By now, just about everybody should know about Covid-19, and the danger we all face, but sometimes small, important things get lost in the overwhelming negativity. These are the points I took from Dr John Campbell’s video this morning:
- At minute 6:56 – if you have pneumonia – don’t lie flat – try to stay sitting up in bed.
- At minute 7:19 – drink lots of fluids because when the body becomes dehydrated, the mucous in the lungs becomes ‘thicker’, making it harder for the cilia to waft it out. Cilia are hair-like things that help clear the lungs.
- At minute 8:03 – stop smoking because smoking can slow or even paralyse the cilia in the lungs.
Please watch the entire video as these are simply the points that caught my attention.
Two more things:
Apparently Prince Charles has tested positive for Covid-19. I’m not a monarchist, but I have huge respect for the humanitarian principles that have guided the Prince’s actions for decades. I wish him a speedy recovery.
And finally, a huge THANK YOU! to the wonderful people who work for Woolworths. The drivers who home deliver my shopping, and the people who pack it, have made it possible for me to self-isolate properly. And that has meant that I won’t be bringing this bloody virus home to the Offspring.
I don’t like sharing personal, family information on this blog because I don’t believe I have the right to talk about other people’s problems. This once, however, I’m going to break my unbreakable rule and tell you about the medication the Offspring takes to control ulcerative colitis. There are two kinds. One is in tablet form and has to be taken all the time. The second is an infusion – i.e. a chemical pumped straight into the bloodstream – that has to be administered in a hospital once every eight weeks. BOTH of these medications suppress the immune system because ulcerative colitis is an autoimmune disease.
So is Crohns. Crohns and Ulcerative Colitis are both Inflammatory bowel disease s, and require much the same medication.
Type 1 diabetes mellitus is an autoimmune condition as well.
And lupus
And Guillain-Barre syndrome
And CIDP or Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.
And Psoriasis.
And Graves’ disease
And Myasthenia gravis.
And Vasculitis.
In all of these diseases, the immune system is either not working well enough, or working against the body’s own cells. Often the medication used to treat the condition suppresses the over-activity of the immune system.
But what about Asthma?
Asthma doesn’t attack the immune system the way the autoimmune diseases do, but it’s in the extended ‘family’, and similar medications are often prescribed to treat it [e.g. Prednisolone]. As such, Asthma sufferers are in as much danger from Covid-19 as any of the above.
All of these people have next to no defence against Covid-19.
And that’s not counting people with MCS. Or cancer. Or cystic fibrosis. Or COPD. Or Emphysema. All vulnerable. All at risk.
So when politicians reassure voters that most of them will only experience a mild disease and ‘only’ a percent of vulnerable people will suffer complications, they are misrepresenting the figures. There are a lot of people with immune related conditions or other vulnerabilities that make them sitting ducks. And these people come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny kids and strong young plumbers through to Boomers and the elderly.
Every time you break isolation because you’re bored, because you’re going stir crazy, because you’re just plain stupid, you risk getting and passing the Covid-19 virus on to someone who will end up dead.
And then there are the health professionals who are fighting Covid-19 without adequate protections. They are risking their lives every single day, and many are starting to fall prey to this virus themselves. These quiet heroes are dying because of selfish people who don’t care about anyone but themselves.
Don’t be a waste of oxygen. Stay-the-fuck-at-home.
Meeks
September 2nd, 2020 at 4:18 am
Much appreciated!
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September 2nd, 2020 at 12:23 pm
🙂
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April 22nd, 2020 at 3:01 am
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
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March 27th, 2020 at 8:49 pm
Morning! I just shared your jigsaw page, and did the llama. Tis my middle-aged practice to get the it admin done first thing, in bed with a pot of tea. ME doing a jigsaw by myself, annoyed #MrG in a very entertaining way. Thank you 🙂 Hugs.
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March 27th, 2020 at 10:31 pm
LMAO! I don’t know whether to cheer or go hide under the bed. Glad you enjoyed it, and I’m envious of the the tea. I don’t get my first coffee until the beasts have been fed. They have me well trained. 😀
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March 28th, 2020 at 6:55 pm
sounds like you created monsters!
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March 29th, 2020 at 2:02 pm
-blush- they are a little spoiled….
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March 27th, 2020 at 11:51 am
Seconded.
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March 27th, 2020 at 9:12 am
The elderly and the frail are just those who have underlying symptoms that we can see. You are so right to point out that there are so many others, of all ages, who have compromised immune systems and breathing issues.
Lots of questions around about how you will be remembered at the end of all this:
“Do you want to be remembered as the dickhead who hoarded toilet paper, or as the one who went shopping for an elderly neighbour?”
“Do you want to be remembered as the fuckwit who had friends over for a party or as someone who helped flatten the curve?”
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March 27th, 2020 at 2:25 pm
Oh god yes!!!!! Our consumer driven societies have been conditioned into ‘me, me, me’ for decades now. The one good thing about this pandemic is that we can now see who are the true heroes, the true superstars, the true role models. And it’s not the dickheads.
I hope that once the attitudes of society change, we’ll demand better of our institutions and governments, at all levels.
