Covid-19, CPAP cleaning regimen

[colomom]

1000% wrong

Who exactly is an isolated hermit supposed to catch the virus from? Will it fall on him out of the sky?

Hotspots in dense populations matter. They require behaviors not yet needed everywhere on the planet.

Should the entire planet adopt the exact same rules? To quote the TV commercial unfriended friend, "That's not how it works; that not how any of this works."

Mayors have one concern. Governors have another. The federal government has another. Self-sufficient hermits living alone in isolated areas are the fellows I envy right now.

If I thought I could pull it off, there's a cabin I know of deep in WV at the head of a lonely holler that's looking real tempting to me as a place to hunker down away from humanity with some canned goods and a hunting rifle--if it weren't for the blasted fracking messing up the groundwater around there.

Oh no. I'm starting to sound like DreamStalker!

My broader point which I failed to adequately express, is the world is connected and there are few of us are as isolated from this as we would like to believe. Even Montana “hermits” still have to make a living, making a living forces people to come out of the woods from time to time.

More broadly my point is that hospitals have in large part left rural America, therefore I believe rural America will pay the highest price during this outbreak.
Many people in Montana have no specialized medical care available locally and have to travel to Denver or Salt Lake for care.

I’m fortunate enough to have enough acreage to grow an incredible garden and raise some animals, and I even know and like my neighbors! To top it all off I live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet, I love living in rural CO, but unfortunately as so many in rural America the health care system here is lacking on the best of days. I fear that this pandemic hit rural America especially hard.
Your WV cabin sounds great, just be sure to stock up on the first aid supplies!

[ChicagoGranny]

My broader point which I failed to adequately express, is the world is connected and there are few of us are as isolated from this as we would like to believe. Even Montana “hermits” still have to make a living, making a living forces people to come out of the woods from time to time.

+1

I'm concerned about a 71-year old friend who lives by himself in a rural area. The nearest small town is 35 miles away. The hospital is small and has a poor reputation. Patients with difficult conditions are airlifted to a metro hospital.

This guy was always very sociable and fun to be around. A long time ago, he lived in my neighborhood, and I sometimes babysat his children. I only recently reconnected with him on social media. Something must have happened with his wife and family that made him want to check out of society.

He does have to drive to town to get groceries and other necessities. He could be exposed to the coronavirus. I'm going to stay in touch with him.

[raisedfist]

I wonder if picking up and renting a place somewhere in a non hot spot before this blows over, if it does, will become a thing. Has warm weather anywhere in the USA made a difference at all in the spread?

[ChicagoGranny]

Has warm weather anywhere in the USA made a difference at all in the spread?

Are you thinking Florida? Or the Bahamas?

coronavirus florida.JPG

[raisedfist]

Well, based on that image, probably the Bahamas . Lock it down and see y'all in six months!

[palerider]

I wonder if picking up and renting a place somewhere in a non hot spot before this blows over, if it does, will become a thing. Has warm weather anywhere in the USA made a difference at all in the spread?

Forget the USA, look at the world map.

Iran isn't a cold country, and they are very hard hit.

[raisedfist]

I wonder if picking up and renting a place somewhere in a non hot spot before this blows over, if it does, will become a thing. Has warm weather anywhere in the USA made a difference at all in the spread?

Forget the USA, look at the world map.

Iran isn't a cold country, and they are very hard hit.

I meant moreso that it's a small and secluded area, not so much just the warm weather. Then again, SHTF, you may be screwed medical wise.

[squid13]

Iran isn't a cold country, and they are very hard hit.

Just gooled and the average temperature in Iran in March runs from 44.6 degrees Fahrenheit to 59 degrees Fahrenheit.

[babydinosnoreless]

So this may be a silly question but as I always told my kids the only silly question as the unasked one. So here I go...don't laugh.

It is allergy season. For those of us with asthma, shortness of breath is a common occurrence. Is there anything on our Oscar/sleepyhead reports that might signal that there is a problem, go get checked ?

[raisedfist]

The most prevalent symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. Likely the first two symptoms and feeling unwell would come before the shortness of breath due to COVID-19.

We are advised to call our physician if we feel unwell and tell them everything and get further guidance.

I could MAYBE see an irregularly high respiratory rate being a cause for concern if it's not normal for you, especially baseline while awake and masked up, indicating a higher work of breathing, but a higher RR can be due to many causes such as stress, not sleeping well, bad dreams, or for whatever reason.

Respiratory wise, in such patient populations that are sick and/or having a hard time breathing, when you see a higher RR it's physiologically to compensate for lower than normal tidal volumes, to try and maintain adequate ventilation. The problem becomes those shallow breaths are more work and less efficient.

[colomom]

So this may be a silly question but as I always told my kids the only silly question as the unasked one. So here I go...don't laugh.

It is allergy season. For those of us with asthma, shortness of breath is a common occurrence. Is there anything on our Oscar/sleepyhead reports that might signal that there is a problem, go get checked ?

Not a silly question.

I am not knowledgeable enough to advise you on whether or not Oscar could show a problem but I can tell you that asthma is an obstructive pulmonary disease, your asthma puts you into a higher risk category for COVID-19.
As far as testing, hopefully more tests will come online soon, but your symptoms are unlikely qualify you for a test at this time.

Best advice is you have preexisting conditions and suspect you may be experiencing symptoms protect yourself and your community by staying home.

[squid13]

I know they say call your physician and let him guide you. My physician is in a large Medical Center and there is no way I can call and talk to him. It's a group of about 5 doctors in this group of Internal medicine in this center. What I would get is his medical assistant, leave your name, DOB and your problem and if this is an emergency go to the ER which is in the attached hospital. Late in the afternoon you would get a call from her around four thirty or five. Don't get me wrong, I love my Doc it's just that you are not going to call and say let me speak to him. It would be the same in any Medical group in town.

[colomom]

I know they say call your physician and let him guide you. My physician is in a large Medical Center and there is no way I can call and talk to him. It's a group of about 5 doctors in this group of Internal medicine in this center. What I would get is his medical assistant, leave your name, DOB and your problem and if this is an emergency go to the ER which is in the attached hospital. Late in the afternoon you would get a call from her around four thirty or five. Don't get me wrong, I love my Doc it's just that you are not going to call and say let me speak to him. It would be the same in any Medical group in town.

So true...
For many of us the best case scenario is we phone our docs office and eventually get a call back from a nurse, at best it's a high-stakes game of telephone; hopefully they don't charge you $300 for the 5 minutes of their time.

[chunkyfrog]

My doctor is associated with a hospital, which has a questionnaire online.
Check enough of the right boxes, and they will set up a time for your drive-through covid19 test.
So far, no positives in the county.

[raisedfist]

You can use telemedicine if available. My local hospital has a hotline to call to ask questions about covid. You really don’t want to just show up at an ER unless you have no other choice.