March 2020 updates.

[numb3r_5ev3n]

I feel kind of guilty because I haven't been commenting on people's journals as much as I should be. Because I've been playing the Matrix Online Emulator (MxOEMU.) It's now multiplayer, and they're finally taking steps towards getting combat working again! Still no active missions though.

It me:




Other than that, all my efforts have been focused on powering through this latest bout of depression, and hoping I don't get COVID-19.

I'm really scared.

The first case of it was confirmed in my area today.

I A.) have OCD with an overactive contagion heuristic, and 2.) am prone to upper respiratory bullshit already without it being part of a global pandemic.

I made this tonight: (Current Mood)

Watch on YouTube

Comments

Combatting contagion heuristics

[flamingsword]

Okay, so, true facts. We will probably both get COVID-19. And it will be a little worse than having the flu, because we are persons of a certain age. But it is almost never deadly in our age group, and symptoms do not start creeping into really dangerous territory until you are over 55 or seriously immunocompromised.

What I am doing about preventing the spread, is that I am using my massage protocols about not touching my face with my hands, scratching my face with my shoulder, and every day I am gently pressing into the lymph nodes below my ear and just behind my jaw to make sure I am not fighting something off. So far so good.

https://youtu.be/_N89T_Yqu68
The ones I teach people to push on are the ones in front of the ear, the one just below the ear, and the one just behind the point of the jaw. If you can't feel any difference and there's no pain at gentle pressure, then you're golden. If a lymph node or more than one hurts, you may want to quarantine yourself a few days until it either passes or becomes an illness.

I am carrying around my Applejack cosplay bandana to cover my mouth and nose just in case I start feeling unwell, since my whole job is contact with the public.

I should probably make a public post about this.

Re: Combatting contagion heuristics

[flamingsword]

So yeah, check yourself before you go see you moms, or if you work with anyone older or immunocompromised. Maybe buy your moms some raw pumpkin seeds (which contain naturally occurring interferon), with instructions to eat 1/8th a cup a day or more if they feel unwell. Other than that, I got no good advice.

Re: Combatting contagion heuristics

[numb3r_5ev3n]

I have chronic sinusitis, so my possibility for death goes up another 6%-7%.

Re: Combatting contagion heuristics

[flamingsword]

According to who? Where are you getting these numbers? Because I just spent 5 minutes looking this up and found nothing. Also: It is way too early in the course of this disease for us to have epidemiological numbers that are in any way accurate.

Re: Combatting contagion heuristics

[numb3r_5ev3n]

https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/03/who-is-getting-sick-and-how-sick-a-breakdown-of-coronavirus-risk-by-demographic-factors/ I'm trying to find the exact article, this isn't it, but there have been studies of co-morbidity with other conditions. (50% of men in China still smoke) and chronic respiratory issues add an additional 6%-7% chance of needing intensive care or dying.

Re: Combatting contagion heuristics

[numb3r_5ev3n]

But yeah, on the other hand I am like "I have chronic respiratory distress, so I could *ALREADY* have it and be spreading it around and not know it," because for me sneezing/coughing/occasional shortness of breath type symptoms are days ending in Y. I'm already vigilant and handwash/use hand sanitizer all the time.

Re: Combatting contagion heuristics

[flamingsword]

Okay, I am going to say again: these are preliminary numbers, meant to guide clinicians about who needs aggressive treatment, not for the general public to use as diagnostic tools.

Next, this part near the bottom: "Fatality rate was ... 6.3% for people with chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD". COPD is like really bad asthma, it's pretty severe. You have a mild chronic infection, probably fungal from how it recurs. You are just not in the same risk class as someone with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Your infection _is_ in the respiratory system, but it is not pneumonia, asthma, COPD or other thing that makes breathing chronically difficult. You only cough to productively cough out phlegm, unless you are much worse off than I have ever known you to be.

You may get a more severe bout of the flu-like symptoms, because chronic congestion, and that is no doubt going to suck ... but you would get the same intensification of symptoms with the flu? The unproductive couchingband lung irritation is the killer, here, and I have not known you to get pneumonia very easily.

You are still in a fairly low-risk group, and you have really good sanitation practices, so you are probably at a lower risk of getting it to begin with. Keep up with your normal hand washing, and do all the boring CDC recommendations like getting plenty of rest. We're gonna make it through this.