Coronavirus Thread

[Spiky Bugger]

For hilary1617 and others in this situation:

 

[southernlady]

Came across this interesting graph on another forum: https://www.city-data.com/coronavirus/

 

[Georgepds]

I'm going to whine. Please ignore, but nowhere to say it but here. Need to get it out.

I just had my little hospital visit to get an iron infusion and meet with oncologist. They want another MRI of those pesky lesions on my spine. Not keen on going back to the hospital and climbing in an MRI machine next week with the whole pandemic. But mainly not wanting to face the reality of the whole spinal situation.

Also, my son developed OCD behaviors post neurosurgery. It's probably linked to pituitary damage or his new tumor. He was getting meds and counseling to control obsessive hand-washing. Not sure what to tell him to do (or not) now.

Also, I'm sick of early morning video conferences. I cannot look fabulous before 7 am.

Okay, it's out of my system. I will return to my regularly-scheduled positivity!

We need a hope for the best icon, like does not really capture the sentiment.

Your own load seems heavy enough, yet you manage to carry anothers

Mothers.. you gotta love them... or, in my case, admire them from a distance

 

[Georgepds]

Came across this interesting graph on another forum: https://www.city-data.com/coronavirus/

Noticed in the top ten states with the smallest number of ICU beds per capita were Vt Me and NH.

Nothing really new here in that chart for us New Englanders. If someone gets really sick in northern new england, they get medivaced down to Boston, where there are reams of good docs and hospitals who, generally, know what to do. Mass General, Brigham and womens, Dana Farber, Beth Israel Deaconess, Shriners,Boston Childrens, Saint Elizabeth's, Boston Medical, etc.... you got a problem... Boston's got a hospital for it

 

[JackieOnLine]

I'm going to whine. Please ignore, but nowhere to say it but here. Need to get it out.

I just had my little hospital visit to get an iron infusion and meet with oncologist. They want another MRI of those pesky lesions on my spine. Not keen on going back to the hospital and climbing in an MRI machine next week with the whole pandemic. But mainly not wanting to face the reality of the whole spinal situation.

Also, my son developed OCD behaviors post neurosurgery. It's probably linked to pituitary damage or his new tumor. He was getting meds and counseling to control obsessive hand-washing. Not sure what to tell him to do (or not) now.

Also, I'm sick of early morning video conferences. I cannot look fabulous before 7 am.

Okay, it's out of my system. I will return to my regularly-scheduled positivity!

you are welcome to rant all you want!

 

[Georgepds]

Good clear explanation of benefit of social distancing

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/20/emily-landon-coronavirus/?outputType=amp

“The healthy and optimistic among us will doom the vulnerable,” Landon said. She acknowledged that restrictions like a shelter-in-place may end up feeling “extreme” and “anticlimactic” — and that’s the point.


“It’s really hard to feel like you’re saving the world when you’re watching Netflix from your couch. But if we do this right, nothing happens,” Landon said. “A successful shelter-in-place means you’re going to feel like it was all for nothing, and you’d be right: Because nothing means that nothing happened to your family. And that’s what we’re going for here.”

Landon’s comments were less than 10 minutes of the nearly hour-long news conference, but they quickly made an impression on listeners and drew praise for their clarity and sense of empowerment while still conveying the urgency of the moment.

 

[RainCity]

I understand. I’m taking Dad to three appointments next week and they are all somewhat important.

Least important: he’s had an occlusion in his sinuses on one side for years that was noted to be worsening in his last brain MRI. He just completed a course of ABX and prednisone, and they may want to try to do an in-office procedure to open the sinus passage. While not critical, it may be contributing to his imbalance and he also has no sense of smell, and has been losing weight. But the ENT is where people in the waiting room are coughing and sneezing.

Wednesday is the cystoscopy. Very important.

Thursday he sees a very high ranking neurosurgeon who agreed to take him (at the personal behest of the neurologist) for evaluation of the possibility that his dementia and gait disturbance (he’s fallen twice since he moved here and is now using a cane) are TREATABLE (at least to some extent), because his brain MRIs for years shown evidence of normal pressure hydrocephalus. It is POSSIBLE that “minor” brain surgery - inserting a ventriculoperitoneal shunt - could greatly improve his functioning. Or it could kill him. Or he might not be a candidate because it’s not NPH or because he also has irreversible regular dementia. So we can’t miss that one.

If he passes the first screening, there is a test to see if a shunt is likely to help - a large volume spinal tap. They test his dementia and gait before the procedure, and then a little while (hours) afterwards. If there is (temporary) improvement, that means a shunt could be helpful.

Or he could get COVID-19 in the next few weeks and it could all be moot.

