All things COVID

aefsparrow · July 2020

With the recent upsurge I've started considering moving myself to my post baby maternity schedule early, but with my current patient schedule it means I would be less effective and it would cause some difficulty with my kiddo patients. I'm sanitizing between patients and making sure to wipe down everything I can, but it's getting scary again. I will say that NM vs TN mask use is COMPLETELY different. NM most people are fully mask compliant, TN almost no one wears one. It's pretty scary.

babyodo · July 2020

Add me to the fed-up camp. I hate that this is still going on, and I hate even more that a global health crisis has created such political division in our country (and around the world, tbh). I also hate that we were told that UV kills the virus and yet here we are in the dead of summer and my state is actually seeing massive increases in diagnosed COVID cases and deaths. Not that I'm surprised that they were wrong about something, but it just goes to show that we have to be really, really careful until this is all over.

baseballismyfavoriteseason · July 2020

@ccstlln1 Yeeessss we miss church too. 😭 The bummer thing is that even if church starts reopening it (ours is discussing how, but hasn’t done it yet) there won’t be nursery, and there’s no point in us going back until we can take our toddler to nursery.

@babycakesday He’s talked to his dermatologist in general, but not since Covid. He had a cream that he was using that was SUPER strong and mildly improved it... I don’t think he’s used it in a long time though as typically he can mitigate it with keeping his skin dry and clean.

mckjacks · July 2020

I’m really nervous with how setting boundaries is going to go once the babies come. DH has already said his mom threw a fit when someone asked her to use hand sanitizer before holding their baby pre-COVID. 🤦🏼‍♀️

JLaVO888 · July 2020

@aefsparrow I live in NM and my corner of the state sucks at masks! 😫

edit to add: do you also live in NM?? How did I not catch this sooner?

glupglup · July 2020

In my province things have been getting slightly worse but considering that we spent several weeks getting less than 5 new cases a day in the city and now that bars and stores are open we are at 10-40. Worse than before but not too bad.

What I'm having problems with is convincing my boyfriend to wear a mask at the grocery store... He does wear it sometimes but certainly not always. He is too stubborn and while I agree that wearing a mask is mainly to protect others we have to start wearing it ourselves and then people will catch up on it with time.

ccstlln1 · July 2020

@mckjacks I’m planning on buying a couple car seat covers and have one over her anytime we’re out to discourage people from even leaning in and breathing on her. Apparently MH looked like the Gerber baby so his parents have lots of stories of random people coming up wanting to hold him, i was already dreading that problem before COVID. I only anticipate us having a problem with people wanting to hold her at church but luckily the last mom who had a baby, who’s a friend of mine, was super restrictive on who could hold her baby and she really didn’t loosen up until her baby was over a year old. I’m hoping people will be understanding because of the situation or at the very least think I’m copying her.

And @aefsparrow I can second the lack of people wearing masks in TN, it’s ridiculous. When our city passed the mask law you’d think they were being told to wear hazmat suits all day from the comments on Facebook.

mckjacks · July 2020

@ccstlln1 I’m not concerned about public because with twins we definitely won’t be taking them out in public unless they’re going to doctor’s appointments because flu/RSV/COVID seasons. I’m more concerned about family members not wanting to get flu and TDap shots, not kissing them, getting mad if we decide that no one can be in close contact with them until they’re a bit older 🙃. My in-laws and their extended family wanted to have a party several weeks after they’re born because we’re not having a shower and were mad we said we weren’t comfortable with that. 🙄

profmcgonagall · July 2020

@mckjacks, stay strong! They can be as mad as they want. The health of your babies is more important than their hurt feelings.

themoonandme · July 2020

I live in a town full of...a certain type of people who are in the camp of "since it hasn't affected me personally, it must not exist." It's infuriating. I still do my grocery shopping in person and I am usually one of maybe 5 people wearing a mask (excluding employees) while I'm there. We have a community fb page and people post on there constantly about how dumb it is to wear masks- like...why is it so hard? I am so fed up. I don't know how we can ever move forward if this is how things are.

babycakesday · July 2020

@animalandplantrescuer It’s the whole if we don’t test then we don’t have a problem thing. I had zero idea that was what they were doing. It was interesting to see how it worked out for them.

