Just 4 years ago...

I've been thinking about how it was just 4 years ago.

If you're a kid, it probably seems a lifetime ago.

But for me, I feel that yesterday suddenly our world was turned upside down, millions of people were dying, and nobody had a cure. All the restaurants suddenly closed. All the retail outlets closed. Grocery store shelves were bare. Nobody who was in the entertainment industry had a job any more...at least live entertainment. You just didn't go where other people would also be inside with you.

We suddenly wanted to eat outside on patios (when we first went back to restaurants.) Doors all had signs on them, masks were required.

It was the COVID-19 pandemic.

And so far, it's escaped TV shows. But believe me, at some time, there will be a show with the setting (medical perhaps) and the background of the early days of the pandemic.

I just found a memory on Facebook, which they somehow cull through to give me just a few of the ones I posted...but this one was about how to deal with the virus when you caught it.

Good advice from a nurse on Twitter if you should get the virus:

I know we’re all tired of hearing/talking about it, but one thing I HAVEN’T really seen going around is advice for what happens if you DO get coronavirus (many of us will), only advice for how to try to AVOID it.

So as your friendly neighborhood RN, a wee thread:

Things you should *actually* buy ahead of time (Erm, not sure what the obsession with toilet paper is?): Kleenex, Acetaminophen (Tylenol) in 325 mg tablets, Ibuprofen (Advil) in 200 mg tablets, Mucinex, Robitussin or DayQuil/NyQuil, whatever your cough medicine of choice is.

If you don’t have a humidifier, that would also be a good thing to get. (You can also just turn the shower on hot and sit in the bathroom breathing in the steam). Also a good time to make a big batch of your favorite soup to freeze and have on hand.

If you have a history of asthma and you have a prescription inhaler, make sure the one you have isn’t expired and refill it/get a new one if it is.

You basically just want to prepare as though you know you’re going to get a nasty respiratory bug like bronchitis or pneumonia. You just have the foresight to know it’s coming.

For symptom management, use the meds I mentioned. For a fever over 101, alternate Tylenol and Advil so you’re taking a dose of one or the other every 3 hours. Use both cough suppressants and expectorants (most cough meds have both). Drink a ton, hydrate hydrate. Rest lots.

You should not be leaving your house except to go to the doctor, and if you do, wear a mask (regular is fine, you don’t need an N95). You DO NOT NEED TO GO TO THE ER unless you are having trouble breathing or your fever is very high and unmanaged with meds.

90% of healthy adult cases thus far have been managed at home with basic rest/hydration/over-the-counter meds. We don’t want to clog the ERs unless you’re actually in distress. The hospital beds will be used for people who actively need oxygen/breathing treatments/IV fluids.

If you have a pre-existing lung condition (COPD, emphysema, lung cancer) or are on immunosuppressants, now is a great time to talk to your PCP or specialist about what they would like you to do if you get sick. They might have plans to get you admitted and bypass the ER entirely.

One major relief to you parents is that kids do VERY well with coronavirus— they usually bounce back in a few days, no one under 18 has died, and almost no kids have required hospitalization (unless they have a lung disease like CF). Just use pediatric dosing of the same meds.

(If you want to share, copy and paste.)

And (knock on wood) I've not yet had the virus. Incidentally, this nurse was wrong, as many kids did get very sick with COVID.

I got to have a heart attack. Not until May 15, 2020. So the protocols were in place for COVID when I went through ER. But since I have a chronic cough with my COPD, it was confusing for them. For hours I was in isolation, because the hospital had run out of COVID testing supplies, and they would have to send the test out to a lab which might take a day for results. Then my Dr. said to get my test done immediately and it was negative. (I had no fevers, and just pain in my neck and shoulders as heart attack signs.) But of course my blood work kept showing something that they know indicates a heart attack. I depend upon labs...because we all know a heart attack in a woman presents differently than a man. No numb left arm, no sweaty clamy face, etc.

Anyway, 4 days later I went home with a stent on my heart and lots of new meds to take, most for the rest of my life.

But I was right there with these front line care teams. I got to see them at work, seriously overworked, since there were so many patients coming into hospitals. Did they have enough beds? I got shuffled around a few times...so they were working on that.

And I remember just 4 years ago, Millions of People Died from COVID in the pandemic.

