Day 3… Antibiotics and Prednisone…No side effects except lack of sleep…Many readers responded with long-haul Covid-19 symptoms…

Posted by worldwide-admin on October 17, 2022 with 0 Comment

She was most aggressive in eating the lucerne. She may be pregnant.

It wasn’t surprising to hear from many readers with long-haul Covid-19 symptoms. Some had been infected with the original Delta strain, which was most horrific before vaccines were available, and others from Omicron and other strains. The symptoms that most were suffering from varied, from brain fog to memory loss, loss of taste and smell, fatigue, breathing issues, heart problems, neurologic problems, newly diagnosed diabetes, and an endless array of peculiar symptoms.

I suppose my forehead headache and facial pain might seem as if they fit into the peculiar symptoms category. Still, after some research, I discovered my condition was not that peculiar. Whether a patient had a severe case of Covid-19 or its strains or anywhere in between, reputable medical sites state that just about any symptom resulting during and after infection may possibly be considered long-haul.

A forkl of kudus eating the lucerne. Everyone was in on the action.

Here are a few links to a few highly reputable sites with information you may find helpful if you’ve been wondering if your current state of health may be attributed to your past infection. Even mild infections may result in long-haul symptoms.

John Hopkins: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/covid-long-haulers-long-term-effects-of-covid19
Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-long-term-effects/art-20490351
Yale Medicine: https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/covid-19-symptoms-wont-go-away
Mostly, they grab big mouthfuls fearing it will soon be gone. And it was!

Most importantly, one must be proactive in seeking care from medical professionals and conducting research on your own, which, for me, made me realize my symptoms were not that unusual after all. But, as an avid researcher of all types of information, I tend to avoid health articles published by the news media when they are seeking more readers and sensationalizing snippets of information. Those articles can easily cause stress and anxiety when seeking more reader susing their fear tactics.

Long-haul Covid-19 is now a medical specialty. It’s wise to allow your doctor to direct you to such resources if they feel it is beneficial for you. But, not surprisingly, many primary care physicians are becoming knowledgeable in handling less aggressive cases, such as mine.

Many of our readers are working with cardiologists, neurologists, pulmonary specialists, gastroenterologists, psychiatrists, and others since many symptoms seem to cause anxiety and depression, which also can be a part of long-haul symptoms. I suffer from neither.

I have been fortunate to be able to function since I had these symptoms. However, I suffered for the past six weeks from taking the medication for neurological pain, exhaustion, and extreme daytime sleepiness. I have been off that drug since my final dose last Thursday night and no longer feel sleepy during the day.

Mongooses cuddling in the garden is typical behavior for them as they wait for me to cut up their paloney.

I have the opposite problem with Prednisone, but as mentioned in yesterday’s post, I have the opposite problem. Oral corticosteroid medication typically causes insomnia during administration. But, this side effect usually dissipates a few days after stopping the drug. I am on day three, with seven more days to complete the prescription.

Thank you to our many readers who wrote to share their stories. The most severe case I received was from a dear past client who reads our posts, who has been to hell and back in the past year with horrible symptoms and what may be lifelong conditions, difficult to treat. We send our love and prayers to Lisa and all of our readers suffering from long-haul Covid to find relief in days to come.

Since they are carnivores, they don’t eat the lucerne, but they like to burrow near it.

We are sticking close to home as I go through this treatment regime. Although I don’t feel many side effects from the new medications, I don’t feel like venturing out much right now since I have doses to take at various times of the day while I continue to try to rest as much as possible, which everyone who wrote stated that rest has been helpful for them.

After eating their paloney, they often wait around for a while, hoping for more.

Everything for tonight’s dinner is already prepared, only needing to be heated later on top of the stove. Today, I will tackle the easy job of making Tom’s keto blueberry scones which he’s been enjoying lately, and occasionally cutting carrots and fresh pears for Norman’s daily lunch. He stands in the garden staring at me, asking, “Where’s my lunch?” I can’t jump up quickly enough to get it for him. I love the joys of the bush!!!

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, October 17, 2021:

A year ago, we wrote about local artist Dawie Fourie. His paintings are so exquisite. They appear to be photographs taken by a professional photographer. For inquiries about Dawie’s artwork, please email him: at dawiefouriearts@gmail.com. For more photos, please click here.

Update on post Omicron symptoms…Not an easy solution for six-months of long-haul symptoms…

Posted by worldwide-admin on October 16, 2022 with 0 Comment

On an early morning visit, Norman is waiting for us to get up.

As promised in the last few posts, and after several readers wrote asking for an update, I am sharing where I’m at with these awful post-Omicron symptoms plaguing me since we were both infected aboard a cruise in April. When Tom got Omicron on the cruise ship, a few weeks later, after struggling with the virus, he developed Covid pneumonia.

While in the US two weeks after we tested positive and finally tested negative, we were both pretty sick. We went to Urgent Care for Tom, who had been prescribed six medications for what the doctor described as Covid pneumonia, causing his lungs to look like a “honeycomb.”

Earl, walking off from the lucerne pile a few mornings ago.

During the three weeks that we were in the US in Minnesota and Nevada, we couldn’t spend any time with our kids, grandkids, and other family members since, although testing negative, we were both still sick. Days passed while Tom lay in bed in the hotel room in Minnesota without knowing what day it was…he was so ill.

I was very sick too, but nowhere near as bad as he was, so I could handle his inhalation therapy and meds every two hours. It was quite a challenging time. During that period, my worst symptom was a constant dull headache above my left eye on my forehead, a pain in my left cheek, and a peculiar rash all over my body, unlike anything I’d ever seen.