@mckjacks Stay strong and they’ll have to deal with whatever rules you set. I made everyone wash their hands for like the first two months whenever they came to visit DD. She still caught an awful cold at 6 weeks. So this time around it’s going to be zero contact until they’re older. Especially with covid and flu season being right at our birth time.

aefsparrow · July 2020

@JLaVO888 yup! I'm in ABQ!

JLaVO888 · July 2020

@aefsparrow I lived there for 5 years during and after college. I’m a born a raised NM girl though. I live in one of the two counties in the state whose Covid cases are HIGHER than Bernalillo county despite us having a much smaller population. Also in one of the towns whose mayor keeps giving the governor pushback and calling her out publicly. So masks here are such a fight unfortunately. 🙄

I’m really excited to see someone else from NM on here though! This is my third BMB and I’ve never had anyone from the same state!

aefsparrow · July 2020

@JLaVO888 ooo I bet I know the town. I am so sorry! We have been super lucky in Bernalillo, and NM in general, but those areas are rough. It's hard when your local government is fighting the higher government. And that government is fighting the even higher government. Toss in the four corners and pueblos and we are just a petri dish of Covid chaos.

JLaVO888 · July 2020

My parents and in-laws live in the northeast corner and their county still only has 9 total cases. NM really has been very lucky other then the Navajo Nation but even most of those cases are from AZ. My FB feed with coworkers and such locally has been a shit show to say the least and I’ve had to step away so much before I lose respect for pretty much everyone I know here in town.

mamaheatherl · July 2020

@themoonandme- sounds like where I live (Arizona). I’m seriously appalled at how many people are still dismissing it as a hoax or at how many people still refuse to wear a mask. And I don’t even leave my house except for my perinatologist and OB appointments, because I feel like I can’t trust anyone.

My FIL is in the hospital on oxygen (possibly has COVID) and has been so dismissive of the risks and hasn’t been honest with us about him leaving the house. So I’m not even sure we’ll allow him to see the baby after he’s born. Why do people have to make it so difficult?

baseballismyfavoriteseason · July 2020

@mamaheatherl Oh no! I am SO worried about this happening to my FIL. He has so many underlying health issues that I am pretty sure Covid would kill him. And EVERY. SINGLE. phone call he repeats the same phrase: “well I haven’t seen anyone falling over dead in the street from it so it can’t be that bad!” Wtf?!

animalandplantrescuer · July 2020

@babycakesday I am just shocked that they are having that mentality about it. They have socialized medicine, and seem to usually act in the best interest of the people. Who knows? 🤷‍♀️

@JLaVO888 I sent you a private message.

wineren · July 2020

@mamaheatherl My in-laws live in Arizona and it kills me. My FIL is high risk but they're super dismissive of it. I think they act about it better than they talk about if that makes sense. But I'm definitely not going to want them to visit after baby or go down there. We cancelled a trip down in March right when it started getting bad.

jgrodo · July 2020

@Kurtni that's crazy that they are sort of playing the number of cases that way.

@mamahosch totally agree. I don't understand how he can be trying to push the schools to open. I mean it seems like there is just no regard for the staff. I understand the importance of school and school programs but there doesn't seem to be a great plan for opening them safely. I really feel for you. I can't imagine being in a classroom with preschooler with all that is going on.

@babycakesday it is a really interesting study. I was hoping DS could come to the hospital too but that doesn't seem like it will happen.

@baseballismyfavoriteseason I don't get it either. I'm so baffled as to how it became politicized issue.