Millions of first responders worked above and beyond, as well as care teams in medicine.

I won't forget.

And here are some good links from PBS' NOVA giving some not-so-current information about the pandemic.

Covid and Climate Change for breathing- by Drew Lanham, ornothologist and conservationist in 2021

Lingering Symptoms from COVID-19 are “Unprecedented” published 2021

I think I'm going to go looking elsewhere for more recent findings. I'm quite sure the medical professionals have been studying this virus for the whole 4 years it's been around.

Today's quote:

It’s precisely the people who are considered the least “likely” leaders who end up inspiring others the most. Everyday people and everyday acts of courage eventually change everything.

AI-JEN POO

Good news

 

Sometimes good news sneaks in between the big boldfaced type headlines.

 MedPage Today (Nov 10, 2022) published this:

The World Health Organization said the 9,400 COVID-related deaths reported globally last week represent a drop of 90% compared with last February, when weekly deaths surpassed 75,000. (CBS News)

I feel bad about 9,400 COVID related deaths...that's still a lot of families impacted by the pandemic, but what a difference from just 9 months ago.

I'm happy for those of us who have survived too, who had it, endured it, and now thrive!

New month and good news

 Happy first of February!

Gratitude is at a high level today...yesterday (Saturday) two wonderful things happened. A friend called to say there's a climic that we can go to this afternoon and get our COVID-19 vaccinations. Another friend of ours had told her about it, who had just returned from getting hers. My friend asked if I wanted to try it. I thought of all the nothing things I was in the middle of doing and said YES!

So we met a few minutes later, I having changed from a long sleeved tee-shirt and sweater to a short sleeved sweater...and my "Connecticut coat." It's a puffy coat of many colors that is for when the weather is in the 30's or below. Anyway we drove through Asheville, and finally found the clinic. Incidentally we wore masks in the car, and I sat in the back seat...about 3 feet from my friend.

We saw two rows of cars in line, and turned in to the clinic where everything was set up to distribute vaccines. A man in a red coat came up to us and said the appointments would be over at 3:30 and if there were enough people waiting, they'd open another container of vaccines and give them out. We were told to drive over to a line of cars going up the street outside the clinic parking lot. We were the 5th car in that line. The man said with two of us we made 8 waiting. 

We waited about half an hour, and enjoyed talking together. Then the red coat man came by and said they were going to be taking us, just follow the car in front of us. We did! And by then there were probably 10 cars behind us.

We filled out the forms on their clipboard. Then we were at the door to the clinic, where a nurse came out, wearing wings! I kid you not! We had our temperatures taken, orally! 

This was the most upbeat nurse I've seen in ages. Well...at least since I was in rehab.

Entrance to the clinic had people coming and going...we didn't even get out of the car.

My friend receiving her shot. She said it was the tiniest needle and didn't hurt at all. I agreed.

That's when it started to snow!

We then drove to the area waiting to be sure we had no side effects for 15 minutes. We were told to come back in 4 weeks about the same time for our second Moderna vaccine doses. We received a paper describing it. (I haven't looked at it yet.)

And then the snow started to fall harder and harder...all the way home, and for at least another hour after we had come home. I thanked my friend immensely, and we called the friend who told her about the drop in clinic. What a blessing...or as I defined it, grace was smiling upon us today! 

Did I mention I got my mail while waiting for my friend to pick me up? In it was my stimulus check. So I'm waiting to go to the bank on Mon. to deposit it. I don't have any extra expenses at this time, but you never know. I feel doubly blessed. What a day!

____________

Today's quote:

The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

~ Derek Walcott

In front of the log cabin and a to-do-list

 

Log cabin of the 1890s.

I downloaded this, but didn't have the photographer, the location, or who these people were. Ah well

They were somoneone's ancestors...with only 2 men wearing hats, and a couple of little boys. A youngish girl with a short skirt on the far left, and a woman holding a squirming child sitting on the log...these are probably an extended family. That cabin was made with hand hewn timbers. The log in front was probably cut down and planned to be used at one time. And since there are real sash windows, these people were pretty well to do for the times and place. The window on the right seems to have been raised so perhaps someone could look out. 

Any other ideas?

Here's another cabin...

