8 ms·

I have had a fever for a week and difficulty breathing. I have asked my doctor about getting tested for Covid19 and they have declined to test me because I don

I have had a fever for a week and difficulty breathing. I have asked my doctor about getting tested for Covid19 and they have declined to test me because I don't meet the critical criteria: age > 60, around large groups of people, etc. I run in circles with someone that returned from Italy and has been confirmed to have Covid19. I'm assuming I have it. The fever isn't so bad for me but there have been a few times where I thought I would die from not being able to breath. There is only one thing I did that helped with the breathing but it fits in the old wife's tales category so I wont post it here since I don't want to be mocked for it. We used to the same thing 10 years ago to get my Mother-in-law off the ventilator when they told us she would never get off. Today is day 6 since the fever started and the fever is gone today, still feeling weak.

adonese 7y ago
I'm really grateful you're getting better. I had a very strong flu two years ago, it was the toughest flu (or any diseases) i ever had. I fall apart and lost conscious three times, the cough was very strong that i wouldn't be able to breathe for a few seconds. It was really terrifying experience, and from what i read it is quite simialr to covid-19 symptoms. For the throat issue, we use hibiscus (hot) with ginger. It really helps a lot to relief the pain and ease your breathing.
smoyer 7y ago
Some of the old-wives tales were descriptions of things that worked just like a lot of the herbal medicines. We didn't know why they worked so I agree it's hard to call them science. It's also possible it worked for you due to placebo effects, but you describe having a sample size of two! I hope we don't mock people for stating anecdotal evidence. I have seen mocking for statements that clearly contradict evidence (cough-cough flat-earth cough) or when people clearly have confused anecdotal evidence with fact. I'm curious now what you meant ... maybe it would work for others and if it falls into the category of "can't hurt", why not share it. NOTE: the coughing above is not a self-diagnosis on my part.
- klodolph 7y ago
  > We didn't know why they worked so I agree it's hard to call them science. Science doesn't always tell us why something works, but it may tell us "whether". The theory of whether something works is much easier to understand and test than the theory of why or how. It may not be rigorous science with good experimental design, that's all.
  - e12e 7y ago
    One could argue that science is about falsifying hypothesis - and terby narrowing in on not just if something works, but how. But an important part of that process is trying to determine if something works or not. I'd say doing that well is difficult without at least some theory and hypothesis of how - because of the need to determine significant factors. To take a silly example, you could take a group of diarrhea patients and serve some copious amounts of green tea, and another group a limited amount of water; you'd probably observere severe dehydration in the group that is served water. But it does not follow that green tea is better than water for treating diarrhea - sufficient hydration is.
    - klodolph 7y ago
      What you've described with green tee and water is science, it's just that your conclusions aren't well supported by the evidence. > One could argue that science is about falsifying hypothesis - and terby narrowing in on not just if something works, but how. To clarify, are YOU arguing that? Because if you're not arguing that, if you're just playing devil's advocate, then I'm unhappy with the way the conversation is going. Testing "how" is not a requirement for science. There's been a lot of work on the philosophy of science over the past few centuries which I'm not going to try and summarize here (tl;dr: the idea of "falsifiability" is a bit outdated), but I'm going to copy and paste the first sentence of Wikipedia: > Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. There's no requirement in science that we understand a mechanism of action.
      - 7y ago
rendall 7y ago
I would appreciate the advice about the old wives tale, even if I don't after all use it. I promise to upvote every supportive comment and downvote every mocking comment!
- Bootvis 7y ago
  A good strategy in any situation!
- benrrio 7y ago
  Here it is: https://www.amazon.com/Zijainternational-SuperMix-Moringa-Oliefera-Supplement/dp/B07D53TF3T/ https://www.amazon.com/Zijainternational-SuperMix-Moringa-Ol... We forgot about it until I was gasping for air and then my wife remembered and we had some laying around. I could breath again in about 20 minutes. My chest and lungs still hurt until today.
  - rhexs 7y ago
    An 85$ "detox" supplement with a herbal ingredient that doesn't seem to have any controlled studies. Hmm. Edit - While I greatly appreciate the downvotes folks, this is not the correct time to start ingesting random "potions" (as a previously deleted comment wonderfully called them) you're sourcing from Amazon of all places. Goodness.
    - bfieidhbrjr 7y ago
      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3023118/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3023118/
      - rhexs 7y ago
        "An open label, noncomparative clinical study" from the Indian Journal of Pharmacology isn't doing much to disprove my point.
        7y ago
throwewey 7y ago
> We used to the same thing 10 years ago to get my Mother-in-law off the ventilator when they told us she would never get off. What if this info helps someone in need?
yamrzou 7y ago
I'm also curious about the old-wives tale, you are not claiming it's a scientific fact and if it worked for you, it might work for others. There is no reason someone mocks you about it, they will be downvoted as it's against HN guidelines.
thawaway1837 7y ago
Old wives tales can often be helpful. At the very least, they will probably be good at soothing symptoms. The key is to (a) avoid stuff that could be dangerous (eating exotic stuff that may be potentially poisonous), (b) don’t use it as a replacement for actual proven treatments and what your doctor recommends. The old wives tales I occasionally follow are stuff like having a ginger turmeric tea, something that would probably sell for $7/cup if a coffee shop put it on their menu.
- uxp100 7y ago
  Nah, I only pay $4.50 for a oat milk turmeric ginger latte. But they are pretty tasty and non caffeinated.
styrmis 7y ago
There can be wisdom in old wive’s tales or otherwise home remedies. As someone who knows very little about such things in relation to helping with breathing I would also be interested to hear what worked anecdotally for you. Glad to hear that your Mother-in-law managed to get off the ventilator despite the odds.
AznHisoka 7y ago
