Dawn RN, BS, Parish Nurse available for Prayer and Resource Information. Email me with specific questions or information requests: dawn.rompel@saints.org
I want to emphasize that with any and all health information found here or anywhere: Please, check with your Physician before making changes to your specific Health Plan! Thank you for the privilege of your visit!
I want to emphasize that with any and all health information found here or anywhere: Please, check with your Physician before making changes to your specific Health Plan! Thank you for the privilege of your visit!
The Corona Virus is on some people's minds and hopefully, all are praying for our World and those already infected, and those caring for the ill. I have always felt that Information is the best prevention and protection! Here is a CDC link with more information than anyone might want or need... Please Pray in the Spirit as you Read... https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html?fbclid=IwAR1mNdD0PQL-NOgNhXAUsYTZ7YEco4KDOcU8wOJLPIA3osi_E9P_YFxnFfk
https://www.facebook.com/groups/PandemicPartnersBend/ This is a group that is growing by the day... If you need/want assistance or can provide help/assistance please investigate!!! Many are benefiting on both sides of the process! Thank you!
https://www.linesforlife.org/ Much assistance for almost anyone! Please click if you might think it will help. Thank you! You are valuable and help is available! Telephone call also works: 800-273-8255 Suicide, Veterans, Youth...
March 12 at 5:41 PM Valid Information Facebook Post that I am grateful to share: A friend who has a friend who is an RN shared this about COVID-19, just passing it on. Thanks Carolyn Barrow Hildebrand.
I know we’re all tired of hearing/talking about it, but one thing I HAVEN’T really seen going around is advice for what happens if you DO get coronavirus (many of us will), only advice for how to try to AVOID it. So as your friendly neighborhood RN, a wee thread:
Things you should *actually* buy ahead of time (Erm, not sure what the obsession with toilet paper is?): Kleenex, Acetaminophen (Tylenol) in 325 mg tablets, Mucinex, Robitussin or DayQuil/NyQuil, whatever your cough medicine of choice is. (Ibuprophen was also to be listed, but there are now some questions about using it while being ill with this virus-better safe than sorry-I removed it on my own-DawnRN Here is the link to an article from WHO regarding Ibuprophen -better safe than sorry especially since we have other meds to reduce fever available) https://news.yahoo.com/avoid-taking-ibuprofen-covid-19-symptoms-202007508.html)
If you don’t have a humidifier, that would also be a good thing to get. (You can also just turn the shower on hot and sit in the bathroom breathing in the steam). Also a good time to make a big batch of your favorite soup to freeze and have on hand.
If you have a history of asthma and you have a prescription inhaler, make sure the one you have isn’t expired and refill it/get a new one if it is.
You basically just want to prepare as though you know you’re going to get a nasty respiratory bug like bronchitis or pneumonia. You just have the foresight to know it’s coming.
For symptom management, use the meds I mentioned. For a fever over 101, alternate Tylenol and (Advil-as stated above, might not be prudent-check with your primary care Doctor or Pharmacist first please) so you’re taking a dose of one or the other every 3 hours. Use both cough suppressants and expectorants (most cough meds have both). Drink a ton, hydrate hydrate. Rest lots.
You should not be leaving your house except to go to the doctor, and if you do, wear a mask (regular is fine, you don’t need an N95). You DO NOT NEED TO GO TO THE ER unless you are having trouble breathing or your fever is very high and unmanaged with meds. **If you are symptomatic and feel the need to go to the ER/ Urgent Care, CALL FIRST! Let them prepare accordingly so as not to have to be quarantined for 2 weeks!!**
90% of healthy adult cases thus far have been managed at home with basic rest/hydration/over-the-counter meds. We don’t want to clog the ERs unless you’re actually in distress. The hospital beds will be used for people who actively need oxygen/breathing treatments/IV fluids.
If you have a pre-existing lung condition (COPD, emphysema, lung cancer) or are on immunosuppressants, now is a great time to talk to your PCP or specialist about what they would like you to do if you get sick. They might have plans to get you admitted and bypass the ER entirely.
One major relief to you parents is that kids do VERY well with coronavirus— they usually bounce back in a few days, no one under 18 has died, and almost no kids have required hospitalization (unless they have a lung disease like CF). Just use pediatric dosing of the same meds.
(As with any medical suggestions, please check with your physician or pharmacist before doing anything outside of your prescribed health plan-Dawn RN)
I know we’re all tired of hearing/talking about it, but one thing I HAVEN’T really seen going around is advice for what happens if you DO get coronavirus (many of us will), only advice for how to try to AVOID it. So as your friendly neighborhood RN, a wee thread:
Things you should *actually* buy ahead of time (Erm, not sure what the obsession with toilet paper is?): Kleenex, Acetaminophen (Tylenol) in 325 mg tablets, Mucinex, Robitussin or DayQuil/NyQuil, whatever your cough medicine of choice is. (Ibuprophen was also to be listed, but there are now some questions about using it while being ill with this virus-better safe than sorry-I removed it on my own-DawnRN Here is the link to an article from WHO regarding Ibuprophen -better safe than sorry especially since we have other meds to reduce fever available) https://news.yahoo.com/avoid-taking-ibuprofen-covid-19-symptoms-202007508.html)
If you don’t have a humidifier, that would also be a good thing to get. (You can also just turn the shower on hot and sit in the bathroom breathing in the steam). Also a good time to make a big batch of your favorite soup to freeze and have on hand.
If you have a history of asthma and you have a prescription inhaler, make sure the one you have isn’t expired and refill it/get a new one if it is.