I bought several creams at the local pharmacy to stop the awful itching that kept me awake most of the night. I knew it was from Omicron and figured all these symptoms would dissipate in time. After not seeing our family since we were both coughing so much, we headed back to Marloth Park, arriving on May 24, Tom had begun to feel better, but I was still suffering from the rash, the facial pain, and the headache.

Zebras were enjoying lucerne in our garden.

When Doc Theo wasn’t in his office on the weekend, I’d had enough and needed prescription medication. So, we went to the medical clinic in Marloth Park on a Saturday. They said I had eczema and a sinus infection that caused my Omicron and gave me a five-day course of antibiotics and a cortisone cream to use on the awful itchy patches all over my arms, legs, and back. I was grateful it wasn’t on my face.

I used all the medication as prescribed and finished the antibiotics just before we had to leave to go on a visa run to Zambia and Botswana. I still had the same symptoms during the entire week we were away; nothing had improved. We returned to Marloth Park, and the following Monday, I scheduled an appointment with Doc Theo.

In describing my symptoms, facial pain and headache only on my forehead, and when the antibiotics hadn’t worked, he dismissed the idea of a sinus infection. He considered I might have trigeminal neuralgia, brought on by Covid, a symptom seen in some “long-haul” patients.

Big Daddy was stopping by to see what was on the menu.

He prescribed Amitriptyline in a low dose, often used in high doses for seizure disorders and depression. But a low amount was effective for trigeminal neuralgia. I was hopeful, starting at only 5 mg and ending at 35 mg (still a low dose). At 35 mg, the headache improved, but the facial pain remained. However, the common side effect of this drug is daytime sleepiness, although I only took it two hours before bed.

For six weeks, I felt so drugged (it’s not a narcotic) I had trouble moving around during the day and was only comfortable lying in bed. We still socialized to fight off the symptoms, went to Jabula, and attended various events. During this time, friends Jeff, Connie, and Lindsey came to stay with us, and Jeff passed away in bed during the night on September 21st.

I don’t know how I got through all of that. I could barely keep my head up. But I did and made every effort to appear to be feeling normal. It took everything I had to cook a meal. For the last several days, Connie and Lindsey were here. We ate out four nights in a row which was good for all of us.

I’d hoped the sleepiness would fade over time, but when it didn’t, and the symptoms began to return, I made an appointment with Doc Theo this past Friday to assess my symptoms and come up with our next plan. He suggested we go to Nelspruit to Mediclinic for a brain scan, but I wasn’t ready to do that yet.

We both decided to start over with a new diagnosis. Long-haul Covid-19 symptoms are insidious. They aren’t easy to detect with typical scans and tests. We returned to the theory that I had severe sinusitis, which could easily account for the symptoms. In my head and face, since both pain locations are directly where two sinuses on the left side of my face only are located. However, when I told him the names of the antibiotics I got from the clinic on the weekend, he explained those drugs are resistant to treating sinusitis of this magnitude.

We headed to the pharmacy after the appointment with Theo and filled the four prescriptions: Prednisone. Levofloxacin, a steroid nasal spray, and a decongestant. Today, it’s been two days since my first dose of the medications. The headache is almost completely gone, but the facial pain remains. The itchy spots are improving from the Prednisone, which I will take for ten days, reducing to a lower dose in five days.

Tom cleaned up a messy result from a baboon invasion this morning.

We’ll see how it goes. Usually, antibiotics don’t fully work until the third day. The cortisone keeps me awake at night, but I am not concerned about that right now. The last dose I took of Amitriptyline was Thursday night, and it’s now out of my system. I no longer feel sleepy, forgetful, and trip over my feet, which is a huge relief.

I’ve even felt motivated to do a little cooking and some tasks around the house. If the pain isn’t gone by Thursday, I have to call Doc Theo to plan our next step. We’ll see how it goes.

No doubt, I am a bit fearful I won’t get better, and then what? I dread going back to Mediclinic, which I haven’t been back to since my four surgeries related to open-heart surgery and follow-up appointments which ended 3½ years ago.

There’s the story, folks. If you have suffered from long-haul Covid-19 symptoms, we’d like to hear from you. Right now, the only person I know who has long-haul symptoms is my younger sister Julie. It appears that long-haul is hereditary.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, October 16, 2021:

There was Little hanging around in the garden at 5:45 am. We weren’t up yet, Little! For more photos, please click here.

Update on the headache…Thank you all for your concern…15 kudus in the garden…

Posted by worldwide-admin on October 10, 2022 with 4 Comments

This is the most kudus we’ve seen together in quite a while. Most of the holidaymakers are gone now that the school holiday has ended.

Gosh, our readers are wonderful. You write to us whenever something is wrong or problematic, offering thoughtful concern, suggestions, and support. It means so much to us. YOU mean so much to us. When we read about other bloggers who often read painful criticism along with toxic vitriol from ‘haters,” we feel fortunate that we don’t get any of that garbage. If someone doesn’t like what an online presence writes, they shouldn’t bother to read it.

We’re not immune to harsh words. Over the past almost ten years (in three weeks from today), we’ve had a few readers who posted hateful messages in our “comments” section at the bottom of each post. We’ve shared a few of those with you, our readers.

But some were laden with such negativism and hate, we decided to toss the messages rather than respond to them online (or offline) for all of you to see. I certainly understand the curiosity to see those toxic messages. It is natural to be curious about “good and bad.” But, I didn’t want our fine readers to feel compelled to take the time to “defend us,” which many would have done. Why waste time on naysayers?

