CoconutBrigadier

It's a very exclusive club! Makes for great party conversation. 😂

It feels weird to be happy about this, but the two medical problems I've had since July are not opportunistic infections related to a covid infection like I assumed.

One turned out to be eczema in my ear canals, and the other was a brown recluse spider bite.

Fun times. /s

Woohoo! I got nerve blocks for my occipital neuralgia today. I also learned that I have a crunchy scalp which, while kind of disturbing to experience, means I have healthy fascia there. Love to learn something new every day!

Saw my PCP today for follow up stuff & said that I wasn't comfortable taking my mask off to have him address my facial skin issues now, and he matter of factly agreed & said I should wait. The man doesn't wear a mask, but he's so ok with mine that it still feels respectful. 🤷‍♀️ It's a weird feeling.

A young guy asked me about my mask today. "Are you sicky-poo?" No. "Are you around someone who is sicky-poo?" Nope. There's just a lot of COVID out there. "I agree with that." I'm trying to not get sicky-poo.

I'm going to have to buy some more masks to offer interested people.

Thank you. And I completely agree with your assessment!

Thank you. I too wish that was an option. [sigh]

Today my therapist told me that he thought I should feel grateful for the *one* time my drumming group "accommodated" my disability & wore masks "for me" even though they were passive aggressive about it. Grateful. I cannot articulate how much I hate this man.

I have a total platonic crush (I think most people call this appreciation.) on my cabinet designer guy because he gets that with my chronic illnesses, it makes sense that I wear a mask because I want to do things, not get sicker and be unable to do things.

Between being nervous about a doctor's appointment tomorrow and being excited that my SIL is pregnant again and I get to knit more tiny-person clothes, I don't know how I'm going to get to sleep tonight.

A woman in my drumming group was exposed to COVID yesterday, so she's skipping practice tomorrow. We're supposed to practice for a performance at her house on Saturday. I doubt I'm going to go to the practice or performance. I'm the only one who masks religiously. [sigh]

Novavax shot acquired!

I will never set foot in a Costco on a Saturday again.

Wow. Learning there are lots of indie yarn dyers and knitwear designers I'm going to be boycotting over their support of unequivocal genocide.

Potters:

Silicosis: "Wear a respirator so you don't die a terrible, premature death!"

COVID: "Why are you wearing a respirator? [Insert minimizing comment of your choice.]"

I walked out of my pottery class tonight after the instructor said, "If yellow engobe irritates your airway, well, there's not much to do about that." I said, "A respirator with VOC cartridges would work." She responded, "That's too much work...just don't use yellow engobe."

What fresh hell is this!? My new chronic pain medication is making my fascia itch like a mosquito bite under the skin. I hate this.

A woman is sitting outside wearing a Dräger X-plore 1950 N95 respirator.

As I was walking into drum class today, a woman stopped me and said, "That's a serious mask! Where'd you get it?" I told her how to acquire some, all the while thinking, "Oh! You haven't seen my serious masks." The mask in question: a Dräger X-plore 1950 N95. Public health continues to be a joke.

The masks that work best for me happen to be the least exciting looking ones: Gerson 3230 duckbill, 3M VFlex, Dräger X-plore 1950 and elastomerics like the Honeywell North 7700, GVS Elipse, & a 3M half-face that I've had forever. Curse the hereditary facial features that makes cool KN95s leak on me!

I have this sneaking suspicion that I'm getting prematurely discharged from PT because I just got a formal fibromyalgia dx. Either way, I'd really like them to tell me where to get help next. I'd still like my body to be in less pain and to function better, even if I make slow progress. Harumph!

Thanks! The Kaze masks are expensive but fun colors. (Though, only their bifold masks are certified to filter viral particles.) MaskLab & WellBefore have some really great designs, and BreatheTeq has 3 colors. Bifolds and earloops sadly don't work for me, so this was a good way to offload those.

Awesome! And I'm totally willing to wear the "weirder" looking mask so someone else can feel safer wearing a less in-your-face style.

Plus, if they already have the tool, they might be more willing to use it. Being provided the tool in the first place eliminates a huge barrier to use.

A pile of Ziplock bags containing an assortment of N95 and KN95 respirators.

What do you do when the girl at the drive thru says she's been trying to find masks because her mom says COVID is getting bad again in Texas? You give her a bag of assorted respirators that you keep in your car for this exact purpose then go home and make more mask goodie bags.