Btw, I love how the one thing we all seem to recognize now is the phrase ‘flatten the curve’. 🙂
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March 27th, 2020 at 6:42 am
My overwhelmed sentiment is gratitude to doctors and nurses. We need to look after and cherish them in any way we can. I sincerely hope that we are able aa a country to recognise their efforts one day. I know in the UK many are living away from their families to protect them. Anything we can do to support medical staff will ultimately benefit everybody. I can’t imagine going to work each day and confronting something that has such obviius capacity TO KILL YOU. I know that they don’t expect it but I do hope once this is over, their dedication will be recognised in some way.
I am making a point of giving supermarket staff an extra thank you too.
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March 27th, 2020 at 2:32 pm
I’m with you 100%. All of those working in health care know they could get this virus and die, simply because they’re exposed to infected patients all the time, and often don’t have sufficient protective gear. Their courage humbles me. I honestly don’t think I could keep going, day after day after day.
But they’re not the only ones. A friend of mine from my gaming community is self-isolating with her husband & 2 grandchildren because the kids’ mother works in a bank and made the decision not to risk infecting the rest of the family. So hard.
We are very fortunate to qualify for home deliveries so I leave a card with ‘Thank you’ on it, taped to the front door. Or something a rose, just as a sign of appreciation.
Take care!
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March 27th, 2020 at 2:55 pm
*as *obvious
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March 27th, 2020 at 10:32 pm
lol – it’s all good.
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March 26th, 2020 at 11:26 pm
Yes! Listen to the scientists & the doctors! Take care of yourself and the people you love and if that means phone call visits and dining at home alone… do it!
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March 27th, 2020 at 2:34 pm
-hugs- I know it must be super hard for you Candy. Give those gorgeous black cats a hug from me. My furkids send purrs in your direction too.
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March 26th, 2020 at 6:24 pm
Thanks for sharing, Meeks, both the ongoing recommendations as well as some of the personal stuff. I get it. My son has Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) and my sister has rheumatoid arthritis (RA). I worry about them, as well as some of the elder members of our family. You are fortunate to have home delivery and seem set on keeping a safe environment for your offspring. Keep up the good work! ❤️
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March 27th, 2020 at 2:37 pm
I’m so sorry to hear that, Mel. I’m sure your loved ones are being sensible. Try not to worry too much. 😦
Are the logistics in France starting to ramp up yet? It seems to me that with heaps of low risk people thrown out of work by the lockdowns, the would be heaps of drivers available for home deliveries. I guess things are still too new for everyone to think outside the box.
Stay well.
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March 27th, 2020 at 9:32 pm
Thanks, Meeka! I suppose worrying is inevitable, but truly it does little. I am working on being positive! As for the logistics, the French government is doing a great job in mobilizing different resources like the army. They’ve set up a mobile hospital near Mulhouse which has a devastating number of cases and mobilized a TGV train to transport ICU patients to less-used hospitals. But the French as individuals are not out-of-the-box thinkers, in my experience. A politician made the mistake of suggesting that teachers could go and help farmers harvest strawberries, as they normally depend on migrant workers. It did not go down well. 😐
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March 27th, 2020 at 10:26 pm
lol – at least your politician didn’t allow a whole cruise ship full of potential virus carriers to land without even taking their temperature. We have stupid here like you would not believe.
Stay well and keep smiling. 🙂
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March 26th, 2020 at 11:52 am
Underlying conditions – a phrase that certainly doesn’t tell the whole story and I have a good few family and friends with auto immune conditions of various sorts. They cope so well it’s easy to forget they have something that could be a grave problem.
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March 26th, 2020 at 12:31 pm
Exactly. The plumber I mentioned came to my house and looked perfectly healthy. Didn’t know there was anything wrong with him until he asked me about the meds. sitting on the kitchen counter. He’d recognzied them coz he’d taken them too.
Many of these diseases/conditions are invisible but devastatingly real.
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March 26th, 2020 at 11:21 am
Yup Meeks, I’ve gotten to the “Stay-the-fuck-at-home” point too. Nothing to be gained through subtlety… I have linked auto-immune issues: pre-diabetes, psoriasis and Candidiasis, and the G.O. has osteoarthritis and diverticulitis, all of which are managed through diet and wellness lifestyle so as to impact as little as possible. None of which impairs our commonsense. Keep fighting the good fight Meeks. All the best to the Offspring. We will come out the other side 🙂
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March 26th, 2020 at 12:35 pm
-hugs- I’m sorry to hear that you and the G.O. have health issues too. Makes me wonder just how many people in the community also have vulnerabilities that have not yet been diagnosed. And that includes young people burning the candle at both ends.
Take care of yourselves. -hugs-
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March 26th, 2020 at 1:31 pm
Many, in my experience most, people have health conditions they are quietly living with.
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March 26th, 2020 at 5:54 pm
yeah, I think the figure will prove to be a great deal more than govts think.
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March 26th, 2020 at 11:14 am
Thanks for sharing!
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March 26th, 2020 at 12:35 pm
Take care, Bette!