Let’s face it, we make mistakes, not only in grammar and spelling but in our lives, and we strive to learn from those mistakes that always seem to appear at some point, slapping us right in the face. But we’re living a life that takes lots of learning by trial and error. We’re not unlike children in some ways, learning from painful experiences and hopefully utilizing that new knowledge to make our lives easier and more fulfilling.

In posting on our site, I can delete any comments I feel would create a negative spin on our site. Over the past ten years, there’s only been a handful of such comments that we chose to delete rather than respond to. Tom and I always discuss the content before deciding to delete it.

This doesn’t mean we are above criticism. But if a comment or series of comments would turn our dialogue into a “back and forth” unpleasant exchange, we aren’t interested. In part, I blame myself for this. I abhor conflict and will go to any lengths to avoid it. I learned long ago that saying a genuine “I’m sorry” has a much more powerful effect than being defensive or getting caught up in a hurtful exchange.

I suppose, in part, this is why Tom and I get along so well. I won’t fight. I prefer an honest, forthright sharing of opinions over getting engaged in words that can’t be taken back later. Tom always teases me when reminding me that it’s no fun to argue with someone who won’t participate in a furious battle….a discussion? Yes!…A battle?… No! We laugh about this.

That’s how we made it through ten months stuck in lockdown in a hotel room in Mumbai, India, in 2020. I ignored him if he got grumpy which he can do on rare occasions. Ten minutes later, he’s cheerful again. I credit him for his ability to snap out of it so quickly, which can be a daunting task for some “hotheads.”

Also, he has an outrageous ability to be compassionate if anything is wrong with me medically. I don’t complain much, so that helps, but he is so kind and caring of me; I do not need to continually vocalize my imminent suffering, including my most recent Covid-19 headache and face pain that has lasted almost six months.

The little ones are so cute and trusting.

Well, folks, here’s the most recent scoop on that. For the past eight days, the headache has been almost completely gone since I increased the dose of amitriptyline to 35 mg., taken at night only. This drug is used in high doses for convulsions and depression., of which I have neither. But in low doses, it’s been found to help with neurological pain.

I wasn’t optimistic, when 25 mg. a night didn’t touch it. But, when doc Theo increased the dose to 35 mg. three days later, I awoke tentatively enthused that the drug worked. I still have facial pain, but since it is only in one spot, I wonder if I’m having a sinus problem from Omicron and not trigeminal neuralgia. The pain has been in the vicinity of my sinuses. I will return to Doc Theo on Friday to discuss this further. I will keep you updated.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, October 10, 2021:

This heartbreaking photo of a precious little duiker who encountered a porcupine, who responded by releasing quills, makes us cringe in horror. How can she possibly survive these massive injuries? (Not our photo). From this site: “Porcupines are solitary, slow-moving animals that largely keep to themselves unless threatened. The quills usually lie flat against the porcupine’s body until they encounter a threat, at which point they “puff up” and erect their quills, swinging their spiny tails until the threat either leave them alone or gets a sharp whack and a face hand, or paw full of quills. Quills are stiff, hollow hairs with microscopic, backward-facing barbs at the tip (kind of like tiny fish hooks), so when they come into contact with flesh—human or animal—they get stuck and pull free from the porcupine’s skin.” For more photos, please click here.

Rewarding first day back in the bush…

Posted by worldwide-admin on August 29, 2022 with 2 Comments

This sign was posted at the Royal Livingstone Hotel in Zambia.

No words describe how good it feels to be back in Marloth Park. Don’t get me wrong…we had a great time on our trip, but the ongoing headache and facial pain made me want to return here. My appointment this morning with Doc Theo can’t come soon enough.

A skeleton head of an elephant in Chobe National Park.

I am grateful I made it through all the activities in Botswana and Zambia. I made a point to avoid complaining and to take plenty of Paracetamol (Tylenol) and aspirin to get me through each day. There’s a popular headache remedy in South Africa called Grandpa Powders, and much to my surprise it helped for at least half of the day. Grandpa is a combination of Paracetamol and aspirin in a powder form. It doesn’t taste very good but works fast in the powdered form.

Sleeping was tricky and I didn’t sleep more than five or six hours each night. Last night, being back in Marloth Park and the comfy, familiar bed and pillow, I slept for 7 hours and 36 minutes, according to my Fitbit. I still awoke with the headache but at least felt rested enough to tackle all the laundry.

A lone Cape buffalo in Chobe National Park.

When we arrived at the house on Saturday evening, we both quickly unpacked, knowing we wouldn’t feel like unpacking when we got home from Jabula. We were glad we’d decided to go to dinner at our favorite place. We were welcomed with open arms and had a great time chatting with Leon, David, and various other diners. Of course, the food was delicious, as always.

There were hundreds of impalas near the river in Chobe National Park.

By 9:00 pm, we were back at the house and ready to hunker down, watch another episode of The Blacklist and get the good night’s sleep we both needed. I told Tom to awaken me in the morning if any of our “regulars” showed up in the garden.

By 7:00 am, Tom returned to the bedroom to tell me about Gordy, Tulip, and Lilac, and my favorites, Norman, Nina, and Noah. If animals can show enthusiasm to see us, that’s precisely what they did. Norman had visited us three times by noon, as did his “wife” and son. What a joy it’s been to see them again here this morning before we head to town.

A “confusion” of Cape buffalos in Chobe National Park.

We were happy to see our new washing machine was installed and ready to be used. Sunday morning, for the first time since we arrived at this house on May 24, I could do three loads of laundry without delays and for the cleanest socks and other white items we’ve seen in months.

We spotted a few giraffes on the game drive.