I don't know for sure, but I'm betting this is in one of the parks in the Appalachian mountains. It has the dog-trot design,  which means the big space in the middle is like a hall going from front to back. There's just one chimney, so that shows where the cooking and heating took place.

What do you call this man with his monkey? I have heard the Organ Grinder. And I think he also might be called a "hurdy gurdy" man. I vaguely think I saw one once when I was a wee little one, probably being held tightly by the hand. I don't think there was a monkey involved though, just the musician playing a organ type music box. He's the prompt today over at Sepia Saturday.

In case you might be climbing the walls because you are isolated due to the increased likelihood of catching COVID-19, I like this list of things to consider doing.

Ornish eating in the time of covid,

  We arrived in the dining area to find our whole lunch had been served and was waiting for us.  We took off our masks (mine shows partly at the top right)

A sandwich of thin bread (which I prefer toasted) with lettuce and tomato and a tofu egg salad (no eggs). It was good, considering I've never eaten real egg salad! The soup was delicious white bean and carrot in a vegetable broth (lots of onions). The blueberry desert had had strawberries, which I don't eat. So I gave mine to another woman. A regular green salad with a nice vinaigrette dressing.  And that was all prepared for us which we ate while learning from the dietitian more about eating low fat vegetarian food.

Cooking at home, here's a plant-based burger...which was seasoned a bit more than I would have chosen, so I ate only half of it. I've learned any "fake meat" is usually not to my liking at all.

You'd think peas are just a vegetable, but I've learned they are a starchy vegetable, much like corn, potatoes and squash. I don't mind what kind they are, they are pretty good without any garnish.

Today's quote:

When we deepen our awareness of the simple truth that we are here through the creativity of the stars, we begin to feel fresh gratitude...what a stupendous mystery!

BRIAN SWIMME

Connected or Isolated?

I'm posting an article I wrote for our Tidings newsletter. Since I'm the editor, sometimes I step up and say what is going on in my mind....

While a lot of us feel more isolated from our community of our church (and our friends and families as well) we also have an invisible creature binding us more together than we did a year ago. COVID-19. 

OK, it's perhaps not a creature, but it's a monster, and I think maybe imagining a dragon would not even be a stretch. The little virus picture with lots of spikes on the outside of a sphere isn't nearly as threatening as I think it should be. Sure it's invisible to the naked eye...needing microscopes to see it in reality. But it's definitely a powerful foe to all humankind, and even dogs and cats apparently.

Twice I've been tested for COVID-19, and each time I was pretty certain I didn't have the virus which would possibly end my life. But there was enough concern due to my ever present immunocompromised system, that I updated my living will and my DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) forms...and called my sons to let them know my decisions. And both the May 16 test and the August 20 tests were negative. In August I did have something else which gave me a temperature, and antibiotics knocked it out. 

We are more connected not only in knowing that my breath can infect other people (complete strangers often) but also that sitting within 6 feet of a stranger may mean we become infected. How about passing in the grocery aisles if we (or they) go the wrong direction?  And how about all those people not wearing masks?

I've taken the attitude which keeps me from being angry toward maskless deniers of having compassion towards them as if they were dying. And they may well be because of their negligence, or perhaps their elderly susceptible relatives at home will die from COVID-19. I have difficulty sometimes in feeling this compassion, when I think of how many hospital caregivers will be required to spend their time and energy on these deniers. Having been in a hospital bed in ICU at the same time as some COVID-19 patients, I directly know how much effort is given to each patient, and I'm eternally grateful for my portion of that care.

We are especially connected to the earth and nature, now that we have less contact with each other. As a pagan, I've always seen each element, each tiny aspect of nature as a holy object, including the processes of climate through our weather. It's not always how us humans would like to have things be, but it's where we humans don't have total control over it. And that's perhaps a good thing. Humanity is just one of the many thousands of creatures on this earth, though we've certainly overstepped our place in the scheme of things. I still have hope that corrections can be made to the many environmental degradations we've foisted on nature.

And I'm also grateful for our wonderful technological connectedness. It's not as good as a hug during coffee hour after the church service. But having virtual contact is still a kind of connection to other people.

The Ornish Cardiac Rehab program puts heart monitors on us as we exercise. Here I was taking a break!

 Dining room, where we watch a video or have a presentation while we eat lunch each day. When the tables are removed, later we have our yoga/stress management/meditation here, with the lights dimmed.

