Homemade masks: Protective or propaganda

When the coronavirus was first hitting the national headlines, an interesting discussion transpired between some of my friends in the medical field. One physician claimed we all needed to wear facial masks to prevent against the transmission of the coronavirus. Another medical professional chimed in and said if coronavirus was transmitted in the same fashion as the flu, face masks were not beneficial and may even cause an increase in virus transmission according to research studies. This intrigued me. A mask could actually increase the transmission of a virus? Wow. We should take note of this! But no one has.

Instead, from coast to coast, governments are requiring their citizens to wear masks any time they leave home. But what if these masks are making people sick? What if these masks are doing more harm than good? Unfortunately, it seems few are asking these questions.

Since no current research data regarding covid-19 and wearing face masks exists, I have researched influenza and the wearing of face masks. (For the most part, the flu and covid-19 are very similarly transmitted via air droplets and direct contact. Both the flu and covid-19 produce large and small air droplets. Studies suggest the small air droplets in both the flu and covid-19 are the most infectious. The flu virus is 8.8 times more numerous in exhaled small droplet particles than in large droplet particles.)

According to a March 2013 study by PLOS Pathogen, volunteers with the flu were recorded while wearing a mask and while not wearing a mask. The researchers found 92% of the participants exhaled small influenza-containing particles while not wearing a mask compared to 78% while wearing a mask. After reading this data, one could be thinking, "Yes! Face masks prevent virus transmission by decreasing the number of small virus particles by 14%." But, wait. The study concludes more research is needed on how the flu is spread and how to prevent transmission to know if face masks are of any value.

Moreover, this study was done using properly fitted surgical masks. The masks we are to wear are homemade masks. How do homemade masks compare to surgical masks?

In an August 2013 Disaster Med Public Health article entitled, Testing the efficacy of homemade masks: would they protect in an influenza pandemic?, researchers studied how effective homemade masks were. They found surgical masks were 3 times more protective at preventing virus transmission than homemade masks. Additionally, fifty percent of homemade masks did not fit properly, which rendered the masks ineffective.

If we reflect back to the first study, which used surgical masks, there was a 14% reduction in small flu virus particles for people wearing a mask. If we divide the 14% reduction by 3 (since the surgical masks were found to be three times more effective than homemade masks), we get roughly a 5% decrease in small virus particles (and that is only if the homemade mask was properly fitted). Moreover, additional research showed the masks did NOT prevent a person from getting the flu.

At best, homemade masks helped decrease flu particles by about 5%, which means 95% of flu particles still escaped from an infected person. These flu particles passed easily through the homemade mask and did not protect the healthy person wearing the mask from infection.

So now folks may be saying, "Yes, by a 5% decrease is still a 5% decrease." Again, I say not so fast.

These research studies lasted only a few minutes. They did not track a person who was wearing a mask in his/her daily life.

When wearing a mask for an extended amount of time, a person's habits change. A mask causes irritation to the skin. A person will scratch his face more, spreading virus contamination from one's hands to his nose, mouth and/or eyes. The mask rubs the skin and causes skin breakdown. This allows for virus particles to freely enter the bloodstream. Having a mask over one's face causes an increase in carbon dioxide in the inhaled air. Those with weak respiratory muscles such as children, the elderly and folks with chronic respiratory conditions can develop high carbon dioxide levels. This can cause many health complications including death.

When wearing a mask, if a person has to cough, sneeze or blow his nose, most people take off the mask. Since one's hands are occupied with the mask, sneezing or coughing is often done without covering one's mouth. Now the virus particles are in the air and free to contaminate other surfaces.

Additionally, now that we are headed into the warm summer months, masks block one way we cool off, by allowing us to blow out hot air and breathing in cool air. Masks prevent this heat exchange. Wearing masks increases the risk of heat exhaustion.

Lastly, wearing a mask causes an increased false sense of safety. Folks who wear masks were less likely to wash their hands, less likely to cover their mouth when coughing/sneezing, less likely to take extra precautions when around sick individuals, etc. Due to this false sense of security, the rate of virus transmission actually INCREASED in folks wearing masks when in public versus people who did not.

In short, although homemade masks (if fitted properly) may decrease 5% of an infected individual's small virus air droplets, it did not protect against a healthy person acquiring the virus. Moreover, when a mask is worn, health complications such as heat exhaustion, high carbon dioxide levels and skin breakdown may occur. Wearing masks also makes people more complacent about maintaining good hand hygiene and taking extra care when around those who have symptoms of illness, which actually leads to an increase in virus transmission.

