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In: COVID-19
With: 3 Comments

The American Civil War pitted brother against brother in the fight over slavery. Each side was absolutely convinced it was on the side of right. Even now, over 150 years later, some people still believe that the South had God on its side. I’m not saying that the current polarization over COVID is in the same league. But it does share some of the same blind devotion to a cause.

Even though it has killed millions of people, some believe that COVID is just a bad cold. Hospitals are fuller now than they were in Spring 2020 from that “cold.” Almost 99% of all cases are the omicron variant that some claim is very mild. Breakthrough infections are soaring. The only good news is that vaccinated and boosted people get a milder illness. They are just as contagious as people who get sicker.

I’m pretty tired of dealing with this disease. Mrs. Lion and I have N-95 masks and wear them. That’s no guarantee that we won’t get sick, but it is the best we can do. Both of us have type 2 diabetes. That puts us at higher risk. We have to be careful about every decision we make. Since being vaccinated and boosted doesn’t guarantee immunity, we have been forced to make hard choices.

For example, Mrs. Lion was supposed to attend a retirement dinner last night. It was for someone she knew for nearly a decade. She cancelled. The risk of contracting omicron is simply too great. If either or both of us get it, we are at significant risk. Does taking extreme precautions guarantee we are safe? Of course not. We still have to go to the supermarket. Our plan is to make every effort to limit our exposure.

There’s another, more serious problem with COVID, even mild cases. According to a study from South Africa, thirty percent of people who recover, suffer from long-haul COVID. Until now, no one understood exactly what is behind these long-term problems. It turns out that tiny blood clots form in the circulatory system. This isn’t unusual. The autoimmune system eliminates them. However, former COVID sufferers have extra material in those clots that prevent them from being broken up. The study doesn’t explain how the micro-clots eventually end up causing the wide range of health problems associated with long haul COVID. It does show that the disease creates lasting changes in the body.

My point is that there are good reasons why the world’s medical community is so concerned about this disease. It’s plain stupid to minimize the importance of this pandemic. Hospitals across the US are cancelling elective surgeries because they don’t have staff to provide care because of omicron. I’m grateful that Mrs. Lion and I are vaccinated (and boosted). We aren’t stupid enough to believe we are safe from infection.

I consider it irresponsible for anyone to argue against any preventative measures that you and I can take. I hate wearing an N-95 mask, It’s hot and uncomfortable. I want to go to the casino and play the slots. I hated to sell our tickets to “My Fair Lady” on New Year’s Eve. Mrs. Lion is sorry to miss her old boss’ retirement dinner. I worry when I hear that a friend actively avoids precautions. I don’t have enough to afford to lose even one.

By:
In: COVID-19, health, Mrs Lion Comments

Lion and I managed to get the COVID-19 vaccinations. We’re lucky we did because now the vaccine is in even shorter supply. We heard that the side effects after the second shot were worse than after the first. So far, we only feel a little achy and tired. I don’t think either of us has a fever, although I’ve been a little colder than normal. I guess we lucked out.

We were going to Costco today after I’m done with work, but I’m not sure we’ll make it. I think we might just hunker down and snuggle in bed. I’ve got homemade chicken soup defrosting for dinner. Lion says chicken soup is a cure-all. I just think it’s something to eat that I don’t have to put a lot of effort into. I’m sure the snuggling will be a  better cure for me.

Lion talked to his doctor about his inability to orgasm. IThe first step is blood tests, so as soon as we can make the trip to Costco we’ll stop for his blood tests. I guess it’s not likely there will be an easy answer. I’m still hoping he can just take a prescription and every thing will be hunky dory. My fingers are crossed. I don’t miss sex because I don’t want it. If I wanted it but couldn’t have it, I think it would drive me crazy. I think the same is true of Lion.

HThat said, there’s no way I’m giving up until I have concrete proof there’s nothing we can do about it. Aside from tonight, if we both still feel yucky, we’ll go back to trying for an orgasm every night. No, not an orgasm every night. I don’t want to scare Lion. We’ll try every night for an orgasm. Once I get one out of him, I hope things will return to normal. Then I can take one whenever I want.

By:
In: COVID-19, Mrs Lion Comments, Orgasm denial

Despite the fact that I’m working, I’m having trouble keeping track of what day it is. I keep thinking it’s Thursday. For days I’ve thought it was Thursday. I have no idea what’s special about that day that makes me want to hurry it along, but it still isn’t Thursday. I can’t imagine how Lion keeps the days straight. I do know that the longer his furlough drags on, the more he worries about his job and how we’ll pay for things. I also think he’s upset about his birthday. There’s nothing like a birthday to stir up feelings of mortality.