I'm so frustrated with so many of the sentiments expressed. MH has been good about us socially isolating but my IL are making it more difficult with constant complaint about it. I feel like MH is hitting his threshold with it and just getting mad at me about my concerns. Bit surges are happening across the country being lack now just doesn't make sense to me. Now I'm just like what the heck are we going to do with a newborn with flu season +pandemic.

Eta: @mckjacks didn't see the last page of this before posting. I totally have the same concerns with my IL and feel like MH is already waivering on it. The Tdap was a big issue with DS but they ended up getting it. My FIL supposedly can't wear a mask bit continues to go places. I'm like no mask no baby and still keep your distance MH is def not thrilled with that. I'm just hoping when we talk to pediatrician shell have a strong stance about it and MH will hear from someone other then me. IL are so hard.

Why can't we be like NZ?!

mamahosch · July 2020

Ughhhh I’ve had a bit of a dry cough today, so of course the first thing I think of is COVID. No fever or anything else. I had a couple bouts of acid reflux today, so I’m wondering (and hoping) that it’s because of that. I know my grandma gets a bit of a cough when her acid reflux acts up.

JLaVO888 · July 2020

@mamahosch I hope so too! I was having asthma problems and a cough a few weeks ago but it only came at night and the fires around here were really bad that week and smoke was thickest at night. But I still worried COVID!! Smoke left and all symptoms left though.

mamahosch · July 2020

@JLaVO888 it's crazy that every little thing makes us think, "COVID IS THAT YOU?" but it's a real possibility! And so many pregnancy symptoms mock COVID symptoms. Like I've had shortness of breath for a while because our lung capacity is greatly reduced from the baby, and that's a huge COVID symptom lol.

I'm also wondering if it could be postnasal drip. I've had such bad allergies and sometimes it manifests itself as a cough. It's not a completely dry cough so I'm going to guess that or acid reflux!

baseballismyfavoriteseason · July 2020

@mamahosch Yes, right?! I’m already enough of a hypochondriac and now they keep adding symptoms. Of course the day they say “oh by the way runny nose and sneezing may also be symptoms” my husband and I BOTH woke up with slightly drippy noses. 😱 But we’re back to normal today. 🤪

animalandplantrescuer · July 2020

I’m right there with you guys. Every time I go to the doctor and they ask me if I’ve had a the list of symptoms I consider joking about my shortness of breath from pregnancy. Then I remind myself they might take me seriously, and tell me to leave, so I just say no.

I’ve had a sore throat off and on. It happens every year once the weather heats up. But I now worry that I’m assuming that’s what it is, but it’s really COVID, and I’m infecting the few people I see on a regular basis.

JLaVO888 · July 2020

Yes! When I went to clean out my classroom shortness of breath was a question I had to answer. I said, “yes but...I’m always short of breath when I’m pregnant”. 🤣🤷🏼‍♀️

morethanamama · July 2020

I'm glad to see I'm not alone and sorry I was so busy today and missed your comments.
Don't get me started about the man in the WH...just don't...😂the school stuff he's doing is absolutely terrible. Also telling international students that their visas will be revoked if their institutions decide to go remote for the semester is just plain cruel. But I digress...

I think I'm still ok with going to the store, I returned a maybe 3 weeks ago when the re-opening started and things weren't on fire again yet...ugh...my grocery stores are Target, Sprouts and TJ, and they all have mask mandates to enter. I go during off hours and I've been ok. But I might limit to going maybe every couple of weeks. Other than that we are both on the same page as far as masks (h and I) and my son does not go to stores or anywhere public that's indoors.

Re: the baby, I'm going to be very strict and don't care who gets offended. We've already started preparing my IL about the need of being extremely cautious. It's that or nothing and we are the parents so... luckily all of my friends have taken this very seriously and they absolutely won't pressure us to see the baby.

