How is everyone in the current situation? General Chat

From what I can gather, the new strain was first identified in the UK which doesn't mean to say that it started here just that our labs were the first to recognise it. As scientists are sharing information globally, my guess is that other countries have been told what to look for hence, what appears to be rapid recognition.

So far, the current vaccines are proving to be effective against the new strain so it's hopeful that will continue. SAGE have been saying for a while that we may have to quickly adapt the vaccines for any future mutations, but so far so good.

The very good news for us today is that my nephew's latest test is negative and he can go home today. However, the virus has compromised his blood and he will be on blood thinners probably for the rest of his life now. It will be a while before he is back to feeling anything like fit though

When you say “compromised his blood “
Thats another issue I had not yet heard , as there are so many different conditions being found with this thing .

Says to me how little is really known and how complex it all is at this stage

Definitely. When I say compromised his blood, it may actually be his heart that is compromised because they did explain to him that until it was under control, that he could have a heart attack at any time. It was identified because of a blood test so his explanation is that his blood has been compromised.

@Chris. So pleased that your nephew can return home.
I hope his blood chemistry returns to normal levels soon.

I shared not long ago that after having insomnia for 9 weeks I went to my doctors office seeking help. I was prescribed a pill to help me sleep and when that one didn’t help much I was prescribed something different. Well one raised my blood sugar so that I was constantly thirsty and drinking lots of water and peeing an exorbitant amount of times. Like every half hour. The second one dropped my blood pressure to the point I got woozy walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I had to sit down to pee and I came to, passed out cold not knowing where I was, or how long I’d been there. I was at the top of the 1/2 stairwell. I’d passed out cold and fallen. Luckily I fell towards the closet and not down the stairs. I am recovering from a concussion. I cut my self above my nose between my eyes from the headlamp I was wearing cutting me. My glasses cut the bridge of my nose. I have a bruise under my right eye. Abrasions in front of both shoulders. Deep abrasions on my left knee, which is slightly swollen and sore. My right ankle is a bit stiff as well. This was New Year’s Eve. No more sleep meds for me. I just had blood tests and my sugar levels were excellent before that medication. I naturally have a blood pressure that’s on the lower side of normal but in the healthy range. I’m sticking with my herbs and tinctures and traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. Also melatonin.
I’m now trying CBN and CBD gummies. Yesterday it was extremely difficult for me to type on my phone. I’d hit the letter next to the one I was trying for, and I was extremely slow at it. Today is a tiny bit better but it’s taken me almost 20 minutes to type this and go back through and correct my errors, even though I tried to do so as I typed

This is where my headlamp hit the wall, 45 inches above the floor. I’m 5 feet 8 inches tall. Wearing my glasses irritates my nose and I’ve realized I’m also sore on my right side, lower part of ribs, from the fall

Oh Marc, please be careful, but B"H you did not fall down the stairs. Prescription sleeping pills can cause horrible reactions. I am prescribed a 5mg Valium to take as a muscle relaxant [not to help me sleep] - but I do take various herbal and homeopathic things which help a proper sleep - not the sort of knock-out that prescription sleeping pills tend to do. I usually need to get up for the loo during the night but am luckily able to go back to sleep almost without having woken up completely to do so.

I remember years ago when I was prescribed what were supposedly fairly mild sleeping pills for a few weeks following major surgery that I always woke up in the morning with a bad headache and feeling nauseous. Something the herbal and homeopathic stuff does not do.

You have all my sympathy for the cuts, bruises and aches as I know only too well what falling does, but at least my falls are not the result of sleeping pills dropping my BP too low and thus passing out. And falling while wearing spectacles is the worst thing, which is why I always take mine off when I stand up, and no way will I wear them now when moving around on my crutches with the grab rails everywhere to help me. Not since nearly losing an eye and having to have 20 plus stitches just above and at the side of my eye, under my eyebrow.

Juli I did think of you as I struggled to type that out, and I like you live by myself.

I have just woken up from a nap and my headache has come back. However my ability to hit the proper letters on my phone to type has improved a bit. Not perfect but a tad better. Also at times it is hard for me to decipher the difference between my concussion symptoms and those of sleep deprivation...

