Told Tonight There are ZERO Tests Here. Fever Climbing Above 102

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can so many people not see the importance of tracking this disease? Even if you don’t care at all about people’s health, the economy is getting destroyed. Having information would help manage this at least somewhat competently. You guys are nuts.

+1

It’s becoming clearer and clearer to me how we’ve ended up here....

NP. everyone cares about tests! but it is clearly something that won't be happening in weeks, and will never reach korea's level. you can focus on that OR you can focus on what can be done.

[Anonymous]

Why do you all think that other countries are testing everyone? They’re not. European countries are only testing elderly and high risk. Younger healthy people don’t get tested. They just assume they have it and stay home until they neee medical treatment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again: To that same PP—more than that, let’s say it’s NOT coronavirus. That’s one less person clogging up the works treating a presumed case.

You would not be treated any differently as a presumed case vs. an unknown case, because there is nothing to do with the information, and providers should already be wearing PPE if there is someone coughing with a fever.

OP, I get it. I'm six months out from my own open heart surgery, and I have severe asthma. I'm high risk myself. Other than allowing or not allowing me to see patients, my care would not change if I were tested and it came back positive. It's not helpful for treatment. If there were no test, the difference would be that I would be quarantined longer and unable to see patients, even if I felt better.

I am so sorry you are dealing with this.

This is important to OP or others who want to be tested. It's important for research but it's also important for that person.

Yes, but it will not affect the medical outcome, and that appears to be at the center of the question here. Not "I don't want to quarantine because it will be extremely disruptive," but what medicine or food will help? Will it mean not taking up treatment that will go to someone else?

No. If someone gets worse, we can hopefully help them ride it out, but nothing changes the course of this illness -- yet -- other than supportive care if and when it becomes needed. That is really, really important to understand, because we are at the beginning rise of a wave that is going to have a lot of people in OP's position, which is dreadful. Absolutely dreadful.

Yes, we need to know the spread of the disease. No, knowing that at this point in time won't help the care of any individual patient. We are short on tests, and short on medical providers, and you are going to hear this conversation over and over and over in the next weeks and months. Italy has shown us what is likely ahead.

And that is why people should be sheltering in place. Now, not a week from now, and not just waiting until it is mandated where you are. For whatever reason, and it matters little right at this moment exactly why, just the fact of it -- we are not ready.

[Anonymous]

Having just a regular flu test should be better than nothing, if OP wants some information?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do you all think that other countries are testing everyone? They’re not. European countries are only testing elderly and high risk. Younger healthy people don’t get tested. They just assume they have it and stay home until they neee medical treatment.

+1 Only Korea has been able to roll out testing for all with no restrictions. They have a unique system in place for fast test production and drive through test deployment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In Hubei province the Chinese realized that they needed fever clinics -- hospitals just for people who had fever and were presumed positive for COVID where they could wait and not infect their families. This was a place for people who weren't sick enough to need a hospital but could be cared for and transferred to the hospital if need be.

Do we have that kind of hospital or clinic set up for our patients? If we are all just sent home to watch and wait... we are mostly going to infect the rest of our families aren't we?

We are setting up a fever clinic at the hospital where I work. I am far out west.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you to those who posted kind responses. I didn’t post because I don’t know what the basic treatments are. I didn’t post because I’m somehow unaware that many people treat at home.

I posted because I actually think it’s really important that we track this disease, yet we can’t. I actually think it’s important to know who has this and who doesn’t. People who have this disease will get missed, and yes, treatment might matter for some of them.

I posted because I actually think it’s important that people who don’t hav the disease might get treated while others wait for help. We won’t have any idea where the disease is peaking or surging or waning or anything.

I posted because I actually think it’s important to know whether the disease is rising, falling, peaking, spreading, or anything—yet we will just keep closing everything, putting tons and tons of people out of jobs. Students out of schools and access to food in some cases. We will totally wreck what is left of our economy without any idea what we’re doing.

