MountainMornings

Let’s face it, this virus is out of control. And the worst part is, the symptoms can be deceiving. For instance, I just saw my amazing hair stylist Chase for a splash of magenta pink, because why go halfway when coloring your hair? He had tested positive for Covid-19 last month, and so I had to get up to date on his recovery and the latest Drag Queen shows.

Yes, we still have Drag Queen brunch shows in Nashville at the City Winery – outside at socially distant tables. You can either Venmo some tip money after a performance, or they might hold out a butterfly net! Lip synching in a mask and full makeup has got to be difficult though.

Anyway, he told me he knew something was wrong when he had a headache that wouldn’t quit. And then he started vomiting. And that was it, mostly Chase’s Covid drama was a GI thing, with generalized aches and pains. No fever. No coughing. The Groom really didn’t have much coughing either, just fever and a generalized achiness all over.

Oh and there was the smell, the sweet smell of pixie sticks that could strike at a moment’s notice. One of the Bride’s friends, a hospitalist in Asheville, lost her entire sense of smell and taste for months.

While talking to Doctor Bob about all this, he asked me what these “protean manifestations” might suggest. First, I had to look that phrase up! Proteus was the mythological master of disguise, so it describes something that is complex, and can take on varied shapes and meanings. Like a Changling in Star Trek! In other words, the manifestations or symptoms of Covid can range across a great diversity of disease.

Is it just respiratory? No, it can present as neurological, or just gastro-intestinal. You could even luck out and have no symptoms at all! In fact, “…people with the virus have presented with or developed heart disease, acute liver injury, ongoing GI issues, skin manifestations, neurologic damage, and other problems, especially among sicker people.” Some have even needed dialysis.

I felt like I won the lottery when I said, “It’s in the BLOOD!”

But then the Bride and Groom stopped by for lunch in the garden. They brought the Grands and the puppy of course because the Groom was picking up his new bicycle at our local bike shop. The weather has been cooperating – 70 degrees and sunny skies in November!

As of today, the Rocker and Aunt Kiki are flying in for Thanksgiving this coming week. They’ll be staying in the decon-garage apartment. We’ve all been tested, in fact, Bob was tested twice last week. So we will be following the new Nashville rule of no more than 8 in a family gathering – 3 tables in the garden of 4, 2 and 2. Oh, and the Bride is working in the ER on Thanksgiving – so we will celebrate on Friday.

The Groom is finished with his Covid ICU shift, and the Grands will stay home from school. Maybe we’ll find out if the Bride got the real Moderna vaccine? We can have a safe, socially distant Thanksgiving, and if all goes well, we may even be able to hug everybody eventually!

Happy Pandemic Thanksgiving y’all; this year will be different but we can always find something to be grateful for every day. Stay hopeful and wear your mask!