Face Skincare CeraVe - General/Health

This blog post goes out to anyone and everyone however, ladies listen up or read this one, because a healthy life doesn't just mean you taking care of yourself personally but also physically and not just in the physique of your body. Taking care of yourself also applies to your skin care-the protective barrier your body has. Though this post is generally for the whole body, we will start with the face...

Older women are typically saying, "take it from me, if I would have known then what I know now that I needed to do for my skin, I would have started it sooner; dont wait last minute to start taking care of your skin especially your face." I know easier said than done but now being in my mid 30s I'm glad I've at least maintained a regimen that's both cost effective and also helpful whether I stay on top of it daily or only when I remember to.

I am in no way an affiliate of the product/brand that I'm about to write about, but I do encourage anyone to buy their products and believe me when I say that it works! I am living proof of the cost-effective maintenance CeraVe allows. See when I was little, I used to actually love putting on lotion, whether it was my face or body, I just loved the smooth feel of the skin. Getting older, I joined into a soccer league during junior high and though I would lather up the body after showers from practice and weekend games, I found that the face care especially in the cold weather games outside and especially in the TX heat of summer, was just taking up too much time. Then in high school, if I had soccer during the day and had to shower I never lotioned up. So long story short it wasn't until the summer of 2019 that I really started paying attention to the mediocre care of motioning up the body; the face was just still something I was lazy about or didn't care about. Fast forward through college, career, then pregnancy. Shoot there really isn't enough warning on the changes your body goes through and what you feel physically when you're pregnant, but I didn't listen to my mom then and didn't care or bother with lotioning up outside of my body. See I've been blessed with the right amount of oily skin so even when I have dry skin, they're a "moist" look about my skin because of the oil my skin secretes. Post pregnancy I realized I was started to look a little haggard, though I kept hearing the "take care of yourself and take care of your skin" I never really cared, and I didn't take it to heart...

You see, I had four women in my family that were enlightening to me on how I didn't want to be. Three of my aunts were special in their "getting ready" routine; I know not really my story to explain about themselves BUT they are prime examples of what I had growing up for women's self-care and then taking it to a little extreme I think...one aunt was the least vain when it came to her appearance upon waking up but she liked to look good in her appearance in general the moment she left her bedroom. She would purposely make sure that she went to bed a certain time because she was making sure to get up before anyone else, to ensure that nothing interrupted her getting ready time. Not just makeup and wardrobe mind you, but the skin care products and tasks that it also entailed. So when I was pregnant with not only my first child but also my second, I realized that though I know I'm not a gorgeous person by any means I know damn well I'm attractive with or without makeup SO my skin care application was NOT going to be eating into my rest time - aka I love my sleep and I'm not putting beauty before my much needed sleep no matter who told me what! Then there was my other aunt who oh my Atlanta, would take more time in putting guck on her face and to this day I never could understand what was attractive about her so maybe it was her personality...anyway! She also took time in her skin care especially on her face-made sure the moisturizers were used and the right products. All in all, though she spent more time putting makeup on! Her skincare technique was more to ensure that all the makeup she put on didn't damage her skin and it was more about a vain baseline to complete. My other aunt was much older and the purpose of all her skin care was for the dumbest reason of all, aging. 

Ok I'm not a feminist and I'm not someone who doesn't necessarily support my fellow gender, but women this is probably one of the biggest pet peeves I find about women in today's world-your fear of getting older and looking it! Facts are you aren't going to stay looking 20 and you're an idiot if you think you still will. SO do what you can to enjoy life and do what you NEED to within reason, to ensure a healthy body and that includes skin. This is definitely going to be another topic for another post that's for sure, but yes, the last aunt I'm mentioning was also a mom of one child. Boy did she have it well too because he was one awesome and literally wouldn't make a fuss about anything! Though she fed the child and took care of his basic needs she would spend more time in her skin care especially for her feet, hands, and face than even raising the boy. Holy crap did she have products and would buy things to ensure that to her would slow down the pace of her aging and how old she was looking because of her age. Skin care time in the morning and skin care time at night, if she was off of work then she had skin care three to four times a day! I mean I'm all for a woman taking care of herself but even as a kid I saw that as much...Lastly there's my sister. NOW she's spending hardly any time on makeup or skin care but then she's also gone down drastically in the manner in which she wants to dress/style and look when she leaves the house. Once upon a time she would spend just about the same amount of time if not a little less than any of the three aunts I mentioned from the makeup part to the actual skin care time. She claims that since I became a mother thing changed for her-but now she's not even looking like how she used to, and she doesn't even freaking have kids! I digress though because that's not the point. But I would see how she take care of herself, and I was like, yea that's even still WAY too much time, there's gotta be a better our easier way. 

