If you need support, understanding, and love, let us know here.

okay, Lewis the kitten (they're all named for book/tv detectives) made it through the night. He has a 50% chance of making it. My sister ended up returning all of the kittens and their mom today. They are all on medication due to respiratory problems. Last night the mother got so stressed she started moving them all over the place. So the shelter said, bring them back. Lewis will probably need fluids which we can't administer here. Hopefully we will have them back soon. They work so hard with the animals at this shelter. They just brought a lot of puppies up from Mississippi (all the shelters get their animals from the south where nobody spays, neuters, or checks for heartworm) and one of them tested for parvo. So they have to get all of the pups back from fosters and test them. They're tearing their hair out over there. We have often cared for sick kittens, but with Lewis so sick, it's a lot.

I'm very grateful for any healing help. I know you all have your own issues, and I appreciate what you do.

 Positive Psychologists have reported that doing acts of kindness tones the vagus nerve. @deetoo, I couldn't find your earlier post so not sure if this information is repetitive.  But it's been established in science that giving to others helps the vagus nerve which runs throughout your body and connects the heart and the brain.

@suspira44, Re Vagus nerve -- Here is an exercise that I posted about a month ago:

I’m attaching a video of a simple exercise that can calm the sympathetic nervous system by stimulating the ventral branch of the vagus nerve.  I received this from my physical therapist who does a lot of cranial/sacral therapy.  The first time I tried it, I was having a major anxiety episode while trying to get to sleep, moving towards a panic attack.  I was skeptical that this exercise would work and was surprised by how effective it was for me. I am now doing the exercise daily.  If this resonates with you, perhaps it’s something you can add to your arsenal of coping mechanisms:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHBpHl0oebo

In case you'd like to read up on Rosenberg's work, here is a link to his book: https://www.amazon.com/Accessing-Healing-Power-Vagus-Nerve/dp/1623170249

I'm not claiming that it can work miracles, but I find it very helpful.  My physical therapist, who also does extensive cranial sacral work and is a rolfer, really likes Rosenberg's approach. 

@suspira44 and @ghandigirl, I can post more about it tomorrow.

Well, I just got back from a 5 hour visit to the ER.   My husband's fever was really high, so I called his doctor who recommended that I take him to the hospital.  He has the flu, Type A.  There's also some gunk on his lung, so they gave him an antibiotic, as well as Tamiflu and something for his nausea.  

Actually 5 hours at an ER isn't bad, especially considering this hospital is a major trauma center.  Still, my nerves are shot from the sensory overload, and I do feel like I'm fighting something.  If you are able, please send my hubby some good energy for his continued healing, and some protection for me so I don't get it.

Thanks, and nitey nite, y'all.  ❤️ ? ❤️ 

@deetoo

Sorry to hear this. Hoping the healing really takes off now with the meds. 

@deetoo Will be sending love and healing to you both. 

@deetoo

maybe you should get on the tamiflu, too.

That stuff makes me feel really weird- and not in a good way- but it is still better than the flu, which is already in yr house.

love you, and of course will pray for you and Mr. Deetoo!

Dearest Deetoo,  sending you love and healing for both of you.  Surrounding your sweet husband with angels to watch over him and sooth his whole system.

@deetoo Dearest One,

Glad the hubby is getting much needed care. At least they didn't send him home. Please take care of yourself. Maybe there is a family member, friend or neighbor who could help you disinfect the house a bit? At the very least, air the place out and wash all linens. Even when I lived in a cold climate I found this to be a helpful tactic to prevent disease spread. And even though I try to avoid heavy chemical use, the only one I embrace is Lysol - it really does kill most germs very well. When someone has a bug, I spray down all remotes, doorknobs, light switches, etc. Usually I "fumigate" and then open every window and air out. And I wipe down phones (especially cell phones) with rubbing alcohol.  So yes, I'm a germaphobe, but I've created adaptations that really do work, after years of being sick all the time.

PS Despite my winter-long intermittent illness this year, no one else in my house caught it, thanks to using my OCD for good!

@deetoo

I am thinking of you and your husband tonight.  What a rough winter you’ve had.  I’m sending you both healing energy and love.  May you rest well and wake feeling better.  XO

@Deetoo I’m sending you and your hubby healing light. May it surround both of you and give you comfort and healing.

Thanks for the book and video recommendations. They are both fascinating and I realized that the place where I do my exercise must be working with some of these concepts. I find them really interesting and look forward to better understanding them and making use of them.

