Three Weeks Today

When I moved in on March 7, three weeks ago, there wasn't any virus scare circulating about. My, how things have changed.  It's 7:50 a.m. and I've been up for a little over an hour.  The sciatica continues to give me a lot of grief but I'm watching videos on Youtube to try and combat it with daily exercises. Problem is, I keep forgetting exactly what they demonstrate so I have to go back and watch over and over. Not sure why I can't retain the info the first time. Probably because I'm not real keen on doing these anyhow and I resent HAVING to.  Yeah, I know. Silly me.  I did them twice yesterday and was disappointed that I didn't have even a little bit of improvement.  Again. Silly me.  I'll keep at them as that first half hour up in the morning is a real killer for me. I'm just thankful I retrieved a walker on four wheels before it got real bad. That thing has been a lifesaver for me.

I've been keeping the news OFF.  All they do is rehash the same hysteria and it's a shame so many people are glued to their sets and taking it all in over and over.  I've got a cooking show on now but I find it annoying too.  Some of them are quite interesting but too many have showoffs eager to be cute.  I did finally start a book yesterday but as I knew it would, it made me sleepy and I ended up napping in the recliner. Am thinking I just might sleep in the recliner tonight to see if it helps the morning distress of sciatica in the left hip and leg.  I'm trying to avoid ibuprofen (because of a thing I read online) but again, you can't always rely that the info is correct. Still....I'm not supposed to be taking too much ibupofen anyhow because of my kidneys.  You can't win for losing.  I'll stick with tylenol (even though it doesn't seem to help much) and my pretty green pot goop that also doesn't seem to work but it's there so I lather it on hoping.

I did  do some research online yesterday and accumulated various data from here and there that I thought was valid regarding the virus.  We probably won't know for a long time (if ever) what is valid and what isn't but here's food for thought:  It's long but INTERESTING at this scary time. Some of it might seem repetitive but if I read it and thought it was valid, I  included it again.

The fact is, your typical surgical mask is not going to protect or prevent infection," Erin Sorrell, assistant research professor at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Georgetown University, told BuzzFeed News. "The virus itself is so small that it can penetrate the mask. So it literally does nothing for you."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) similarly states that it "does not recommend that people who are well wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases." However, the CDC says "face masks should be used by people who show symptoms" in order to avoid spreading the disease to others, as well as health workers and the caregivers of those infected.

Though there is currently no vaccine against coronavirus, the CDC recommends taking preventative

tissue, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

In fact, in terms of touching your face, a face mask might even be counterproductive. "If it's not fitted right, you're going to fumble with it. You're going to be touching your face, which is the No. 1 way you're going to get disease, is unclean hands touching your face," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said on Wednesday, according to CBS News.

The best preventative measure you can take when it comes to contracting coronavirus is washing your hands. The CDC recommends washing your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

In addition, Andrew Stanley Pekosz, PhD, professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told CBS News people should "practice social distancing—stay five feet away from people to avoid being close enough to be exposed to respiratory droplets from that person."

Also, a reminder that the morality rate for coronavirus is around 2 percent in the epicenter of the outbreak, and less than that elsewhere, The Guardian reports. The flu, on the other hand, has a mortality rate of about 7.9 percent, according to a 2019 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Myth: A change in temperature can kill coronavirus.

According to WHO, "There is no reason to believe that cold weather can kill the new coronavirus or other diseases."

Similarly, there have been stories that warm weather can kill coronavirus, but those aren't true either. "The virology of COVID-19 does not diminish in warm temperatures," Rocio Salas-Whalen, MD, of New York Endocrinology previously told Best Life. "Although the virus may have a seasonal cycle, it is not reasonable to expect a huge decline in transmission due to warmer weather alone. We see the largest decrease in infections when people refrain from being in locations with poor ventilation and/or large crowds."

Wash your hands.Only use hand sanitizer as an alternative.