Then I worked through my memories of when I was little and in my grandmother's (on my mom's side) room/bathroom and shoot my grandmother only had two rules - always wash your face in the morning and at night especially if you weren't going to shower; then make sure you always put a specific face moisturizer for daily use, sunscreen, and a nighttime cream. My grandmother has to this day the softest skin and it's still nice and glow-like (even her hands) compared to when even half her age! Though she has the spots dealt from old age and years of always being at the stove (hands included) she really has aged amazingly well. My mom is very much so in the same case as her mom, the grandmother I just elaborated about. I supposed my mother saw the way my grandmother took care of herself and also in turn put it into action. My mom's skincare started out as simple as my grandmother but then it started expanding with brands and products, partly because of not only my sister's skincare at the specific times in life but also because but also because my mother started I supposed paying attention to the world around her regarding aging and the expectation that somebody the fuck said, that women always have to be looking their best even if it costs an arm and a leg and that aging gracefully isn't the goal but trying to look younger and stay looking younger even as you age...yea no. My sister and mother spent a good amount of money on skin care products and skin care-why even that I will never know...

Which now brings me full circle to the point about this post. I seldomly used the products my mom or sister would buy me, again in hopes of me doing my skin care because of the hours I would spend in the sun, the wrinkles I was developing, the tired way in which I looked, the strains of struggle on my face, etc, etc, etc...it was damn right annoying! Post pregnancies I didn't care so much until I started working at this specific job...I saw that I was being looked to for a very important leadership role, so I wanted to make sure I not only looked the part but that it was an efficient and successful version of myself without also losing myself in the process - aka not spending hours of skin care time but still making sure I was my healthy and happy self. So, I turned to CeraVe; hands down one of the best simple and under rated products out there that you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get the same fantastic results! See my kiddo had a really bad breakout after a tummy bug (basically diarrhea that was bothering the little bum area) so my sister recommended getting that cream because after her little googling research on safe products for kids (keep in mind that this was during 2019 and there was some articles and news going around about how unsafe Johnson & Johnson really was for kids) so there we go to the nearest Walgreen and item purchased! No joke and hands down the best solution because after putting it on the bum area around 5:32pm, by 9:40am the next day the little affected bum had no more redness, my kiddo didn't complain, and almost all of the breakout area was completely healed. After using it myself on my face for a few pre-menstrual breakouts just overnight while I was sleeping, and it did wonders! SO, I started looking into and using their other products. Again, I'm not associated, affiliated, or even get a percentage from CeraVe so I'm literally just trying to help all you women on a budget. 

I have yet to be disappointed in any of their products or even annoyed at the fact that I purchased something, and it didn't end up working at all. The two images are exactly everything I always make sure I stock up on and that I've continued to use. I'll do a break down for you from my experience including the duration, because I for one hate writing a review on something that either hasn't been used continuously or if the reviewer hasn't used it long enough. Before I do the breakdown don't, he misleads or misunderstand the whole "acne" part. You see, back when I was in junior high, my mother made an appointment for me to see a licensed/educated Dermatologist. SO, they did skin tests and a thorough look into my pores and face overall. The conclusion by my skin doctor is that though I didn't have the severe acne as seen by most teenagers in their cheek areas (or wherever they have acne being grown). The dermatologist explained thoroughly that there are different levels of acne and though everyone is used to seeing or knowing more about the severe kind of acne, I was personally categorized by the doctor as "mild acne". What did that mean for me, well it was pretty simple; mild acne meant that I was only having breakouts of both white heads and black heads or just one specifically. After having a better understanding of my skin type and skin, I was able to clean up my face well during the years of junior high into high school! I'm much more pleased with the results from over the years and especially with this new brand I'm hoping they aren't going to start jacking up the prices or worse start having issues with the ease of their restocking trouble.    

