Calm before the Corona Storm

I have been working on posting this blog for days.  I have to admit I an conflicted in many ways.  Right now Tony and I should be on a beach in Mexico hanging out with my brother.  He is in Mexico right now and soon will fly back to Italy.

This is the year I decided that life is too short and quality time is a priority. So I booked some short trips to have a little quality time with family.  But quality time at least for the next few months may be at Casa Rummel by the pool.

When Brandon was born and in the ICU for over a month we followed strict sterile techniques to make sure he would not get an infection.  Brandon was so severely medically fragile.  I followed these guidelines for the first two years of his life.  Brandon still caught several pneumonias during this time, but we were able to jump on them and treat aggressively.  When Brandon was around 3 I needed more care for him during the day so I could work.  I decided to try a special day care for him.  I knew this would be great for socialization and it would be much more affordable during the day.  He was in day care for 2 weeks.  He was then in the hospital for 3 weeks.  He caught a severe bug from some of the kids in the daycare.  In the middle of the hospital stay, his doctor came to me and told me there was nothing else they could do for Brandon to treat his illness.  I of course said no way and called every specialist seeing Brandon at the time.  They all gathered at the hospital, called each other and adjusted his medication.  It was a close call but at the end of three weeks he fought off pneumonia and turned it around.  I changed doctors and took Brandon to Houston to a new specialist to treat his lungs.  Life changed for us.  We had a protocol, we knew Brandon was high risk if he caught anything and we knew how to be aggressive on treatment.  Brandon had other pneumonias in the last 27 years, but as he grew older they were fewer and further apart.  I knew Brandon needed to catch some of these illness to build up his immune system.  So when the H1N1 started to appear in Texas I wasn't too concerned.  I was watching to see if we again needed to be aggressive in treatment if he caught it.  He caught it and within 24 hours he had 104 temp and we landed in the  hospital.  As I have said before on this blog, Brandon was in ICU letting a breathing machine breath for him for 3 weeks.  It was real and it was scary.  And darn it - I wasn't going to let a flu change our lives.  Once again the physicians (all of his) checked on us regularly, worked with the ICU team at Dell and Brandon survived.  Others on the same floor as Brandon did not. It was scary.

I have always said to people who work with Brandon, people who see Brandon, parents of Brandon's friends, family and pretty much anyone having contact with Brandon to please stay home rather than expose Brandon to any horrible illness.  Since Brandon is no longer in school this has been much better.  From all those pneumonias and silent aspiration Brandon had in the past Brandon now has consolidation at the bottom of both lungs and one lung always looks like he has pneumonia.  Brandon does really well with this limited lung capacity and we try to avoid any illness.  Brandon also takes a ton of supplements and a great diet to help keep Brandon strong and healthy.

But here we are.  This new virus scares me. Why.  Because it attacks the lungs, there is no cure and no one is immune because this coronavirus has not been around previously.  True that 80% of people who catch it have mild or no symptoms.  But Brandon is in the 20% that might have more severe forms of this.  So what to do.

1. Please, please, please, do not hang around Brandon if you are experiencing any symptoms.  We need to be overly sensitive while this nasty coronavirus is a thing.  I hope for the sake of everyone it dies a quick death within a few months.
2.  As we see this virus continue to spread we will need to limit Brandon's exposure to crowds.  We will just have to take it day by day and event by event.
3.  I am working with Brandon on the thing he loves the most - don't hold people's hands.  Many of you love it but for now he just needs to not do it.
4.  Be flexible with us as we work through what is best for him.
5.  We made it past cancer so far, H1N1, and all the other illness for 27 years.  We will make it past this one.
6.  I also am watching this illness for everyone at Casa Rummel including me.  I have also limited myself to not traveling much right now and hanging out more at the house.
7.  We are washing clothes like crazy, washing hands much more, using alcohol and sanitizers to kills germs and cleaning more often.
8.  I am sure this list will grow before it gets shorter.

How is Brandon handling this corona storm.  Not that great.  He is very concerned because we cancelled our Beatles on the Beach festival trip.  He said that was okay as long as he could still see the Monkees and the Beach Boys when they come to Austin.  For now I said yes.  But I also said we need to keep monitoring.  He is the most concerned about our trip to London and Liverpool.  I told him that is 6 months away and not impacted by the coronavirus for now.  He is still concerned and calls me about it a couple of times a day.

