welcome to the organic green doctor blog

i am a family physician who was diagnosed with
early mild cognitive impairment(mci) amnestic type on december 21, 2010
this is a precursor to alzheimers disease
because of this diagnosis i have opted to stop practicing medicine
this blog will be about my journey with this disease
please feel free to follow me along this path
i will continue blogging on organic gardening, green living,
solar power, rainwater collection, and healthy living
i will blog on these plus other things noted to be interesting

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

organicgreendoctor: day #11 covid 19 quarantine mr hudson update

organicgreendoctor: day #11 covid 19 quarantine mr hudson update: DAY #11 COVID 19 QUARANTINE   MR HUDSON UPDATE today when i got up a couple hours ago i felt better so it seems to be the case every day ...

day #11 covid 19 quarantine mr hudson update

DAY #11 COVID 19 QUARANTINE   MR HUDSON UPDATE

today when i got up a couple hours ago i felt better so it seems to be the case every day
yesterday i seemed to have an almost normal appetite
the appetite still better than it was
i am now off acetaminophen for over 24 hours

i did have one episode of fever although it didnt feel too high that was associated with chills that lasted for a few minutes then went away
it was nothing like the first few days when i would just shake all over in bed from the chills
thats means i lost a day on my getting out of jail quarantine card
that gets moved later the other way one day

my nasal congestion and runny nose is better
i can tell from looking at my daily use of facial tissues to blow my nose
it the runny nose is mostly after i wear my mask
that mask must be one contaminated piece probably the worse contaminated item in my back bedroom

i have been living in this thankfully large bedroom by myself for 11 days
granted a few days i dont remember as well as others
at one point i looked around
man this looks like a homeless encampment
i have trash bags of trash and dirty clothes awaiting removal when my day comes
we may when this is over move out and bomb the place to sterilize it

i put on my mask to go to the bathroom removing it as i reenter the bedroom
my wife she passes food onto a book i have set on the floor
she sits outside the door at meal time with the door mostly closed so we can feel like we are having meal time together
she only uses the toilet and shower in the bathroom
she uses the kitchen to wash her hands etc
i even taught her sterile technique when she unloads our instacart groceries
we arent taking chances

anytime i use the toilet it is wiped or sprayed with lysol
i use my walking stick to flush with

i am no longer using any toilet paper
ill spare you the details
thanks to the survivor website for recommendations

i have the nasal congestion but im better
i have a scratchy throat and hoarseness that doesnt seem worse today
so
im looking at this weekend to use my get out of quarantine card
but
even then i will consider myself contaminated just to be safe and will continue to social isolate myself to protect others for awhile

if i had the covid 19 which i feel i did then i am immune to it and for an unknown period of time will not have to worry about catching it


it seems san francisco may be dodging the peak
why they shut things down early
folks that live there are usually fairly healthy
history will look back favorably on those states and cities like san francisco that shut down early

it seems that washington state may have reached the peak also

history will not look favorably on those states like florida who did not shut down early even though they probably have the most vulnerable population in the united states
history is not going to be kind to that governor

for those who live in the more rural states and states not hit early you are probably lucky that you got to see all that this virus can do and you are doing what needs to be done
dont let up

i noticed more recommendations are being made to wear masks
not the ones that medical folks need just those regular masks or even a bandanna
one it scares people when they see you with it on
in fact if you want people to stay away from you just wear one and do a pretend cough in your elbow
you will definitely get that 10 ft separation real fast sorry 6 ft isnt enough for me
the mask stops you from coughing germs out in a spray
it might help some to keep you from inhaling the virus
if you use a cloth one it needs to be washed frequently to kill any viruses on it
anytime you touch it you need to wash your hands

interesting article i read about a digital thermometer company that lets folks download their readings online
it seems they have been able to predict outbreaks before the cdc has been able to


mr hudson had his kidney transplant delayed like most other kidney transplant folks with live donors because of the covid 19 outbreak
just 3 weeks ago we had his transplant appointment
it was decided it was time to do it as he had reached 22lbs or 10kg
it was scheduled for april 21
his renal function had deteriorated and it was either do dialysis or do the transplant
then
all hell broke lose

the transplant was canceled
the thought was he would probably have to have a dialysis tubing implanted surgically soon and have to start dialysis
thats what we were facing

looking at whats about to happen is los angeles his transplant would have been at the peak of the los angeles covid 19 outbreak
looking back now we realize they made the right decision
as
mr hudsons immune system would have been at the lowest point it will ever be

his bun or blood urea nitrogen at that time was 90
medical folks know thats not good

a repeat bun was done last week
the plan was that if climbed anymore he would have to start dialysis

at the last appointment they recalculated his daily caloric intake
using a mixture of two kidney formulas and a food supplement with carbs and median chain triglycerides given as oral feeds then using his feeding tube at night to get any calories he missed during the day he has been able to maintain his caloric intake
he still eats some so thats just extra calories

he quickly gained weight
he gained a lb and a half real quick
they also are able to limit his protein intake better this way which helps to lower his bun

he seems to feel better
he seems happier and more active

this last lab his bun was 64 and his creatinine was 6.39
these numbers are back to where they were almost 3 months ago

what this means is for now he wont need dialysis
he continues to grow so that is kidney can probably now be placed where they really wanted it instead of the mid abdomen

he redoes labs in one month

now we have to keep him in total isolation

be safe
keep folks 10 ft away
consider wearing a mask  just dont use ones the medical people need
maybe make your own

the organicgreen doctor






Monday, March 30, 2020

organicgreendoctor: update day #10 covid 19 quarantine

organicgreendoctor: update day #10 covid 19 quarantine: UPDATE DAY #10 COVID 19 QUARANTINE 7 days ago was the day i thought i was going to die from covid 19 i always thought i would die from th...

