cranberry bread sandwich

This is my Covid pneumonia story and how the fruit of the Spirit has helped me through my journey.

Spiritual fruit is vital to the soul, and natural fruit is vital to the body. Both have been vital to me in overcoming my difficulties with Covid.

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I am a Food Blogger

I am a food blogger who loves to bring joy to my family and grandkids by preparing recipes they enjoy. Like home-cooked Southern vegetables, pancakes, sandwiches and fruit snacks for the kids.

Cooking Changed when I Got Covid

Cooking for the kids and family actually brings me joy. I love serving inviting dishes of nutritious foods on colorful table decor. It makes people happy to dig into a delicious plate of food.

Enjoying a bowl or cup of colorful mixed fruit that’s already been prepared is a treat. What makes it even more enjoyable is when you didn’t have to cut the fruit that went in it. Doing such treats for family and friends is fun.

Bowl of fruit
Fruit Bowl

Baking and Cooking with Grandchildren

And I love baking and cooking with my grandchildren. They have so much fun mixing cake and pancake batter, pouring into a pan or onto a griddle.

Kids have fun getting to use kitchen utensils. I designed a kid’s apron for this granddaughter in the picture. She loves helping in the kitchen and created a Rainbow Salad recipe.

An apron was created with the rainbow salad she made and has a purple unicorn on it. Her surprise will be delivered soon and includes the apron, stickers, and the rainbow salad on a magnet.

Cooking with Kids
Cooking with Kids

Purple unicorn kitchen sets delight little girls, and I just love this little set.

When my grandkids are hungry and I’m visiting, they like to ask me to fix their meals. I surprise them with simple sandwiches, cut into different shapes.

My grand-littles love to go with me to the grocery store and pick out different fruits to try.

Dragon fruit
Trying Out Dragon Fruit with my Grandkids

They love fruit so I add it along with cheese or veggies that they like.

Fruit and Cheese Treats
Fruit and Cheese Treats

And I always make sure that I stock up on fruit for my grand-littles when they visit us. I’m the worst at eating fruit. I like it but usually have a hard time eating it consistently.

Basket of fruit
Fruit Basket

Everything Changed

Everything changed when I came down with Covid. Instead of me fixing fun healthy meals for the kids, they started taking care of me. I lost all energy to make anything.

Such things like being cared for by your grandkids as mini caregivers are precious.

Eating natural fruit and receiving God’s spiritual fruit would be vital to my progress with Covid.

The Journey Began

It all started when my daughter and son-in-law went on an anniversary trip. This was the first time they had left the baby. He was ten months at the time.

My baby grandson was used to me. Often when I would visit, I’d sing him to sleep at night.

I stayed at their house with him and two of his older siblings, and the oldest stayed with an aunt.

The days went well, and then Sunday came. We went to church and ate at a spacious restaurant where you don’t have to sit real close to others.

Sneezing Symptoms

That afternoon we took a nap. Suddenly out of nowhere, I sneezed five times in a row. Then the baby sneezed.

Later I noticed the baby’s head seemed a little more warm than usual. But I thought maybe it was because he’d been sleeping.

Sunday evening my oldest granddaughter returned home, and we all anxiously anticipated their parents’ return from their trip.

The baby clung to me, laying his head on my chest. I could tell he wasn’t feeling well and was relieved when my daughter and her husband finally arrived.

After a day or two, the baby came down with fever. He cried a lot at night.

His parents brought him to Urgent Care. He received care and also was tested for Covid.

Allergy-Type Symptoms

In the meantime, I began noticing allergy-type symptoms. The first few days were mild (except my loss of smell). Then I had these symptoms:

  • little nagging cough one day
  • chills at night
  • pressure in my chest

The girls planned to go home with me a few days. It would be their last summer trip to Grummy’s. Grumpy was meeting us there from his over-the-road expediting job.

Perfect timing. When the kids come, we go to our favorite museum that is a blast. Indoor and outdoor activities are fabulous there.

But perfect timing was not to be. We got word that the baby had Covid. Which meant I probably had it, too.

We couldn’t be around people with the Covid situation looming over us. So the girls played outside with water guns. And they played inside with Lincoln logs and toys we keep at the house for them.

