Something to consider regarding masks/children

[ktgrok]

5 minutes ago, forty-two said:

I keep mine at 80, Mom did the same growing up.  It's comfy, so long as you have fans going. Anything below 78 feels rather decadent to me, lol.  (And to think, when we lived up north, my neighbors though we were weird for using the ac *too much*.)

Fans make a huge difference. I can't use the one in the main room though, as we have a skylight, and the flickering light from the sun coming down behind the fan is like a strobe light. It gives me a headache in minutes and basically freaks me out sensory wise 😞

But we can run them in the kitchen, playroom, bedrooms, etc. 

Growing up, we lived in South Florida and didn't have AC until I was in 6th grade. 

[Terabith]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I don’t know that a bigger mask would help, but a different design? When I wear my cloth masks they are directly against my mouth and nose. When I wear a N95, I have a baseball sized space where my mouth and nose are—nothing touches them. 
 

I think material choice matters too. I am looking at sewing some masks with chiffon inners to get that electrostatic benefit (per the studies). I absolutely know I need cotton not chiffon on the layer next to my skin because I will freak out with polyester touching my face. 

Yeah, I find I really prefer mask styles that have a rib to keep a little bit of separation between the mask and my face.  It makes a big difference, even if the mask itself is thicker.

[forty-two]

1 minute ago, Ktgrok said:

Growing up, we lived in South Florida and didn't have AC until I was in 6th grade. 

My hat's off to you.  I grew up in gulf coast tx, and my mom always said that the only reason Houston is what it is, is because of air conditioning, lol.  My relatives are all from the north, and my uncle joked that southerners don't have a chance to feel the heat - we go from our air conditioned houses to our air conditioned cars to our air conditioned stores.

[katilac]

37 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

I'm blown away! We have the AC set to 76 almost always - or if it is just me at home, 77! And during the afternoon at this time of year it easily gets to 80 even with the AC - doesn't matter how low you set it, it won't get below 79 or 80...sometimes 81 on the hotter side of the house. Neighbors say the same. An AC guy said that the best the AC can do is about 20 degrees of cooling, and when the heat index is over 100, 80 is 20 degrees cooler. 

Anyone around here would faint if you suggested putting the AC down to 72! It would cost a fortune! Lots of people keep it at 78, actually, to save money. 

Well, I'm in south Louisiana, so our summer average highs and lows are generally almost exactly the same as yours. Like we're 92/76 for July and you're 92/75. I've heard the 20 degree thing, too, but I think it's actual temperature and not heat index. Because my house is never 80-81, lol. 

We are usually 74 during the day, 72 at night. I don't think our bill is outrageous, but we do have good insulation and the glass door and glass sliding door are tinted. And I'm pretty willing to have a large line item in the budget for air conditioning, lol. 

[ktgrok]

9 hours ago, katilac said:

Well, I'm in south Louisiana, so our summer average highs and lows are generally almost exactly the same as yours. Like we're 92/76 for July and you're 92/75. I've heard the 20 degree thing, too, but I think it's actual temperature and not heat index. Because my house is never 80-81, lol. 

We are usually 74 during the day, 72 at night. I don't think our bill is outrageous, but we do have good insulation and the glass door and glass sliding door are tinted. And I'm pretty willing to have a large line item in the budget for air conditioning, lol. 

Well, we do have poor insulation I'm sure. We have thermal drapes on the windows that face the afternoon sun, but it just bakes the house. Electric in the summer is over $400 for a few months. In houses with better insulation I lived in it could be close to that as well, but they did get cooler. 

[Matryoshka]

10 hours ago, kokotg said:

I'm enjoying this side conversation about AC, perhaps because I'm a little obsessive about ours all summer. Our upstairs unit can do whatever we ask of it, but we have this annoying sunroom with giant windows downstairs that makes the AC have to work really hard. We have to set it lower than we actually want it to be in the mornings (usually we go with 72) so it can get ahead of things....if we do that it can keep it to around 75 or 76 even on really hot, sunny days....otherwise it will slowly creep up to 78 while we watch helplessly. Being the first one up and forgetting to turn the air down before it starts to get hot is a terrible crime in our house.

There are people in the winter who set their heat to 72. Seem like you'd want things warmer in the summer?

