Rejoining society—well, for a couple hours at least

Here is yours truly, getting ready to venture out to the Senior Center for the first time in 5 months.  Do I look a little nervous?  I sure was.  I’m still on the mailing list, and a few weeks ago noticed that AHN (Allegheny Health Network) would be doing flu & covid shots there on October 24.  I contacted the center and asked if I could register, but was only 50% sure I could make it.  They said that wouldn’t be a problem.

So I got up yesterday morning, did a lot of deep breathing exercises, shaved and got dressed (and rubbed a couple ice-packs on my face to calm things down) and headed up there. 

I was surprised how long it took to walk there (it’s about 0.75 mile from my apartment).  This time a year ago, before contracting long covid, I was 50 pounds heavier and made the trip several times a week without even breathing hard.  Now it took twice as long, having to stop and catch my breath 4-5 times along the way.

I got both shots (AHN had a “health-mobile” in the parking lot) and after thanking them for the vaccines, ventured into the center and was immediately greeted by Courtney (who runs things there) and a couple others.  They couldn’t have been sweeter.  I had a pretty hard time getting my words out—this is weird, if I’m talking to my friend Diana on the phone late at night, no problem.  But if I’m face to face with more than one person during the day, it’s difficult to get out whole sentences.  (That’s from the long covid wreaking havoc with my central nervous system.)

Anyway, it was so nice getting to see old friends again.  Mary was in the exercise room where she always is, pumping away on a stationery bike with those long skinny legs of hers.  91 year old Melvin was at his same spot in the dining room, waiting patiently for his lunch—as were Dennis & Paul, huddled together at the guy’s table in the back corner.

(Those two are quite the pair; they know where every church & center offers free food in a 3 mile radius.  Paul offered to make me a list and when I said thanks but can afford to buy my own, he said “I can too, but why bother when you can get the grub for free!”)  

Geri and Evvie were preparing to head into the kitchen (they volunteer there) and what a treat it was to hug my favorite pair and talk to them both again.

I’m looking forward to becoming a regular member again, but it’s going to be awhile.  Still dealing with a lot of cranial and oral inflammation, pain in my collarbone and torso, chronic fatigue.  After leaving there yesterday, I made it home, laid across my bed and fell asleep for 3 hours.  Am I the most boring person on the planet right now or what?

That’s all I have for now, just wanted to put something new out here.  Thank you for reading.  By the way, don’t let that shirt of mine up there fool you; it may be MAGA red, but I voted early (mail in ballot) and blue all the way!

I sure hope all of you sensible, decent, intelligent Americans out there did so too.

 

Who are all these sixtysomethings? Your guess is as good as mine

This past Saturday was my high school class 45th reunion, an informal affair held in a park back home with a picnic.  My friend Diana is the one who organized it, and I cannot tell you how heartbroken I am that I couldn’t be there.  I’m still struggling with long covid, and unable to be outside for more than a few minutes, let alone be around more than one person without my central nervous system going haywire. 

(I’m improving but know my limitations.  Still, it would’ve been nice to see this crew in person, especially after losing 50 pounds this past year.  What a waste of my trim bod!)

To be very honest, when Diana sent me this photo I probably recognized less than five people.  We didn’t have a big class to begin with (I think the Jefferson Morgan Class of ‘79 was around 109 students) but of the classmates I was close to, none were here.

Still, I feel a real kinship with this group and may never see them again.  :^(

I don’t know why, but I was never big on class reunions in the first place.  I didn’t attend our 5th in 1984, because I was a college dropout and embarrassed to be working in the Garden Shop of our local Murphy’s Mart. 

By the time our 10th one rolled around in 1989, I had gone back to school, got a great IT job in the city, had a closet full of suits… but was anxious to focus on my future and leave the past behind.  Dumb.

I was ready to attend our 40th in 2019, but there simply wasn’t enough interest and it was canceled.  Diana wanted to do a “Happy 60th Birthday Party” a year later (as most of us were turning 60) but the covid pandemic nipped that event.  