“ There is only one thing I did that helped with the breathing but it fits in the old wife's tales category so I wont post it here since I don't want to be mocked for it. ” Hearing this makes me both mad and sad that you think it will get you downvoted. And who cares if it gets you downvoted? Hearing personal health experiences is extremely valuable. It’s what I missed the most about the internet these days with most conversations moving away from forums and message boards.
pfdietz 7y ago
Watch out for cardiac symptoms. Some individuals who have been weaned off ventilators are suddenly dying from heart failure, probably from direct viral attack on the heart, and I don't see why someone with somewhat milder symptoms should be immune.
mekster 7y ago
> they have declined to test me because I don't meet the critical criteria: age > 60 What kind of nonsense rule is that? They're intentionally breaking the statistics. Which country is this, if you don't mind saying?
- TomMarius 7y ago
  That's the reality my country as well, the czech republic
- reverend_gonzo 7y ago
  This is definitely happening all over the US. The reason the counts are so low is the CDC refuses to test anyone.
  - ekianjo 7y ago
    Not just in the US. In most countries tests are extremely limited so they screen out massively.
    - tonfa 7y ago
      Yes, I think CH and FR do that, they ask to self quarantine if you have symptoms. Italy was actually testing everyone afaik.
      - ekianjo 7y ago
        Japan does virtually no tests at all for example. On the other hand South Korea is a lot more into testing everyone.
  - jml78 7y ago
    And it takes 3-5 days for CDC results to come back. My whole family is in isolation due to potential exposure while we wait to find out if the sick person has cov-19.
    - 7y ago
sjcsjc 7y ago
>>>so I wont post it here since I don't want to be mocked for it. Please tell us. Mockery on here is of no consequence. Oh, and thanks for posting and good luck.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
mkbkn 7y ago
Did Pranayam or deep breathing help?
alexilliamson 7y ago
I've never seen so many people begging for anecdotal information on HN. Seems like we are both surprised by that!
biotechiscool 7y ago
Tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine? Old wives tales usually have some science behind them that hasn’t been tested yet. No one is saying they have the magic cure-all. I make a mixture of turmeric, horseradish, ginger, garlic, habanero, hot onion, and apple cider vinegar. Chop finely or blend and let steep and ferment for as long as you want. Doesn’t go bad. I take shots of it when sick. Actually really good to put in stir fry and stews too. All of those ingredients have proven health benefits. Doesn’t replace antibiotics or medical treatment but can’t hurt. I’ve noticed it reduces the time I’m sick.
- e12e 7y ago
  Hm, vinegar for preservation does sound like a good idea. I assume it's better for killing anaerob bacteria than eg oil? (anything that grows in the earth + oil + cool and dark storage - has a potential for growing Clostridium botulinum which can be lethal). Hm, indeed. I stopped making garlic oil at home, looks like I should invest in some vinegar... https://www.thespruceeats.com/removing-risk-of-botulism-from-canning-1327437 https://www.thespruceeats.com/removing-risk-of-botulism-from...
- chongli 7y ago
  Last time I tried apple cider vinegar the pH was so low it gave me a chemical burn in the back of my throat. It definitely can hurt, so be careful with that stuff.
  - filleduchaos 7y ago
    ...are you drinking apple cider vinegar neat from the bottle??
    - duggable 7y ago
      Lol, this. Put a tablespoon in a full cup of water.
- whotheffknows 7y ago
  On this note about old wives tales, I'm a woman. I've tried every medicine, multiple birth controls, diets, workout and stretch routines to help with period cramps and pain, and I get to try a method and then take what I think helps and adapt for a better test every month until I run out of eggs and here is the bottom line for me at 30 having optimised alot. Yes drinking water, stretching/really being flexible and fit helps and at the very least needs to start a few days before... Salmon avocado, iron like steak help with body recovery. Epsom salt baths help with the cramps as a natural muscle relaxant so does ibuprofen... It's actually ginger juice, that makes 90% of the pain go away. I bought a $99 breville juicer 8 years ago and lasted me as long. Just got a new one. Three days before I juice ginger with other things Maybe apple, celery, lemon to help it go down. Every time I go to the store to get it the cashier's comment they have never seen anyone buy so much ginger in their life, and if it's a woman I tell them my secret. I buy pounds of it and drink probably a quarter gallon the week before. If you are a woman or have a loved one who suffers from severe period pain, this does amazing things. That being said, have no idea about respiratory stuff. An actual Coronavirus story: I did hear the scientists looking into this said bodies are overreacting into respiratory failure, so maybe it is like many others illnesses potentially about suppressing an extreme over reactionaey autoimmune response. Someone in my industry got it. 45yr old smoker had to be induced into a coma to avoid acute respiratory failure a couple of weeks ago, after being diagnosed with Coronavirus. I think the public needs to stress more vulnerable smokers are regardless of age to Coronavirus. Smoking is much more common in China and Italy.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
wyck 7y ago
Your old wife's tale might safe someones life at best and at worse do nothing, no reason to not say it, no one is going to mock you.
- rv-de 7y ago
  This "community" can be quite toxic and is easily triggered by anything "anecdotal". Typical coping strategy is doing penance as an introduction to it, like "I'm probably going to be down voted for this". This sort of preemptive obedience seems to have a mildly soothing effect on a mob of nerds. On the other hand ... Why would anybody care about HN karma. Having said that, I'm also curious and promise I'll upvote him for it. No matter how superstitious it might be.
Symbiote 7y ago
> there have been a few times where I thought I would die from not being able to breath That easily justifies calling an ambulance, even in the present circumstances. (At least according to the current advice in the UK and Denmark.)
snissn 7y ago
Say the thing
- generalpass 7y ago
  My bet is that heated lemon-honey concoction gramma made.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
taylodl 7y ago
Please share what you did. You can preface it with it's an old wife's tale but you have anecdotal evidence of its working. This information could be invaluable to others. Anyone mocking you at that point is an asshole.