I was also very conflicted this week when SXSW cancelled.  I played SXSW in the early days when it started and I know how much the city, the musicians, the restaurants and many businesses rely on the extra income coming from SXSW.  Brandon and I would not have gone.  But many other's would.  I am conflicted because if I was 20 and still playing I would be all in.  As Brandon's mom I don't want to see a quick spread of this virus in Austin putting those at highest risk of higher chances of catching this scary illness.  For now we are staying small and local and monitoring where this crazy corona lands.

Speaking of local, Brandon's band, The Eddie Ray band is playing this Saturday March 14th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Do-Rite BBQ at Graceland.  We will have a large band for this special gig with many of Brandon's friends and local musicians. Here is a link to the gig
Eddie Ray Band March 14th Do-Rite BBQ .

If you don't have anything to do and still want a little local unique music, come to support the band.

We have other great news coming this week so look for another post from me soon.  Brandon is in great spirits otherwise and is always excited about music.

That's all for now.  Everyone stay healthy out there. (Added note below from Brandon's Integral Medicine Physician)
Leah

From Brandon's Integral Medical Physician.  
Given the recent spread of Coronavirus from China to other countries including western Europe and the United States, we have been receiving many questions about the virus and what precautions can be taken to help prevent infection and/or limit severity of the disease.   The following provides information from both the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control.  We have also included information regarding natural anti-viral supplements that can help to boost the immune system and theoretically limit the severity of the disease for those who become exposed and/or infected.  

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Coronarivus (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can cause symptoms such as fever, fatigue, dry cough, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, and/or diarrhea.   Most people who contract the virus will be asymptomatic or experience very mild symptoms and recover from the disease on their own.    Some may experience more severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing that may require hospitalization and/or result in death.  (The World Health Organization notes that deaths have occurred in approx 2% of the people infected with the virus.  You can go to https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses for a WHO Q&A section that provides more information regarding the virus.) 

According to the CDC, symptoms of coronavirus may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure.   Coronavirus is spread via respiratory droplets from an infected person who coughs or sneezes to another person who is in close contact.   A person can also contract the virus by touching an infected surface or object and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes.

To help prevent the spread of this virus, the CDC recommends the following:

--Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

--Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

--Stay home when you are sick.

--Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.  You can go to https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/etiquette/coughing_sneezing.html for additional cough etiquette tips.

--Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

--Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask.

--CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves  from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.

--Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. The use of facemasks is also crucial for health workers and people who are taking care of someone in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).

--Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.  If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.  You can go to https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/  for more information.

SOME INTEGRATIVE PREVENTIVE OPTIONS:

Although there is currently no vaccine available to prevent Coronavirus, there are several natural anti-virals and other immune boosting options that you can keep at home and take with exposure to/ first sign of any viral type illness.

1.  Sambucus 1-2 lozenges daily for exposure, increasing to 1-2 lozenges three times a day for signs of viral illness.  Sambucus also comes in liquid (2-3 tsp daily for exposure, increasing to three times a day for illness) and gummies (the gummies may contain zinc, so we do not recommend the gummies for long term use). Gummies are also lower in concentration (2 gummies contain 50 mg of Sambucus; 2 lozenges contain 200 mg; 10 ml (2 tsp) contain 100 mg)

Here is a research article showing the link between Sambucus nigra and coronavirus: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899428/

2.  Viracid -- contains Sambucus as well as Andrographis and Astragalus which further boost the immune system against both bacteria and viruses.   Recommended dosing:  2 capsules once daily for exposure;  2 capsules 3x/day for illness. Do not take Viracid longer than one week. 

Viracid, if taken close to bed, can affect sleep in some individuals.  You also have the option of taking the Viracid 2 capsule twice a day (morning and early afternoon) and Sambucus at night. 

If you are going to travel, we recommend you take either Sambucus or Viracid the day of your flight prior to getting on the plane. 

3.  Allqlear -- made from Quail eggs and is a natural protease inhibitor.  Was developed to help with dust, mold, and pollen allergies -- theoretically may be beneficial in decreasing Coronavirus's ability to enter the nose as a protease inhibitor, but has not been tested.  

4.  Beta Glucan -- helps to boost the immune system.  Recommended dosing: 1-2 capules twice a day 

5. Avmacol Extra Strength (formerly known as Avmacol Immune; sulforaphane with beta glucans from maitake mushroom extract) -- helps to boost the immune system.  Study showed decreased risk of serious illness and death from flu in animal studies.  Recommended dosing: one tablet daily 

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