Coronavirus is deadly to us. Plan on self-isolating, very soon

zsazsa1

I'll add more if site allows posting.  It's been acting glitchy.

zsazsa1

OK.  I tried to post this a

OK.  I tried to post this a couple of days ago, but site wouldn't allow posting.  Then last night, couldn't get access to site at all.  But here goes:

We are all at tremendous risk of a bad outcome if we get this Coronavirus, because of immunosuppression, not to mention age and other underlying risk factors.  You can wash your hands all you want, but it's not enough.  This virus is as contagious as the common cold, which means incredibly contagious.

The only way to avoid getting it is to STAY HOME and have all your household contacts do the same.  You might need to juggle household composition in order to achieve this.  Only go to absolutely necessary appointments, wear disposable gloves and something on your face to keep yourself from touching it.  Throw out the gloves as you arrive home, and wash hands well.  Have everyone in your household do the same.

We have all battled the cancer beast too much to lose our lives to this (hopefully temporary) viral pandemic.

CheeseQueen57

Agree

I'm limiting what I do but I have to send my husband out for groceries, etc. We cancelled planning a engagement party for my son and fiancé for the short term. I go to the movies but only when very few people are there and I wipe off the recliner with a wipe. This situation really sucks. My son lives in NYC and he won't come home. We hope he will come home at Easter but that's iffy. 

Fridays Child

High risk

My  husband is over 65 and has a very public facing job, although some of their larger events have been cancelled.  I'm going to be asking my oncologist next week what precautions he advises.   Currently I really don't go anywhere except to my daughter's house and the grocery store. Used to go out to lunch with a friend occasionally, but am avoiding restaurants these days.

NoTimeForCancer

I think if I was in active

I think if I was in active treatment and / or older and had other underlying health issues:  diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, I think I would be more careful.  Best for people with these health issues to be careful.  

Please remember the flu can be as deadly.  Over 18K adults and 105 children have died of the flu in the U.S.  COVID-19 has killed 4550 worldwide and 66K have recovered. 

Just be careful of everything out there.  COVID is definitely respiratory.  If you have any difficulty breathing call your doctor.  

EZLiving66

Being that I'm more than four

Being that I'm more than four years NED, I am being careful with handwashing, touching my face, etc. but, for the most part, am continuing my regular life. I try to get enough sleep, eat a healthy diet and take my medication and vitamins. I live in a 55+ community and there are some people here who are already sick - those are the ones I worry about. 

Stay safe, my friends!

Love,

Eldri

Tamlen

I think of myself as extremely high risk

I agree, zsazsa. I don't tend toward hypochondria or panic, but COVID-19 has me pretty worried. It's not the equivalent as the seasonal flu and the rate of both infection and morbidity are substantially higher.

Between immunosuppression, a history of pnuemonia, and having had lung mets -- leaving my lungs with permanent damage, even though I'm NED right now -- I figure I could be a goner if I get this thing. As of a few days ago I stopped attending all outside activities and even small gatherings, moved my meetings to teleconferencing, and began working from home. My husband's employer looks like they're going to move to having people work from home as of next week. I continue to hike everyday on a trail almost no one else uses.

I like to live my life too, but I figure that I increase my odds of being able to do that if we batten down the hatches for a little while.

jan9wils

high risk

Yesterday I went to my onc to review the results of my PET scan (it was pretty good). Here is how it relates to COVID-19. When I arrived at the hospital complex I underwent a screening process by gloved, gowned and masked techs before being allowed in.  All of the doors were automatic (usually have to press the wheelchair button to have them automated). Only people with appointments were allowed in unless you had a medical attendant. When I arrived in the office I was immediately ushered into an exam room. After discussing the scan my Dr cautioned me about being in places with groups of people such as malls, the gym, restaurants, theaters, airplanes, supermarkets, sporting events. The virus is highly contagious and for the immunosuppressed it is very dangerous. He also said because of the lack of testing kits there are more cases than have been reported. As more testing kits become available we will see a dramatic rise in confirmed cases. He suggested I stay home as much as possible for the next 21 days, and possibly longer. So for now I have cancelled my trip to Florida, Tuesday movies with friends, Book Club and my weekly "Lunch Bunch." This is hard for me because I am a bit of a social butterfly. To cope I'll walk outside, watch Netflix movies, read books, use drive up grocery service and check into this forum to see how everyone is doing. Maybe I'll finally clean out my attic!

cmb

Did I or Didn't I?

