STAYING WELL: Masking and Handwashing! NO COVID OR COLDS!

 For all the EDS patients and also their/my friends: THIS is why I cannot get sick with a cold or COVID! If you see the parietal diagram below:  Look at where my surgery was:   the Atlas is C1 is where the weight of the brainy skull is supported.  That was fused with C2 which is the Axis.   So there are now some pretty big screws along with some titanium there. I will soon have CT images of it but you can see that there is not only swelling but also VERY little additional space to take up. Look at where the sinuses are, also the nasal passages and the esophagus. Food (and wine!) has to travel down the esophagus w/o getting hung up on the tissues. The air tube (trachea) and the food tube are RIGHT there.   This makes it very clear why swallowing is an issue.   Also it is clear why one does not want any additional mucus or inflammation in the sinuses, nose, trachea.   I panicked at the hotel during the first few days postop because I could not breathe due to gagging and nausea.   One does NOT want any random illnesses to affect this healing area.  Therefore:  for everyone. Please help me remember to mask or to see you OUTSIDE! I am really careful but I do get so tired that I just forget or don’t insist because frankly I am tired of being not at top level functioning at this point.  I know that seems a bit Whiney since I am alive and with much less pain than preop but I want other EDS pts also to see why we have to be so darn careful! Oh BTW I have sneezed x3 since surgery.  OMG. It is awful. You do NOT want to sneeze! 





Comments

  1. Jackie NagelMay 3, 2022 at 7:30 AM

    Well, first of all, I'm glad that wine still travels down that slippery slope.

    Second, as someone who also needs to avoid infections, etc, please take it upon yourself to protect yourself several days before seeing Ruth. Avoid unnecessarily, willy-nilly contact with others. These variants are too contagious to play fast and loose around others. Mask with an N95 or KN95. Wash your hands. Don't become lazy or complacent if you're planning a visit to our precious friend.

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