The sun came out for a little while, long enough for the clothes to dry so we wouldn’t have to haul the clothes rack indoors for the night. On Saturday night, we took out the chicken stir fry from the freezer to defrost in the refrigerator overnight so Sunday’s dinner would be a breeze. I made a coleslaw salad and prepped the rice for Tom. Dinner was easy.

Waterbucks on the island as seen from the boat on the Chobe River.

This morning we’re on our way to my appointment with Doc Theo, and then we will shop for groceries after a trip to the pharmacy if Doc gives me a prescription or two. When we return to the house, I’ll make a big salad to bring to Marylin and Gary’s for the dinner party for seven. We’ll season our steaks for the braai at their holiday home and be on our way shortly before 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs.

The sun is setting over the Zambezi River in Zambia.

I will post what Doc Theo suggested for my head and face pain tomorrow. Hopefully, soon this discomfort I’ve had in my head and face since Covid-19 in April will go away. Fingers crossed.

A beautiful sunset from the Lion King boat on the Zambezi River.

Here are more photos from our trip to Botswana and Zambia. Soon, we’ll begin posting local photos once again. Tomorrow, we’ll explain our current immigration issues.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 29, 2021:

Five bushbucks are waiting for pellets. For more photos, please click here.

Long haul Covid-19 symptoms or something else?…Finally, possible relief…

Posted by worldwide-admin on August 13, 2022 with 0 Comment

Here’s today’s bill for the doctor’s visit, which includes the cost of four prescriptions. ZAR 460, US $28.47! Can you believe the low cost for all of this?

In April when Tom and I contracted Covid-19 while on a cruise. Symptoms occurred that morning, and right away, we tested? positive. Our regular readers know the rest of the story. Tom got a bad case of pneumonia, and I was left with a headache above my left eye on my forehead with tenderness on both of my cheeks, especially on the right side, where it was assumed I had a tooth abscess.

Now, I believe I don’t have a tooth abscess and will cancel my upcoming appointments with Dr. Singh to have a tooth pulled the day after we return from our upcoming trip, leaving a week from today, ending in a temporary bridge and an implant several months later. I asked Dr. Singh to take an x-ray to confirm I had an abscess, but he didn’t feel it was necessary. The pain in my face on the right side was supposedly an abscess, and on the left, who knows?

This poor warthog has a hole in her side. Amazingly, warthogs have robust immune systems, which should heal without her developing an infection.

Over the past several months since we tested positive for Covid-19 (Omicron) on April 20th, I’ve had a pain in my forehead slightly above my left eyebrow that has persisted for almost four months. Yes, there were days it didn’t hurt as much, and I may have forgotten about it for a few hours. Alas, the following day, I’d awaken, and the headache was back.

The headache wasn’t comparable to a migraine, which I never get, and no amount of Tylenol (Paracetamol) would make it go away. I even tried a combination of Tylenol and Ibuprofen, which didn’t work either. I brushed it off as a long-haul Covid-19 symptom that would eventually disappear.

Here’s a Big Daddy missing a large section of his left horn. He’s well aware of this since we see him tapping his good right horn when warthogs annoy him during pellet feeding.

A few days ago, when I was washing my face, I experienced pain in my left cheek, to the touch. I attributed the pain on my right cheek to the abscess, but now the left cheek, the side on which I’ve had the persistent headache. Last night when I was getting ready to go to Jabula with Rita, Gerhard, and Lee, I noticed I could barely touch either of my cheeks. This concerned me. What was going on?

While dining at Jabula, I wasn’t myself but didn’t say anything. I could feel pain moving up my face to my forehead. Was I having a stroke (which would be an obvious concern for a person with cardiovascular disease). I tried not to panic and didn’t. I stayed calm, and then, like a bolt of lightning, it hit me…I have had a sinus infection since I first got Covid-19 (Omicron) and never had it treated.

Kudu youngsters are resting in the garden.

On our way home, I told Tom my concern; he was his usual supportive self. The clinic in Marloth Park is open on Saturday, and we planned to go there first thing in the morning. I called an appointment and was told we could come in right away. Within minutes of my arrival, the diagnosis was confirmed. I have a raging sinus infection, most likely leftover from when we were sick with Covid-19.

Not only did I get a thorough exam, but a half hour later, I walked out the door with medication in hand; prescriptions for two different antibiotics and an antihistamine. The insides of my ears and nose were inflamed, along with the pain in my head and face. The hefty five-day dose of antibiotics and antihistamine should put me on the right track in the coming week.

Sure, I may have a tooth abscess, but the pain was most likely related to the sinus infection. For now, I will cancel the appointments with Dr. Singh, and when we return from our trip, I will go to the Marloth Park clinic to have an x-ray to see if I have an abscess. If I do, I’ll decide from there what to do. But, I feel I won’t save myself an unnecessary tooth extraction and subsequent temporary bridge and eventual implant, let alone the cost of all that.

It’s cute to see how the youngsters hang out together. We see this behavior in most social wildlife, such as kudus, warthogs, and impalas.

I found this interesting article here, from an ear, nose, and throat specialist in Atlanta, Georgia, that reads, in part, as follows:

“Persisting “sinus headache” affecting the frontal and ethmoid sinus areas (regions between the eyes and up onto the forehead) is the most common symptom following bacterial-negative COVID sinusitis. This may also be present with a runny nose, usually on both sides. But oddly, about half of the patients have no runny nose at this point. Some patients (about 10%) will have scalp tenderness, pain, and even sometimes PAINFUL HAIR! Pain at the top of the head is often found with occult sphenoid sinusitis, which can cause a serious infection of the eyes and even meningitis.”

