Drug deliveries (and a plea for hope) through COVID-19

I’ve never been so happy to see drugs in all my life! Sam’s Club Pharmacy (one of the best pharmacies I’ve ever dealt with, for two decades and counting now, even in different locations with different pharmacists) delivers now. I also know CVS is doing the same. Check with your pharmacy if you need this service.

On the table from my most recent “drug deal,” still in my decontamination zone:

Xyzal (or levocetrizine), an antihistamine);

Zyflo (previously not covered by my insurance, and with a $600 price tag per month, which makes this an $1,800 delivery for that one alone) for asthma;

Prednisone 🤮 (Satan’s TicTac’s, a necessary evil);

Nasal sprays (one anti-histamine spray and one for post nasal drip to try to avoid sinus infections becoming respiratory infections); and most coveted right now…

Xopenex (levalbuterol) because Albuterol is in short supply as it is being used for Covid patients, but would be catastrophic to many people like me if I didn’t have it, so I’m grateful that albuterol stopped working for me years ago, and I was moved to levalbuterol (xopenex), which is just a slightly different formulation from albuterol, but enough that it works for people in a different way and people who can’t use albuterol for some reason can often tolerate Xopenex.

I’m almost thankful for everything that has happened in the last few years, because as much as of a nightmare as it’s been, it has caused me to be prepared for this nightmare we are experiencing in ways I never could’ve imagined being prepared. All the way down to having changed to an unusual drug just at the right time when many asthma sufferers are about to go through hell and die…. because they can’t get their inhalers… because there aren’t any left or they’re being saved for Covid patients.

If you depend on albuterol, refill it immediately if you can, because you may not be able to do so when you need to. However, if you do OK without it, or one inhaler lasts you a long time, please don’t TP the inhalers!

(I know of one mom of two boys who already passed from asthma during all of this. Wasn’t even a personal friend, but it still broke my heart because someone I care about was very close to her and her family, including her kid who was best friends with one of her kids, has been devastated by it. And it happens to be someone who does an astronomically big dose of good in the world, and carries a lot of grief and hard emotions for other people. The last person I would have wished grief like this on.)

Don’t play around. Don’t take chances. If you are feeling ill, get tested. If you are struggling to breathe, go to the hospital. Don’t shrug it off. As one doctor connected to me said, this is a very unfair and undiscriminating virus. There is no rhyme or reason as to who does well and who doesn’t. The mom who passed was young and healthy, but an elderly friend with many underlying issues survived a 7 day hospital stay. I’m grateful my friend survived. But it just goes to show there is absolutely no telling who this will become catastrophic for. Fill your meds. Take care of your health. Try to avoid situations that cause asthma, that exacerbate hypertension, nip it in the bud if you have early signs of an infection.

And do all of the things. It’s not a joke. It’s not funny. It’s not political. If you play this game like politics, you may as well be going to a casino with the chances you are taking. Or going to your governor or senator for them to administer medical treatment when you get sick. Definitely don’t go to your doctor, if you’ve been slapping your doctor in the face by saying, “Let’s open the world,” with every true medical expert saying that doing so it’s going to create exactly what we avoided, ultimately overcrowding the hospitals where physicians and hospital staff are already depleted and struggling, physically, emotionally, psychologically, and every other way possible. Still without enough PPE. I have witnessed it myself, I have seen other people witness it, and I have delivered some of my own supplies to help. The medical community is struggling in ways you couldn’t even imagine.

• Social distance. And for the love of all things holy, don’t post pictures of yourself out in public without a mask. Many people are losing all respect for you, many who will never tell you so directly.
• Wash your hands excessively. For a minimum of 20 seconds. Look up the correct way to wash them, the same way doctors wash theirs. (i’ve also been told by people in the medical community that people are always shocked in medical school when they learn how much bacteria remains on their hands when they don’t wash correctly or for the right amount of time. Trust that without this medical school “hands on” lesson, your results are the same. Use soap that foams.
• Use sanitizer if you can get some, when you can’t wash your hands. But wash your hands when it’s available as an option.
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow.
• Stay home if you can. Do the best you can if you can’t.
• If you have disinfectant, use it. Often. Decontaminate your mail and packages. Especially prescriptions that have been touched by pharmacists who have had contact with a lot of sick people. It seems ridiculous, but do it. Even with all of these measures, I got sick.

The information is out there. Everyone has heard the information. It’s your choice whether you protect yourself or not. It SHOULD not be your choice whether you risk other peoples lives, but unfortunately, it is.

If you are one of these people, please know that I have zero respect for you, and more sadly, I have ABSOLUTELY ZERO trust in you to care about me, and don’t believe your “thoughts and prayers” for one minute when I post that I might have the virus. Because your actions show otherwise.

Even if I care about you. I do not respect you. I do not trust you. And I don’t really even care about your thoughts and prayers. Sometimes the truth hurts, and unfortunately, the world has created a situation where my filter has been removed.

For those of you following all of the recommendations, and most especially if you are not even in a high-risk category and are still doing it, know that I see you! I have cried watching you learn to sew a mask, or even rigging one out of whatever you have in a sincere effort, teaching your children to sneeze into their arms, teaching your children to wear a mask, social distancing and staying home…. because it shows you care about others more than yourself. It is unselfish and the greatest act of love I have ever seen. This too, must be shared and acknowledged. ♥️

Stay safe, people! 🙏🏽🌎🙏🏽