Well, we have a 50th coming up in 5 more years.  Diana says I’ll be attending that one for sure, we’ll see.  Fingers crossed!

PS.  Back in 2017, when I met up with my former classmate Karen for the first time since high school (I wrote about her here) we talked about our class and how neither of us ever went to a reunion.  We made a promise to attend the next one together, which of course didn’t happen. 

Karen succumbed to the rapid onset dementia she was diagnosed with last summer, and passed on August 25, 2024.   Rest in peace, Karen.

 

 

I am not the person in this photo—I miss the guy, but hope I never see him again

This is me, one year ago, September 2023.  I was with my friend & former classmate Diana on one of our late summer road trips.  We were on our way to tour Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater house, but stopped at “Lucky’s Casino” to check things out.

That night when I got home and Diana sent me the photos she’d taken, I almost had a meltdown when I saw this one.  How did I get so fat?  How?  I weighed myself, 270 1/2 pounds.  I made a vow to exercise more and lose 20 pounds by Christmas.

Three months later, the week before Thanksgiving, I had my annual check-up with my PCP.  When I stepped on his scales, they said 272.6.  I was aghast.  Dr.Ahmed said “I sure wish you’d try to lose 20 pounds in the next 6 months.  You’d feel SO MUCH better.”

Two weeks later I got covid.  And two weeks after that I got long covid.  And here we are, now in it’s 9th month, and I’m getting hopeful signs everyday, but it’s been a very slow recovery.  One of my doctors said “From what we’ve learned about this condition, short of cancer it’s probably the worst thing a person will go through.”   I believe that 100%.

At the start of the year, I began weighing myself every 4-5 days (just to have something to do while living in misery).  Other than giving up ice cream, I pretty much eat the same foods and haven’t done a lick of exercise.  And yet, I still managed to lose 45 pounds.  With a little luck I’ll hit 50.

• Jan 04  -  270.5    Feb 05 -  266.6    Feb 20 -  262.5    Mar 04 -  259.1
• Mar 12 -  255.2    Mar 19 -  252.0    Mar 21 -  249.0    Mar 30 -  250.2
• Apri 03 - 249.0    Apr 10 -   250.2    Apr 12 -  249.8    Apr 16 -  247.0
• Apr 20 -  246.8    Apr 23 -  246.4     Apr 28 -  246.8    May 3 -   245.8
• May 08 - 244.4    May 15 - 244.6     May 30 - 246.8     Jun 03 -  245.6
• Jun 06 -  243.4    Jun 09 -  242.6     Jun 14 -  241.4     Jun 18 -  240.4
• Jun 22 -  240.0    Jun 26 -  238.0     Jun 30 -  237.8     Jul 04 -   236.8
• Jul 09 -   238.4    Jul 15 -   237.2     Jul 20 -  236.8      Jul 24 -  236.0
• Jul 27 -  234.8     Aug 01 - 233.8     Aug 05 - 233.0      Aug 10 - 231.6
• Aug 14 - 230.5    Aug 27 - 231.2     Sep 03 - 230.4      Sep 08 - 228.8
• Sep 13 - 226.6    Sep 18 - 225.6

I was trying to prove my weight loss with a selfie, but not having a lot of luck.  Trust me, this t-shirt used to be skin-tight a year ago, now it’s baggy

Anyway, I’m hoping to be 85% recovered (or more) by the end of the year.  I’d love to visit the senior center again at least once before 2025, I’ve only been outside 4 times since June.  Anything longer than 10 minutes causes me to shake and sweat profusely for an hour or so.  Still dealing with chronic fatigue (that’s a real thing) and godawful bouts of burning pain in my hands, face and backside but they’re not constant like before. 

Still smelling that creepy odor of diesel fuel off & on throughout the day though.  I swear I think my brain is frying.

Well, I know this must’ve been a real drag to read but just wanted to put SOMETHING new on here.  I also wanted to thank everyone who took the time to leave those very nice comments on my last post.  I hope you know I don’t take any of those for granted.

Take care, everyone.  Talk to you again soon.