family health Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

What It’s Really Like Getting a Coronavirus Test

Paula — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 06:04:00 +0000

This is our story of what it feels like getting a Coronavirus test. Here’s my disclaimer. We live in London, Ontario and we went for Covid tests the week before Labour Day when one of us showed 1-2 symptoms. Waits for testing and actual local case numbers were low then. Now, they have changed. This was our experience getting a Coronavirus test. Why Were We Getting A Coronavirus Test? Three weeks ago, my older daughter, who was just about to start university went to sleep with extreme stomach upset. After a night spent running to the bathroom, we were a little concerned. Sure, it could have been nerves at starting a big life transition. But, with Coronavirus around, you worry. Could it be something more? When She Asked to Get Tested In the morning, right before she was scheduled to work at a local day camp, she told me she still felt awful and wanted to go get tested. So, I checked with a few friends on Facebook to find out what their experience was getting a Coronavirus test and we got ready to go. Why We Went My older daughter worked with children all summer long at a day camp. While they had many safety protocols in place that were clearly working (no outbreaks at any of the local London city day camps. Kudos to the counsellors and supervisors for making that a safe place all summer.) But Still…. But, still, the possibility of her catching something from them was higher than if she’s been sitting at home all summer. For up to date news and statistics on Covid-19 cases and outbreaks look to reliable sources like: Johns Hopkins. I also recommend CBC Canadian news. Monitoring for Fever She took her temperature a few times that first night and in the morning. All normal in that regard and she had no other symptoms. But, still she wanted to go get tested to be sure. This is the daughter that struggles most with anxiety disorder, so, it was likely to be a worry for her until she got tested. experience. So, we googled what time does the Coronavirus testing centre in London open and we got dressed and ready to go. Take Supplies for the Wait I grabbed refillable water bottles for all of us. My two teen daughters and I jumped into the van making sure to also pack health cards and be prepared to wait. My Kobo was in my purse and my younger girl brought her Kindle, while Payton grabbed a book to read. (At that point I was unsure whether Ainsley would also want to get tested to be safe, or not, so we all went together.) Get There Early We arrived just after opening time around 11:15. The Coronavirus testing centre at Carling Heights opens at 11 am. It was the last week of summer vacation and people were starting to return from cottages or camping while students were trickling back to the city settling into residence. There were maybe 11 cars in front of us already. So, not bad at all. It Looked Like a Drive Through, But That’s Just the Start The instructions were clear and the filtering system of driving through a line with your vehicle stating your symptom and showing your health card served to kind of triage people and instruct them on next steps. After easily half an hour in that line we pulled over to the side of the parking lot and awaited a text from the nurses inside. A Text Tells You It’s Time to Enter the Building Maybe 15 minutes passed at the most and the text came saying bring your health card and walk through the front doors of Carling Heights. We were met by another nurse checking to see if we had masks on and spritzing us with hand sanitizer. One more line to meet up with the two nurses screening us before the automatic doors into the arena and we were through. I always worry that because Payton and I both have the same initials that if we go in together our results will get confused. But everything was driven by health card numbers, so there was no need to worry. Social Distancing Once we were inside we waited on chairs set easily six feet apart from anyone else and then another nurse spoke with both of us confirming whether we’d had contact with someone who had Coronavirus and what our symptoms were. I had no symptoms, but on that day I decided to get tested with my daughter in order to be safe and to show her it was not a big deal. Now, the protocols have changed recently, so please pay close attention to those before you go. No need to be tested, unless you fit one of the criteria outlined by public health. Recently, huge lineups in London, Ottawa and Toronto cities have led to long waits and local health units are all providing close guidelines for when you need to be tested. Watch the Crowd Anyways, after that nurse kindly screened us, she deemed Payton a higher priority as I was asymptomatic. Then, we moved to another seating area for about 10-15 minutes. We paid close attention to the other local people waiting for Coronavirus testing only because I was watching to see how long it was taking and whether people were coming out crying or totally fine. Skip the Rumours Rumours are everywhere about what the test itself feels like and my teens had both watched numerous videos of soldiers cringing at how much it hurt and suggestions that someone jammed a Q-tip into your brain when you were getting a Coronavirus test. (I am here to say it is NOTHING LIKE THAT AT ALL. Keep reading.) One of Us Isolates Until Tests Come Back The nurse told us that because Payton had one or two of the symptoms that she needed to isolate in our home until the Coronavirus test results came back. If You are Asymptomatic In fact, I was okay to go about my daily activities they said because I was asymptomatic. My Crohn’s Disease can make me more vulnerable than the average person my age, but I was feeling fine. Finally, we waited together one more time and then we were called in individually to the exam/ testing room. Kudos to all of the community centres that have managed to become makeshift screening centres. My daughter went in by herself, but then a super sweet nurse came out to get me. She quietly told me she felt like my daughter was anxious since her voice got very quiet as she answered questions. So, I asked where to stand and held her hand as they did her test first. She cringed a bit and her eyes watered and then it was over. My Turn Next, came my turn. I have one needle phobic daughter, so I always try to make sure I am super calm around medical personnel. The swab went up my nose super gently and not nearly as far as people suggested. You count to five and it’s done. My nose felt ticklish afterwards, like I needed to sneeze. That was it. We sanitized our hands one more time and threw the disposable masks in the garbage and walked to our van. Waiting for Results Payton spent the day in her room, not a hardship for a teenager at all. I walked around sanitizing everything in the house and then I checked our results online before bed that night. They were not there yet, but I knew 12 hours would be pushing it. The next morning Payton called in sick again and I hit the computer to check the web site for the results. Negative for both of us and it took less than 24 hours for results. Our Testing Experience Was Speedy Thankfully, the Coronavirus testing experience was speedy, efficient and the nurses were super kind. So, don’t be afraid to get tested if you need to. If your kids have symptoms, then get there early in the day and take the test. Good luck! Stay safe and well.