Oh, good grief, this sounds like me! When I had Covid-19 (Omicron), I got what is called Covid-19 eye. I am certainly relieved that we addressed this now instead of waiting another day. I should be feeling much better by the time we leave a week from today.

Three wildebeest stopped by for a visit, including Bad Ear, Crooked Face, and Torn Ear.

As soon as we returned to the house, I started taking the medications and looked forward to relief in about three or four days. This is not prevented from going through with tomorrow afternoon’s sundowner party. For our readers/friends. This morning I started a little prep for tomorrow and will finish everything else. Tom washed all the glasses and serving pieces which got very dusty on the open shelves.

Thanks for “listening” to my woes. But, none of this puts a damper on continuing to enjoy the bush, our animal and human friends. We are very blessed indeed.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 13, 2021:

This might be a serrated hinged terrapin, but it was difficult to determine from this photo. For more photos, please click here.

Weird coincidence!…Back from the dentist once again…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 29, 2022 with 0 Comment

What a weird coincidence it was this morning when I started to do the post, to be completed when we return from the dentist, Dr. Singh, in Malalane. I went to the year-ago bar to grab the photo to place at the bottom of today’s post. The heading read,

“Busy morning in the bush!… Trip to Malalane to the dentist and more…”

That’s what’s happening today, exactly one year later, as shown here. But another irony is that the first thing I saw this morning when coming out of the bedroom after getting ready for the day was as many, if not more, mongooses waiting for us in the garden (at the old house) as shown in that post.

The only difference was that at that time, we gave them eggs. Now, we provide them with paloney, cut into little pieces, which ensures every one of them gets something. There were always a few mongooses with the eggs that didn’t get a taste. The paloney I’d cut into pieces, the size of their little heads was enough to ensure each one gets at least one bite. No one is left out.

We find our lives are filled with weird coincidences, most often revolving around events, dates, and places. How peculiar it is! Does it have something to do with the fact that our lives consist of various experiences that we’re bound to encounter similar situations? Who knows? I guess we’ll never figure it out.

Each day when I make our dinner salad, I give the vegetable scraps to the bushbucks, duikers and kudus. Zoom in to see how cute Spikey is when eating his lettuce leaf.

History is filled with amazing coincidences outlined on this website, such as:

Mark Twain’s birth and death coincide with Halley’s Comet.
Stephen Hawking shares his birth and death dates with Galileo and Einstein, respectively.
Political adversaries Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died within hours of each other—on July 4th.
Anthony Hopkins happened upon a signed copy of the book he was searching for in a train station.
John Wilkes Booth’s brother saved Abraham Lincoln’s son from death.
And that same son of Lincoln’s witnessed three presidential assassinations.
An engaged couple discovered their parents almost married one another.
One woman survived the Titanic, Britannic, and Olympic shipwrecks.
The first and last battles of the Civil War were fought next to the same man’s property—in different towns.
The first and last soldiers killed in WWI are buried next to each other.

For details on the above coincidences, and more, please click here. The stories surrounding the above are pretty interesting.

Nyala Norman, fluffs up his fur when he’s in the presence of a more dominant male antelope such a Big Daddy. He pays no attention to the warthogs.

Today we drove to Dr. Singh’s office in Malalane (also spelled Malelane). Wouldn’t you know that an accident on the N4 backed up traffic for 25 minutes from Marloth Park to Malalane? Thank goodness, Tom suggested we leave at 9:00 am for our 10:00 am appointment. We walked in the door to Dr. Singh’s office exactly at 10:00 am. (Even that was somewhat of a coincidence).

Tom had his two implants seated, which looked like his normal teeth. He’s relieved to have the big gap where two teeth were pulled many months ago, finally no longer visible when he smiles, laughs or talks. He doesn’t feel any pain or discomfort.

Alas, I have to have the same thing done. My painful tooth, easily visible when I open my mouth since it’s the fourth tooth from my front tooth, has to be pulled. Dr. Singh explained it had already had a root canal (many years ago in the US), and repeating root canals have a poor success rate. I now have an abscess which is why it’s hurting so much, which I’d expected.

Known to be very shy, impalas are coming closer and closer to the other animals eating pellets.

The only alternative is to pull the tooth and have an implant after the bone heals. I cringed when I heard this. The last time I had a tooth pulled was last September, resulting in an excruciating dry socket. Dr. Singh had gone on holiday, and I suffered dearly for three weeks when I finally visited another dentist to work on the dry socket.

Statistics show that certain people are prone to dry sockets. That’s me. Oh, I don’t want to go through that again! I started antibiotics today but couldn’t make the appointment for the extraction until after returning from Zambia/Botswana on August 27th. It was too risky to do it before we left if I had complications like I’d had last time. We don’t want to be away while I am in pain.

By taking antibiotics now, a must, the pain may return by the time we leave South Africa on August 20. If that’s the case, I’ll have to go on another round of antibiotics that only help an abscess for a short time. I would have refused antibiotics if I could have the tooth pulled in the next week, but it will take three days to make the temporary bridge to see me through the three months necessary to wait for the final implant.

I assure you, during those three days while waiting for the temporary to be made, I won’t be going out and about for anything. I have no desire to look like a “toothless wonder” while waiting for the temporary tooth. Tom said, “You could wear a face mask if a social thing comes up!” Hahaha. I won’t be going anywhere that week!

Nina and Noah in the garden after jumping the fence.