1. 
   The "Cream Wash" - is one I've been using for the past 2.5 months, and it's been working as well as all the other products I've purchased and used. I'll most likely come back and write a follow-up once I've been using that specific product as long as the other ones...
2. "Acne Control Cleanser" - I have found to have better results with this particular product being used immediately after using the "Foaming Facial Cleanser". I personally like this size and packaging because the cap locks so it's spill proof when you're traveling, whether via road trip or airline. I've been using this product now for over 2 years.
3. "Foaming Facial Cleanser" - this is my religiously used product that I'll use both nightly and, in the morning, but almost always at night before bed. I'll pair this particular product with the "Acne Control Cleanser" or the "Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser", never both but at least one of them after this product. I've been using this product now for over 3 years.
4. "Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser" - personally, this product has given me better results than using the "Acne Control cleanser" however because not all breakouts are the same, I use either or after the "Foaming Facial Cleanser". The texture of this particular cleanser doesn't leave evidence of the skin of someone dreading its use, or even having the trust that the product won't work. I've been using this product now for more than 1.5 years.
5. "Acne Control Gel" - the gel comment on the tube bottle itself might throw you for a loop but it can assist in expediting those blemish and acne results you're wanting. Literally purchased to try about 6 months ago, and pleasantly content with its use and application. 
6. the "Night Cream" - this is a product I wasn't even aware they had until I was bored and just looking around in the lotion section of Wal-Mart. This is a newer buy for me with only having been able to use it nightly for the past 3 months and damn if it wasn't surprising! Literally after only two nights in a row application, my skin on my face felt nicely tightened and it felt awesome. So, as I mentioned before, I've only used it for about 3 months now and loving the results and feel of those wrinkle areas where this is being used. 
7. "Moisturizing Cream" - is the daily religiously used product that's been in use in my household not only for my kids but for my face since 2018! This is what you should always use, and its healing properties are awesomely amazing! 

Now some words of advice, if you're wanting the best results each and every time! Then you need to get into the habit of this: I hardly put sweeteners on now in my coffees, hot teas, or drinks that aren't already sweet. So, removing or decreasing your overall intake of sugar will help considerable and more than you know! Then drinking as much water and staying as hydrated as possible, then having more fruits and balanced meals-overall provided me with the everlasting results and ease of a regimen that I can use till I'm dead...

So, let me know what you think or what are your specific regimens for self-care especially for your face? 

Sincerely,

A Distinct Woman 

Do you actually know what Mental Health Awareness is? - General/Health

This month has really been crazy for me and not just because the days are going by fast but also because of life in general it seems. When I had originally started this post it was literally on May 1st but here we are with my writing and finally finishing the post on May 20th! My goodness how time has flown by. 

I wanted to write about something pertaining what what society has dubbed the month of May to be. For the Christian religion, more specifically the Catholic community, this is the month of Mary in addition to it also being the month of moms with Mother's Day (having already passed of course) - which reminds me, for all/any of you mother's reading this post I hope you had a great Mother's Day weekend and especially a wonderful Mother's Day! So as I was saying, I found that apparently the month of May is "Mental Health Awareness" month. I literally rolled my eyes when I read that. Actually I have a tendency of rolling my eyes internally when I hear someone say they took a "mental health day." Now before and of you get huffy with me I'll get to explaining. 

First off I feel that society is misusing the phrase "Mental Health Awareness" associating it to everything involving their head period; they should be more specific or make sure to clarify to the public accurate definitions, or at least explain before someone starts googling the wrong thing. Then again I know, we can't control other's behaviors/emotions/actions. What I'm about to begin writing about is coming from someone who's had her head extensively and thoroughly examined, so believe me when I say that there's a difference between "Brain Health Awareness" and "Mental Health Awareness." For example, someone to the eye can be both mentally and emotionally sound, but due to something involving their brain health, their mental health can be affected or perhaps theirs a chemical hindrance in the brain that's creating a mental health problem-something such as a Vitamin D deficiency which affects many aspects of the body (specifically mental and brain function) can prompt some concerning symptoms and affect someone's mental health. You may not know or have a doctor consider that thought until your neurological function is looked into. Like anything else, it could go vice versa as well. The simplest disconnection from the brain to mental health can create more chaos than one can fathom. 

