Health, Hygiene and Safety Tips for living under Coronavirus quarantine

[CoverMeCagney]

Have any of you ever tried using a portable urinal thingie? Many moons ago when I was younger I got the Little John one with a female adapter and it saved me a few times. Good for camping or long road trips. I think there’s more types out there now for sale, maybe better ones. Might be work looking into? Guys pee into bottles or in the woods, why not women?

I used a SheWee a few times at Glastonbury rather than face the long-drops. It worked but was very weird! Public amenities can be pretty horrible so I've often encouraged the kids to have a wild wee rather than use filthy toilets. Totally different situation for grown women, though!

 

[mickey2942]

or buy a she wee and pee like a guy!

Do a "Lisa Nowak".
Lisa Nowak - Wikipedia

 

[MimosaMornings]

Agree...I always use all my own bedding including pillows in a hotel. Otherwise I would rather sleep in the car.....

I would bag all your linens in a large plastic garbage bag or in a plastic tote to be sprayed when you get home. I stayed at a beautiful chalet in the mountains and noticed a rash around my ankle on my way home. Bedbugs.
JMO

 

[ilovewings]

I feel the same way and have a significant urinary problem too --interstitial cystitis (IC), AKA painful bladder syndrome. My bladder lining has been damaged by the disease, my bladder capacity is small, and I need to be able to access a toilet frequently to avoid extreme pain from bladder filling. I have irritable bowel syndrome as well. So obviously travel is a big challenge for me.

At home, I can manage these conditions pretty well by following an IC diet and by taking medicines as needed. To make travel feasible, I have to be extra careful about what I eat and drink, restrict liquid intake, and take medicines as needed. By doing those things, in the past I've been able to take road trips (still with frequent stops) and trips by air (last trip was December 2019). But in the era of COVID-19, I don't think I'll be able to take another trip until the virus is eradicated or an effective, safe vaccine is available.

I feel the same way and have a significant urinary problem too --interstitial cystitis (IC), AKA painful bladder syndrome. My bladder lining has been damaged by the disease, my bladder capacity is small, and I need to be able to access a toilet frequently to avoid extreme pain from bladder filling. I have irritable bowel syndrome as well. So obviously travel is a big challenge for me.

At home, I can manage these conditions pretty well by following an IC diet and by taking medicines as needed. To make travel feasible, I have to be extra careful about what I eat and drink, restrict liquid intake, and take medicines as needed. By doing those things, in the past I've been able to take road trips (still with frequent stops) and trips by air (last trip was December 2019). But in the era of COVID-19, I don't think I'll be able to take another trip until the virus is eradicated or an effective, safe vaccine is available.

k

i have IC too-- but i also have partial urinary retention since i had a UTI and sepsis
three years ago--traveling is hellish for me- i need to be relaxed to pee and being
on the road for two days is anything but relaxing

 

[ilovewings]

Thinking about it, hotel pillows are probably the WORST thing to be rubbing your face on. All that saliva, sweat and snot seeping into the depths of the pillow stuffing, then getting hoovered back up as you breathe... euuuwww

Ewwwwww is right--i always bring my own pillows!!!

 

[anneg]

Have any of you ever tried using a portable urinal thingie? Many moons ago when I was younger I got the Little John one with a female adapter and it saved me a few times. Good for camping or long road trips. I think there’s more types out there now for sale, maybe better ones. Might be work looking into? Guys pee into bottles or in the woods, why not women?

I have three "travel John" things and always have one in my purse when traveling and another in a bag. However, I've never actually used these devices. I've read horror stories about people getting stuck on the tarmac at an airport for hours, sometimes with no access to the toilet, or getting in a major traffic jam and sitting in the car for hours. Using one would be awkward but better than not being able to empty my bladder.

 

[anneg]

k

i have IC too-- but i also have partial urinary retention since i had a UTI and sepsis
three years ago--traveling is hellish for me- i need to be relaxed to pee and being
on the road for two days is anything but relaxing

Interesting to find more IC sufferers on WS. I suspected I wasn't alone here.

Yes, I need to relax too. So when my bladder is getting full and I'm in great pain, I can't pee until I have a chance to relax the muscles. Afterwards my bladder is irritated and painful for a long time. I try very hard not to let my bladder fill (that is, I drink very little) if I don't think I'll be able to easily get to a toilet.

 

[ilovewings]

Interesting to find more IC sufferers on WS. I suspected I wasn't alone here.