I Lost My Smell

When I discovered I was losing my smell, my husband and I were sitting outside on the porch. I started smelling a putrid dog poop smell. We don’t have a dog.

So I asked my husband if he smelled dog poop, but only I was smelling it.

Arrangements were made for the girls and me to go back to their house, two-and-half hours away.

I Tested Positive for Covid

We packed the car early. I went for my appointment. Sure enough, I tested positive for Covid.

The girls and I arrived at their house around 10:00 pm on Thursday. I settled in for quarantine with the family. When I opened the car door, I was greeted again by the putrid dog poop smell.

But my daughter and her family don’t have a dog either. My son-in-law determined I was smelling garden mulch.

The Kitchen Garden Herbs

I walked into the kitchen and saw that my daughter had purchased kitchen garden herbs. As she was about to name them, I said, “Let me see if I can guess them all.” Some I knew because I grow my own herbs.

I love to smell cilantro. Sticking my nose into the herbs, I backed up, confused. My daughter and son-in-law laughed. “You’ve got Covid. You can’t smell.”

I Kept My Taste

I kept my taste, however. Though that didn’t matter much when I lost my appetite.

My daughter made delicious soups, something different, every day. My favorite was her homemade chicken tortilla soup with skinny homemade corn tortilla chips.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Homemade tortilla soup chips
Homemade Chips for Chicken Tortilla Soup

I Lost My Appetite

After the chicken soup, I could still taste. However, I started losing my appetite. Though I tried to eat, I could only eat a few bites at a time.

I continued taking the medicines prescribed for me by Urgent Care:

  1. Doxycycline
  2. Dexamethason
  3. Ivermectin
  4. Albuterol inhaler.

My symptoms worsened, however.

  • fever
  • fatigue
  • sleepless nights
  • loss of appetite
  • loss of smell
  • body ache
  • shortness of breath

I’d shower every morning, and it felt refreshing. But afterward, I would be so weak that I could only lie in the bed. And I’d feel chilled.

Sleepless Nights

Sleepless nights drove me crazy. During those sleepless nights, I wrestled with Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), a condition where the legs will not be still. I flip-flopped for hours and couldn’t sleep until early morning hours.

Quote Bible Scriptures

This happened about three nights in a row. One of these nights the thought came to me to quote Bible scriptures.

I couldn’t even think. Finally, this verse popped into my mind: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, KJV). Quoting this verse over and over, I desperately tried to fill my mind with God’s word.

I kept repeating the verse, “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Finally, another verse came to my mind. I picked up my phone to record the scriptures in my phone notes as they came to mind.

Encourage yourself through the Bible whether you are suffering with Covid or any other struggles in life.

Here are the verses in order of how they flooded my mind that night:

  1. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13, KJV)
  2. “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5, KJV).
  3. ”Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4, KJV).
  4. “Pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17, KJV).
  5. “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:18, KJV).
  6. Galatians 5:22-23, KJV – Then the fruit of the Spirit verses burst into my spirit. It was like something gushed open into my heart. The Spirit of the Lord filled my room.

Trying to Remember the Nine Fruit of the Spirit

Suddenly, I had an overwhelming need to try to remember all the nine fruit of the Spirit. I wondered “Can I even name all nine of the fruit of the Spirit?” And I started naming them but missed two.
I felt frustrated at one point, telling “God, I must not have all the fruit if I can’t even think of all of them.” Remember, I wasn’t looking them up. I was quoting from memory.
Finally, I had one too many. I had kindness which actually shows up as one of the fruit of the Spirit in the NIV version. However, I’ve chosen to use the KJV for my study.

What are The Fruit of the Spirit?

“But the fruit of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23, KJV).
Galatians 5:22-23 was vital in my journey to overcome my downward spiral emotions and weakness from Covid pneumonia.
By the time I quoted Galatians, my room was filled with a sweet presence of God. I had a prayer meeting in that room that night. Little did I know at the time how much I was going to need the strength from that prayer time.

Make Yourself Move

I had heard with Covid, you must make yourself move. Forcing myself, I’d sit up and get up.

My “getting up” consisted of a very slow walk down the stairs. It was the hardest thing to do, one slow step at a time. By the time I made it to the table in the kitchen, I would nearly fall into a chair.