If you absolutely don't have access to soap and water, use hand sanitizer. Physician Sara Gottfried, MD, recommends hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. "Rub the gel over all the surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry. This should take around 20 seconds," she says.

Moisturize to keep your skin barrier healthy. To keep the skin barrier of your hands healthy, Zeichner suggests keeping up with a moisturizing routine. "Over-washing can lead to dryness, irritation, and cracks in the skin. This can lead to rashes and even put your hands at risk for skin infections,

Clean your rings. Dirt, oil, and microorganisms can live and build up there and potentially spread infections,

This includes the more unexpected things like your TV remote and more obvious objects like your cell phone and laptop. Disinfect door knobs and electronics.

Contaminated fingers can lead to spread of the infection," So avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose with dirty fingers. In theory, it sounds easy enough, but it's a lot harder than you think. If you find that you're constantly touching your face to adjust your hair, pull your hair back. And if you're a contact lens wearer, make sure to thoroughly clean your hands before touching your eyes.

Stop touching your face.

Throw away your tissues.

Decrease your stress. Longterm stress an affect everything from your immunity and your digestion to your sleep and reproductive systems.

Get enough sleep.

Keep up with your workout routine.

Take vitamin supplements.

Consider supplements like vitamin C and D," "I like to keep vitamin D levels [around] 50 to 90 ng/mL, and generally take higher doses the morning before a flight."

Don't forget about your gut health. Take probiotics

Avoid fast food.

Eat optimized foods. Eat cooked mushrooms and beans, one large green salad with raw onion or scallion, berries [and] seeds, such as flax, chia, or hemp seeds

Maintain social distancing. Perhaps you've heard this term thrown around. It's not quite as complex as it might sound. "Maintain at least three-feet distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing,"

Avoid touching others

coronavirus can live on plastic and stainless steel for as long as three days

COVID-19 is a variant of the coronavirus that caused the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS It's also a relative of the coronavirus Middle East respiratory syndrome, also known as MERS, which surfaced in the Middle East beginning in 2012.

COVID-19 refers to the disease that the virus causes, not the virus itself.

Pets can get coronaviruses.

Previous pandemics were far worse than COVID-19.

Things are likely just getting started with coronavirus and while there is reason to expect many more people will be infected and die from the virus, compared to previous pandemics, it looks slightly less frightening. More than 5,000 people have died as of the time this article was published—a terrible toll, to be sure. But it pales in comparison to the 1957 H2N2 flu, which killed 1.1 million people (0.04 percent of the global population at the time), or the 1918 Spanish flu (responsible for the death of 50 million people), or the black death, which killed 75 million people (almost 17 percent of the global population at the time).

It's less infectious than airborne viruses, like measles. COVID-19 is incredibly contagious. But it's not as contagious as airborne viruses, such as tuberculosis or measles. "It is an infectious disease, which is most likely spread via droplet transmission. This means that it requires large droplets containing particles of the virus to infect a new host,

Twenty seconds of hand-washing may not be enough. You probably thought you were pretty hygienic—always careful to wash your hands after using the bathroom and usually before you had something to eat. But as numerous health officials have reminded us since coronavirus really started to spread, there's a difference between quickly running your hands under the tap and really giving them a scrub. And though 20 seconds has been the recommended amount of time to spend scrubbing, even that may not be enough.

"Be diligent about washing hands appropriately: for 20 to 30 seconds with soap, under warm running water,

Face masks don't offer much protection from COVID-19. Because coronavirus is transmitted via droplets, personal protective equipment, such as face masks, are not particularly effective at preventing transmission. Since the virus is transmitted as droplets, it is currently not recommended to need to use standard face masks or surgical face masks, or N95 masks, as good hand hygiene and washing is sufficient,"

removing your shoes is a must. While hand-washing is a vital way to reduce one's risk of contracting COVID-19, those aforementioned droplets can also travel from the outside world into your home on the bottom of your shoes. In order to keep your home coronavirus-free, you should remove your shoes when you come inside.

