Hopefully you guys have stocked up a little to endure the craziness ahead for the next few weeks...I figured we needed a topic on this since it's on all our minds anyway. We bought a mini-freezer yesterday and stocked up just in case- worst case scenario we're not buying meat for 4-6 weeks, but it felt better safe than sorry with the hoarding in big cities. Our stores in rural SC are staying fairly well stocked (except for toilet paper, sanitizer, etc.) but folks were frantic on Saturday and I'm honestly more scared of that than the virus.

Of all the stores we went to, Costco seems to have things rolling the smoothest as far as inventory goes.

 

My 85 year old dad appears to have the virus....which was our worst fear in all this. I took him to the hospital two nights ago with a 102.5 fever and they sent him home after testing, won't have results for 14 days. So if Florida is reporting 1k cases, the real number is likely closer to 100k because of the two week lag in testing. Talked to a few doctors in Broward yesterday and they said ER's are already being hit hard. People really, really need to stay at home.

 

I got tested yesterday for the virus and waiting results...if I do have it though, I'm likely on day 13ish. We took a cruise to Mexico last month and there was a positive case on the ship. I've had tightness in my chest for a few weeks...not pain but kinda like soreness after you work out hard. I'm a little short of breath at times but no other symptoms, and our doctor thinks the timeline and symptoms fit well enough that I probably do have it. I'll find out in about 5 days either way and luckily, I wouldn't be contagious by then.

I honestly don't know what to hope for, positive means I got thru it basically symptom-free and safe for this season.....but it also means my dad could get ultra sick in the next few days. So we're just as nervous as folks who definitely don't have it yet. I feel fine but super scared for the next couple of days for my dad.

Oh, and the current test....ya'll don't want that test! They shove a Q-tip all the way back to where your nose meets your throat, then they twist it around to make sure they get a good swab. I involuntarily started crying, LOL, the tears were just streaming down! New test kits are coming within the week though that are a lot less invasive.

 

Have there really? Crap...I hadn't seen that yet.

 

Yeah, I saw something yesterday that they're thinking people who have caught other strains of the virus in the past could explain the mild reactions in so many people, but it's all a guess at this point. Hoping that's true but who knows...

My dad is doing well though and no fever since yesterday, so I'm hopeful that he makes it out of this unscathed. The lousy part is that we don't even know if he actually has it or not....tests can't get back fast enough.

 

Well, a few more days have passed and we're still feeling fine. My dad is 85 BUT he's always been super healthy...the hospital couldn't understand how he was on zero medications at his age. They're still looking at him as "high risk" for complications but only because what they'd expect from a typical 85 year old...so that has me feeling somewhat better.

Other than feeling tired and a cough he's doing fine though- I had to argue with him yesterday that he couldn't go to WalMart to buy dog treats. LOL, my wife hid his debit card and his keys so he couldn't sneak off.

 

From just the tightness alone and some fatigue, your health department or doctor likely would not test you UNLESS you've traveled out of the country or been around someone who's tested positive. That's the whole problem here- states are reporting 500, 1k or 3k confirmed cases, even though they know the number is likely 10x higher. And when all those sick folks run to the grocery store and infect 10 more people, this all gets astronomical very quickly.

I'll share one more tidbit that I got from a trauma surgeon in Broward County....he told me it's been confirmed that lemon juice kills coronavirus in your mouth/throat. This is a big deal because the disease hangs out there for awhile before getting to the lungs, so it's possible to drink lemon juice and ward off the worst of the symptoms if it's early enough. It can be diluted with water but no sugar....they're saying to keep it as acidic as possible. You won't find this on Facebook tho because of two words....toilet paper. LOL! They don't want people hoarding yet another thing that could help those that start to show symptoms, but a doctor would likely mention it to you.

I'm on my day 14 of quarantine and the chest tightness is almost 100% gone...I still feel it from time to time just a little bit. But now what? Can I re-join the hoarders? There's just not enough info out there.

 

Huh, I might rejoin then..I've had club a few times in the past and hardly ever read it.

 

That absolutely drives me crazy as well- politics shouldn't be involved in any of this when people are sick and dying.