When my family had COVID 19, we had amazing support from our community. Every day we received some kindness: cards, food, and flowers arrived on our doorstep, friends picked up and delivered prescriptions, and chalk art messages appeared on our sidewalk . These acts of love and support sustained us during our COVID experience.
Like so many of us, I live far away from my extended family and many lifetime friends. I grew up in the Midwest and moved to the Pacific Northwest many decades ago. Most of my family continue to live in Minnesota or Wisconsin. As the virus spread through those states, seven family members and 3 dear friends contracted COVID. The resounding question within me became “What can I do from here to support them?” I created a list of the most helpful items on our COVID journey. These have become my go to items to send to loved ones who contract COVID.
Kim’s COVID Support Kit:
A Digital Thermometer
A personal thermometer for each family member is very helpful. We tried 2 different touchless thermometers and we found it difficult to get an accurate read. We found the digital thermometers to be the easiest to use and more accurate. Because all three of us had COVID at the same time, it was helpful for each of us to have our own thermometer that we kept nearby to use as needed.
Pulse Oximeter
This is considered one of the most important tools to have available when you have COVID 19. It clamps on your finger and within a few seconds tells you your oxygen saturation level as well as your heart rate. This little gadget allowed each of us to check our oxygen saturation rate many times a day. When our chest felt heavy or our breath seemed labored, it was helpful to be able to check our levels to know if we needed to go into the hospital. My husband and I both contracted viral pneumonia as a result of COVID, and 4 months later we still have days when our lungs feel gravely. The pulse oximeter continues to guide us in our response to these symptoms. Luckily, when out oxygen saturation rate has fallen below 94%, we have been able to increase it within minutes by doing breathwork.
Surprisingly, some people with COVID do not show any signs that their oxygen saturation rates are critically low. This makes the pulse oximeter a vital tool in the quest to recover from COVID. We already had one in medicine cabinet. Once we were sick a neighbor ran to the drugstore and bought us a 2nd one so that it was easy to keep one handy for each of us.
An Electrolyte Drink
It is important to stay hydrated when we have a fever. Even though we were conscious about drinking water, my husband, Niko, became very dehydrated. His doctor was very concerned and wanted him to go to the hospital to receive intravenous hydration. Niko asked for 24 hours to try and do it himself. We bought Pedialyte, Gatorade and Body Armor. Of those he liked Body Armor best. Then I found ULTIMA Replenisher and that became our electrolyte of choice. We all liked the taste; we liked the ingredients; and we liked that it was a powder that we could mix with water decreasing the amount of single use plastic we were bringing into our home. https://www.ultimareplenisher.com
Cold Packs
Cold packs are essential for dealing with COVID headaches and body aches. We especially like Pain Cakes. They are a soft ice pack that conforms to your body and they stick to your skin so you don’t need to hold them in place. https://pain-cakes.com/shop-now
During our COVID recovery, we used each of these items regularly. I consider them to be essential in any COVID emergency kit. When a loved one gets sick with COVID, check to see if they have these items. If not, any of them would make a wonderful Get-well gift.