Secondly, the main difference between "mind" and "brain" is that the functions that the mind does is controlled by the brain, which is the physical organ responsible for those same functions. I found this well laid out image on google for what I am attempting to explain:

According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC for short-and yes that's the one and the same when announcements for COVID were being sent out) mental health is defined as: is the emotional, psychological, and social well being that affects how we think, feel, and act. Our mental health assists in determining how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices (my opinion here but I think it's for ALL choices whether "healthy" or not). The CDC states that mental health is important at every stage of life. I can appreciate when one invests into the mental health by delving into the issues they might have on hand-basically the individuals who acknowledge there's a problem that needs to be fixed instead of someone being in denial or worse (like most of the society likes to use the phrase for) as an excuse to deter from adulting, life, and responsibilities. What everyone should keep in mind is that your mental health is constantly changing or its not stagnant, but evolves as you age especially with the contributors surrounding ones mental health. The biggest impact on the mental health is when demands placed on an individual exceed their coping abilities and personal resources.  https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm#:~:text=Mental%20health%20includes%20our%20emotional,childhood%20and%20adolescence%20through%20adulthood.

The World Health Organization I feel defined "Brain Health" beautifully: its the state of brain function across cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioral, and motor skills allowing the individual to realize their full potential over their life span with the presence/absence of disorders. There are variables that influence the way in which our brain develops, adapts, and responds to stress and adversities; physical health, environments, safety and security, life-long learning, and social connection are basically the genres of brain development. To optimize brain health one must be able to address those genres and adversities not only to improve both mental and physical health but also optimize the creation of positive social and economic effects to the overall greater well being of a person and the society in which they walk in. There are conditions that affect the brain and nervous system and emerge throughout the life span, characterized by disruptions in brain growth, damage to brain structure and/or impaired brain function; some examples are congenital, neurodevelopment, and neurological disorders throughout the life span. The treatment and care of these examples will require both a multi sectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration of specialists with the focus being on promotion, prevention, treatment, care, and rehabilitation along with an active engagement of the individual and their loves ones as well as career groups.  https://www.who.int/health-topics/brain-health#tab=tab_1

This is a topic that hits very close to home for me due to my life experiences and this specific post a prequel to my upcoming posts so stay tuned!

Sincerely,

A Distinct Woman 

Baby Weight Post-Pregnancy - Health

For those of you who don't know, I used to have another blog so if this looks familiar to any of my readers, I am the original author so yes the original post was on my previous blog. This revised post is why I'm re-posting it to this blog. I hope you enjoy!

                        "The greatest gift you can give your family and the world, is a healthy you."

-Joyce Meyer-

There really is no way to fully prepare for the changes that a female endures on her body when she's pregnant, even the post pregnancy physique. When I took all the pictures you see below, they are leading up to a six month post-pregnancy timeframe (for my first daughter)...it took a very committed and dedicated six months for me to loose all the baby weight that was developed for the pregnancy. It didn't help that my body was forced to take some extensive medicine during delivery and the first post week after delivery, but I managed to shed the baby weight none the less. 

Top Left: This was the December/January after my daughter's birth, with the specific size of clothing and wearing clothing that would assist in covering the c-section hormonal belly bulge that typically comes to light after having your baby. As I look at these images I still remember so vividly how conscientious I was becoming of the bulged stomach. I know what you may be thinking, how could someone who seems so confident in her writing and who holds high self-esteem for herself be so conscientious of her figure?!? First off for those of you who don't know or especially who have never gone through a pregnancy and post-delivery, please hold you tongue in check because you can't possibly understand. So the answer is yes, at that time I was. Before you go being judgmental or critiquing me, I wasn't being conciscentious for vain reasons, I mean shoot if I had the ability to spend as much money and time on my self and training/working out to secure I went back to my size 8/10 curvy latin boy pre-baby (or babies now), I don't think this post would even be in existence.