So wear a mask or don't wear a mask. The choice is yours. Whatever you do, use care. If you are sick, stay away from other people; a mask will not protect you from spreading virus particles.

From bondage to freedom. Happy Birthday Israel!

On April 19, 1943 approximately 60,000 Jews in the Warsaw ghetto awaited their fate--deportation to a Nazi killing camp. Three hundred thousand Jews from the Warsaw ghetto had already been murdered or deported to killing camps. It was Passover eve. The Jews were reminded of God's great deliverance He brought to Moses and the Israelites from Egyptian bondage to freedom 3400 years earlier. Standing on the shoulders of their ancestors, the Jews prepared themselves for the fight of a lifetime; this was the Jews last chance for freedom. If they failed, they would be murdered or sent to a killing camp where their ultimate fate was death.

From April 19 to May 16, 1943, the Jews valiantly attempted to fight off the German forces. Approximately 100 German SS men were killed; seven thousands Jews perished. Those who remained alive in the ghetto were rounded up and hauled off to various killing and labor camps. Almost all were murdered upon their arrival. Few Jews survived the Holocaust who were part of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

To the outside world, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising may have seemed like a total loss, but to the Jews, this event empowered them. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the largest and most important Jewish uprising to occur in an urban setting within German-occupied Europe. The resistance in Warsaw inspired other uprisings in ghettos (such as Bialystok and Minsk) and killing centers (including Treblinka and Sobibor).

Although the Holocaust annihilated one in every three Jews living on the planet, without the Holocaust one could argue there would be no state of Israel today. After the fall of Nazi Germany and the liberation of the killing camps, most Jews were exiles. They had lost all their possessions including their homes, belongings and families. With no place to call their own, many Jews found themselves traveling to their ancient homeland, Israel. In 1948, a miraculous thing happened--Israel became a state; the Jews now had a place to call their own once more.

Thirty-five hundred years ago, Moses led the Israelites from the harsh bondage of Egypt through the Red Sea. For forty years they wandered in the wilderness before God led them to the Promised Land. Seventy-seven years ago, the Jews were bravely fighting for their freedom from the cruel slavery of the Germans. Although their redemption may have seemed hidden, God delivered His people once again to the beautiful glorious land--the land flowing with milk and honey.

Tomorrow, Israel will celebrate its 72nd birthday. May we all rejoice and celebrate such a joyous occasion. Yom Ha'atzmaut Sameach!

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: 'May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.'" (Psalm 122:6-7)

Health Update 3

After my appointment with my pulmonologist, I was still very sick. I needed urgent medical attention. My doctor made it very clear I should never return back to the hospital where I have been receiving almost all my care for the last two and a half years.

So, I sought out a different hospital. At the emergency department (ED), I again had an elevated white blood cell count. The ED doctor stated my lungs sounded horrible. A CT scan revealed diffuse infection in my lungs and two holes in my lungs. I had double pneumonia. I was started on IV antibiotics and admitted to the hospital.

I was hospitalized for five days. During this time, I met some great doctors. Two of which were pulmonologists. I was given their contact information and was told I could follow up with either doctor. I was discharged home with IV antibiotics.

Due to the complexity of my infection and the need for IV antibiotics, I was told I needed to see an infectious disease (ID) doctor. I did not ask for a referral to see an ID doctor because I already had an ID doctor. Moreover, I had an appointment scheduled to see him two weeks from the date of my hospital discharge, which was exactly when I was supposed to follow up after my hospitalization.

Three days before my ID appointment, I called and left a message with my doctor's office to inquire if he was still doing in-person appointments or if he was now doing telemedicine appointments due to the coronavirus. The physician’s nurse returned my call. She informed me my ID doctor no longer wanted to see me. My appointment was canceled. I was shocked by this news. How can a doctor abruptly abandon a patient with no advanced notice? I told the nurse I had been very sick with pneumonia. I needed to see the doctor as a follow up from my recent hospitalization. She said she would forward this information to the physician and let me know what he said. She never called back. When I did not hear back from doctor’s nurse, I sent an email to my physician explaining I had been very sick and I needed follow up treatment from my recent hospitalization. I asked for his help, but he never responded.

Again, I was left frantic and in tears. I was in urgent need for an infectious disease doctor, and now another doctor was abandoning me. The timing of all this was incredibly inconvenient. Coronavirus was exploding on the national stage.

