JOURNAL ENTRY #130: SHUT IT DOWN

 If Governor Cuomo decides to shut down New York City I hope he starts with the subways and the buses.  People just don't get it about masking up.  I was at 125th Street and Lexington a few days ago and this guy, about 25, was on the platform like everybody else, waiting for the express to arrive.  He turned his head, but still within arm's distance of three or four other people and blew his nose.  Not wit a tissue or a handkerchief, but into the open air.  You could see the mist.  He then turned around and boarded the arriving #4 train, of course with no mask.

From riding the subways I find anywhere from 1-4 people per car will not have on a mask and this is not including the homeless people who board.  The police don't really get involved.  Probably because if they do then they will have to get physical, which nobody wants.

Personally, I get tired of walking from car to car to find some degree of safety.  The number of people catching covid-19 is rising and whether it is because of laziness, disbelief, or whatever, some people will not mask up, and as of this writing, people are worried about the hospitals being overwhelmed.

Even worse, transit workers are at risk of catching this and dying.

Governor Cuomo needs to shut it down for about two weeks and maybe that will wake this city up.

JOURNAL ENTRY 129 Almost one year later

 Mom's birthday is coming up.  She would have been 93 years old on December 13th.  The second anniversary is in mid-January.  So since January, 2019 has anything changed?  How have I grown?  Have I learned anything?

Mom's birthday and anniversary will come while we are in a pandemic.  I am still glad she is not here to experience this.  The nursing home she was in was bad at giving the residents calls, so I would never have spoken with her. I would be wondering about her health and treatment every day.  Even if she were still in Florida it would be bad.  We couldn't count on some of the ladies to come by during a normal day.  Covid-19 would have made things worse.  I normally don't question God's acts and I am definitely not upset he took my mother when he did, especially during these days.

How have I been in nearly two years?  A little past it.  I still grieve for the both of them.  Like with everything, I try to learn from the event.

I am up-to-date with my insurance information (payments and beneficiaries).  I still have to legally designate someone to handle my final wishes but the people closest to me know what I want and that is...I do NOT want to be buried.  I WANT to be cremated.  I don't really want a funeral, but if I have one I would prefer a small memorial service.  Sprinkle my ashes over some place nice, preferably on the west coast.

I now have long term insurance in addition to health, dental and eye care.  The long term insurance is currently for two years and handles my care if I am disabled.  

I don't want to go to a nursing home.  Rehab, maybe, but nothing long term.

I am looking at getting a DNR and a DNI.  Right now, I feel like if I am going to go I would rather go quickly.  Right now I feel, if I manage to not die by a heart attack is dementia around the corner?   I figure I have to die from something.  Let it be the thing that takes me out the quickest.  The last thing I want is to be at some facility where I am a number and people take minimal care of me.  I would rather be at home. There are issues there too but I would rather that than be in a facility.  The future care thing has to be fine tuned.

I guess for the future I learned to prepare.  And this is what I am doing.

YET ANOTHER NEW DAY

 Today was supposed to be a writing day. I haven't written ANYTHING since May and I am actually getting the urge to write again.  We are almost a year into a pandemic and we have a new President, so I am feeling more creative.  Unfortunately, I was busy all day doing work-related stuff, like getting my insurance together for the open period at work.  And because I belong to FSA-Feds and I didn't cash in my receipts months ago, I needed to do that now since the deadline is December 31st.  If you happen to be reading this and you are a federal employee it is worth your while to enroll.  You pay a small amount out of payroll depending on how much you elect to take out each year.  So I elected to take out $2200 this year meaning my out-of-pocket medical expenses will be reimbursed up to $2200.  This is mostly for my co-payments, but it also covers eyeglasses, dental visits, and a slew of other things.  You get more information on   https://www.fsafeds.com/

Between getting personal affairs in order and cooking my day was shot.  Tomorrow will be a writing day once I get home from my doctor's appointment.

Journal Entry #127

One of the problems with this pandemic is because the symptoms involve the sinuses I am afraid to have a cold or suffer through my allergies.  I think the slightest sneeze or cough is the beginning of the corona virus.

Meanwhile in the rest of the country, the greedy anxious to reopen the United States are facing rising numbers in infected people.  Add that to the defiant protesting their right to socially mingle despite possibly infecting others and we may not get past this pandemic this year.

This is an evil thought but personally I think that everyone who is against the quarantine should be able to do what they want, however they should also be stamped or chipped and refused medical attention if they get sick.  And forced to pay a fine to assist doctors and nurses who have to treat legitimate patients.