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March 27th, 2020 at 12:32 pm
Ditto! 💕🙏👍
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March 26th, 2020 at 10:57 am
Finally, some sensible advice.
from a nurse, I’ve copied & pasted!
“I have seen a lot of recommendations for how to try to avoid getting coronavirus in the first place — good hand washing, personal hygiene and social distancing — but what I have NOT seen a lot of is advice for what happens if you actually get it, which many of us will. So as your friendly neighbourhood Nurse let me make some suggestions:
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 need to have the foresight to know it might come your way!
Things you should actually buy ahead of time (not sure what the obsession with toilet paper is?):
Kleenex,
Paracetamol,
whatever your generic, mucus thinning cough medicine of choice is (check the label and make sure you’re not doubling up on Paracetamol)
Honey and lemon can work just as well!
Vicks vaporub for your chest is also a great suggestion.
If you don’t have a humidifier, that would be a good thing to buy and use in your room when you go to bed overnight. (You can also just turn the shower on hot and sit in the bathroom breathing in the steam).
If you have a history of asthma and you have a prescription inhaler, make sure the one you have hasn’t expired and refill it/get a new one if necessary.
This is also a good time to meal prep: make a big batch of your favourite soup to freeze and have on hand.
Stock up on whatever your favourite clear fluids are to drink – though tap water is fine, you may appreciate some variety!
For symptom management and a fever over 38°c, take Paracetamol rather than Ibuprofen.
Hydrate (drink), hydrate, hydrate!
Rest lots. You should not be leaving your house! Even if you are feeling better you may will still be infectious for fourteen days and older people and those with existing health conditions should be avoided!
Ask friends and family to leave supplies outside to avoid contact.
You DO NOT NEED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL unless you are having trouble breathing or your fever is very high (over 39°C) and unmanaged with meds. 90% of healthy adult cases thus far have been managed at home with basic rest/hydration/over-the-counter meds.
If you are worried or in distress or feel your symptoms are getting worse, ring 111 and they will advise if you need to go to hospital. 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 Doctor or specialist about what they would like you to do if you get sick.
One major relief to parents is that kids do VERY well with coronavirus— they usually bounce back in a few days (but they will still be infectious), just use paediatric dosing.
Be calm and prepare rationally and everything will be fine. Share this as it’s great advice!”
If you can’t share copy and paste
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March 26th, 2020 at 11:01 am
This is great advice, Carol. Please thank your daughter in law because we’re not getting enough of this down to earth, basic, how-to-survive type info. -hugs-
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March 26th, 2020 at 11:40 am
I have thanks Meeka.. you can share if you want… X
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March 26th, 2020 at 12:31 pm
I’ll send it out via Twitter. 🙂
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March 26th, 2020 at 1:43 pm
Any which way is fine if it helps..I just read something which was a scary read he didn’t die at the end but it shows what needs to be done and what can happen…I’ll send it to you in a message xxx
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March 26th, 2020 at 5:54 pm
Ugh, that sounds grim. Please send.
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March 26th, 2020 at 6:11 pm
Sent and tagged you via Twitter.. It is bloody grim for the people who unfortunately succumb to this xxx But offers an insight into how to cope and what to do… Xx
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March 27th, 2020 at 2:38 pm
Thanks, Carol. I’ll hop onto Twitter soon for my daily dose of rage. Politicians…. grrrr
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March 27th, 2020 at 8:55 pm
I know the feeling…. 😞😏
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March 27th, 2020 at 10:28 pm
I know there’s a lot of positive stuff on Twitter too but…my eye is irresistibly drawn to the fools some of us voted for less than a year ago. 😦
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March 27th, 2020 at 10:33 pm
Sigh… Voters amaze and scare me in equal proportions sometimes.. 😏
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March 28th, 2020 at 12:26 pm
Yup. For the first time in my 67 years, I can see the fatal flaws in the idea of majority rule. Or maybe I’m just feeling disgusted with a bit chunk of humanity at the moment. 😦
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March 28th, 2020 at 1:15 pm
Ditto..what month is your b/day? I am having the very same thoughts although to be honest I have dispaired at the masses for quite a while…herd mentality…Be well 🙂
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March 29th, 2020 at 2:05 pm
January. I’m a Capricorn. Normally pretty glass half full. Less so as the weeks go by.
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March 29th, 2020 at 3:46 pm
September…A Virgo…that says it all…haha…but I run in a pretty even keel most of the time like you less so in recent times…Be well x
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March 29th, 2020 at 9:12 pm
Hail Fellow Well Met! 😀
Yeah, the worry is always there, just beneath the surface of everything we do. I have found that doing the graphics for my cover has been like a circuit breaker. Now my mind only runs in circles for part of the day. 🙂
Take care. 🙂
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March 29th, 2020 at 10:00 pm
Hail…
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March 26th, 2020 at 10:56 am
You couldn’t put it any plainer… Well said and stay safe…Thank you for introducing me to Dr John I love his vids…. This is from my daughter in law (who) is a trained nurse just in case we succumb to this invader….
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March 26th, 2020 at 10:58 am
You’re most welcome, Carol. His channel is the first thing I check every morning. 🙂
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March 26th, 2020 at 11:41 am
Me too xx
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