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:
The course of illness is unpredictable and super variable. You might have minor sniffles for 2 days. You may feel like hot garbage for a week. You may get really, really sick. You’ll probably, hopefully, be fine.
Get a pulse oximeter (~$25 bucks) if you can. Check it a couple times a day as long as you’re feeling ill.
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if O2 level >94% at rest and with walking/talking, you’re good.
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if >94% at rest but drops into low 90s or hi 80s with walking, talk to ur doctor ASAP.
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if O2 in the 80s or lower at rest, go to the ER. Probably call 911 to get there.
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if you are winded, and need to sit to catch your breath after just walking across your home, go to the ER
Rest. Hydrate. Ibuprofen and tylenol as needed for aches, pains, fever. Some people get a lot of tummy upset - nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Pedialyte, broth, or homemade oral rehydration solution can help. rehydrate.org/solutions/home…
Imodium can help alleviate diarrhea.
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.
You may not feel like eating, that’s ok. Getting a little bit of sugar and salt in a few times a day - from crackers, broth, ramen, gatorade, chicken soup - can help you feel a bit better and keep you better hydrated (by helping your body absorb water.)
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.
If you’re feeling sick and scared it can be hard to know when to go to the ER. Here’s when I would tell you to definitely go:
- low oxygen levels as above
- feeling super short of breath
- serious chest pain
- puking your guts out, can’t keep anything down
- 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.
Don’t spread the disease! Stay home, stay away from other people as much as possible. Wear a mask in your home when you’re in a room with others. Wash your hands well and often. Don’t share food, drinks. Sanitize commonly touched surfaces in your house.
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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.
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Minimize close contact (kisses, snuggle time) with your family, including kids and babies. This is probably the hardest direction to follow. But minimizing their degree of exposure is valuable.
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Anyone you live with has exposed, and is likely contagious even if feeling well. They should also self-isolate.
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When can you stop isolating? Guidance here has several times since COVID started. Best advice right now is that you can return to life outside the home when you meet all 3 of the following criteria:
- 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)
When you are ready to go back to work/life outside the home, continue to practice good hygiene habits: wear masks, keep your distance from others, wash your hands frequently. And get vaccinated if/when you can!
Hope that helps! Did I miss anything? Common concerns or issues to address for the average COVID Connie at home?
Great point from @drdoglover that if you live at high altitude your normal O2 sat is lower, and you should use ~90% as your threshold for concern, rather than 94
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So glad so many people found this helpful! I’m no longer able to keep up with replying to all the comments and messages. Wishing you all health and safety! __