Three days I went outside for a walk. I timed myself. First, I set the timer for eight minutes but only made six.

The second day I managed to walk five minutes. Then the third day I barely walked four minutes. I sat on the porch a few minutes another day.

You Must Eat

I’d try to eat something. Half a banana or a piece of toast with peanut butter.

My daughter had previously boiled several eggs. I managed to pinch off a piece of bread and eat it with a boiled egg. An egg and a couple of spoonfuls of Greek yogurt amounted to the only protein I ate for days.

Nothing Tasted Good

Nothing tasted good. I couldn’t eat much anymore, stopped eating eggs, and became weaker quickly.

The extreme fatigue and no appetite worried me. I had experienced pneumonia a few times in my life and did wonder if I might have it.

The afternoon of Friday, August 13, 2021, I asked my daughter to take me in to get help. She took me to a fabulous emergency clinic, and I didn’t even wait five minutes.

I thought I would go back to my daughter’s house after they thoroughly checked me out. Not so. I was admitted to Methodist Hospital.

Appetite Returned

The night I was tested at the Methodist Emergency, I was truly hungry. For days I had eaten very little, like going on a lengthy fast. But I wasn’t on a fast, and my stomach growled and hurt.

My daughter couldn’t wait inside, so she went home, only eight minutes away. I asked the medical staff if they would allow her to bring me food. They said yes.

Chicken Salad Sandwich

I was craving a chicken salad sandwich. So I texted my daughter to let her know she could bring the food and drop it off.

She made me the best chicken salad sandwich with a slice of cheese and lettuce on fresh cranberry bread. And she brought a bowl of fruit from the grocery store.

Since that night, I’ve eaten several more of those chicken salad sandwiches. Here’s a picture to show you how good it looks:

Chicken salad sandwich
Chicken Salad Sandwich on Cranberry Bread

I Had to Wait to Eat

But I had to wait to eat the sandwich and fruit. I waited for hours. Finally, I was transported to the hospital by ambulance.

Eventually, I was given a room and situated in a bed. By 1:00 a.m., I ate the chicken sandwich and a little fruit.

The time didn’t matter to me because I had been without an appetite for several days and felt starved.

I was put into a room of isolation, the floor of Covid patients who had breathing difficulties or pneumonia. The other side, I was told, were severe Covid patients waiting to go to ICU.

Every time medical staff came into my room, I masked up unless they were giving me meds or breathing treatments.

Me with the oxygen tube

Normally I don’t go all vulnerable, but this Covid story is about overcoming vulnerabilities. Therefore, the hospital pic was added.

Water Tasted Horrible

Bottled water began tasting horrible to me. In the hospital as well, I could barely manage to swallow pills with water.

The doctor assigned to me helped me tremendously with this though. One day she talked to me about drinking water. She said people say you have to drink so many ounces of water a day.

The doctor said, “You don’t. Listen to your body. You don’t have to drink the water if you don’t want to. You get water in other liquids, soups, fruit.”

It’s like she gave me permission to drink water if I was thirsty and if not, I didn’t have to worry. I felt relieved.

Heart Healthy Diet

I received many tests, one which determined I had a heart condition, A-Fib. I was put on a heart-healthy diet which included lots of fruit.

Eating natural fruits helps lower cholesterol, can help with heart disease and stroke. Several times in the hospital, I was informed that the Covid and/or A-Fib could cause a stroke. I was also given medications that indicated a stroke as a side effect.

This information scared me. I wasn’t used to taking any medications. The most I took were vitamins and seldom did that consistently most of my life.

I have not been happy about taking so much medication with the Covid pneumonia. In fact, I hate this part of trying to overcome the pneumonia.

The best thing for me was being required to go on the heart-healthy diet. I love vegetables which is a big plus. And on this diet you’re supposed to eat several servings of vegetables and fruit throughout the day.

Eating Veggies and Fruit

Eating veggies and fruit is much easier than drinking awful-tasting water.

There is no doubt that increasing my intake of vegetables fruits three times a day has greatly helped me.

Additionally, I started eating the hospital’s three well-balanced meals a day. I had thought I was eating healthy enough before this. But I usually wanted to snack.

The Hospital Food

The hospital food I was ordering tasted like cardboard. Tasteless.

