved=0CBsQuIIBahcKEwig9N3PxN3vAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBw&biw=1352&bih=800#imgrc=u6hmGTHbDp_j9M

[QuinnInND]

37 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

She's in Destin.  Here's the full photo she posted, complete with the watermark from the original copyright holder.  You can see the top of the watermark in Quinn's picture.

https://www.google.com/search?q=fl beach pics&tbm=isch&hl=en&tbs=rimg:CdF928eKBQIDYTJakH_1zzbKB&sa=X&ved=0CBsQuIIBahcKEwig9N3PxN3vAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBw&biw=1352&bih=800#imgrc=u6hmGTHbDp_j9M

It was a better pic than mine.  🤣

[doodlebug]

Just now, QuinnInND said:

It was a better pic than mine.  🤣

It's the same pic as yours, right down to the watermark in the lower left.

[skatelady]

Perhaps some of you could give me advice. I have faithfully quarantined for the last year, including not seeing my children, rarely grocery shopping (all dry goods purchased online & have an auxiliary freezer that we stock to the gills), no gas station (we have an electric car), etc. All I do is go for daily solo long walks (listening to recorded books) and obsess over PrimeTimer. I (finally!) got my first shot on march 16th. No side effects. 

But THEN. On Monday of this week (13 days after first shot) I started feeling EXTREME fatigue. Slept 10 hours, went for my usual walk, came back and took a 4-hour nap! Tuesday (14 days after shot) I felt fatigue AND major muscle aches. Decided I somehow must've gotten covid, and got rapid-tested. Negative. Wednesday (15 days after shot) I felt fatigue AND full-body aches AND fever. Got a PCR test. Negative. (also negative for flu and rsv). Today, all of the above AND dizziness. Have not lost sense of smell (tested that with farts!) so I have concluded that this is a delayed vaccine response - especially considering that I have been (before and after vaccine) cautious and homebound except for walking. I mean, WHERE could I have caught covid - or caught ANYTHING?? My husband has also faithfully stayed home - he doesn't even walk! And although we do go to the grocery store, we haven't been since before our shot. It is just us at home, our adult children no longer live here. 

You are all so smart and well-informed. And so many of you are in my demographic (well into 60's. And adorable) and have gotten your vaccines. So here are my questions:

1) the literature accompanying the first shot said to contact my health care provider if I experience unusual or prolonged side effects. Why? What can they do? It's such a pain to call them, since no human ever answers and I have to leave a message and wait for a callback. There is no timetable for a callback - previous calls have yielded callbacks ranging from within a few hours to days to never. I hate being tied to the phone for an indeterminate (and possibly lengthy) amount of time - especially if it's for no particular reason. 

2) My second shot is scheduled for Tuesday. If these symptoms persist - especially the fever - can I get the shot? The only online info I can find about this is not to get the second shot if I have active covid - which testing says I do not have. My recollection from the flu vaccine is not to get it if I have a fever because the shot won't be as effective. Is that true of the pfizer shot too? I don't want to cancel the appointment because it was SO hard to get and we waited weeks to get the first - if I cancel, there's no telling when I'll be able to get the second shot, especially since New York is opening up to more and more groups without significantly increasing supply. But on the other hand, I don't want to go to the appointment and be turned away - it's a FIVE HOUR DRIVE (there was nothing available locally). The literature, as well as my google searches, have not revealed a phone number to call with questions like this. 

3) Is it still possible that I have covid, despite two negative tests taken while exhibiting active symptoms?

4) Should I pray on it? 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this. And I was kidding about #4, all I ever get from the above is laughter ("Now you come to me? NOW??? After all your sarcasm over the years???")

[GeeGolly]

5 minutes ago, skatelady said:

Perhaps some of you could give me advice. I have faithfully quarantined for the last year, including not seeing my children, rarely grocery shopping (all dry goods purchased online & have an auxiliary freezer that we stock to the gills), no gas station (we have an electric car), etc. All I do is go for daily solo long walks (listening to recorded books) and obsess over PrimeTimer. I (finally!) got my first shot on march 16th. No side effects. 

