Keeping safe at the Doctors Office and Grocery Store during COV-19 coronavirus outbreak

Little birdhouse among the Pink Dogwoods and Redbud

Top of my list for places to NOT GO to during the coronavirus outbreak is to the doctor's office. For a month now I've been fighting a sinus generated ear infection. I threw everything plus the kitchen sink at it and nothing has cured my blocked up ears. I found some interesting remedies online and tried most of them. Typically a netty pot does help clear my sinus similar to using a saline nose spray. My mother swears by saline in the Spring to keep an often dry nose healthy and allergens cleared out. Sinus pain or even a light nose bleed can be a symptom of a dry sinus.

Pink dogwood's are in bloom on Forsythia Hill

So yesterday I reluctantly called my doctors office, which I describe as my country doctor because it's located in the woods back in a rural community nearby to my house just outside of Charlottesville. I've been drastically limiting the places I go because of my autoimmune disease. I had not been to my general doctor in 4 years, so a prescription could not just be called in. I was impressed to find that my doctor's office has set up a tent outside for those not wanting to enter the building and also for people with contagious symptoms. I felt really awkward making the nurse practitioner come outside but she made it clear that it was not a problem and that it was nice to get some fresh air.

Fluffy pillows of Leatherleaf Viburnum are blooming!

I'm now on an antibiotic to hopefully clear up my ears which are causing dizziness and hearing loss so it's not something I can continue to mess around with. Often I can bring on a dizzy spell by looking up and backwards and this exercise immediately stops the vertigo sensation. It also has stopped my dizziness from the imbalance caused by my plugged up ears.

Our Mockingbird is setting up his territory.

I also wanted to try minimizing my contact in the grocery store by trying the free Kroger Pickup service. I wasn't as satisfied with this as I was with my doctor's office experience. There was a 6 day wait to even be able to pick up after my order was placed and there was only one time slot which was from 6 - 7 pm. This was rather late in the day for me and sounded like a really busy time to go to Kroger. I decided to give it a whirl regardless. As I was driving to pick up my order Kroger called to tell me it would not be ready until at least 7 - 8:30 pm if at all! I rescheduled for the next morning. I received another call that night at 7:30 to say my order was ready. I again arranged to pick it up the next morning. Pick up was no problem but 7 items out of 25 were not available. I expected some items to be out of stock but I felt like this was excessive. A foreboding of what's to come? Lucky to get anything? Time will tell. 

The pink moon, named because creeping phlox is blooming.

My next strategy will be to try Harris Teeter on 29 North at an off time as I hope they will not be as busy as Kroger. I also will wear my homemade mask that has a protective non-woven lining! So far I've made 4 of them and hope to not make any more! I'm not crafty.

Minimizing exposure is all I can do. Nothing is perfect in life but I will continue to make my way as safely as possible. Staying home enjoying plants, birds, and even taking my first moon shot with my new zoom lens camera.

~Rebecca