Category: Health

Health, Life

Shelter From The Storm

Anthony Dixon

Shelter From the Storm

As the saying goes ” Even a Fool knows when to seek Shelter from the Storm” I believe it was January that I was Sick like nothing I had ever Experienced in sixty seven years of Living. A Fever ravaged my Body for almost a Week, I was changing three and four T-Shirts a Night, my Lungs kicked my Butt, the Body Aches told me I had a Flu. As I said never before in my Life have I been Beaten up as badly by being Sick. Having pre-existing conditions such as C.O.P.D. I am surprised that I stayed home, treated myself and got well. Two Months later C.D.C. is describing the Symptoms I had as Covid19, two Months after me Knocking on Death’s Door the World is being told of the Killer Virus. I have a good Idea who I contacted it from, one of my Coworkers was sick during the time that I was, she missed about two weeks of work.

During the time I was sick I told my Wife that we would no longer share the same Toothpaste. Since then I began Sanitizing my Hands after each occurrence of touching my Face or anything other People touched. Since then I am never without a Personal Sanitizer in my Pocket. Nine Months later I am in my Doctor’s office getting my twice yearly Physical, Bloodwork, EKG and all. I Instructed the Lab to look for Antibodies for Covid19, the Results came back Negative.  If what I had in January wasn’t Covid19, then that is as close to it that I want to get. The Phenomenon of this Virus Behooves the Scientific Community. One of my Coworkers who was Sick around the same time I was, Tested Negative at first, Tested a second time Positive.

This is someone I shared Space with less than six feet. Since March I have been taking the strictest safety measures including wearing a Mask for eight Hours a Day while working, C.O.P.D. and all. After what I went through in January I have decided to wear a Mask every Flu Season from now on, for the rest of my few years. Most importantly I have been Targeting my Immune System by taking 1000 Mg of Vitamin C and Garlic several times weakly. I never want to be Sick like that ever again.This is why I thought it was Important to Share the Following Article from an earlier Post from A.O.L.

Related…..

Shared Article from A.O.L.

A Florida man who thought the coronavirus was “a fake crisis” has changed his mind after he and his wife contracted COVID-19.

Brian Hitchens, a rideshare driver who lives in Jupiter, downplayed the seriousness of the coronavirus in Facebook posts in March and April.

Brian Hitchens (WPTV)

“I’m honoring what our government says to do during this epidemic but I do not fear this virus because I know that my God is bigger than this Virus will ever be,” he wrote in a post on April 2. “Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”

In mid-April, Hitchens, 46, began documenting his and his wife’s health on Facebook.

“Been home sick for over a week. Both my wife and I home sick,” he wrote in a post on April 18. “I’ve got no energy and all I want to do is sleep.”

A day later, Hitchens and his wife, Erin, were admitted to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, Hitchens said in a Facebook post.

Hitchens could not immediately be reached for comment Monday. The voicemail box for a number listed for him is full.

In a lengthy post on May 12, Hitchens said that he was once among those who thought the coronavirus “is a fake crisis” that was “blown out of proportion” and “wasn’t that serious.”

That changed when he started to feel sick in April and stopped working, he wrote.

Hitchens said he “had just enough energy” to drive himself and his wife to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center on April 19, where they both tested positive for the virus.

“They admitted us right away and we both went to ICU,” he wrote. “I started feeling better within a few days but my wife got worse to the point where they sedated her and put her on the ventilator.”

Hitchens said he never experienced terrible aches and pains but felt weak and exhausted. He said he felt better on May 12, at which point he had been in the hospital for three weeks, and that he still had COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. He also said he had pneumonia in his lungs.

“As of today my wife is still sedated and on the ventilator with no signs of improving,” Hitchens wrote. “There were a couple times were they tried to start weaning her off the ventilator but as soon as they’ve done that her oxygen level dropped and they had to put her back on the ventilator full time.”

He said his wife of eight years has been sick “quite a few times” in the past and she always fought through. This time, he said, “I have come to accept that my wife may pass away.”