 The kitchen side of the dining area.

We just had a talk from Dr. Asbill, on left, our Ornish Medical Director, about plant-based diets. On right is Tamara, our nurse program coordinator.

Waiting for test results

Fever for two days.
Had to drop out of Ornish until I get a negative test result.

Yesterday I dragged my feverish self to two sites doing Covid-19 tests, in your car. But they both were doing it only by appointment. Fortunately the second one said I needed to get tested, and if I could wait around a while, they would be glad to give me the test.

That was our new urgent care center right here in Black Mountain. I gave them my insurance information, so they said I was now in their system.

I watched the first 15 cars as they each got their tests. I had been asked to pull over to the side until there was a lull. And it finally happened.

They said it would be 2-6 days for results. They would text me if it was negative. They would call if it was positive. There's nothing available in writing, which I need to have in order to return to the Ornish Cardiac Rehabilitation program.  I do hope it's negative, and then I'll call the Urgent Care Clinic and ask how to get it in writing.

In the mean time, I've listened to a digital book checked out from the library. I haven't felt like cooking or cleaning up the kitchen, but was glad I stashed some vegetarian soup in the freezer back when we first started isolating.  It's pretty good. I haven't done the Ornish Program tracking, because I haven't really eaten much at all, nor exercised. I have stayed happily in bed, alternating between taking my temperature and taking Tylenol. It's never been very high, so I'm thinking this is just another flu. But how I caught it is kind of awkward. I've worn my mask everywhere.

Perhaps from touching things in the pharmacy or the grocery store...and then forgetting to sanitize my hands when I got home. Oh well. I'm sick. I'm not a detective. I am tired. And yesterday I slept all afternoon after not sleeping well the prior night. Last night was much better, so I haven't slept at all today. So I'm saying goodnight, and hoping tomorrow will bring good news.

Stay safe y'all!

Post Script:
At around 8:15 this morning I got the text that said my test results were negative for Covid-19. What a relief. I went right back to sleep. I still feel about 50% of my regular self. Fever is down. I'm getting better from whatever it was. Yay!

Six different types of symptoms of COVID-19

Did you know this? From CBS News July 28, 2020 (here). It is in hopes of treating the symptoms better.

A new study of COVID-19, based on data from a symptom tracker app, determined that there are six distinct "types" of the disease involving different clusters of symptoms. The discovery could potentially open new possibilities for how doctors can better treat individual patients and predict what level of hospital care they would need.

Researchers from King's College London studied data from approximately 1,600 U.K. and U.S. patients who regularly logged their symptoms in the COVID Symptom Tracker App in March and April.

The six clusters of symptoms outlined in the study are:

1. Flu-like with no fever: Headache, loss of smell, muscle pains, cough, sore throat, chest pain, no fever.
2. Flu-like with fever: Headache, loss of smell, cough, sore throat, hoarseness, fever, loss of appetite.
3. Gastrointestinal: Headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, diarrhea, sore throat, chest pain, no cough.
4. Severe level one, fatigue: Headache, loss of smell, cough, fever, hoarseness, chest pain, fatigue.
5. Severe level two, confusion: Headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, cough, fever, hoarseness, sore throat, chest pain, fatigue, confusion, muscle pain.
6. Severe level three, abdominal and respiratory: Headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, cough, fever, hoarseness, sore throat, chest pain, fatigue, confusion, muscle pain, shortness of breath, diarrhea, abdominal pain.

Today's quote:

David Abram has expressed:

That which has been and that which is to come are not elsewhere – they are not autonomous dimensions independent of the encompassing present in which we dwell. They are, rather, the very depths of this living place – the hidden depth of its distances and the concealed depth on which we stand. 

Contact-tracing of Covid-19

Sometimes it's impossible to contact-trace, (as described below in that article). Say we were just grocery shopping and didn't know who coughed without a mask onto that canned good we then picked up...and forgot to use hand sanitizer before touching our face! Sad.

Family gathering infects 41 people with the coronavirus, NC health official says

BY HAYLEY FOWLER

JULY 10, 2020 05:08 PM

Read more here: https://www.heraldsun.com/latest-news/article244147427.html?fbclid=IwAR2jJWAYZBWol-utz181ZGslgNb2MSmNrDf6C0PYRWobz3R5lOV6xhzSrVg#storylink=cpy

The number of laboratory-confirmed coronavirus cases in one North Carolina county — like much of the state — is spiking. 

