Let's all check in,please

Donna, I'm so sorry to hear about your son-in-law. How stressful this must be for all of you with so many in your family in frontline jobs. I'll hold you close in my thoughts.

We're fine here so far, both working from home, bickering only a little here and there, watching comedy movies at night for the laughter. We've been self-isolating for about 3 weeks now. My husband goes out every day to ride his bike and I leave our property to hike daily with our dog on a little-used mountain trail. Other than that, we don't go ANYWHERE. We're well stocked but able to get groceries delivered and can get everything else we need online, if need be. We have this ridiculously long protocol we follow after a grocery delivery -- gloves, sanitizer wipes, garage table for 3 days, hand wash, hand wash, hand wash, and on and on. Never has one shopping's groceries taken so long to put away!

My cousin tested positive just over two weeks ago and is recovering at home, mostly over it now. That gave us all quite a scare.

Please take good care, everyone.

We are fine in our city where there are some cases but we are not a projected hot spot at this time.  Our governor placed our county on "lock down" early on; whole state now.  Gym closed weeks ago but we'd stopped going a week before that anyway.  I rescheduled any physical therapy appointments until mid-April and likely will re-schedule them again into May because they are not really essential.  Hated giving up private weekly yoga but my instructor was offering only Zoom lessons and now I'm glad I didn't sign on given their security issues.

Hubby and I are best friends and we find each other endlessly interesting so being together 24/7 is no hardship.  Every day that it is not raining we walk 3-5 miles.  It's warming up and we hope to get down to some yard work and Spring planting soon.  What's hardest is the stopping of socializing.  I like to cook and we have a small coterie of friends to dinner every so often but that's stopped.  I made a big batch of soup with homemade bone broth last week, as well as a large organic meat loaf and delivered some care packages to the single elderly folks on our block.  I'm making a weekly nice Sunday dinner for ourselves and delivery to an older single gentleman who lives a town away.  I feel bad not having him over but honoring the distancing protocol precisely is the best thing for now.  

I had my first TeleMed appointmoint today with one provider.  That was interesting.  I have my next batch of follow up appointments in early May, including CT to check on what's up with my slow-growing single pulmonary nodule.  I feel entirely well.  I'm certain the CT will happen because the cancer center remains open for all business.  Don't know whether the follow up appointments will be in-person or TeleMed.

Most of my anxiety comes from fear of economic/financial health.  We have cash on hand to get us through the year.  We looked at everything yesterday and whittled down the budget to survival mode and crafted a plan to continue it on through 2021 and identify where money might come from.  If all else fails, hubby can begin his Social Security next year.  I have used a respected online calculator to reassure myself that we will be OK under various projected scenarios and that was calming.  But I am a personal finance and business/economic news junkie, and I fear for what is going to be the truth of the other side of the global halt in normal activity.  I find it hard to wrap my head around the projections of the worldwide and domestic death toll.  Mostly, I am heart sick about the effect on hourly wage earners and small businesses.  I fear there will be alot of pain to be endured.  Whether governments around the world are up to the task of caring for and protecting the masses inside their borders remains to be seen.  I know I should just go cold turkey and stop reading all this stuff.  It only scares me.  I do make sure to consume as many stories as possible that demonstrate people's caring and generosity towards their fellow humans.  This is indeed a moral challenge as much as anything.  All each of us can do is be kind and practice the Golden Rule, which is a sufficient tenet to get through this, I think.

So, all in all, life is good.  The improving weather will mean we get outdoors more and engaged in tasks that can elevate our moods.  We hope to be able to swing a domestic road trip in the Fall.  

To all those in treatment, please take care and be well.  To those not in retirement like me and working remotely, keep on keeping on.  To those who may have it tougher, best wishes for your health and welfare in these difficult times.  Apply for all the benefits you may be entitled to and hang in there.  This will end, and we will return to a more predictable and stable reality.

To any newly diagnosed ladies who may find their way here, please rely on us to help you navigate the health care system and to better understand your diagnosis and treatment options.  This message board is active and full of ladies who are very knowledgeable and we all want to help our sisters in need.  If nothing else, we are an endless supply of shoulders to lean on.  

Best wishes to all, Oldbeauty

Donna Faye said:

Scary news

For the last 2 months, my children and I have been focused on getting everything done so I could pass in peace when the time comes. Now this virus has changed everything as I have 3 who work in hospitals and 2 in law enforcement. Then this morning got the news that son-in-law was exposed 10 days ago while on the gun range. Now my daughter and 2 grands,15 and 17 have been exposed. This is just not right. The virus has upended all our lives and there is no way we can do anything but hope and pray. 