But THEN. On Monday of this week (13 days after first shot) I started feeling EXTREME fatigue. Slept 10 hours, went for my usual walk, came back and took a 4-hour nap! Tuesday (14 days after shot) I felt fatigue AND major muscle aches. Decided I somehow must've gotten covid, and got rapid-tested. Negative. Wednesday (15 days after shot) I felt fatigue AND full-body aches AND fever. Got a PCR test. Negative. (also negative for flu and rsv). Today, all of the above AND dizziness. Have not lost sense of smell (tested that with farts!) so I have concluded that this is a delayed vaccine response - especially considering that I have been (before and after vaccine) cautious and homebound except for walking. I mean, WHERE could I have caught covid - or caught ANYTHING?? My husband has also faithfully stayed home - he doesn't even walk! And although we do go to the grocery store, we haven't been since before our shot. It is just us at home, our adult children no longer live here. 

You are all so smart and well-informed. And so many of you are in my demographic (well into 60's. And adorable) and have gotten your vaccines. So here are my questions:

1) the literature accompanying the first shot said to contact my health care provider if I experience unusual or prolonged side effects. Why? What can they do? It's such a pain to call them, since no human ever answers and I have to leave a message and wait for a callback. There is no timetable for a callback - previous calls have yielded callbacks ranging from within a few hours to days to never. I hate being tied to the phone for an indeterminate (and possibly lengthy) amount of time - especially if it's for no particular reason. 

2) My second shot is scheduled for Tuesday. If these symptoms persist - especially the fever - can I get the shot? The only online info I can find about this is not to get the second shot if I have active covid - which testing says I do not have. My recollection from the flu vaccine is not to get it if I have a fever because the shot won't be as effective. Is that true of the pfizer shot too? I don't want to cancel the appointment because it was SO hard to get and we waited weeks to get the first - if I cancel, there's no telling when I'll be able to get the second shot, especially since New York is opening up to more and more groups without significantly increasing supply. But on the other hand, I don't want to go to the appointment and be turned away - it's a FIVE HOUR DRIVE (there was nothing available locally). The literature, as well as my google searches, have not revealed a phone number to call with questions like this. 

3) Is it still possible that I have covid, despite two negative tests taken while exhibiting active symptoms?

4) Should I pray on it? 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this. And I was kidding about #4, all I ever get from the above is laughter ("Now you come to me? NOW??? After all your sarcasm over the years???")

Oh my. I have never heard of this or read it anywhere. The only delayed response I've heard of is "covid arm", which is getting a rash with pain and swelling, up to two weeks later.

I'd call your MD and ask them for advice. Or you could try calling the CDC department at your local hospital. I'd also go for one more covid test.

[BetyBee]

@skatelady, you made me laugh about the fart test! From one adorable 60+ year old to another, I can understand your quandary. Do you have MyChart (or something similar) with your doctor's office? I find that they answer questions quickly when I send them via MyChart online. I think they have to. That said, it might be easier to get the right answer from a Covid specific site. In other words, I don't know what you should do, but I hope you don't have to miss your 2nd dose. I hope you find the right answers.

 

Edited April 1, 2021 by BetyBee

[Ohiopirate02]

11 minutes ago, skatelady said:

Perhaps some of you could give me advice. I have faithfully quarantined for the last year, including not seeing my children, rarely grocery shopping (all dry goods purchased online & have an auxiliary freezer that we stock to the gills), no gas station (we have an electric car), etc. All I do is go for daily solo long walks (listening to recorded books) and obsess over PrimeTimer. I (finally!) got my first shot on march 16th. No side effects. 

But THEN. On Monday of this week (13 days after first shot) I started feeling EXTREME fatigue. Slept 10 hours, went for my usual walk, came back and took a 4-hour nap! Tuesday (14 days after shot) I felt fatigue AND major muscle aches. Decided I somehow must've gotten covid, and got rapid-tested. Negative. Wednesday (15 days after shot) I felt fatigue AND full-body aches AND fever. Got a PCR test. Negative. (also negative for flu and rsv). Today, all of the above AND dizziness. Have not lost sense of smell (tested that with farts!) so I have concluded that this is a delayed vaccine response - especially considering that I have been (before and after vaccine) cautious and homebound except for walking. I mean, WHERE could I have caught covid - or caught ANYTHING?? My husband has also faithfully stayed home - he doesn't even walk! And although we do go to the grocery store, we haven't been since before our shot. It is just us at home, our adult children no longer live here. 

You are all so smart and well-informed. And so many of you are in my demographic (well into 60's. And adorable) and have gotten your vaccines. So here are my questions:

1) the literature accompanying the first shot said to contact my health care provider if I experience unusual or prolonged side effects. Why? What can they do? It's such a pain to call them, since no human ever answers and I have to leave a message and wait for a callback. There is no timetable for a callback - previous calls have yielded callbacks ranging from within a few hours to days to never. I hate being tied to the phone for an indeterminate (and possibly lengthy) amount of time - especially if it's for no particular reason. 