It’s not just due to increased testing, health officials say.

“The reality is this:more people are getting sickin Catawba County,” County Public Health Director Jennifer McCracken said in a news release Thursday. “This has been largely driven by the spread of COVID-19 from infected individuals, most of whom were not yet aware they were sick, to people they know.”

Read more here: https://www.heraldsun.com/latest-news/article244147427.html?fbclid=IwAR2jJWAYZBWol-utz181ZGslgNb2MSmNrDf6C0PYRWobz3R5lOV6xhzSrVg#storylink=cpy

The number of laboratory-confirmed coronavirus cases in one North Carolina county — like much of the state — is spiking. 

It’s not just due to increased testing, health officials say.

“The reality is this:more people are getting sickin Catawba County,” County Public Health Director Jennifer McCracken said in a news release Thursday. “This has been largely driven by the spread of COVID-19 from infected individuals, most of whom were not yet aware they were sick, to people they know.”

Read more here: https://www.heraldsun.com/latest-news/article244147427.html?fbclid=IwAR2jJWAYZBWol-utz181ZGslgNb2MSmNrDf6C0PYRWobz3R5lOV6xhzSrVg#storylink=cpy

The number of laboratory-confirmed coronavirus cases in one North Carolina county — like much of the state — is spiking. 

It’s not just due to increased testing, health officials say.

“The reality is this: more people are getting sick in Catawba County,” County Public Health Director Jennifer McCracken said in a news release Thursday. “This has been largely driven by the spread of COVID-19 from infected individuals, most of whom were not yet aware they were sick, to people they know.”

Catawba County, about 45 minutes northwest of Charlotte off Lake Norman, has reported 1,105 cases of the coronavirus and 13 deaths, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ data show.

According to one recent case study by the county health department, a single family gathering was responsible for at least 40 of those cases.

More than two dozen people were reportedly in attendance.

Folks did not wear masks or observe physical distancing at this gathering, and 14 people who attended subsequently tested positive for COVID-19,” McCracken said.

The family members went about their daily lives before they started showing symptoms — which can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That included going to work and “taking a beach trip with other families,” according to the release.

“This set into motion a person-to-person contact chain that to date has spread COVID-19 to 41 people in 9 different families and 8 different workplaces,” McCracken said.

A graphic published by the county health department illustrates the spread.

Read m

orTwo of the families who attended the party and later tested positive for the coronavirus returned to work afterward, infecting at least nine of their co-workers, the contact tracing map shows. Those co-workers subsequently infected their parents, kids and spouses.

The child of a third family in attendance who tested positive infected two grandparents and their neighbor. At 65, 67 and 85, all three are considered high-risk to develop serious symptoms from the illness, according to the CDC.

A couple in the fourth family who contracted the virus went on a beach trip with two other couples before testing positive, Catawba County officials said. Both couples were infected, one of which passed the virus to four coworkers.

McCracken said she is sharing the example to show how easily the coronavirus spreads and what preventative measures like wearing masks or frequent hand-washing can do to prevent it.

“It’s not hard to prevent the spread COVID-19,” she said. “What’s hard is having to call 20, 30, 40 people a day and tell them that not only are they sick with an untreatable illness, but they are also required to isolate themselves from others, including their loved ones, and stay home from work for two weeks or until they recover.”

---------------------------------------

Source: Durham Herald Sun

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As of July 14, 

"At least 87,528 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 1,510 have died, according to state health officials."

"NC GOVERNOR WILL ANNOUNCE SCHOOL PLAN

N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper is scheduled to announce his long-awaited school plans at 3 p.m. Tuesday."

That was yesterday, so I'll post the details after listening to the broadcast on my next blog.

-------------------------------------

SOURCE:  newsobserver.com

Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article244204277.html#storylink=cpy

Re

ad

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"...a national increase in COVID-19 testing and a national shortage of the needed reagents is causing a delay in test results from commercial labs. Individuals tested at Buncombe’s community testing sites should expect to receive results within five to eight days; anyone tested is expected to isolate until their COVID-19 status is confirmed. 