update day #10 covid 19 quarantine

UPDATE DAY #10 COVID 19 QUARANTINE

7 days ago was the day i thought i was going to die from covid 19
i always thought i would die from the complications of alzheimers disease
i wouldnt mind going right before it progresses to the point i dont know whats going on
so
i if got this covid 19 or similar infection at that time then i would like to let that infection do its thing
however
i wasnt ready for that to happen now
that progression of that alzheimers disease is some time in the future not now

however
i thought a week ago thats not the way it was going to happen
i really thought this would progress rapidly to respiratory symptoms that would get worse
i knew then i might not make it
even though
i am 70 but im really a healthy 70
in the garden where i volunteer i have been able to keep up with college students doing manual garden labor

my wife she and i had met with an elder lawyer just 5 days before i got sick
we spent two hours with her preparing all the information she needed to do our final papers
we were given a list of things to finish and resubmit then she would do our final will and papers
to include power of attorneys and health care directives and wishes how we want to be cared for in our final days
basically we were dotting all the is and crossing all the ts so to cover all the things that can happen to you as you get near the end

as i laid in bed i realized it was not all completed and technically was not legal
she had all the things like we wanted then just the final papers werent done yet

i worked on the final stuff while i was sick doing it in bits and pieces hoping at least if things got bad at least how we want things were written to her in emails

i knew legally we were tied to our old texas will and other papers

i thought this could be a mess if i died right now with this not done

today we hope to get all the paperwork to her and we will finalize it soon online

then
i realized my wife she had no idea how our checkbook and finances were done
i knew she would be overwhelmed if she had to take it all over
so
on my deathbed sort of
i took two days when i could to redo our financial stuff thinking how she would have to do it if she is by herself
so i did
i did a lot of consolidation of accounts and streamlining everything like i would like it for her if i died
then
we did several sessions with me sitting on the floor leaning up against the wall with my mask on talking to her while she was on the other side of the door with her mask taking notes
i had sent her a 1 page handout of how it all worked
we did those back and forth in several sessions so she could take over if she had to

this was something i had planned to do anyway so now its done

at the beginning of this illness the way it hit me and just took off i knew enough to know that this is what this virus can do and you really cant stop it
but
somewhere along the line i guess my bodys defenses may be winning the battle

i as of 2am today will be off acetaminophen
i did not have fever and chills yesterday
i have no gi symptoms at all
i was actually hungry last night
i only have nasal congestion and a mild scratchy throat and minimal hoarseness if i talk too much
which i havent been talking right since there no one to talk to except for the door
i think i could probably go 24/7 without sleep but i make myself lay down to nap and sleep
i eventually go to sleep
i may nap less than an hour and only sleep for 5 hours at night then im a wake
i have seen online others complain about this
i would rather have that symptom then the ones i had at the beginning
i do feel better and my wife she notices i seem to feel better

my wife she has nasal congestion and a headache but not really other symptoms now

when its available we both plan to check to see if we have covid 19 immunity

i am researching to get the guidelines for how long to stay quarantined after your symptoms end
i will follow them
my guess it will be this weekend when i get released from this bedroom

even after its ok to unquarantine myself if i go anywhere i will wear my old n95 mask i wore a couple times during the thomas fire and throw away my mask i have been wearing since i got sick
i would love to burn that one
i hope to not go anywhere that i have to be close to other people

friends and family have brought us supplies
we have ordered our groceries via instacart
please if you use then do like we do and tip them like you would a waiter who did a good job
thats at least 20%

we have enough food probably to go close to 3 months now
no we arent hoarding stuff
we generally keep staples around anyway and have things put up from my garden

here is some info
12000 died in the us from the h1n1 in 2009
80% were under 65
old folks over 65 1/3 of them had immunity
thats probably why the h1n1 wasnt as bad as the covid 19

with the covid 19
we may lose 100k+
no one has immunity yet

with the flu last year we lost 34k
70-90% were over 65

the only treatment for covid 19 that has been shown to work
is
to
stay inside

the organicgreen doctor

Sunday, March 29, 2020

organicgreendoctor: day #9 covid 19 quarantine

organicgreendoctor: day #9 covid 19 quarantine: DAY #9 COVID 19 QUARANTINE my phone rang and i didnt recognize the number but something told me to answer it is this a female said my nam...

day #9 covid 19 quarantine

DAY #9 COVID 19 QUARANTINE

my phone rang and i didnt recognize the number but something told me to answer it
is this a female said my name
yes
im from the public health department
i have some questions to ask you
ok i said
where did you get you covid 19 test and when
i told her
what were your symptoms
i told her
excuse me i said my covid 19 test was negative right
yes she said
i thought i wonder if you even know about false negative tests
i also thought if i was negative why are you asking me all these covid 19 questions
addendum here the covid 19 tests initially in china had a false negative rate of 40-70%
as time goes on and the tests are getting better i expect the false negative rate to start to get closer to what we see with the flu tests
how are you doing now she said
i told her
i have fever and chills twice a day
i have improved my appetite
i have developed more nasal congestion
i have a scratchy sorethroat
i have a headache when my acetaminophen wears off
i do though i said feel much better
i went from dying a week ago to the living today
that made her laugh
she said we will be contacting you in a week to see how you are doing
we want to make sure you are quarantining yourself and your wife
i thought but i thought my test was negative
she said there may be a health officer come by to see you next week
thank you i said
glad you are feeling better now
thanks i said i am bye

this morning i was thinking
the tidal wave is about to hit us here the next two-four weeks before it peaks
they arent going to be able to do all this checking on you business

my update
this morning i so far at 6am pst
i feel better
i have no fever or chills yet
i have a slight headache and the scratchy sorethroat
i am extending my acetaminophen dosing to every 8 hours to start tapering off the acetaminophen
i have to be off it before i can use my get out of quarantine card a week later
i have a cough but it hasnt changed
i have nasal congestion that is about the same
i am not nauseated
i have an appetite although its blunted
my biggest concern is if that the uri symptoms i have drops down into my chest
its been like it is now for 3 days
so we wait

when i do get well and am totally symptom free i will write more about where my mind has been over the last 7 days

this is a graph of my steps over the last week
as you look you can see that i have a gradual increase in activity each day
last sunday was my lowest
thats when i thought i was going to die
this step graph correlates with how my symptoms improved
i have added 200 steps to my usual activity in this bedroom by doing standing in place walking

yesterday i clicked on the tv to watch the news and there he was
that cigar chopping general with that cajun accent that took over after katrina
i heard the interviewer ask me
if you were running things for the covid 19 disaster what would you do first
i thought
i would make you take control of it all
he said
the first thing i would do is assign two 2 star generals to each governor of each state to help them deal with this disaster
this is what the military does manage disasters like this

hopefully president trump and his advisers saw him on tv and picked up the phone to call him to say
could you come help us

we would all be better if that happened

as i mentioned the tidal wave of the covid 19 is about to hit us the month of april here
we have to be ready to withstand it so that when this tidal wave recedes we are ok on the other side
if you stay inside and dont let the virus in your door you will not get sick
you do not want to be seeking any healthcare during this tidal wave
for some of you sadly it will be denied
eg i am on the borderline
if they ask me do you have any health issues
no
just high blood pressure but i run marathons

none of us
well maybe i do now if this is the covid 19 infection i have
have any immunity to this disease
we are like the american indians who got infected with small pox and flu and measles when the european settlers arrived

