Flu Time

too much?

It's the season when a lot of germs get passed around as we start to spend more time indoors with other people. I decided to get my flu shot on Monday. I go to Walgreens as they are the closest pharmacy to me, and they have a record of all the shots I've received in North Carolina. 

I love the fact that I can make an appointment online, and complete the paperwork ahead of time. Also, when you get to the store you can scan a QR code and check yourself in. As I was doing this, a huge cockroach was making its way across the floor to me. It was headed right towards the area where I would have to sit to be called for my appointment. I can't stand the sound of crunching bugs, but there was no way I wanted to have to keep my eye on the bug's progress. So I stepped on it. What a loud popping sound it made! A lady way down the aisle said she could hear it from where she had been standing. Ugh! One of the pharmacists came from behind the counter with a tissue and picked it up, thank goodness.

The shot went smoothly, and only stung a little bit. I really didn't have much of a reaction to it, other than a little swelling and rash at the injection site. Now I just have to decide if I want to get the latest Covid booster. As we will be doing some international travel, I suspect it would be a good idea.
 

Covid Booster Shot

Covid booster shot

My husband and I got a second Pfizer bivalent Covid-19 booster shot today. If you are over age 65, the CDC recommends a second booster if it has been 4 or more months since your last bivalent shot. We received ours last September, so we easily qualified for the shot. 

We debated waiting until this fall, when it is rumored that a combined flu/Covid shot will be available. But we have some travel coming up, so we decided to arm ourselves prior to that.

A friend of ours got Covid following a cruise but while she was still in France, and she thought she was going to drown in her own fluids. The hospital there refused to treat her. The thought of being so ill in a foreign country is very scary to me, so I'll do anything I can to avoid getting Covid.

It seems most people do not take Covid into consideration anymore. But I think it is important to understand that it is still around, and people are still dying from it. Here are the latest stats:

North Carolina has had 3.5 million cases and 29,279 deaths. In the United States there have been over 107 million cases and 1.2 million deaths. Worldwide there have been nearly 768 million cases and 6.9 million deaths. It is notable, however, that reporting is no longer required so the statistics are not necessarily accurate. One thing we can say for certain is that the numbers are certainly higher than what is being shown online. So I'll take a shot in the arm to hopefully avoid becoming one of the statistics.

Golden Oldies Pickleball

Sunday our pickleball club hosted another 55+ community for a fun fall social event. Our club had gone to Trilogy in June, and everyone had so much fun that we decided to have another event. Jim was in charge, and he did a wonderful job. The event ran smoothly, we had beautiful weather, and everyone seemed to have a great time. Following three hours of play, we met at our Celebration Cabin for a boxed meal and fellowship. It was nice to be on the courts with people our own age as opposed to those 10-20 years younger. Some day they will understand that we just move differently at our age. Here are a few photos from the event.

Imagery/Trilogy Social

Wednesday Jim and I got our flu shots. Honestly, it is the first time either of us has gotten this shot. We never get the flu, so it didn't make sense to get a vaccine and get sick from that. However with Baby Dub on the way, we want to make sure we are protected so we don't take any virus to her when we visit. Our daughter-in-law hasn't told anyone they need to get the shot, but she is encouraging visitors to do so. The shot itself was fairly painless, and other than a sore arm neither of us had any side effects from the vaccine. With that shot, I am 100% up-to-date on all my vaccinations. Jim still has a couple more to go, including DPT and shingles. But one has to wonder about getting all of these shots around the same time, considering all the Covid shots and boosters we have received. These are uncharted waters for sure.

Saturday night is the Mount Holly Lantern Parade, and our community has an entry for the second year in a row. Last year we took first place in the Community category with our minions. I'm not sure how we will fare this year since we up-cycled the minions, readying them for space as the theme is "It is written in the stars." I think there are about 25 of us who will be walking and carrying minions, stars and the Imagery banner. Whether we win or not, it has been a fun project to work on again. I'll post photos after the event.

Stormy Weather

the calm before Hurricane Ian arrived

Hurricane Ian made its way to the Charlotte area on Friday. We ended up with nearly 4 inches of rain and high winds for a couple of days. There was only tree debris to pick up at our house, though the neighbors three doors down had a tree shear off and hit the back of their house. It did some roof and eave damage, and broke the kitchen windows. That was scary for them, but oddly enough their home in Fort Meyers had minimal damage. We certainly can't complain in light of what many families in Florida endured.

Before the storm really got going on Friday we went to Walgreens for the latest Covid shot - the bivalent booster, which is said to help protect against the BA.4 and BA.5 variants. We both ended up with sore arms, and feeling achey and tired. That was gone by later on Saturday however.

While most people act as though the coronavirus is a thing of the past, experts are warning that cases will most likely pick up again as we go into the colder weather season. It's been awhile since I gave the updated statistics, so here they are:

North Carolina has had 3.18 million cases and 26,468 deaths. In the United States there have been 95.9 million cases and 1.53 million deaths. Worldwide there have been over 615 million cases and 6.5 million deaths. The number of cases is no doubt vastly underreported since so many people are taking home tests and those results do not need to be reported.

In speaking with the pharmacist who administered my shot, I have to agree that Covid is never going to totally go away, and that we will probably get an annual shot just like the flu. Honestly at this point only getting one Covid shot a year instead of one every few months sounds pretty good.

