Every elephant is my favorite elephant but I have to admit I am especially partial to my metal elephants.
Yet More Elephants
Covid 19 Statistics
Countries, provinces, states, and the like have been announcing cases of Covid 19 on a daily basis for months now. The cases have varied substantially from one country or area to another. The severity and contagion of Covid 19 has varied substantially. Why is that?
Personally, I do not put a lot of faith in the numbers. Regardless of how many tests are being done, what do the results mean if we have no idea what criteria is being used to decide who gets tested and for what purpose?
In Saskatchewan, the numbers would lead people to believe that Covid 19 has basically bypassed our province. With the exception of a few reported outbreaks, we have supposedly had little transmission of the virus. This begs the question – why? Why would a number of people be infected at one snowmobile race, one hospital, one sporting event, but in Regina (a city of 200,000) there have been 76 official cases, with virtually zero transmission? People spontaneously being infected by the virus through no known source and not passing it on to anyone else? A few of these could be explained by people returning from other areas and self isolating once they are home. Even those are questionable as many flew home and mingled shoulder to shoulder with others in a crowded airport on arrival. The rest? Two nursing home care workers? A resident from an assisted living home who was in hospital for five days before testing positive?
It does not surprise me that Covid 19 is just a numbers game in Saskatchewan but if you are just playing a game, why? People are being lulled into a false sense of security. Many people believe there is little cause for caution as our official numbers are so low. People are not taking this seriously.
I believe people should take Covid 19 seriously. I believe they should be cautious. Regardless of the ‘official’ numbers, Covid 19 is a serious disease. It is contagious. It poses an immediate life threatening danger to the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. It is being found that even for younger, healthier individuals Covid 19 can be a serious life threatening disease. Medical professionals are only beginning to see the potential for longterm health issues for those who have suffered even milder cases of this virus. There is much more to be learned and every reason to be cautious.
It doesn’t matter where you are, or what the numbers say. Covid 19 is here and it is not going anywhere anytime soon. Take care out there. Protect yourself and those around you.
Rider Pride
If you have heard of Regina, you have probably heard of the Saskatchewan Roughriders – our CFL football team. 🏈
Regina is widely known for the Rider pride that drives tens of thousands into Mosaic Stadium every year regardless of sun, rain, snow or hail. Fans are decked out in the team’s green and white, with many of the diehards sporting watermelon helmets.
Rainy Day Wednesday
Dan is back to work for another round of shifts. The damp cloudy weather isn’t helping me feel better today but I will get some work done around the house. I have to make Kat some fresh food, clean the glass shower doors and work on the kids room. That should fill my day. I did put my plants outside earlier and took a bit of a tour around the yard.
Have a good day all and remember to keep safe!
Essential Shopping
Dan started the day by running to Superstore for a few essential groceries to get us through his next round of shifts.
On the way home he stopped at the Co-op home centre and picked up a new yard elephant. I think Kat likes it. 😍
Finally we ran into the Dollar Store. I am not sure what their social distancing plan is. They have arrows pointing down the aisles one direction and footprints pointing down the (same) aisles in the opposite direction. People were stumbling all over the place. I was glad I had my facemask on. 😊
Now it is time to get outside and get some work done. It isn’t terribly warm but at least it is nicer than it has been this week. 🌞
Downtown Regina
Dan and I took another little drive this afternoon. We picked up a few bedding plants from my favourite nursery, then we took a short drive. We came across a lot of road construction and street cleaning. I took a few photos to share.
Happy Mother’s Day
This isn’t a typical Mother’s Day for many but still a great day for roses and chocolate!
More Signs of Spring
The sun has finally reappeared for a couple of days. Dan is on shift but Kat and I spent as much time outside as we could today. I wasn’t up to doing a whole lot, but I did a bit of straightening up and of course we took our walk – and I took a few shots around the yard.
Collateral Damage
When the the first reports came out about Covid-19, I was amazed by the massive hospitals that were being built in China.
Part of my fascination with these hospitals came from my career in the construction industry. In 2019, we opened a new children’s hospital in Saskatchewan. It took twenty five years to ‘plan’, design and build the facility. If we were going to require a new Covid-19 hospital, it would not be built in ten days.
The other part of my fascination was the number of doctors, health professionals, and support staff who would work in these massive hospitals. I wondered who was taking care of all of the people who would typically require health services. In most countries, certainly in Canada, there is not an overabundance of medical personnel. I wondered who could possibly be taking care of all the ‘regular’ patients.
My husband and I are fortunate in that we do not need medical intervention on a regular basis. We both have health issues which are generally controlled by our regular prescription drugs. I could be magnanimous in worrying about ‘others’.
I did think it was prudent to self isolate for the duration. I have asthma and I had pneumonia in February. At my post pneumonia check-up, I had been diagnosed with COPD. It made sense to to avoid a respiratory virus, even though I was feeling okay. A few days of warm sunny weather in April and I felt really good!
In the latter part of April, our monsoon season arrived. Suddenly, I was struggling with the humidity. I checked out the website for our health clinic and it seemed to be business as usual. (We have had few documented cases of Covid -19 in our province). Still, I was hesitant to call for an appointment as I balanced the risk of contracting the virus versus the struggle to breathe.
When I did call, I found that the clinic was booking phone consultations. That made sense. It kept the doctors safe so they could continue to help their patients and it kept vulnerable patients safe. I requested a consultation and my doctor called a few minutes later. After a lengthy chat, he prescribed a new inhaler. He also made a call to a respiratory therapist to see if he could set up an in-person appointment for me. Unfortunately, therapists were on the long list of health providers who were not seeing patients. I tried the new inhaler and it helped a little, but it was not a great fix. On my follow up call to my doctor, he sent me for blood tests to rule out heart and/or kidney issues. The tests came back fine. He called the respiratory therapist again. They are to start seeing patients later in May and they will no doubt have a lengthy list of established clients to see. In the meantime, I wait.
I know, this condition will not be fatal. (- at least not any time soon.) I know getting stressed will just make breathing more difficult, so I focus on relaxing. I take short walks with Kat when it is not raining. I continue to do what I can – cooking, cleaning and laundry. I know it could be worse, but this is not fun. Every breath is a challenge – no effort is small. A short walk, a few stairs, lifting anything – and my heart is racing as I fight to breathe. I sit down and there is a weight on my chest. It feels like I am suffocating. It is exhausting.
I am grateful that I have access to my doctor. Grateful for the support and care he has provided despite his limitations. I feel for anyone who is waiting for appointments, tests, procedures, treatments, operations, and therapy. It is unavoidable right now but it is still difficult. I know.
I hope the worst of this pandemic will soon be behind us. I hope that we can soon be on the path to a new normal where people can send their kids back to school, get back to work, and once again have access to the services we rely on. Life will never be the same after Covid-19, but I look forward to the day when it is functional.
Out and About
Dan and I worked in the yard on Saturday. (Dan did most of the work but I am pretty sure that as his spouse I am entitled to half the credit.) Anyway, we decided to take a drive yesterday as a reward for all of ‘our’ effort.
We made it home to have a slice of the most amazing salted caramel cake. Dan went shopping on Saturday morning and he drove ten blocks out of his way to go to the Co-op to get it for me. It was so worth it!
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 