I’m late to this thread and haven’t read beyond. My Dad went through extensive NPH testing at UCLA in July 2019; prior to that in Jan 2019 (not at UCLA), he had a single large lumbar puncture, which seemed to help (subjective per my sister and I), but ultimately I decided to find better experts in this condition. The process at UCLA was he checked into the hospital on Monday, they ran cognition tests and video taped him walking and other movement, then put a port in his back the following day and drained CSF throughout day/night for 3 days (checked out on Friday), and continued to run the same tests and video taping. This provided objective data that showed he improved with less pressure in his ventricles, which is often not the result, so his UCLA neurologist & neurosurgeon, and his local cardiologist approved him for shunt surgery. Surgery took place in Sept 2019 and went very well; no issues at all; and he has improved in all 3 NPH symptom areas: 1) incontinence (urinary & bowel); 2) balance, shuffling, “magnetic” foot; and 3) cognition, memory, and verbal interaction.

 

[DianaCox]

Thank you for the details. Dad certainly has no business being inpatient at this time, especially for a diagnostic procedure with an indwelling catheter in his spinal canal, that can wait.

I’m frustrated, but keeping him alive from COVID is more important, as is keeping medical facilities and staff free to treat critical patients.

 

[hilary1617]

I was frustrated / scared to be screened at the hospital for COVID-19 by a security guard who was not wearing a mask and was in the personal space bubble of multiple cancer patients in line for entry. Nurses and radiology folks were nervous about exposure (mainly about keeping their immunocompromized patients safe). They have no masks for their use as they have been commandeered by ER/ICU.

So... we're making masks. Charles is doing all the work involved, I'm sacrificing the dining table so stealing some credit ... Charles designed a jig to make pleating easy.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

ll

I was frustrated / scared to be screened at the hospital for COVID-19 by a security guard who was not wearing a mask and was in the personal space bubble of multiple cancer patients in line for entry. Nurses and radiology folks were nervous about exposure (mainly about keeping their immunocompromized patients safe). They have no masks for their use as they have been commandeered by ER/ICU.

So... we're making masks. Charles is doing all the work involved, I'm sacrificing the dining table so stealing some credit ... Charles designed a jig to make pleating easy.

View attachment 2305View attachment 2306

My sister is on that warpath. She’s making a three layer version...using a pattern she found online. She even watched several videos. (I do not sew.)

 

[southernlady]

ll

My sister is on that warpath. She’s making a three layer version...using a pattern she found online. She even watched several videos. (I do not sew.)

I hope she’s using a different color for each side.

I wish I could make some but no sewing machine and no room for it.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

I hope she’s using a different color for each side.

I wish I could make some but no sewing machine and no room for it.

I’m pretty sure that EVERY detail and precaution has been attended to...HOWEVER, I’m trying to understand why a fabric or, depending on location, fabric and craft store chain has decided that is an essential operation. My sister has already visited the store twice and her only complaint was that there were so many great fabrics to choose from, especially in the area of quilting materials, that it was hard to choose.

OTOH, I’m really glad my local flooring company was open, even though most of the time, carpeting, tile, etc are not “essential,” unless you are at the place where you’re down to subfloor and then it’s pretty darned important. Also, even though they were closed Monday, MiniSue was REALLY glad the dead animal removal company that made a house call to remove the remaining parts of what was probably (I can’t tell from the photos) a raccoon and the related maggots from under her house was open for business.

 

[Sheanie]

I have seen these mask sewing posts, but am not jumping on it. Gus had the opportunity to speak personally yesterday with a local physician. I got to ask him about these masks. He said that, to his limited knowledge, the fabric has to meet certain strict criteria. Regular fabric is questionable, since the weave is wildly different. He said they are not allowed to use these, YET.

I believe that these sewn masks will be welcomed and used, because something is better than nothing. I am just not quite convinced to start mass producing homemade masks.

I will, of course, fully commit to making them, when we get the detailed composition of the fabric.

 

[Larra]

According to a scale I saw, which may or may not be accurate, a "real" mask is about 95% effective cotton (I assume good quality) would be about 70%, silk considerably less but I can't remember the number.
Well, 70% is not the greatest, but better than 0%. I may make a couple if things get worse. There are lots of videos on the www.

 

[Sheanie]

According to a scale I saw, which may or may not be accurate, a "real" mask is about 95% effective cotton (I assume good quality) would be about 70%, silk considerably less but I can't remember the number.
Well, 70% is not the greatest, but better than 0%. I may make a couple if things get worse. There are lots of videos on the www.

Yes, thats what we heard, as well. My hesitation stems from a charity quilt making group I worked in a few years back. We made comfort quilts for the CAN Council (child abuse and neglect). We donated 50 at one time, and each was unique. I found the ENTIRE STACK in Salvation Army a month later! Our guild president was told by the CAN council they had a flood and the quilts were damaged. They were in the same condition as when we dropped them off.

We now make only requested items. Quilts of Valor, Joey Bags, reusable and washable shopping bags.

Also, during the fires in Australia, my knitting group was knitting bags for kangaroo babies. I didnt, and soon after, the workers said please dont do that. Wrong material, we got this.

So thats where my hesitation stems from.