I do believe there are a few different reasons how or why this tummy bulge sticks around. I will say I'm not one for excuses about your own health and well being, if you have a goal in mind for your physical and mental well being than make it a priority otherwise you're just making excuses as to why you aren't getting there. The reason for my conscientiousness of wanting to lose the baby weight had nothing to do about insecurity towards my husband (well at that time since he's an ex-husband now), I wasn't trying to lose the weight so that I could remain attractive to him. I'm sorry but that's the dumbest reason why I think a woman should persevere-pregnancy and childbirth are natural and women are made for such a miraculous and monumental experience but it comes with the "scars" after, almost as if it were a battle scar. I didn't care what anyone else was telling me like certain family members who were pushing for me to be back to a certain size and I didn't care what the public saw when they see me in public (never have and I still don't). The main reason why I decided to persevere was because my "mommy brain mode" kicked in. I was extremely healthy before my pregnancy (thanks to my mother's encouragement and my father's hard working in my education) and I knew I wanted to be as healthy as I could be for my daughter; I feel that how healthy I was pre-pregnancy was a valuable and blessed contribution to how my daughter was born strong, healthy and whole regardless of the stressful pregnancy we endured She came out of me taking away all the nourishment and "good juices" from my body. Feeling and working in all aspects before my oldest came along, was the goal, so that no matter the physical demands and the possible tough/tougher times that would be endured I would manage just fine. It just so happen that if you're also a smaller size you can shop for cheaper clothing :p Why maternity clothing and larger clothing is so expensive...is beyond me. I understand that more fabric and material is used, but at the rate of obesity in this country you would think that the clothing for the thinner people would be a few dollars more instead. Anyhow, I digress from that squirrel tangent....

Top Right: The January/February picture was taken during the time where I wasn't as concerned about wearing clothing to cover up my mid section, tummy bulge, and "love handles"...no I was just resorting back to some of my maternity shirts and dresses to feel comfortable, confidant, and have clothing fit me a little more loose. Ok let's face it, some maternity clothes are so darn comfy that why wouldn't you still wear it even after the baby is born!?! The Capri in this pic were definitely still my maternity Capri.

Middle Left: These two pictures were early March, where I was literally starting to feel able to push myself physically through the workouts. Not 100% pre-pregnancy fit but a very good percentage of that healthiness feeling. It's hard to explain but hopefully you can relate to that which I can't really put into words. Sometimes it has nothing to do with inches or weight-loss and its all about that"feeling". Do you know what I mean? It's the feeling of inner power, strength, and agility. That even if you didn't sleep well your body is ready to take on that extra few hours of labor/work/exertion. No? Maybe just me?...Anyway! I had that great feeling that I was wanting to wear more shorts and I felt the ligaments/muscles at work inside my body. It's hard to explain how to be so in tune with your body, when many others out there aren't in tune or can't comprehend the phrase "in tune with your body." Some just make fun of that statement, claiming its some stupid notion or just a means of paying for a yoga/pilates class. Moving on then.

Bottom: The two bottom pictures with the tank top, are taken for this sixth month post-delivery timeframe, exactly! Feeling great and regardless of what people have said or think, I like how I look as well! Working with no more than 10lb weights in routine patterns with some free weight circuits in addition to eating well (the same way I did before the pregnancy) I feel like my old self again completely! I'm at 189.2lbs instead of the 210.6lbs on my release from the hospital in October of 2016.

