8-27-2021
Wondering how to treat COVID when you’re not hospitalized? Me, too. Here’s what one nurse advised her patient to do.
It actually is good advice for any respiratory illness, and I’m glad it was shared.
HOW TO FIGHT COVID AT HOME
First, you need to understand something important: I’m not a healthcare provider or an expert. Your physician is the one who should determine your care plan.
The instructions below were simply some practical measures you can use to plan your home care for COVID.
Scary stuff: Increasing fever or difficulty breathing during a respiratory illness are reasons to seek treatment.
And please remember: These ideas being shared are not meant to replace the instructions you were given by your health care provider.
I’m not on Facebook, but a friend received this on Facebook last year and sent it to me. While these things alone won’t cure illness, the instructions sure do give you some suggestions to get better.
(For you “skimmers” who don’t read every word, please remember that the post below isn’t from me. It was forwarded to me by someone else. I don’t actually know the person who composed it.)
Here is the message of the Facebook post, exactly as it was forwarded to me:
This was shared on a Covid survivor group…have heard many of these before but it seems helpful:
HOW TO FIGHT COVID AT HOME
No one ever talks about how to fight Covid at home. I came down with Covid in November. I went to the hospital, running a fever of 103, a rapid heart beat, and other common symptoms that come with Covid. While I was there they treated me for the high fever, dehydration and pneumonia.
The doctor sent me home to fight Covid with two prescriptions – Azithromycin 250mg & Dexamethasone 6mg. When the nurse came in to discharge me, I asked her, “What can I do to help fight this at home?”
She said, “Sleep on your stomach at all times with Covid. If you can’t sleep on your stomach because of health issues sleep on your side. Do not lay on your back no matter what because it restricts your lungs and that will allow fluid to set in.
Set your clock every two hours while sleeping on your stomach, then get out of bed and walk for 15-30 min, no matter how tired or weak that you are. Also move your arms around frequently, it helps to open your lungs. Breathe in thru your nose, and out thru your mouth. This will help build up your lungs, plus help get rid of the pneumonia or other fluid you may have.
When sitting in a recliner, sit up straight – do not lay back in the recliner, again this will restrict your lungs. While watching TV – get up and walk during every commercial.
Eat at least 1 – 2 eggs a day, plus bananas, avocado and asparagus. These are good for potassium. Drink Pedialyte, Gatorade Zero, Powerade Zero & Water with Electrolytes to prevent you from becoming dehydrated. Do not drink anything cold – have it at room temperature or warm it up. Water with lemon, and little honey, peppermint tea, apple cider are good suggestions for getting in fluids. No milk products, or pork. Vitamin’s D3, C, B, Zinc, Probiotic One-Day are good ideas. Tylenol for fever. Mucinex, or Mucinex DM for drainage, plus helps the cough. Pepcid helps for cramps in your legs. One baby aspirin everyday can help prevent getting a blood clot, which can occur from low activity.”
Drink a smoothie of blueberries, strawberries, bananas, honey, tea and a spoon or two of peanut butter.
We always hear of how Covid takes lives, but there isn’t a lot of information out there regarding how to fight Covid. I hope this helps you or someone you know, just as it has helped me.
Copy and paste please.
I am grateful to the person who composed that post on home care for COVID.
Interestingly, it may be that many patients are receiving similar instructions, but at the time of discharge are too overwhelmed to hear everything being said.
HOME CARE INSTRUCTIONS FOR COVID
The brief summary is probably these 4 things:
- take in quality nutrition,
- drink plenty of fluids,
- get regular movement and regular rest,
- and pay attention to your symptoms.
How exactly do these things help?
You will be prepared to fight illness and regain your strength as you feed your body with healthy foods.
You will also help to liquify secretions so they can be moved and expelled by your body.
You will prevent the dangers of inactivity — pneumonia, blood clots, etc.
You will be aware of changes that indicate a need for more intensive care.
One thing I would add to the list is hot showers. Standing in a steamy shower and breathing deeply can help you to cough up secretions more effectively. An important detail: Being sick puts you at risk for falls, so be sure another adult is around until you’re safely out of the shower.
Showers, soups, smoothies, and solitude. And a lot of TV reruns.