1/3 of us will get the infection with this first wave
80% of us will recover ok
20% of us will get worse
1% of us wont recover

after this wave the next wave shouldnt be worse but still will be a big one
we have to withstand these waves
because
on the other side those infected will probably be immune mostly
there may be a immunization available this time next year
there may be medicines that worked against some of these other outbreaks that helped and might work against the covid 19
probably not the plaquenil or hydroxychloroquine
 these meds that helped other outbreaks will probably be used if it helps on the folks at risk if they get sick and those 20% folks

we will probably be able to test folks to see if they are immune

i know i plan to get tested to see if i developed immunity

remember
if where you live hasnt been hit yet it will be
be ready now
hunker down
in my mind i pretend that a hurricane hit here and we all have to stay inside for a few weeks

be safe

the organicgreen doctor

Saturday, March 28, 2020

organicgreendoctor: day #8 covid 19 quarantine

organicgreendoctor: day #8 covid 19 quarantine: DAY #8 COVID 19 QUARANTINE i told my wife she yesterday you know we need that cigar chomping cajun national guard general who took over af...

day #8 covid 19 quarantine

DAY #8 COVID 19 QUARANTINE

i told my wife she yesterday you know we need that cigar chomping cajun national guard general who took over after katrina to come out of retirement and take over running this covid 19 outbreak

i still have some chills near the time my acetaminophen wears off so i am on regular 6 hour dosing of it
i was again able to have my cup of coffee this morning
i notice when i drink it it makes me sweat a lot
i have hardly any nausea now
i have not had any diarrhea for several days
i felt hungry for supper last night
i still have fatigue but not as bad as in the past days
i dont have body aches
i am sure the acetaminophen is blocking it
i plan to continue the acetaminophen until the chills go away then i will taper it down
i havent had any headache in the last 24 hours
i have more nasal congestion and have a scratchy throat and some mild hoarseness that hasnt worsened in the last 24 hours
i have no shortness of breath or chest discomfort

if i have the covid 19 which i feel like i do despite the not detected covid 19 test i wrote about yesterday then i know that the virus will move from the digestive system to the respiratory system
so im being careful as i monitor myself

so i do feel better
if my respiratory symptoms dont get worse and my fever and chills go away i will stay quarantined at least 7 days after they go away
ill base this on what the cdc and the health systems recommend

my wife she still has a headache and some body aches but not cough or digestive symptoms

yall be safe
stay inside if you can
keep away from other people
be careful of who and what comes through your front door

the organicgreen doctor

Friday, March 27, 2020

organicgreendoctor: day #7 covid 19 quarantine

organicgreendoctor: day #7 covid 19 quarantine: DAY #7 COVID 19 QUARANTINE almost 7 days ago i was happily working in my garden when i noticed some dizziness when i stood up then when i...

day #7 covid 19 quarantine

DAY #7 COVID 19 QUARANTINE

almost 7 days ago i was happily working in my garden when i noticed some dizziness when i stood up
then when i was walking up the garden a few hundred feet i noticed i got short of breath
i begin to feel like i was coming down with something
as i got home and was walking up the stairs to our condo i got short of breath
i showered then my wife she made me a bowl of soup which i only ate half of because of a loss of appetite that had developed

after lunch i did not feel well
i took a nap
i woke up with marked nausea like i was going to vomit
i had several episodes of diarrhea
i began to run fever with chills
as the day progressed my symptoms seemed to get worse
so
i went to the emergency room after talking to the triage nurse
i knew from my reading that this covid 19 can hit suddenly with a vengeance especially if presents first with severe gastrointestinal symptoms
if it starts with the intestinal symptoms then progresses rapidly the prognosis can be bad
especially since i had the shortness of breath earlier
i was also worried about my exposure to mr hudson the two days before

as i wrote before i was seen and had a workup to rule out that this thing was taking off in an aggressive manner
all the tests were negative except i had lowered my sodium and potassium from my episodes of diarrrhea already
note i had just had my annual labs i have done so we knew what my baseline labs were

this is my covid 19 lab result
it doesnt say negative
it says not detected

i know as i wrote yesterday what that means
it means its really negative or it means the swab didnt have enough virus on it or it had changed some or some transport problem had happened

yesterday on our local news a story about a local physician was told
he had the covid 19 infection with the exact symptoms that i had and am having now
it took him over 8 days to recover

if i was in practice and was advising me if i was my patient
this is what i would tell myself
your covid 19 test showed not detected but based on your symptoms you should consider that you have the covid 19 infection and protect yourself and your family
so
thats what im doing

sometime in the future i plan on getting a blood test to test to see if my body developed an antibody to the covid 19
it would tell me that this was definitely covid 19
it also would mean if it was positive i would then be immune to the covid 19 sometime into the future
hopefully those blood tests will be coming to us soon

today at 7am my time i have been up for 3 hours
i have had one episode where my fever went up and i have chills
that seems to happen every morning
i was able to drink again a cup of coffee and nibbled on a few crackers
later i will eat a piece of toast and an egg even though i am not hungry

last night was the first time in 7 days that i didnt just have to force myself to eat
i was able to eat a half bowl of rice with some bean juice on it with crackers on the side
i could have eaten more but didnt want to push it
i had a headache last night even though i was maxed out on acetaminophen but do not have one this morning
i dont have an appetite
i do have a wave of nausea that is associated with my fever spikes

i think knock on wood knock knock that i am slightly better this am
i am almost afraid to have written that
ill see how it goes

my plan is to quarantine myself at least a week after all my symptoms have resolved or unless the cdc and health officials have other recommendations


this video below is of the nba basketball player steph curry interviewing dr anthony fauci
steph is asking the questions that we all would ask dr fauci if we could
steph had his millions of followers submit questions to dr fauci
steph picked the top questions to ask
he asked the ones i would have asked dr fauci

dr anthony fauci is the grey headed guy from the cdc that tells us just the facts and the truth

his answers will answer a lot of the questions you would probably ask him

if you are going to watch a video today i would watch this one

be safe

the organicgreen doctor

Thursday, March 26, 2020

organicgreendoctor: day #6 covid 19 quarantine

organicgreendoctor: day #6 covid 19 quarantine: DAY #6 COVID 19 QUARANTINE today i am still running fever and chills that has waves of nausea associated with it i have zero appetite wh...