Re: Sweden...my cousin lives and works there. It's terrible to say but he told me people there have said that it was actually not a bad thing for old people to catch it and die so they'll be less of a burden...I KNOW for a fact this is the opinion of a few there but it shocked me a bit. I absolutely adore Sweden and I'm from Europe but I find it funny that so many people here took it as an example...A) because like you guys said, what they did backfired and

because it's probably one of the most "socialist" country I. Europe (according to American standards)so I laughed hard when Trump supporters were praising Sweden...it's stuff you would normally see on the Bernie Sanders page😂

jgrodo · July 2020

@morethanamama what have you said to your IL about being cautious?

amapa20 · July 2020

Glad I'm not the only one laughing when they ask the shortness of breath question at the OB!

I always say no, but I feel like it's an unspoken understanding that everyone knows I'm lying. My heart rate sometimes reaches the 90s when I'm just sitting at my computer and I'm out of breath walking across a room, but nope no shortness of breath here!

Side note, that aspect of pregnancy adds to my grumpiness about people not wearing masks. If I can do it and I can barely breathe sometimes in the best of situations, you can wear a mask too, buddy.

I have so much anxiety about covid I pretty much decided that I can't think about October right now. Focusing on next week driving across Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana and visiting family on the way. I still haven't figured out how to tell my brother that we're not having dinner together and watching a movie indoors. Hoping my dad will be ok with visiting outside in the heat. And my new landlady has not responded to my request that she wear a mask when we meet.

JLaVO888 · July 2020

@amapa20 SAME! About the masks. I have asthma and I’m pregnant! If my ass can gladly wear a mask so can yours!

AZ and TX would scare me the most travel wise. We did a road trip inside our state(NM) a few weeks ago to see the grandparents and I wouldn’t even stop to use public restrooms. We just stopped on the side of the road haha. Thankfully our state is very remote and has long stretches of nothing so we did that before Covid with the toddler anyways.

glupglup · July 2020

The shortness of breath question sounds like a joke to me! I also started this pregnancy with a cold that has stayed with me for months and is now getting mixed with my allergies. But still I have to say I don't have a runny nose when I go to the doctor.

To all of you who are taking it seriously and wearing masks, THANK YOU. Wherever you live you are doing your part and that's what matters the most.

This may be triggering so read at your own risk.

Someone in my family tested positive for covid in late March. He is 65 years old, working as a doctor in one of the biggest hospitals in the country (somewhere in Europe). He stayed at home as soon as he felt symptoms and we was feeling ok-ish for a couple of days. Less than a week later he was in the same hospital where he works but as a patient this time. The hospital was crowded but he was able to sit so he spent days on a wheelchair in the hallway connected to an oxygen source. He kept getting worse and needed a bed which later turned into a bed in the ICU. He had renal failure, a stroke, encephalitis, constant fever and pneumonia (I'm sure I'm forgetting something and sorry if some medical terms feel off, I'm not familiar with all this vocabulary in English). He spent 2 months on the verge of dying, without visitors, intubated and sedated in the ICU. Then, one more month in a regular bed at the hospital. Now he is at home, learning to swallow again, learning to walk, learning all basic skills. He has a nurse 12 hours a day. His son and daughters spend as much time with him as they can. It's going to take a very long time until he is who he used to be. It has been almost 4 months since he tested positive. I know "it's not that bad for everyone" but it can be.

For those of you wearing masks and doing all you can to minimize contact. THANK YOU. You are helping someone, you are helping a family avoid a lot of suffering. You will never know who you are helping or when but I can tell you it helps.

baseballismyfavoriteseason · July 2020

@glupglup Ugh, that is horrible. So sorry your family is dealing with that. I hate it when people say “most people will recover”... so we just don’t care about those who are suffering?!