I got so sick of eating the hospital meats. Most of it looked the same, a thin pasty-looking piece of white meat.

Dry grilled. Strange-tasting meatloaf. Dry chicken.

They did let me have gravy though. That sort of helped.

Hamburger from the Grill

Imagine my surprise when they said I could have a hamburger from the grill. I could have it with grilled mushrooms, onions, and Swiss cheese, the only cheese they allowed me to have.

Swiss is one of my favorite cheeses. Seriously, this made my day.

I figured I would gain weight for two reasons. One, I was on steroids which can make you gain. Two, I could eat three plentiful meals a day.

So far I haven’t gained any weight. I lost a few pounds before getting sick because I had been trying to lose weight. When I returned to my daughter’s house after the hospital stay, my weight had not changed.

The pounds continue to drop but slowly. My main concern is to get over Covid right now, not focus on losing weight.

My Worst Hospital Day

I forget which day my worst hospital day was. It could have been the second day because I had to have a CT scan. I had eaten a little breakfast that morning, and it tasted awful.

Before the CT scan, I was required to fast two hours. By the time I was returned to my room, lunch had been sitting on the tray awhile.

Chilled Food

Hot food was cold, and chilled food was melting. First I started eating the chilled food.

Then a particular medical professional, halting at my door, demanded, “Put your mask on.” Her demeanor suddenly made me feel I was required to salute.

I felt extremely weak, had fasted hours, and had just returned from the CT scan. I expressed to this person that I was weak, had just returned from a CT scan and needed to eat. She didn’t reply but continued with her reason for being in my room.

It looked obvious to me that the medical person did not care about my well-being.

I stopped eating and put my mask on to appease the individual. This medical personnel apparently walked in with an agenda.

I’m Not Here to Give You a Lecture

She began with the statement, “I’m not here to give you a lecture.”

Red flag. She asked if I had been vaccinated.

I answered no. Then she wanted to know if I was going to get vaccinated. This woman’s hostile attitude quickly affected me.

I felt like my blood pressure was rising, and I felt myself struggling to breathe. And I was in the hospital because of pneumonia.

All the woman did was lecture me about vaccination. I was not in the hospital to discuss vaccines, had Covid pneumonia, and needed help and was extremely weak.

I was in no good condition to be discussing the topic at all with anyone. Yet that was a high priority of nearly every doctor and nurse when they entered my room, and it was intimidating.

Intimidation

Intimidation came through clearly by this irate medical professional. I highly resented this individual and felt she unleashed her personal frustration on me, the patient.

She berated me over not taking the vaccine. Also, she expressed how upset she was that she had to care for me and I had not received the vaccine.

She was upset that if she got sick because of me, something could happen to her children.

Manner and Words

Her manner and words made me feel terrible. She expressed her fear of getting sick with Covid because of me. I felt from her words that if that happened she would blame me.

By this time, I was beyond upset. I tried hard to stay calm. I thanked her for her care. She said, “Thanks is not good enough.” I asked, “What do you want me to do, go home?” I do not recall a reply to that question.

I was absolutely furious. My lunch was forgotten after the woman left. The food, a sandwich on whole-wheat bread tasted cold, hard, and like cardboard.

I wanted to scream and cry at the same time. I called a family member who helped me figure out how to contact a patient advocate. It took awhile, but eventually I found the correct department and was set up with a liaison.

I requested that the individual not be allowed back in my room. I did not want to see her again.

This individual was obviously not concerned about my well being. One more time that person interfered but said nothing about the previous discussion.

She seemed to have some control over how much of Remdesivir I received. She told me I would receive three treatments and go home. I reported this to the medical doctor assigned to me who insisted I receive five treatments.

Thinking about the vaccine issue later, I thought why was she worried? She was required to take the vaccine to continue working at the hospital I was in. If taking the vaccine stops you from getting Covid, what was she so worried about?

Feeling Distraught

Early the next morning around 2:30 am, I awoke feeling distraught. I could not seem to get past my frustration due to the constant vaccine badgering. Then I came across a message from Kent Christmas on Facebook.

“No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper”

The teaching ended with a scripture, Isaiah 54:17, KJV, “No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”

Very late that same night a cousin sent me this exact verse. She had no idea she was sharing a verse that I had heard so early that very morning. I knew God was talking to me.