Hitchens, who has been unable to see his wife since they were hospitalized, said he was holding out hope she would recover.

“This thing is nothing to be messed with please listen to the authorities and heed the advice of the experts,” he wrote. “We don’t have to fear this and by heeding the advice doesn’t mean that you fear it that means you’re showing wisdom during this epidemic time.”

The May 12 post has been shared more than 500 times. Hitchens implored people to “use wisdom.”

“Looking back I should have wore a mask in the beginning but I didn’t and perhaps I’m paying the price for it now,” he wrote. If he passed the virus on to his wife, he said, he knows that she and God forgive him.

“So just think about what I said and if you have to go out please use wisdom and don’t be foolish like I was so the same so the same thing won’t happen to you like it happened to me and my wife,” he wrote.

Hitchens wrote in a Facebook post Monday that he had one thing to say to people who have sent him nasty messages saying he deserved to die: “I AM NEGATIVE”! “PRAISE THE LORD!”

P.S. I have been scared straight.

Health, Life

The Sickness

Anthony Dixon

 

 

 

The Sickness

1972 was my last year in High School, that meant I was old enough to join the Army drink Alcohol without sneaking and have wild Promiscuous Sex. Wild Promiscuous Sex was the Norm during the Hippie Culture, ” Love the one you’re with” Condoms were for those practicing Plan Parenthood. Then one Day somewhere around 75 the Word on the Street was ” The Sickness” People showing up at Hospitals with a Rare form of Pneumonia among other Illnesses. The Sickness was believed to be a Homosexual Disease, it didn’t have a Name until 1983 when Scientists discovered its Origins and gave it a Name, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.



We now knew that the Sickness was a Virus that attacked the Immune System pretty much the same way Covid19 does. Many People had Died and we still weren’t taking it Seriously. I remembered my Best Friend and I meeting two young Woman at the Club and taking them Home for a Night of Promiscuity. No one asked who had the Condoms, this was during the onset of the Sickness, before it became an Epidemic. 1977 I was living with my Cousin in Texas. At that time I was big on Fashion, I knew enough to fabricate a Shirt and Trousers, but I wanted to learn her Craft. She was a Gifted Seamstress who made Clothes for the likes of Jackie O.



While there in Texas I met one of her Customers, he was worth over five Hundred Millions, so I know that she was the Real Deal with a Gift that I wanted to Learn. Her Husband was once one of the Rich and Famous, until Castro took it all away when he Nationalized all Foreign Interest and took away all the Rich Cubans Money. However Jose never lost his Aire of Aristocracy, he was a Player to the end. With a Wife in Texas who supported him to the Tune of Fifty Grand Annually. He had Women and Boys all the way to Miami. My Wife always Rebuked me that I should never Speak Ill of the Dead. She had Gold in her Fingertips and no Brains. She worked while he didn’t, he spent all his time chasing Ass, Girls and Boys.



So why was I not surprised when he came down with the Sickness and Died six Months after our Eyes last seen each other. One year later I looked into my Cousin’s Eyes for the last time in Bellevue Hospital. I guess they both didn’t believe in wearing a Raincoat in the Storm known as A.I.D.S. It was then that I learned the Importance of wearing Personal Protective Equipment, Example, the Mask. While laying in her Death Bed she gave a Nerve Rattling Cough, I guess the Virus was Devouring her Lungs. I looked down her Throat and there wasn’t any Red Skin Tissues, everything had the Color of Death, Gray. Yet another Lesson learned, a Virus can eat you alive. Twenty Two years later with a new Sickness, why would I not wear a Mask with my preexisting COPD and early Emphysema. Last Words, ” A Wise Man knows when to take Shelter from the Storm” no Matter what the Populace say or do, wear your Mask and keep a Condom handy. Forget about the Morbid Humor, I am trying to make a point here about the absolute Necessity of Personal Protection Equipment. Think about it, back in the Days of Tuberculosis if you went in a Room where someone was sick, you became Ill from breathing the same Air.