Both things I was prescribed are prescribed off label for sleep. Also both might have also helped with my anxiety, which I’ve been dealing with as part of the loss of sleep. This was all brought on by how I processed some incidents at my former job. I’m currently not working, and I won’t be able to until I’m able to return to some more normal sleep patterns for some period of time.

I don’t know if you remember, but I’ve been sober for almost 6 years now, so the doctor was originally hesitant to proscribe anything for me when I first went to see her. I agreed with this assessment and we both hoped that removing me from the the situation that was causing me stress and anxiety would allow me to return to my normal sleep patterns. This didn’t occur.

One of the pills had quite a sedative effect which I will admit I enjoyed the feeling of, while at the same time being scared of that feeling. Both bottles will be going into the bin for unused prescription meds at the pharmacy next time I make it into town.

I will be phoning the doctors tomorrow morning. I find myself walking more deliberately, not on purpose, it’s just happened. I have now also noticed that my left arm above and below my elbow is a bit sore too. I should probably be seen in person but I’d rather not unless they really feel like I should come in. No new covid numbers have been posted for my county since Wednesday, but when I did the calculations the positivity rate was just over 43%..

Marc, with a fall like you described you are probably going to find more aches and ouches over the next few days. The headache and visual problems are more likely to be from concussion than from sleep deprivation, and like the aches and ouches should ease off in a few days. Unless everything gets suddenly worse I would not bother about seeing your doctor, but if they do, then of course you should.

Walking more deliberately sounds very much like how I move around! I have stone tiled floors and due to subsidence over the years not all the tiles meet exactly. There might only be a fraction of a millimetre where one tile meets another in places but trust me, those fractions of a mm have had me on my face more times than I like to think. It is not a conscious action on my part and probably not a conscious action on yours either - your sub-conscious has kicked in, probably due to the shock of falling. Or, in your case, the realisation that you had fallen without having been aware of it.

When I say that I "plonk" outside to the wheelie bin, or "plonk" into the kitchen or somewhere else, is because I certainly do not walk as other people do. I do not plonk as such, but it is definitely a sub-conscious way of moving carefully to avoid the possibility of tripping. No coffee table in front of the couch for me! I also make sure that I have a clear pathway through from one room to another, not just so that I can move through on my chair, but to make sure that if I do fall I do not crash my head into anything other than the floor - which I usually try to avoid with an arm or shoulder.

I could suggest some of the herbal/homeopathic stuff I get from iHerb in California, but cannot say which would be best for you as I only know by trial and error what combination of which ones suit me. They do not make me feel drowsy or "I have to get to bed this minute or..." as such, but I do fall asleep very quickly once I have gotten comfortable in bed. And that is mainly due to the effect of the Valium acting as a muscle relaxant, helping my joints to unlock.

Yes I live alone like you do, but I do have a private emergency service and have a button I can press to contact them. The speaker/amplifier is in my back room, sort of in the middle of the bungalow, and they can hear me from anywhere. If I press my button they answer within 30 seconds maximum and call out asking if I am OK. If I do not answer they telephone me - both on my landline and on my mobile. If still no answer they contact the emergency services, and also Amit.

In addition, if Hai, at the macolet, sees that my outside lights are still on, the trissim in the salon still closed, and my door not open by a certain time, he will check on me. He knows that I am an owl - go to bed at stupid o'clock so do not get up until gone 10am at the earliest, but if everything still looks closed much later than that, he will check on me, and he has Amit's telephone number as a contact.

The problem is that would not help you though, and I honestly do not know what to suggest for you. Just check, check, check all medications for possible side effects and co-indications, be they prescribed or OTC. And ask the pharmacist about anything you are not sure about.

Juli, I think I should contact my doctors office to at least get it into my medical records that I can be sensitive to medications that could possibly drop my blood pressure. That should be right at the top!!! Probably also that I’m sensitive to meds that could cause my blood sugar levels to go up.