day #6 covid 19 quarantine

DAY #6 COVID 19 QUARANTINE

today i am still running fever and chills that has waves of nausea associated with it
i have zero appetite
what i have found if ill just start eating my appetite gets better for awhile at least so i can eat food
i have no headache i think the acetaminophen controls it some
i have some muscle aches in my upper body that i notice when its about time for my acetaminophen
my runny nose persists
i still have a minimal cough that is like my chronic cough ive had for months
i am staying hydrated

a family friend came back from new orleans recently and developed symptoms like mine that started with the gi stuff then progressed to respiratory symptoms
she wasnt tested for covid 19
she described this as the worse she has ever been sick
she stayed at home sick for 3 weeks
she is better now

in a study half of the cases started with gi symptoms then most progressed to eventually have the respiratory symptoms
those symptoms were loss of appetite diarrhea vomiting abdominal pain
so think of covid 19 as the cause if you develop these
you might need to remind your health care provider of this if you have to be seen

yesterday i got a call from the hospital about my covid 19 test
now i had already decided and even told my wife that no matter what the test shows i am sure i have a covid 19 infection

my test she said was negative

well
what does negative mean
it means if you dont have the virus then it usually means you dont have the covid 19 infection
it also may means that if you do have the infection this test may still be negative

if its positive thats accurate you most definitely likely have covid 19

if its negative its about 70-85% accurate which means that 15-30% of the negative tests really have the infection
this is called a false negative test

an example is the wuhan doctor who first raised alarms and died had three covid 19 tests that were negative before he had one that was positive

there are several medical tests that are done that are like that
eg the flu test may be only 50-90% accurate

as i told my daughter in law this yesterday trying to explain it all
if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck its probably a duck

all medical providers understand the limitations of testing when they see patients
there is a thing called clinical judgement

if as a provider you dont keep this in the back of your head you will miss things

so
as far as i am concerned i have the covid 19 infection and will proceed as i am doing now
i am watching for worsening gi symptoms especially diarrhea and vomiting and abdominal pain
that  means it has taken off
i will also be watching for the development of worsening respiratory symptoms
thats when i will return to the emergency room
warning whoever sees me about what i wrote above so they wont ignore my pleas for help

the things that will interfere with the tests are
at the time the swab was done the viral load was too low eg maybe its done too early in the disease
maybe in my case since its mainly gi the levels werent high enough to detect

the virus load goes up and down with the infection

the test tests for certain rna
if the rna has mutated slightly the test will be negative

if the specimen wasnt done correctly

if the specimen wasnt handled correctly

if the reagents to run the test were bad

in summary
if your covid 19 is positive then you probably have it
if your covid 19 is negative then you may not have it
but
a percentage between 10-30 will have it

remember the duck story above

also
my wife she probably has it
she had nasal congestion with a frontal headache worse at night that acetaminophen doesnt make go away
she also has upper body back muscle pain
she also has lost her appetite

if its obvious that she has it from her symptoms we will open up our condo so we arent isolated from each other
we will be quarantined at least 2 weeks if not longer in our condo

i want to hug her and kiss her on the cheek and pat her head since its her birthday

i am glad i am a doctor who has read a lot about this disease so that i understand whats going on with my infection and my wife shes

stay safe
the only way to slow this down is to stay inside
the dangerous folks may be the ones that dont have symptoms yet
if you do go outside do a 10 ft distancing from folks
my advice
dont go outside and be around other people unless its absolutely necessary

finally i communicated with a nurse yesterday that is wearing the same mask now for two weeks
normally you would change it at least every day if not more frequently

look around if you have face masks or gloves or shields for protective gowns from eg contruction left overs or painting or sanding
please donate them to the local medical community

be safe

the organicgreen doctor

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

organicgreendoctor: day #5 covid 19 quarantine

organicgreendoctor: day #5 covid 19 quarantine: DAY #5 COVID 19 QUARANTINE it is interesting when you get this infection your view of everything changes i watch very little news i watc...

day #5 covid 19 quarantine

DAY #5 COVID 19 QUARANTINE

it is interesting when you get this infection your view of everything changes
i watch very little news
i watch the local news at 500 then the national news right after that
i might watch a national news show but ive watched little of that

i want to hear just enough to know whats going on
yes
its scary if you or your friends or your family or neighbors are hi risk
you know what it means if they get this

now young folks 20-45 arent immune
it seems here in california they are making up over 40% of the cases
the hospitalized numbers for them are also higher than expected

when i was in the emergency room this weekend the doctor and a nurse patient from icu who started having symptoms was discussing a young person in the icu whose lungs were real bad
from the conversation it seemed they might not make it
the nurse was screened like i was and was sent home on quarantine

i remember working as an emergency room doctor several years ago during flu season
the emergency room would get overwhelmed by the numbers of sick folks
you were always on the lookout for the ones that were worse than the others
these medical people deserve all our admiration and praise

for those who dont live in areas where its getting bad dont let your guard down as its coming and no matter where you live your hospital and your doctors are going to get overwhelmed

dont stick your head in the sand
yall are a few weeks behind us
just watch what happens to us
thats coming to you

the only thing you can do to help is self quarantine yourself
wash your hands
stay away from people
if you stay at home the only way you will get sick with this is to go outside somewhere or have someone bring it in to you

my wife she and i are on our 5th day of quarantine
today or tomorrow my covid 19 test results should be in
im sure i have it
if its positive i wont change what i do
if its negative i wont change what i do
since the test is only 70% accurate which would mean there is a chance if its negative i really have it
so
i plan to self quarantine in this bedroom away from my wife she using my walking hiking stick to move doors and lift the commode seats etc and wearing my n95 mask anytime i go through the door

