Normally I do all this in April, but thanks to a medical problem and the fear that COVID-19 will force the closure of all public places, like doctors' offices, I went to see mine last week. Since then, our neighboring city has closed all non-emergency medical buildings, including private physicians' offices.
Lucky me - I've been on oral steroids for over 30 years without a problem, then my insurance company insists if a med comes in generic, that's what the pharmacy has to send. Well, I was given the generic of the med I've been on for over 20 years and promptly got an oral thrush infection, most likely thanks to the dairy they use in the inhaler as a filler. So now I'm on an anti-fungal and was prescribed a totally new medication for my asthma. I hope this works - I don't want to be on the "let's see if *this* inhaler works" merry-go-round I was on for almost 10 years before my doc discovered the med I've been on.
It's now been a few days on the nystatin and things are looking a heck of a lot better. I see the doc again on Wednesday - Unless, that is, our city forced the closure of all non-emergency medical offices. It was so scary at the doctor's office the other day - first the list of questions (Have you been out of the country, near anyone who was, near anyone sick, etc.), then everyone who works there wearing masks, gowns, and gloves, bottles of hand sanitizer in every exam room and 4 in the waiting room, and posters everywhere about how to stay safe regarding COVID-19. Oh, and all of us in the waiting room looking each other over, hoping none of them are there for flu-like symptoms. Luckily it was me with asthma, 2 with diabetes, one with an orthopedic problem, one just there for paperwork, etc.
After the doc finished with what had to be done with me, I got the whole "How to stay safe" speech, given the usual list of warnings that's appearing everywhere, told to avoid crowds - if a room has more than 3-5 people in it - leave, and told to take either Emergen C, Cold-Eeze, or Airborne. After my son picked me up when my appointment was over we hit 5 different stores. I elbowed my way through 2 grocery stores and not only none of those but no frozen or fresh veggies, either. I then checked 3 different drug stores and in the third I was able to find 2 bottles of Airborne gummies. I hate gummies - who had the bright idea to put medicine and supplements for adults in candy?? It's bad enough they do it to kids' medicines. I bought both bottles, even though one of the ingredients is echinacea, something I can't take because it interferes with one of my asthma/allergy meds. I looked around to see what else the stores had, maybe something more in the line of herbal supplements, but nothing. When I got home I checked Amazon and a few pharmacies' on-line stores and I was lucky to get what I got. I'm stuck with this candy.
No, I'm not! Once home I hit Dr. Fuhrman's website and ordered his Gentle Care multivitamin and the Immune Biotect supplement. Both are made from actual food products, not chemicals, and the immune one won't be detrimental to me and my autoimmune diseases because it's mostly a variety of dried and powdered mushrooms. I didn't really want to take anything, even these, but since my doc wanted us to take something to boost our immunity - my husband being a cardiac patient and me with my asthma as well as list of auto-immune conditions - it's best to grasp at these straws right now, because with my lungs I may not survive if I get the virus. I would definitely be one of those people who would be put on a respirator, he tells me.
And he wonders why my blood pressure was sky high in the office! It was so bad he changed my med and doubled the strength! I'm taking it without hesitation, though. Yes, I get a big dip 3 hours after I take it, but one look at a news web site and it's back up again. Add to that the fact that 1) We still can't get most groceries or necessary wipes and sanitizers either locally or on-line, and 2) my son works at Target and takes light rail to work, so he's exposed to crowds and can possibly catch this thing and bring it back home to this 5 room apartment. There's no way to quarantine him if he gets it, so if he gets it, all 3 of us do. Hopefully when all this is over in a few months my BP goes back down and I can get off this med, maybe all BP meds all together. OK, since I've been on them since I was in my 20's and I'm now in my mid-60's I doubt that part, but a gal can dream.
Lucky me - I've been on oral steroids for over 30 years without a problem, then my insurance company insists if a med comes in generic, that's what the pharmacy has to send. Well, I was given the generic of the med I've been on for over 20 years and promptly got an oral thrush infection, most likely thanks to the dairy they use in the inhaler as a filler. So now I'm on an anti-fungal and was prescribed a totally new medication for my asthma. I hope this works - I don't want to be on the "let's see if *this* inhaler works" merry-go-round I was on for almost 10 years before my doc discovered the med I've been on.
It's now been a few days on the nystatin and things are looking a heck of a lot better. I see the doc again on Wednesday - Unless, that is, our city forced the closure of all non-emergency medical offices. It was so scary at the doctor's office the other day - first the list of questions (Have you been out of the country, near anyone who was, near anyone sick, etc.), then everyone who works there wearing masks, gowns, and gloves, bottles of hand sanitizer in every exam room and 4 in the waiting room, and posters everywhere about how to stay safe regarding COVID-19. Oh, and all of us in the waiting room looking each other over, hoping none of them are there for flu-like symptoms. Luckily it was me with asthma, 2 with diabetes, one with an orthopedic problem, one just there for paperwork, etc.
After the doc finished with what had to be done with me, I got the whole "How to stay safe" speech, given the usual list of warnings that's appearing everywhere, told to avoid crowds - if a room has more than 3-5 people in it - leave, and told to take either Emergen C, Cold-Eeze, or Airborne. After my son picked me up when my appointment was over we hit 5 different stores. I elbowed my way through 2 grocery stores and not only none of those but no frozen or fresh veggies, either. I then checked 3 different drug stores and in the third I was able to find 2 bottles of Airborne gummies. I hate gummies - who had the bright idea to put medicine and supplements for adults in candy?? It's bad enough they do it to kids' medicines. I bought both bottles, even though one of the ingredients is echinacea, something I can't take because it interferes with one of my asthma/allergy meds. I looked around to see what else the stores had, maybe something more in the line of herbal supplements, but nothing. When I got home I checked Amazon and a few pharmacies' on-line stores and I was lucky to get what I got. I'm stuck with this candy.
No, I'm not! Once home I hit Dr. Fuhrman's website and ordered his Gentle Care multivitamin and the Immune Biotect supplement. Both are made from actual food products, not chemicals, and the immune one won't be detrimental to me and my autoimmune diseases because it's mostly a variety of dried and powdered mushrooms. I didn't really want to take anything, even these, but since my doc wanted us to take something to boost our immunity - my husband being a cardiac patient and me with my asthma as well as list of auto-immune conditions - it's best to grasp at these straws right now, because with my lungs I may not survive if I get the virus. I would definitely be one of those people who would be put on a respirator, he tells me.
And he wonders why my blood pressure was sky high in the office! It was so bad he changed my med and doubled the strength! I'm taking it without hesitation, though. Yes, I get a big dip 3 hours after I take it, but one look at a news web site and it's back up again. Add to that the fact that 1) We still can't get most groceries or necessary wipes and sanitizers either locally or on-line, and 2) my son works at Target and takes light rail to work, so he's exposed to crowds and can possibly catch this thing and bring it back home to this 5 room apartment. There's no way to quarantine him if he gets it, so if he gets it, all 3 of us do. Hopefully when all this is over in a few months my BP goes back down and I can get off this med, maybe all BP meds all together. OK, since I've been on them since I was in my 20's and I'm now in my mid-60's I doubt that part, but a gal can dream.
And then I see this over the weekend:
So the only way to save ourselves, besides following the McDougall food plan, is to use gloves, footies, face masks, alcohol/bleach wipes, and take the herbal supplements? All items that stores are long sold-out of? Does that mean if you don't have access to those things you can bend over and kiss your ass good-bye? What happened to his proclamation not too long ago that this is just another flu, to keep washing our hands with soap and water and everything will be fine?
Now I'm really scared!
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