 

Related

Shared Article from Aol: Alyssa Milano says her Virus Symptoms still Linger.

https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2020/09/17/alyssa-milano-says-her-covid-19-symptoms-still-linger-6-months-after-she-fell-ill/24623291/

Health, Life

The Luckiest People

Anthony Dixon

Contamination

Town Crier

Barbara Streisand said it best,  ” People who needs People are the Luckiest People in the World. The World is going through the most Catatonic period it has ever seen. We have lost so many and many more to go, could be me, could be you. Yesterday I learned that one of my Coworkers tested positive. Someone I sat with less than six feet, yet the Lord was good to me And I am still Standing. It doesn’t hit home until someone you know gets Sick. Then you know how Fragile we are and how much we need each other. Lonely People up in Age who have to fend for themselves. Lonley People whose only outlet is going to a Bar and shoot the Breeze with another lonely Stranger.

Now they stay at home and do what a Social Drinker abhors, drinking alone, trying to calm their Nerves from drowning in Despair of the Unknown. All the Parks and Beaches closed, all the Waterfront Cafe’s closed, what is a person who lives alone is supposed to do to keep their Sanity. I heard some people say that they don’t need anyone, absolutely Farce. I remembered my Mother drowning in the Unknown of Dementia, Dazed and Confused for the better part of her Days. I visited her seven Days of the Week even if I had to put my own Life on the Backburner. The reason for that is I know that with Dementia the further one slips into Despair and Confusion, the harder it is for them to come back to Life, back to Reality. Many Days when I walked through the Door she said to me ” you found me” I always knew where she was, she didn’t.

Oftentimes she told me that I was the Highpoint of her Day. How do you think that made me feel. Not that she was my Mother and that I was only doing what a Thoughtful Son should do. I was being a Human being to another Human Being. Isn’t that the Fundamental principles of this thing called Life? Helping your fellow Man along the way, putting a Ray of Sunshine in Someone’s Glumy Day. The Beetles said it appropriately ” lonely Days lonely Nights where would I be without my Woman”. Well many of us are realizing the answer during the Days of Isolation and Lockdown. Many of my older Neighbors haven’t seen Sunshine in Months, even tho the sun rarely takes a rest in Florida home of the World’s Largest Senior Population. They are the most Vulnerable, so they stay put.

If not for Humanitarian efforts they would perish wheather they tested positive or from Depression Despair and starvation. Why does it take a Pandemic to show us that People need People. That’s just the way we are made, that’s the reason why we are here, I get by with a little help from my Friends. For instance me highlighting our basic Characteristics to you, that’s why we are here, some of us are Healers, some of us are Givers, some are Teachers, some are Shepherds. Bottom Line we serve each other. I have always held the Contention that there are four kinds of People in the World. People that makes things happen, people who wonder what just happened here, People who wonder how did they do it and those who don’t give a damn.

I just don’t understand why it takes Catastrophes to bring us together why can’t everyday be Christmas. The week of Christmas everyone has a smile and Greetings for each other, some even perform acts of Kindness. Like the Person who told the Cashier to add my items to Her Bill. Over sixty years of living and nothing like that had ever happened to me before. Was God sending me a Message? Nonetheless I have always extended myself to others. When I worked in a Nursing Home in Pennsylvania I went out of my way to make the Residents last days on this Earth as pleasant as possible. I visited them in their Rooms individually, have great Conversations, listen to their Life Stories, tell them Jokes, Sing Love Ballads, I even cooked food at Home and bring it in for them.

Many of them riddled with Dementia and I was their moment of Clarity, which gave me a sense of purpose. On the lite side, one Resident who always asked me to go to the Store and buy his Lottery Tickets, told the Director that his Powerball Ticket won and I kept the Proceeds. The poor thing was riddled with Dementia, I didn’t stop loving him, Bob Dylan said it best ” Everybody got to serve Someone”. When I told them that I was moving to Florida, my favorite Resident Nellie told me that I was going to forget about them, well Nell this one is for you. You are always in my Heart and Prayers. I hope you survive this Parasite that Prays on the Old and Feeble ones. Having high Risk Factors I am Admant about wearing a Mask and taking safe Measures in handling Protective Equipments. When I wear a Mask in the Courthouse I don’t remove it until I am outside the Building.

