Jason Steed Certified Primal Health Coach
My Role Reversal, due to COVID-19
Just like you, I've heard of cases where this virus is pervasive, stealthy, and unpredictable. Grateful to be fairly symptom-free, but here's the thing...it still flips you on your ear in terms of routines and roles. I'm forced into using a different mode of thinking than past weeks of quarantine. When you know you have COVID, you're suddenly the carrier, the spreader—the predator—and everybody else is a potential victim. There are no more suspects.
With these tables turned, my thoughts and actions are quite different. I've gone from pre-sanitizing to post-sanitizing, and retracing my steps. My truck is off limits to everybody. At moments I think that avoiding eye contact makes me less contagious...less threatening. Through my mask I no longer have that look of "We're in this together" but rather an ominous and tainted "Hey, I'm scary, and I'm sorry."
When you know you have COVID, you're suddenly the spreader and everybody else is the victim. There are no more suspects.
July 4, 2020
COVID, Day 2: Dependence Day (2:17)
My outdoor domain...and I lost my sense of smell.
We moved into our new home in late February of this year. It's been hard to get to know neighbors without weekly church, school and other social activities. Now I feel I've tightened the noose with a "This house is infected, stay far away" stigma that probably won't clear up with a clean bill of health. It's all crazy speculation, but if I put myself in our neighbors' shoes, I feel very much that way.
More Probiotics, Please
Heather brought many of these foods home today, rich with probiotics. This is vitally important for both of us this week since we started an antibiotic yesterday to treat our strep throat.
It’s been on my mind, what’s our microbiome doing after months of quarantine? Our gut bacteria run the show, at 10x volume as all the other cells in our body. As the mandate has been “sterilize” we’ve helped mitigate an overwhelming spread of the virus at hand, but with this come a few costs. I’m not suggesting we go out and hug strangers, but by being aware of the vast importance of good bacteria, here are some actions to keep in mind: Get outside and dirty with soil-based organisms. Add probiotics and prebiotics to your diet. Some examples to follow. I can’t stress enough the importance of rebuilding and diversifying our bacteria to prevail over bugs we’re constantly exposed to. Without good cell regeneration and regulated immunities, I worry we’ll be looking at things worse than COVID-19 for months and years to come
Probiotics: Cultured fermented foods like sauerkraut, pickles, yogurt, kefir, kimchi, kombucha, etc. Prebiotics: Resistant starches like green bananas, cooked and cooled rice, potato extracts, jicama, and supplements.
Depending on Family
I really need to stop backtracking. I honestly don't need to know how and where I caught this, but maybe it feels like I could help slow the spread if I knew where I picked up the bug. Truthfully, it came from somebody being careful who caught it from somebody else being careful, then somebody else being careful, etc. I understand that "careful" can be interpreted in many, many ways. But now my own version of "careful" is right here within my own home. I need to be careful to cover my steps. I need to be careful in the attitudes and tones that I use. I need to be careful not to go absent as a husband and dad. I'm certain that our kids need their parents now more than ever. I'm sot sure yet how to step up without stepping in. Our kids are learning this weekend how decisive and inspired their mother can be. Heather is a home builder. She's an incredible unifier. She and I try very hard to have a unified front, but there's also richness and lessons of perspective in our differing opinions. Now I get to show our kids my deep respect for their mom by respecting her wishes to be a dependent dad (ugh, I squirm just to type that).
Today (July 4) is Dependence Day for me. I'll depend on my family for the next few weeks when it comes to many daily tasks, chores and assignments. I feel total trust when it comes to my family. Now I just have to show it.
No High Road with COVID-19
I hope it goes without saying that every case of this flu virus is unpredictable and unique. I have to trust that my recent healthy lifestyle choices will help minimize my symptoms and the duration of my illness. I can claim no high road if a benefit from a mild bout. I have enormous sympathy for those who struggle with this illness, or who struggle as they watch their loved ones suffer. Severity does not equal punishment, no matter how cautious or reckless each of us is. I guess then that we combat this thing with kindness.
Today's Symptoms
Today I lost my senses of smell and taste, and not just a little bit either. I cannot taste sweet, tart, spicy, tangy, salty, or anything in between. Believe me, I've tested out a lot of strong foods ;-]
I feel no flu symptoms today, other than a bit of a persistent light pressure in my nasal cavity. I like to think it's the nurse's fault for her rigidity in administering the nasal swaps for the COVID test.
What does Oura think?
Happy to see an HRV score of 68 reported overnight by my Ouraring. My resting HR is back down to normal, at around 43bpm. My sleep was not great as I'm pretty sure I was stewing in my own nervous thoughts as I laid down to bed.