Thankfully, God does not abandon us. One of the pulmonologists from the new hospital provided follow-up care. I am still in need of an ID doctor. But as with all things, God will provide.

This year has been a roller coaster ride. I am grateful God continues to guide me every step of the way. When everything was crumbling around me, I constantly reminded myself of Scripture: "And we know that God works all things for good to those who love God, to them who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28) and "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

As these words swirled in my head, I kept my eyes wide open to watch God provide everything I needed. Better than anything I could have arranged on my own, piece after piece fell in together to create a beautiful masterpiece of God's love. I know God's love is infinite, but to receive even a tiny fraction of God's endless love is enough to last a person a lifetime.

(Link to Part One click here)


(Link to Part Two click here)

Health Update 2

Following my emergency department (ED) visit, I contacted my infectious disease doctor's office and ask for the port to be removed. The doctor placed orders for the port to be removed. This time, though, he requested the procedure be done under general anesthesia. Praise God!

A few more weeks passed before I could have the port removed. During this time, I had received no antibiotics. I was quite sick. I knew I needed IV antibiotics, but I also knew I needed to get the port out ASAP. A hospitalization could delay getting the port removed. I again endured the infection in my lungs in hopes I could get treatment after the port was removed.

When I was able to have my port removed, the coronavirus was just starting to erupt on to the national stage. Thankfully, no additional precautions were yet in place at the hospital. The procedure could go ahead as planned.

When the port was removed, thankfully I was under general anesthesia. Unfortunately, I did not tolerate the anesthesia well. I vomited when they moved me from the procedure table back on to a gurney. I then vomited again in the recovery room. I felt tremendously sick when trying to recover from the anesthesia. I could tell something was terribly wrong. I stayed for many hours in the recovery room, but I continued to feel very poor. I finally was allowed to leave.

Once discharged, I knew I needed to go to the ED. Something was not right. I rested a few hours, and then I went back to the hospital.

At the ED, blood work showed I had a very elevated white blood cell count. My resting heart rate was 150 beats per minute. I was diagnosed with sepsis. The ED doctor did not know if I was sick from having the port removed or if the bacteria in my lungs was causing another infection. Either way, I needed to received IV antibiotics. I was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

I spent about 30 hours in the ICU. Then I was moved to a step down unit. Shortly after arriving in the step down unit, a resident doctor came to my room. He told me I was not sick. He said he was discharging me home without any antibiotics. My mother was very upset by this news. I had been in the hospital less than 48 hours. My 48-hour blood cultures had not been resulted. Additionally, my respiratory sputum cultures were not resulted. My mom demanded I be kept inpatient until the source of may infection could be figured out. The doctor decided perhaps I should be kept in the hospital until the 48-hour blood cultures came back. What he did not tell us is that he was discontinuing the antibiotics immediately.

The next morning, I was having difficulty breathing, chest pain, chest heaviness and had an elevated heart rate. The resident informed me my 48-hour blood cultures were negative. Although I had bacteria growing on my respiratory cultures, this was just colonization and was not making me sick. Also, my elevated white blood cell counts were not related to an infection. He was sending me home without any antibiotics. The doctor made an appointment for me to see my pulmonologist for follow up care. The physician also told me I was making up my symptoms. He suggested I see a psychiatrist. I was discharged home despite feeling very unwell.

Over the next several days, my health quickly deteriorated. Five days later, I went to see my pulmonologist for my follow up appointment. Before I saw my doctor, I saw one of her fellows. The fellow asked a few questions and quickly examined me. She did not wait for me to breathe in and out before moving around her stethoscope when listening to my lungs. She said my lungs were fine. She left the room.

When my pulmonologist arrived in the exam room, she did not listen to my lungs. She did not ask any questions about my health. When my mom expressed her dissatisfaction about the way my health concerns were dismissed at the hospital, the physician exploded into an angry yelling rant, which lasted for the rest of my appointment. The doctor told me she also believed I was not sick. She said she thought I was faking it. She then told me she never wanted to see me again.

I was shocked and stunned by these words. My pulmonologist manages my respiratory needs. Now that my doctor was abruptly abandoning me, I suddenly had no one to manage my ventilator--a machine I need to live! I was overcome with tremendous fear and panic.


(Link to Part One click here)

Health Update

This year I promised myself would be a year of health. I was going to spend no days in the hospital and have few medical appointments. But like most of my hopeful thinking, this was nothing more than me pleading with God for an easy year.