adonese 7y ago

I'm really grateful you're getting better. I had a very strong flu two years ago, it was the toughest flu (or any diseases) i ever had. I fall apart and lost conscious three times, the cough was very strong that i wouldn't be able to breathe for a few seconds. It was really terrifying experience, and from what i read it is quite simialr to covid-19 symptoms. For the throat issue, we use hibiscus (hot) with ginger. It really helps a lot to relief the pain and ease your breathing.

smoyer 7y ago

Some of the old-wives tales were descriptions of things that worked just like a lot of the herbal medicines. We didn't know why they worked so I agree it's hard to call them science. It's also possible it worked for you due to placebo effects, but you describe having a sample size of two! I hope we don't mock people for stating anecdotal evidence. I have seen mocking for statements that clearly contradict evidence (cough-cough flat-earth cough) or when people clearly have confused anecdotal evidence with fact. I'm curious now what you meant ... maybe it would work for others and if it falls into the category of "can't hurt", why not share it. NOTE: the coughing above is not a self-diagnosis on my part.

klodolph 7y ago
> We didn't know why they worked so I agree it's hard to call them science. Science doesn't always tell us why something works, but it may tell us "whether". The theory of whether something works is much easier to understand and test than the theory of why or how. It may not be rigorous science with good experimental design, that's all.
- e12e 7y ago
  One could argue that science is about falsifying hypothesis - and terby narrowing in on not just if something works, but how. But an important part of that process is trying to determine if something works or not. I'd say doing that well is difficult without at least some theory and hypothesis of how - because of the need to determine significant factors. To take a silly example, you could take a group of diarrhea patients and serve some copious amounts of green tea, and another group a limited amount of water; you'd probably observere severe dehydration in the group that is served water. But it does not follow that green tea is better than water for treating diarrhea - sufficient hydration is.
  - klodolph 7y ago
    What you've described with green tee and water is science, it's just that your conclusions aren't well supported by the evidence. > One could argue that science is about falsifying hypothesis - and terby narrowing in on not just if something works, but how. To clarify, are YOU arguing that? Because if you're not arguing that, if you're just playing devil's advocate, then I'm unhappy with the way the conversation is going. Testing "how" is not a requirement for science. There's been a lot of work on the philosophy of science over the past few centuries which I'm not going to try and summarize here (tl;dr: the idea of "falsifiability" is a bit outdated), but I'm going to copy and paste the first sentence of Wikipedia: > Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. There's no requirement in science that we understand a mechanism of action.
    - 7y ago

