Injuries (4)
30) COVID-19
I spent from March 2020 until March 2021 working from home. I didn't find it much of a strain at all. In fact, I enjoyed it and it was a bit have a shock having to go back. Everything I do at work is to do with computers and it doesn't really matter where I work from so long as I have internet. I had my first shot of the Moderna vaccine on March 25, 2021 and the second on April 22.
Working from home
If more people had taken COVID-19 seriously to start with I truely believe there wouldn't have been sp many deaths and the virus wouldn't have been able to reproduce so fast as to have produced the variants it has. It's now July 2021 and infection rate among the unvaccinated is climbing again. Everyone has to do what they feel is safe. It may turn out there are long-term effects from the vaccine but at the moment it seems to be protecting people from the various variants. Conversely, not getting vaccinated is also a choice, so I'm not unduly upset if those people get sick.
COVID vaccination stickers
31) Colonoscopy
In June 2021, my stomach seemed more upset than usual and so I actually went and saw my doctor. He sent me to see a specialist and on July 15, 2021 I had upper and lower colonoscopies. The worst thing about these is the amount of preparation. Nothing to eat at all the day before and drinking a gallon of Golytely, Nulytely or something similar to absolutely clean you out.
The surgeon found and removed 3, 5mm polyps in my colon. These were simple, relatively safe hyperplastic ones. These very rarely develop into any sort of cancer. The other type of polyps are called adenoma and those carry a slightly higher risk of developing into cancer.
Colonoscopy images showing two of the polyps
One of the ingredients of Golytely, Nulytely and similar preparations is something called polyethylene glycol or PEG. This is interesting stuff. According to Wikipedia one of its uses is to preserve wooden and other objects that have been underwater. Apparently it replaces water in wooden objects, making the wood dimensionally stable and preventing warping or shrinking of the wood when it dries. Another uses for it is as part of the propellent in Trident II missiles. If you've ever had to drink the stuff as preparation for a colonoscopy, that seems an appropiate use for it. 🙂