Starting in September (2019), I was extremely ill. I was going around and around with my doctors. I was told I was not sick. I then became extremely ill in late October. I spent six days in the hospital and finally received the IV antibiotics I so desperately needed. Unfortunately, I was discharged home with only a short course of antibiotics. I was still sick when the antibiotics ended. Due to the holidays, I was unable to follow up with my doctor until January.

I fought through November and December, visiting urgent care and the emergency department (ED) a number of times trying to get a dose of IV antibiotics here, and another dose there to tie me over until January.

Finally, my January appointment with my infectious disease (ID) doctor came. The appointment went extremely well. My doctor suggested I get a port since it seemed I was going to need IV antibiotics frequently to fight off chronic respiratory infections, which I will most likely have for the rest of my life. Things went a little slowly getting the port placement procedure set up as the paperwork was never submitted to interventional radiology, but eventually everything was arranged for me to get my port.

One week before the procedure, I became frightfully ill. Normally, I would have gone to the ED at the medical center where my doctors are located, but during this episode of sickness, it was not possible to make the 400 mile journey. Instead, I fought through the severe episode at home and hoped I would be well enough for the port to be placed.

The day I got my port is a day I will never forget. There were numerous roadblocks and obstacles which kept me from having the procedure done. (In retrospect, I should have abandoned the procedure. But I was determined to get a port placed.) It was late in the day when everything was arranged for me to get the port. The procedure was one of the worst things I have ever endured. I was supposed to have "twilight" sedation in which pain medicine and a sedative are administered to help make you feel sleepy. I never became sleepy. Instead, I was shaking uncontrollably in pain! My heart was beating at around 140 beats per minute during the procedure. I was given more and more of the twilight medicines, but nothing helped.

After the procedure, I continued to shake in pain. I was dismissed home and told to take Tylenol for the pain. The pain never went away. Moreover, I began experiencing very serious symptoms including intense head, neck and arm pain, dizziness, nausea, blacking out, chest pain, shoulder pain, pins and needles in my arm and hand, and I lost feeling in parts of my hand and shoulder. The pain and pressure in my head and neck would get so bad I thought my head was going to explode.

I went for a follow up appointment two weeks after my port was placed. I expressed my concern about these symptoms. The interventional radiologist told me I was just sensitive to pain. I was given a referral to a pain management doctor.

I tried to endure the symptoms, but everything was growing worse day by day. I contacted my ID doctor and told him there was something wrong with my port. He told me to go to the emergency department (ED). So, my mom and I drove nearly 400 miles to the ED at the hospital where I had my port placed. The doctor who saw me in the ED was only a resident doctor. He simply consulted the doctor's notes from my interventional radiology appointment and told me to go see a pain specialist. I was sent home even though I was shaking and screaming in pain.


(Link to Part Two click here)

Never let a serious crisis go to waste

It is a weekday afternoon. Food is running low. A husband needs to make a trip into town to go to the grocery store. Upon entering the city limits, a police checkpoint is setup, screening every vehicle entering the community. "I need to go to the grocery store to buy some food," the man informs the officer. The man is asked for his grocery list. The police officer looks over the list to decide if the items on the list are considered essential in the police officer's opinion. If the list is not acceptable, the citizen will be told to go home. If the man does not comply, he will be issued a $1,000 fine or sent to jail.

A restless teenage girl needs to leave the house. With schools closed and being confined to the house all day, she needs some fresh air. She leaves her home to take a walk. A policeman stops her and asks, "Where is your mask?" The girl states it is not against the law to walk alone without a mask. The policeman lets her go. Shortly thereafter, another police officer stops and harasses the young woman for not wearing a mask. Again, the girl is in no violation of the law. The police squad car follows the teenager home.

A mother of six children stares into space. Her food supplies are running dangerously low. In normal times, her four oldest children would be at school. She would go to the store with her two youngest children. Now with the shelter in place order, she cannot leave home. Only one person is allowed in a vehicle. Children under 14 are not allowed to ride in a car to accompany a parent for essential goods. Moreover, children under 14 are not allowed into essential businesses. Her children must remain at home. Her elderly neighbors are too old and frail to watch the kids. All her options have been taken away. She lives in a rural area in which grocery delivery is not available. The woman's husband is working in a distant land to make money his family desperately needs. Neighbors and friends are not allowed to visit the woman and her family to deliver groceries due to the shelter in place order. Anxiety, fear and panic threaten to overwhelm the mother.