You basically just want to prepare as though you know you’re going to get a nasty respiratory bug like bronchitis or pneumonia. You just have the foresight to know it’s coming.
For symptom management, use the meds I mentioned. For a fever over 101, alternate Tylenol and (Advil-as stated above, might not be prudent-check with your primary care Doctor or Pharmacist first please) so you’re taking a dose of one or the other every 3 hours. Use both cough suppressants and expectorants (most cough meds have both). Drink a ton, hydrate hydrate. Rest lots.
You should not be leaving your house except to go to the doctor, and if you do, wear a mask (regular is fine, you don’t need an N95). You DO NOT NEED TO GO TO THE ER unless you are having trouble breathing or your fever is very high and unmanaged with meds. **If you are symptomatic and feel the need to go to the ER/ Urgent Care, CALL FIRST! Let them prepare accordingly so as not to have to be quarantined for 2 weeks!!**
90% of healthy adult cases thus far have been managed at home with basic rest/hydration/over-the-counter meds. We don’t want to clog the ERs unless you’re actually in distress. The hospital beds will be used for people who actively need oxygen/breathing treatments/IV fluids.
If you have a pre-existing lung condition (COPD, emphysema, lung cancer) or are on immunosuppressants, now is a great time to talk to your PCP or specialist about what they would like you to do if you get sick. They might have plans to get you admitted and bypass the ER entirely.
One major relief to you parents is that kids do VERY well with coronavirus— they usually bounce back in a few days, no one under 18 has died, and almost no kids have required hospitalization (unless they have a lung disease like CF). Just use pediatric dosing of the same meds.
(As with any medical suggestions, please check with your physician or pharmacist before doing anything outside of your prescribed health plan-Dawn RN)
CDC Immunization Summary - Up to Date and Accurate: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/PREVENTIONWELLNESS/VACCINESIMMUNIZATION/Pages/index.aspx Current Immunization Schedules for Birth-6 yrs., School Age and Adults .
This link has resources for what Youth, Parents & Caregivers and Healthcare Professionals (ALL OF US) can do to help (complete article is also on Mental Health Page): http://www.youthsuicidewarningsigns.org/ It takes a community to lower the rates of suicide-please stay involved!
Current News! Remember, we need sunscreen all year; even in cloudy conditions. Scroll down for the NIH: Cold, Flu, & Allergy Info, Microbes, Sore Throat Article Links
Sunscreen: Valuable & Interesting Info to Save your Skin! http://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/top-sun-safety-tips/
(Here is a small portion of the article-Click on above link for entire article)
My EWG Page (to the left) has much more safety product info
Now put on sunscreen Some sunscreens prevent sunburn but not other types of skin damage. Make sure yours offers broad spectrum protection.
Don’t fall for high SPF labels. Anything higher than SPF 50+ can tempt you to stay in the sun too long. Even if you don’t burn, your skin may be damaged. Stick to SPFs between 15 and 50. Pick a product based on your own skin coloration, time outside, shade and cloud cover. Reapply often.
No insect repellent. If you need bug repellent, buy it separately and apply it first.
(Here is a small portion of the article-Click on above link for entire article)
My EWG Page (to the left) has much more safety product info
Now put on sunscreen Some sunscreens prevent sunburn but not other types of skin damage. Make sure yours offers broad spectrum protection.
Don’t fall for high SPF labels. Anything higher than SPF 50+ can tempt you to stay in the sun too long. Even if you don’t burn, your skin may be damaged. Stick to SPFs between 15 and 50. Pick a product based on your own skin coloration, time outside, shade and cloud cover. Reapply often.
No insect repellent. If you need bug repellent, buy it separately and apply it first.
NIH News in Health Features:Click on the Underlined Titles/links below from NIH:Health Information:search-Allergies webpage:
Cold, Flu, or Allergy?: Know the Difference for Best Treatment You’ve got sniffles, sneezing, and a sore throat. Is it a cold, flu, or allergies? Learn to tell them apart so you can choose the best treatment.
Your Microbes and You: The Good, Bad, and Ugly Trillions of microscopic creatures—like bacteria, fungi and viruses—are living in and on your body right now. We tend to focus on destroying bad microbes. But taking care of good ones may be even more important.
Soothing a Sore Throat: What To Do When Your Throat Hurts Most sore throats are caused by viral infections such as the common cold or the flu. Learn what you can do to soothe a sore throat and when it might be a sign of a more serious infection.
Cold, Flu, or Allergy?: Know the Difference for Best Treatment You’ve got sniffles, sneezing, and a sore throat. Is it a cold, flu, or allergies? Learn to tell them apart so you can choose the best treatment.
Your Microbes and You: The Good, Bad, and Ugly Trillions of microscopic creatures—like bacteria, fungi and viruses—are living in and on your body right now. We tend to focus on destroying bad microbes. But taking care of good ones may be even more important.
Soothing a Sore Throat: What To Do When Your Throat Hurts Most sore throats are caused by viral infections such as the common cold or the flu. Learn what you can do to soothe a sore throat and when it might be a sign of a more serious infection.
Most people with a cold or flu recover on their own without medical care. But check with a health care provider if symptoms last beyond 10 days or if symptoms aren’t relieved by over-the-counter medicines. For more about when to see a doctor, go to CDC's Flu Page: See link below
CDC 2019-2020 Flu Season: What you need to Know and then some more information?
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm
CDC "Tips & Information on Preventing the Flu" https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/ This link provides current information for prevention of getting sick.