2) My second shot is scheduled for Tuesday. If these symptoms persist - especially the fever - can I get the shot? The only online info I can find about this is not to get the second shot if I have active covid - which testing says I do not have. My recollection from the flu vaccine is not to get it if I have a fever because the shot won't be as effective. Is that true of the pfizer shot too? I don't want to cancel the appointment because it was SO hard to get and we waited weeks to get the first - if I cancel, there's no telling when I'll be able to get the second shot, especially since New York is opening up to more and more groups without significantly increasing supply. But on the other hand, I don't want to go to the appointment and be turned away - it's a FIVE HOUR DRIVE (there was nothing available locally). The literature, as well as my google searches, have not revealed a phone number to call with questions like this. 

3) Is it still possible that I have covid, despite two negative tests taken while exhibiting active symptoms?

4) Should I pray on it? 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this. And I was kidding about #4, all I ever get from the above is laughter ("Now you come to me? NOW??? After all your sarcasm over the years???")

Call your doctor.  Then contact whomever you scheduled your second shot with.  Take a nap while you wait to hear back.  Reschedule your appointment if necessary.

[doodlebug]

12 minutes ago, skatelady said:

Perhaps some of you could give me advice. I have faithfully quarantined for the last year, including not seeing my children, rarely grocery shopping (all dry goods purchased online & have an auxiliary freezer that we stock to the gills), no gas station (we have an electric car), etc. All I do is go for daily solo long walks (listening to recorded books) and obsess over PrimeTimer. I (finally!) got my first shot on march 16th. No side effects. 

But THEN. On Monday of this week (13 days after first shot) I started feeling EXTREME fatigue. Slept 10 hours, went for my usual walk, came back and took a 4-hour nap! Tuesday (14 days after shot) I felt fatigue AND major muscle aches. Decided I somehow must've gotten covid, and got rapid-tested. Negative. Wednesday (15 days after shot) I felt fatigue AND full-body aches AND fever. Got a PCR test. Negative. (also negative for flu and rsv). Today, all of the above AND dizziness. Have not lost sense of smell (tested that with farts!) so I have concluded that this is a delayed vaccine response - especially considering that I have been (before and after vaccine) cautious and homebound except for walking. I mean, WHERE could I have caught covid - or caught ANYTHING?? My husband has also faithfully stayed home - he doesn't even walk! And although we do go to the grocery store, we haven't been since before our shot. It is just us at home, our adult children no longer live here. 

You are all so smart and well-informed. And so many of you are in my demographic (well into 60's. And adorable) and have gotten your vaccines. So here are my questions:

1) the literature accompanying the first shot said to contact my health care provider if I experience unusual or prolonged side effects. Why? What can they do? It's such a pain to call them, since no human ever answers and I have to leave a message and wait for a callback. There is no timetable for a callback - previous calls have yielded callbacks ranging from within a few hours to days to never. I hate being tied to the phone for an indeterminate (and possibly lengthy) amount of time - especially if it's for no particular reason. 

2) My second shot is scheduled for Tuesday. If these symptoms persist - especially the fever - can I get the shot? The only online info I can find about this is not to get the second shot if I have active covid - which testing says I do not have. My recollection from the flu vaccine is not to get it if I have a fever because the shot won't be as effective. Is that true of the pfizer shot too? I don't want to cancel the appointment because it was SO hard to get and we waited weeks to get the first - if I cancel, there's no telling when I'll be able to get the second shot, especially since New York is opening up to more and more groups without significantly increasing supply. But on the other hand, I don't want to go to the appointment and be turned away - it's a FIVE HOUR DRIVE (there was nothing available locally). The literature, as well as my google searches, have not revealed a phone number to call with questions like this. 

3) Is it still possible that I have covid, despite two negative tests taken while exhibiting active symptoms?

4) Should I pray on it? 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this. And I was kidding about #4, all I ever get from the above is laughter ("Now you come to me? NOW??? After all your sarcasm over the years???")

1.   The reason to contact your health care provider is because all of these vaccines are very new, all developed in just the past year.  The FDA collects data on side effects to all vaccines; most pediatricians have reported adverse reactions to most of the common childhood immunizations.  So, if you think you are having a reaction to the vaccine, it is recommended that you contact your doctor, both so he can report your suspected reaction to update our data on this very new medication and also so he can get info to find out if others have also experienced these side effects and, if so, what intervention might be needed.