i still have some fevers and chills probably not as bad as when this all began
i have a mild headache even though i am on acetaminophen every 6 hours
i have a mild runny nose
i have a small cough that is not worse than my baseline everyday cough i always have
i have nausea
i am anorexic with no appetite but i am making myself eat three times a day
i dont have diarrhea now but i did the first day
i am drinking fluids so that i have to go to the bathroom so i dont dehydrate
i have mild body aches
i feel washed out
i am having no respiratory symptoms but im watching closely for that to occur

so
we are hunkered down just trying to get through this

save a grandparent stay at home

the organicgreen doctor

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

organicgreendoctor: day #4 covid 19 quarantine

organicgreendoctor: day #4 covid 19 quarantine: DAY #4 COVID 19 QUARANTINE the most likely way you will catch this is if you walk out your door 50% of the people you encounter will ei...

day #4 covid 19 quarantine

DAY #4 COVID 19 QUARANTINE

the most likely way you will catch this is if you walk out your door
50% of the people you encounter will either have the infection or will eventually have it
about 1-3 out of 100 will die
the rate jumps much higher to15 out of 100 if you are older or immunocompromised or have heart liver lung or kidney disease
immunocompromised would be old folks transplant patients folks with diseases like rheumatoid arthritis lupus ulcerative colitis crohns disease psoriasis to name a few
folks with asthma and diabetes are high risk

it appears that many of the cases got exposed from folks who have no symptoms

think about this if you walk out the front door of your house
thats how you are going to catch this disease

if your politicians are telling you to not do this then dont listen to them
listen to dr fauci he tells it like it is with no sugar coating
listen to the governors like in washington california new york ohio maryland to name a few
these are the ones i am listening to

if we dont shut down like that did in china and south korea a lot of yall will get this and a lot of yall will die
we need to shut things down
its the only thing that works

an update on me
i am on day #4 of total isolation in my thankfully large bedroom with a tv and computer and nice windows to see the outside
in fact ms b came below our 2nd story window yesterday and sang happy birthday
mr h and mom face timed us also
we got a smile and a pointing at us from him
that made both of us happy

i still have nausea and have zero appetite but i am making myself have food 3 times a day
mostly soup but i did have toast and egg for breakfast
i eat half or less of what i usually do
i am on acetaminophen every 6 hours to keep the fever down
i still run fevers and chills but it seemed less the last 24 hours although i am running fever right now
no like most doctors i dont have a thermometer
i really dont need one i know when its coming
my nose is running but not bad
since i am on the acetaminophen my headache the last 12 hours has gone away
i have no sorethroat
i have no shortness of breath or chest pain
i cough occasionally but its not anymore than i usally do
i have had no diarrhea since saturday
i feel washed out
i dont feel like i am sleepy at all

i have given up on figuring out where i got this i just dont want to spread it to any more people
so far ms b and mr h and mom and dad and my wife she have no symptoms
my wife she is isolated in the rest of the condo
she got 3/4 of our space and i got my 1/4 but im ok with that
she wears her mask if she has to encounter me or if she goes outside to the garage
she wears it also when she talks to family from our upstairs porch
we have to share the bathroom but i only go in there to use the toilet to wash my hands and to get water
we have a double sink so i use one of them
my wife she is using the kitchen

i wear my n95 mask left over from the thomas fire two years ago when i walk out my door to the bathroom and back
i also wear it if i sit and talk to my wife she through the door

i use my old walking stick my brother in law made for me to open and close the bedroom door and to lift the commode seat and flush the toilet so im not touching anything
thanks dr d

yesterday i got the rest of my labs back except for the covid 19 which will be back on wednesday or thursday
the respiratory panel from my nasal swab for about 10 viruses was all negative
it included things like flu a and b and rsv to name a few
they also did a couple of test thats measure things in the body that will be positive if  this infection had worsen on me on saturday and they were negative

if the covid 19 is positive tomorrow i wont change what i am doing
if the covid 19 is negative tomorrow i wont change what i am doing
30% of the tests done on folks with covid 19 are negative
so basically this test only means something if its positive

so i am just waiting since this germ usually gets to the lungs
when it starts affecting your breathing so you are real short of breath then its time to go to the hospital

so again
a reminder
if you stay in your house you may not get this infecton
if you go outside your house you more than likely will

listen to what those people i listed above says
those governors are on the front lines
i can see the fear in their eyes

they are telling us the truth

the organicgreen doctor

Monday, March 23, 2020

organicgreendoctor: my birthday presents

organicgreendoctor: my birthday presents: MY BIRTHDAY PRESENTS by now most of you can recognize what is is the picture covid 19 in two days i will know if i got this for my birt...

my birthday presents

MY BIRTHDAY PRESENTS
Transmission of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) | CDC
by now most of you can recognize what is is the picture
covid 19

in two days i will know if i got this for my birthday present this year

here is my story

about 3 weeks ago i developed a stomach bug that left me with nausea and diarrhea that lasted for 24 hours then i was left with nausea that lasted for several days
eating crackers and drinking a lot of soup
that cleared but i was left with a marked fatigue that lasted for about a week

three days later i had an episode of vertigo that lasted for a day but after that i felt ok for about another 2 weeks

this first week i stay at home mostly in bed
later in the week i went to the garden when i was symptom free

it was about that time that i got more aggressive about isolating myself in general because of the covid 19 outbreak
i washed my hands a lot
i sprayed down the doorknobs on the door at the bottom of our stairs twice a day
i scrubbed down our counter tops in the kitchen and in the bathroom more than once
i left mail and packaging on our porch in the sun for 24 hours before i touched it again
i washed my hands afterwards

i even sprayed the gate lock in the garden coming and going with lysol
i only used my tools in the garden with gloves that i also sprayed before and afterwards

i went to the bank but only used the atm machine

i shopped at the grocery store twice during that time being careful to stay away from folks
i shopped at cvs twice to get supplies and my medications

every time i came in the front door i washed my hands real well on arrival

during that 3 week time period i had a runny nose and sometimes watery eyes
this i have had for several weeks with cold weather and working in the garden making it worse

