Coronavirus – Part One

I’m going to make this short and sweet. I want to talk more about this strain of “coronavirus” and get into the most basic medical information regarding it. However, assuming many of those reading this “blog” are those with chronic illness, I want you to do (for now) 3 things for me – 1. DO NOT PANIC! RESPOND RATHER THAN REACT! I have been at Wegmans and there is literally no produce, no frozen foods, no eggs, very little dairy, no canned anything, no toilet paper … I could go on and on and on. At any rate, the “average, healthy” person really has nothing much to worry about (except in rare cases) so the mass hysteria not only is unnecessary but it HURTS those of us who NEED products like alcohol wipes in order to take our regular medications … and we can’t find them ANYWHERE. With all of that said, remember, that if you are someone like me who is not only immunocompromised but has an immune deficiency (or), the way you behave doesn’t really change. When the cold temperatures hit any year, regardless of the circulating viruses, I wear a face mask in public. I wash my hands like a maniac. I use Purell whenever possible. I wear gloves when needed. This is my “normal” life, so seeing that others are really getting something of a “feel” at least for the non-ill components of dealing with chronic illness is kind of … amazing? At any rate! 2. Prepare to the best of your abilities in case there is a quarantine / shut-down of your area – have enough food and water and provisions for any pets you might have (including your own medications and any possible meds your pets might need – and of course, if you have a family, make sure they have a good “stock” of the meds they / you take and need to take! And finally, 3. Keep yourself informed as much as possible – and, as mentioned above, be sure to slowly stock up on the “necessities” (and I say this, again, coming from the grocery store where all the aisles are literally empty!); if you have several cases cropping up in your area, just figure out a way to take off for a couple of days or weeks (or however long it takes) for the illness to “pass.” On that note, just follow the guidelines laid out by Health Organizations (other than the “don’t wear a mask unless you are sick bit … as i also mentioned above, I wear a mask in public as soon as there are reported cases of flu and bad colds, &c.); get your a$$ to a doctor (or hospital) ASAP if you suddenly spike a fever of unknown origin and / or you start to develop a cough that creeps more deeply down into your chest. And as a short 4th – remember, this strain of coronavirus has an estimated mortality rate of 3-5% (according to the stats given to us and my own maths); so many of us – myself involved! – face a much higher mortality rate every day of our lives. Which is not to play down the severity of the situation – that is not what I mean and I also do not mean take the greatest level of precaution you can. Just realize and remember what you have to do to stay “well” in a “normal” cold and flu season and do your best to keep your face covered, your eyes covered or wearing gloves so you don’t touch your eyes or face (another trick I have found is to wear non-waterproof mascara – that way you are not tempted to touch your eyes AT ALL!), wash your hands frequently, and one I add on here is try to make as much of your own food as you can. Many food service “providers” do not get paid very much, and it is more beneficial for them to go into work to make much-needed $$ than to take a sick day – something I also totally get. But just remember all the ways this virus (and other viruses) can be spread and take the proper precautions to avoid contracting any virus. Oh, one more! 5. Make sure you sit down and try to figure out your finances just in case something goes awry in the short- or long-term. Make sure you have enough $$$ to pay your bills for at least a few months out.

I will certainly be back to talk more about this and in greater detail, but seeing the condition of the store today where you couldn’t get a box of pasta or a bag of broccoli for $5 million was really eye-opening to me. I hope you are all managing to stay well wherever you are in the world! I will be back soon soon soon! I am always thinking of YOU…!

❤ Always, Beth