Of course that's not my ideal weight so its a continued progress of getting leaner and loving it! Working out for me serves as also a stress reliever so for those struggling to get rid of your baby weight, let's find something that you love to do that will provide you that boost of energy but calorie burn to lose the baby weight the right way without worrying about it's ugly return because you have a downtime in the mix of your weight-loss. It's to get me back where I was health/physically but it was also my biggest stress reliever. When things are difficult in the real world, running and being outside provides me my distraction, but pushing my body harder and longer is what takes away my anger, stress, and frustrations of life

When weather permitted back then I would strive to get home from work early enough to have ample time in taking my daughter on a long walk in her stroller while I got my workout on, sometimes with my dogs as well, the wonderful dogs I had at the time (and that would be three at that time by the way). Other work days I worked out during my lunch hour at work, in the gym provided by the building. Either way since then I've always kept in my mind to complete the 10,000 steps! During that time the Apple Watches weren't out yet so yes I had a Fitbit to keep that count. I do strongly suggest for someone to get a calorie tracking app that has the ability of collaboration and integration of a steps tracking tool because it will assist someone in getting themselves into a healthy regimen or routine so that they can either 100% be dependent on or that they use to get accustomed to the healthy life changes you're trying to integrate. I continually remember what my doctor and surgeon told me, "it takes up to ten months for your body to prepare in creating and having a child, so keep that in mind when you are getting impatient or frustrated at not losing all of the baby weight yet. It takes time to heal and sometimes longer if you had a cesarean, like you did. It might take a full year before you actually see physical improvements." As many can attest to, it's always easier said than done, but for something like this I know what I'm telling and can openly tell you because I've gone through it twice now! 

Don't panic and don't stress, because this will be an example of slow and steady will win the race. Besides you want to lose the weight so that you don't add it back on in a brief moment of laziness, life circumstance/s, or worse case scenarios. Time truly is on our side momma's don't get discouraged and loose faith in yourself! So new momma's or women trying to lose the baby weight. Make a goal and stick to it - even if others laugh or critique it. It's working for me and I'm not dieting NOR am I skipping meals. I'm a person with a budget, busy life (sometimes on less than four hours a night of sleep), child, family, friends, and long driving time to and from work; if I can make it happen other women out there have no excuse. Stay strong and you got this. Also, just remind yourself that we are all works in progress not only spiritually but physically, so you won't be perfect therefore the beauty will lie in the imperfections and in all your hard work to get to your end result. A fact that remains for me to this day, I'm always still working on the reduction of the baby weight fat (especially since it was accumulated all over again on the second pregnancy I had with my ex-husband).

I think one of the older tradition methods of the woman being on house arrest for up to forty-five days post-delivery has dwindled or lost it's "prestige" or perhaps it's no longer a necessity that women demand any longer, since everyone is about work schedules and getting all you can for your buck...I get it all however its this old tradition in some latin and even European cultures that practice this forty-five day house arrest. I know it's sounds amazing to some (who are homebodies) but for the rest of you, that's not the case. How you spend your recovery post delivery will depend on your doctor and the advice/suggestions they provide. Although, this home arrest serves for various benefits I'll only name the top five benefits: 1)you get some of the best bonding time with your baby during this house arrest 2)if you didn't do the old school pregnancy techniques before the birth then you can definitely use this time to create a solid schedule for your baby and their habits. Save yourself the future stress 3)if you had a natural birth than these forty-five days will provide an easier physical transition of nourishing what your body needs to produce breast milk and in turn rid that baby weight fast! The results will be shocking. If you had a c-section birth than these forty-five days spent in house arrest will allow your body to completely rid yourself of the excess air and inflammation caused by the surgery. This air is what your body intakes during the surgery and can leave you very bloated with discomfort for a while-also contributing to that excessive bulge/mommy tummy. Save yourself the headaches or annoying future wardrobe styles by taking advantage (if you can) for the forty-five day house arrest 4)you're body and system gets acclimated to its new sense regarding your baby in addition to the sleeping habits 5)these forty-five days allows mommy to also concentrate on herself mentally and physically because of how hard our bodies are working for the baby, especially for the breast milk creation. The extra bouts of rest and relaxing in your own oasis you create inside your home will do wonders for you moms...

Needless to say, as much as I was annoyed with the house arrest for forty-five days post-delivery of daughter number one I was an avid participant for the second daughter. I took advantage of all the benefits of the house arrest the second time around. That's why I've loved my body no matter what post deliveries. You should too...

Sincerely,

A Distinct Woman

COVID: It’s Real - General

Once upon a time, I had COVID-19…in 2020.