MJDsquared · July 2020

@glupglup How heartbreaking and terrifying for your family member and his loved ones! I hate seeing all the, "it's just like the flu" or a cold etc (though, the flu can also be deadly, but these people I don't think consider that). Even young, fit, healthy people who get through it can have lasting negative health problems, and we don't know the extent of that since it hasn't been long enough. It's awful. If those people don't personally know someone who has either died or had a horrible sickness/recovery/lasting health issues they just brush it off.

morethanamama · July 2020

@jgrodo
my IL will come from TX (!!!) probably by labor day. They are taking their motor home and we scouted a place nearby that is super nice and very much spread out, so they can park the motor home there without really getting in touch with anyone. We will ask them to not eat out at restaurants, go to indoor public places, or anything like that, and wear masks at the store. Wash hands diligently. Especially starting middle of September. Once it's go time, they will drive their car to our house, and then stay at our house with our toddler until we come home from the hospital. I think once baby is here we will ask them to stay at the house with us for another week, and then they will most likely leave. Hopefully this is a good plan, but I will ask my OB about any additional precaution!

JLaVO888 · July 2020

@glupglup ugh so horrible. I really hate the mindset of “if it’s not happening to me, it’s not real” that a lot of people have.

Our state hasn’t been hit very hard overall but I live in a smaller community so I know quite a few people that have had it or have been tested for it. Thankfully it hasn’t hit that close to home for me personally though and all my close family and extended has been healthy but I still try to do my part to keep the spread down. DH has to FIGHT people daily that try to come into his business without a mask. As the store manager he is the one highest on the chain of command so he always has to deal with the people that can’t be bothered to care. He loses sales over it and gets cursed out on the daily but I’m proud of him for standing his ground. I know he does it for me (And others) even more than for the fact his store would be fined. And he’s the one with the suppressed immune system that I worry about the most.

animalandplantrescuer · July 2020

When I was checking into my anatomy scan redo someone else was checking in next to me. They asked her if she was experiencing any of the symptoms, and she said yes. I freaked out a little. They asked her which symptoms, and she stared blankly not understanding. Then a security guard came over and read the list to her, and again asked her if she was experiencing any of those symptoms. Luckily this time she said no. I think it was a language barrier thing, but I’ll admit it took my breath away a little. I still answered no to the shortness of breath question though. 😉

JLaVO888 · July 2020

@MDJsquared wayyyyyy at the beginning of the pandemic I fell for the “it’s just like the flu” comment because it was so widely accepted and the pandemic in my community had been downplayed so extremely. Then as cases and death rates started to rise it became so glaringly obvious that it’s more than just a flu when you look directly at facts. I really feel like if the leadership in our country had been more proactive about sharing the reality and true dangers of the pandemic before it even reached the US we would be in a better way right now and people might actually be taking it more seriously. My BIL still insists the rest of the entire family is just “living in fear”.

ccstlln1 · July 2020

I don’t think people realize how serious it can be even for people who are on the younger side, even when you have a mild to moderate case. MH’s cousin and her husband caught it, she had a mild case while her husband was in bed for weeks. He didn’t have to be hospitalized but it did come close. Both are healthy and in their mid-30’s but it still knocked him out for a solid month. It’s way more than “just the flu” and there’s no proven treatment for it, unlike the flu.

wineren · July 2020

I think the thing that freaks me out is that even with the mild or moderate cases there are sudden resurgences where when peoe felt like they were doing better and then are knocked out again. Plus the long term damage to lungs and other organs that we don't even understand yet.
I HATE how much some people downplay it. I live in an area that has not been hit hard at all, but people are being so bad about it because of that and cases are swiftly increasing while people cry on the internet comments about how mask wearing is infringing on their freedom and is equivalent to the patches made to be worn by different groups during WWII. Are you freaking kidding me? I will take a comparison to seat belts or shoes in a store and that's it. And guess what? I wear my seat belt and don't go barefoot into Public businesses. Ugh.
I was just talking to a friend about how I had started going to the store more frequently because we had been doing well, but I need to go back to once a month to Costco with a separate grocery pickup for perishables halfway between.

glupglup · July 2020

Thanks everyone for the support. I just wanted to share my experience because all I hear and read are stories of people who recovered in a couple of days or people who passed. There are lots of long term consequences so please stay safe

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