rendall 7y ago

I would appreciate the advice about the old wives tale, even if I don't after all use it. I promise to upvote every supportive comment and downvote every mocking comment!

Bootvis 7y ago
A good strategy in any situation!
benrrio 7y ago
Here it is: https://www.amazon.com/Zijainternational-SuperMix-Moringa-Oliefera-Supplement/dp/B07D53TF3T/ https://www.amazon.com/Zijainternational-SuperMix-Moringa-Ol... We forgot about it until I was gasping for air and then my wife remembered and we had some laying around. I could breath again in about 20 minutes. My chest and lungs still hurt until today.
- rhexs 7y ago
  An 85$ "detox" supplement with a herbal ingredient that doesn't seem to have any controlled studies. Hmm. Edit - While I greatly appreciate the downvotes folks, this is not the correct time to start ingesting random "potions" (as a previously deleted comment wonderfully called them) you're sourcing from Amazon of all places. Goodness.
  - bfieidhbrjr 7y ago
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3023118/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3023118/
    - rhexs 7y ago
      "An open label, noncomparative clinical study" from the Indian Journal of Pharmacology isn't doing much to disprove my point.
      - 7y ago

throwewey 7y ago

> We used to the same thing 10 years ago to get my Mother-in-law off the ventilator when they told us she would never get off. What if this info helps someone in need?

yamrzou 7y ago

I'm also curious about the old-wives tale, you are not claiming it's a scientific fact and if it worked for you, it might work for others. There is no reason someone mocks you about it, they will be downvoted as it's against HN guidelines.

thawaway1837 7y ago

Old wives tales can often be helpful. At the very least, they will probably be good at soothing symptoms. The key is to (a) avoid stuff that could be dangerous (eating exotic stuff that may be potentially poisonous), (b) don’t use it as a replacement for actual proven treatments and what your doctor recommends. The old wives tales I occasionally follow are stuff like having a ginger turmeric tea, something that would probably sell for $7/cup if a coffee shop put it on their menu.

uxp100 7y ago
Nah, I only pay $4.50 for a oat milk turmeric ginger latte. But they are pretty tasty and non caffeinated.

styrmis 7y ago

There can be wisdom in old wive’s tales or otherwise home remedies. As someone who knows very little about such things in relation to helping with breathing I would also be interested to hear what worked anecdotally for you. Glad to hear that your Mother-in-law managed to get off the ventilator despite the odds.

AznHisoka 7y ago

“ There is only one thing I did that helped with the breathing but it fits in the old wife's tales category so I wont post it here since I don't want to be mocked for it. ” Hearing this makes me both mad and sad that you think it will get you downvoted. And who cares if it gets you downvoted? Hearing personal health experiences is extremely valuable. It’s what I missed the most about the internet these days with most conversations moving away from forums and message boards.

pfdietz 7y ago

Watch out for cardiac symptoms. Some individuals who have been weaned off ventilators are suddenly dying from heart failure, probably from direct viral attack on the heart, and I don't see why someone with somewhat milder symptoms should be immune.

mekster 7y ago

> they have declined to test me because I don't meet the critical criteria: age > 60 What kind of nonsense rule is that? They're intentionally breaking the statistics. Which country is this, if you don't mind saying?