Wearing a Mask in a possible Contaminated Building and hanging it on your Rearview is now contaminating your Car. If you are going to reuse it you should put it in a plastic Bag, take it home and spray it with Alcohol. I leave the house with three or four Masks, whenever I take one off I bag it. Wearing the same gloves all Day is spreading contamination. My Contribution to this Pandemic is to tell you that wearing a Mask in Public is your safest Measures. My Role in this Crisis is to be the Town Crier, “when you are out in the public, Wear Your Mask”. I have COPD yet I wear one for eight Hours, there is no Public a place than a Courthouse. Wearing a Mask protests you from Microscopic airborne Particles. I worked in Hazmat for many Years I know what I am talking about. ” wear your Mask”.

Proper Hygiene is the Answer

Health, Life

Liberty

Anthony Dixon

Liberty

From eight years old to fifteen I was a Badass who was Destined to do Prison Time. I was a Rebel without a Cause who resented Authoritiy. What has kept my Destiny from being fulfilled was having a strong Willed Christian Woman for a Mother. The other Catalyst that changed what was Inevitable, is the fear of Confinement to be under Lockdown and being told what to do and when to do it. Now here I am fifty two years later realizing that I made the right decision at fifteen to walk the straight and narrow. Never before in my Life did I Embrace the Ideology of ” Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness to its full intent. Then one Day I woke up while watching the Morning News I learned that there was a Cruise Ship full of Sick People that weren’t allowed to Dock at its Port of choice.

A couple of Days later the News broke that the People on that Cruise Ship was suffering from a highly Contagious Virus. The Virus was later identified as Cov-id19. It started in China and Quickly spread to over one Hundred Countries. The Day before I started to write this Blog I read that the Epidemic was rapidly turning into a Pandemic, claiming 370,000 Lives. Up to that point I had been taking its seriousness with a grain of Salt, not overly serious and not slighting it’s capabilities. Then two weeks later the stark reality hit me that my Life was at risk, working in a Public Building. I immediately started taking measures to protect myself and others in the Building.

There are seven flight of Stairs in the Building, four Stories high. At first I Mapped my Route of Travel, which  Bathroom that would be the only one I would use, same for the Stairs. I was bent on staying safe, I wiped down every touchable Surface that I had to touch. Then I realized that the Housekeeping Department wasn’t addressing the situation with the Seriousness that I had adopted. So my next move was nothing short of Community Service work. I spread my Sanitizing effort to the entire Building, measuring two Football Fields long. I figured that if I only isolated a small area of the Building for my personal use and the rest of the Building was at Risk so was I.

Three weeks later my Liberty was Curtailed when the Government and the CDC started directing orders of Public Safety Ordinances, shutting down Borders and just about ordering us to stay at Home. What if those eight hours of going to work and being away from the Wife was something that I Relished( bad Wife joke) been Married for forty  years. Fun and Joke aside I love working it keeps me fit Mentally and Physically and puts extra cash in my Pocket. Then one Day they tell me that one of the most Beautiful Beaches in the World Clearwater Beach is closed to the Public due to Social Spacing that the CDC recommend to control the spread of the Virus.

Did I mention that I love my Liberty. I left the perfect Spring and Fall Nights of Pennsylvania for the Scorching hot Sands and perfectly Chilled Waters of Clearwater 🌴 Beach, going to the Racetrack, Casinos and Dining on the Waterfront. I am Happy that I live in America, because Americans are among the most Resilient People in the World. When the News broke of a possible Pandemic I was confident that Americans would not allow it to get to that point with its Ingenuity, such as what I did at the Courthouse where I work. Today I saw an Attorney with Bleach Wipes wiping down the Elevator Buttons, yeah Baby we did start the Fire, we are our Brother’s keeper. Social Spacing and staying at Home will stem the spread until a Vaccine is developed. I guess that those of you who take the time to read my Blogs knows that I won’t have anything to do with Much ado about Nothing, I have said what I had to say, protect me and yoursel. Now I am going out and find some Liberty and Libations. All my Friends know that I did not move to Florida to wait for my Dying, but instead to Live out my Life with a Bang until my Dying Day, chasing my Moby Dick.

