The Red Zone

 Last week my county entered the red zone, the most at-risk high-transmission category. The Warsaw public library is only available for curb-side pickup and telephone reference calls. Banks are drive-thru or lobby access by appointment only. Yesterday I learned that my pastor and his wife are ill with COVID. He officiated at his son's wedding on December 27th sans mask. The whole wedding party of 13 wore no masks. His symptoms showed up one week later on January 3rd, his wife's a few days earlier. A church family (parents, grown daughter, 2 grown sons-in-law) also has COVID. 6 adults and 4 children spent all day together on Christmas. Our church will have no live nor livestreamed service on Jan. 10th and probably not on the 17th. The live service had already been cancelled due to snow on Jan. 3rd.

Our county is very slow in administering the vaccine. Grace Village healthcare workers and HC residents received the first shot Dec. 28th; assisted living will receive their first Jan. 25th when HC gets their second. Health care workers throughout the county are getting shots. The general public has been given no projected dates except that those 75 and older and essential workers will be next. Now one of the administrative staff and 5-6 independent living residents of Grace Village have tested positive for COVID. 

I am feeling a little crabby today. My December 22nd ACDF surgery went OK. Today an assistant of the surgeon removed the steri-strips. The incision area looks very puffy still. The x-ray shows the inside throat area still swollen as well. I am having a little trouble swallowing. I am still sleeping in a recliner, hope to try my bed on Friday or Saturday (after an earlier disastrous try). I did perk up when I finally managed to get my wedding ring over the big knuckle and back in place several days ago. I am having muscle pain across the shoulders and around the shoulder blades. I got off the percocet on the third day and switched to tylenol, but it only takes the edge off. I start physical therapy tomorrow. I am praying the shoulder/back pain goes away in the next 10 days. Then I can get off the muscle relaxant and drive again. Not too chipper right now. I knew it would take weeks, even months, to get back to normal activity, but knowing and accepting are two different things.

Time to take the muscle relaxant afternoon dose which means I will be overwhelmingly drowsy in 20 minutes and forced to take a nap.

Hope your new year is going well.