This is Kammie

March 11- I had a weird headache behind my eyes for most of the day,& in the afternoon a sore throat. As I cooked dinner I started getting chills & knew I had a fever. Took my temperature & sure enough I did. So I finished cooking, asked for prayers, & went to bed.

Mar 12- No appetite. I was barely conscious at all. Horrible body ache. When I woke I took my temp. It stayed between 100.4-102.9. Older daughter helped a lot with the baby while her dad was at work.

Mar 13 through 15- Coughing is insane, body aches/joint pain, chills, sweats, fever remained the same. Took 1 ibuprofen a day to take the edge off of headache so I could rest. No appetite.

Mar 16- Coughing is so intense. There is an undeniable crackling when I breathe, particularly noticeable on exhale. Experiencing less chills but fever remains. Newly set up “Covid-19 hotline” is closed. Drove across town to the better ER, despite my resistance to the idea. Flu tests negative, am told I have pneumonia and given ibuprofen for the fever, with suggestion I continue taking it. Given an antibiotic, and prescription for more. Am released with the instructions to isolate from members of my household & to follow up with my doctor, no other information. The packet they gave me bizarrely contains a few brief sentences on how to prevent pneumonia, no information at all on how to care for myself, how long this should last, etc.

Mar 17- No more fever! Still coughing. Feel like hell. Abs & ribs are sore from coughing.

Mar 18- My birthday. Spent it alone, sick in bed. Has now been 1 week since I spent any time with my husband or children. I miss them. Thank God the fever has not returned. Reach out to doctor for follow up. Was told I don’t qualify for Covid-19 test (pregnant, nursing home residents, first responders  & medical personnel only). Cannot go in to doctor’s for follow up as they cannot see patients with symptoms. Inappropriate to return to ER for follow up. Cannot give medical advice via phone. What to do!? My older daughter begins to cough this night. Had a temp of 99.1

Mar 19- Daughter has no fever now, but continues to cough. Told to wait it out at home for now, but to watch her. She says she feels fine.

Mar 20- Last day of antibiotics. Starting to feel just well enough to want to do SOMETHING to pass the time. I have now been in bed doing absolutely nothing for 8 full days. Choose to crochet.

Mar 21- Appetite is back.

Mar 23- No more headache, body less sore.

Mar 24- Feeling a lot better today. Cough is now productive. Went downstairs for dinner for first time in 13 days. Watched Detective Pikachu.

Mar 25- Daughter still coughing, but has had no other complaints. Still facing 5 days more of isolation from my family. Fever has not returned. Neck is stiff, maybe from sleeping wrong? Still “productive” cough, seems like coughing more today than yesterday. I feel like there is stuff in my chest. Hesitant to go back to ER with all the cases in my area, as well as my very negative experiences with the hospital closest to me. Read that reinfection is possible & instead of it being the lungs, you have to worry about the heart on the 2nd round. Praying for the world & requesting prayers on my family’s behalf, please.

Are y’all using Ibotta? It is by far my favorite app. Such an easy, easy way to get cash back on groceries. And you can use it with store discount cards, coupons, WIC, EBT, etc. so items can be totally free. There is even the potential to actually make money on some items!

I’ll  write a better post about it soon, I just wanted to share because I don’t want anyone missing out on these great app any longer.

Earlier this month I somehow managed to cut my finger pretty badly in the car, and of course I didn’t have a bandage or anything handy! When I got home and patched myself up, I decided I needed to get a first aid kit to keep in the car or diaper bag.

I needed something portable, in a hard case, with all the essentials, but also lightweight- God knows juggling a diaper bag & heavy baby seat is hard enough without adding extra pounds! Luckily, I found the perfect solution!

Sumpri Mini First Aid Kit

The great case contains Burn Gel Pack, Alcohol Pads, Sting Relief Pads, Antiseptic Cleaning Wipes, Iodine Wipes, Multiple sizes of Bandages, Tweezers, Scissors, Emergency Whistle, 3X Gauze, PBT Bandage, Silicone Tourniquet, and more- totalling 80 pieces!

My favorite part of the kit is the clip- I can hook it in my diaper bag with my keys & not have to root around in a dark, stuffed bag for it!
You can snag yours here http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TC7B26G

I received this item at a reduced price to facilitate this blog review, the opinions stated above are my own. 

So I have been quiet lately, as the last 5 months have been quite the trip.

5 months. 15 hospital visits. 8 prescriptions. 4 hospital admissions. 2 sets of x-rays. Countless blood draws & ekgs. Endless ER visits & doctor appointments. I’ve been overlooked, dehumanized, humiliated, broken, bruised, & bloodied, but it’s all worth it to have our precious baby girl.

And that’s just for me! It doesn’t include the appointments for the kids, or having to go in to sort insurance & the like. As you can imagine, being sick has left me with little time or energy for blogging. I have recently entered the hypo phase of the illness, so while I don’t feel good, I do feel better. Of course, it comes with another set of symptoms, a change in medication, and a different diet, but I will save all that for another post. I’ve now made it to one full month without having to go to the hospital, aside for blood draws. WHOOHOO!

I hope that you are having a happy & healthy 2020!

Whoo! Another “cooking from the cabinet” recipe to accompany yesterday’s gf, df biscuits.

I refuse to pay $8 for a tube of breakfast sausage-flavored texturized vegetable protein. What an unappetizing name. The beauty of breakfast sausage lies in the spice blend. Fragrant fennel paired with smoky paprika, salty with a delicious hint of sweet maple syrup…drool…What’s not to love?! These meat-free patties are tasty, and I say this as a die-hard sausage lover. I suggest prepping the mix the night before so they’re ready to cook in the morning.

These sausages are not soy free, but they are gluten free, nut free, & dairy free. AND they didn’t cost $8 to make. Aside from the aminos, I already owned all the ingredients used for the sausages.

Vegan Breakfast Sausage

serves 4

• 1 C cooked brown rice (cook in veggie broth for more flavor!)
• 3/4 C rolled oats
• 1/4 c onion, diced very finely (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp GF flour or oatmeal flour
• 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed (or 1 egg, if you aren’t vegan/dairy free)
• 3 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp olive oil + enough to oil your pan
• 1 Tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (you could use coconut aminos IF you can have sea salt)
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1.5 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp fennel seed
• 1 tsp ground sage
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (add less or omit if you want mild sausage)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

GF, DF Vegan Southern Gravy

Serves 4

• 1/2 lb Vegan Sausage crumbles (optional)
• 1/4 c Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (Bob’s Red Mill)
• 2 c Almond Milk
• 3 Tbsp olive or coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp Salt , or to taste
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1. Heat oil in pan. When hot, whisk in flour. Allow to cook for a few minutes, stirring often. This prevents your gravy from tasting like raw flour.
2. Whisk in remaining ingredients until smooth.
3. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 5 minutes or until thickened.
4. Stir in sausage if desired.

I served my gravy over these gf, df oat biscuits, with the above sausages crumbled in. Separately everything was great. Together, it was a great flavor but the rice made the combo somewhat gummy. It probably would be better over a more traditional biscuit but wasn’t bad at all with the oats. Still, family ate it without complaint, as a  whole it was easy to throw together, & aside from a few ingredients the entire thing was made with stuff I already use.

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