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Mar. 31st, 2020 05:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_rckSunday evening, Scott's sister organized a family Zoom chat that included most of the family. Her son was at work at an emergency vet clinic near the university he attends, but everyone else was there.
Our SIL in Seattle is a vascular surgeon and a researcher, and she said that she's been spending a lot of her time greeting people at the door to the hospital to ask about symptoms because it needs to be done and she's currently got time. My impression is that she expects to be called on to do more doctor-y things later but would prefer that things not get to that point.
She also told us that she's been hearing that the COVID-19 virus can survive up to nine days on some surfaces.
The city here has issued statements saying that people should use 911 for reporting businesses that are open but that should not be. I have no idea how prevalent that issue is, but using 911 suggests that they're prioritizing acting on those reports. It may simply be intended to keep businesses from deciding that they can reopen without anyone noticing.
There have also been several reminders that playgrounds, basketball courts, etc. are closed. I'm pretty sure that that's because people are still going to those places. I understand the temptation of the playgrounds because small children are small children, but...
Scott and his sister's family played board games online most of yesterday evening.
I think I'm facing another major cut back in the things I can safely eat. I had thought that rosemary was safe because it doesn't give me reflux or intestinal issues, but the last several times we've cooked with it, the skin around my eyes burned, and on eating food with it, I got rash at the corners of my mouth. I also started having minor breathing trouble-- enough to notice and to cough several times an hour (and panic Cordelia). It's generally taking 5-8 hours to settle.
This seems to be a bigger problem with fresher rosemary than with stuff that's been sitting in our cupboards for years, so I think this may not be a new problem. It's just been under the radar because we never used it much before. It's turned into a go-to seasoning in the last year, though, because we thought it was safe.
The fact that I'm reacting to it as an inhaled thing means that Scott and Cordelia won't be able to cook with it. They were already limited that way in terms of onions and garlic. I also have issues with smelling broccoli; I can eat it if I can't smell it, but, if I do smell it, my body rebels.
At any rate, my list of safe herbs and spices is now very short:
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Ginger
Vanilla
Salt
Dill
Thyme
Sage
Cardamom
Turmeric (in tea)
Mustard (depending on what it's mixed with. Only some brands are okay, but if there's much vinegar, I get rash around my mouth)
Soy sauce
Teriyaki sauce (most versions but not all)
Canola oil (not a flavoring, but other oils with flavor tend to be Bad)
Ranch dressing (most versions but not all)
Lime juice (sometimes)
Lemon juice (less often)
I'm not absolutely certain that dill is still okay, and I think that thyme tastes like dirt. Cordelia loathes ginger.
There are probably other things that are safe given that I can occasionally eat out and not get sick, but most places I go to eat, I have one or two things that I always order simply because novelty isn't worth hours of being ill. If a thing was safe last time, it's got much better odds of being safe this time, but that dish at another restaurant might make me quite sick because of differences in seasoning.
Possibly part of the issue with my breathing is that Scott really likes to pan fry things, air fry things, and use the instant pot. All three methods put more nastiness into the air than microwaving or baking would. Scott's currently making himself an omelet, and my lungs aren't happy about it. Given that he's home all week, this is going to be an issue. Him doing it once or twice a week is manageable. Every day will be less so.
I haven't discussed this in detail with Scott. Partly, I don't want to decrease his options for food that tastes good to him (and that Cordelia is willing to eat). Partly, he does more than 75% of the food preparation because I'm only erratically able to cook. Mostly, while I know there are issues, I really don't know exactly what they are.
Scott's willing to take concrete steps, but I don't even know where to start.
I've been having trouble sleeping the last several nights. It's frustrating because it means that I'm groggy all day.
Our SIL in Seattle is a vascular surgeon and a researcher, and she said that she's been spending a lot of her time greeting people at the door to the hospital to ask about symptoms because it needs to be done and she's currently got time. My impression is that she expects to be called on to do more doctor-y things later but would prefer that things not get to that point.
She also told us that she's been hearing that the COVID-19 virus can survive up to nine days on some surfaces.
The city here has issued statements saying that people should use 911 for reporting businesses that are open but that should not be. I have no idea how prevalent that issue is, but using 911 suggests that they're prioritizing acting on those reports. It may simply be intended to keep businesses from deciding that they can reopen without anyone noticing.
There have also been several reminders that playgrounds, basketball courts, etc. are closed. I'm pretty sure that that's because people are still going to those places. I understand the temptation of the playgrounds because small children are small children, but...
Scott and his sister's family played board games online most of yesterday evening.
I think I'm facing another major cut back in the things I can safely eat. I had thought that rosemary was safe because it doesn't give me reflux or intestinal issues, but the last several times we've cooked with it, the skin around my eyes burned, and on eating food with it, I got rash at the corners of my mouth. I also started having minor breathing trouble-- enough to notice and to cough several times an hour (and panic Cordelia). It's generally taking 5-8 hours to settle.
This seems to be a bigger problem with fresher rosemary than with stuff that's been sitting in our cupboards for years, so I think this may not be a new problem. It's just been under the radar because we never used it much before. It's turned into a go-to seasoning in the last year, though, because we thought it was safe.
The fact that I'm reacting to it as an inhaled thing means that Scott and Cordelia won't be able to cook with it. They were already limited that way in terms of onions and garlic. I also have issues with smelling broccoli; I can eat it if I can't smell it, but, if I do smell it, my body rebels.
At any rate, my list of safe herbs and spices is now very short:
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Ginger
Vanilla
Salt
Dill
Thyme
Sage
Cardamom
Turmeric (in tea)
Mustard (depending on what it's mixed with. Only some brands are okay, but if there's much vinegar, I get rash around my mouth)
Soy sauce
Teriyaki sauce (most versions but not all)
Canola oil (not a flavoring, but other oils with flavor tend to be Bad)
Ranch dressing (most versions but not all)
Lime juice (sometimes)
Lemon juice (less often)
I'm not absolutely certain that dill is still okay, and I think that thyme tastes like dirt. Cordelia loathes ginger.
There are probably other things that are safe given that I can occasionally eat out and not get sick, but most places I go to eat, I have one or two things that I always order simply because novelty isn't worth hours of being ill. If a thing was safe last time, it's got much better odds of being safe this time, but that dish at another restaurant might make me quite sick because of differences in seasoning.
Possibly part of the issue with my breathing is that Scott really likes to pan fry things, air fry things, and use the instant pot. All three methods put more nastiness into the air than microwaving or baking would. Scott's currently making himself an omelet, and my lungs aren't happy about it. Given that he's home all week, this is going to be an issue. Him doing it once or twice a week is manageable. Every day will be less so.
I haven't discussed this in detail with Scott. Partly, I don't want to decrease his options for food that tastes good to him (and that Cordelia is willing to eat). Partly, he does more than 75% of the food preparation because I'm only erratically able to cook. Mostly, while I know there are issues, I really don't know exactly what they are.
Scott's willing to take concrete steps, but I don't even know where to start.
I've been having trouble sleeping the last several nights. It's frustrating because it means that I'm groggy all day.
