Breathing Easier

Dr. Google once again came to my rescue. The physician's assistant I saw last week asked if I had shortness of breath and I said no--because it wasn't any worse with my cold. And my oxygen was 96, which looks like the low end of normal. But I was short of breath with any exertion.

Dr. Google said to take iron if you wanted more oxygen. I doubled up on my iron pills and voila--it's better. This in spite of a normal iron test a few months ago. Between that and the antibiotics, I felt well enough today to make pizza and put up some hangers in the garage. I even thought that I'd pack the pizza to work for lunch, but I'm still coughing a little and have to stay home until I've been symptom free for three days. At least, I think so. That was what a nurse said when I didn't know whether I had COVID.

Indiana has had a mixed bag of COVID rates--several counties have not had any deaths; Decatur County (where I had my test) has one of the highest death rates in the US. However, we might have already seen peak hospitalizations here. We are joining Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Colorado, Tennessee, Alaska and Montana in lifting some restrictions. Elective medical procedures (that is, non-emergency) will be allowed--that includes services of doctors, dentists and veterinarians.

Opinions among the general public here, like everywhere else, are divided on when to reopen. Protestors marched outside the governor's house; doomers on Twitter told him we need to stay locked down through May. Maybe that's a good thing. People will start venturing out when they feel they can without undue risk. If we reopen earlier, people won't all go out at once, so maybe it will help us avoid that dreaded second wave. Oddly, doomers seem to think that they have to go out as soon as restrictions are lifted. Nonsense--they're free to stay home. They may be called back to work, but I haven't heard any of them complain that their employer isn't doing enough for their safety. (Medical professionals lacking PPE never left work.) I have a relative in Ohio whose employer isn't having office workers return until June, regardless of any earlier lifting of state restrictions.

I haven't decided whether it's better for me to try to be exposed this summer, when any illness is more likely to be mild, or avoid it altogether since I'm prone to respiratory illnesses.

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