Couch 227 - The Safe Couch

I have been laboring under a bad sinus infection. It was so bad that at one point, I thought about asking exhankster to send some leeches or moonshine or whatever the big valley and bonanza people used.

In my country, a fully vaccinated healthcare professional tested positive. The hospital is now a giant cluster, and all non urgent in-person appointments etc are being postponed. Other hospitals will be sending in staff to help.

I'd still wear masks even if vaccinated. But I'm not eligible for vaccination yet, and neither is my T.

Nowadays i use sugarfree cough syrup with guafinesen to cure anything and everything above the diaphragm. Or if im just bored.

never heard of it. I rinsed out the nasal passages, drank gallons of tea with honey, lemon, and cayenne pepper, and slept on a wedge so as not to choke. A good cupping might have helped

Under normal circumstances, high standards come as naturally to me as breathing.
With everything that's happening currently, the idea of 'delivering to a high standard' frightens me.

Don't know why I'm very depressed lately. Feels like a "double depression". So I called to move my psychiatrist appointment to an earlier date. Wow, she is booked! Next available is 6 weeks from now so I took it. Better than waiting 3 months.

Ugh. Do you know if the vaccinated healthcare professional ended up getting serious illness from it or if it was just that they tested positive? Though it sounds like they then spread it...

I know they've said there will naturally be some "breakthrough" infections in fully vaccinated people, because the vaccine isn't 100% effective, but so far, the numbers they're showing for that have been extremely low. Like much lower than they would have expected.

Do you know how much longer you'll have to wait to be eligible for the vaccine?

ETA: It occurs to me that you're likely getting different vaccines in your country--I was referring to data on breakthrough infections with Pfizer or Moderna (I'm not sure enough have been vaccinated here with Johnson & Johnson yet to have those data).

I'm sorry you're feeling so bad and that you have to wait that long...

The healthcare person was vaccinated with Pfizer, and they spread it as they worked inpatient.

Then an elderly person (eligible for vaccination but not compulsory) didn't see a doctor (we have a wide network of clinics where you MUST go to if you have signs of covid) and went to the hospital for something unrelated and spread it too.

We're using Pfizer, Mordena, more in the future as available.

I just checked, I should be able to apply to get vaccinated around June!

Oh, I see. And ugh, that's a mess. We have a lot of guidelines here about being screened for possible COVID before going to a doctor's office or ER. Like when I saw my gynecologist last week, I had to fill out a sort of checklist saying I hadn't had symptoms, hadn't had any known exposures, etc., then get the "COVID pass" at the end of it. When I saw my regular doctor a couple months ago, they also checked my temperature at the door before letting me in (though I've read temperature checks don't really mean much). But I imagine people could just lie on those screening questionnaires if they wanted.

With my D's school, we're supposed to keep her home if she has one symptom in a list of fever, cough, and...something else, or two symptoms in this other list. And if they show certain symptoms at school, a parent/guardian is required to pick them up within an hour. When she had the stomach bug last week, because that can potentially be a sign of COVID, we got her tested (she was negative) just to be safe. However, I worry that other parents won't be as careful.

ETA: And June's not too far away!

Hugs. The clinic asked if I wanted my specific pdoc or "any pdoc", but I've huge trust issues and the clinic is a real mixed bag. Plus some of my psych stuff mean no other public health hospital will take me for psych issues. It's silly but an unexpected benefit is my psych records are blocked from them (despite the national EHR) if I go in for physical health.

Wasn't keen on a stranger pdoc seeing my records even at the same clinic, not when there's dissociative disorders on it. And my specific pdoc is actually good (unlike my 1st one years ago), so I opted for a longer wait.

I can understand that concern about just seeing a random pdoc who doesn't know your history. The last thing you'd want is someone messing around with your meds who doesn't know you.


That's interesting that psych records can be blocked there. I'm not sure what the system is here, if there's an option for that? I mean, my pdoc isn't linked with the other records I have, but if I went to the ER for psych issues, it would presumably end up on there.

We've very similar screenings and temperature checks but some people just lie I guess? Even though you can be fined for say, not wearing a mask, hanging out in a large group some people seriously didn't care and went ahead. Just paid the hefty fines. I get that people are tired of covid etc but grrrrrrr...

When I had my appointment to get my wisdom teeth stitches out at the dental hospital, I straight up said I haven't been exposed, had been at home the last week straight due to the surgery, and that my fever is probably due to the surgery as I had no other symptoms.

We're probably going to tighten restrictions again as we're having yet another wave of imported and community cases.

Hmm, I'm thinking since you're in the USA, it might depend on your state?

I didn't do Healthcare IT but one of my old jobs involved a similar system. The more locations and users, the harder it is, apparently. Even if you have millions in your budget.

I spent a couple of years (after my 1st psychiatrist) where a GP did my med management, and he hated updating the national system, although he was obligated to do so. He basically constantly complained how slow it was, and I don't think it was purely poor network connection in his little clinic. If he could avoid it, he wouldn't update the national system. I found out when I decided I needed a psychiatrist again because my current one remarked on the missing years and dosages in my records.

No ginger tea? Ginger is the magic ingredient. Also i dont go for that neti pot stuff - i heard you could suck boogers right into your brain, and thats not as much fun as it sounds.

I'm thinking my breakthrough psychosis might have been me accidentally missing a couple of doses of Latuda when my sister's children were here. I take it at dinner because you are supposed to take it with food, and I keep it on the table. But since my sister has a three year old, my Mom didn't want the medicine out. So it got put on the counter by the salt and pepper which I don't use. I've been back on the Latuda for a couple of days and I don't think I am having symptoms. So I will wait and see if anymore pop up or if it was just a blip from not taking the medication. See T--Dr K on the 11th. I still haven't done my homework. Bleh.

Kitty, if you take meds at different times of the day, i would recommend one of those big 4-row med dispensers. I use mine as a month dispenser to make sure i take my meds every night, because i only take them at one time, plus i keep track of another med on my phone calendar that i dont take every day.

Like if you take 4 different meds, you could use each row as a week, or put 4 pills in each day to represent a month. Then for instance, at the end of tuesday, every tuesday should have 1 less pill than its next wednesday, etc.

Thanks Unaluna. I might try something like that. I take 6 pills in the morning. 4 pills at night. One pill at dinner. So I don't know what kind of pill keeper would be best for all of those. Plus I have "as needed" medication. Maybe I will look on Amazon.

I have a week pill organizer for travel that’s divided into AM and PM. That plus Latuda on the table might work. As needed can just sit where you keep your meds until it’s needed.

I joined the Y a little over a mile from my mom’s house now that the semester is done.

Oh good golly.

I read "rinsed out the nasal passages" and my eyes skipped to honey, lemon and cayenne. I thought: Man, I know stopdog is made of stern stuff but YIKES.

That's what I'm leaning towards.... that one is closer to new house, too. so weird that you have to wear a mask when in the locker room/around the pool deck but not in the water. Not that they would do anything but float away in the water. But you have to stay 6 feet away from other swimmers of course.

Maybe you need to get one of those lap pools that has a current you swim against. I'm not sure what they're called but they're a lot smaller than a pool and somewhat larger than a hot tub. Kind of like a treadmill for swimming.

The wedge she slept on was made of flint and pinecones. And that was the soft part!

But its the Latuda on the table thats the problem! Maybe the colonel in the library with the candlestick?!

If she gets one of those, im kicking out her husband and moving myself in.