2. If you are still sick next Monday, I would recommend getting another COVID test, just to be sure.  Then contact your vaccination center or state health department to see what the experts think you should do about the second dose.  I suspect they will want you to wait before getting the second dose if you are already sick, no matter what the cause.

3.  In general, COVID testing is a whole lot more accurate than it was a year ago, especially the PCR test.  If you've been sick for more than 48 hours and still have a negative PCR test, it is not very likely that you have COVID.  Your symptoms to this point are very non-specific.

4. I am a big believer in prayer for any and all occasions.

[QuinnInND]

44 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

It's the same pic as yours, right down to the watermark in the lower left.

Yeah, it's a pic a friend found on the internet, and sent me. This one is better than mine.  🤣

[GeeGolly]

Just now, QuinnInND said:

Yeah, it's a pic a friend found on the internet, and sent me. This one is better than mine.  🤣

Now I'm really confused. I thought that's where you were composing your letter.

[Absolom]

24 minutes ago, skatelady said:

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.

Do you have any kind of autoimmune disorder known or possibly suspected?  

I have three or four autoimmune disorders and while I had a less than 24 hour reaction to the first dose, around 10 to 14 days I had fatigue, aches, and some other symptoms.  I ended up calling the rheumatologist who told me to just rest.  I had an actual flare up requiring an office visit and medication at about the same time after the second dose.

Medical theory was that the immune response to the vaccine really kicks in 10 to 14 days after the vaccine is given and since I (and many/most others with autoimmune issues) have a very twitchy immune system, it set off some extra immune response for me resulting in symptoms the first round and the actual flare the second.  For me it was decided I was better off with the COVID vaccine and the treatable flare up.  It's definitely something I'd call about.  Your doctor needs to know and it may require some further investigation.  

[QuinnInND]

1 hour ago, GeeGolly said:

Now I'm really confused. I thought that's where you were composing your letter.

I am. But that pic is better. I like the way the waves were. I was telling a friend of mine about the waves and the color of the water I was trying to get. She looked it up and and sent it, and was like "Is this what you meant?" Yes, that's what I meant. 

This is one I took. Not quite the same.  Sorry for the confusion. 

 

Edited April 1, 2021 by QuinnInND

[emma675]

skatelady, do you have any underlying autoimmune problems that might have flared up in response to the vaccine? It kind of sounded like Epstein Barr symptoms a little to me, but I'm no doctor. I have autoimmune thyroid disease so my doctor told me to call if I had any long term or odd side effects to the vaccine, so I would definitely put a call in, if you haven't already. I feel like they are learning so much of this as we go, since it's all so new. 

[peppergal]

27 minutes ago, skatelady said:

Perhaps some of you could give me advice. I have faithfully quarantined for the last year, including not seeing my children, rarely grocery shopping (all dry goods purchased online & have an auxiliary freezer that we stock to the gills), no gas station (we have an electric car), etc. All I do is go for daily solo long walks (listening to recorded books) and obsess over PrimeTimer. I (finally!) got my first shot on march 16th. No side effects. 

But THEN. On Monday of this week (13 days after first shot) I started feeling EXTREME fatigue. Slept 10 hours, went for my usual walk, came back and took a 4-hour nap! Tuesday (14 days after shot) I felt fatigue AND major muscle aches. Decided I somehow must've gotten covid, and got rapid-tested. Negative. Wednesday (15 days after shot) I felt fatigue AND full-body aches AND fever. Got a PCR test. Negative. (also negative for flu and rsv). Today, all of the above AND dizziness. Have not lost sense of smell (tested that with farts!) so I have concluded that this is a delayed vaccine response - especially considering that I have been (before and after vaccine) cautious and homebound except for walking. I mean, WHERE could I have caught covid - or caught ANYTHING?? My husband has also faithfully stayed home - he doesn't even walk! And although we do go to the grocery store, we haven't been since before our shot. It is just us at home, our adult children no longer live here. 

You are all so smart and well-informed. And so many of you are in my demographic (well into 60's. And adorable) and have gotten your vaccines. So here are my questions:

1) the literature accompanying the first shot said to contact my health care provider if I experience unusual or prolonged side effects. Why? What can they do? It's such a pain to call them, since no human ever answers and I have to leave a message and wait for a callback. There is no timetable for a callback - previous calls have yielded callbacks ranging from within a few hours to days to never. I hate being tied to the phone for an indeterminate (and possibly lengthy) amount of time - especially if it's for no particular reason. 