A gentleman arrives for work at an essential business. He opens up the facility. While working, police arrive. They systematically chase every patron off the property. Many customers take a stance. "This is an ESSENTIAL business! We are in NO VIOLATION OF THE LAW!" The police threaten to fine the patrons $500 each if they do not vacate the premises. The employee is issued a $500 ticket. When the police are asked about their actions, one officer replies, "It is not right this business is open and is charging money." (For what it is worth, this business is deemed an essential business by local, county, state and national guidelines. It was not in any violation for being open, but the police decided they needed to shut down the business because it was making money.)

As these stories continue to pour in, I feel like this must be the 1930's and 1940's in Nazi Germany, but this is NOT. THIS IS THE USA IN THE YEAR 2020!!!

When the coronavirus first entered my radar screen, a quote immediately popped into my mind, "Never let a serious crisis go to waste." This is a quote used by many extremists. The theory is when something bad is happening, make every effort to push forward a radical agenda and frame it in such a way that it is for the benefit of the people.

Day after day, I see this happening. First, we were given light guidelines. Stay home if you are sick. Restrict gatherings to less than 50 people. Then the rules increased in intensity. No gatherings larger than 10 people. Then, we were required to shelter in place, but we could go to essential businesses. Curfews were issued. Taxi services and mass transit were shut down. (Have a bike? You cannot ride it on public property in some communities.) Then children under 14 were no longer allowed to travel in the car or enter essential businesses. Next, we were required to wear masks, even when outside; we were advised to not have more than one person in the car. (Are you disabled or unable to drive? You can have two people in the car, but your car will be stopped and interrogated. If the police officer does not deem your travel essential or believe two people are needed for the trip, you may be fined up to $1,000 or thrown in jail for six months.)

I wish I could say I lived in some area of the country where the coronavirus was rampant so these insane rules and regulations may make some sense. But truth be told, there has been ONE case of coronavirus in my community. The person acquired it while traveling; the person has recovered. Move to the next community, there are zero cases. There are two cases in the adjacent city. And continuing on, there are zero cases in the next city.

The fear and panic in my area of the country is mounting. There has been discussion about limiting the days of the week when one can leave his house. Need an urgent prescription but it is not your day to travel? You may have to wait. Need to go to the grocery store, but they are out of the items on your grocery list? You may have to go home empty-handed and wait until it is your day to travel again.

Our hospitals are empty. Medical personnel are being furloughed because the medical systems are not making enough income to continue paying employees. Some medical professionals are having their pay cut by up to 75%. Our local officials scream at us this is a pandemic! They need to put more and more restrictions on us to keep down the number of cases. The media continuously reports erroneous numbers to support the need for stricter regulations.

I make every effort not to listen to the news and to not be informed about the latest violations of my freedoms. I try to stay off Facebook because my blood boils reading about the latest and greatest ways police and government officials are trying to create the biggest and best crisis possible. My one hope is for President Trump and his team to open back up this country. I pray our area is one place which is first on the list of places to reopen. I pray our local officials will stop creating this terrible crisis by continuing to push through tyranny...because you should never let a serious crisis go to waste.

The fridge: a dramatic presentation

For most of the day, I am in my bedroom lying on my bed. I have the cuff on my tracheotomy tube inflated. This means, I receive full support for breathing from my ventilator, but it also means I cannot speak. My mom frequently enters my room and tells me things which are on her mind. In years gone by, I would acknowledge the remarks with a verbal response. Since inflating and deflating my cuff puts extra stress on my tracheotomy tube, my mom tells me I don't need to verbally respond. I often nod my head, wave or smile to acknowledge my mom's comments.

The other day, my mom burst into my room. She was looking for the beets she bought at the market. She wanted to cook them in the oven for supper. Instead of my mom's usual commentary, today she does a dramatic presentation while asking me where her beets are. She pretends to open up a drawer with her right hand and says, "Are they in the right fridge drawer?" She then reaches high and says with a high pitched voice, "Are they on the top shelf?" She reaches low with both hands and asks in a deep tone of voice, "Are they on the bottom shelf?" The skit is too much for me. I am rolling on my bed laughing.

When I gain some composure I deflate my cuff. "What are you doing?" I ask. "I can hear and see just fine. I do not need all the extra motions." My mom responds, "Oh sorry. I had too much Diet Coke today." This only provokes my mom to continue with her grand gestures and frequent voice intonations. When I can bare it no longer, I finally say as I make large hand gestures myself, "Your beets are on the bottom shelf of the fridge in a plastic bag."

