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What to know about getting COVID again in 2023

Over the past three years, we have learned a lot about getting COVID infections, and being re-infected with the COVID virus. Looking back, there is a lot that we know now that we did not know previously.

Thanks to CNET for reaching out to me to comment on this for their story “What to know about getting COVID again (and again) in 2023.” I encourage you to click on the article and to check out my comments. Have a great weekend everyone!

Healthy Cheeseburger?

A cheeseburger really is not healthy, right? Well, in a recent news report, a survey claimed that the food chain Whataburger (we have no restaurants around here) has the “healthiest” cheeseburger in America.

The wildly popular food website called Mashed (they have 25 monthly readers worldwide) reached out for my comment on this. You can probably guess what I said about it. But, I invite you to click on the full article entitled “Expert Claims Whataburger Cheese Burger Isn’t Actually That Healthy” on the Mashed website. Enjoy!

Happy New Year

Another year has started, and it’s always a time for me to reflect. Every time at the beginning of the year, I tell myself that it’s a great time to try to get back to writing, and I’m going to try that again this year. We’ll see what happens….

Carrying Loss During The Holidays

What a beautiful day here in northeastern Ohio. It was a crisp 39 degrees at Beaver Creek State Park today as we hiked close to sunset. This hike really reminded me of the time when my father was sick two years ago. 

In the past few weeks, I’ve seen on by feed that there are many of my Facebook friends have experienced loss with the passing of a family member recently. And, for others, they are remembering family members who have passed away during holiday time.

For all those Carrying Loss during this holiday season, I just wanted to let you know that there is a huge community out here who grieves with you, and who feel similar to where you are at these days. I’m sending positive thoughts to you and your family during this tough time.

For everyone else, I hope that you remember those friends and family members who could be having a tough time this holiday season. During this hectic holiday season, I hope that you are able to get out and enjoy nature and/or find some kind of self-care these days. Have a great week everyone!

Thanksgiving Memories

My father passed away in 2020 right before Thanksgiving, and I admit that holiday time is a difficult time for me. But, what continues to bring be joy are the memories of him carving the turkey every year. For those, who don’t know he was a surgeon who practiced in the Youngstown, Ohio area for years. So, every Thanksgiving, I was impressed by his precision of his turkey carving.

Every year, I have many friends ask me to share his turkey carving videos. I started recording these a few years ago, just as a joke, because my facebook friends would enjoy them. But, now that my father has passed away, these videos bring back so many memories.

For all those who are suffering grief and loss this holiday season (whether it's 2 years or 20 years, or longer or shorter), I feel for you, and I am there with you. If I am emotionally strong enough, I plan to share more of my grieving story with you, because I have a lot to say about it. I do not claim to be an expert in grief and loss. I only share my story to try to find a connection with others who are suffering. I am only an expert in my own grief and loss…..

Election Day 2022

Just wanted to encourage everyone to get out there and vote today. I know that the news usually says that it’s always, “The most important election in our lifetime,” at least until the next election. I just read a local news article saying that the local board of elections is only expecting about 60% turnout today. We have got to do better than that.

A few years ago, I was frustrated that I was sometimes unable to attend elections due to my work schedule. And, actually a patient reminded me and turned me onto the idea of absentee voting, and I’ve been doing that ever since. I’ve even had some patients say that they did the “early voting” thing in the weeks before election day. There are fewer and fewer excuses for citizens to not vote. So, get out there today and let your voice be heard!

Myths of Grieving

For the fall issue of the Ohio Family Physician magazine, I wrote the following essay. The theme of the issue was the topic of Health Myths…….

When people typically hear the term “Health Myths” they typically think of things having to do with misinformation on the internet, misinformation about COVID-19, and other ideas. You probably have never thought about health myths following the end of someone’s life.

My father passed away during the tragic year of 2020, when many people died, masks were the norm, and a COVID vaccine was still unavailable. My father did not pass away from COVID infection, but for about nine months through that year, he suffered with the cancer diagnosis called glioblastoma, which for some is a rapidly growing brain tumor that eventually took his life.

Before he passed away, I was using all of my Family Physician skills to help my own family through this process. However, after he was gone, I felt as lost as we were all trying to process what happens now? There are a lot of myths when it comes to grieving, and I want to share three myths that I have experienced so I can help others through this mysterious process.

MYTH: Grief Happens In An Orderly Process

Close to the end of my father’s life, the family decided to place him on hospice services. To try to help myself and to help my family through this process, I reached for the book “On Death And Dying,“ by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. As Family Physicians, all of us have probably encountered this book at one point or another in our training. And all of us are familiar with the outlined stages of dying including denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

However, through my arrogance, I thought that these were the same steps following death. I thought that these were the steps of grieving, which they are not. Grief does not happen in orderly stages. Grief is a convoluted and complicated process that is very personal and very individualized. Grief does not follow any kind of order.

MYTH: It Takes A Year To Get Over Your Grief

Even before my father passed away, people were telling me that the first year after his death would be the most difficult. Even I talk to patients and families about “the year of firsts.” This refers to the first birthday, the first holidays, the first wedding anniversary, etc. For a long time, I thought that the first 12 months, the first 365 days following the death of a loved one, would be the most difficult.

Unfortunately, this is a myth. Of course, those first holidays and memorable days are difficult, but those ones during the second year are no easier. And what I’m finding out in talking with people, is that sometimes it never gets better. Or, it is going to take more time before things start to ease in your mind.

