heathber

Stroke Survivor - female
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Everything posted by heathber

  1. I’m one of the few who still wears a mask in the supermarket and in lifts. But I don’t worry about it in the office on the days I’m there. Our office is still pretty empty as we have gone to hybrid working so most of us only do 1 or 2 days a week in the office. Other than that I’m back to most of my old activities. Although it looks like N95 masks are going to be normal for hospital physiotherapy visits for a long time yet.
  2. How you doing in the cyclone Deigh? I hope you are OK. My Auckland contacts say its been pretty bad over there.
  3. What great news Tracy. Its a journey but you’re winning. I recommend yin yoga as a way to spend some quality time listening to your body and clearing your mind. It also doesn’t need balance or super dexterity. I have an in home teacher, but during lockdowns I used online resources.
  4. It has certainly taken time for people to be willing to go back to some of their previous social habits, but most things are slowly getting back to "normal"
  5. Hi again all. Thanks Deigh for letting me know the site issues have been fixed
  6. Can someone from the Admin team work out why the forums no longer work the error I get is this [[Template forums/front/forums/forumDisplay is throwing an error. This theme may be out of date. Run the support tool in the AdminCP to restore the default theme.]]
  7. Deigh posted this in the Blog Forum where only moderators can answer. Deigh your inbox is the messages system which you access from the envelope icon on the top left of the screen
  8. I too fail the sleep hygiene tests pretty regularly with the "oops is it midnight already" my aim is to at least be in bed by 11pm. I figure half way there is a good start.
  9. looks like you will have house guests for a few days, Sorry you can't go to Banff. Take care of yourselves.
  10. I believe the theory is blue light is the spectrum that triggers/sets your circadian rhythms and sleep/wake cycle so blue or white lights after dark inhibit the production of melatonin and disrupt the bodies ability to recognise that you should be asleep. If you must use a screen after dark set it to the night mode with the orange/yellow cast and that should limit the effect.
  11. Hi Kelli, they are warning us here that headache, and gastro type symptoms need to be considered covid symptoms. So you 're right you can't say when you became symptomatic with Covid. As for working while you're sick. If you push too hard (i.e. work) you'll only be sick for longer so don't feel guilty about not going to work. You'll just be ill for longer and more likely to give it to others. That's been one of the good side effects of Covid here, no one with even a sniffle goes to work and it's just expected. So if you have the sneezing allergies like I have at the moment you get dirty looks wherever you go, even if you're wearing a mask. Take care of you first, it's the only way you'll fully recover.
  12. You are very disciplined if you manage to meditate on your own every weekend. I have a weekly private yoga session where an instructor comes to me and we work on various stretches, proprioception and muscle control exercises. we usually finish with a 10 - 15 minute guided meditation which is great but I'm not good at repeating the meditation session on my own later in the week, even though I understand the benefit.
  13. That's a great shot of your family Deigh. I hope the lack of vaccination becomes less of an issue for others with time. It's sad when something like that splits a family. My lot have all had their shots thank goodness. With most of them working in essential warehousing or schools the question of whether to get vaccinated never really came up There's also a few comorbidities among the group with asthma, diabeties, stroke and age also well represented in my family members. Our youngest member is too young to get her shot yet, she's been exposed to it a few times at daycare but only had a mild case once and managed not to infect her parents. fingers crossed that continues to be the pattern. We often have a group video chat with Vi as she does her bedtime routine. It's a hoot helping her choose her pjs for the night and having her read us a bedtime book. It was a habit that started as a way to distract a tired child who didn't want her hair brushed or her nappy put on after her evening bath, so she would have a video call with Grandma, and then on the nights Grandma wasn't available the aunts, uncles and great aunt (me) would fill in, so she has formed a relationship with her extended family even though she only sees some of us a few times a year, it also gives the adults a chance for a quick catch up on news. She was 6 mths old when covid started so she has only ever known covid restrictions and life. Sue I'm sorry your haven't been able to keep up with the SA grandkids. If they don't call you maybe you need to start calling them.
  14. Hi Deigh, 25 is comfortable, 12 - 15 is not. 30C sounds like Sydney temp, Not surprised if that is the only one you hear in NZ. But I'm in Regional Victoria about the same latitude as Napier, but much further from the sea and on the edge of the great dividing range, so up a few hills. Just far enough from Melbourne that you can't rely on the Melbourne forecast.
  15. Yes that is a side effect of the "let it rip" approach that everyone forgets, and apparently its about to get worse as they are contemplating removing compulsory isolation for close contacts.
  16. Her best chance of getting function back is in rehab. The sooner she starts rehab the better. First step is learning to sit up. after that comes standing. I did lots of exercises in my bed at first. This is where being stubborn and refusing to let it beat you comes in. If you can spend time with her in rehab do it, the more stimulation she gets the quicker things will happen. Don't let the system decide "she's 83 and won't fully recover" so not worth putting in the effort. Also remind her that it takes time and will be hard work, rest is good but so is work, even just practicing the movements in your mind helps. it's about try, fail, try again, and repeat and repeat and repeat. Stroke recovery is seldom linear it will go forwards and sometimes backwards. don't be discouraged, celebrate the small wins and know that repeating them may be harder than you expect. Brain healing also needs plenty of sleep and good nutrition. Just so you know I'm still getting improvements 12 years after my stroke and I couldn't sit up for the first few weeks (I'd fall over sideways unless supported) or get out of bed unassisted for over a month , and I was a strong fit 44 year old. Although admittedly I didn't have the swallow issue. The OT and/or speech therapist are who you need for that and they'll be available in rehab but probably not in hospital and certainly not at home. Best of luck to your aunt, and try to stay positive, she can do this, and so can you.
  17. I now know many people who have had Covid. Including most of my gym instructors and hospital physios. Weather here has turned cold in the last couple of days. I'm back in winter clothes although have resisted the urge to turn heaters on so far.
  18. Fingers crossed that winter doesn't lead to too many cases, although the reality we are seeing from the northern hemisphere is that with everyone inside it is inevitable. We are also being warned to watch out for a nasty influenza season this year as so many people were not exposed to it last year, due to Covid restrictions we didn't get our usual immune system boosting exposure (i.e. natural vaccination) Seasonal Flu jabs will be available soon 🙂 and we'll probably need to get another Covid jab too. I'm amazed how many here have not bothered to get their third shot yet 😞 They've been doing the fuel reduction burns around here for the last week and the air is full of smoke so everyone local is coughing and sneezing but it does mean I'm even more of a leper once I go into the city. Hang in there everyone Heather
  19. heathber

    COVID

    true Sue and long Covid is still a possibility even if you only get mild symptoms especially for the children who haven't been vaccinated. This thing is going to have some very long implications for everyone's health and our hospitals etc.
  20. Very much still in Limbo. Any group that includes people who are extra vulnerable has been slow to resume. e.g. my Red Hat ladies are only meeting outside at the moment and most things they would normally do are still on hold. I went to an afternoon concert on Saturday and 50% of the audience were still wearing masks. The warm up comedian made a few jabs about it, and quite a few people took them off. I was not impressed by that, but it's a personal choice for your own and other safety