i also have had a mild cough that has been present for over a year now
it was evaluated and felt to be a habit cough

two weeks ago i felt fine
i went with hudson to his transplant appointment at cedars sinai
i worked with the kids in the garden

last week on monday we traveled to a lawyers office to do some legal paperwork
we only encountered 3 people in the office
we all stayed 10 feet away from each other
i used the ethanol gel three times while i was there

since that monday i self quarantined myself except for helping babysit hudson for two days this week

on saturday i felt fine and went to my garden to garden as i had tomatoes and peppers and beans to plant in the garden
as i entered the garden i sprayed the lock with lysol spray then walked down to my garden plot
i sprayed my work gloves and my garden tools with the lysol

when i left i went to the sink washed my hands with soap and water then with some ethanol gel

as i was planting my tomatoes i noticed i started to feel bad
i felt weak
i had some chills
i felt a little nauseated
i felt short of breath when i was walking

so i left spraying down the lock real well as i left

when i got home i removed my clothes and showered then ate some soup
then
i had diarrhea
the nausea got worse
i got fever and chills
i got a headache
i coughed some but not any more than i usually do
i had a runny nose

as the day went on i got worse and worse

by nighttime i was having shakes when my fever went up

i decided after talking with the emergency room nurse about my symptoms and about my grandson awaiting a transplant about being seen and getting tested

i arrived with my wife she but she had to stay outside
they took me to a tent that looked like it belonged with a mash unit
oh i had a n95 mask left over from the fires that were around here
i wore the mask as i left the house

my temp was low at 96 my blood pressure was elevated my pulse rate was 100 my oxygen saturation was 98%

they did a chest xray and blood work that was all normal
they did a respiratory panel for the various viruses that can cause these symptoms like the flu and rsv
this panel should be back today

and yes they did the covid 19 test
the results on that will be back in 2-3 days

so i went home to wait
i have fever and chills and rigors although since i am on acetaminophen regularly those have lessened quite a bit
i have a headache that lessens with the acetaminophen but is still there
the diarrhea is gone
the nausea is till present in fact i didnt really eat anything for 24 hours until last night
i actually feel like an egg and toast this morning i might even try some coffee maybe
my runny nose has not gotten worse
my cough hasnt got worse
i feel washed out
the first night i couldnt sleep at all i felt like i had drank a pot of coffee
my blood pressure and pulse has returned to normal
i occasionally feel like i have a fever but it quickly goes away

i think i have the covid 19
stomach upset is not common but it can happen
it usually means the covid 19 can get more aggressive

the test is what i call 70% accurate
30% of the time when its negative you really have it
usually the exposure is 1-14 days before symptoms start

so here on the start of day three i wait
i have quarantined to my bedroom
we live in a 1 bedroom i bath condo that is over 1000 square feet
this is where i will live for at least the next 2 weeks
if i go to the bathroom i wear my mask since my wife and i share the bathroom
we have two sinks
she has moved most of what she needs out of there
she is also quarantined for two weeks
we text back and forth and talk through the door

so as i write this i feel a little washed out
i do occasionally get a wave of nausea and fever
but i do feel better
so my sister in law sent this picture of her birthday cake
i showed it to my wife
this is the cake i want for my birthday
it is iron skillet cornbread

i hope all of you are taking this covid 19 serious
i was being more careful that most of you and i still may have got it

the only thing that seems to help slow down the disease in our world is if all of us follow the rules and recommendations of our medical and political folks

the organicgreen doctor

Friday, March 20, 2020

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-i plan to become a crotchety old m...

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-i plan to become a crotchety old m...: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-I PLAN TO BECOME A CROTCHETY OLD MAN i tend to be a pleasant laid back person i dont want to be a grumpy old guy when i c...

alzheimers news-i plan to become a crotchety old man

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-I PLAN TO BECOME A CROTCHETY OLD MAN
Image result for organicgreendoctor
i tend to be a pleasant laid back person
i dont want to be a grumpy old guy when i continue to age

now
however
i have changed my mind

i want to be as grumpy as i can be
like that old lady in the laugh in show who would hit anyone over the head with her purse if they sat down beside her on the bench
i always said to myself im never going to be like that when i age

i had an elderly relative that none of her younger relatives like to be around her
she was always complaining about us being noisy getting into things etc
i thought
when i get old i dont care what those grandkids do im not going to be like that

now mr hudson and ms b i want to personally apologize now today for how crumpy i will become over the next few weeks and months

this week i read this research
hopefully when my grandkids read it later in life when they can read
they will understand

in this article linked here i read about the research from the university of geneva that said that cranky old people for some reason are better able to fend off alzheimers disease

they found that after looking at brain scans and at cognitive testing over several years that certain personality traits protected old folks from neurodegeneration or brain cells dying
these included old folks who were less agreeable had a natural curiosity and who had less conformism
these grumpy old folks fared better when it came to areas of the brain that usually lose brain volume in old age and in alzheimers disease
ie their brains didnt shrink as much

basically
the meaner you are as you age the better

man am i going to be hard to live with the rest of my life

the organicgreen doctor

Thursday, March 19, 2020

organicgreendoctor: washing your hands in the covid 19 era

organicgreendoctor: washing your hands in the covid 19 era: WASHING YOUR HANDS IN THE COVID 19 ERA 20 seconds thats the magic time when i took latin in the 9th grade we had to learn to sing this son...

washing your hands in the covid 19 era

WASHING YOUR HANDS IN THE COVID 19 ERA
20 seconds thats the magic time
when i took latin in the 9th grade we had to learn to sing this song in latin
all the verses

here are the words in latin of the first verse
if you wash your hands and slowly sing this song
it takes exactly 20 seconds

Mica, mica, parva stella
Miror quanam sis tam bella
Super terra in caelo
Alba gemma splendido.
Mica, mica, parva stella
Miror quanam sis tam bella.

