Today has been a great day. To recap, I had COVID starting 17 days ago so I am not contagious anymore. Yesterday, I was in a hurry to get to the Courthouse. I was dehydrated. I was wearing a mask outdoors which limited my oxygen. The sidewalk to the Courthouse is on an incline, and then there are six steps. Flagstaff sits at 7,000 feet. I was winded and a bit unsteady. I was declined admission to the Courthouse based on their guidelines. Grr. I left to hurry back to the office.

Ninety seconds later I returned to consciousness. I had slipped/tripped down the stairs, landing on my back on cement. There was a pool of blood under my head. I had been out for 60 of those 90 seconds and I have no memory of the 30 seconds of walking through two sets of doors, and starting down the stairs. The EMT was called. I could not sit up on my own, let alone stand. I was taken by ambulance to Flagstaff Medical Center. My head CT scan showed no brain bleed. My chest CT scan showed COVID in my lungs. Because I had lost consciousness, the Doctor said that that tipped the scale for an admission, and I agreed.

I am on the top floor at the hospital. This entire 23-bed wing was transformed into a COVID treatment center. They took out the second bed and installed a fancy ventilation system and scrubber that vents directly to the roof, so that the room has negative air pressure, so no air escapes into the hallway. Earlier, this wing was filled up with us COVID Survivors (a Rob Long moniker), now it is only half full. All of their staff put on disposable garments over their clothes when they come in fully masked. On the other hand, I am able to be unmasked except when I start coughing.

Now the good news from today. The Echo Cardiogram was done. The tech could not give me the results. I gave him some legal advice that if he ever married, he needed to stop contributing to his investment accounts and to put them on auto-invest autopilot. Then he should start a brand-new account with a different Vanguard, or so forth. He was pleased for the legal advice, and he showed me a pie chart of my heart function with eight “slices” and three concentric circles. All 24 pieces were the same color with slightly different shades. “That’s a healthy heart; if you know what I mean.”

I am being put on meds for my COVID lung cough. I am pretty bored. I have been talking to my family and have been listening to the Commentary and Three Martini Lunch podcasts while playing Advanced Sudoko (4×4 squares instead of 3×3 squares).

I had a delightful interaction with “Room Service” where you order food. I was checking out the offerings, and exclaimed “You have mutton stew!” The woman on the line giggled. I said, “Are you Dine?” in a playful voice. (“Dine” means “the people” and it is the name that Navajos prefer to use for themselves; however they are so doggone reserved, they wouldn’t think of demanding that we use that preferred name.) She giggled again and said that she was. “I haven’t had mutton stew off of the Rez! I always stop in Cameron to get it when I am driving through the Rez, along with Navajo Fry Bread.” She was touched that this non-Native man knew and appreciated Dine food, knew and appreciated her, and called her Dine, her preferred ethnic name.

The food arrived. The chicken breast was dry and unappealing. But the mutton stew was great! Mutton comes from older lambs. It is tough and should not be eaten like a lamb steak. But if it slow-cooked all day with carrots and onions, it is excellent.

I am being released tomorrow. I will do a quick stop at the office to sign checks and pleadings and then I will go home, and rest for the long weekend.

I was just examined by the Cardiologist. I sound great. He is going to review the Echo Cardiogram, but unless he sees red flags, I am good to go. We agreed that since my Apple Watch was smashed in the fall, I should get a new Apple Watch that monitors my heart and oxygen level. {I don’t begrudge Apple anything; they make this a better world.)

I am off of oxygen. I am walking up and down in my room. I was groggy this morning, but am now physically fully firing on all cylinders.

One last grace note. An LPN told me that he knew me. How? He was standing outside the door of another law office during the lunch hour, and I invited him to come sit down in my office, until they came back from lunch. He thanked me for making him feel at home. You never know when an act of generosity comes back to bless you.

RushBabe49 has written about Ricochet as her family of choice. Me too, along with my church.

My life is so blessed. Thank you for all of your prayers and support.

—————

Friday morning: I am being discharged today!

—————

9:50 a.m. I am being discharged with blood thinners and steroids. I have showered and am in street clothes. I am just waiting for the discharge orders to be posted.

Thank you so much for your support and prayers.