Covid19 is not just another flu or flu-like illness.
The story linked here from a blog by a patient who has Covid19, a. young healthy person without any pre-existing conditions. He may have been lucky however it is still not over after several months.
I realize I don't have to work and I am immune to financial pressure. For others the decision is overwhelming, you may or may not have dependents, who you protect, a wife, and a home. Material things can unduly influence critical and. sometimes life-saving decisions.
Others will say it is now safe to resume a normal life. You will read about a restaurant opening, with adjusted seating distances to ensure social isolation. Today I walked to the supermarket..a foolish move since I have someone who could shop for me. I made an unwise decision to stop at the donut shop to satisfy my addiction to comfort food (a raisin cinnamon roll). I rationalized it since I had not had the yummy carb-loaded dough, sticky frosting, and raisins. I saw several people without masks. I have a new name for "The Walking Dead". I went home where I was greeted by my eldest son. I knew what I had done. Shame on me. To make matters worse I have a son who has cystic fibrosis, a son who is a miracle of his own having lived to be over 30. years old thanks to breakthroughs in cystic fibrosis treatments.
My eldest son brought me back to reality in a firm and kindly way. My advanced years (78) and poor health suddenly made me know that my son was now wiser than I am. He was firm with me and told me if I did that again he would petition a court for him to become my guardian. That got my attention.
Age and infirmity sneak up on all of us, and pandemics do not stop for age or stupidity.
Make up your own mind. You know what is best for you and don't let anyone convince you it is safe to re-socialize. Especially a man who said we should drink bleach or spray Lysol in our mouth.
Listen to the guidelines, but wait and think about it. It is far from over. Your employers are in worse shape than you financially, they want to save their business, you should want to save your life, and your family.
A story unfolds as told by a covid19 survivor
This virus is fickle. It makes is difficult to gauge what can be classified as a marked improvement. Symptoms come and go by the day. They worsen or improve in an instant. Recently, the days started to bifurcate......................
One group member asked, “If you can remember, what was your VERY FIRST symptom?” The results surprised me. Based on way more responses than I could bother counting, sore throat seemed to have been cited more frequently than fever or dry cough. This isn’t something I’ve read online or seen on television. This was one individual at a time saying what really happened to them...........
Essentially all of the members moved beyond thinking about testing for the virus. A big percentage of them never got tested for a variety of reasons (many like me on doctor’s advice) or tested negative but have displayed every symptom for a week or more — clearly some false negatives. A positive test would only seek to affirm what they already know. At this point, there is nothing they can do with the information that the test provides
She left them at the top of the steps and backed away. My five-year-old brought me a rainbow-striped egg, a clever frog with a bright red tongue that you can move, and a purple bunny with a fuzzy nose and googly eyes. “I’ll see you when the virus is gone and you can come downstairs. I love you. See you later.”
Every other sentence from her begins with ‘when the virus is gone, I’m going to…’. She’s not even sad about it. What a strange practical reality for a small child.
The virus isn’t going away this weekend and daddy won’t be coming downstairs, sweetheart. I know it is disappointing for her and my older daughter because they wanted to do ‘Easter things’ with me and of course, I wanted to do the same.
The doctor told me, not surprisingly, that I need to stay the course — rest, relax recover. And as always, if anything worrying progresses, don’t hesitate to call. The advice in the media is all over the shop regarding when you are safe to be around family again. His guidance was to wait until I’ve had three consecutive days of significant reduction in symptoms before I can join them..........
A friend recommended that I get a pulse oximeter
My wife is my rock and the people in my town are amazing. They have flooded her with texts, calls, emails, and anonymous care packages (please…I’m not fishing here) to help get through this......
Please stay safe and well.
“I have hardly anything in common with myself and should stand very quietly in a corner, content that I can breathe.”
― Franz Kafka
Is it over?
What will it be? Which side will you on?
My Corona – Logging the symptoms of COVID day by day:
I am very fortunate. I am a retired physician who also has several serious heart conditions. Suffice it to say I needed to have a cardiac pacemaker inserted several months ago. I am much better now and did not realize how ill I had become until it became difficult to just get out of bed and go to the front door. Although I can function much better I know that if I get the 'virus' I would probably die.
Most of you are younger, healthy, and feel immortal. Living in denial is common. We all are in denial to think you cannot get covid19. What is more serious is that most people think it is over. It is not. Do not feel reassured when authorities (politicians) state it is safe to not shelter in place or forget about social distancing and/or sanitizing.