God will confirm to you things he speaks to your heart. He has a way of speaking to you so that you’ll know he has heard your prayers and is answering.

Fruit of the Spirit

I held onto Isaiah 54:17, and again, I felt an urgency to be mindful of the fruit of the Spirit. Take a minute with me to look at the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.

  1. Love
  2. Joy
  3. Peace
  4. Longsuffering
  5. Gentleness
  6. Goodness
  7. Faith
  8. Meekness
  9. Temperance

And the Bible says, “against such there is no law.”

“For when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10, KJV)

During the Covid sickness I have felt terribly weak physically but 2 Corinthians 12:10 says “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in disgresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

How can you be strong when you feel weak? I felt no love, joy, or peace coming from any of the people who asked me the questions about the vaccine. There was a nurse and doctor at the emergency who asked me numerous times, as if they had forgotten my answer.

At the time, I wasn’t considering the Covid infirmity or vaccine reproaches, etc. to be pleasurable. I did, however, realize I needed help from the Lord to stand the pressure coming at me.

I was in the hospital for six days and heard so much directed to me about the vaccine. This happened multiple times a day by various people. Apparently, I needed to be built up in longsuffering.

What does longsuffering mean?

One definition says, “enduring injury, trouble, or provocation long and patiently.” Ouch. I endured it but maybe not with gentleness, the next fruit of the Spirit.

Gentleness means to be mild in temper, sweet in disposition. Being intimidated did not make me feel gentle.

Look at the word goodness. Some of the synonyms are uprightness, decency, honesty. I tried to be decent but honestly felt extremely agitated.

Faith is the next fruit. James 1:3 says, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” The trying of my faith was working on me.

What about meekness? It’s the quality of being patient or quiet in nature, and it’s not a popular quality these days. Again, ouch.

I was so weak that day I had come back from the CT and needed to eat quickly. I wasn’t loud with my complaints to the woman, but I was feeling desperate and didn’t just take her complaints without saying anything. I don’t know that meekness came through very clear in my acknowledgement of the intimidation.

Last fruit of the Spirt is temperance. Merriam Webster defines it as moderation in action, thought, or feeling.

Whew. Okay, I wasn’t yelling and did my best to handle my discomfort with graceful words. But I fought my way through.

The Only Strength I Had was to Say “Jesus”

When I experienced intense weakness, many times it seemed the only strength I had was to say “Jesus.” The CT scan day, I was aware that I was in great need of the fruit of the Spirit.

The next morning and evening when Isaiah 54:17 came to me, I was reminded of who I serve. I live for the Almighty God who would fight my battles. I refused to live in fear and would fight the intimidation Satan was throwing at me.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, things began to change in me.

Fighting the Intimidation

I realized that I was fighting the intimidation, a spirit that had been screaming at me. It came through words people were speaking to me. Fear is not of God.

When people try to intimidate you and make you feel fearful, know that this does not come from God. Do not let it control you. Rise above it.

I recognized that I was wrestling against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesias 6:12, KJV).

The wrestling was intense in a hospital where I was struggling to breathe. I was given excellent care by my nurses and nurse assistants and truly didn’t want to have a negative attitude toward anyone. A few of them shared their stories with me, and I felt a shift in my spirit.

One nurse mentioned that when the hospital required all medical personnel to get the vaccine, many nurses quit. She said they dealt with Covid last year, but now it’s worse with much less help at the hospital.

As the year progresses, other issues like the flu are coming and the Delta. A medical staff member said they already have patients with the Delta. She said it’s worse because it takes longer to get over.

So the staff is short handed. They are stressed and weary. They’ve seen Covid patients who didn’t make it.

I understand and feel compassionate toward them. In regard to the woman who lectured me on taking the vaccine, she could have been dealing with fear. Often when people react with anger, the underlying problem is actually fear.

I am truly grateful for the excellent care I received. Every one of my nurses and nurse assistants gave me the best of care.

Intimidation Issue Persisted

In spite of their care, the never-ending vaccine intimidation issue persisted throughout my hospital stay.

I became so upset at being interrogated about the vaccine. My real feelings?