This morning while we were gone, Louise and Danie dropped off a better-working refrigerator for the kitchen, and we’re thrilled! Louise unloaded and reloaded all of our food, and the new refrigerator section is roomier and easier to use. I couldn’t be more delighted and thanked them profusely. Soon, the washer part will come in, and the repair guy will install that. Then, all of our appliances will be working.

Tonight, we’re meeting Louise, Danie, and her parents, Estelle and Johan, for dinner at Jabula. David reserved a spot for us at the bar and our favorite table for six on the veranda. It’s a gorgeous day and shouldn’t be too cold outdoors for dining. We’ll undoubtedly have another fantastic evening at our favorite spot in Marloth Park.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, July 29, 2021:

When we returned from Malalane one year ago, these mongooses and more awaited us in the garden. Quickly, Tom began beating some eggs for them. For more photos, please click here.

Light at the end of the tunnel…Hopefully, we’re on the mend…A doctor, like none other…

Posted by worldwide-admin on May 29, 2022 with 2 Comments

A baby duiker with her mom was the first sighting for us.

I awoke at 1:30 am and never went back to sleep. Surely, that’s a result of napping on and off all day which with this bacterial infection it’s hard for us not to do. Yesterday, Tom napped for three hours straight, but he could sleep during the night, although he woke up several times while I mindlessly played scrabble with strangers on my phone.

Yeah, I know the deal about “screen time” at night, but after countless tries without it, I still couldn’t get to sleep and just gave up trying. Worrying about not sleeping doesn’t help. I resigned myself to this reality and beat the heck out of several players, one after another. At least if I was going to be awake, I might as well enjoy some lively competition.

Before bed, we continue to watch Outlander on Netflix. We are on Season 3 with two more seasons to go. What a show! But in our weakened state the past several nights, we had an awful time staying awake, later re-watching the portions we’d missed. Tonight, I’ll have a heck of a time staying awake after dinner. If I take a nap today, I’ll ask Tom to wake me up after 20 minutes.

Last night, Tom drove to Jabula to get takeaway food for us. Doc Theo suggested I eat lean meat and pumpkin which is easy on the digestive tract, so I ordered roasted chicken, and butternut which is comparable to pumpkin. It tasted so good after not eating for a few days. For the first time in days, I was hungry. Tom enjoyed his chicken, rice, and creamed spinach, and the meal sat well with both of us.

In the past, we couldn’t get this close to shy duikers. It’s such a pleasure to see them get so close to the house.

As we were placing our food on plates since we don’t like to eat out of styrofoam containers, Danie showed up at the door. He said, “Hey, man, are you guys ok? Doc Theo was trying to call you Friday night and he’s worried that you didn’t answer” I had left the phone on, next to me Friday night. He didn’t have the correct phone number for me.

He told Danie if we weren’t feeling better, please go to the hospital for IV solutions and more treatment and not wait until Monday when we could see him again. But, we were feeling better, drinking plenty of fluids, and felt like we were turning the corner. Danie called Theo back to tell him we were alive, improving, and thanks for worrying about us. It was almost 7:00 pm, 1900 hrs, on Saturday night, and Theo was worrying about us. Bless his heart.

Where in the world would we ever find such a doctor who cared this much? Nowhere we’ve ever been. After all, Theo diagnosed my painful jaw as a dangerous indication of heart disease and a potential immediate heart attack or stroke. Good grief! The man saved my life, and here he was, once again, providing a level of care that is rarely found anywhere. We are very grateful.

Mom and Babies and another female arrived early this morning. Most likely, the extra female is from Mom’s last litter.

Feeling a little better today, although we still have a way to go tonight; we’ll make chicken breasts on the braai with rice for Tom and sauteed mushrooms we have on hand. It will be an easy meal to make. All I will do is season the chicken, after which Tom will place it on the grilling rack, then cook the rice and the mushrooms in garlic and butter. It’s great we have a gas stove and oven in this house. When there’s load shedding, we can still use the stove.

Louise offered to cook for us, but we insisted we’ll figure it out, and we have. Here again, is it any wonder we love being in Marloth Park? Our friend’s and medical professionals’ love and kindness are enough motivation to be here.

We haven’t seen many animals the past several days since we’ve been hunkered down in the bedroom resting day and night. However, this morning, Mom and Baby warthogs returned, along with a first for us, a Mom and Baby duiker. What a sweet sighting. Of course, we took a few photos we’ll share here soon.

Every so often, we check outdoors as we continue to rest and recover. We won’t hesitate to offer pellets to any of our visiting new friends. Many more visitors will stop by once we are better and can spend all of our time on the veranda.

Have a safe and healthy day.

Photo from one year ago today, May 29, 2021:

Hal and Crooked Face were standing at the veranda railing that morning, awaiting their pellets. For more photos, please click here.

We’re baaaack!!!…You won’t believe this…Why we’ve been away…

Posted by worldwide-admin on May 28, 2022 with 0 Comment

I wish we’d never have to write about being sick. But, with our commitment to always “tell it like it is,” we feel compelled to share every aspect of our lives of world travels with our readers. Even if we didn’t travel, we’d be sick from time to time. Would it be so unusual for a senior citizen to get sick once or twice a year with a cold, flu, or a virus? Certainly not.

Of course, some people never become ill, and we surely envy their sturdiness. But, we aren’t quite so fortunate. Why? We don’t know. We certainly strive to live a healthy lifestyle. Tom is considerably less likely to become ill than I am. He takes no medication and has no known conditions in his almost 70 years.

But, I don’t see him doing anything more diligently than I do, yet I fall prey to various illnesses throughout the year. This frustrates me, the person who has strived for good health all of my life through a healthy diet, exercise, and positive attitude. I guess I am missing something, or perhaps, genetics plays a more significant role than I’d thought.