JOURNAL ENTRY #126 Covid19 vs 5G

We are in the middle of a pandemic where thousands of people have died.  For a month we have been practicing social distancing.  Over the past few weeks though I have heard  about the 5G Towers theory and how the radiation associated is responsible for the illness.

I have little knowledge of either theory.  I have heard more about Covid19 because it is on the news everyday and it is concerning that the country is basically on a lock-down and that so many people have died.  At the same time it is hard to trust the government and to take their word for what is going on.

I have seen videos where people substantiate their 5G theory by showing the towers and the current deaths.  They are convincing.  However, even if I do believe them I don't believe them enough to give up social distancing and be around crowds. 

JOURNAL ENTRY #125

I just came across information in case anyone happens across this blog and needs assistance coping during this quarantine.  

It is from the Centers for Disease Control.  

1.  https://www.samhsa.gov/disaster-preparedness

2.  Call 1-800-985-5990

3.   text TalkWithUs to 66746


I will do more research to find more outlooks for help and add them.

JOURNAL ENTRY #124

Once this pandemic is over the city is going to have to clean the subways.  What they should do is shut them down for a day.  In the process they will need to remove all the homeless people who have taken refuge on it.  I am not saying to arrest or incarcerate them.  They shouldn't be harmed in any way and when they are removed it should be to a place that can assist them.  Unfortunately, since Covid19 more displaced people have ended up on the subways and they have taken up entire seats and sections.  A train will enter the station and there will be a car full of people because the next car has up to six homeless people stretched out across several seats.    It is bad for a number of reasons but it makes social distancing less effective as people pack single cars to escape or to get a seat.  These folks aren't wearing masks so that further complicates things.  Some of these people have mental illnesses which makes things even worse.  Close to a month ago someone started a fire on a northbound #2 train outside of the 110 Street station, killing the train operator and seriously damaging the station.  It was reported that a cart on the subway may have been used to help start the fire.

Where to put all these people?  I don't know.  That is another problem.  For now, the immediate issue is clearing the subways.  Prior to this corona virus nightmare it was common to see a handful of homeless people  spread out across a few cars.  Now there are at times a handful per car.  Nobody benefits.

To be continued.

Journal Entry #123

I just checked with my primary life insurance company.  My insurance is current and I have my beneficiary information up to date.  I am feeling fine but with this Corvid19 business things can change rapidly.   i want to be confident that if anything happens to me my family can cover my final wishes. I want to be cremated so it shouldn't be that expensive to take care of me if I go for any reason.

My beneficiary information on my primary insurance as I mentioned is current.  The same can be said for my job.     I am looking now for Advance Directive and Living Will stuff.  I guess folks shouldn't worry about that but with what is going on it wouldn't hurt to have basic information logged and to be prepared.  

Below are links on general information on advance directives in New York:

https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/advancedirectives.pdf



This is a link from AARP for the form in your particular state:

https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/financial-legal/free-printable-advance-directives/



A site that helps create a living will in New York

https://formswift.com/new-york-living-will




This is a link for health care proxy and living will information in New York

https://www.nysenate.gov/sites/default/files/Healthcare%20Proxy%2012.10_0.pdf



New York State living will

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/MediaLibraries/URMCMedia/jones-memorial/patients-families/documents/living_will_nys.pdf



Apparently you do not need a lawyer for these forms but you should still consult an attorney just in case.

Journal entry #122 Home remedies

It has been over a month since New York City was ravaged by Covid19.  I have been blessed to have not gotten sick even though I still think I had a brush with this virus in December and January.  I know a few people who feel the same way.  If I stay blessed and avoid any serious issues with the corona virus I have God to thank along with diligence and a couple of home remedies.

I just started using the mask regularly when I go outside.  I am still a firm believer that for the most part you can get by this by avoiding people and washing your hands often.  The masks are better for closed in environments, when you can't enforce social distancing and if you have the virus.  If I am on the public transportation a mask is a must and thankfully Governor Cuomo just made mask use an executive order.  

My saline solution may be a life saver.   I use that bottle everyday.  Originally I used it because of my allergies.  Rinsing my sinuses with saline solution got a lot of allergens out of my nose and helped prevent sinus infections.  It is not a cure but a good preventative measure.  So I figured if it can help against allergies why not against Covid19.

Normally, during allergy season pollen (and whatever else I am allergic to) goes in my nose.  I can feel it in the back of my sinuses.  After a while that causes a post nasal drip and that irritates the back of my throat and my tonsils making me have a dry cough.  In the past if I didn't take care of that issue the now infection goes into my lungs and I can develop bronchitis or at the least a heavy upper respiratory infection.  Thank God I haven't had the heavy chest congestion in years, but I learned that the easiest way to avoid them is to use preventive care meaning, deal with the sinus issue early on and take my Zyrtec.  If the Zyrtec isn't working see my ear, nose and throat doctor early.  And use that saline solution.  

