The doctor -- my doctor -- saw me over the phone this morning. She called in some prescriptions and put me on the list to get a letter that will let me, as an essential worker (and people thought I'd never amount to anything!), get tested.
Haven't seen the letter yet, which should trigger an e-mail notification when they file it online; her office staff is mostly working from home, too, so they're not as quick as usual.
If the test is positive, then I'll be essentially out sick for a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, I'm in bed, with the cats and the TV and computers. I had to dig out the Microsoft Surface Pro that usually lives in my briefcase for the doctor's appointment: according to their website the digital doc stuff is only tested and known to run on Firefox or Chrome and I didn't feel like being a test case for Safari. My desktop machine is cameraless; I don't routinely use one and it would just be another point of vulnerability. But they're handy on the portable devices and a fat rubber band blindfolds them if needed.
Hope the results are good and you get better soon.
ReplyDeleteCINCHOUSE started remote tutoring before this mess started and got a web cam. She unplugs it from the USB hub on her desk when she's not online with a student.
The piece of black electrical tape over the camera on my laptop blends in nicely with the black color of the lid. I often forget it is even there.
Logitech sells a cute little plastic toilet seat that folds down over the camera I used for long-distance video hangouts with distant friends.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and daughter have both had telemedicine visits this week. My daughter, who is aged 23, appears to have contracted a case of chicken pox. But because we adopted her at the age of 3, we don't know what happened before that, first her primary care physician saw her via the internet, then referred her to a dermatologist. The dermatologist took a couple of biopsies, just to figure out exactly what it is.
ReplyDeleteThe appearance is that of chicken pox, but they are not on her trunk and face as much as one would expect. So he wanted to check for certain.
I am not a normal internet medicine person, but I checked to see just what else could be causing her really weird rash, and while it does look like typical chicken pox, some of the other things it could be include a reaction to medicines, all the scary way to leukemia or a cancerous tumor. We had given her Aleve for the first time, but I could not remember if it was before or after the rash began. But we should hear from the skin doc by Monday. And if it is inconclusive, I will mention to them the Aleve.
One thing about most doctor's visits now, at least in my area of Michigan, is that they are not allowing a second person to accompany the primary patient inside the facility, unless the patient is a minor. I have sat outside in my car, until my daughter was done. And she had to sit outside waiting for a call, before going back in for her appointment.
I think that for the most part, any cautions being taken are probably wise. I know that probably half of people are wearing masks, with perhaps 1 in 10 wearing latex gloves. I am not wearing a mask, but I know that I should be. But I am very cautious about maintaining as much distance as possible. Even in stores or drug stores, they have taped X's on the floor, at the cash registers, and are really enforcing it. I have been cautioned once, due to being about 2 feet too far ahead of the X.
While I really hate, I mean HATE, the infringement of my rights, if you can understand it, I also know that the governments first priority is to keep our citizens safe. And while like many, I know the saying attributed to Ben Franklin, that of giving up freedom for safety, not deserving either, in this case, I will go along with it, not for myself, but for my fellow citizens. The real concern is after this is all said and done, I hope that the new normal is not a greater willingness to give up your freedom to be able to move about when you wish and where you wish.
One thing that I plan on doing, is beginning to wear at the least, some form of a face covering, again not so much for me, but as a courtesy for others. I know that it would have been a much better idea to have done this sooner, but I must admit that I have been extremely conscious to maintain my distance from others, crossing to the other side of aisles in stores, and remaining as far from people in lines as reasonable, without causing undue problems with others. And of course, I wipe down the handle on grocery carts before shopping, etc.
pigpen51
Hope it’s just a bug and not the Covid. Get well soon.
ReplyDelete