Well, not here.
disinfecting surfaces, and praying that your toilet paper pillow fort wont run out.
Every morning I take five prescription medications (on a good day).
Linda Raymond
I have to get my liver and kidneys checked regularly because of said medications.
One of my meds has a possible side effect of upper respiratory tract infection.
And my dosage was increased recently.
And Im stressing out about this a bit.
I cant be the only one.
So what exactly does that mean?
That leaves a lot of us with questions.
As someone with a chronic illnessthough not one directly affecting my lungs, necessarilyis my system somehow weaker?
What makes someone immunocompromised?
Does my daily medication put me at a higher risk for complications?
Well, a whole jigsaw puzzle of strategies, some of which incorporate my science background.
This virus can also be unkind to someone who is young and healthy.
Im letting myself be worried enough to take good precautions, but not so worried Im paralyzed.
Im making a plan with my doctor for how Ill manage my condition(s) during all this.
We talked about still getting some exercise because exercise can improve lung capacity.
In the absence of the rock-climbing gym, my dog is getting many social-distancing-approved walks around the neighborhood.
Maybe a medication is treating one symptom but causing another.
In other words, have those conversations with your doctor(s) now if you havent already.
Go over all your medications with them so you understand if any of them are immunosuppressants.
Talk to your doctor about similar plans you’re free to put in place depending on your conditions.
Im looking into options for outsourcing my errands.
Im reminding myself that we only have so much data right now.
Anyone else have like four health problems (but you look fine!)
Were in uncharted territory.
Im only getting my updates from reputable sources.
Theres new (sometimes contradictory) info about COVID-19 every single day in this flaming hellscape.
Ive given out different information to people from one week to the next for one simple reason.
So much of what we think we know about this pandemic has changed pretty quickly.
To put it simply, navigating the latest facts about the new coronavirus can be confusing as hell.
And on that note…
6.
Im not falling for false information.
There is anunbelievableamount of rubbish circulating about this virus.
The list of categorically false new coronavirus rumors is about a mile long.
Which is why…
7.
Im actively reminding myself how much good it does to practice social distancing.
Infectious disease experts are telling usto avoid contact with one anotheras a way to help curb this pandemic.
We were prepared for this.
But even I miss the rock-climbing gym.
(Itll be there in a month or five.
Of course, plenty of people have to leave their homes for essential reasons.
Beyond that, wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds every single time.
Keep hand sanitizer on you.
Disinfect the house more often than youre used to.
Take your medications as prescribed.
Stop refreshing the stats on this thing every hour (I might be writing this for myself).
Unless youve been told otherwise by your medical provider or you need urgent medical attention, stay at home.
And did I mention you should wash your hands?
