Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/12/14/watch-how-close-the-covid-nasal-swab-test-gets-to-your-brain.html
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No thanks, I’m good.
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I’m currently experiencing covid symptoms and this further inspires me not to get tested again.
The procedure wasn’t that bad the first time (negative), it’s more the being driven around in the back of a (literally) boarded up van that I’m trying to avoid tho.
Thankfully, I’m between jobs and can afford to isolate for as long as needed, so unless my health gets worse I’m not getting tested again.
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What? Are you suggesting that people with a positive test get extraordinary rendition?
Get tested. You may have been in contact with people when you were pre-symptomatic and they deserve to know if they were exposed. What might be a mild case for you could be severe for somebody else. You also won’t know how long you need to isolate unless you get tested.
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I’m pretty much a recluse at this point, in the past month I had a brief contact with one person and I did let them know that I’m having symptoms, because they’re quite literally the only possible source of infection for me. Whether they get tested is beyond me.
I’m not getting out of my apartment unless I’m dying.
Has that occurred even once in the US ?
I’m in Lithuania, Europe.
That’s standard procedure here. If an infection is suspected and you don’t own a car,
a van with wooden boards between the driver and the back comes to pick you up.
The driver doesn’t get out, can’t open windows and just waits for you to get in the back.
What follows next is ~20 min drive to the clinic. Once there, you can’t get out until you’re told to.
You just press your passport to the window so they can check your identity and wait for another twenty minutes. Probably longer now, because we’re having an explosion of cases here.
Then you get tested, everyone’s pretty nice at this point and then same procedure to drive you home. Also you must isolate until you get the test results.
Frankly this feels very similar to when I was arrested, I may have lingering trauma.
So yeah, I did get tested in the first wave, when I was still working and had a social life.
Edit: Also there are very tired security guards everywhere around and in the clinic watching you and trying to stay as far as possible at the same time.
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There can be some surprising vectors for getting infected, including some that can occur in your own home with no direct exposure to people (the A/C is one, and for the latter reference your bathroom drain can potentially become an infection source). Not necessarily trying to scare anyone but just mentioning that tracking where an infection might’ve come from is pretty complex.
For your peace of mind i would recommend getting tested, if you are indeed infected then you can take the necessary precautions. If you aren’t then continue being safe. My roommate a few weeks ago became ill and she was convinced she got infected, she got the test and it was negative. She never figured out what it was, it also wasn’t the flu but she says she felt awful for about a week… i kept as much distance from her as i could and i didn’t catch whatever she had
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I’m not really worried, haven’t been out of the apartment in a month, have pretty much no visitors, and do my shopping online (they just leave the produce by your door because of nationwide quarantine).
I’m not really worried, symptoms are mild, I have no plans or opportunities to infect anyone,
and we’re having over 3000 cases a day in a country of 2.6 million.
Because of that there’s a waiting line to get test and other than getting tested I have no reason to leave my apartment.
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Regardless of whether you get tested, be well and stay strong. It sounds like a rough time for you and it’s important to remember there’s folks out here who are pulling for you, even if you can’t hear us. I’m a guy who likes being isolated and even I have to say the sort of seclusion you’re talking about sounds painful.
Internet hugs from a random stranger
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Thank you!
It’s not that bad maybe because I’m used to it. I’m a big spender and when finances get
tight, I recede into my apartment and hibernate for a while.
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Get well soon. And thanks for taking the time to share your situation and experiences. They are much different than my own, and it’s interesting (and scary) to see how other countries handle testing and quarantine.
P.S. most Americans don’t own a passport. And attempts to create a national ID have been stalled multiple times and many people still aren’t aware they’re required to get one.
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This reminds me of the carnival “blockhead” trick.
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You have a stoic 11 year-old. Personally, it feels like getting water up your nose X 10,000. It sets off an explosion of visual effects for me, all behind my eyelids as they are clamped shut. Then it’s over with no obvious lingering effects. I’ll be brave and do it again if I need to, and think of the brave example your daughter set.
In British Columbia, we now have a gargle test, but the instructions online make it sound like its only available for children. Apparently not, but too late for me.
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And that’s how Trump got better so quickly.
The swab missed his brain by approximately four foot.
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As I’m still suffering from nasal polyps, I deal with this every time I’m examined by an ENT as they slide a camera up into my sinus cavities. At least they give me a bit of topical anasthesia before putting it up there.
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This is your brain.
This is your brain on swab.
Any questions?
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If you don’t own a car in the US, it’s not terribly easy to get a test either, if you want to avoid public transit as to not transmit to others or deal with morons who won’t mask up. I needed to get tested and I walked a mile and a half to the local hospital. Thankfully, the weather was nice.
At the testing center, I had to sort of pussyfoot around all the cars until the intake person found a spot for me and then had to weave back through the line of cars again when finished. While I didn’t think I’d get squashed by a SUV in the process, it was unnerving to be that close to a running car and especially ones that had the windows down and passengers unmasked. I understand that using parking lots and optimizing for cars helps social distance but very little thought was put into setting up space for anyone coming by an alternative mode of transport.
(Test was negative, btw).
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Seeing the cadaver in the video was really cool. And it was cut in half, the long way, wow!
In 8th grade Health class, what I remember is that there was a lot of anatomy. I found it fascinating and always, always had questions for the teacher. It got to the point where after every new concept or thing she had to say, she’d look at me and ask if I had any questions.
Even today, I find it awesome if I get to see parts of the inside of me that I normally don’t get to see, like with x-rays or periodontal procedures.
I think that my 12 year old has some of the same tendencies, so I’ll show him this video. It’s good that the host (is that what you’d call him) seems pretty chill and he knows what he’s talking about in a real approachable kind of way. Thanks for posting this, @pesco!
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