Doctor Shares Advice For Dealing With COVID-19 At Home

December 18, 2020, 6:56 am

Even though we’ve been dealing with the pandemic for a year now, there’s so much everyone doesn’t know about COVID-19 or how to deal with it until they have it. A big part of this is because it can vary so much from person to person, and our collective understanding of the symptoms that arise with this virus has shifted since the beginning.

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And so much emphasis was put on learning how to determine if you might be infected, but not many doctors spoke out publicly regarding how to proceed if you are.

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@VonAnneli, whose Twitter bio says she is an “EM doc, Med Student Clerkship Director, Assistant Residency Director,” is trying to help give people a little piece of mind and share tips for how to handle getting COVID-19 — specifically, how to know if it’s time to pack up your things and get treated at the hospital.

Many of you, your friends and family, now have, or soon will have COVID. You find yourselves at home, feeling terrible, wondering if you need to go to the ER. Here’s the advice I give to family & friends with COVID:

— Ruth Beyoncé Ginsburg, MD (@VonAnneli) December 15, 2020

The first piece of advice she has to give is for anyone confirmed positive for COVID-19 to get a pulse oximeter if possible. Checking your oxygen levels is the best way to know if it’s time to go to the hospital. If they drop below 94%, she says, or 90% if you live at a high altitude, talk to your doctor. A little lower than that, and it’s time to call 911.

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– if O2 in the 80s or lower at rest, go to the ER. Probably call 911 to get there.
– if you are winded, and need to sit to catch your breath after just walking across your home, go to the ER

— Ruth Beyoncé Ginsburg, MD (@VonAnneli) December 15, 2020

While COVID-19 presents differently in everyone, flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, fever, body aches, and even nausea are common. Of course, respiratory symptoms are the most well-known COVID symptom, and @VonAnneli reminds anyone with asthma to be prepared for the extra strain.

4) If, like most of my family, you have ASTHMA, make sure you have an albuterol inhaler with plenty of puffs left. If you need to use it consistently more often than every 3-4 hours, see a doctor.

— Ruth Beyoncé Ginsburg, MD (@VonAnneli) December 15, 2020

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It’s always difficult to eat when you’re sick, and COVID-19 may take away your sense of taste and smell on top of that. @VonAnneli recommends making sure you still get a little food with sugar or salt every day to help stay hydrated — especially if you’re diabetic.

6) If you have diabetes, keep an eye on your sugar. Being sick can make your sugar go high or act wacky, even if you’re not eating much. You may have to carefully adjust your insulin or other medications. You may need your doctor’s help to figure this out.

— Ruth Beyoncé Ginsburg, MD (@VonAnneli) December 15, 2020

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This list of additional ways to recognize that it might be time to go to the hospital is particularly helpful:

(Go to the ER if… cont’d)
– you faint or pass out
– you feel something is really wrong, even if you’re not sure exactly what that is or how to put it in medical-sounding words.

— Ruth Beyoncé Ginsburg, MD (@VonAnneli) December 15, 2020

And, of course, if you have COVID-19, you have to be responsible about it. Stay home and don’t infect anyone. Minimize contact with people who live in your household. Wear a mask.

8.1) If you’re breastfeeding, keep going! Passing baby antibodies through the milk can help baby’s little immune system fight this virus & keep them safe. Wear a mask while breastfeeding, wash your hands before. Or, pump & have someone else give breastmilk in a bottle.

— Ruth Beyoncé Ginsburg, MD (@VonAnneli) December 15, 2020

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8.3) Anyone you live with has exposed, and is likely contagious even if feeling well. They should also self-isolate.

— Ruth Beyoncé Ginsburg, MD (@VonAnneli) December 15, 2020

As she points out, guidelines regarding how long a person with COVID-19 has to stay home have shifted throughout the pandemic. But right now, the best plan is to stay home until you feel better, you’ve been feverless for 24 hours, and you’ve isolated for at least 10 days.

– it’s been at least 10 days since you first got sick
– you are feeling much better
– you haven’t had any fever in the last 24 hours (withOUT taking fever-reducing meds such as tylenol, ibuprofen, or aspirin)

— Ruth Beyoncé Ginsburg, MD (@VonAnneli) December 15, 2020

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With vaccines rolling out, it’s tempting to start relaxing, thinking this is almost over. But the truth is, we don’t know how long it’s going to take to truly get this thing under control, even once everyone who is willing to take the vaccine does so.

Wearing a mask and staying home if you may be sick remain absolutely vital to avoid adding to the 17.3 million people in the United States who’ve been infected with COVID-19 so far this year. And at least now, hopefully, we all have some ideas on how to handle being sick, should it come to that.

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*First Published: December 18, 2020, 6:56 am