I felt like slapping the faces of every individual that even mentioned vaccine to me.

I know, not an example of having the fruit of the Spirit. It’s part of why I needed God’s help.

I’m not a violent person and always like to keep the peace. Watch out, though, when you corner a person by constantly pressuring about a controversial issue.

Intimidation and Frustrations

Dealing with the intimidation and my frustrations did not help my physical Covid condition. I refused to be afraid of the Covid sickness though.

I was dealing with extreme weakness and tightness in my chest from the pneumonia. Just going to the restroom and back to sit in the chair beside the bed would wipe out any strength that I had.

I leaned into Jesus to help me, recalling that sleepless night when I quoted Scriptures. I read verses from the Bible that I had been quoting or that a friend would text me to read or pray.

I Decided to Change My Focus

Answers to problems can come by simply changing your focus, so I decided to change my focus. I made up my mind to start asking my nurses and nurse assistants how I could pray for them.

They responded often with answers like, “That caught me off guard. I need to think about it.”

Some would thank me, and I would share a thought that had come to me while praying for them. I couldn’t turn their devastating Covid world around, but I could offer hope and encouragement in prayer.

I made up my mind that I would not wallow in frustration or resentfulness. Though constantly bombarded with pressure to take the vaccine, I read and quoted Scriptures every day.

Changing my focus actually helped me to dwell less on my aggravation about the lecture person.

Respect Others’ Decisions

When prodded about my vaccine decision, I spoke up firmly, stating that I respect others’ decisions and wanted respect for my choice of decision. I stopped anyone who decided it was their job to convince me to make decisions according to their feelings. I had no obligation to tell anyone what my decision would be about vaccines.

People like to talk about matters that affect them and share their strong opinions. They think they’re opinions are right and will talk to you to convince you to agree with them. It’s hard for some individuals to respect others’ differences of opinion. Some even use the guilt trip.

Proverbs 21:2

The Bible has someting to say about this in Proverbs 21:2: “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts.” To ponder means to view with deliberation; to examine. You may think you’re right about a matter, but God examines the heart.

Choose to respect others. Be careful in judging what others do. Even if you are knowledgeable in your profession and may actually be right, “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven (Luke 6:37, KJV).

The World is Consumed with the Vaccine

The world is consumed with whether or not to take the vaccine. If you struggle with whether or not to take the vaccine, you are the one who must make that decision. And you should not feel threatened or intimidated by your decision.

If you think the right thing to do is get a vaccine, make your decision. However, if you don’t think it’s right to take the vaccine, then don’t. But badgering people about the matter can affect the health of a person.

Nobody can guarantee 100% that taking the vaccine or not will keep a person from coming down with Covid. There is so much that we do not understand or know about long-term results of Covid or the vaccine.

Have Hope and Read the Word of God

I encourage you to have hope and read the Word of God. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct they paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6, KJV).

Fear is Not of God

Fear is not of God and will destroy you. God understands this Covid battle being fought in this world, and his ways are higher than ours. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7, KJV).

Learning About A-Fib

The doctor who checked on me every day said the cardiologist would be visiting to discuss my A-Fib. Finally, the cardiologist called. However, the conversation immediately went to vaccines.

I wanted to understand about the A-Fib and how it would change my life. That’s because I had heard so much about strokes as side effects to Covid and medicines I was taking. I had also heard they are a concern with A-Fib.

The cardiologist was pleasant to converse with. However, he was so wrapped up in the vaccine agenda. So the topic stayed on vaccines until I asked about the A-Fib.

Almost nonchalantly, he explained that my A-Fib was brought on by Covid and I would probably not have the A-Fib after Covid. Sounded good to me.

In the meantime, however, the A-Fib was obviously important for my condition. My hospital diet was limited to a heart-healthy diet and I could have foods such as these:

Breakfast

  • Belgian waffle
  • boiled egg
  • English muffin
  • Greek yogurt
  • serving of fresh fruit or fruit cup

Lunch and Dinner

  • up to three vegetable servings
  • a serving of fruit
  • salad
  • soup
  • meat
  • certain sandwiches only with Swiss cheese
  • hamburger from the grill with grilled onions and mushrooms
  • sugar-free chocolate or vanilla puddings
  • sugar-free vanilla ice cream
  • chilled peaches
  • chilled pears

Understanding High Glycemic Foods

Daily in the hospital my blood sugar was checked and many times it spiked high. I’m not a diabetic, but the medicines I was taking contributed to the sugar spikes.

