Then she survived By Sara Sidner, CNN
New Irish study says vitamin D could help prevent Covid-19 infection.
Geneva Wood knew her life was about to end. She could feel it with every strained breath.
She was well aware her 90-year-old lungs were filling with fluid. She was drowning from the inside out. The coronavirus had taken hold and she had one last request. “I said to the doctor, this is the end.
I’m not gonna make it and I want to see my family,” Wood told CNN. “And that was my only wish and desire was to be able to talk to my children again.” Her doctor agreed.
She was dying. Her children were called to see their mom alive one last time.
With so little oxygen in her lungs, Wood was losing the ability to talk.
Her daughter, Cami Neidigh, drove to the hospital.
“They didn’t think that she was going to make it, and that we should go ahead and come on down while she can still talk to us,” her daughter said. The news was doubly devastating for the family. Wood had been recovering from a stroke. “It was kind of cruel, you know,” Neidigh said. “She had just learned to live again.” Wood’s family had chosen to send her for rehab to the nearby Life Care Center of Kirkland, Washington, after her stroke. When Wood arrived months earlier, she couldn’t talk. She couldn’t walk. She couldn’t speak well enough to be understood.
The staff cared for her until she could do all those things.
“All I could do was jabber and they taught me to live again,” Wood said. “I went there for therapy, which they provided. What the staff did for me was great.” But as she regained her strength, the coronavirus spread through the Life Care Center of Kirkland. It became the first place in America to have a major deadly outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Only nobody realized it at the time. The virus was spreading like a deadly plague inside the facility long before people switched to elbow bumps instead of handshakes, and before self-distancing and stay-at-home orders became the norm.
Geneva Wood suddenly found herself infected like 80 other patients there. She was rushed
to the hospital where the virus began taking her breath away. “I coughed a lot.” Wood said
“I had trouble breathing, I was just tired. I just wanted to sleep, rest and be left alone.”
She had never felt the kind of exhaustion that came with Covid-19. The spitfire of a great-grandmother says she survived the flu dozens of times while raising her children and survived the Great Depression and World War II, but she never wanted to give up until she got the coronavirus.
But her body fought it. And she survived, with her humor intact.
“I’m not dead yet,” Wood quipped to the nurse who she asked to bring her water. Wood was
one of the lucky ones. Fifty-five people associated with the Life Care nursing home died, many younger than her. Now Wood is home and able to speak with her family, who she once feared she might never see or talk to again. She snuggled up next to her daughter in her big comfortable chair and marveled at how happy she was just to be home. “I love it here.
One of the things I fought for was to be able to be with my kids. To give them a hug or a kick
or whatever they needed,” Wood said.
Her daughter cracked up. Her feisty, strong-willed mother was back.
“That’s, that’s what I’m here for.” Wood laughed. “To take care of their needs. If they need a
hug that’s what they need and if they need a kick in the rear, that’s what they get.”
Her daughter is relieved to hear her mom joke again. “It’s been a brutal roller coaster ride,”
she says. And Neidigh wants anyone who is writing off the elderly as those who can be sacrificed to coronavirus for the sake of others or for the economy to remember people like
her mother. She says nobody should get to choose who gets to live or die and that the world could
used the wisdom of the elderly. They still have something to give.
“You can’t put a price on life like that,” Neidigh said.
See Related Story: Jen Babakhan Survived Coronavirus—Here’s What I Want You to Know.
J.K. Rowling suffers ‘every symptom’ of coronavirus and reveals what cured her!!!
The Harry Potter author said she had not been tested but used a breathing technique to get
air in to the bases of her lungs. J.K. Rowling has said she is “fully recovered” after suffering
“all symptoms” of coronavirus. The Harry Potter author said she had not been tested but used
a breathing technique to get air in to the bases of her lungs and shared a video of a doctor
advising how to do it.
She wrote on Twitter: “Please watch this doc from Queens Hospital explain how to relieve respiratory symptoms. “For last 2 weeks I’ve had all symptoms of C19 (tho haven’t been tested) & did this on doc husband’s advice. “I’m fully recovered & technique helped a lot.”
In the video the doctor shows how to take deep breaths, hold the breaths and then cough, before lying flat on the stomach to allow air into the lungs. He says: “While you have an active infection you need to get a good amount of air into the bases of your lungs and the only way you are going to do that is by having a technique.