Because data must be manually entered into the county’s COVID-19 dashboard, updated numbers will take several days to appear."

----------------------------

SOURCE: Mountain Xpress newsletter

---------------------------

I think the re-agent in labs is still in short supply, meaning taking a test today you don't find result for 5-8 days!

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"ASHEVILLE - Lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 have risen in Buncombe by 215 over the past week, indicating an exponential increase in the illness locally.

As of noon July 13, there were 898 cases in the county, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

On July 6, there were 683 local cases, according to the Buncombe health department's count. Later last week, officials warned the number of cases on the county website was lagging due to a high influx of new cases and the limitations of manual data entry.

Last Monday, Buncombe officials' tally was up 111 from the week prior.

Reports of new cases surged last week, rising at a rate that interim health director Dr. Jennifer Mullendore called "alarming" in a July 9 briefing."

------------------------------

Source: July 13 Asheville Citizen Times

Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article244204277.html#storylink=cpy more here: https://www.heraldsun.com/latest-news/article244147427.html?fbclid=IwAR2jJWAYZBWol-utz181ZGslgNb2MSmNrDf6C0PYRWobz3R5lOV6xhzSrVg#storylink=cpyhere: https://www.heraldsun.com/latest-news/article244147427.html?fbclid=IwAR2jJWAYZBWol-utz181ZGslgNb2MSmNrDf6C0PYRWobz3R5lOV6xhzSrVg#storylink=cpy

Mission Hospital staff with COVID-19

Where I was, before this happened. My stay in Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC started Fri. May 15, in ICU.  See my personal experience following this news that just came out.

The following was posted to Mountain Express on Fri. May 29 at noon:

"Six staff members at Asheville's Mission Hospital have tested positive for COVID-19. The employees all worked together in the same unit on one of the hospital's pulmonary floors.  

“This cluster of cases occurred in some of our most dedicated and talented staff, staff who have put themselves on the front line of this illness and who take pride and privilege in caring for these patients,” said Dr. William Hathaway, Mission Health's chief medical officer. “They are among the most skilled in regards to their knowledge of isolation techniques and of their use of personal protective equipment.” 

The cases were first identified on May 22. Contact tracing of staff members and patients was conducted before Mission determined it necessary to test the remainder of staff on the unit. As of May 27, no additional cases related to the staff cases had been identified.

As of May 27,  Mission was caring for eight COVID-19 patients, a number higher than the hospital’s previous two- to six-patient average. The hospital’s peak caseload to date, reached last week, was 12 COVID-19 patients, linked to an outbreak of the disease at a skilled nursing facility.

Hospital leaders say they are monitoring supplies closely and have ample supplies for patient care at this time. Hathaway noted that those hospitalized were nursing staff members, not residents."

----------------------

I'm pretty sure "Residents" just means doctors, rather than patients.

To continue a brief version of my hospital visit...

In the early hours of Saturday, (May 16) I went to the cardiac wing, then to an ICU for possible pulmonary problems/cardiac also - in a negative atmosphere room where nothing I breathed could go outside the room. And there was an "ante-chamber" where the staff would go suit up or discard their PPE clothes. I was taken out of that negative atmosphere room after my COVID-19 test was negative, then suddenly I got the stent procedure around 10 am on Sat.  and then I was in a C-ICU (for cardiac patients), May 16 (after having a CT scan which didn't show anything.) After having the stent inserted through my right arm artery, back to the same C-ICU for at least 2 days, cause I saw the same day nurse over 2 days. Then finally I got a bed on the cardiac wing again. And just 2 nights there and home I went on Tues. May 19 around noon.

So I'm wishing all those front line personnel - from nurses to housekeeping, from dieticians to   clerks...that they may all be well. For those who caught the virus, I hope your fortitude and strength will help you heal quickly. You were such fabulous caring individuals who paid real attention to my every need...and shared a bit of yourselves with me also.

On our Covid-19 mental health

From someone who sent this along for anyone who might like to hear this...some of these signs might be happening or not...but be gentle with yourself if they are part of your life these days. And reach out to others to find support. That's sometimes the hardest thing to do, but nobody else may be around to know this is happening to you. There is always someone who cares about you, if you let them know you have these feelings. It's much harder for them to know what's going on without our usual contact.