Whether our complete inability to track this disease matters for my treatment or those in my family isn’t the key point (although the need for total quarantine, or the need for oxygen assistance, especially for someone who is the primary caregiver for that family member with Type 1 diabetes I mentioned, and who is the primary caregiver for kids, is not irrelevant in my mind). The point is you cannot get a test. You cannot make decisions about quarantine even inside your own home; you simply must quarantine, despite that you have no one else to help with your family because you decided last week that the responsible thing to do was pay people who help you but not ask them not to come in to work right now. You cannot contribute to the understanding of this disease. And if it would affect treatment, well, that’s gone too.

Of course I’m stuck here posting. I cannot get tested, and I’ve quarantined myself. I will be calling the press, but honestly, as the title of my post tried to convey, I posted because I wanted to let people know that there might be another case, but also that we literally cannot find out. Good night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our 80 year old neighbor was also told today at Fairfax Inova that there were NO tests available in Fairfax right now.

What the Ever Loving Hell?

For how many weeks have we been told:

"A million tests are coming.... middle of next week"???

aren't you supposed to be able to get tested at LabCorps now or something?

Isn't Google doing some kind of testing quiz that will tell you where to get tests?

Do you need to fly to Ohio to get a test?

Ever go to Fairfax Inova? Waiting room is always jammed with people, mostly from south of our border.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having just a regular flu test should be better than nothing, if OP wants some information?

Flu swab, and RSV (new strain seems to be going around, looks like flu) and rapid strep antigen, given 102 F in an adult, which is unusual. Odds are most likely flu -- which has an early window to treat and mitigate negative outcomes, because you can slow or halt replication of the influenza virus.

Also a good, thorough physical exam to look for signs of appendicitis, pneumonia, or other causes of high fever in an adult. There is much we can do. We just can't do much different if we have a positive COVID-19 test, at least not yet.

[Anonymous]

the drama. You don’t even know what you have. Go to bed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having just a regular flu test should be better than nothing, if OP wants some information?

It would pretty much defeat the whole purpose of sheltering in place if Op goes out and about trying to find someone who can test her for this.

She should stay at home and only go to the ER if she needs emergency assistance. In fact, Op will probably fare better and recover more quickly if she curls up in bed, rests and takes care of herself.

Hope you feel better soon, Op!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What would you do differently?

Figure out a way to move to Canada before this started. (Actually, any country with decent health care infrastructure would do.) Too late now...

If you believe this, go to the US or UK thread. UK is trying a herd immunity, aka cull the herd, strategy. Canada has been extremely sluggish but has just now picked up the pace since Trudeau's wife got infected.

NO European country has handled this well. We are much better off in the US. At least we have ICU beds.

Yes, I know this isn't saying much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having just a regular flu test should be better than nothing, if OP wants some information?

Flu swab, and RSV (new strain seems to be going around, looks like flu) and rapid strep antigen, given 102 F in an adult, which is unusual. Odds are most likely flu -- which has an early window to treat and mitigate negative outcomes, because you can slow or halt replication of the influenza virus.

Also a good, thorough physical exam to look for signs of appendicitis, pneumonia, or other causes of high fever in an adult. There is much we can do. We just can't do much different if we have a positive COVID-19 test, at least not yet.

Good information about RSV (bolded). That's what started my daughter's asthma as a baby. I think that's what my friend had - he tested negative for everything including COVID-19

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What would you do differently?

Figure out a way to move to Canada before this started. (Actually, any country with decent health care infrastructure would do.) Too late now...

If you believe this, go to the US or UK thread. UK is trying a herd immunity, aka cull the herd, strategy. Canada has been extremely sluggish but has just now picked up the pace since Trudeau's wife got infected.

NO European country has handled this well. We are much better off in the US. At least we have ICU beds.

Yes, I know this isn't saying much.

Nah, they've now tightened the criteria for tests.

Testing everyone may be possible for some Asian countries (although I have some thoughts about that), but not elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Best wishes, OP.

I know how to treat a dangerously low O2 level (keep and admit to put on oxygen), or an infiltrate on chest x-ray (if it looks bacterial, give empiric antibiotics and grab a sputum culture if it comes), or someone who is delirious.

I don't know a treatment for this. I wish I did, and you were just not able to get access to it, because that might be fixed if enough of a storm is raised. But other than that --?

Fingers crossed for rapid progress for actual treatments for the virus and for a speedy and effective vaccine.