It's barely affected children. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that children 10 and under account for just 1 percent of all COVID-19 cases, while those between the ages of 30 to 79 make up nearly 90 percent. Scientists aren't sure why, but they think the answers may help us defeat COVID-19.

CORONA Common Sense

Since they are calling on Respiratory therapist to help fight the Corona virus, and I am a retired one, too old to work in a hospital setting. I'm gonna share some common sense wisdom with those that have the virus and trying to stay home. If my advice is followed as given you will improve your chances of not ending up in the hospital on a ventilator. This applies to the otherwise generally healthy population, so use discretion.

1. Only high temperatures kill a virus, so let your fever run high. Tylenol, Advil. Motrin, Ibuprofen etc. will bring your fever down allowing the virus to live longer. They are saying that ibuprophen, advil etc will actually exacerbate the virus. Use common sense and don't let fever go over 103 or 104 if you got the guts. If it gets higher than that take your tylenol, not ibuprophen or advil to keep it regulated. It helps to keep house warm and cover up with blankets so body does not have to work so hard to generate the heat. It usually takes about 3 days of this to break the fever.

2. The body is going to dehydrate with the elevated temperature so you must rehydrate yourself regulaly, whether you like it or not. Gatorade with real sugar, or pedialyte with real sugar for kids, works well. Why the sugar? Sugar will give your body back the energy it is using up to create the fever. The electrolytes and fluid you are losing will also be replenished by the Gatorade. If you don't do this and end up in the hospital they will start an IV and give you D5W (sugar water) and Normal Saline to replenish electrolytes. Gatorade is much cheaper, pain free, and comes in an assortment of flavors

3. You must keep your lungs moist. Best done by taking long steamy showers on a regular basis, if your wheezing or congested use a real minty toothpaste and brush your teeth while taking the steamy shower and deep breath through your mouth. This will provide some bronchial dialation and help loosen the phlegm. Force your self to cough into a wet wash cloth pressed firmly over your mouth and nose, which will cause greater pressure in your lungs forcing them to expand more and break loose more of the congestion.

4. Eat healthy and regularly. Gotta keep your strength up.

5. Once the fever breaks, start moving around to get the body back in shape and blood circulating.

6. Deep breath on a regular basis, even when it hurts. If you don't it becomes easy to develope pneumonia. Pursed lip breathing really helps. That's breathing in deep and slow then exhaling through tight lips as if your blowing out a candle, blow until you have completely emptied your lungs and you will be able to breath in an even deeper breath. This helps keep lungs expanded as well as increase your oxygen level.

7. Remember that every medication you take is merely relieving the symptoms, not making you well.

8. If you're still dying go to ER.

Today I plan to do the usual "staying inside" past times.  Sewing, reading, tv, crossword puzzles, and napping.  Might do a load of laundry too. Isn't that exciting?  At least my dreams are keeping me entertained at night.  I've started keeping a diary about them as some of the same places are showing up and the various scenes are way too interesting to ignore.  Dreams have always fascinated me. Well, my dreams anyhow.

I'll probably hit Safeway next Tuesday morning early during the senior hours. Might go for a ride around town while I'm out and take some pictures. Depends on the weather. Wind is kinda kicking up right now.  I hope you're all doing well. At least as well as you can under these circumstances.  No pictures to show except for this one I took in the lobby yesterday. Our manager must have got her hands on a roll of police tape as she's decorating everywhere. I'm betting she's tuned in to virus news around the clock. This particular taping off doesn't make a lot of sense to me but she's gotta keep busy.

For a fun look back in time, here's three from my collection: Intersection of Four Corners (near where my brother lives) and two of Beckett's Point.  (click to enlarge photos)

And saw this old Leader shot on a friend's page on FB.  Remember this event well as I knew all the girls running for queen.