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Lucy McBride, MD

@drlucymcbride

Jan 22

I’m on call this weekend for my group medical practice. Lots of vax’d patients w COVID—cough, sore throat, headache, body aches, fatigue. Mild to severe.

Other top symptoms?

Guilt
Shame
Fear

“I did everything right.” “I feel like a failure.” “Doctor, I’m terrified.” 1/x

Even if ppl know intellectually that their risk for severe illness is greatly reduced after vax, fear is natural & real. It’s *normal* to get scared when a rapid home test turns positive or when we’re notified abt a positive PCR test 2/x

So when I’m talking to a newly-diagnosed COVID patient, we go thru their symptoms, decide +/- ER care, discuss various treatment options from Ibuprofen to monoclonal Abs & oral antiviral meds (latter for high-risk patients), & how to monitor themselves at home. 3/x

Read 17 tweets

Lucy McBride, MD

@drlucymcbride

Oct 10, 2021

@TheAtlantic

We’re starting to reach the acceptance phase of the pandemic: a time when we must recalibrate our individual risk gauges, which have been completely thrown out of whack

My latest for @TheAtlantic 👇

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

The two things that patients want—reassurance that they won’t get COVID-19 and permission to engage in life—I cannot deliver, and I never will be able to. SARS-CoV-2 is here to stay. /2

The virus will be woven into our everyday existence much like RSV, influenza, and other common coronaviruses are. The question isn’t *whether* we’ll be exposed to the novel coronavirus; it’s *when.* /3

Read 12 tweets

Lucy McBride, MD

@drlucymcbride

Aug 13, 2021

@TheAtlantic

Shielding my kids from danger is a fundamental instinct; tolerating risk for them is hard emotional work.

Fear is necessary for our survival. It can also do harm.

My latest for @TheAtlantic 👇👇👇

bit.ly/3yEMjf3

@CDCDirector

For people who thought that the pandemic was ending, @CDCDirector's July 27 televised statement was like the scene late in *A Nightmare on Elm Street* when Freddy Krueger’s claw reaches up from within Glen’s bed and pulls him in.

Children were assumed to be at low risk of serious illness from coronavirus. Although the evidence calls for prudence, not panic—even as the Delta variant spreads—many parents will struggle to keep fear from racing ahead of the data.

Read 10 tweets

Lucy McBride, MD

@drlucymcbride

Jun 30, 2021

@TheAtlantic

Now is the time to redefine burnout as the mental and physical fallout from accumulated stress in any sphere of life, whether that’s work, parenting, caregiving, or managing chronic illness.

My latest in the @TheAtlantic:

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

Burnout is usually reserved to describe *work-related* phenomena: exhaustion, feelings of negativism, and reduced professional efficacy.

But what if simply being human carries occupational risk?

The symptoms of burnout have become medical. The work of living through a pandemic has been making us sick. To muster the energy for reentry into non-pandemic life, people need more than a vaccine and a vacation.

Read 5 tweets

Lucy McBride, MD

@drlucymcbride

Jun 28, 2021

At this watershed moment in the pandemic, the challenge right now is to recalibrate fear — to quiet fear when the facts don’t support it, and to redirect worry to areas where our health and well-being are *actually* at risk.

That said, let’s acknowledge the universality of fear. It’s entirely normal to be afraid when faced with a threat like COVID-19. After all, fear is normal and part of being human. It helps us survive — to run from the proverbial tiger in the wild.

There was (and always is) a time for fear. Anxiety serves us. Fear = survival. But when the proverbial “tiger on the loose” has been caged, it’s time to release ourselves from unnecessary fear. Risk is everywhere; but anxiety out of proportion to facts can make us sick

Read 7 tweets

Lucy McBride, MD

@drlucymcbride

Apr 30, 2020

Today we are talking about the good, the interesting, and the upshot among the recent #coronavirus-related news. THE GOOD: Hope is alive! A promising vaccine is coming out of Oxford University. 1/13

@US_FDA

Fingers/toes crossed it continues to look good in human studies+ can be out for use this fall. The @US_FDA will likely approve emergency use of Remdesivir (drug typically used to treat HIV) which has shown favorable results in #COVID__19 patients but warrants further study. 2/13

@MichelleObama

Labrador retrievers are being studied as a “canine surveillance” corps (aka virus “sniffers”). @MichelleObama called me last night (it was a Robocall, but still) to announce that DC residents with symptoms can now get FREE #COVID__19 testing though a DC hotline. 3/13

Read 13 tweets

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