SUPPLIES FOR HOME CARE
Certainly you need foods and beverages that are easy to prepare. The above recommendations are excellent.
It’s tempting to eat a lot of carbs and sugar, but these don’t help you improve.
Warm chicken broth is amazingly soothing when you’re sick. So is tea — there are so many to choose from.
And here’s a crazy thing: You don’t want coffee or tea? Just warm some water and drink it. You’ll be so surprised to find holding the mug and drinking really do satisfy the ritual, even if it’s not what you usually enjoy in the cup. And we all know drinking water helps to flush toxins from our system. For coughing, warm pineapple juice can calm it down a bit. Or you can try the recipe for homemade pineapple cough syrup.
As you recover, consider smoothies as a way to get in some initial nutrition. Smoothies in a tall cup with a fat straw, or smoothie bowls drizzeled with a little almond butter for protein. If you want smoothie ideas, I’ve got a great post for that.
Additionally you need a reliable thermometer, and you should be monitoring your temperature.
Another item most of us haven’t given a lot of attention to is a pulse oximeter. Did you know you can purchase these? Yeah! They’re not just for hospitals. You place it on your finger, and it measures the amount of oxygen circulating in your blood. Also tells you your pulse. Fascinating.
Let me show you some of these helpful products.
Click here to view the Ninja Blender. Mine is my smoothie BFF. Even when I’m not sick.
Click here to view the Pulse Oximeter. So helpful to know the answer.
Click here to view the Thermometer. Technology is amazing.
If you’re the patient, I hope you recover without a lot of damage.
If you’re the caretaker, I hope this provides some helpful information.
If you have lost someone to COVID, I hope that you find ways to cope with that loss.
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
– Psalm 23:4
And to all who are impacted by the pandemic, I hope you are able to manage your lives with care, making yourselves and the people around you as safe as possible.
COVID Home Care for Neighbors
If you live alone, maybe you should make a plan with someone else to work as a team if one of you gets sick. Maybe that means a phone-call check-in daily, obtaining the supplies needed, or delivering them, or placing an online order for someone who is unable to do so.
If you or someone in your home becomes sick, it is so important to protect the well from the sick. Do your best to isolate, wash hands, and not share objects.
The restrictions are numerous for both the well and the sick during these times. Please don’t let your resentment for the situation cause you to be careless.
Diligence and care may save someone’s life. And that’s nothing to sneeze at.
PLEASE SHARE
Maybe you don’t need this information right now. But remember it when you get the news that someone is sick.
This entire post is shared with great care and love for all —
- those who manage to avoid illness,
- those who suffer illness,
- those who care for illness,
- those who lost someone to illness,
- and those who prevent illness.
The sadness is intense as we approach another season of seeing hospitals, health care workers, and those around us overwhelmed. Could following these instructions keep a person from reaching the point of needing hospitalization? Maybe.
Please remember that this post is supplemental to your care plan, a helpful list of supportive measures that may speed the recovery and lessen the risk. I hope we can honor the original poster’s intention by circulating this in our friend groups.
FINANCIAL CONCERNS
And speaking of supplemental, insurance has become a huge concern for people. If you are without coverage, if your expenses are substantial compared to your income, if you are concerned about expenses or finances related to illness, please do this:
Contact your County Department of Children and Family Services. Your local agency is responsible for serving the citizens of your community. They may have financial assistance for you through government programs set up to assist in these kinds of emergencies. Be prepared to get information on applying online for assistance. Many have done this, and our State Governments have designated funds to cover some of the expenses.
Is there someone in particular you’d like to share this with?
If you want to send it to someone, you can do this:
Take your cursor up to the web address bar at the top (where the name of this website appears). Left click the line of type, and it will turn blue. Then right click it, and you will see a list of action choices. Select “Copy” and you have created a link!
It will actually wait there in your invisible clipboard while you create an e-mail or go into Facebook.
Compose your message, and when you’re to the point you want to share the link, have your cursor where you’d like the link to appear. Right click with your cursor and select “Paste.” The text you copied should appear.
The link will be “clickable” so that when the recipient sees it they can simply click and be taken right to this page.
GET WELL, STAY WELL.
And share good news.
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-Grammye
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