Soon, the scary processionary caterpillars will arrive.

Our recent bad bout of Omicron left us both reeling with exhaustion and lingering effects, most of which continue to subside day by day. Tom had fully recovered from Covid pneumonia. We both only have a tickle of cough on occasion.

When we arrived in Marloth Park on Tuesday, although exhausted from the long journey but we both knew a few good night’s sleep, we’d recover from the two-day trip from Las Vegas, Nevada, back to South Africa, the last leg of which was a 15-hour red-eye in the coach. We each only slept an hour or two, sitting straight up in our seats. The remainder of the time was spent watching movies on the entertainment screens at our seats.

Once in Marloth Park, we were excited to complete the recovery of Covid while resting from the long journey and being fit and chipper to cherish our time back in the bush. But that was not the case.

On Wednesday, we both started experiencing severe diarrhea and stomach pain. I was feeling nauseous and very ill, Tom less so. By Wednesday evening, I had a fever and lay under four blankets on the bed, shivering all night. I took two Paracetamol (Tylenol) every six hours to keep the temperature down but never slept a wink due to the constant need to run to the bathroom and the awful feeling of having a fever.

Big Daddy stopped by to check out the action in the garden.

Thursday, I never left the bed other than to shower and run to the bathroom. Tom was struggling as well, but not quite as bad. I couldn’t eat, knowing the result would be more trips to the bathroom, but I didn’t have an appetite. By Thursday night, we acknowledged that we needed to see Doc Theo as soon as we could get an appointment, hopefully on Friday with the weekend coming.

Our appointment was scheduled for 2:30 pm, 1430 hrs, but we arrived 30 minutes earlier, and he could see us. At that point, I could barely keep my head up. We told Theo about our awful bouts of Covid and Tom’s pneumonia. He explained that Covid weakens the immune system, which is most likely why we’d both become sick at this time.

He diligently examined each of us. He ordered blood tests just for me since, most likely, we had the same affliction. He noted my case was much worse than Tom’s since he’d been on antibiotics for pneumonia only a week or two earlier, which provided him some lingering protection.

The testing lab is across the street from the doctor’s office. There was no way I could have walked, so we drove. We went back to Theo’s office to await the results. In no time at all, he called us back into his office and said I had a severe gastrointestinal infection, either e-coli or salmonella. Tom has a lighter version. How did he know Tom’s was less? From palpating our stomachs. Mine was tender to the touch where Tom’s was not. Plus, Tom’s symptoms were less severe.

He prescribed a litany of medications for each of us. Tom didn’t need antibiotics which was good since he’d recently been on two. But, he prescribed Cipro and other meds for me. Cipro is commonly used in Africa to treat bacterial infections which is what I have.

When we arrived at the pharmacy i brought the prescriptions inside and handed them to the pharmacist. But moments later I could no longer stand and went back to the car, asking Tom to go inside and collect them when they were ready. By 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs., we were back at the house, began taking our meds while I headed back to bed. We had scrambled eggs for dinner, the first food we had eaten all day. But, within minutes of eating, the rushing to the bathroom began again.

This morning I am a little better, and so is Tom. We are hopeful we are on the mend. How we got this dreadful infection is unknown to us. We went over everything we ate and drank, and there is nothing we ate the same except for the dinner we made at the house, salad (unbagged), rice (for Tom), and meat, nothing that should have caused an issue. But one never knows. It could have been either the salad or the beef, which was fresh when we cooked them.

So, that, dear readers, is why we didn’t do a post yesterday, nor did we take any new photos. I’m still not up to sitting outdoors and watching our animal friends visit. But that will come in time, and for that, we can hardly wait.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, May 28, 2021:

Tiny never disappointed us. His gentle nature and interest in us was delightful. Of course, he enjoyed pellets, carrots, apples, and bird seeds from time to time. We never saw him again after we returned from the US at the end of July. For more photos, please click here.

A glimmer of hope…

Posted by worldwide-admin on May 11, 2022 with 0 Comment

It’s hard not to miss our animal and human friends in Marloth Park. We hope Broken Horn will visit us at the new house.

Could it be that Tom coughed less last night? He says he still feels weak and exhausted, but I wasn’t awake during the night from his coughing and ended up getting enough sleep for a change. Yes, this morning, he’s been coughing like crazy since he got up, but the good night gave us some hope.

The thought of flying to Las Vegas on Sunday is a little daunting, especially when arriving at the massive airport, which is time-consuming and confusing. Since Tom is in no position to do so, handling our luggage is my biggest concern right now. Sure, we’ll get a trolley to wheel around the airport while we go to collect the rental car.

Once we have the car, everything will be easier. We’ll get help with our bags at the hotel, the Green Valley Ranch Resort Spa and Casino in Henderson, close to where son Richard lives. At this point, we don’t know if we’ll get to see him. It will be entirely based on how Tom feels and how Richard feels about being around us.

We considered changing our fights, staying longer in Minnesota, and flying back to South Africa. Fortunately, we won’t have to go through immigration or customs based on a domestic flight. It will be another matter when we fly back to South Africa from Las Vegas on May 22.

But, after considerable research, it just doesn’t work. There are no flights available out of MSP that we can change our United Airlines tickets to, and the cost is so prohibitive to start all over. After all, we’ve already lost several thousand dollars due to getting Covid.

The flight to Las Vegas is over three hours. Tom needs to be able to sit up comfortably. If he cannot by Sunday, we’ll have no choice but to change our plans. Once again, we’re “playing it by ear.” We know how to do this. Tom feels confident that he’ll be able to do this by Sunday, four days from today.