Officials in my neighborhood are talking about one or two more weeks of the strict program, and then gradually loosening restrictions. They say they are following scientific advice or protocols from public health authorities. As a former physician, I tried to be as scientific as possible in my clinical decisions. My experience has been statistics are misleading. If you are the one in a thousand who contracts covid19 statistics mean nothing. The key is don't get it, don't gamble with your life and keep a cool head about finances and business decisions.
Most of you are younger, healthy, and feel immortal. Living in denial is common. We all are in denial to think you cannot get covid19. What is more serious is that most people think it is over. It is not. Do not feel reassured when authorities (politicians) state it is safe to not shelter in place or forget about social distancing and/or sanitizing.
Officials in my neighborhood are talking about one or two more weeks of the strict program, and then gradually loosening restrictions. They say they are following scientific advice or protocols from public health authorities. As a former physician, I tried to be as scientific as possible in my clinical decisions. My experience has been statistics are misleading. If you are the one in a thousand who contracts covid19 statistics mean nothing. The key is don't get it, don't gamble with your life and keep a cool head about finances and business decisions.
Be prepared....here is your list:
I realize I don't have to work and I am immune to financial pressure. For others the decision is overwhelming, you may or may not have dependents, who you protect, a wife, and a home. Material things can unduly influence critical and. sometimes life-saving decisions.
Others will say it is now safe to resume a normal life. You will read about a restaurant opening, with adjusted seating distances to ensure social isolation. Today I walked to the supermarket..a foolish move since I have someone who could shop for me. I made an unwise decision to stop at the donut shop to satisfy my addiction to comfort food (a raisin cinnamon roll). I rationalized it since I had not had the yummy carb-loaded dough, sticky frosting, and raisins. I saw several people without masks. I have a new name for "The Walking Dead". I went home where I was greeted by my eldest son. I knew what I had done. Shame on me. To make matters worse I have a son who has cystic fibrosis, a son who is a miracle of his own having lived to be over 30. years old thanks to breakthroughs in cystic fibrosis treatments.
Fascination breeds preparedness, and preparedness, survival. Peter Benchley – Author of Jaws
My eldest son brought me back to reality in a firm and kindly way. My advanced years (78) and poor health suddenly made me know that my son was now wiser than I am. He was firm with me and told me if I did that again he would petition a court for him to become my guardian. That got my attention.
Age and infirmity sneak up on all of us, and pandemics do not stop for age or stupidity.
Make up your own mind. You know what is best for you and don't let anyone convince you it is safe to re-socialize. Especially a man who said we should drink bleach or spray Lysol in our mouth.
Listen to the guidelines, but wait and think about it. It is far from over. Your employers are in worse shape than you financially, they want to save their business, you should want to save your life, and your family.
A story unfolds as told by a covid19 survivor
This virus is fickle. It makes is difficult to gauge what can be classified as a marked improvement. Symptoms come and go by the day. They worsen or improve in an instant. Recently, the days started to bifurcate......................
One group member asked, “If you can remember, what was your VERY FIRST symptom?” The results surprised me. Based on way more responses than I could bother counting, sore throat seemed to have been cited more frequently than fever or dry cough. This isn’t something I’ve read online or seen on television. This was one individual at a time saying what really happened to them...........
Essentially all of the members moved beyond thinking about testing for the virus. A big percentage of them never got tested for a variety of reasons (many like me on doctor’s advice) or tested negative but have displayed every symptom for a week or more — clearly some false negatives. A positive test would only seek to affirm what they already know. At this point, there is nothing they can do with the information that the test provides
Accurate antibody testing information is critical right now
Every other sentence from her begins with ‘when the virus is gone, I’m going to…’. She’s not even sad about it. What a strange practical reality for a small child.
The virus isn’t going away this weekend and daddy won’t be coming downstairs, sweetheart. I know it is disappointing for her and my older daughter because they wanted to do ‘Easter things’ with me and of course, I wanted to do the same.
The doctor told me, not surprisingly, that I need to stay the course — rest, relax recover. And as always, if anything worrying progresses, don’t hesitate to call. The advice in the media is all over the shop regarding when you are safe to be around family again. His guidance was to wait until I’ve had three consecutive days of significant reduction in symptoms before I can join them..........
A friend recommended that I get a pulse oximeter
The illusive pulse oximeter
My wife is my rock and the people in my town are amazing. They have flooded her with texts, calls, emails, and anonymous care packages (please…I’m not fishing here) to help get through this......
Please stay safe and well.
“I have hardly anything in common with myself and should stand very quietly in a corner, content that I can breathe.”
― Franz Kafka
Is it over?
What will it be? Which side will you on?
My Corona – Logging the symptoms of COVID day by day:
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