How Ya Doing? March, 2020….
Practice Social Distancing
Dear Friends,
Thinking of all of you today as I shelter in place in my home in California. Life can really throw us some curves, but I am fortunate to be here with my husband, writing, reading, taking walks and so far so good.
THE FIRST GROCERY TRIP
When we did our first big grocery shopping under these new conditions, John waited in the car because of prior cancer treatment. I wore a mask and gloves. We had both in our home because of a painting project we did last spring. Though I believed I was doing the right thing, I never like standing out in a crowd.
But it was six o’clock pm and the store was not crowded. I made my way from aisle to aisle, finding that there was a couple who were both wearing masks. And would you believe, a man walking by me with no mask, actually coughed into the air. So please don’t hesitate to arm yourself.
The shopping went well, we brought everything home and John washed things off in the sink, while I wiped down boxes and cans and threw our cloth shopping bags in the washer. A JOB WELL DONE. A few hours later, my friend Cindy sent me this video: It is made by a doctor and confirms what we were doing. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjDuwc9KBps I like the idea of making a division on your table or counter when you first start to take items out of your bags. It helps you remember which have been wiped down and which need attention. And this guy provides lots of good tips.
WE KEEP BUSY…
John and I walk almost every day. We are fortunate to live in California and to be able to do this. Lots of people walk and when we approach them, we all do what we can to place distance between us. It’s just the way things are right now. John does most of the cooking and I keep up with cleaning and a little gardening. If you can get outside and just smell fresh air, it lifts your spirits.
NOTES FROM DR. AFSHINE EMRANI
Then mid-week, I found this information from my cardiologist. He’s the kind of MD who is so caring that you can talk freely to him about stuff other than your lab results. He cares. You might already know most of this, but I thought I would share anyway. To hear his very long talk, go here. https://www.facebook.com/afshine.emrani/videos/10219054397725503/
Fever and dry cough are usually the first symptoms. Shortness of breath is also possible, as it loss of the sense of smell.
To fight getting the virus, shelter in place, and ***you should take 5000 units per day of Vitamin D.
Get eight hours of sleep if you can; and do all the things like protective gloves and a mask when going out to get food.
If you develop shortness of breath, you should call for a test: Lapcore, Quest; (check with a doctor in your area.) Emrani says that Urgent Care has nasal swabs. I cannot confirm that. Every state is different.
COVID19 will infect many people. Social isolation is used to flatten the curve.
If you have been exposed to someone who becomes ill with COVID19, the disease can progress through the body–oral-fecal. So carefully wash your hands; clean shared bathrooms; heat foods; wash vegetables & fruits with hot water. (Note: it is always wise to do these things while sheltering in place.)
If you have encountered someone who became ill, avoid contact with others for 14 days, the infectious time period; after that, if you have no symptoms, you should be okay and have a very low chance of infecting others. Also know that people can be carriers, that any test might provide a false negatives or false positive. Not very comforting, so maintaining protocols for quarantine is the best way to go.
We are still learning about this new disease. Eventually we will know for sure whether having the disease makes you immune.
OTHER INFORMATION
There are many people who are asymptomatic walking around, infecting others. 40-10% of the population could be infected. If 350,000 million get ill, with a 1% mortality rate, that means that 3.5 million will die. What epidemiologists want us to do is flatten the curve. To do that, we stay home. It slows the progression of the virus and the pace of people entering the healthcare system so that hospitals can cope. Also, if people are able to put off getting sick, maybe we will have a vaccine to stop the flow. But doctors predict an uptick. And we don’t have treatments, every one of us could be a carrier and TX is 18 months away. One idea researchers are considering: convalescent serum: they take the blood of infected people and inject it into patients or healthcare workers to provide them with immunity. Also: one drug that have been suggested as use in this crisis:
Chloroquine phosphate. It’s a tablet taken by mouth, for prevention of malaria in adults. One dose is usually taken once a week on exactly the same day of the week. IT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, quickly qualified a statement, saying there was only “anecdotal evidence” that chloroquine might work against the new coronavirus. These medications must go through trials before they can be safely used. Dr. Emrani stresses the importance of always consulting with a medical professional before taking ANYTHING for this disease.
STAY WELL, COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS…I hope you all continue to be well. I am grateful that I have my husband for company. I am grateful for our walks and his cooking. But what will my hair look like after weeks of plain old growth? It will be interesting to see.
Sending major hugs to all of you, Beth
Photo, thanks to Michaelangelo; and a clever person;