As of today, he is better able to move about. The problem for both of us is that we’ve been sitting in bed since April 20, when we first tested positive. That’s three weeks ago, as of today. Today, I moved the luggage off the love seat in our hotel room, and I am no longer sitting on the bed until the evening when we watch a few shows on the TV.

The smart TV in our room has Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. By logging in to our accounts using the QR codes on the screen, we can watch both services. That is slick. Also, there is accessible Showtime, so we can busy ourselves in the evenings watching shows to alleviate the boredom.

Many have suggested we watch the popular show “Outlander.” We watched the first episode a few years ago and couldn’t get into it. We tried again a few days ago in desperation, and now we’re hooked. What a fascinating show! We’re finishing the first season tonight, and we’re thrilled there are many more seasons to keep us entertained while we continue to recover.

Hmmm…shades of India (10 months stuck in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai), as once again, we are stuck in a hotel room, three weeks in the making. But this time, we don’t feel well, and I have no energy to walk the corridors for five miles, 8 km, a day. The food is a little better here.

Last night, the WiFi was out for 6 hours. I ended up calling Marriott’s tech support to get it working again. I don’t recall ever having to contact tech support with WiFi issues in any other hotel than this one in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. I don’t understand why the guest would have to call and not management or reception. This same thing happened when we first checked in on May 1 and again when we stayed here in July 2022.

It’s the only complaint we have about this hotel. Otherwise, it is pretty nice. After all, we have a fully equipped basic kitchen with a decent-sized refrigerator, range and oven, microwave, and a dishwasher. These have prevented us from having to do takeaway every evening for dinner, and we’ve been able to put together a few easy meals with ingredients from the nearby market.

Also, the customer service at Towne Suites by Marriott, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is excellent. The cleanliness is exceptional, and the condition of the rooms is flawless and up to date. We will definitely stay here again, even knowing about the WiFi issues. Besides, the location is ideal, close to restaurants, shopping, and markets with easy access to the freeway.

Again, thanks to our fabulous readers for an endless stream of thoughtful email messages with good wishes for our recovery. You have no idea how much this has meant to us. If we missed responding to your messages, please bear with us. We are working on replies each day.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, May 11, 2021:

A mom or matriarch crossed the road in front of us while in Kruger National Park with a youngster. For more photos, please click here.

An outpouring of love from around the world…

Posted by worldwide-admin on May 10, 2022 with 0 Comment

This has been the best test kit we’ve used. They retail for about $25 at most worldwide pharmacies. To perform the test, you download an app, Navica, to your phone and a live rep will walk you through the test to ensure it’s done correctly. DO NOT OPEN THE BOX PRIOR TO FACE-TIMING WITH THE REP OR THE KIT WILL BE INVALIDATED.

We cannot express our appreciation for the response and outpouring of love after the Garage Logic podcast last Friday and now continuing with well-wishes for Tom after his Covid pneumonia diagnosis described in yesterday’s post here.

We have been so fortunate to receive such positive feedback from our readers. There have been only a few occasions where a reader may send us the equivalent of “hater” emails about our travels and life events. Why read about our story or the stories of others if one finds the content objectionable in one way or another?

However, those scenarios are far and few between. Instead, as we enter one phase of our world travels to another, many loyal readers write to us expressing their concern and prayers for our well-being. At times, there are more email messages than we can respond to. We try to respond to each one, but we sincerely apologize if we’ve missed you.

With little else to do, we’ve been able to stay on top of it. But, now, with Tom’s busy medication schedule, it may become more difficult. On the free family calendar app we both use, Cozi Calendar, which may be found here, today I entered ten events regarding Tom’s medication dosing schedule, starting at 8:00 am and ending at 10:00 pm.

I am so grateful that I am feeling so much better. My only symptoms now are a loose cough, an occasional headache, and a stuffy nose from time to time. My energy level has returned, and I no longer feel tired and lethargic. Hopefully, Tom will reach this state of improvement soon. We both continue to test negative.

Today, we have to go out to get food for dinner. The Cub Foods, less than a mile away, has some chicken wild rice soup Tom finds he can eat. Otherwise, he has had little interest in food. I’ll find something for my dinner in the market as well. I don’t feel like cooking in the small kitchen, but surely, I’ll find something easy to put together.

Our grandson Miles is still testing positive for Covid. Next Sunday, we are scheduled to leave Minneapolis only five days from today. We have no idea if we’ll be able to see any of our family members before we depart Minnesota or if we’ll be able to see our son Richard in Henderson, Nevada, where we will be for one more week until we leave for South Africa on May 22nd.

It will be good to be back in South Africa in two weeks. Our new house will be ready for us, which we know Louise will have “perfect,” awaiting our arrival. She’s insisted on grocery shopping for us. How much of a list we’ll make is based on how Tom feels in two weeks. If he’s well, we’ll only ask Louise to get enough groceries to last for a few days, longer if necessary. If he’s better, we can head to Komatipoort to grocery shop.

We’d like to have Dr. Theo check us both after this big ordeal with Covid. His office is down the road from the Spar Market, and we’ll schedule appointments to coincide with our shopping trip. It will be lovely to get back into our usual routine of wildlife watching, taking photos, cooking fabulous meals on the braai, and eventually, socializing.

We’re looking forward to feeling well enough to sit on the veranda, sipping on sundowners, and watching “visitors” stop by to see if pellets are on the happy hour menu. Most assuredly, they will be.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, May 10, 2021:

Tag: Medical Issues

“Busy morning in the bush!… Trip to Malalane to the dentist and more…”