Between having an orgasm Sunday night and worrying about things, he didn’t want to do anything last night. I’m not sure what I can do to help except be there for him. Telling him to snap out of it is ridiculous. When you’re in a funk, there’s no snapping out of it. Ironically, I do tend to snap out of it eventually. By that, I mean I don’t gradually feel better. It seems to happen suddenly. When I had my recent whatever-the-hell-it-was, I felt rotten all day, up to and including the time I left work. I ran an errand on the way home and by the time I walked in the door I was fine. But that’s me. And I’m weird. All I can do for Lion is to keep things as even-keeled as possible and help him through.

Several months ago, I suggested that Lion’s wait time shouldn’t officially start until he was horny again. Since he’s not ready for action the day after an orgasm, should that really count? At times, he doesn’t feel horny for a few days. When I suggested not counting those days, Lion said they should count. Recently, however, he seems to be saying they shouldn’t count.

The problem, of course, is that it’s difficult to know when the clock should start. Does it start when I can edge him? Does it start when he feels horny? We haven’t been able to answer those questions. I guess that means we’re stuck with our current method. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. As long as we both realize it might not be the most accurate system in the world, we should be fine. When Lion sighs and says he’s waited X days, he needs to understand that the real number is actually less. I think that’s made it easier for me to make him wait. It may have been 21 days since his last orgasm, but he didn’t really start feeling it until the fourth day, so it’s really a seventeen-day wait. It’s funny how the mind can justify things.

By:
In: COVID-19, health, Mrs Lion Comments, Sex

The worst part about being at work, aside from having to wear clothes, is having to wear a mask. I know, I know. Healthcare providers are stuck in theirs for long shifts for days on end. I suppose if I got used to it, there wouldn’t be a problem. For now, by the end of the day, my ears are annoyed and I start to get a headache. The other issue is that the bridge of my nose is sometimes sensitive to pressure. Even my very lightweight glasses bother it from time to time. I’ve found I can either wear a mask or my glasses, but both is too much after a while. With this in mind, and the fact that it seems we’re stuck with masks for the duration, I’m considering getting contacts. I’m overdue for an eye exam so I can make the decision whenever I go for my appointment.

Although the air conditioning was broken at work again, the only issue I had was the mask/glasses. We have fans and it wasn’t too hot outside. I’m not sure what happened between the office and home, but I just felt like someone zapped all my strength. Lion was in his office so I was just relaxing and trying to decide what to do about dinner when it occurred to me that I didn’t care about dinner. I wasn’t hungry. I just wanted to vegetate.

I did, however, get up to make dinner. Fairly shortly into the process, it was clear my stomach wasn’t just not hungry, it was a little pissed off. Even the slight mushroom smell was off-putting. I managed to get through dinner prep, but I did not want to  eat. Eventually, I had some rice that was left over after I put Lion’s meal together. That calmed my stomach down. I have no idea what was going on. I felt better after dinner, but I was afraid to move around too much. It’s a good thing I’d given Lion his orgasm the night before.

Traditionally, the night after an orgasm is a sort of a down time for Lion. He’s happy. He may be horny, but things are at a lull. At least, that’s how it’s been for a few years. When we first got together, Lion wanted sex every night. Yes, he got an orgasm every night. I won’t say it was a 365 thing. I’m sure there were nights we were too tired or weren’t feeling well or out for the night, that he didn’t get lucky. But for the most part, he had an orgasm every night.

Spoiled? You bet! I’m sure he didn’t think that was excessive, but I did. Yes, we were in the beginning stages of our relationship, but every night? That’s a lot. When he talks about the doldrums of my throwing him a hand job once in a while, don’t feel too bad for him. For years he had sex every night. I’m not saying it was right to go cold turkey, but I think his average normalized during that time period.

Anyway, he didn’t get/need sex last night. Now that he’s been wild a few days, I wonder if he’ll be harder to get hard. I guess we’ll see tonight. I assume he’s ordered his new cage. I was a little put off by the black color, but the more I look at it, the better it looks. I had no idea there were so many different varieties of printed cages available. Some of them are interesting looking. No, I don’t think he should go on a cage shopping spree. I’m merely admiring the others. And we’ll count the days until the replacement arrives.