“I want you guys to start dong this if you have the infection right from the beginning,
if you want to do it before you even pick up the infection, good idea. “Take five deep breaths in, hold the breath for five seconds, on the sixth deep breath you will take it in and do a big cough, covering your mouth. “Do this twice and then lay flat on your bed (on your stomach) with a pillow in front of you and taking slightly deeper breaths for the next ten minutes. “The majority of your lungs is on your back,
not on your front, so by lying on your back you’re closing off your smaller airways and this is not good during a period of infection, it’s very important that you guys understand this.”
SEE: Coronavirus breathing technique used by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowlin.
COVID-19: Here’s everything you need to know about the novel coronavirus!!!
Why does the CDC only list three novel coronavirus symptoms?
“It’s because these are the most common symptoms in the U.S.,” says Richard Watkins, M.D., infectious disease physician and professor of internal medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University.
Fever: This is by far the most common sign of COVID-19, and is defined by having a
temperature of 100.4° F or higher.
Cough: Experts say patients typically develop a dry cough, meaning you’re coughing but nothing is coming up, like phlegm or mucus.
Shortness of breath: This symptom often presents in more advanced cases and can range
in severity. Some people simply feel winded by otherwise normal activities, while others end
up having trouble breathing on their own. “It feels like you’re not getting enough air,”
says David Cutler, M.D., a family medicine physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center
in Santa Monica, Calif. That said, several studies have shown a solid number of people infected with COVID-19 have no symptoms. “We are likely missing many cases in the U.S.,” Watkins says.
The CDC maintains those big three are the symptoms of novel coronavirus, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has a more extensive list that includes 14 different symptoms detected in people with mild cases of COVID-19. That’s a big deal, since “most people infected with the COVID-19 virus have mild disease and recover,” per a February report of a joint World Health Organization-China mission. In fact, that report found that 80% of confirmed patients had mild to moderate disease.
What are the mild symptoms of novel coronavirus?
In the WHO report, the organization analyzes nearly 56,000 cases of COVID-19 in China
and breaks down a wide range of “typical” symptoms, as well as how often people
with the virus experienced them:
Fever (87.9%)
Dry cough (67.7%)
Fatigue (38.1%)
Sputum production (33.4%)
Shortness of breath (18.6%)
Sore throat (13.9%)
Headache (13.6%)
Muscle aches and pains (14.8%)
Chills (11.4%)
Nausea or vomiting (5.0%)
Nasal congestion (4.8%)
Diarrhea (3.7%)
Coughing up blood (0.9%)
Red eyes (0.8%)
A lost sense of smell wasn’t on the WHO’s list, but several organizations—including the
British Rhinological Society, British Association of Otorhinolaryngology, and The American Academy
of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), say it’s a possible symptom, too.
Below, what you need to know about the mild symptoms that didn’t make the CDC’s list:
1. Lost sense of smell
This “has been seen in patients ultimately testing positive for the coronavirus with no other symptoms,” the AAO-HNS said in a statement. “It could potentially be used as a screening tool
to help identify otherwise asymptomatic patients, who could then be better instructed on
self-isolation.” According to a joint statement from the British Rhinological Society and British Association of Otorhinolaryngology, two out of every three people with confirmed cases of COVID-19
in Germany had a lost sense of smell, and 30% of patients in South Korea who
tested positive experienced the same thing.
“Viruses are a common cause of changes to the sense of smell or taste that can occur with an upper respiratory infection,” says Rachel Kaye, M.D., assistant professor of laryngology-voice, airway, and swallowing disorders at Rutgers University. “Viral infection can result in both inflammation and swelling of the nasal cavity lining, leading to nasal congestion, which in
turn causes a change in smell. Furthermore, there is also some evidence that viral infection
can lead to neurologic damage in the smell receptors.”
2. Fatigue
It’s not shocking that a viral infection would cause people to feel completely wiped out,
says Susan Besser, M.D., a primary care physician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.
“Your body is working hard to fight the virus, and that requires a lot of energy,” she says.
“It doesn’t leave much energy left over for you.”