so when i wash my hands i slowly sing this song
if i pace myself it lasts 20 seconds
or
i will slowly say my abcs twice

sometimes when ms b is singing this song in english
i will start singing it in latin
she just stops and looks at me funny like
say what

now i took latin and it boded me well through my medical career especially
in memorizing all those body parts in anatomy
it also helped me eg when i was reading a spanish angiogram report one time from central america
i was able to decipher it from my knowledge i learned of latin in the 9th grade

oh by the way
the songs name
twinkle twinkle little star

this week i was in a business bathroom to wash my hands
i walked up to the sink
the automatic water spout squirted out a set amount of water onto my hands
then
the soap dispenser squirted a set amount of soap onto my hands

i then stood there for twenty seconds washing my hands with the soap
singing the above song for 20 seconds
then
i put my hands back under the faucet to rinse them off

i got to thinking when i was singing that song
i wonder how much water we are wasting if we wash our hands and leave the water running

then i dried off my hands
and
as i started out the door this guy came out of the stall sort of looking at me real funny
like
what kind of weird song is that
in fact
he actually went back into the stall until i left the bathroom

when i got home that day
i put our pyrex measuring cup in the sink
i wet my hands with the water
turned off the water
then
soaped them for 20 seconds singing of course
then
i rinsed off my hands
i used 1 cup of water

then
i left the water running as i washed my hands for 20 seconds
singing that song of course
i then rinsed my hands
i used over 4 cups maybe 4 1/2 cups of water

so turning off the water like i did the first time while i scrubbed my hands
saved 3 cups of water each time
if i washed my hands 10 times a day
thats 30 cups of water i saved
thats about 2 gallons of water saved

now multiple that by all the millions of folks who are washing their hands multiple times a day now
thats a lot of water

so
be sure and turn your water off when you wash your hands then turn it on just enough to rinse off the soap

we cant afford to have a shortage of water on top of all our other shortages thats about to happen

ok
i made up the story about the guy in the bathroom
but the rest of it was true

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: covid 19 effect on the exponential curve

organicgreendoctor: covid 19 effect on the exponential curve: COVID 19 EFFECT ON THE EXPONENTIAL CURVE for those who dont understand exponential growth here is a simplified explanation lets say yo...

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

covid 19 effect on the exponential curve

COVID 19 EFFECT ON THE EXPONENTIAL CURVE
for those who dont understand exponential growth
here is a simplified explanation

lets say you have someone with the covid 19 infection
then every 5 days the cases double
here is what it would look like
note i rounded it off some
1
2
4
8
16
32
64
128
256
512
1024
2048
4096
8000
16000
32000
64000
128000
256000
512000
1,000,000+

thats what just happened in italy and china

we should be listening to the folks in italy if we want to know what it could be like
if all of us dont take this real real real real serious

with one case you could in a few weeks end up with
1 million folks infected
thats just one case to start all this now
1%+ will die
that would be 10,000 folks
of those 800,000 will not get bad sick
of those 200,000 will get a lot sicker
for every 1000 folks over 80 who get this 150 of them will die
for every 1000 folks in my age range who get this 80 will die

in italy doctors have been faced with does a 85 year old grandmother get the ventilator or does the 40 year old mother get the ventilator
the 40 year old mother gets the ventilator
the 85 year old grandmother is left to die

those are the decisions that are being made right now in italy

if it gets this bad here our doctors will have to make the same decisions
like
doctors have to make on the battlefields

if you can do anything like isolate yourself wash your hands etc to prevent some of those early numbers above you can greatly alter the exponential curve that you read about

lets all take this serious
real real real real serious

i hope all the predictions are wrong
but i dont think so

we cant afford not to do what we can now to slow this down
no matter what it takes

the organicgreen doctor

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

organicgreendoctor: our covid 19 quarantine update and mr hudson updat...

organicgreendoctor: our covid 19 quarantine update and mr hudson updat...: OUR COVID 19 QUARANTINE UPDATE AND MR HUDSON UPDATE what we are doing my wife she and i to quarantine ourselves is what we were going to do...

our covid 19 quarantine update and mr hudson update

OUR COVID 19 QUARANTINE UPDATE AND MR HUDSON UPDATE
what we are doing my wife she and i to quarantine ourselves is what we were going to do anyway
it started after mr hudsons transplant appointment
i came home and told my wife she
its time
we cant get sick and if we do we cant be around mr hudson
starting today and lasting well way off into the future as he will always be immunosuppressed just not as much as he will be for a few months after his transplant
so
even without this covid 19 pandemic
we would be self quarantining ourselves for weeks to months anyway

in regards to mr hudson as an update
we probably have a plane and pilot to fly the donor
its been worked on to make that happen
thanks to all that gave us suggestions

now mr hudson is in a waiting game
if the covid 19 intensifies around here so the hospitals get overwhelmed
his transplant will be delayed

why
if he gets transplanted they give him strong immune suppressing drugs that make him highly susceptible to infections
it puts him in the hi risk category with his great grandmother and those with chronic diseases like heart lung kidney diseases like rheumatoid arthritis  ulcerative colitis diabetes crohns lupus asthma cancer  just to name a few diseases
so
if its delayed he will have to start peritoneal dialysis until his transplant happens
thats a good thing and a bad thing

bad is
he has to start dialysis which is a life changer for parents
its also better to not have to do dialysis as it just makes things safer if you dont have to do it
its another surgery he could have avoided

the good is if there is a good
if his transplant is delayed it will allow him to grow larger and will make it possible to do the transplant into the part of his belly they really want the new kidney to be placed which is actually better for him as he gets older

so
as i told his parents at least mr hudson has an option
many in his situation dont
they would have to be transplanted and probably be exposed to the covid 19 infection in the hospital
if you arent sick being in a hospital over the next few weeks or months may be the worst place to be

so we wait

here is the link to his
a kidney for hudson facebook page
a kidney for hudson cota page

so after the transplant appointment last week i came home to access what staples we had
we have quarts of dried christmas lima beans and several half bags of dried beans
we have a bag of pasta and a bag of rice and a loaf of bread and chips and cookies
we have in our freezer frozen soups and other meals and some green beans and some tomatoes and some bell peppers and jalapenos and some frozen meals
we have toilet paper for awhile and just one roll of paper towels
ok i remember using the sear catalog at my grandparents outhouse so i will admit im starting to stockpile the local throwaway newspapers
we have plenty of soaps and detergents
i needed a bag of coffee

i then went to my garden to see what i had growing
i thought well eat this stuff first then go after the staples
i harvested this bucket of stuff for a big pot of greens
green onions amaryth collards kale cabbage leaves spinach swiss chard
these i plan to chop up today and cook for a pot of greens which we will eat for a few meals
plus it allows me an excuse to have corn bread