P.S. Only the Strong Survive, we have to stand Strong, we are Positive People living in a World of Confusion. ( Lya Terra)

Health, Life, Pollution/ Conservation

The Black Plague

Anthony Dixon

Sanitization / The Black Plague

When we were small Children my Mother told us, if you ever had an Accident, clean yourself up with your Drawers and throw it away. Do not go around stinking and un -Sanitary, also wash your Hands many times during the Day. So if my Mother can Indoctrinate us about Sanitary Practices at eight years old, why is the World so Nasty. People who don’t wash hands continuously and Properly. People who don’t know how to cover up when they Sneeze and Cough, some refuse to cover up at all. This Blog should be called, Strictly out of the Woods, or Maybe Still in the Caves. Because some People are just That. While working in Construction doing Interior Demolition on a College Dormitory. We were short Handed so we Hired some Immigrants from a Land I won’t name, not even mention their Geographical Proximity. If I did you would be Prejudicial to all People from this Hemisphere.

All the Electric and Water was turned off in the Building. Whatever Electricity we used came from our Generators, water we used we brought with us. Everyone was told that the Bathrooms were out of Service, including in their Native Language. In Disregard for Public Safety, these People found a Corner in one Bathroom and Piled it up. My English Literature Teacher Thought me how to Read what the Author is not Saying, I don’t like Guessing, they Evacuated in a Corner on the Bathroom Floor. My God this was 2006 not 1347, the year the Black Plague broke out, the Epidemic broke out in early July of that year. The Epidemic was caused by unsanitary Conditions caused by the same situation these Temporary Workers Perpetrated on that Bathroom in that College Dormitory.

The Epidemic ran For seven years killing fifty Million People, 60% of Europe’s entire Population back then. Kids probably returned  to School and Couldn’t understand why everyone in that Dormitory had a Wicked Virus that lasted Winter into Summer. That is the Motivation for this Blog. Unsanitary People, the Dorm was a Rare Occurrence. But guess what there is a large number of People around us that have poor Hand washing Etiquette, or none at all. You wonder where do I come up with all these Fantastic Occurrences. Well at sixty seven years old there is very little in this World that I haven’t done or Experienced. Also good Hygiene have kept me here So sit up and pay Attention. While Working for a Major Distribution Chain, with Products coming to your very Home, or you going to their World Wide outlet Stores.

Here I am in the Bathroom washing my Hands, when an Employee exited the Stall, Flushed behind himself, walked right past the Sinks and me. He proceeded to the Break Room where he began to eat his Sandwich with those Filthy Hands. He also never heard of the Black Plague. Sanitization is everyone’s Business, if as a Result of your Nastiness you come down with Berry Berry( joke) you put the General Public at Risk. Another time while working on Wall St One more time at the Sinks washing my Hands. I heard splashing in one of the Stalls, another Foreigner who worked for the same Company was using the Water from the Commode to wash his Behind. And you wonder why I stopped shaking Hands with People from his Hemisphere of the World forty years ago. Interacting with the Public is a Dangerous Venture. When I started working in the Food Industry while going to High School. I learned that washing your Hands 100 times per Day wasn’t enough. So ending this Loathsome Conversation I leave you with this. When I worked in a Nursing Home we were told that if we failed to ensure the Residents Health and a Virus or Bacteria broke out. Eventually the Staff would contract it. So there you have it what goes around comes right back at you. In Conclusion Please Wash your Hands as often as Possible. I hope you Guys appreciate my Technique of giving it to you fast and Furious without the Panoramic Painting. One Day I hope to write a Book on one Sheet of Paper, Ha, Ha.