How has the CoronaVirus affected you?

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Kathy,

There are lists of podiatrist-approved shoes at podiatry sites. You might find some ideas there or at occupational therapy sites. ?

Bach is not noise, Madam. (Robert, in Two's Company)

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Several months ago I shopped in a shoe store that has a podiatrist on staff. They had some lovely shoes (and some brands I already have in my closet), but all of them were in the $90-$150 range. I just don't have that flexibility in my budget right now.

@Shop-et-al wrote:

Kathy,

There are lists of podiatrist-approved shoes at podiatry sites. You might find some ideas there or at occupational therapy sites. ?

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt

K. One more wild hare. Can your doc prescribe shoes or ask your insurer to pay for shoes which you need?

Bach is not noise, Madam. (Robert, in Two's Company)

So I have a suggestion for saving a little money during our lockdown. Didn't see it mentioned elsewhere in this thread, so thought I would share.

It occurred to me yesterday that I might be able to save some money on my auto insurance since I am no longer using my car for Mystery Shopping and my wife and I have collectively put a grand total of 12 miles on our two vehicles over the last two weeks. Since many auto policies charge, in part, by how many miles you drive in a year; I thought I would call them and see if I could temporarily adjust my policy. It turns out that I will save approximately $40/month by adjusting the miles per year down to 600 per vehicle. I know each person's situation is different and different companies might handle this differently, but mine (USAA) was very helpful. I was told that as soon as my situation changed I could contact them and they would adjust my miles per year back to where I had them previously. Hopefully this is helpful to someone.

I have USAA and I will call them since I just got my next 6 month's quote which was very high. I will call since I am sure we will be home for at least another month,.

I just went to USAA online and lowered my driving to 1000 a year. It lowered my insurance by $70 for 6 months.. I will go back to my regular mileage when we get up and running but even if I do it for only 2 months, it will help.

@Insight wrote:

I just went to USAA online and lowered my driving to 1000 a year. It lowered my insurance by $70 for 6 months.. I will go back to my regular mileage when we get up and running but even if I do it for only 2 months, it will help.

Great idea! My driving's dropped considerably as well. Any dollar saved, the better.

Very infrequently shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado these days.

Curry Chicken and rice.
Hubby's cooking.

Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching kids what counts is best.
Bob Talbert

@Insight wrote:

I just went to USAA online and lowered my driving to 1000 a year. It lowered my insurance by $70 for 6 months.. I will go back to my regular mileage when we get up and running but even if I do it for only 2 months, it will help.

I highly recommend doing it online with USAA as well. About 4 months ago, I called to update something and she RAISED my auto insurance by $600. I went back and fixed it online as soon as I hung up.

I just updated mileage, as I am driving the SUV not the sedan right now. Saved $40.

I thought about changing my insurance mileage and lowering coverages as well the other day but forgot to go do it! Thanks for the reminder.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

I did not lower any of the other coverage at this time. I figure that if someone hits me when I go out to the store, I should have at least the same coverage that I have always had.

That's a good question. I've only heard about them paying for orthotics.

@Shop-et-al wrote:

K. One more wild hare. Can your doc prescribe shoes or ask your insurer to pay for shoes which you need?

Kim

@kimmiemae wrote:

That's a good question. I've only heard about them paying for orthotics.

@Shop-et-al wrote:

K. One more wild hare. Can your doc prescribe shoes or ask your insurer to pay for shoes which you need?

Can you order online the EXACT same style & size you are currently wearing?

On Good Friday, it will have been two weeks since my sister arrived at the air bnb where she is quarantined. My husband and I have also been self-quarantining. None of us have any symptoms. We are trying to decide if it is now safe for us to have Easter dinner together. My sister has a weaker immune system due to the acquisition of parasites from living and eating abroad, and even though her medics were able to treat and get rid of the parasites, it left her susceptible. So just not sure. They THINK that 14 days is enough time for someone to exhibit symptoms, but I think there have been cases where people carried it longer, some of who were asymptomatic. It's only been 10 days since I was working in public, what if it took 4 days to incubate and I am asymptomatic but a carrier?

So maybe we could take food over with our own dishes and glasses and she could have her own food with her own dishes and glasses, and we could sit out on the patio without ever venturing inside to eat a meal (10 feet away from each other). Or we can wait another week or two to be safe.