I was given insulin throughout the day and at night. That fact makes me surprised at the foods allowed on the heart-healthy list I was given:

  • bagel
  • English muffin
  • white bread
  • white rice
  • macaroni and cheese
  • cornbread dressing
  • grits

The high carb foods on the list above are mostly considered high glycemic on a diabetic diet. My husband and I stay away from them. However, a high glycemic food can be combined with a protein and not be as bad.

Bread is my go-to comfort food, so I’m not complaining. I’ll glady accept the bread list included on my heart-healthy plan but will, of course, be careful with the servings.

Since recuperating at my daughter’s house, she has treated the family to blueberry waffles. I figured if I can eat a Belgian waffle, then I’m safe to eat a waffle made with fresh blueberries. So delicious.

Blueberry waffles
Waffles Made with Fresh Blueberries

Distancing from Family During Covid

Distancing from family during Covid is hard, especially on a husband and wife. While I was in the hospital, my hubby had his 70th birthday.

It made me sad that we could not celebrate together, but I did not want him to get Covid. My husband tested negative and was able to continue working.

Every day my husband texts me. He sends the most beautiful I-Love-You memes in pretty colors.

I asked him to send me funny things. He always makes me laugh. Laughter has always been a constant in our 42+ years of marriage.

My fun-loving man is funny and loves to make people laugh. He has found comical things on YouTube and sent to me so I could have something to laugh about. And I have been in great need of laughter.

My Journey to Overcome Covid Pneumonia Continues

My journey to overcome Covid Pneumonia continues, and I do not give up. I’m fighting with tools given to me that help.

Deep breathing techniques, sleeping on my stomach and sides, eating heart-healthy foods, six-minute walks, etc.

I feel better. Then other times, I go through intense waves of weakness and fatigue. Randomly, my oxygen will suddenly drop.

I don’t know how long this will last, but I will not give up. And I am daily strenthened by the Word of God, continually reading in the Bible, quoting verses, praying the Word.

Family, cousins, and friends check on me often. I’m blessed with prayers of many. I feel so grateful.

My cousins have made sure that I’m sticking to the heart-healthy lifestyle and have been treating me. DoorDash has been making some tasty deliveries.

First Watch Restaurant Breakfast
First Watch Restaurant Breakfast Delivery

First Watch is one of my favorite places that I take my grandkids to sometimes for breakfast. So I was excited when DoorDash showed up with this heart-healthy dish.

I’ve been craving healthy sandwiches since my appetite returned. Panera Bread is another fav place of mine. Cousins surprised me again.

Panera Bread Lunch
Lunch from Panera Bread

And the Panera Bread sandwich was on sourdough bread to boot, a lower-glycemic bread.

Your Story

Your story matters, too. I don’t know how Covid has affected you and your family. You may have lost a loved one to this awful sickness. My heart grieves for families who have suffered because of Covid-related illnesses and deaths.

I’ve had friends who lost loved ones to Covid. A close member in my family came close to death and now lives with other difficult effects from Covid.

God didn’t guarantee that we would go through life without trouble. But he did give us hope. “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.”

Be encouraged in the Lord. Meditate daily on verses in the Bible. “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Romans 15:13, KJV).

You May Enjoy these Salads on a Heart-Healthy Eating Plan

Try these fruit and vegetable recipes. They can be adapted. The only change I would do on the Rainbow Salad for Kids is to switch the cheese to Swiss. But you can make changes that suit you.

Rainbow Salad for Kids

Rainbow Salad
Rainbow Salad for Kids

New fun Rainbow Salad Collection can now be ordered for kids and adults:

KSH_Kitchen

Side Vegetable Salad

I’m very careful to not eat much pasta. But there are ways to include pasta even on a heart-healthy diet. Cook the pasta Al Dente, neither crunchy or soft.

Veggie and Fruit Salad for Two

Make this quick and easy veggie and fruit salad as a side salad.

veggie and fruit salad
Good Friday Veggie & Fruit Salad

 

 

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