Covid-19 Community Support and Mental Wellness Thread

I feel like telling a story this morning.

I was on the phone with my mom last night, and she got to talking about my oldest nephew's former girlfriend. He and she are still friends, but they aren't dating anymore, and you'll likely understand why in a bit.

It seems that there is a cluster of a specific type of bone cancer in the kids where my sister lives. Someone needs to go out and study why this is because there have been at least five or six kids, not adults, kids, who have gotten it now. My oldest nephew's girlfriend is just the latest.

So my nephew is a junior in high school. He plays all the sports, so he's a bit of a hot commodity even being poor. He started dating this girl earlier in the year. It was the typical football player dating cheerleader type thing, but the girl was having problems with her leg. They found out after he took her to homecoming that she had this bone cancer.

So right now, during all of this, she's fighting bone cancer. They just did the surgery that took all of her femur, her knee, and she has one more round of chemo. But then they have to address removing some lymph nodes, and this thing also spread to a couple of nodes on her lung. And the last thing she needs in all of this is a disease spreading around that is extra risky for cancer patients.

My mom, being a breast and uterine cancer survivor, keeps up with this.

And mom's concern beyond health was that the poor kid was going to be missing prom and all that exciting year-end stuff that naturally a cheerleader would be in on. And like she said, I guess you can look at the bright side -- Sure, you're missing out, but now everyone else will be too. So, you won't ever know what you missed. There won't be all those pictures and stories. Everyone missed out on it this year. You can try to turn that into something of a positive for yourself.

I guess maybe that's where I was heading with this? Right now, we all have to do the best we can to try to turn these things into positives for ourselves to make it through.



Because even when everything looks bad or is bad, we keep on going. It's what we do. Hang in there.

a reply to: BoscoMoney

Bosco, you nut! I see you. I see you and your scars. I used to stub cigarettes out on my arm. One time I carved a heart on my chest. You know why you self-harm, and you know why you started again. Find someone to really talk to, but in the meantime, put on your favorite music and sing along with it. Or reach out to one of us.

I see you. I see your scars. Don't be ashamed. You are a person, hurting. You are someone. Let love in.

Been all up in my own head this morning. A lot of reflection and thinking back.

A spring night in 2005 came to mind. Man what a night. What a great band and show. So tight. Technical masters.



Spent the rest of my morning recalling so many old songs that I'd forgotten about. Mostly obscure bands that people barely knew of back in the day ( Trouble, Death Angel, Fastway, Lizzy Borden, Odin, Pile Driver ). Getting shocked that I can find all of them on YouTube.

Not a bad morning actually.

I hope y'all are holding up and hanging in!

Hope everyone is able to hang in there.

Ozzymandis, that guitar is so cool. Who did that artwork? I actually have a guitar autographed by TOOL and Adrienne Bellue. It's collecting dust and some of the autographs are wearing off.

I know of one person (my friend's uncle) who died from Covid.

One of my cats got an infected foot which is a long story that goes back to February and I had a hard time finding a vet that would even see him but finally he was seen yesterday. That appt. cost me 500 bucks and I had originally spent 300 bucks in Feb. when he got the stupid infection which happened after he saw the vet. Anyway, it's been an expensive and bad comedy of errors and the result now is that he needs his leg amputated. All at a time when I'm not working....But oh well, I've been frugal in my life and I have credit at least. I will do what I can for my boy, he is a real sweet heart of a cat.

My parents who are both over 80 are not handling being isolated well and my dad isn't healthy and rarely goes even 1 month without being admitted to the hospital. It will be a miracle if they make it through this time.

And I'm getting fatter and fatter. If I make it through my doctor will be lecturing me about weight gain I'm sure.

Strange and frightening times for sure but no one here is alone. You will always have someone to talk to or lend an ear with ATS.

Everyone stay safe and be well.

a reply to: ketsuko

Thanks for sharing that. Prayers for her.

One of the strangest things about this situation is that yes - it's scary, stressful, costly, dystopian etc - but you have to have gratitude that's all it is. It could always be worse.

God forbid.

So, by all means universe, bore me, please.

a reply to: toolgal462

Do you have a picture of your cat?

a reply to: drussell41
I do, but I am not good at figuring out how to post pics on ATS.

a reply to: drussell41

Thank you. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, least of all mine own. The Update threads took their toll. I don’t possess the medical, military, technical or even business acumen/expertise as many, but I can synthesize the sh!t outta synchronicity. Just can’t see the forest for the trees most times for myself. I’m gonna go on living as best I can. It’s a process, this life thing. So thanks. Much appreciation and gratitude in these hard times and uncharted territory.
Still sending the Good Vibes. Tonight I danced up a storm by myself. It was kinda fun even if it looks like dysfunction and loss of sanity.

Hoping you’re hanging in there. Everyone else too.

a reply to: slatesteam

Yeah, I'm hanging in. Having a real problem with insomnia, but that was a touchy area even before all of this.