Definitely Marc - it must be put on your records. You will still need to query any new medications that might be suggested/prescribed though - both with the doctor who prescribes it and, if I were you, with the pharmacist who dispenses it. Because doctors are just as infallible as any lay person, and all they have to do is issue the 'scrip - a pharmacist is far more likely to know more details about the prescribed medication.

Both the last two 'scrips our new doctor wanted to give me [for the cough I have had for years, supposedly caused by BP meds but worse each time one was changed] were so unsuitable. Firstly she tried to prescribe codeine - yes it is a cough suppressant but it is also an opioid and she should have checked that I must not take any opioids. Then she prescribed a cough medicine which she said would be OK. A cough syrup suitable for children from age 2 and the dosage she wrote out is for a child, not an adult. It is also chocka full of sugar - and contains an ingredient that is contra-indicated for people with high BP.

But after having had the experience of the pain specialist in Assuta hospital sticking a Fentanyl patch on the back of my shoulder without looking at my notes [or even telling me what he had done] - I am beginning to wonder where some of these doctors got their qualifications from.

Here we go again. Back in full lockdown from midnight tonight for at least 6 weeks

Well I talked to a nurse today at my insurance provider and she asked me some questions and told me to go to the emergency room right away... I called my doctors and they said they didn’t have the equipment to diagnose a concussion and the only place that does is the ER. Told me to have someone drive me. Well it’s covid and I didn’t have anyone who could drive me. I called the ER receptionist tonight and she said they were swamped and I’d be waiting 4-6 hours, maybe more. I asked about the middle of the night or very early morning and she said not so busy. Since I have insomnia I will likely wake up in the middle of the night just like I’ve been doing for 10+ weeks. So I’ll drive myself when I wake up. She said all their imaging equipment runs 24/7. My friend was concerned about my fine motor skills and that I said I was unconsciously walking very deliberately.

I guess it was to be expected after Xmas and New Year !

13 Million Vaccines by Mid Feb seems very ambitious, does anyone actually think we will reach that target by 22nd Feb when schools would go back after Feb half term?
I don’t, the last few days have been completely unbelievable for the amount of lies and misinformation they have spouted.

I hope you managed to get to the ER safely Marc and that the tests showed you are OK. [I think you posted the above about 7.30pm UK time yesterday].

I was trying to get some more sleep but it has eluded me. I’m going to eat a little and shower and go soon. As I was thinking about going earlier this morning I realized they may want to do an MRI. Unless they have an open MRI I don’t think I will be able to do that. I’ve had an MRI of before to look at a torn groin muscle from playing recreational adult ice hockey and my head was just at the outer rim of the machine and I still had some anxiety. I don’t think with where I’m at now I’d be able to have an MRI of my head... so they will only be able to do cognitive tests on me, which it seems could be done at my doctors office.. but they won’t see me for a concussion. Argh. I’m also concerned that they won’t want me to drive myself home. If so I’ll take a cab or an Uber and get my truck later. I’ll let you know how it goes. My typing has improved

I don't know if the vaccination rate can be achieved, but I really hope it is. We need rid of this virus before we all go completely bonkers.

I am not sure whether an MRI or a CT scan would show concussion, especially as it is a couple of days now since you fell. Those scans are usually more to show if there is any skull fracture and/or brain damage such as bleeding. A CT scan of the head does not involve your whole body being enclosed as MRI scans do - and there is no way that I will ever agree to another MRI unless I am under a general anasthaetic so completely unaware of it. Not again, not after the last one.

And you are probably correct about them not letting you drive yourself home, because if you did and had an accident, they could be liable for letting you drive if it was against their advice.

It is difficult enough to decide what to do at the best of times when you live alone, but with the COVID situation it is even worse, as hospital ER situations are bad enough at the best of times without the added worry of possibly being infected while you are there. I wish I knew what to suggest.

The good thing though is that if your typing has improved, you should be on the way to getting over any possible concussion.

The set up outside before you are allowed to enter. I was only one here when I arrived but one more person waiting now. Covid patients are sent somewhere else when they get here, so at least there’s that

Good luck Marc - thinking of you.