@ghandigirl, @stardancer, @unk-p, @jeanne-mayell, @laura-f, @bluebelle, @baba, and everyone,

Thank you all for your kind messages, healing light, and well wishes.  I love all of you.

@unk-p, I had the flu about 4 years ago and my doctor gave me Tamiflu.  After I read all of the side effects and considered my sensitivities to meds, I decided not to take it and rode it out.

@laura-f, I didn't make myself clear earlier, but the hospital did send my husband home. The doctor said if we kept everyone who came in here with the flu, they'd be sleeping on the floors.  She said had he been much worse, had another serious illness, or was 84 instead of 64, they would have kept him.  Even though there was a little smudge of gunk on his lungs, she believed that the antibiotic would clear that up.  He'll need another lung x-ray in 10 days.

I'm disinfecting everything around me with Clorox wipes, but of course he still touches stuff and sometimes forgets to cover his mouth when he coughs.  Great idea about cleaning the bed linens and airing things out.  Even though I'm sure I've already been exposed to his germs, it may still help.  My prayer is that my body is able to fight it off.  I have autoimmune problems, so this sort of exposure concerns me.  Right now I  feel very fatigued but I often feel that way, so it's hard to tell.  I have a  sinus headache, slight cough and mild congestion and drainage in my head.  No fever.

Oh, forgot to mention:  when we were in the ER my nervous system was on overdrive.  So I did the vagal exercise I spoke about in an earlier post and it helped.  I still felt wiped out from the beeping, bright lights, all the sick people, and the general energy of the place, but my sympathetic nervous system noticeably calmed down.  

And, @laura-f, FYI about that vagal exercise:  in the book Rosenberg mentioned that the exercises can help some people with asthma and COPD.  He wanted to do a long asthma research study as it relates to the polyvagal theory, but decided to focus on autism instead.  Anyway, just wanted to mention it.

@deetoo

Continue to think of you, both..carrying you in my heart throughout the day. Sending love and peace. ❤️

Two disastrous nights in a row. Panicking while half asleep last night. Yelling. My man was there and held me but it kept reoccuring. He held me each time. 

I am tired and feel demoralized. 

So I am going to focus outward and send love to kitty Lewis, and "Mr. Detoo" (that made me laugh) and Cari Elana and Lilli and Laura and Detoo, and all others who are ill. 

Focusing on myself is only causing depression. 

May tonight be easier for me. May all who need healing have access. 

@deetoo

My man had the flu recently. I have had a flu shot, he hadn't.

The first thing I did was to wash all the bedding and wipe down all doorknobs. We don't live together, but he is always here. So he quarintined himself at his place and I saw him for maybe 5-10  minutes a day for 7 days in a row. He stilll has a loose cough but is much recovered.

Wash your hands and don't touch your face. That is important to stave it off. 

@deetoo

Sending you and your husband healing light and energy! I'm so sorry you are experiencing all this.  I'll send light to your home too perhaps that will help clear some stuff too. My prayers and light are with you. ? ❤️ ❤️ ? 

@triciact, thank you!

@ghandigirl, my husband gets the flu shots every year.  I don't.  And it seems like he often gets sicker with respiratory stuff than I do.  I think the head and chest problems are his achilles heel.  My body is different -- I've had some strange, ongoing autoimmune and autonomic dysfunction problems for the past two decades. 

My husband is sleeping in a separate bedroom, but I wish I could quarantine him even more -- with big doses of TLC, of course.  ?   

thank you everyone for all your help with Lilli the dog and little Lewis, the cat. There were three litters rescued from a hoarding situation. We had one litter of five, including Lewis. Unfortunately all the kittens in all the litters passed away; they were all very sick. So Lewis and his siblings are gone, very sick with respiratory (he was the sickest by far). The mom is in isolation. We feel terrible.

Lilli is doing okay after her surgery and is going to be seeing a vet specializing in Chinese medicine next week, and Sue her owner is going to try a round of chemo to see how it goes unless the Chinese vet has any suggestions. 

However, this morning, my cousin Frank emailed my brother saying it was too bad about our cousin yada yada - we found out my cousin had lung cancer for five years, had chemo and a lung removal, and was in ICU the last week and died last night. No one except I guess in her own family knew she was ill.  We're all upset and wishing we'd known to support the family. This particular branch of the family is on the odd side - they never told us my aunt died until she had been dead a couple of days; ditto their sister - again, we didn't know she was sick. A family of no information, not even need to know!

@detoo  Sending you lots of love and healing energy. 

@ghandigirl, I don't wish to further complicate matters, but have you ever had a sleep study done?