210727 hummingbirds flowers feeling better

 July 27

Is this thing I have made something that has been made before? A hummingbird bouquet.

I woke last Thursday in terrible pain and nauseous, still in the throes of my covid vaccine reaction. My hip had been getting progressively more painful for several days, somehow, I thought, related to the vaccine reaction, and in addition, I had severe abdominal pain. I decided I needed to go to a hospital; I was almost ready to call an ambulance. K drove me to Cowansville Hospital around nine in the morning. I was taken in almost immediately: the triage nurse could see how badly I was hurting. The pain in my hip was somewhat relieved from sitting up and moving, but my abdominal pain and nausea were no better. The doctor saw me within minutes, it seemed. He did a complete ultrasound of my abdomen and found nothing untoward. But he put me on an IV with anti-nausea meds and fluids, and ordered an xray for my hip. I had explained my vaccine reaction, which he said was not as uncommon as the vaccine websites were saying and that he had seen many people including hospital staff with enlarged lymph nodes lasting several weeks. That was a relief to hear. By the afternoon, lying on the gurney was affecting my hip and I was in severe pain again. The doctor and nurses began to see how bad it was and I was given serious pain medicine in short order. The xray was done and showed arthritic wear at the pain site. The doctor thought that some gentle exercise would bring it under control in a few days, or perhaps some physiotherapy. I was sent home around supper time with pain relief and anti-inflammatory prescriptions. 

It was perhaps the most satisfactory hospital experience I have ever had. The staff were kind, courteous, unhurried and informal. The doctor was open-minded, attentive and thorough and addressed my needs quickly and efficiently. Because the provincial covid regulations have relaxed, K was able to come into the hospital with me, which was a blessing. I didn't need him to advocate for me because of the excellent care I was given, but his presence was a great comfort and support. 

That night I had a proper sleep for the first time in days, and my mind was at ease from knowing that the vaccine reaction was real and that there was nothing else wrong with me. The doctor did not have an answer for why my hip had flared up, although he asked about a fall or a strain. I am certain that my hip was reacting to the inflammation of the lymph nodes near the joint, since my other arthritic joints had also been acting up, though not so aggressively. There are lymph nodes located near the shoulders, knees and throughout the pelvic region, all arthritic points. I remain weakened and convalescent but, not being worried any more, I am able to relax and take it easy, allowing my body to heal at its own pace. The lymph system is indeed getting back to normal; my hip is the main challenge. During the day I am almost without pain but towards evening and overnight the hip stiffens and by morning is very painful again. A very hot bath once or twice in the night helps to reset the pain level. Today marks four weeks since we received our vaccine: it has been a long and stressful month but I am nevertheless grateful for the protection that the vaccine grants us. Though I am not throwing in the mask just yet, if ever, I feel less threatened by this deadly and unpredictable Covid 19 virus. 

Friday: the sky had been overcast for several days, but that evening the bowl of the Missisquoi Valley filled with the last sunlight of the day.

*****

In the last day or two I have been for short walks up and down the meadow, for the exercise and to see what new flowers are in bloom. 

This is a steeplebush: and a clump them.

The goldenrod is beginning to flower, seems early. Below is the grass-leaved goldenrod. New to me.

This is a cutleaf coneflower, which grows in the hydro field near our Etobicoke home. I have long admired them - they grow taller than a person and apparently hummingbirds like them! I have been adding them to the hummingbird bouquet, which I re-stock almost daily from Rain's flower garden (and the roadside!).

This closely resembles a hawksbeard, but is an autumn hawkbit.

*****

In the last week we have had two days of "smog warning" on the weather channel. It is smoke blowing from northern Ontario and Manitoba. The air stream must draw it down through here. This picture is not mist, indeed it was not a humid day, but the smoky air obscures the southern mountains just the same.

I spend the days on the porch at my makeshift desk and watch the valley and see the hummingbirds come and go. Dealing with the pain in my hip the last 8 days or so, I have thought often of Cameron, K's mother,  who died a year ago last April. She was in such pain with a back injury in the last few months, and I only now truly grasp what a struggle it was, crippling mentally as well as physically. I think of my own mother and her years of headaches from her illness. We are destined to be ignorant of the suffering of others until we have walked in their shoes. We must trust love to grant us the empathy to be kind and understanding. 

Keep well. 

Mumma Yaga