So I worked backwards some, because I took this selfie eleven days after having COVID. Yes, this smiling face wasn’t as smiley in the duration of COVID symptoms. So for those who haven't had it, I wouldn't wish it upon you and for those of you who doubt it's severity (even with the vaccinations and boosters out) - I suggest you get on the "stay healthy and keep COVID at bay train." 

I feel like the main reason for it's spread are people's complete disregard and carelessness; people's inability to use caution and simple clean protocols, in addition to the people being uneducated in what COVID and the repercussions of having COVID are I believe are the culprit to the severity of it's spread. I'm in no way saying that the news didn't attempt to educate, but let's face it, they shed more light on the negative and dark portions of COVID without providing a truly educational piece to the whole thing. I won't even get into the politics behind the move of COVID but the fact was the world waited until numbers were too high to truly mandate anything then proceeded to take caution...guess even though we humans have evolved perhaps our intelligence really hasn't since action wasn't taken sooner by society/the world so that we wouldn't be seeing high numbers of those affected. Anyone recall the Black Plague, Spanish FLU, or what about hay fever? Last I checked and read numbers are still all over the place those affected regardless of some mandates already having been lifted and vaccinations/boosters in place already past the beginner points of . Why doesn't anyone comprehend that even simple hygiene continues to play a huge role in how COVID (or any disease for that matter) can be controlled yet the world still doesn't take their precautions...Things as simple as covering you mouth and nose when you sneeze and cough, then making sure you're washing your hands after touching something that isn't yours or is foreign to you, blowing your nose into a napkin/tissue instead of your sleeve, etc. It's sad enough how many men (and women for that matter), don't even sustain or follow common hygiene. For example (especially pre-COVID), women now-a-days literally go to the restroom and will simply relieve themselves than walk out. I've seen it happen, frightfully so, many times. I've even waited to hear the water run once the female has passed my stall and nothing except the whoosh of the door to the women's restroom closing. How disgusting is that?! Alas, I shall digress because that's a post all on its own and it's taking me on a squirrel tangent :) 

Doctor's have said, that if you haven't gotten COVID, it's only a matter of time. I don't know how I feel about that statement since these same doctor's providing such statements, are also still giving warning to the vaccinations and boosters-side affects and long term affects still (that are also still being catalogued because of the unknowns)...well it definitely was only a matter of time because I had it and I had it bad. You can easily google or look at the CDC website to find out more information about COVID and also the symptoms to look out for, but this specific post is about how mine started and how it ended.

A coworker tested positive for COVID but wasn't showing any symptoms; their test was done before lunchtime so I went to get tested myself in the afternoon. I tested negative and had no symptoms the next day, however by the second day things began to feel interesting (to say the least). I woke up with a scratchy throat and the feeling of drainage in the back of my throat. I figured it was either allergies acting up, perhaps a small bout of the tonsillitis, or worse the start of a head cold because work days were getting pretty long because of the stupid project that was going on at the time...I mean it was a Saturday and we were working especially with wanting to make sure that nothing was going to thwart our Christmas holidays. Yes you read correctly, this was all literally the Saturday before the week of Christmas. I starting binge drinking on orange juice and Emerg-C in addition to just staying hydrated and making sure I had my allergy spray in as well as some Tylenol to prevent any fever surprises. By mid-afternoon I was blowing my nose at least every fifteen minutes and my overall body temperature was rising...then the worst part was when I started coughing! I coughed up blood at least four times with how bad the cough was. Did I tell anyone, obviously no because I wanted to just be done with work and get out! Saturday night I felt like the walking dead but thankfully still no fever. Since I was negative to COVID I only suspected that maybe I was coming down with the FLU. So the road trip to visit family for Christmas was still a go but I was literally dead on my feet. We all took our precautions with minimal to no time around others and always using face masks when we made a pitstop. I did downplay how dead on my feet I felt - when I say dead on my feet, I mean my entire body felt achy and awful and I didn't even want or feel like eating. I was literally forcing myself to stay hydrated...the drive to visit family I hardly remember the day portion of it because I was stuffed on Nyquil and tried to sleep to rest up, while my sister drove my vehicle. The night time though I wanted to drive because I wanted to make more time and just arrive! Well we didn't arrive to our destination until close to 3am but because of the hotel, I didn't tuck myself in for bed until close to 6am, thankfully after a very long and refreshing shower, having settled in my daughters ...so needless to say it wasn't the most restful of nights. We all didn't wake up until close to 1pm on December 23rd and it was a guaranteed feeling of extreme hunger. 