I am glad to hear that we are all being strong and to hear from Armywife who has been moving into a new life. Believe me I understand the husband being home 24/7. 

Would love to hear from Little Annie who is on the L/K treatment. Hope you are doing well.

df 

Donna Faye, hang in there.  Don't worry too much.  I know it's very scary, but they are younger.  Many cases are very mild.  My girlfriend's  50 yr old sister in law in NJ had it, and wasn't that sick.  So far, none of her family have caught it from her, and they were all in the house together.  The death rate for people under 50 is 1 in 500.  For people in 50's, probably less than one in a hundred.  We read about the worst, but that's only because it's not news that so many, many people have mild symptoms, don't get tested at all.  So try not to worry, try to think the best - it is very likely that everything will be fine, and that the whole family will be okay.

Donna Faye said:

Thanks for the encouragement

zsazsa, that is good to hear. My son-in-law is sick with flu symptoms so he is isolated and the daughter and boys are also isolating as well. I woke up with a tension headache this morning so am trying some relaxation. I was the nanny to these boys from 8 weeks old and it is so scary to think of them sick. One's BD is the 7th so am sending all sorts of surprises.

For the young, virtually never severe.

jan9wils said:

Greetings from Dallas!  I'm

Greetings from Dallas!  I'm holding up okay after spending a few days in the hospital for a bowel obstruction.  I couldn't wait to get out of there and everyone agreed I'd be better off home recovering.  I'm saddened that I now will restart my 21 days of self-isolation before I try to see my new granddaughter. I know when I was in the screening tent outside the ER the man across from me had the virus. He was coughing horribly and had a high fever.  I was wearing a mask and only two were allowed in the screening area at a time but it still makes me nervous. I live alone and admit that  I miss having physical contact with my children and grandchildren.  I had been taking daily walks and preparing my vegetable beds before getting sick and look forward to getting back to it.  I have a niece and a nephew who are ER doctors in Toronto.  I worry about them but they are doing well.  Like everywhere they are concerned about having enough PPE in the near future as they purchase a lot of it from the USA.  

Like Old Beauty, I too am concerned about my finances.  But my kids are all still employed and working from home so that's a blessing.

I am very grateful I found this group and for all of the encouraging support from everyone on this board. 

Sorry to hear about the hospitalization, that must have been scary for you. We are all missing our families right now. My daughter in law is 7 months pregnant and 600 miles away with my two year old granddaughter. we haven’t seen them since Christmas and have no idea when we will. Thanks for checking in. 

xxoo

Denise

Donna Faye said:

Scary news

For the last 2 months, my children and I have been focused on getting everything done so I could pass in peace when the time comes. Now this virus has changed everything as I have 3 who work in hospitals and 2 in law enforcement. Then this morning got the news that son-in-law was exposed 10 days ago while on the gun range. Now my daughter and 2 grands,15 and 17 have been exposed. This is just not right. The virus has upended all our lives and there is no way we can do anything but hope and pray. 

I am glad to hear that we are all being strong and to hear from Armywife who has been moving into a new life. Believe me I understand the husband being home 24/7. 

Would love to hear from Little Annie who is on the L/K treatment. Hope you are doing well.

df 

I've also been wondering about Little Annie. I had my #1 Keytruda infusion yesterday in St. Louis. The 400 mile round trip was not bad as traffic was much less than normal. Had my first Lenvima dose of 14 mg this morning. My blood pressure did go up but not quite enough to contact oncologist. 
My husband and I are blessed to be in the country on a gravel road, so we didn't get much company before the stay home orders. We still have venison and veggies in the freezer from last year. He's already started this year's garden as it is finally starting to dry out some.

Our oldest daughter & family have a home based business so they are safe. The youngest is an RN at a children's hospital and so far has not had to work with any COVID19 patients. My heart goes out to those that are working on the frontlines of this pandemic.

So thankful for this group! My prayers are with you all!

Donna Faye said:

Thank you all for checking in!!

So good to hear from Jan9 and that she is OK. I know we all miss the children and grands but we love them enough to stay home and keep them well. So far my boys are not showing any symptoms, but this Wed. seems to be the date the doctor is concerned about so temps are being taken daily. I zoom with them every day and that comforts me.

I hope all we have not heard from are OK. I know many were starting new treatments and may not be able to continue with the virus so rampant.

Anyway, thinking of all of you and hoping for brighter times as summer looms.

Donna Faye, I've been trying to answer your message but it keeps being blocked.  Didn't want you to think I was ignoring you!  Thanks for the reply and I'll respond when I can!