Coronavirus and Anxiety

[LSUmiss]

Op

It's a cascade effect...one person reports shortages of toilet paper, etc. and others also start noticing it, or taking some for themselves and it's eventually a self-fulfilling prophecy...of course enhanced by social media, where everyone has immediate access to this news and wanting to make sure they're not also missing out...getting some as well.

I think stores should have made stricter requirements about how many people can purchase already...but seems they're not responding that quicky.

Exactly & OP is even part of that. She said she went to get TP b/c she heard there was a shortage.

 

[LSUmiss]

And people with high blood pressure. That puts you at an elevated risk too.

I wonder why? Diabetics typically are in the group of immunocompromised, but I can’t see what hypertension has to do with anything unless it’s uncontrolled??

 

[lifesavacation]

I wonder why? Diabetics typically are in the group of immunocompromised, but I can’t see what hypertension has to do with anything unless it’s uncontrolled??

I was wondering the same thing.

 

[40ariel]

Just read a family accidentally bought 2000 rolls of TP. They’re prepared. They can make forts out of them.

My kids would love this. A little humour to help with the anxiety is nice...

 

[RamblingMad]

My kids would love this. A little humour to help with the anxiety is nice...

Sometimes you need a little humor.

 

[Tattylou]

I tend to be anxious about certain things. I am not anxious about this though. I feel pretty annoyed by the level this has gotten to actually - it feels like hysteria. I mean take precautions, but I'm not about the world coming to this ridiculous hault.

 

[ronandannette]

A good reason to reduce business taxes and encourage more u.s. manufacturing in our country. It can be done. Most drug ingredients come from China and the biggest reason to move our manufacturing to the usa

I couldn't agree more. I hope this is a major wake-up call regarding off-shoring production of, well, everything. I'm a fastidious label-reader and reject food products from Asia. It's startling to see what all is actually made there; often from meat and produce shipped from here, processed and sold back to us in boxes and cans. It's crazy and yes, 30 years ago all the food we needed was processed in facilities in Canada and/or the States. We MUST do it again.

Sure, high-risk individuals are always going to fare worse during these outbreaks. That’s true of all diseases. Whether I was considered high-risk or low-risk, I’d always choose to contract the disease with a 1% death rate over the one with a 50+% death rate, though.

Have you read or heard anything about whether or not contracting and surviving produces future immunity? Asking because I'm pretty sure you mentioned somewhere you were a medical professional.

 

[ronandannette]

Sometimes you need a little humor.

Those folks will actually get the last laugh when toilet paper becomes a post-apocalyptic form of currency.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Well, as I have posted before I am self quarantining and working from home due to my husband getting home from Italy last night at 10pm. I can work remotely, although I don't like it necessarily for 14 days in a row.

Anyway, yesterday I did go to the grocery store for about two weeks of food and wine. I shop regularly and there are only two of us, so it isn't like I had three over flowing carts. However, at my stores (maybe because it was Monday? - Publix and Whole Foods) were out of common things like ground turkey, some chicken, certain fresh fruits and vegetables. I bit annoying because I could have used some of that stuff. But no big deal in the scheme of things, I guess. I have my wine!

ETA: I am really not anxious. If I get it, I get it. I just hope we can sort through the impacts without completely crashing the world economy long term.

Stores normally replenish stock at the beginning of the week. Can you order online and do curbside pickup?

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Have you read or heard anything about whether or not contracting and surviving produces future immunity? Asking because I'm pretty sure you mentioned somewhere you were a medical professional.

Thanks for asking! While it’s too early to know the answer to your question, this is, in my professional opinion,* the best way to protect yourself.



*I’m definitely not a doctor.

 

[Flight]

BTW--I realize the DIS probably won't set up a Coronavirus sub-forum, but I'd be for it. It seems like every other thread on the Community Board is Coronavirus related. Just seeing the thread titles is annoying.

When I logged just now 50% of the threads on page 1 were Coronavirus related.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I had a panic attack about it a couple days ago. When I read that it was in PA that seemed to tip me over the edge. I've been trying to tell myself that it happened because I've been so stressed at work the last couple weeks, but I don't know. Considering asking my doctor for some xanax just in case.

It's a cascade effect...one person reports shortages of toilet paper, etc. and others also start noticing it, or taking some for themselves and it's eventually a self-fulfilling prophecy...of course enhanced by social media, where everyone has immediate access to this news and wanting to make sure they're not also missing out...getting some as well.

I think stores should have made stricter requirements about how many people can purchase already...but seems they're not responding that quicky.

I was just at Target and they had toilet paper and paper towels still, though both aisles were about 50% depleted. They had signs up on the cleaning products saying they were limiting people's purchases to 2 of each different product. Even with the sign posted, the hand soap aisle was pretty bare. What concerns me is that people apparently weren't using hand soap before? There were plenty of the big refill bottles of soap, but all the little hand soap pump bottles were gone. So these people didn't have any little soap dispensers in their homes to wash their hands with before coronavirus? I don't get it.

 

[goofy4prez]

Beam me up Scottie, there is no intelligent life down here!

 

[hellow]

It's a cascade effect...one person reports shortages of toilet paper, etc. and others also start noticing it, or taking some for themselves and it's eventually a self-fulfilling prophecy...of course enhanced by social media, where everyone has immediate access to this news and wanting to make sure they're not also missing out...getting some as well.