Minimal movement that day for sure due to our being road-trip exhausted. My body aches were horrible but kept a smile on my face and let's face it, motherhood doesn't stop because you feel sick or bad. My cough became worse though and made me hack up some unpleasant colored mucus. I was already on Tylenol Night and Day for the Cold/Flu and already on the second bedtime of the Nyquil syrup for restful sleep. Thankfully my girls had no symptoms and were like usual. Christmas Eve and Day went by what felt like a breeze. The day after Christmas though I went to the hospital ER because my cough was horrible and I was as weak as could possibly be, with the hardest time of not losing my breath and having my cough make the days more miserable. Thankfully got answers but they weren't what I was needing or wanting at that time. The ER doctor diagnosed me after getting an x-ray and some swabbing. Negative of the FLU and strep throat but was positive to COVID and the x-ray confirmed the "smoky lungs" as one of the visible signs the medical field had seen related to positive COVID members. During my discharge from ER, I was told to always wear the mask around my daughters even though they didn't seem affected at all by anything! They were (thank God) lively, themselves, and without any concern of COVID or anything else for that matter; healthy daughters for sure as they have been since birth. In addition, they mentioned for me to stay hydrated, with lots of Vitamin C, and lots of rest to have my body recover with the help of a Z-pack and a cough suppressant. Yet, they couldn't provide me with a steroid shot as I was "too far gone" into having COVID. They briefly mentioned about some breathing exercises but I knew who to contact for that. Went back to the hotel, let my family know because I was feeling even more dead on my feet and got myself situated while my sister went to the pharmacy for the prescriptions I was having filled and the other vitamins a fellow family member mentioned for me to use. This specific family member is my uncle and he's in the medical field, was (and still is) dealing first hand with respiratory therapy for COVID patients both during and post COVID; he provided me with the breathing exercises as well that would benefit my recovery. My intake was of cran-apple juice diluated with water when I was able to (because nausea would strike and I couldn't just have water by itself or water in the juice, so straight Cran-Apple Juice it was), then the vitamins that consisted of C, B-12, Magnesium, Calcium, and Zinc. The times I did eat, I recall having some delicious Thai soup that provided me a spice kick to help on the nausea aspect of how I was feeling. My loss of appetite was already diminishing since Christmas Eve so it wasn't a surprise to me to not be hungry pre and post the ER, but I was very thirsty. My sister and folks stalked up the hotel room with what I needed and with what the girls needed. 

Yup that's right the rest of my Christmas Vacation was spent inside a hotel and miserable. I actually don't remember much of that week (even to this day) they are hazy recollections even now. I vaguely remember the times anyone was in my room or what was going on around me. I do remember the nighttime moments of bathroom breaks because I would catch a glimpse of my girls peacefully asleep, I would be praying in thanks and in need that my girls would continue to not be affected by COVID period...I didn't anything or much of anything. It was a long six days later I was finally alert and wanting to move. So there I go to a nearby clinic to have myself checked and tested again, to my biggest surprise, even without working out of any kind, I ended up losing thirteen pounds in the six days alone. Thankfully though the results at the clinic showed I was COVID free and they sent me off with another Z-pack for clearing up my congestion and to continue the regimen I was already on. A goodnights rest led me to waking up normally, well around 8am because my body woke me up to use the bathroom and I couldn't go back to sleep. 

The picture of feeling like myself again was the day after having gone to the clinic. The girls and I went walking to the FRISCO Star area to get some deliciousness and have a little outing. Considering that we would be back on the road again soon to travel back home, I wanted to make the most of the time, since I was sick for most of it and couldn't do what I wanted with my daughters as I had planned...

So to you nay-sayers and unbelievers. COVID is real and if it hits you it may not be serious or may just very well be deathly. So why take a chance and just do you part in the not spreading and take precautions, not only before having it but even more so after having it!

Sincerely,

A Distinct Woman