Jim's Shot in the Arm

Bojangles Coliseum

Jim turned 65 earlier this month, and I was able to schedule his first Covid-19 vaccination on March 6th. He was not able to get an appointment where I went until mid-April, so I went through a neighboring county to sign him up. The vaccines are being given out in multiple locations in that county, but his was at the Bojangles Coliseum. It is not set up as a drive through, which is unfortunate, but inside the building people were spread out and masked. He checked in, filled out a form, and was quickly taken back for his injection. Fifteen minutes later we were on our way home. His arm was a little sore the next day, but he had no other side effects at all.

Like me, he received the Pfizer vaccine, so the wait between shots is 3 weeks. He will return on March 30th for his second vaccination. I think we will rest a little easier once we are both fully vaccinated. We have been super careful in our activities, but not everyone has done the same. So you never know where you might be exposed to Covid. I have to say, it has not been too much of a hardship to stay at home when we can wake up to views like the one we were treated to this morning. Heaven painted a canvas in our backyard.

sunrise on Mountain Island Lake

Covid-19 Update

Covid-19 vaccine

Today is a Covid big news day here. First of all, I got my second vaccination this morning through Atrium Health. Their drive through system is the best. You never have to leave your car, and they have it down to a fine science. While there were a few more cars in line than when I went for my first shot, it moved quickly. Again, the most time-consuming part is waiting the 15 minutes after the shot to make sure you don't have an adverse reaction. To say that I am relieved to receive both doses is an understatement! I realize I still have to take the usual precautions - wear a mask in public, socially distance, and wash my hands frequently - but I feel like I have given myself every chance to avoid getting Covid. Now I am eager for Jim to be protected. He turns 65 on Tuesday, and I am hopeful that we will be able to get him scheduled for his first shot quickly. 

The second big thing to happen is that Governor Cooper is removing the Modified Stay at Home order, which required people to stay at home and businesses to be closed between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., effective as of 5:00 p.m. today. The number of people who can gather indoors increased from 10 to 25, while outdoor gatherings remain at 50 in attendance. Other attendance restrictions eased a bit as well, but these are the ones which affect most people. North Carolina's numbers for positive Covid tests and cases as well as hospitalizations due to Covid are trending downwards, so that is why he is easing restrictions.

Here are the current Covid statistics: North Carolina has had 858,000 cases and 11,162 deaths. In the United States there have been 28.4 million cases and 508,000 deaths. Worldwide there have been 113 million cases and 2.5 million deaths.

It's great that the numbers are trending downwards, but we really need everyone to remain vigilant. Hopefully people won't go crazy just because they are vaccinated. It can't be stressed enough that we need to follow the same safety protocols as before we got the shots in order to have a chance at containing and hopefully defeating this beast.

Covid-19 Vaccine Update

sunrise on Mountain Island Lake

It has been three days since I received my first Pfizer Covid-19 vaccination. My injection site arm was a little sore Friday and Saturday, but by Sunday that had totally gone away. I experienced no other reactions from the shot. The most serious, of course, would be an anaphylactic reaction, which is why they have you wait 15 minutes following the injection as that is the time period during which such a reaction most likely will occur. 

Some people experience swelling at the site of the shot, which honestly normally happens to me. Other common side effects are fever, chills, tiredness and headaches. While I am feeling very fortunate that I didn't experience any of those things, I do know that it is more common for them to occur following the second shot. But I'll count my blessings that the first one went so smoothly.

Not Throwing Away My Shot

Atrium Health Covid-19 vaccination tent

This morning I was able to receive my first Covid-19 vaccination at the Atrium Healthcare facility in Concord, NC, which is about 45 minutes away from my home. Once we figured out where on the huge campus the shots were taking place, the process could not have been easier. We drove up and were immediately greeted by an attendant who verified how many in the car were being vaccinated. (I had Jim come with me in case I had an adverse reaction, but as he is not 65 yet he is ineligible to receive the shot in North Carolina at this point.) After I told the man it was just me, he asked if I had received a bar code from Atrium, which unfortunately I had not. He handed me paperwork that I had to fill out, as well a a vaccine report card on which they record your first and second shots.

first Pfizer Covid-19 vaccination

He then sent me up to the next attendant, and she made sure that I did indeed have an appointment, verified my date of birth and address, and waited while I completed the form. Next I drove straight ahead to a large tent, where a nurse asked me a couple of other questions, checked my paperwork, and then gave me the shot. It was the least painful injection I have ever received - way better than tetanus and shingle shots. From there I pulled behind a few cars where I was asked to wait 15 minutes before leaving. This is to make sure you don't have a severe reaction to the vaccine, which is rare but has occurred. From start to finish, we were there less than 25 minutes, and I never had to leave my car. Easy, peasy! 

It has been three hours since the injection, and while my arm is slightly sore everything else is fine so far. I know I may get some reaction, and I suspect I will as I have from other shots. And I have heard that reactions increase with the second shot. But that is good as your body is doing what it is supposed to do at that point.

I recognize that I am incredibly fortunate to have been able to schedule my vaccinations. I hope that when Jim turns 65 next month, we are able to get appointments for him as well. And I pray that the vast majority of Americans will agree to be vaccinated, as that is the only way we can kill off this deadly virus.