In November and December I was getting these sinus infections rapidly.  They came out of nowhere and it seems like nothing was working.  Granted, I wasn't using the saline solution like I should.  I was getting the dry cough and had to be prescribed Prednisone.  Maybe that prepared me mentally for Corvid19 because since the beginning of March I have been using that solution everyday and I have not had any problems. I am praying it won't be necessary soon.

JOURNAL ENTRY #121

It has been a rough few days.

I found out late Friday a co-worker tested positive for Corvid-19.  The official word is to self -quarantine if we were within six feet of her two weeks ago.  I was talking with her during that time but i wasn't really that close. Nonetheless, technically I am under self quarantine until Friday.  I have felt fine...or I have not felt any different.  No aches or fevers.

I am still holding on to the thought that even though there is nothing medically proven,  using my saline solution helps with this by washing any potential problems out of my sinuses.

The roughest part of this is the hopelessness .  Even though most people seem to eventually get past this there is no cure. And even though the numbers are smaller, quite a few have died from Corvid-19. That is something to be concerned about, even though I am not in the high risk group.  Younger and healthier people have succumbed to this too.

For now I am on a week self-quarantine.  I am not sure what happens after that.  Until this weekend the president was hellbent on having business as usual.  The Immigration Court also seems hellbent on having business as usual despite the protests from judges, government attorneys and the outside bar.  The powers that be insist on bsiness as usual even though the general public is being told to shelter in place.   Can't help but feel powerless.

JOURNAL ENTRY #120

Today is Day 4 of my "self quarantine" from work.  Someone on the job was feeling "unwell" and sought out a physician.  They said they basically felt fine but in an abundance of caution they went to the doctor and let us know so that we could self quarantine.  Additionally, someone connected to our sister office actually contracted Covid-19.  That office was shut down.

It is easy to lose your mind during these times.  The news regarding the corona virus is quite alarming as well as confusing.  The fact that people are asymptomatic and able to pass this along is scary.  

Like I mentioned before, I am almost certain I had this illness before.  Because I get most of my problems through my nose I constantly check my sinuses.  It's funny, initially it was said that the early symptoms were nasal congestion, a dry cough and a fever.   For me a dry cough comes after nasal congestion.  I get a feeling in my sinuses.  If I don't deal with that it becomes post nasal drip and that gets into my throat causing that dry cough.If I still do not deal with it then it gets into my chest.

Being both an allergy sufferer and one with bad sinuses I learned a long time ago to use saline solution in my nose.  It works just as well as Flonaise and even better when you take them both.  The saline solution washes out your sinus passage and allergens, etc., are mostly gone.If I use it during the beginning phases it shortens the duration of the attack.  It is even better using the solution every couple of days. Since it helped with the allergens I am trying it during this crisis.  I got the idea from some of the reports talking about the nasal congestion symptoms and the test going through the nose to the back of the throat.  This is one of those tiny details that may mean a lot.  The focus seems to be on the throat, but the actions starts in the nostrils.

So far so good.

Mobile Log #2

Until the government comes up with a way for the average person to NOT lose money or their jobs doing the right thing by staying home if feeling ill this virus will humble us. 

JOURNAL ENTRY #119

Still in Florida 

Still following the coronavirus nightmare.  Like I said, the powers that be are not taking this serious enough.  Especially in the larger cities.  It is nice to tell people to wash their hands often and to avoid placing their hands near their eyes.  But those are just cheap ways of dealing with the situation.

1.  We are being told to avoid crowds if we are feeling ill.  Impractical.  For one, you can be asymptomatic and commuting in a crowd and transmit the virus to that crowd. 

2.  There are no incentives to stay home if you are feeling ill. Common sense should dictate that you do stay home and get better but with a lot of people having little or no sick leave or being afraid of losing their job if they actually stay home, people will continue to expose others just because they have to work.  

3.  There should be incentives for jobs to offer more work from home options and compressed schedules for those who cannot work from home.  The trains, buses and subways should not be packed with potential virus carriers.  Most people start work between 8-9 in the morning meaning they commute mostly between 6:30-8:30.  We should push to have people work a 40 hour week with more flexible hours.