We have had dinner with MIL for Easter for the past 20 years (my husband longer, of course). She is in her late 70s and has a lung condition (bacterial) already where she has been taking antibiotics for over 2 years and it won't go away. The antibiotics just keep it at bay. She has had pneumonia twice. Seeing her is out of the question, unless we drive by and talk to her from the end of the driveway. Even so, my husband is afraid the virus could spread on the wind from 20 feet. Maybe an overreaction, but he would be devastated if anything happened to her (and course so would I).

STAY AWAY AND CELEBRATE VIA ZOOM. It is imperative that everyone stays away from one another, We are having a Passover seder via zoom. The medical authorities say that everyone needs to self-quarantine, wear a mask in public and keep away from those with weakened amenities. Is it really worth one meal to be together to possibly infect one another? What we know is that even those with no symptoms can spread to another person.
My sister lives on Miami Beach and they have now been ordered to wear a mask any time they are in public.
Personally, I have been home for the last 20 days and at times it gets boring but I am keeping in touch via, facebook, texting and other means.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

On Good Friday, it will have been two weeks since my sister arrived at the air bnb where she is quarantined. My husband and I have also been self-quarantining. None of us have any symptoms. We are trying to decide if it is now safe for us to have Easter dinner together. ....(edited for quote brevity

Jas, I personally think if you interview yourself and your sister whom I assume you can trust to see what their definition of quarantine is then you might feel more comfortable. I have spoken to friends who have a range of things they are doing in terms of shelter in place. I suspect some others are considering "self quarantine" the same as shelter in place. As an example I know one person who meets many risky criteria, age, obesity and asthma. It wasn't until her daughter who lives with her chastised her that she started staying home. Just a few days before that incident she had two friends over to watch tv together. One thought it was okay to take 2 busses there and 2 more back to pick up a free lunch from her church. She is in her 80's and has been hospitalized frequently. The other friend visits both her children several times a week, one of which had a new potential boyfriend over who spent hours on the couch with her. The other has caregivers coming and going 24/7. My friend and her husband take long walks every day (ok with me) but they go into multiple stores to just look around every day (not ok with me). All these people think they are being very careful and safe.
This was all just a week and a half ago in Los Angeles area where we have had a shelter in place order since before those incidents.
Bottom line, If your sister feels okay with the plan then your plan of staying outside and sitting at least 6 ft from each other, bringing your own food and sanitizer sounds safe to me. By Sunday next week it will be 3 weeks for you. I would advise that you spray down the table and chairs where you sit and the gate and door handles you touch before and after. Go to the bathroom at your house before you leave and go home if you need to do that again. Restrain yourself from hugs etc which I am sure you will do and maybe if you are worried about wind carrying any virus if no one is coughing or sneezing it is less likely. Bring your own plates and silverware and cups too. And keep your hand sanitizer close. You can even wear face masks when not eating.
On the other hand, you can stay home and skype or zoom each other during dinner and plan a big Easter bash together when this is all over. I actually celebrated hanukah late with my son who came to visit for xmas and new years. We just started the holiday (8 days of candles and gifts and prayers) the day after he arrived. It was actually a lot of fun, like having a second xmas for the year. I am sure your higher being will forgive you for being careful. And can you imagine the guilt if anyone does get sick.
Anyway, you asked for advice and that is mine. Take it with a grain of salt. Please do not start broadcasting salt as a cure because I said that!

Hi Sandy:
My sister flew in from Pakistan (she is with the Department of State) last Friday. We went to the air bnb and disinfected everything with Lysol wipes (light switches, door handles, remotes, faucets, all touchable surfaces) and stocked her kitchen with food (disinfected that too) before she arrived. She has no car and she knows no one here but me and my husband. There are no restaurants or bars open and she has not left the premises of the air bnb. My husband and I also have not left home, other than when I went to do a curbside grocery store pickup where there was no contact, and I observed very careful standards while disinfecting everything that I purchased. So that's our definition of quarantine.

ETA: We also have had no visitors as well as not going out anywhere. And I was really just kinda venting, not asking for advice, and no, it will only be 2 weeks come this Sunday (she arrived a week ago Friday). We are probably just going to wait. She is way more religious than my husband and I are (she is Catholic and I am actually agnostic) so to me, it doesn't matter when we celebrate. I just miss her. And I wouldn't get her sick for the world, so when she first arrived I did drop by and I stayed by my car while she stayed at the front door and we yelled back and forth to each other LOL. And we talk on the phone every day.

