The COVID saga continues…

Grandmama continues to improve, albeit slowly. That’s my understanding anyway. More of her care has fallen to Mr. Hot Stuff as I have gradually become more miserable with this virus. She now has a long enough oxygen tube that she doesn’t have to take it off in order to get around.

I realize that it’s rare for me to post multiple days in a row, but then again I am actually pretty sporadic about posting, so I suppose this isn’t too out of character.

First, and most importantly, I am here to tell you to go back and read your supplement labels. Make sure they contain the ingredients and quantities PER CAPSULE OR TABLET that you think they do. I made the HUGE mistake of assuming that because my bottle of vitamin C said it had 1000mg per serving, that it meant per capsule. I was trying to buy 1000mg capsules and thought I hard. I’ve taken almost the entire bottle and been wondering why it wasn’t working quite as effectively as I expected, based on past experience. Turns out that this company’s idea of a serving is TWO capsules. I’m ticked off. Sure I should have been more careful to study the label, but I feel like they used deceptive labeling practices here. They told the truth according to the strict letter of the law, but it had the effect of deceiving me, the customer. I’m sure I’m not the only one who fell for it.

“I do not think that means what you think it means.” (Princess Bride)

I’ve been trying to cram this stuff into my body, but it turns out I’ve only been getting half as much as I thought I was taking. THIS IS A BIG DEAL. I will probably steer clear of this brand of supplement in the future, because this has had a big impact on my personal fight against the Virus.

Fortunately, two days ago I realized I was going to run out of vitamin C soon, so I went online and ordered more. Of a different brand. One that actually labels more honestly. It should arrive today. So this is me doing you a favor. Check your labels. Make sure you are getting what you think you are paying for. Otherwise it could cost you more than dollars.

I THOUGHT I was taking almost 35 grams of vitamin C a day (and still not hitting bowel tolerance!?), but in reality, I was only getting about 17 grams a day. Still helpful, but it explains why I wasn’t seeing the impact I expected. I’ve corrected that situation now and look forward to my order of vitamin C to arrive today.

Now that I have that little lesson out of the way…

Did you know that some people get a rash inside their mouth and throat when they get COVID-19? Yep and it hurts really bad, too. Apparently it’s been noticed the most in people who get the COVID foot rash also, but that could be because medical people don’t look for it in other people, since staring down the throat of someone with COVID is maybe not the safest thing to do. So if your kid gets this (not really common, I know) and they are super fussy, especially if they get that foot rash, you maybe need to be aware that there could be a lot of internal pain happening that you can’t see. Last night I thought my whole mouth and throat were on fire.

My sinuses are also super-inflamed. Even doing a nasal wash twice a day is challenging because the liquid can hardly get through my sinus passages. Hopefully now that I’m clued into the vitamin C insufficiency I’ve been dealing with, I can get that to change.

I hope I don’t come across here as being super-whiny or complaining. My main goal is to share my experiences with this in hopes of helping someone else as they try to navigate this novel coronavirus. It’s not fun and it’s pretty uncharted territory for everyone. Given that it can cause long-term damage or death for some people, it seems like some occasional anecdotal sharing of experiences is simply the neighborly thing to do.

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, or a nurse, or a pharmacist, and I don’t play a doctor on TV. I’m not here telling you what you should do as far as supplements or medicine. I’m just here telling you about my experiences. Do your own research and check with your doctor for medical advice.