MYTH: The Goal Of Grieving Is To Find Closure

For a long time, I did think in my head that if I was able to achieve this goal of “closure,“ whatever that means, then I would be able to get on with the rest of my life because in my research and reading, sometimes people just have to “get over it.“ Unfortunately, that is not the case.

The process of grieving is something that I deal with every day, and I will probably deal with for the rest of my life. Grieving is not a means to an end. Grieving is not a process that needs to be completed. Grieving does not have an endpoint for which you can tell people that you have completed the process. Grieving is every day, and it’s ok.

I hope this essay helps even one person through the grieving process. The process of grief is something that is not talked about in our society, for whatever reason. But as a Family Physician, I hope to create a space for my patients, my community, and for all of you to discuss and share openly and without judgment.

September Check-In

Happy September! Yes, where has the year gone? And, yes, I realize that is has been a few months since I wrote here. You know how it goes, when a new year starts, you have all kinds of plans to do this and to do that, and then February comes, and then, you get back to the status quo. Why does this happen? Anyway, I was biking riding recently, and I decided that I had to write a post here.

Over this past summer, I celebrated my 50th birthday. And, usually for me, it takes one of these anniversary birthdays to really make me think and to take things into perspective. I know that sometimes that I seem like I have things all together (in a good way). But, I’m like you in that I have good days and bad days - Good times and bad times. Please don’t try to read into that. Life is good, but there are always improvements that can be made. It’s no secret that my physical health could be better, but that has been always a struggle for me. And, everyone can make some improvements in their mental health.

This check-in is to let you know that I’m still here with the intention to share with you, through my writings, and that I have re-committed myself to not forget about my self-care, and I hope that you are making efforts to do the same as well. Because, before you know it, another few months will go by. I wish you peace. I hope you’re doing well, and I hope that we continue to help each other, one day at a time….

Hot Takes from Super Bowl Sunday

Super bowl 56 has come and gone. Bummed that the Cincinnati Bengals (#WhoDey) didn’t win, but it was actually a good game this year. I had all of my big game treats and food ready to go. And, don’t ask me why, but I actually watched most of that NBC five hour pre-game show. And, don’t ask me why, I actually enjoyed most of it. But, here are some random opinions (my hot takes) from today:

1) About the game itself: Really enjoyed it. You can never count out Joe Burrow, and it came down to the last series of the game, and within the last couple of minutes. That kid and that team will be back. 

2) About the halftime show: Why are people bringing the hate? I thought that it was a good show. Definitely nostalgic. I wouldn’t call myself a hip-hop music kind of guy, but definitely brought back some fun memories from “back in the day.”

3) Best commercial: The LeBron James talking to the younger version of himself. I didn’t even know what company the ad was for, but I enjoyed how it was put together.

4) Can we finally get rid of mask mandates? Did you see any masks in the super bowl tv coverage? Some news channels will be making a big deal about this in the next few days. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not anti-mask. I’m pro mask optional. If you want to wear a mask, that’s cool. But, I think that in many circumstances, requirements for wearing a mask should be going away. That’s my take!

Life Lessons from Re-Connecting

Are there long time friends that you just haven’t talked with since the start of the pandemic? Of course, you were like me, saying to yourself, “Well, we will chat again soon.” Or, “One of these days I’ll give them a call again.” But, it’s now been two years. Two long years.

I challenged myself this week. I had some days off from work, and it was my goal to re-connect with some people whom I haven’t talked with in a while. And, even though it’s been two years, it felt like we picked up right where we left off at our last conversation. Do you have friends like that? Through my experiences this week, there are definitely lessons that I have learned that I want to share with all of you.

1) Isolation should never be the new normal: Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, one of the most commonly used phrases, that is now stuck in our heads is “social distance.” Of course, from an infectious disease standpoint, I understood its importance. However, this made it easier to just stay at home, and just isolate yourself from the rest of the world. After months and months of doing this, it became the new normal (whatever that means). Following my experiences this week, I will never fall into isolation again. Humans need to be with other humans, in-person. Don’t get caught in the “social distancing” trap.

2) Consent is key to re-connect with friends: In addition to the “social distancing” trap, we have been conditioned to stop any kind of social physical contact. Recently, I had someone scold me for trying to shake their hand. How we try to get back is using consent and asking permission. For example, asking if it’s ok to shake someone’s hand, or to give a hug, or to even take off your mask. Some people are ready to try to get back to social physical contact like shaking hands, and some people are not. My advise is to meet people at the comfort level they are comfortable at. This pandemic has caused a lot of fear in people. Asking consent can help people work through their fear.

3) We need each other’s stories: During pandemic isolation, you cannot help but think about yourself, and drive yourself crazy. Getting caught up with my friends this week made me realize that we need other people’s stories to help shape our own life story. I really believe that we are a piece of every person that we meet throughout our life. And everyone else’s life experience adds to my own. However, in isolation, there has been so much missing in my life, and this week has started to re-add some missing pieces.

4) There is nothing like laughter with friends: During this pandemic, I’ve been trying to keep my spirits up with watching things like comedy TV shows and comedy movies. However this week, in talking with long time friends, the laughter that I experienced was another old friend that I haven’t seen in a while. You must have friends like this, right? If you do, and you haven’t talked with them in a while, you must reach out and re-connect. You won’t regret it.

So, here’s my challenge to you, and it is similar to the challenge I made myself this week. Make a list of people whom you haven’t talked with since the beginning of the pandemic. Do what you need to do to re-connect, whether it be call them, text them, and/or meet up with them. I assure you that you won’t regret it, and it’s just another step to get you through this pandemic...