Inspired and disappointed

Inspired and disappointed.

After a week off, it’s back to the grind and the insanity!

After dropping off our youngest at college in Ann Arbor, we spent the rest of the week at the beach, spending some great distanced beach-time with friends and family. I was inspired by friends who had contracted Covid, had gotten through and were still willing to interact with appropriate precautions (masks and distancing). Unfortunately, our approach to Covid early on in the pandemic has resulted in some excessive paranoia in some people. We need to socialize, just do it safely. I was also quite touched and inspired by friends who were volunteering for vaccine trials. I also have a number of friends in the medical, dental and education worlds who continue to see patients and teach our kids, albeit with major changes in their routines. All brave and selfless. There are many essential workers who continue to do their jobs, making our lives easier.

Unfortunately, within only a few hours of seeing patients Monday morning after the week off, my jaw tightness returned. I was hoping for more of a reprieve. 

The anxiety experienced by patients is also in full swing. Most problems I see are magnified one way or another by either needing to wear a mask, which impacts on communications, or the stress of life during a pandemic, complicated by social unrest, political craziness in addition to the stresses of regular life, creeping into their daily routines.

Everyone is experiencing significant stress at some level. We just need to get through it. Together.

After limiting my news/media consumption, I was surprised by the absence of anything really new on the covid front. More of the same. 

Poor governmental leadership. Rather than pointing fingers at the scientists and distorting the science, our leaders need to promote the basics like social responsibility by mask wearing and distancing appropriately. They should also be promoting healthful lifestyle changes. Instead we are pummeled by ads like Kraft who think that Mac N’ Cheese for breakfast is a good thing!

There are also confusing CDC guidelines, who now recommend NOT testing as much, especially if you are not symptomatic? I disagree.

Conspiracy-theorist flamed lies about “overexaggerated” Covid-19 deaths! Completely ridiculous. If someone dies of a heart attack because of the stress Covid-19 caused, it’s STILL a Covid-19 related death. If you just compare deaths overall in the US since Covid-19 started and ignore coronavirus-associated deaths, we still have more than 200,000 deaths than the same timeframe last year. To think that this is just “chronic disease” is either ridiculously sad and Americans are sicker than they think or something else is causing these deaths, like…. maybe….. Covid-19?. 

I did read about some interesting new symptoms associated with Covid, both acutely and long term.

• More rapidly growing finger and toe nails while losing more hair (the hair one has been known).
• Worsening headaches, probably due to a combination of infections and stress.
• Sun sensitivity like rashes and easy burning. By the way, Zithromax, the antibiotic (it is NOT an antiviral) promoted by our administration, is well known to cause sun sensitivity also.
• Tinnitus. Sounds in the head or the ears is most commonly a result of hearing loss or damage to the very complex sound analysis mechanisms in the brain, It is often worsened by stress so how Covid-19 increases tinnitus is not clear since overt hearing loss has not been seen yet as a specific complication.

There is continued interest in vaccine trials, more of which are entering phase 3. But unfortunately, surveys still indicate that up to 40% of people would not take a vaccine if it became available. This is sad since, if we want to achieve herd immunity, the estimates are that 80-90% need to be vaccinated. Otherwise, it will continue to circulate continuously, just like the flu. Unlike the flu however, SARS-Cov-2 seems to do just as well in the warmer months as the colder ones so it will be around ALL year rather than just in the winter!

Many confusing issues but I need to start by reinforcing the well-established basics:

WEAR A MASK. It protects you and it protects everyone else.

DISTANCE appropriately and avoid crowded areas.

WASH YOUR HANDS and use sanitizer appropriately.

GET HEALTHY. This remains the least promoted aspect of all this. The sicker you are, the greater the risks.

VENTILATION. This will become more and more important as the weather cools and we start spending more time indoors. Contracting is dependent on exposure.

Stay safe and be well. 

AC 😎✌️🌱❤🐖🏃🏻🧘🏻‍♂️🌎😷