I've been told I don't see the trees because I'm so focused on the forest. Granted, it was by a date's astrologer mom.....

Dancing by oneself to great music isn't dysfunction or insanity. Dancing is so human, and it's great exercise too. So what got you going? For me, it's Celtic music.

a reply to: toolgal462

Ozzymandis, that guitar is so cool. Who did that artwork?

That work was done by an old friend, Bob Langenwalter and he is a genius. I gave him carte blanche to do whatever and take as long as he wanted. He told me the drawings are based on the lyrics of my 1990 record, which is wild. I don't remember writing anything about angels with handguns. Oddly enough, his artwork was the original inspiration for the record I made in 2012. What goes around...

I'm sorry to hear about your kitty. If it makes you feel any better at all I used to be in love with a tripod dog. He'll do great with your love and support, I'm certain!

www.cnn.com...


Seriously? So experts who have been telling us masks aren't effective up until this week (and they still aren't being clear in their directives) now say it spreads by talking and even just breathing now.

Squeezing us in a vice. Is this hell?

a reply to: kosmicjack

Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?Is this hell?
Is this hell?
Is this hell?

originally posted by: kosmicjack
www.cnn.com...


Seriously? So experts who have been telling us masks aren't effective up until this week (and they still aren't being clear in their directives) now say it spreads by talking and even just breathing now.

Squeezing us in a vice. Is this hell?

It was obvious that the Surgeon General was lying when he came out with that most hypocritcal statement that masks weren't effective for the public. Then someone on ATS backed it up with three published studies that he found in pubmed.gov or a site similar to that. I'm not surprised at all they're backpedaling on this. Will I ever trust the Surgeon General again? No. He could have said, "they are somewhat effective depending on the type and how worn, but people on the front lines need them even more urgently than the public", but instead he chose to go with a lie.

I don't know about it being a vice, but they couldn't do a better job of losing credibility. Did you ever really trust them? I lost major trust in the 2014 ebola incident(s). Man, this is just more of the same and more nails in their coffin regarding respect or lack thereof. If one believes they weren't trustworthy to begin with, there's no vice at all.

Kiddo was in tears last night. I have been expecting it, and it finally happened. He's lost patience with his life being upside down.

He misses school. He misses his teachers. He misses going to practice. It doesn't work to have it come in through Zoom. He wants to go. He wants to see the other kids. He wants to see his instructor.

He doesn't care anymore than he can go outside and play for three hours of more every day. It just isn't enough.

originally posted by: ketsuko
Kiddo was in tears last night. I have been expecting it, and it finally happened. He's lost patience with his life being upside down.

He misses school. He misses his teachers. He misses going to practice. It doesn't work to have it come in through Zoom. He wants to go. He wants to see the other kids. He wants to see his instructor.

He doesn't care anymore than he can go outside and play for three hours of more every day. It just isn't enough.

Can you make him think of it as an early summer vacation? I don't think anyone is going back to school this semester, sadly.

originally posted by: kosmicjack
www.cnn.com...


Seriously? So experts who have been telling us masks aren't effective up until this week (and they still aren't being clear in their directives) now say it spreads by talking and even just breathing now.

Squeezing us in a vice. Is this hell?

Yah, one thing I lived by from the very start of this thing was that no one knows what the hell they are talking about.

originally posted by: ketsuko
Kiddo was in tears last night. I have been expecting it, and it finally happened. He's lost patience with his life being upside down.

He misses school. He misses his teachers. He misses going to practice. It doesn't work to have it come in through Zoom. He wants to go. He wants to see the other kids. He wants to see his instructor.

He doesn't care anymore than he can go outside and play for three hours of more every day. It just isn't enough.

Poor kid.

originally posted by: toolgal462

originally posted by: ketsuko
Kiddo was in tears last night. I have been expecting it, and it finally happened. He's lost patience with his life being upside down.

He misses school. He misses his teachers. He misses going to practice. It doesn't work to have it come in through Zoom. He wants to go. He wants to see the other kids. He wants to see his instructor.

He doesn't care anymore than he can go outside and play for three hours of more every day. It just isn't enough.

Can you make him think of it as an early summer vacation? I don't think anyone is going back to school this semester, sadly.

No.

He goes to summer camps all summer. He's already worried about them. One has field trips and swimming all summer. One is a science camp. One is an invention camp where they make contraptions out of up-cycle junk. One is with all the other kids from their martial arts group and the instructors and it's an overnight camp for a long weekend.

He lives for those, and now they might not happen. We've been trying to avoid talking about it.

a reply to: ketsuko

Kid has quite the social life! Bless him.

Tell him to go play in the dirt like I did. LOL I'm just joking. Although playing in the dirt I hear is good for the immune system!!

Which gives me an idea, you think you can get him interested in starting a garden? Gardening is fun.

a reply to: ketsuko

He has a very cool life. I'm impressed.

It will return.