4.  Some people still have no health insurance, meaning that there is another reason they can't afford to get sick.

5.  With point number 2, I'd like to see a special leave developed for this situation.  For civil service employees they wouldn't have to use their sick or annual leave.  If you have 10 hours of sick leave and you get this illness you have a problem and a decision to make.  If you work fast food you may not have the leave.  For private industry maybe create a grant for companies to use to pay people who are sick.  In both situations the ill employee just has to show a doctor's note.

Those are just a few ideas. Elected officials need to get creative and acknowledge what we are dealing with.

JOURNAL ENTRY 118:

There are times I think people  are lying about COVID-19 .    

I have read that a runny nose is not a sign of the disease while most sites will state that is a symptom, along with a fever and a cough.  We are being advised not to panic while at the same time being told to wash our hands or use hand sanitizer.  On one hand COVID-19 is being treated like  a  growing pandemic and on the other it is being treated like it isn't a big deal.  According to the NY Times about 595 people in the country contracted this and 24 have dies, yet the president reminds us that more people die from the flu.  And they wonder why there is a panic.

Information is updated on new cases, but there is not much follow up unless the victim dies.  For example, a week ago we were informed about a woman who visited Iran, then developed symptoms.  Reportedly she had a mild case.  What is a mild case?  For people in a near panic a mild case might be like a cold.  And being that some other sources state that the virus runs its course without medication we don't know what to do.

A couple of months ago I had what I think was either allergies or a reaction from my allergy shots.   I start out ok, then get sinus irritation which leads to post nasal drip, then I get a dry cough.  The dry cough then leads to phlegm in the throat but the cough is still dry for the most part.  The first time I got this the doctor gave mean antibiotic and promethazine.  Everything cleared up then returned two weeks later.  Rinsing the sinuses helps a little but it came back twice, making it three times I had a sinus issue or cold.   But....a few people on my job had the same issue.  My godson has been coughing on some level for months.           From the outside it looks like the same symptoms.  Makes me wonder if COVID019 made it here months ago and we weren't told.

JOURNAL ENTRY #117 Return to Florida

I returned to Florida this weekend to check on the house and to attend the 92nd birthday party for a family friend who was very helpful while my mother and aunt were in their final days there.

While I was down there I gathered a few things my mother left behind, like wash cloths and towels.  I got a few of her papers together as well.  No matter  how long after they pass it is still sad going through their belongings.  You remember where you were when mail came in or when they used a particular item.   

I slept on her bed and I remember days tucking her in.  I remember walking her from the bathroom to the middle of the bedroom and getting her diaper on before making sure she got to bed.  The home attendant was there so I didn't have to do it but for the most part I didn't mind it and I would initiate doing it.

The majority of Mom's papers can be shredded. I did come back with a few towels and a lot of memories.

Mobile log #1

Mom has been gone for close to 14 months.  Though I obviously still miss her, one of the things I don't miss are the phone calls I would get at 6 in the morning or at 11 at night. 

Now with the coronavirus scare I am glad she is not here.  A nursing home in Washington state was hit hard with the virus.  About six patients have died from it. Since most of the patients are stationary howd they get it?

JOURNAL ENTRY #116

Every few years the world gets hit with a health scare that comes close to bringing globe wide panic.  We had SARS, Ebola and this year, the Corona Virus.

There is enough information on this disease on Google so I am not going to bother explaining what it is.  Actually let me correct myself.  There is a lot of information out there, just nothing concrete to let us know what we are dealing with.  The only thing we do know is that the virus is similar to the flu but deadlier and it is an airborne illness.  It has devastated China and has spread to Iran, Italy and a few other countries.  As of today there are a few cases in the United States but supposedly the people are quarantined.  The Centers for Disease Control feels it is only a matter of time before the disease really hits us. 

So I am doing the usual...hand washing and avoiding sick people.  I am also avoiding crowds as best as I can.  Only thing is I feel in my bones I am only delaying the inevitable.  Eventually I am going to get this.  I just worry if it will be like a bad cold or the pneumonia some people have died from.  I have such little faith in our elected officials I feel that by the summer most of the public will have felt this virus. 

When you hear the president speak on the Corona Virus he seems to be only concerned about the stock market falling.  He blames the media for spreading false news, meanwhile you hear about cruise ships being quarantined. 

So far I have updated my life insurance.  Mom was my beneficiary so I obviously had to change that.  I just need to create a living will and get a health proxy.  I had to do that anyway but with this latest health scare no better time than the present.

NEW YEAR NO RESOLUTIONS......YET

It's  a new year and as of today I haven't even thought about resolutions.  Yet.  Truth be told I haven't thought about much creative wise in over a year.  That changes now.