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Skiing trip saved me from Covid!

abc

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No, it’s not a joke. Nor some rhetorical statement. This was for real.

Back in February and March of last year, I was seeing a physical therapist for a shoulder issue once a week. Although I knew about the virus in China, like everyone else, I didn’t believe it could be in our mix already. After all, hospitals were already on alert looking out for cases of pneumonia. And they haven’t seen any cases yet... (which we now know it was untrue. The CDC Covid testing kit was faulty!)

1st week of March, Monday, I arrived at the office seeing people standing in groups (haha!) discussing the latest news that “the first” Covid case was discovered in the suburb of the city. And the person was known to come to work in the city daily. Well, that was hitting a bit close to home...

So there’s discussion of whether people ought to be working from home for the time being, just for a couple weeks until “this thing got under control”. But, as I had an appointment with my physical therapist the next day. I went back to the office (near the therapist office) the next morning. I realized most people had opted to work from home. The office was a ghost town. Everyone still in the office were there for one personal reason or another like myself. Clearly, there’s no reason to be coming into the office the next day any more.

I had been planning on taking a week off to go skiing sometime in March. I made an instant decision to not only work from home, but move my “work home” to the mountain of Colorado for the next “couple of weeks”!

At midday, I went to the physical therapist as scheduled. I had another appointment for the following week again. But as I was going away to ski, I cancelled the following week’s appointment.

Still unclear as to how long my working/skiing arrangement would last, I kept all the subsequent appointments. On the other hand, the work from home could potentially last for more than 2 weeks, I decided to drive to Colorado instead flying out to maximize my flexibility.

While out in Colorado, I started hearing the seriousness of the situation back in New York. I called sometime during the 2nd week of March, to cancel all the subsequent appointments starting from 3rd week of March. I was told they’re shutting down the physical therapy facility “as a precaution”.

Unbeknown to the secretary, they were by then all been infected. As they stayed home, one by one, they started getting sick. Then their families...

But I wouldn’t know anything about it till much later.

....................................................................

Fast forward to March 2021.

....................................................................

Having completed my Covid vaccination, I started making appointments to dentist, doctor and physical therapist for all those long delayed treatments. One of them was my physical therapist treating an on-going shoulder issue, when the therapy sessions got abruptly cancelled in March of 2019.

We chitchat while she’s working on my shoulder and back. That’s when she told me she and just about all of the staff in the therapy room got Covid in mid-March of last year. She then brought the virus home and got all of her family sick. :(

She continued with the details: “We heard about the virus in early March. But we were told mask were not necessary. Then in mid-March, I remember it’s 3rd week of March, we shut the place down. But I got sick the day after the office was close. I must have got infected the week before, that would be the 2nd week of March...”

A chill ran down my spine.

I remember distinctly 2nd week of March was the week I left for Colorado.

Had I not made that snap decision to go skiing in Colorado, I would have gone back to the her on that 2nd week of March for my appointment as originally planed. I would have quite likely could have caught it from my therapist (or other staffs) in that same week.

Scary how close I was to have contracted Covid last March. Just 1 week. A week I chose to ski instead.

My decision to skip town to go skiing had saved me from an almost certain Covid infection!
 
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abc

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Yes, about a week's worth. I don't remember too precisely

And a couple days BC and XC after they shut down the lifts.

Then, things started to look really serious and I was afraid I might have trouble finding food and lodging on my drive back east. So I hurried back home.
 
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Domeskier

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Yeah, so much uncertainty in those early days with everything shutting down in NY.
 

2Planker

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I think to date I've had 12 known exposures of Pts that tested positive w/in 24 hous of our appt.

God only knows how many other exposures there have been in the last year...
Thankfully we have excellent PPE - Scrubs, Surgical Gown, Booties and Cap, N95 Mask, Surgical Mask, Protective Eyewear, Face Shield and Gloves. All day, everyday, 20X/day
 
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abc

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Yeah, but back in March of last year, there were no PPE to be found even for nurses working in the Covid ward. So the PT office was really the last on the list for getting any. Worse, they were told it's "not needed"!

In any case, early to mid-March, we wouldn't have worn PPE had it been available. We all thought it's just a Chinese problem (or only starting to be seen in Europe). We didn't realize it's already wide spread amongst us in big numbers.
 

Zermatt

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You haven't been to the doctor for a year due to a fear of Covid? That literally goes against all medical advice. Made since for the first few months but defies all sound logic after that.
 

Killingtime

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Yeah, but back in March of last year, there were no PPE to be found even for nurses working in the Covid ward. So the PT office was really the last on the list for getting any. Worse, they were told it's "not needed"!

In any case, early to mid-March, we wouldn't have worn PPE had it been available. We all thought it's just a Chinese problem (or only starting to be seen in Europe). We didn't realize it's already wide spread amongst us in big numbers.
100%. On the day my office shut down last March I had to go in and grab my computer. Couldn't find PPE anywhere. Travelling into the city I thought my 3M respirator mask was overkill but it's the only thing I could find.
 

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abc

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You haven't been to the doctor for a year due to a fear of Covid? That literally goes against all medical advice. Made since for the first few months but defies all sound logic after that.
I'm alive and healthy. The result speaks for the "soundness" of my logic! (y)

Further more, I don't even know what "medical advice" I have defied. Care to enlighten us all? ;)
 
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jimk

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I'm alive and healthy. The result speaks for the "soundness" of my logic! (y)

Further more, I don't even know what "medical advice" I have defied. Care to enlighten us all? ;)
I've followed the same logic with same results. Although I did have a virtual check-up with my primary physician.