My mom does an exaggerated bow to show her appreciation for the information. She leaves my room and goes off to make supper. I spend the rest of the evening laughing as I keep replaying my mom's play acting abilities in my head.

Abundant blessings: when it rains, it pours

A few weeks ago, I was really sick. My pulmonologist dumped me as a patient, and I was now on a new quest searching for medical treatment. I visited a new hospital and was assigned new doctors. I was given business cards and told I could follow up with them. I chose the doctor who seemed to be the best. He was the chief pulmonologist at the hospital.

Due to the coronavirus, the new pulmonologist canceled all his appointments. He was doing only telemedicine calls. The process of getting a telemedicine appointment scheduled was a little chaotic since the doctor's office was closed. It took many phone calls, but eventually I was able to get an appointment.

During my virtual visit, the doctor asked about my ventilator settings. He actually knew what the numbers meant and had me change my settings to help with my breathing. Wow! No one has ever changed my vent settings since they were originally put in place by a pulmonologist in 2017.

Moreover, the doctor wanted to place me on an oral drug, but the drug is contraindicated if you have Mito. Before I knew it was contraindicated for Mito patients, I had taken the med in 2017. The drug made me very sick. Since then, I have been firm about never taking the drug again. I have had long battles with physicians over using this drug. (This was also one point of contention with my former pulmonologist.) But with my new pulmonologist, his medical assistant informed the doctor that the hospital pharmacist said the drug was contraindicated for people with Mito. The physician took note of it and decided not to prescribe it to me. Again, I was stunned! I did not have to argue my case about not wanting to take a highly toxic drug.

Since I am not feeling well, the pulmonologist also gave me to option of going back into the hospital or getting IV antibiotics at home. I asked to be treated at home. The doctor ordered IV antibiotics and said he would reassess me in a week to see how I was feeling. If I was still feeling poorly, I may need to come back into the hospital. I was shocked! My old pulmonologist refused to prescribe IV antibiotics. If I needed them, I had to see an infectious disease doctor or go to the hospital. But this new doctor was now prescribing me the meds I need!

Less than an hour after my telemedicine appointment ended, the infusion company called me. They had received the new IV antibiotic order. The representative said she could get it sent out via UPS and have it to me the next day. I was stunned and amazed. The infusion company has multiple locations. The main location is great. They are prompt and can get things done in an instant. But I usually deal with one of their satellite locations since I live closer to the satellite facility than I do to the main campus. The satellite location is disorganized. They also have a rule the first several deliveries of the medicine must be hand delivered. In the past, the deliveries often arrive between 10:30 p.m. and midnight. However, for some unknown reason, this time I was not dealing with the satellite location, but I was actually speaking to the main location! They do not have the rules about hand delivering the medicine. So, this means I will get my antibiotics in a timely fashion via UPS and will not have to wait up all night waiting for the delivery! Hallelujah!

"Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with harp and lyre. Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe. Praise Him with loud cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!" (Psalm 150)

Don't touch me: It's Hammer time!

Whenever I go out in public, I am always extremely cautious about people touching me, about people touching my medical equipment and I constantly wash my hands. Having a tracheostomy means viruses, fungi and bacteria have free access to my lungs and respiratory tract; I am severely immunocompromised. I cannot tell you how many times people who have runny noses, sniffles, a hoarse voice, etc., all feel the need to give me a great big hug. I am not disinclined to accept these warm offers of affection, but I am always annoyed when someone who clearly has some sort of illness touches me.

There is one song which is on a continuous loop in my head whenever I am around other people. It is MC Hammer's U Can't Touch This...but I always change the words to "Don't touch me!" Yes, over and over the song plays in my head. Any time someone wants to get close to me, I have to quickly access the situation and determine how sick a person might be. If I suspect any sort of illness, I will stop the person from touching me. I will put my hand out to ward off the hug and tell the person I have been feeling sick. This is usually stops the person from getting any closer to me.

Now that the coronavirus has folks practicing contact precautions and social distancing, no one is hugging or touching anyone. (For once, people understand how germs can be easily passed from person to person.) I feel like MC Hammer's song should be the coronavirus's theme song. Now if you are not familiar with MC Hammer, he wore parachute pants in his music video. These are large, ridiculous pants. During this time of stress, I think we need to follow MC Hammer's fashion. I can only imagine people going to the store or showing up for work in parachute pants!

(Yes, for of those of you wondering, I listened to U Can't Touch This the entire time I wrote this blog post! It's Hammer time!)