But all good advice, thank you.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/05/2020 05:47PM by JASFLALMT.

JAS, I am so happy your sister is back state side!

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

Me too, me too. She is supposed to go back on June 1st. I would wager money that's going to change.

There is a big need to vent these days.

The unrest in other parts of the world is very unsettling, beyond being sick with COVID-19...many Pakistani people had anti-American sentiments as it was and since they have removed much of the military presence from the embassies and compounds, there will likely be riots and such.

Most US and other foreign embassies around the world are shutting down and sending their diplomats home, most of ours have arrived here already. And they weren't required to quarantine upon arrival to DC, they were allowed to go forward to their destinations without any testing and were told to quarantine when they arrived at home. But many of these diplomats had families with school-aged children or other family members living with them that were still going to work, so no telling how much spread has occurred with that.

I especially feel for seniors who live alone and have no younger family members around. I myself was shocked to find during this epidemic that I am elderly. Who knew?? I also learned that the world evidently thinks just because I am old I want to wake up in the dark and go wait in a line with other high risk people to get groceries. We need a senior time later in the day for some of us.
It is a good time to learn to use all the wonders of the computer. In the past two weeks I watched the opera Carmen...the Metropolitan opera streams a free opera every evening at metopera.org (from memory so i may be wrong).
I just learned that every thursday evening you can watch an archived play..."The London company that brought us Ahmanson favorites War Horse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time bring their amazing shows to theatres on screens all over the world through National Theatre Live. Now they’re coming to our houses...for free! Tune into their official YouTube channel for “National Theatre at Home,” featuring a new full-length play each Thursday night".
In addition the young people in my life had a free art class online yesterday, one of those painting while drinking at the bar things, also playing games online together . I was invited and it was fun to pass the time that way.
My thought is that if you do not know about these capabilities but do have a computer and/or smart phone you can appeal to other groups you belong to online (for me "Next Door" which is a national online group that gets people together in your neighborhood) I would bet if you appealed to your favorite group or used Next Door and asked to get together with others who can teach you how to do it on the phone, many neighbors that are currently unknown to you, would "invite you in" and you could be enjoying some of these past times that younger people are so good at.

I am so thankful for the awesome collective wisdom and generosity of the contributors on this Forum! You continue to have a positive impact on the quality of my life with your insights and suggestions, including the suggestions in this thread. God Bless You

Everyone, don't forget to decontaminate your mail. My Mom recommended that today.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

Already been doing that. And don't forget that if you mail something, use a little water to seal the envelope and not your saliva!

@sandyf wrote:

I also learned that the world evidently thinks just because I am old I want to wake up in the dark and go wait in a line with other high risk people to get groceries. We need a senior time later in the day for some of us.

Here! Here! I, too, am not about to wake up at 6 am to go grocery shopping just because I'm 67 years old!!! I am NOT a morning person. So I've been going at my usual time around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. I do my social distancing and bring my hand sanitizer.

Anyone else here on the Forum besides myself and Sandyf who are not morning people???

@guysmom wrote:

Anyone else here on the Forum besides myself and Sandyf who are not morning people???

I'm just the opposite! I used to leave for work at 4:00 a.m. just to avoid some of the nightmarish traffic. Now retired, i can't break those clock cycles, so I'm usually "up and at 'em" by 5:00 a.m.

Not a morning person, hell no. I would rather get up around 9-10 a.m. I have had to forcibly drag myself out of bed and drink lots of coffee just to stand up straight and drive when I have been required to arrive at job sites earlier than 8-9. UGH.

Oh Jas, the more I read about you the more I think we must be related. Well, maybe not everything! I kept my same job for many, many years mainly because i did not have to drive the freeway to downtown or somewhere further and my hours were flexible so I could and did arrive around 10:30 or so usually and went home at 9P or 10P thereby sleeping in, leisurely drinking my coffee and also avoiding the traffic and getting home early enuf to have many hours before my normal bedtime.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Not a morning person, hell no. I would rather get up around 9-10 a.m. I have had to forcibly drag myself out of bed and drink lots of coffee just to stand up straight and drive when I have been required to arrive at job sites earlier than 8-9. UGH.

I was born in the morning, but it must be because my mother forced me out of the womb. It wasn't my idea. I am betting she did jumping jacks or something, yelled at me, something! I probably would have stayed in there sleeping at least until noon if it was up to me.

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