Glad your pursuit of skiing led you down a safe trail.
 
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abc

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I've followed the same logic with same results. Although I did have a virtual check-up with my primary physician.
I've actually had a couple of telemedicine 'visit' with my doctor. Got some prescription re-filled or changed. I'm becoming a big fan of virtual visits. After all, a lot of doctor's visits are just ... TALK! Not having to waste time to physically go to and back from the doctor's office is quite nice!
 

Not Sure

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100%. On the day my office shut down last March I had to go in and grab my computer. Couldn't find PPE anywhere. Travelling into the city I thought my 3M respirator mask was overkill but it's the only thing I could find.
That mask protects you but not anyone else . I have one like it ,the exhaust is not filtered .

I had one known exposure ,I spent 5 hour in an ER with my 90 yr old mom who contracted Covid ( thought she was done) I had one of my last N95 masks that I bought a year earlier from Home depot . She survived with some cognitive issues.
I joke with her that she grew up in a house that had bats in the attic.

I took lots of Cold Eeze tablets before Zinc was recommended .
 

2Planker

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Been wearing an N95 10-12 hours/day, 5 days/week since March of 2020.
PCR Tested every 3-4 days since June 2020. Never +. Treat over 200 Pts/week,
 

drjeff

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Been wearing an N95 10-12 hours/day, 5 days/week since March of 2020.
PCR Tested every 3-4 days since June 2020. Never +. Treat over 200 Pts/week,

Good for you.

Not meaning this as a slight, but as a comparison.

Been wearing a level 3 surgical mask since May of 2020 (I was wearing an N95 the 1st few months of the pandemic), and since late Summer I have been conversing with patients before and after treatment mask free (like I used to pre Covid). Was testing early on, haven't had in in probably close to 18 months now since I havent; felt symptomatic, 35 hrs a week of patient time, seeing probably on average 80 or so patients per week at a distance from their mouths and often aerosol spray of less than 2 feet. Never tested positive and/or felt "sick" even though many of my staff and close family members have tested positive over that timeframe and been symptomatic.

Just saw that the Netherlands today announced that regular testing and/or quarrantining if positive is no longer relevant in their view since it's an endemic situation where with passing time the virulence is showign to be less and less.

Let's all stay healthy!
 

2Planker

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Good for you.

Not meaning this as a slight, but as a comparison.

Been wearing a level 3 surgical mask since May of 2020 (I was wearing an N95 the 1st few months of the pandemic), and since late Summer I have been conversing with patients before and after treatment mask free (like I used to pre Covid). Was testing early on, haven't had in in probably close to 18 months now since I havent; felt symptomatic, 35 hrs a week of patient time, seeing probably on average 80 or so patients per week at a distance from their mouths and often aerosol spray of less than 2 feet. Never tested positive and/or felt "sick" even though many of my staff and close family members have tested positive over that timeframe and been symptomatic.

Just saw that the Netherlands today announced that regular testing and/or quarrantining if positive is no longer relevant in their view since it's an endemic situation where with passing time the virulence is showign to be less and less.

Let's all stay healthy!
We see over 1,200 Pts/day. 2nd largest clinic in US. Not up to us individually. N95 mandated for aerosol producing procedures
 

RH29

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Good for you.

Not meaning this as a slight, but as a comparison.

Been wearing a level 3 surgical mask since May of 2020 (I was wearing an N95 the 1st few months of the pandemic), and since late Summer I have been conversing with patients before and after treatment mask free (like I used to pre Covid). Was testing early on, haven't had in in probably close to 18 months now since I havent; felt symptomatic, 35 hrs a week of patient time, seeing probably on average 80 or so patients per week at a distance from their mouths and often aerosol spray of less than 2 feet. Never tested positive and/or felt "sick" even though many of my staff and close family members have tested positive over that timeframe and been symptomatic.

Just saw that the Netherlands today announced that regular testing and/or quarrantining if positive is no longer relevant in their view since it's an endemic situation where with passing time the virulence is showign to be less and less.

Let's all stay healthy!
Disclaimer: I am not in the medical field, nor do I have knowledge of what sort of patients you work with.

If you're regularly conversing with sick people regularly, why not wear a mask? No need to allow winter colds/RSV/flu to spread. You could be asymptomatic, but a patient might not be. Always wear a mask in my doc's office, and most of the staff still does for exactly this reason.
 

drjeff

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Disclaimer: I am not in the medical field, nor do I have knowledge of what sort of patients you work with.

If you're regularly conversing with sick people regularly, why not wear a mask? No need to allow winter colds/RSV/flu to spread. You could be asymptomatic, but a patient might not be. Always wear a mask in my doc's office, and most of the staff still does for exactly this reason.
Because, I STRONGLY FEEL, there is a great degree of importance in having a face to face conversation, and seeing their smile (and mine) after I just worked on them.

Objectively looking at the data, the virulence of COVID now (and for the vast percentage of society all along) is incredibly low (certain very select folks excluded) so even if one happens to contract it, the odds are incredibly in their favor that they will be fine.

How "bad" COVID is, for the overwhelming majority of society, was so oversold to the public. If one wants to put their own fears and biases aside and OBJECTIVELY look at the data, that is very clear. The psychological harm it has done to so many is inexcusable on so many levels. And unless more and more take a stand against what happened and the fear it still has some living under, we likely have lost a portion of our society and their day to day normal life in a pre Covid sense, and frankly that just isn't an acceptable thing in my mind
 
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