Yes, I need to relax too. So when my bladder is getting full and I'm in great pain, I can't pee until I have a chance to relax the muscles. Afterwards my bladder is irritated and painful for a long time. I try very hard not to let my bladder fill (that is, I drink very little) if I don't think I'll be able to easily get to a toilet.

Interesting to find more IC sufferers on WS. I suspected I wasn't alone here.

Yes, I need to relax too. So when my bladder is getting full and I'm in great pain, I can't pee until I have a chance to relax the muscles. Afterwards my bladder is irritated and painful for a long time. I try very hard not to let my bladder fill (that is, I drink very little) if I don't think I'll be able to easily get to a toilet.

i was diagnosed at age 35---(many moons ago)by a sharp doctor at University
of Michigan Medical Center-- in those days it was a rare diagnosis. I have to drink
a lot of water to prevent recurrence of a UTI--my symptom is mostly frequency
and not pain---i feel for you because i know that the pain can be awful- do you
take medication for it?

 

[Chelly]

Has anyone else noticed how fast toenails grow during covid isolation?

 

[anneg]

i was diagnosed at age 35---(many moons ago)by a sharp doctor at University
of Michigan Medical Center-- in those days it was a rare diagnosis. I have to drink
a lot of water to prevent recurrence of a UTI--my symptom is mostly frequency
and not pain---i feel for you because i know that the pain can be awful- do you
take medication for it?

I'm glad you got your diagnosis in a timely manner. That often doesn't happen. I think a lot of young women get IC, and it can be devastating. I was in my early 60s when I was diagnosed, but I think that age for diagnosis is unusual.

I do take pain medicine, sometimes just Tylenol, but if the pain is bad, I take hydrocodone. I usually take half a pill and if that doesn't do the job, I take the second half. As long as I'm staying home, I rarely need the medicine because I'm always near a bathroom, so the bladder never gets full. And I can control what I eat.

When my IC symptoms were not controlled, I had a terrible time with frequency, both day and night, in addition to a lot of pain. I was working full time back then (from home, thank God) and the frequency was a huge problem.

 

[mickey2942]

I decided to post this here...it really looks like taking mass transit is a perfect vector for Coronavirus. NYC. Now Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit.

If I lived in an area where mass transit was pretty much the only way to get to work...I would really be looking at this data, and be making some decisions.

 

[MaryG12]

Take some Ivy League courses.

Here are 450 Ivy League courses you can take online right now for free

Thank you for sharing that, I did a quick search and they have some courses I am very interested in doing.

Expanding one's skill set during a pandemic is a good use of time.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Has anyone else noticed how fast toenails grow during covid isolation?

I usually have a manicure and pedicure (short, no polish) once a month. Due to virus outbreak, I haven't had my regular services since mid-March. One day last week, I noticed a hole in a pair of the Isontoner slippers that I wear when I'm at home - which is pretty much all the time lately. I'm sure it's because my toenails are too long, and I can't see well enough to trim them. I ordered a package of Bombas ankle gripper socks that should arrive by the end of the week.

 

[ilovewings]

I'm glad you got your diagnosis in a timely manner. That often doesn't happen. I think a lot of young women get IC, and it can be devastating. I was in my early 60s when I was diagnosed, but I think that age for diagnosis is unusual.

I do take pain medicine, sometimes just Tylenol, but if the pain is bad, I take hydrocodone. I usually take half a pill and if that doesn't do the job, I take the second half. As long as I'm staying home, I rarely need the medicine because I'm always near a bathroom, so the bladder never gets full. And I can control what I eat.

When my IC symptoms were not controlled, I had a terrible time with frequency, both day and night, in addition to a lot of pain. I was working full time back then (from home, thank God) and the frequency was a huge problem.

i get up anywhere from 2 to 4 times a night--i am used to it after
all these years

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I had a call yesterday from the imagining center where I have my annual mammogram. My April appointment was canceled, and they were calling to say that my May 15 appointment would also be canceled. They are now scheduling appointments beginning on May 18. I said that I would prefer to wait until we know for sure that the stay-at-home order actually ends on May 15 (there is a possibility that it could be extended). I said I'd call them when I'm sure another appointment won't need to be canceled and rescheduled for a third time.

DH received an email survey from the gym this morning. They are asking what specific measures members would like to see put in place when the facility reopens. Since DH only uses to the aquatic center (lap pool, heated therapy pool, whirlpool), his primary concern is the continued cleanliness of the deck area with particular attention paid to the locker room and access hallway. My membership has been suspended for a while, but I doubt that I would ever use the gym again unless they're going to have staff available at all times to keep equipment sanitized. There are plenty of wipe dispensers around the facility, but many members/guests didn't bother to use them.