On 3/2 I went to dinner and a concert with a friend, who got quite sick the next day. Although she wasn't sneezing or coughing when I saw her (nor do I remember anyone else with symptoms around me that night), I also got sick two days later. I'm assuming I caught the bug from her as I had been pushing hard to get a client report done before that and hadn't left my condo for a few days beforehand.

In my case I had a fever, fatigue, a very bad cough and some sniffles. However, the symptoms weren't severe enough for me to see a doctor. I had a much worse cough than my friend, although she had some stomach aches and diarrhea that I didn't have. I never got shortness of breath, although my coughing episodes were very intense at times.

Since the test kits are limited, I don't know if I had just the seasonal flu (despite the flu shot) or the new virus. It would be nice to know if I had the coronavirus so that I don't have to worry quite as much going forward. I'll just have to stay vigilant. I'm also sticking close to home since they say you can still be contagious even after your symptoms abate.

I don't have asthma or other lung issues, but the coughing this time was probably the worst I've had in many years. I'd be very concerned for those who already have lung problems or other compromised health situations if my experience is typical.

 

MAbound

NoTimeForCancer said:

I think if I was in active

I think if I was in active treatment and / or older and had other underlying health issues:  diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, I think I would be more careful.  Best for people with these health issues to be careful.  

Please remember the flu can be as deadly.  Over 18K adults and 105 children have died of the flu in the U.S.  COVID-19 has killed 4550 worldwide and 66K have recovered. 

Just be careful of everything out there.  COVID is definitely respiratory.  If you have any difficulty breathing call your doctor.  

Hi again!

If you think you are safe because you are out of treatment or don't have underlying health issues, this Italian doctor's letter may make you think twice about reducing your outside contacts:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/voices/young-and-unafraid-of-the-pandemic-good-for-you-now-stop-killing-people/ar-BB113BXB?li=BBnb7Kz

I'm so glad the site is back up, but can't understand what's in it for anyone to attack this site. 

oldbeauty

Throwing in the towel...

We don't yet have one confirmed case in my city, although they are reporting one in the county.  I am 2+ years out from treatment, but I have recurrent disease and am keeping tabs on a pulmonary nodule that is very slowly growing.  I told myself that I would stop going to the gym when we had a confirmed case.  I stayed home today to wait for a vendor, and then I went to Trader Joe's to get pizza dough.  I walked in and immediately noticed long expanses of empty coolers and shelves.  An employee told me people started panic buying yesterday and it hasn't stopped.  On my way there, I encountered the convoy of school buses that I usually don't see until late afternoon.  Schools here are now closed.  I guess the time has come to isolate for my own benefit.  What times these are!  Stay well, everyone.  Best wishes, Oldbeauty

NoTimeForCancer

MAbound said:

Hi again!

If you think you are safe because you are out of treatment or don't have underlying health issues, this Italian doctor's letter may make you think twice about reducing your outside contacts:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/voices/young-and-unafraid-of-the-pandemic-good-for-you-now-stop-killing-people/ar-BB113BXB?li=BBnb7Kz

I'm so glad the site is back up, but can't understand what's in it for anyone to attack this site. 

MA, first and foremost, YES -

MA, first and foremost, YES - I am so thankful this site is back up.  I was emailing with another member when it was down and we realized - 1. how do we communicate among each other if it went down again, 2. becoming so dependent on a site is frightening when it is gone.  I'm sure it made some of you all thinking too...

I promise to be careful. I do think we all have to be.  I work in the airline business - I think the stress we are going through is what is going to get us...

I take your warning to my heart, MA.  Hugs

BluebirdOne

We self quarantined in late February

We also sold our home in February and will be moving next week to a city 9 hours away. Scary times and so many are just not taking this seriously. For me is a triple threat, age, cancer, and bad lungs. Even those of us who are many months or years past treatment, our risk is much higher than those who have not had cancer. Good luck to everyone in the coming months. 

xxoo

Denise