TomMarius 7y ago
That's the reality my country as well, the czech republic
reverend_gonzo 7y ago
This is definitely happening all over the US. The reason the counts are so low is the CDC refuses to test anyone.
- ekianjo 7y ago
  Not just in the US. In most countries tests are extremely limited so they screen out massively.
  - tonfa 7y ago
    Yes, I think CH and FR do that, they ask to self quarantine if you have symptoms. Italy was actually testing everyone afaik.
    - ekianjo 7y ago
      Japan does virtually no tests at all for example. On the other hand South Korea is a lot more into testing everyone.
- jml78 7y ago
  And it takes 3-5 days for CDC results to come back. My whole family is in isolation due to potential exposure while we wait to find out if the sick person has cov-19.
  - 7y ago

sjcsjc 7y ago

>>>so I wont post it here since I don't want to be mocked for it. Please tell us. Mockery on here is of no consequence. Oh, and thanks for posting and good luck.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

mkbkn 7y ago

Did Pranayam or deep breathing help?

alexilliamson 7y ago

I've never seen so many people begging for anecdotal information on HN. Seems like we are both surprised by that!

biotechiscool 7y ago

Tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine? Old wives tales usually have some science behind them that hasn’t been tested yet. No one is saying they have the magic cure-all. I make a mixture of turmeric, horseradish, ginger, garlic, habanero, hot onion, and apple cider vinegar. Chop finely or blend and let steep and ferment for as long as you want. Doesn’t go bad. I take shots of it when sick. Actually really good to put in stir fry and stews too. All of those ingredients have proven health benefits. Doesn’t replace antibiotics or medical treatment but can’t hurt. I’ve noticed it reduces the time I’m sick.

e12e 7y ago
Hm, vinegar for preservation does sound like a good idea. I assume it's better for killing anaerob bacteria than eg oil? (anything that grows in the earth + oil + cool and dark storage - has a potential for growing Clostridium botulinum which can be lethal). Hm, indeed. I stopped making garlic oil at home, looks like I should invest in some vinegar... https://www.thespruceeats.com/removing-risk-of-botulism-from-canning-1327437 https://www.thespruceeats.com/removing-risk-of-botulism-from...
chongli 7y ago
Last time I tried apple cider vinegar the pH was so low it gave me a chemical burn in the back of my throat. It definitely can hurt, so be careful with that stuff.
- filleduchaos 7y ago
  ...are you drinking apple cider vinegar neat from the bottle??
  - duggable 7y ago
    Lol, this. Put a tablespoon in a full cup of water.
whotheffknows 7y ago
On this note about old wives tales, I'm a woman. I've tried every medicine, multiple birth controls, diets, workout and stretch routines to help with period cramps and pain, and I get to try a method and then take what I think helps and adapt for a better test every month until I run out of eggs and here is the bottom line for me at 30 having optimised alot. Yes drinking water, stretching/really being flexible and fit helps and at the very least needs to start a few days before... Salmon avocado, iron like steak help with body recovery. Epsom salt baths help with the cramps as a natural muscle relaxant so does ibuprofen... It's actually ginger juice, that makes 90% of the pain go away. I bought a $99 breville juicer 8 years ago and lasted me as long. Just got a new one. Three days before I juice ginger with other things Maybe apple, celery, lemon to help it go down. Every time I go to the store to get it the cashier's comment they have never seen anyone buy so much ginger in their life, and if it's a woman I tell them my secret. I buy pounds of it and drink probably a quarter gallon the week before. If you are a woman or have a loved one who suffers from severe period pain, this does amazing things. That being said, have no idea about respiratory stuff. An actual Coronavirus story: I did hear the scientists looking into this said bodies are overreacting into respiratory failure, so maybe it is like many others illnesses potentially about suppressing an extreme over reactionaey autoimmune response. Someone in my industry got it. 45yr old smoker had to be induced into a coma to avoid acute respiratory failure a couple of weeks ago, after being diagnosed with Coronavirus. I think the public needs to stress more vulnerable smokers are regardless of age to Coronavirus. Smoking is much more common in China and Italy.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

wyck 7y ago

Your old wife's tale might safe someones life at best and at worse do nothing, no reason to not say it, no one is going to mock you.

rv-de 7y ago
This "community" can be quite toxic and is easily triggered by anything "anecdotal". Typical coping strategy is doing penance as an introduction to it, like "I'm probably going to be down voted for this". This sort of preemptive obedience seems to have a mildly soothing effect on a mob of nerds. On the other hand ... Why would anybody care about HN karma. Having said that, I'm also curious and promise I'll upvote him for it. No matter how superstitious it might be.

Symbiote 7y ago

> there have been a few times where I thought I would die from not being able to breath That easily justifies calling an ambulance, even in the present circumstances. (At least according to the current advice in the UK and Denmark.)

snissn 7y ago

Say the thing

generalpass 7y ago
My bet is that heated lemon-honey concoction gramma made.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

taylodl 7y ago

Please share what you did. You can preface it with it's an old wife's tale but you have anecdotal evidence of its working. This information could be invaluable to others. Anyone mocking you at that point is an asshole.