I have no idea how there can be classes in the main studio, cycle studio, or yoga studio. It would be difficult to practice social distancing in any of the studios, and equally difficult to wear a mask while exercising. When I went to the gym regularly, I took many classes - Zumba, Dance Fit, Pilates, and Walk/Fit/Stretch. I also enjoyed some of the aquatics classes and attended some small group fitness sessions. I doubt that I would attend studio classes or use gym equipment in the future, but I would probably walk the indoor track and/or use the aquatic facilities.

 

[mickey2942]

They are discussing "buffets" on the main thread, it will probably get moved over here.

INMO, no way would I eat at a buffet. I don't even want to get food from the deli any longer either. Really, we used to be so impossibly unsanitary!

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

They are discussing "buffets" on the main thread, it will probably get moved over here.

INMO, no way would I eat at a buffet. I don't even want to get food from the deli any longer either. Really, we used to be so impossibly unsanitary!

After DH and I were on two cruises with Norovirus outbreaks onboard, we no longer go anywhere near the buffet. In fact, we've pretty much stopped going to the main dining rooms for any meals and prefer smaller onboard dining venues (some with an upcharge), and we also like room service. We have no desire to cruise anytime in the foreseeable future, but I have a hunch that buffets will no longer be self-serve.

If cruise lines continue to offer the casual dining option, service stations will have to be staffed to make sure that food does not become contaminated by guests who don't practice good hygiene or safe food handling. This is what is done during a Norovirus outbreak. Passengers don't like it because going through the various food lines takes longer, and most people who frequent the buffet want to get in and out quickly.

 

[mickey2942]

After DH and I were on two cruises with Norovirus outbreaks onboard, we no longer go anywhere near the buffet. In fact, we've pretty much stopped going to the main dining rooms for any meals and prefer smaller onboard dining venues (some with an upcharge), and we also like room service. We have no desire to cruise anytime in the foreseeable future, but I have a hunch that buffets will no longer be self-serve.

If cruise lines continue to offer the casual dining option, service stations will have to be staffed to make sure that food does not become contaminated by guests who don't practice good hygiene or safe food handling. This is what is done during a Norovirus outbreak. Passengers don't like it because going through the various food lines takes longer, and most people who frequent the buffet want to get in and out quickly.

Ha ha, I just got an alert on my phone about "Coronavirus Cruises". I am not so sure people are going to be thrilled about going on cruises. And I also wonder about the staff situation.

 

[ilovewings]

Well, i just reluctantly scheduled a follow up Chest CT here in Fort Myers. I had one in Feb due to symptom of Shortness of breath: the SOB has not gotten worse but some nodules were present and the radiologist suggested i f/u in 90 days. Normally, we would be back in Michigan by now and i would have the test there but honestly, Southeast Michigan is a hot bed of Covid, i feel more comfortable going to Regional Radiology here in Florida instead of Henry Ford Hospital West Bloomfield, which I am sure is still packed with Covid patients. I am nervous about going to any medical facility but they have pretty good protocols there: masks. the person bringing me has to stay in the car and i am sure they are sanitizing and staggering their appts. Still it makes me nervous to go. I wonder if i should put it off till i get back to Michigan in June.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Well, i just reluctantly scheduled a follow up Chest CT here in Fort Myers. I had one in Feb due to symptom of Shortness of breath: the SOB has not gotten worse but some nodules were present and the radiologist suggested i f/u in 90 days. Normally, we would be back in Michigan by now and i would have the test there but honestly, Southeast Michigan is a hot bed of Covid, i feel more comfortable going to Regional Radiology here in Florida instead of Henry Ford Hospital West Bloomfield, which I am sure is still packed with Covid patients. I am nervous about going to any medical facility but they have pretty good protocols there: masks. the person bringing me has to stay in the car and i am sure they are sanitizing and staggering their appts. Still it makes me nervous to go. I wonder if i should put it off till i get back to Michigan in June.

A nursing home in West Bloomfield has the highest number of cases in senior facilities statewide. As of last week, there were 56 cases at the facility (I think it's called WB Health and Rehab).

I thought you'd be back in Michigan by now; most of our neighborhood snowbirds have returned. If you scheduled an appointment for the chest CT, I'd go ahead with it. Better safe than sorry