3. Sputum production
Sputum production, a.k.a. excess mucus that you may cough up, isn’t super common with
COVID-19, but it’s common enough that more than a third of patients have experienced it.
Dr. Cutler points out that sputum production is common with plenty of other respiratory conditions, like the common cold and allergies, so you shouldn’t rush to assume you have coronavirus if you’re experiencing this.
4. Sore throat
Because COVID-19 is a respiratory virus, you may have postnasal drip (where excess mucus
drips down the back of your nose and throat) and that can cause irritation in your throat,
Dr. Besser says. Also, constantly coughing can be tough on your throat in general.
5. Aches, pains, and headaches
These are common symptoms with viruses, Dr. Cutler says. “When you get a viral infection,
often you get a fever and that fever response can cause the body to feel achy all over,”
he explains. “We see that with the flu and other infections as well.”
6. Diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting
There’s no clear reason to explain why this is happening in some people, Dr. Besser says,
but she has some theories. “It’s possibly due to increased drainage from postnasal drip into
the stomach—that can cause issues,” she says. It could also just be the way the virus itself
behaves in some people, she says.
New research in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that a “unique sub-group” of COVID-19 patients develop digestive symptoms.
“In some cases, the digestive symptoms, particularly diarrhea, can be the initial presentation
of COVID-19, and may only later or never present with respiratory symptoms or fever,”
the researchers wrote.
They believe these symptoms may occur because the virus enters your system through
“a receptor found in both the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract where it is expressed
at nearly 100-fold higher levels than in respiratory organs.”
What should you do if you think you have novel coronavirus symptoms?
If you’re experiencing multiple symptoms of COVID-19, get your doctor on the phone.
You should not go to the hospital, because you could potentially spread the virus if you
do have it or pick it up if you actually don’t. Once you discuss your symptoms, your doctor
will be able to determine if you qualify for a COVID-19 test and go from there.
However, there is no specific cure for novel coronavirus and most people are being advised
to treat mild symptoms with over-the-counter remedies while isolating at home for at least
14 days, Dr. Watkins says. “Many people have symptoms for two weeks—some longer and others a shorter duration,” he adds.
For a fever, aches, and pains, have acetaminophen (Tylenol) on hand and follow the label’s dosage instructions. Turn to cough medicine or tea with honey to relieve your cough or sore throat. Plenty of rest and fluids are also recommended. If you notice your symptoms getting worse, though, call your doctor again about next steps. And if the following occur, the CDC says it’s your cue to head to the hospital:
Trouble breathing
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
New confusion or inability to arouse
Bluish lips or face
Other severe or concerning symptoms (like a fever that won’t die down)
When can you leave your home after experiencing novel coronavirus symptoms?
The CDC has guidelines that depend on whether you have access to a COVID-19 test.
If you will not have a test, the CDC says you can leave home after these three things happen:
You don’t have a fever for at least 72 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
Your symptoms have improved.
At least seven days have passed since you first had symptoms.
If you will have a test, you can leave home after the following:
You no longer have a fever without the use of fever-reducing medication.
Your symptoms have improved.
You received two negative tests in a row, 24 hours apart.
When in doubt, call your doctor to be on the safe side.
Related video: How to Tell the Difference Between Coronavirus Symptoms and Allergies
[via MSN.com]
Two Different World Outlooks Dealing With The Conoravirus!!!
New Zealand isn’t just flattening the curve. It’s squashing it.
Coronavirus? Pandemic? For many in Sweden, life goes on as usual.
New data on New York coronavirus deaths:
Most had these underlying illnesses;
61% were men.
THE NEW WONDER DRUG!!!
Cuba has mobilized its medical corps around the world to distribute a new “wonder drug”
that officials there say is capable of treating the new coronavirus despite the United States’
strict sanctions that continue to pressure the communist-run island. The drug, called Interferon
Alpha-2B Recombinant (IFNrec), is jointly developed by scientists from Cuba and China,
where the coronavirus COVID-19 disease outbreak first emerged late last year.
Already active in China since January, the Cuban Medical Brigades began deploying to
dozens of nations, providing personnel and products such as its new anti-viral drug to battle
the disease that has exceeded 400,000 confirmed cases across the globe. As of Tuesday, over 100,000 people have recovered from the infection and more than 18,000 have died.