Protecting yourself during winter months with autoimmune disease

When giving medical advice to a compromised community... its good to have a good source.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449

I bought my masks from a non-profit that made sure the masks we used were authentic. Soe counterfeits are on Amazon apparently.

I didn't even ponder that there were would be fakes sold on Amazon. I have also never known of a non-profit selling the masks that you purchased. It would definitely be a great fundraiser. Maybe more 501c3's will pick this up at some point. Thanks for sharing that. Is there a way on how to tell if the masks are a fake before purchasing them?

That was a good article. I'm going to have to delve deeper into researching masks and how to tell the difference in the quality of them. Thank you for sharing that.

Wow, I'm sorry that a cough could break a rib. That must be horrible. I don't have the same thing as you but do know that autoimmune illnesses definitely mess up the way our bodies work. When I was hospitalized for six days this year with a pain rating of 10/10 by the doctors and no pain med they tried would stop it then I realized how deeply affected we are by our illnesses. No one wants pain, illness or even a down day in our futures. All of us seem to want to learn on a daily basis how better to protect ourselves. It isn't easy and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

One question comes to mind and I hope that you or someone on here can answer this: I was just diagnosed with another autoimmune illness that requires a different autoimmune medication than the one that I'm currently on. From my research it mentions that more than one biologic or med isn't done as it would lower the immunity too much. So, are there different levels of autoimmunity that doctors aim for in treating us with autoimmune illnesses? I'm confused now on this. Phew, so much to learn, so little time. 🙂

Don’t worry about what others are doing. If you want to go to Church or to the grocery store, wear your mask. It’s all about protecting yourself. Do what’s best for you!

Thank you for that comment. I often tend to over analyze things and make it more difficult than it needs to be. Life is over with so very quickly and I don't want to make mine go by too fast. Have a great day and stay safe this winter.

I would do whatever you feel comfortable with. I keep masks and hand sanitizers with me in case I need it. In stores I keep my distance from people. Maybe at church use mask, go in when it starts and sit in back by the doors where the fresh air is.
Also don’t forget your recommended vaccines. I have several autoimmune diseases my scariest is PBC/ liver cirrhosis. Best wishes!

@gema98
Those are exactly all the things I do, and they've been working for me. I keep my distance from people as much as possible and as best as I can, avoid crowded venues, always use masks and hand sanitizers, wash hands often, sit in the back of the church at the end of the row, and have gotten all of the recommended vaccines. And, to date, since the pandemic and since I became immunocompromised, I have not had any of the dangerous respiratory illnesses that are circulating (not even a cold). We each have to focus on keeping ourselves safe and healthy.