Flat Creek behind Ole' Guacamole's Restaurant, Black Mountain NC 4.17.20

Mikaila Baca-Dorion, MBD's words:

I feel that it’s important for everyone to know that there are mental health related problems that some of you may be experiencing for the first time because of this collective traumatic situation and not recognizing as symptoms because you’re not typically traumatized:

-memory loss and memory issues, especially short term, and/or a distorted sense of time

-executive dysfunction. If you don’t know the term, it’s kind of like the human version of buffering. It’s when you sit there and think “I need to get up and do the dishes” and then you sit there. And sit there. And sit there. And you think over and over “get up and do the dishes” as hard as you can, but you don’t, your body just doesn’t listen to you, like a slow computer trying over and over to load a page and failing. That’s not laziness, that’s a mental health symptom.

-confusion and brain fog (and even slight dizziness and balance issues as well)

-sleeping too much or too little

-feeling nauseous all the time/not being interested in food even if you’re hungry

- “forgetting” to eat or shower or use the toilet etc. This is in quotes because what’s really happening isn’t a memory issue: instead, you’re not getting the cues from your body asking for food or water or hygiene or the bathroom. Your brain is so busy processing the fight/flight/freeze instinct that you can’t “hear” your body asking for its basic needs.

-the “bell jar” feeling, or as it’s otherwise known, dissociation, where you feel like somehow there’s glass between you and everything and everyone else in the whole world, and it takes a lot of effort to engage with anything outside yourself. It’s not a sad feeling in and of itself- it has no flavor, it’s just exhausting.

-intrusive thoughts. These are thought loops you get stuck in, usually bad ones, and they’re easy to miss the signs of in traumatic times. If you notice yourself continually cycling through a sequence of bad thoughts that you don’t want to have, that’s an intrusive thought pattern.

-inability to make decisions, even small ones (resulting in disproportionately intense distress if you try to force yourself)

-shortness of breath and heart palpitations.

-auditory processing issues- staring at someone for a good 10 seconds after they speak just trying to make your brain decipher what they said, or missing what someone said entirely multiple times, even though you could hear them perfectly well, or being unable to separate a conversation you’re having from the background noise of a television in the other room, sometimes to the point where you can’t finish your own sentences because the combination of sounds is distracting you.

-on that subject, also finding sounds, silence, and sensations more annoying and intolerable than usual- forks scraping, plastic bags rustling in the breeze from a fan, birds outside, etc. The way to identify this one is that it’s not even just annoyance, it’s an instant knee jerk reaction of distress and rage, and your brain can’t fully function. That goes for sensations as well- getting suddenly negatively overwhelmed by being touched, or having tags in your clothes or scratchy fabrics bother you to the point where you can’t think.

Second of April, 2020

Nice to just have had a friend and a son who "text message" to check in on me.

I got the newsletter (for church) finished and scheduled to publish on time Tues. night. Then decided I wanted to see the final version and sent a preview to myself. Oops, it sent the version from the day before, without any of the final changes. So I canceled the 'send schedule', and opened it up again to re-do final changes. Nope, there they were, so I saved it again. Sent myself another preview copy, and it had the changes this time. So I scheduled it to send at midnight. But when I got it on my phone this morning, the formatting had been screwed around. Argh!

Then that night, since that had woken me up pretty much, I decided to go ahead and do the census. Seems they were more interested in my race and national heritage, than anything else. I had to say which kind of white people I was. American wasn't good enough. I said English, though about a tenth is German, maybe a eighth is French, some Irish, Scotts, etc. We came from colonists in New England and Virginia, and a great grandfather who probably was a stow-away from Germany.

Weather is on the cold side again, high 40s for daytime. Last night was cooler, but my one plant outside on the porch looks hardy enough, and there probably wasn't a frost. It even rained a bit this morning.

By the weekend it's due to be back in the 70s again and sunny! I will definitely get out to do a walk.

Tuesday I bit the bullet and carried a load of wash over to our laundromat, the one in the apartment complex. It meant sterilizing myself 3 times ...putting wash in, moving wash to drier, then picking up the dried laundry. Three times of exposing myself to any Covid-19 particles on doors, knobs on machines, common things everyone touches. So I scrubbed the hands, as well as my own door knobs each time. Well, I forgot my door knobs one of the times. I use a 10% bleach solution on paper towels. But at least I had clean sheets on my bed last night. That was nice.

