[Susan Zimmerman]

Hi Charlene,

Thanks for your reply. So in the interim, sounds like the info in the video IS accurate, so I’ve started disinfecting again. (Sigh… ) The doc who posted the original video has an updated one (as of 03/31/20) based on the feedback he got. I haven’t watched the entire new one yet but I think he tried to simplify the procedures. One thing I’ve been able to do is identified a place where I can leave groceries and bags for 3 days (in your case, 4) before bringing them into the house. That let me do the disinfecting only on the things that had to go in the fridge or freezer. And like you, wash those hands!

[Susan Zimmerman]

Don’t worry about disinfecting your groceries:

Both my husband and I need to avoid catching the Coronavirus; he has IPF, and I’m his caregiver and have my own health issues. So after I watched the video last week, I started following the steps shown in it.

Last night, I was just exhausted wiping down my grocery purchases, so I googled “Do I need to clean my groceries?” Up came reports <b>from just the past couple days</b> that no, we don’t need to! And don’t worry about packages, boxes, mail, etc. either. This article is from the state of Washington Dept. of Health. Since they’ve been dealing with the Coronavirus longer than any other state, they oughta know. What a relief!

From the Washington State Dept. of Health:

https://medium.com/wadepthealth/no-need-to-stock-up-or-disinfect-your-groceries-4db7e027371d

[Susan Zimmerman]

And a P.S. His Medicare Part D prescription medication plan doesn’t cover benzonatate, so it was very expensive. So we used a GoodRx coupon and were able to get a 90-day supply (270 200-mg capsules) for $85.

[Susan Zimmerman]

My husband uses benzonatate capsules, 200 mg, up to 3 times per day, prescribed by his pulmonologist. This is the generic for Tessalon Pearls. It works very well to suppress the persistent dry IPF cough and he has no side effects. If he does start coughing, he finds that Ricola Sugar Free cough drops help to stop the cough.

[Susan Zimmerman]

Try again, this time I hope without the formatting symbols!

Mark, thanks for posting this topic and the link to the article. My husband lives with the challenges of IPF and I’m his partner in helping care for him. I love the list of 17 ways to practice mindfulness, especially the first exercise of breathing mindfully for 2 breaths. It was a helpful reminder that this easy yet effective mindfulness practice is always there for me to use—if I remember it!! When I’m feeling anxious or overwhelmed, I have trouble remembering what I can do to help myself.

Another mindfulness practice I use is called “Excessive Thinking.” I didn’t note where I got this or who wrote it, but it sure helps when my mind is working overtime on worries, guilt trips, fears, etc., especially at night:

“Excessive Thinking
The best way to deal with excessive thinking is to just listen to it, to listen to the mind. Listening is much more effective than trying to stop thought or cut it off.”

Just listening. No judging, no arguing, no explaining. Just stepping back and listening. And repeating as often as needed, until my mind gets a little more quiet and I relax. It works when I let it. 😉

[Susan Zimmerman]

Mark, thanks for posting this topic and the link to the article. My husband lives with the challenges of IPF and I’m his partner in helping care for him. I love the list of 17 ways to practice mindfulness, especially the first exercise of breathing mindfully for 2 breaths. It was a helpful reminder that this easy yet effective mindfulness practice is always there for me to use—if I remember it!! When I’m feeling anxious or overwhelmed, I have trouble remembering what I can do to help myself.

Another mindfulness practice I use is called “Excessive Thinking.” I didn’t note where I got this or who wrote it, but it sure helps when my mind is working overtime on worries, guilt trips, fears, etc., especially at night:
<p class=”p1″ style=”margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;”><span class=”s1″>Excessive thinking:</span></p>
<p class=”p1″ style=”margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;”><span class=”s1″>The best way to deal with excessive thinking is to just listen to it, to listen to the mind. Listening is much more effective than trying to stop thought or cut it off.
<span style=”color: #333333; font-size: 16px;”>
Just listening. No judging, no arguing, no explaining. Just stepping back and listening. And repeating as often as needed, until my mind gets a little more quiet and I relax. It works when I let it. ;)</span>
</span></p>