i then harvested salad stuff for salads which we eat at  most meals anyway
different lettuces kale swiss chard baby cabbage leaves green onions calendula flowers borage flowers amaryth kale lots of sweet peas
we also had in the garden a few spare oranges to pick

i then came home and opened the refrigerator and picked stuff out of their for refrigerator stew
a bag of my frozen green beans a can of tomatoes a couple of larger green onions some garlic a potato some old mushrooms i picked out the good ones some left over celery some left over chopped up broccoli and cauliflower some jalapenos some bell peppers
this was all thrown together with seasonings and veggie broth to make this stew

i now have over a couple of week of food for meals from my garden and my refrigerator

the next thing i did was go to the store
cvs for hand sanitizer since we had none and none was found

ralphs to get some staples and some food not found at trader joes like my coffee i like
i arrived at 630am like i usually do with my list
i knew it was not good when the parking lot was full and most of the buggies were gone
i found a buggy
grabbed my coffee and some drink mix turned to go down the frozen aisle to get my veggie burgers
there were none in fact little was left and i ran into this long long line of folks extending from this one checkout lane
i thought im done ill just go to self check out with my two items i even left my buggy in the aisle
when i got to the self check all 6 were closed i took a deep breath and laid my coffee down on the counter and left

i went to trader joes at 8am like i usually do
in the parking lot was a line that was about 50 people long
usually there are only about 5-10 folks
i just kept driving to my garden and did my harvesting

later at 1030am i returned to trader joes to do my shopping
most of what i wanted was there
there were not any canned beans or canned tomatoes or broths or soups that i always keep stored at least two of each
there were no pasta
i always buy my wife she blueberries two bags at a time
when i looked at the freezer there were only two bags left
i thought to myself im not going to hoard even though i usually get two bags
i left one there for someone else to take
that made me feel good

i refuse to do the hoarding like ive seen others do
we all have to get through this together
there is enough supplies for everyone
i hope the stores start putting strict rules on hoarding

when i got home i reassessed where we are
we have enough food for a month or two
we got tp to last us for that time period
i found some coffee
we need sanitizer
we have plenty of hand soap though

i plan to shop each week with a list like i always do
why dont all of you do the same

man i sure wish i lived at the country n now

the organicgreen doctor

Monday, March 16, 2020

organicgreendoctor: a poem for mr hudson

organicgreendoctor: a poem for mr hudson: A POEM FOR MR HUDSON Hi, my name is Hudson. You know, like the river. Or this old actor guy, only my grandparents remember. I am ...

a poem for mr hudson

A POEM FOR MR HUDSON
Hi, my name is Hudson.

You know, like the river. Or this old actor guy, only my grandparents remember.

I am almost 2 years old.

And I have a problem.

Yeah, not even 2 and I have a problem already.

But maybe you can help me with it.

And people tell me helping makes everyone feel better.

You see, when I was in my mom’s belly getting ready for earth, my plumbing got messed up.

These things called kidneys — a pretty silly name if you ask me.

Most humans have two of them, but mine don’t work right.

Something called Chronic Kidney Disease.

And if they don’t work right, I won’t get to . . . well, I don’t want to think of the things I won’t get to do,
because everyone tells me you can’t live at all without kidneys.

That’s the bad news.

But the good news is I found someone to give me one of theirs.

Pretty cool.

They say I can run — and do a lot of other things — with just one.

That person is my hero.

So, why this story?

How can you help me if I already have a new kidney?

Well, kidneys aren’t cheap.

Way more than bicycles and balls and ice creams.

And you need kidneys your whole life.

And people with plumbing like mine, need to go to the doctor a lot.

And get poked and tested and plugged in and a bunch of other stuff, our whole lives.

And those things are what costs way more than ice cream.

And they don’t even come in flavors!

But if I can put up with those appointments and pokings and tests, I will be able to taste ice cream
for as long as people with normal kidneys do.

I think it will be
worth it.

Don’t you?

What’s your favorite flavor?
Oh yeah, I’m supposed to be asking you for help not your favorite ice cream flavor.

Sorry.

I have this big piggy bank that I am gonna need to keep filling up my whole life so I can pay for
all that doctor stuff.
And that’s where I need your help.

My piggy bank is called COTA and you can donate there.

You can also share my story with friends of yours. You know, social media, messages, phone calls,
and ways they haven’t even made up yet.

You can share my story so they can help me keep COTA full. 

Tell them I’ll be shaking that piggy bank my whole life because of them.

And tell them I will be smiling.

And riding a bike and licking an ice cream cone.

Because of them.

And I hope they think that will be worth it.

Don’t you?

Love,
Hudson

we asked an author and writer and friend to write this for hudson to post here and also to link to
hudsons facebook page and his cota page
thank you john sb for this poem for hudson

The Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy children and young adults. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free to our families, and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Sample Image
here is hudsons facebook page
a kidney for hudson

we have hit two major road bumps for hudson
the transplant center is delaying all live kidney transplants because of the covid 19
his is not delayed yet but likely will be
we will know within two weeks if thats the case

what does that mean for hudson if he is delayed
well
he is now at the point where he either gets transplanted or he has to start dialysis
this will require a surgery to place the tubing in his abdomen so he can start all night peritoneal dialysis
the family will have to learn how to do the dialysis before he can come back home
he will do dialysis until he gets transplanted
things are better overall long term if you dont have to do dialysis

so we wait

another bump
his live kidney donor lives on the east coast
we and everyone involved are worried about her health and being able to get her safely flown to the west coast for the donation
this is especially worrisome if they close down airline flights into california
so
we are trying to locate a private jet service that will fly her safely here from her home on the east coast
if you know if any possible organization or business that would help please go to
hudsons facebook page and contact the family

all those of us who are around hudson are self quarantining ourselves to protect him

the childrens organ transplant association or cota looks at a familys financial situation and health insurance coverage and the age of the patient and tries to calculate future needs that mr hudson can access into the future when its needed
when you look at some of the kids on the list you will see a big difference in what each family needs

any donation will be helpful

whatever you religious beliefs please direct those prayers and chants and energy and thoughts towards hudsons situation

the organicgreen doctor