No I'm not paranoid (well maybe a little bit) but I did wear a mask, even though I didn't see anyone else around. There's a sign on the laundry room that says to not stay there, but to come back when doing your wash, so as not to have contact with others. Of the 70 some apartments, only one or two other people had laundry going in one of the four washers and four driers while I did mine.  It is hard for me to use these machines, though they are closer to home, because there is no hot water available, so everything is a cold water wash. I threw some bleach into my whites. I'll go to the larger laundromat down the street later this week, where I know they sterilize the machines several times a day. There I can wear my mask, and just clean up (sterilize) myself once when done. I figure my hands, feet, purse, even phone, will get covered in those little one-micron size particles.

Phones can be cleaned also...mine has been wiped with soapy towels, as well as high alcohol hand sanitizer. I'm sure it is happy. One bit of trivia I learned early on...the size of a Covid-19 viral particle is one micron. It is compared to a cross section of a piece of hair where the width of a piece of hair is equal to the length of a football field, and one micron would be four inches wide.

And a final bit of information - which as far as I know is factual.

Excellent info from John Hopkins University:

🦠 The virus is not a living organism, but a protein molecule (DNA) covered by a protective layer of lipid (fat), which,when absorbed by the cells of the ocular, nasal or buccal mucosa, changes their genetic code. (mutation) and convert them into aggressor and multiplier cells.

🦠 Since the virus is not a living organism but a protein molecule, it is not killed, but decays on its own. The disintegration time depends on the temperature, humidity and type of material where it lies.

🦠 The virus is very fragile; the only thing that protects it is a thin outer layer of fat. That is why any soap or detergent is the best remedy, because the foam CUTS the FAT (that is why you have to rub so much: for 20 seconds or more, to make a lot of foam). By dissolving the fat layer, the protein molecule disperses and breaks down on its own.

🦠 HEAT melts fat; this is why it is so good to use water above 25 degrees Celsius for washing hands, clothes and everything. In addition, hot water makes more foam and that makes it even more useful.

🦠 Alcohol or any mixture with alcohol over 65% DISSOLVES ANY FAT, especially the external lipid layer of the virus.

🦠 Any mix with 1 part bleach and 5 parts water directly dissolves the protein, breaks it down from the inside.

🦠 Oxygenated water helps long after soap, alcohol and chlorine, because peroxide dissolves the virus protein, but you have to use it pure and it hurts your skin.

🦠 NO BACTERICIDE OR ANTIBIOTIC SERVES. The virus is not a living organism like bacteria; antibodies cannot kill what is not alive.

🦠 NEVER shake used or unused clothing, sheets or cloth. While it is glued to a porous surface, it is very inert and disintegrates only
- between 3 hours (fabric and porous),
- 4 hours (copper and wood)
- 24 hours (cardboard),
- 42 hours (metal) and
- 72 hours (plastic).
But if you shake it or use a feather duster, the virus molecules float in the air for up to 3 hours, and can lodge in your nose.

🦠 The virus molecules remain very stable in external cold, or artificial as air conditioners in houses and cars. They also need moisture to stay stable, and especially darkness. Therefore, dehumidified, dry, warm and bright environments will degrade it faster.

🦠 UV LIGHT on any object that may contain it breaks down the virus protein. For example, to disinfect and reuse a mask is perfect. Be careful, it also breaks down collagen (which is protein) in the skin.

🦠 The virus CANNOT go through healthy skin.

🦠 Vinegar is NOT useful because it does not break down the protective layer of fat.

🦠 NO SPIRITS, NOR VODKA, serve. The strongest vodka is 40% alcohol, and you need 65%.

🦠 LISTERINE IF IT SERVES! It is 65% alcohol.

🦠 The more confined the space, the more concentration of the virus there can be. The more open or naturally ventilated, the less.

🦠 You have to wash your hands before and after touching mucosa, food, locks, knobs, switches, remote control, cell phone, watches, computers, desks, TV, etc. And when using the bathroom.

🦠 You have to HUMIDIFY HANDS DRY from so much washing them, because the molecules can hide in the microcracks. The thicker the moisturizer, the better.

🦠 Also keep your NAILS SHORT so that the virus does not hide there.

— JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL