Found an article today that offers a new idea in how to help covid 19 patients which I’ve not seen elsewhere in the news. Probably because its not sensational enough to report, but I find it extremely important and hope all hospitals and other medical facilities take these precutions.
After reading the article I can’t help but wonder why it was not thought of before hand as it appears to be extremely effective.
This is a technique used for COPD patients for over 20 years now , lying on your front is the most efficient position for your lungs to operate as the largest surface area is on your back.
I had a bad pneumonia over 20 years ago which hospitalised me and I was told to lie face down at that time. I still sleep on my front to this day. This is the domain of the respiratory physios who can help with various exercises and breathing techniques. Changing how you breath takes time though as most people don’t have to think about it
Changing your sleep position also isn’t all that easy, so it’s not all as easy as it may seem 
I went for a week with very little sleep after I got my ribs kicked in during sparring; it wasn’t pleasant, the position I needed to sleep in felt very unnatural, and I’d also move around when I was finally asleep.
Try having boobs 
Too bad mattresses aren’t made to order for folks who want to sleep on their stomachs but have fuller front sections of any kind. Boobs are not the only things that can make it uncomfortable. My son (bless his heart) has gained considerable weight ever since his strokes and, although he eats healthy, the weight gain just in his mid-section makes it very uncomfortable for him to sleep on his stomach.
For me its my neck so sleeping on my stomach is a no no, because I can’t sleep with my head turned sideways. I have scoliosis which tends to make my positioning very tricky if I’m not careful.
I still keep up my exercises to strengthen my back muscles to maintain a semblance of a fairly straight spine adjustment. Although I have worked at this since childhood, as I’ve aged, my back muscles have lost some of their strength. I still do daily strengthening stretches and movements (similar to Tai Chi), the strength is just not what it used to be even 5 years ago.
It’s Sunday so like it or not, here’s some numbers.
Stay informed!
The not so good
The not so bad
Stay wise. Be the -good- example for others.
I live in Butte County, California which is little over an hour north of Sacramento. We’ve had 16 cases out of 210,000 and all have recovered. No new cases for over three weeks. Pretty much all over “North State” from north of Sacramento to the Oregon border hasn’t had too many cases or deaths. There’s a lot of clamoring to reopen up here. Personally, I’m glad we have had the stay at home order and that it was instituted early on.
Lockdowns work. I mean look at this New Zealander
celebrating no new cases
Click here for video (yes, this site still does not support .mp4)
We’re getting spikes from rapid onset folks and protesters
who have spread it through their communities. What’s getting
interesting is Insurance carriers, both health and life, in the
USA are starting to cite these as ‘self-harm, high risk.’
Akin to how life insurance does not cover suicide. People
knew they were taking a voluntary self-imposed high risk
act while clear warnings and statements have been
made nationally. Thus by their own agreements,
are not covered. Most ACA plans do still cover folks,
this is more private insurance so far.
It’s making for some interesting reads this morning.
This is not you taking precautions and getting groceries.
You are also fine in places with a national health coverage
(i.e. most of the world) plan.
These are folks who go out without a mask, often citing their
beliefs on a social media platform, into a crowded area.
Voluntarily. As the claim investigation is processed folks
are now being denied (started May 1st according to my
medical billing friend) coverage for treatment. Life insurance
claims have been denied for two protesters in the past week
in Michigan who died due to CoviD-19 complications.
Edit: “Material misrepresentation” is the code being
used for protestors. Meaning if you admit high-risk
action you might get denied. If you do not admit it,
i.e. tell the intake nurse you were at a protest, while
filling out the vectoring questionnaire. You will get
summarily denied.
I am reminded of Katrina stuff again, but with a stronger
case for the insurer. It’ll be interesting to see how this
turns out when someone finally challenges it in court.
The problem though, as I see it, is in the messaging.
“Go and hide” “until I tell you to come out.”
It is doomed to fail. There are entire disciplines dedicated to how to tailor messaging to work - not just ‘how’ it is said, but also ‘what’ is needed in the message for it to be acceptable.
“Until I tell you to come out” - with no indication of how long it is going to be just is not going to work. (Frankly, anything other than “and it won’t be for long” was doomed from the beginning.)
No indication of how long is worsened when every speculation that does surface about how long is confirmation that it is going to be longer that can realistically happen.
I think we’ve established that a safe vaccine is a ‘hope’ and that, even if it comes, won’t be soon. When people see they are being told they can’t come out until there is a vaccine, but it will be ‘next year’ - at BEST, the message doesn’t work.
There is no treatment. The ‘best hope’ right now, still in testing, reduces hospitalization by a few days - “maybe” - and the reported reduction in deaths is so small it is within the margin of error. And even that treatment isn’t coming ‘soon.’ Seeing their is no treatment coming anytime soon - ‘hide until there is’ doesn’t work.
Testing… the worst offender as a basis for when people can come out, as far as I’m concerned, should NEVER have been said. There will never be the capability to produce enough tests to test everyone daily. The segment of society ‘usually’ considered the least likely to ‘understand’ are the people who know this particular thing the best - the factory workers and the ‘production’ segment of society know the limits of production. 330,000,000 million people in JUST the United States. Talking only even 10% - which is not enough - that is 33,000,000 million tests - every day. Production and distribution on that scale can’t happen. And it is obvious. The more testing becomes available and people see what is actually involved in getting a test before they can go to work, the more obvious it becomes that is NOT the solution for ‘until I tell you to come out.’
So people are seeing ‘hide’ - but also seeing that it is for longer than they can do so and still afford to eat, keep their homes, and provide for those who depend on them. The ‘protection’ is threatening the most basic, foundational human needs - food and shelter. Even those who haven’t thought it through recognize it intuitively.
It is going to get push back. As we are seeing.
The messaging is inadequate. It isn’t surprising it is failing.
I think a lot of the protesting (uprising?) also comes from a lack of consistency. Even what you would consider reliable sources have issued opposing advice. Often, no one thinks to check the date, where scientists said one thing in March and differently now because of what has been learned in the meantime. If they’d stay 6 feet apart (the thing they seem to have the least issue with), in most areas, would not result in arrests. Leadership, in some areas, is also feeding people information that does not agree with science.
People want to get out, they are scared and frustrated. Now they’re angry. It’s the 5 states of grief, just moved around a little bit. I think we’ve already hit on denial (which led to the anger) and depression. I guess we’ll wait and see what acceptance will look like when this is all said and done.
I’m 75 years old and have lived through a few crisis. The messaging is always inadequate no matter what the issue is. The reason most people don’t believe the government these days is they feel the government has been lying to them from day one (which I totally agree with).
History proves a great review of how crisis of many sorts (war, natural disasters (think Katrina), economic recessions, even the great depression) affected our daily lives. But somehow no one seems to really read about history these days.
It needs to be required reading to include discussions of what works and what doesn’t, based upon what history has shown failed. I doubt our government officials even bother to think about this but if they do, its intermittently and they tend to “cherry pick” the information they wish to use. This method always tends to backfire and in some cases makes things much, much worse than it could have been had it been handled better.
And, of course, scientists disagree - as they should.
“Science,” by the very definition, is never sure. If it was sure, it wouldn’t be science, it would be faith.
Yup. I’ve said that the second biggest hazard after the effects of the virus itself is that it is happening in an election year.
No matter what is said, or by whom, whoever says it first is ‘wrong’ and ‘the other side’ disagrees - some how, some way, some form, some fashion… some ‘spin’ …
Politicians are always first and foremost concerned with reelection.
They are always concerned about this, never the benefit of the voters. I get irritated when someone says things they really have not researched…believing everything any politician says as the gospel truth.
In my opinion, the “gospel truth” tends to fall into the category of literature which is written and rewritten so many times it never reflects the statement of the original author. Unfortunately, in many cases, is the exact opposite.
Side Note: There’s a scene in the movie “Best Little Whore House in Texas” where you find Charles Durning dancing around inside the capital building doing the “Politician’s Shuffle,” which comes vividly to mind every time a politician says “trust me.”
Here is a clip from that movie that I found particularly hilarious, although a sad reflection of our politicians. This particular dance shows up in the clip at 2:48 / 4:56.
Funny, in WA, the Governor gave a literal timeline of phases of how he will start releasing the lockdown, with “minimum amount of time between each phase” so we at least know the FASTEST we’ll be released. But people STILL say “He doesn’t have a plan!!” like… seriously. He literally wrote out a bullet-point list of his plan, and just cuz you don’t agree with it, you complain that he doesn’t know what he’s doing. So frustrating.
After a day of crunching numbers.
Just a somber thought and reminder:
Click it. Expand it. Scroll slowly through it.
Look at each row.
This is 75,000. The low estimate of number dead
in the United States as of May, 5th 2020.
With 71,000 confirmed.
Number dead from post recovery complications
is also increasing daily. Strokes, DVT, and other ailments
for those in their 20’s and 30’s. The few who were
infected early in the year, still vulnerable to effects.
The one that scares me the most is how
Hypoxia, with the slow brain damage from that,
is being discovered more and more.
Each +1 has a name. A mother, a father.
Most were parents themselves.
This 75,000 looks to be the total again in
May and again in June. Projections are
actually currently larger. I’m going to hope
something changes to keep it at 75k.
That something will be done to stem the
post infection effects, and speed recovery.
Not fearmongering,
just a reminder that each +1 is a human life.
Many are looking at statistics and not
that people, humans, are effected.
Unless it touches them directly or closely.
I know many of you are not in the USA,
this is not a slight to you. Your +1s are equally important.
Speaking for others when they can speak for themselves
is not my bag. Each country’s situation is different.
I iterate again, if you’re in the Chicago area and need
help of some kind, reach out through private message.
I can’t do much but i promise to help best as i can.
I’m safe and have supplies, so the next step it to
help locals who do not have this.
I wish you had someone that actually cared in charge. More and more Americans are dying and I worry about you guys.
Just saw this on the news.
A fair amount of people that have recovered from their hospital stay over here are being treated for PTSD, so that’s not much fun either 
So I’ll try and insert some levity into this thread (I hope you’ll get a giggle when you ‘see it’
And some other good news (hopefully).
poetry : by june / july I’m expecting the 75k to double and add some more for the exponential factor. (us in the states will be on the way to 200k lost to this).
Kelryth : thank you. as you said “you guys” you might not know as i’m guessing you don’t live in america? To quote : “It is what it is.” That’s the president’s remarks on the subject. Yeah.
Splutty : Oooh, go lama’s!