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Reducing Anxiety with these 5 Great Apps

Paula — Mon, 11 Mar 2019 12:22:50 +0000

Reducing anxiety is one key to overall good health. The mind and body are connected, and when one is out of sync, the other soon follows. I’ve found this to be incredibly true in my life. As many of you know, we have a lot of experience with anxiety. My oldest daughter has social anxiety and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. For years, she has struggled with anxiety symptoms that can lead easily to feeling overwhelmed while also chewing up your physical health too. It is not uncommon for stomach pain, nausea, headache and sleeplessness to come with anxiety. Our Anxiety Journey We’ve made every effort to help her keep her anxiety under control to varying degrees of effect. Together, she and I have done group therapy for youth with anxiety and we have also done art therapy and play therapy. Each of these has had an important role in helping her succeed managing childhood anxiety. One thing I find super helpful is technology. From the start technology helped us to manage symptoms and build routine. At times, that was as simple as my daughter having her own phone and being able to call or text me when she had a panic attack at school. Although that was draining for me sometimes, and for her as well, it did the trick. Clearly, access to technology and the digital health space has changed and grown into something so much more relevant and useful in the last five years. Now, people can use an app to help manage their health care symptoms. And there are so many apps out there. No surprise that there are also anxiety and mental health apps too. We use several in our home. Thanks to technology, there are wonderful apps usable on phones and tablets to help with reducing anxiety. Now that I’ve found them, I want to share some of these apps with you. 5 Apps for Reducing Anxiety Anxiety and stress can be cause by a multitude of factors so it’s important to take a multi-faceted approach when trying to reduce anxiety levels. Through the years, I’ve found that addressing stress from different angles using different methods has yielded the best results. That’s why the apps I’ve chosen all target stress and anxiety in different ways. Also please note I am not a doctor, or a nurse and this is not medical advice in any way. I am a Mom with children who both struggle with anxiety. My Mom also had anxiety but it was only diagnosed as a senior. I wish so much that we had known that earlier. She missed out on a lot of things in life because of worry. Technology and apps were not available during her lifetime. MindShift CBT MindShift CBT aims to reduce anxiety through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The app’s cognitive-based tools help people change the way the think about things and employ behavioral strategies to make lasting positive change. Through their app, people can find help with: Worry Panic Perfectionism Social Anxiety Phobias We used this one for many years and it came recommended by a mental health care professional in our city. It’s an excellent app and gets high marks in my books for ease of use and usefulness as well. It’s recently been updated making it even better. Download it now. Youper Youper helps with reducing anxiety by acting as a safe sounding board for those who are feeling overwhelmed. It uses tools to help people gauge their stress level and give them insight to their own emotional tendencies. In addition, its AI interface actually becomes a friendly ear to which people can express their anxieties through texts. The app actually asks questions that help lead those who are filled with anxiety to a more stable path. My high schooler came home from school one day and downloaded this one because she had heard about it from someone else at high school. She really likes it and finds it useful in tracking symptoms and providing feedback that helps with that. The aim of the game with many apps is to keep patients out of hospital and give them back a bit of control over their health. I have not used Youper for myself, but I have watched her use it and had her explain it to me. We have a rule about downloading apps here right now so I monitor and am familiar with all the apps on their phones. Nature Sounds Part of reducing anxiety is getting adequate rest. High anxiety can lead to trouble sleeping which can lead to even more anxiety. It’s a vicious cycle that can cause incredible strain on a person. Nature Sounds helps people get better sleep so they can feel better in general. Sounds include thunder, ocean waves, birds, rain, or waterfalls. These are soothing and easy on your ears. Apps like this can sometimes help my kids fall asleep despite the worry and anxiety about the next day. Worry Box Worry Box is an app designed to help those who are suffering with anxiety take a step back and look objectively at their anxiety. The app helps people figure out if their source of anxiety is unimportant, important, controllable, or uncontrollable. It features a personal diary where people can “write” down their worries, after which, Worry Box helps them examine them objectively and give them techniques to manage apprehension and stress. Relax and Rest Meditations This app helps guide people through mediation to help them with reducing anxiety. Using three different guided meditations, the app helps foster a sense of calm and gives an active way to help reduce anxiety. Reducing Anxiety Through Technology We live in a technology-based world, so why not use it to our advantage? These apps are excellent tools for reducing anxiety and offer a measure of relief to those who suffer from chronic anxiety and worry. Using these tools, people have more options for reducing anxiety and taking back control of their lives. If you’re suffering with anxiety, I encourage you to give all of these a try. And of course if none of this works seek therapy and help from a mental health provider. Talk to your doctor first. Do you have anxiety? What tools, or apps help you?

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