I think stores should have made stricter requirements about how many people can purchase already...but seems they're not responding that quicky.

ABSOLUTELY! Fear begets more fear which begets panic...

 

[Coffee66]

ABSOLUTELY! Fear begets more fear which begets panic...

I know. Frozen pizzas gone from my store... Yikes. Even get this cauliflower crusts...ugg

 

[RamblingMad]

I know. Frozen pizzas gone from my store... Yikes. Even get this cauliflower crusts...ugg

The later is so yummy.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I am in no way prone to anxiety. BUT this whole thing has me doing internal freak out. I have a mother with very compromised immune system and a mother in law who is slowly dying from a heart defect. I don't think either one would be able to live through this virus. I have been in AR with my mom and the nursing home to see what protocols are in place to protect her as this gets more wide spread. I brought her lots of wet wipes to wipe down her and her roommate tv remotes, Ipads, wheelchair handles, phones and anything else they are constantly touching all day. My mom made the comment yesterday that if she gets this virus she probably wouldn't live through it and all I could do is try to reassure her she won't get it and be pissed off that I can't protect her from this.

Gathering is a way of protecting to an extent. And things like water, cleaning products and TP is gathering when there is nothing else to do but wait and feel like the damn plague is coming across the universe.

I can relate to how you’re feeling 100%. My parents are in their 80s. My dad is healthy, but my mom has diabetes, stage 4 kidney failure and congestive heart failure. I Iive across the country from them. I’ve asked my dad to stock up on stuff and stop taking her to church. They are both super involved in their church, so I’m really afraid they won’t stop going until it is too late.

I’m also a school teacher. Some of my students have health issues: cystic fibrosis, asthma, diabetes. My boss is going through cancer treatments and is immunocompromised. My students are watching the news and are talking about Covid -19. They are starting to get anxious. And it hasn’t been addressed. I am frustrated with our school system because all we’ve been told is that they are “monitoring the situation”. There has been no talk at all about any sort of contingency plan. I’m a planner; it’s in my DNA, and it’s how I cope. This is driving me crazy. I’m part of the admin team at my school, and whenever I bring up contingency planning, they all laugh and tell me I’m over reacting. Really??? Harvard just closed, is requiring all their students to move out of the dorms by Sunday, and finish the semester online! I think we need a contingency plan too. Plan for the worst; hope and pray for the best - that’s my mantra.

My son works in a metro area with a growing number of cases. I’ve asked him to be careful - wash hands often, don’t touch his face or germy surfaces, clean his phone and computer and tv remotes often. He tells me I’m being Chicken Little. Maybe now that it’s in his community, he’ll take it a little more seriously. My DH doesn’t want to hear about it at all and gets mad when I mention it. I think it makes him feel worried and helpless. I get that, but planning for it makes me feel better and prepared. Ugh!

My DD is on her college Spring Break in Daytona Beach, FL. I don’t want to bug her with this because it may be the last bit of college fun she has for a while if her university follows the 50 or so schools who’ve decided to go to online classes for the time being. I did give her a lecture on hand washing and not touching her face before she left. She will be so unhappy if her school closes. Her boyfriend is graduating in May, and now I’m worried that his graduation ceremony will be cancelled too.

The other things that have me most on edge are:
the folks who won’t stay isolated after exposure or diagnosis,
that the USA wasted about a month before dealing with/testing for the virus,
the stories from doctors in Italy about having to choose who gets treatment and lives vs who doesn’t get treatment and dies (over 65 or younger with co-morbidities get no treatment because the hospitals are overwhelmed),
that people say it only really adversely affects people over 65 or 80 or whatever (percentage wise, yes, but the largest actual number of dead are 40-60.) I got this info from the link below.
Harvard saw this storm coming and held this pop up with the world’s leading experts.

I am grateful to the OP for starting this thread. It makes me feel better just to get this all off my chest.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Stay off the Covid threads, seriously.

And don't worry, soon we'll all have "covid fatigue" and everyone will stop caring.

I used to come here to avoid real world problems.

 

[Callie]

Didn't you go to the store to buy exactly the same thing you are accusing others of buying? And then you went to other stores looking for the same items? It's the same reason - you need the item, and you need a few weeks' worth of it. People see the stock dwindle, so they make sure they get enough. You were just late.

I think you need to find another reason why your anxiety is flaring up - could it be because you didn't have the products you needed already? When you put the blame of the anxiety on someone else, you're not being pro-active dealing with it, IMO. I have anxiety, panic attacks, and take some meds when needed. I've found that when I look at myself as the starting point of my issues, I find a much better and quicker solution to end the cycle. If I put blame on someone else, I can't do a thing about it. Got to own it first!

My anxiety started as soon as I walked into the store and saw cases of water being thrown into carts and pallets where they aren’t usually located. I also had a slight raised amount from hearing about it all over the news. I didn’t think the store would be completely out. I had a weeks worth left but I needed my usual stock.

I feel like you were blaming me for not stocking up soon enough. I wasn’t following their behavior. I was simply trying to buy toilet paper that I need to function and use. I deal with ibs so it’s very important. I didn’t start hoarding other items they were all bulk buying.

 

[Callie]

Also in the slight back of my head I worry about my family members who are immune compromised.