SARS II: Respiratory Boogaloo

I had an MRI a couple years ago. I'm still disappointed I didn't get super powers.

are smallpox shots the ones where they jam a needle in about ten times in a small circular area? I might be thinking of something else.
That said when I went through Air Force basic they had the pneumatic "guns" that were designed (I guess) to save time. Yeah, those never caught on in most medical centers.
When my son was a medic working at Fort Benning basic training some braniac boss got his hands on some guns and thought it would be a great idea to use them.
Granted they are great in theory or maybe on dead test animals or whatever, but on live humans? Not so much. It was a fucking FUBAR bloodbath, just like it was when I went through AF basic.

I've had a few MRI's. They always put me right to sleep for some reason. It might be the soothing frequencies or something, I have no idea.

Happy one year to this thread!

The free market triumphs again!

LOL.

I haven’t even gotten the vaccine yet.

Apparently dentists aren’t considered to be front line health care workers... even though we work directly in people’s mouths!

Hopefully I should be getting my first dose before the end of February.

Not according to my dentist. I’m one of those people that has very bad dental issues and “must be seen” every six months. My appointments are March and October. So, right after the lockdown it was still fresh in my mind, so I asked how they were still open and seeing people. He said the only thing different with covid is that they are spreading out the appointments and not allowing patients in the waiting room. We all sit in the car until it’s time for our appts. He said they’ve always taken the same precautions before covid as after. Now they’re also protecting patients from each other.

I don’t know about the vaccines though, but according to my dentist, they’ve always been and treated as front line health care.

Also, I thought Robocop (?) was the only dentist on here. Are you him? Another username change I missed?

Do you have hairy arms?

Robotech Master. Yes, that was/is my username on TBBS and was my username here from 2003 to 2010.

I had decided that I wasn’t going to post here much anymore and I abandoned that account. But then I changed my mind a few months later and opted to start a new profile.

I was 22 or so when I joined this board.

UK strain has been found in Minnesota in cases dating back to mid-December.

Did my first shift of lateral flow testing this morning. Probably processed about 15-20 tests - we were due 400 in total but 12 of us working at once and there was another 5 hour shift on after mine. PPE was a fucker but got through it OK - kicking back with a scotch now (also had some student issues to deal with that mandate a drink). Only 1 positive test during my shift (not one of the one's I ran) but it came up strong.

is that like a pissing contest?

No, we stick a swab up their nose...

Or were you responding to Tuckerfan?

lateral flow. what the hell are you talking about?

The ones I’ve seen are similar to a pregnancy test. One control line and another line for what you’re testing for.

he's administering pregnancy tests?!!

never mind.

Yep. Person being tested self-swabs (tonsils and nostrils). Places swab in tube provided. Box is sealed and brought to us testers. We add 6 drops of extraction fluid, swirl the swab about in it for 10 seconds, then squeeze the liquid out of the swab and dispose of it. Nozzle goes on tube and we put 2 drops onto one of the lateral flow devices where it moves up the membrane and reacts with the antigen. Check after 20-30 minutes. Two lines = Positive. One line in top position = Negative. One line in bottom position = Invalid test.

Extremely simple compared to what I routinely do in the lab, but it's the PPE and sterile technique that needs the experience.

Matthunter is pregnant? This has to be work of the lizard people.

Friend of mine is recovering from a "mild" case. Started just before New Year's with tightness in his chest. Day or two later, cough and trouble breathing. Doctor said don't go to the ER because you'll have a five-hour wait: go to urgent care. Lungs were clear (mercifully) and he never spiked a fever.

Urgent care gave him two inhalers and taught him breathing exercises to calm the panic attacks. Went home, quarantined, and then the "fun" began. He says his entire body felt as if someone had poured acid on him. Had to sleep sitting up to keep the lungs clear (not that he could sleep anyway, feeling as if he was on fire).

Burning sensation is finally resolving two weeks later, but now he has no sense of taste or smell. Talked on the phone yesterday and he was still short of breath.

Guy is in his early 40s, strong and with no other health problems. He'd been following protocols religiously and still got slammed.

Today my section got an-email from our supervisor saying corporate is upset that too many employees are getting COVID and saying that they could have got it from work.
I guess if we wear our masks and stay six feet apart theoretically it's not possible to get COVID, so they must be getting it from somewhere else.
Man I am looking forward to riding the Forbin express to retirement soon.

If you wear your mask and stay 6 feet apart it is possible to get covid. Just less likely.

On a slightly plus side, I registered/signed my mom up to get her vaccination. Only hope she gets an appointment a lot sooner than later.

Their concern for your well-being is palpable.

Absolutely nobody is saying that.

You can die in a car crash while wearing a seat belt. But it's still a good idea to use one.