COVID-19 -- Avoid people. Get refills.

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lgelb

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For those who missed it, as of Thursday, given the spread of COVID-19 throughout the US, CDC is now recommending that everyone 60+ or otherwise at high risk (which obviously includes P/CALS) basically avoid contact with people outside your home. These are the same precautions that those of us in outbreak states have been practicing for a while now.

Also, the part about ordering up on meds is real. Some states, health plans and pharmacies are waiving usual restrictions on 30-day limits for reimbursement, if/as they exist, so check your sites. Often you may have a 30-day limit for retail and a 90-day limit for mail order, for reimbursement. But if you have an active script covering the next 90 days, you can at worst pay cash to stock up.

A cautionary tale: it took me a week and a half to get a refill (I paid cash for an extra 60 days so I could have a 90 day supply) on what is normally a very common rx drug that pre-pandemic, I would get the next day. This time, even after that 10 days, the pharmacy's supplier had to cobble together tabs from multiple manufacturers. I've got pills in cotton inside a bottle that is too big, because they also ran out of size-specific bottles. Not all drugs are at risk for supply disruption, but some are, and more are likely to be. Also, distributors and wholesalers' staff will get sick, too, along with truck drivers, etc.

So not to be alarming, but REFILL NOW!!! You can get reimbursed for at least a 30-day refill if the bottle you are on is 65-75% gone, depending on your plan. Try your mail order first if you have one. If mail order isn't working, try another one or retail. If you end up paying cash for any reason (usually not much for generics in particular), including that your refill is "too soon," obviously it doesn't matter if the pharmacy is in your network or not.

Re shopping for groceries and household essentials, there is very little you can't buy on line these days. Post here if you need help. Also, Medicare has relaxed requirements for telemedicine visits.

Hoping everyone stays virus-free...
--Laurie
 
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I have a stockpile of all my drugs, thanks to my doctors. At least six months supply. Same with supplements and things like cough drops, OTC meds, etc.

People really are in a panic. Thank goodness for Amazon. I went to three stores today and stocked up. People were coughing and sneezing.

Watch out for predatory pricing.

My next appointment at Mayo isn't until March 30th and I cancelled all other doctors' appointments. I do play cards with a large group of people but that's a risk I'm willing to take given my current health condition.
 
Re the card game, a bottle of hand sani at the door never hurt anyone...yes, there is predatory pricing, but you can still find "normal" prices by Googling and being willing to expand your normal merchant list.
 
I would suggest that hand sani at the door of a card game room is false security and for that reason alone can be harmful.
Most people do not use hand sanitizer correctly and so it may not be terribly effective, but people think because they rubbed a dob into their palms they are squeaky clean.

If someone walks in, rubs a bit on their hands, sits down and then rubs their mouth, and then picks up a handful of cards ...

Sadly it is such a high contact activity with everyone touching the cards and passing them.
 
Any gathering is a risk. There is a family in the New Jersey area ( large Italian American is how they were described). They had a family dinner. 3 are dead. 4 are ill and of those 3 are vented and critical
 
I cancelled all card games two weeks ago. The only thing I do in this building is swim in the outdoor pool when nobody else is in it. That is usually before 11 or after 4. I did have two women over last week but asked them to wash their hands when they got here and when they left. Then I took disinfectant wipes and wiped down all the door handles.

We still don't have test kits in Daytona Beach.
 
I have to admit that I go back and forth between managing the risk from caregivers and wishing it would just take me already.
I hear you . I also struggle with the prospect of isolating myself from my 11yro daughter who is one of the main people in my life that motivates me to stay in this world ...
 
@KimT yes I had seen elsewhere that you had already ceased the card games and I truly applaud you for that hard decision. The isolation this all necessitates has a huge emotional impact as this disease is already so isolating. I know those card games were the main social activity you could participate in with a high degree of enjoyment.

I hope all PALS can find ways to stay in touch with their closest people through technology if you have to limit direct physical contact. It is certainly not the same, but don't make physical isolation total isolation.

Maybe we need to find another game to start up here.
 
I was thinking of starting a new game too. Also you can play board games online with friends real time. lots more than words with friends. Monopoly was mention and several of the newer ones including ( gulp) pandemic!

I was talking on the phone with a very long term friend yesterday. She is disabled and lives far enough away that I rarely see her. she had to set up skype for a medical appointment ( she is not very techy). Now she has it we will skype instead of phone
 
Games: please think of ideas and put them in the “other” section. I’ll start us off with one we’ve played before.
 
Take care everyone! I’ve been thinking so much of friends here and everyone in the ALS Community.

I cannot imagine facing this one as a PALS or CALS. The one year anniversary of my Brian’s passing was filled with Covid news, but at least we did not face that in his lifetime.
Stay home and stay safe.
 
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