2) My second shot is scheduled for Tuesday. If these symptoms persist - especially the fever - can I get the shot? The only online info I can find about this is not to get the second shot if I have active covid - which testing says I do not have. My recollection from the flu vaccine is not to get it if I have a fever because the shot won't be as effective. Is that true of the pfizer shot too? I don't want to cancel the appointment because it was SO hard to get and we waited weeks to get the first - if I cancel, there's no telling when I'll be able to get the second shot, especially since New York is opening up to more and more groups without significantly increasing supply. But on the other hand, I don't want to go to the appointment and be turned away - it's a FIVE HOUR DRIVE (there was nothing available locally). The literature, as well as my google searches, have not revealed a phone number to call with questions like this. 

3) Is it still possible that I have covid, despite two negative tests taken while exhibiting active symptoms?

4) Should I pray on it? 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this. And I was kidding about #4, all I ever get from the above is laughter ("Now you come to me? NOW??? After all your sarcasm over the years???")

If you can't get in touch with your Dr, at least reach out to one of the nurse triage lines (if your insurance runs one) or one of the minute clinic tele-health options while you wait for your Dr to get back to you. 

Check with the provider (health department, pharmacy chain, hospital chain, etc) that is providing your second dose.  Second doses are allocated differently than first doses, and usually you don't end up going all the way to the back of the line if you need to reschedule the second dose.  It varies by provider though how they handle it. 

Also, I'd urge everyone who has gotten the vaccine recently (within the last 6 weeks) to register with vsafe.  It is a program run by the CDC to collect side effect and other information.  You do a daily check in with them to let them know how you are feeling.  This allows you to give back to the community a little bit by giving the CDC a larger database of information to judge reactions and adjust their recommendations.  It is all automated through your smart phone.  They won't actually call you unless something in your check in is so concerning they feel that you need to see your doctor immediately. 

[Suzn]

1 hour ago, QuinnInND said:

I am. But that pic is better. I like the way the waves were. I was telling a friend of mine about the waves and the color of the water I was trying to get. She looked it up and and sent it, a s was like "Is this what you meant?" Yes, that's what I meant. 

This is one I took. Not quite the same.  Sorry for the confusion. 

 

I like your pic better.  It's nice to see people in the distance.  I would love to be someplace like that!

[GeeGolly]

I just some adorable kid quotes posted on FB. If you want to read them check out livefromsnacktime on IG.

#sayingsofspurgeon don't even come close

[GeeGolly]

Also, have any of you heard An Easter Hallelujah - Cassandra Star & her sister Callahan, on YouTube? Amazing.

[zoomama]

5 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

Also, have any of you heard An Easter Hallelujah - Cassandra Star & her sister Callahan, on YouTube? Amazing.

thats where they rewrote the words of hallelujah? i did hear it and it was AMAZING!

[skatelady]

Thank you all for your responses. I don't have an autoimmune disease (that I know of) but I do have asthma and eczema which is sort of an immune thing. Interesting idea. Another idea popped into my head, though -- LYME DISEASE. My primary "doesn't have any openings until June" (DON'T GET ME STARTED!!) so I went to an urgent care place and they did a Lyme titer and also a CBC (I guess to check for white blood cells/infection). He also said to go get the vaccine - even if I still have a fever on Monday, my fever isn't high enough to be a problem. He also said to get one more covid test right before I hit the road for the vaccine, just in case. 

Thank you again for all your thought-provoking answers. Back to my regular lurking!

[rue721]

I went to see a house tonight after work, and loved it... got home and pulled up the listing to see the photos again and now it says “under contact”! This house hunting stuff is impossible, every house goes under contract literally within a day! I never even have the chance to see them! 🤦🏻‍♀️ Have you all had to deal with this before? On the one hand, I don’t need to buy one literally this minute, but on the other, this pace is completely nuts.

[awaken]

On 3/29/2021 at 11:22 PM, Zella said:

12 hours ago, doodlebug said:

The abuse question is also part of the new standard of care.  My medical assistant asks every new patient (once they're alone in an exam room with the door closed), 'Do you feel safe at home?  Is anyone abusing you?'  She rarely gets a positive response, but I do think it opens the door just a crack  We also have information about domestic violence in all the restrooms including wallet cards with phone numbers to call for help.

On all of our intake forms we ask about abuse and if the client feels safe at home. I am grateful that we do. 

4 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

I just some adorable kid quotes posted on FB. If you want to read them check out livefromsnacktime on IG.

#sayingsofspurgeon don't even come close

I love that account- so funny!