We keep ours at 78, and I wouldn't want it any cooler. I have on shorts and a sleeveless shirt! I hate being cold. I have no idea why some people like turning their houses into ice boxes. Stores are awful. 

I'm just so happy it keeps the humidity down.  After a few days of a heat wave, our south facing room is in the 80's no matter what it's set at. Fans do make a huge difference - we have one in every room.

I do know what you mean about getting ahead of it - dh will not bother to turn it on in the morning if I'm not here. Bad idea.

We turn ours off in the evening,  and we have no ac at all in our bedroom,  just window and ceiling fans.

Edited August 2, 2020 by Matryoshka

[kokotg]

1 minute ago, Matryoshka said:

There are people in the winter who set their heat to 72. Seem like you'd want things warmer in the summer?

We keep ours at 78, and I wouldn't want it any cooler. I have on shorts and a sleeveless shirt! I hate being cold. I have no idea why some people like turning their houses into ice boxes. Stores are awful. 

 

I like things on the cold side: my preferred summer temp is 74 or so during the day/72 at night. We do 63 at night and around 67-68 during the day in winter....although as I get older I'm more likely to want it a little warmer. 

[Matryoshka]

Just now, kokotg said:

I like things on the cold side: my preferred summer temp is 74 or so during the day/72 at night. We do 63 at night and around 67-68 during the day in winter....although as I get older I'm more likely to want it a little warmer. 

Lol, I need it warm! I spend all winter baking myself in front of the wood stove! We usually do 68 for thermostat during the day in the winter, but I've been known to creep it if dh isn't there to see. But mostly I stay in the room with the stove....

[StaceyinLA]

Just wanted to add, my intention really wasn’t to drop this and run - just wasn’t interested in really debating the issue. I wasn’t on the boards for a week or so as we had an extended family member who went through labor/delivery of an infant they knew wasn’t going to survive due to several developmental defects. It was their first baby, and a very awful time.

FWIW this pre-teen was a regular patient who is seen/monitored often for a heart defect. He had never had issues with his heart rate at prior visits. The fact that their practice is overloaded with kids who are showing signs of high BP and higher than normal heart rates was something that concerned her, and it was/is a legitimate concern.

Also, yes, people in China do wear masks all the time. How much do we know about the overall health of the Chinese? Are their children wearing masks in their schools, or all day every day? This virus originated there, and did infect many people prior to spreading to other countries.

[StaceyinLA]

On 8/1/2020 at 10:32 PM, katilac said:

Well, I'm in south Louisiana, so our summer average highs and lows are generally almost exactly the same as yours. Like we're 92/76 for July and you're 92/75. I've heard the 20 degree thing, too, but I think it's actual temperature and not heat index. Because my house is never 80-81, lol. 

We are usually 74 during the day, 72 at night. I don't think our bill is outrageous, but we do have good insulation and the glass door and glass sliding door are tinted. And I'm pretty willing to have a large line item in the budget for air conditioning, lol. 

 

Had no idea you were in South LA. What area? Obviously I don’t expect you to be specific. Grew up here - been here my whole life. Dull. 😜

[StaceyinLA]

And I can’t find the post I wanted to respond to about the parents being negative and making their children negative, but I will say that we (my family) are definitely not in agreement with mask mandates (if that weren’t obvious from other posts I’ve made). That being said, I DO wear them for short periods in grocery stores (though I often have to step to an empty aisle to remove mine for a minute to breathe). I do not go anywhere else that requires masks. We pretty much just stay home.

The CDC website says if you feel you can’t breathe, or you are overheated, get 6 feet away from people and remove the mask, so clearly people aren’t just making these issues up.

[katilac]

11 minutes ago, StaceyinLA said:

Had no idea you were in South LA. What area? Obviously I don’t expect you to be specific. Grew up here - been here my whole life. Dull. 😜

Metro NOLA (but not Orleans Parish) 

Grew up here but dh and I lived in Florida, Tennessee, then Florida again before coming home 

[frogger]

On 8/1/2020 at 7:15 PM, forty-two said:

My hat's off to you.  I grew up in gulf coast tx, and my mom always said that the only reason Houston is what it is, is because of air conditioning, lol.  My relatives are all from the north, and my uncle joked that southerners don't have a chance to feel the heat - we go from our air conditioned houses to our air conditioned cars to our air conditioned stores.

 

I always have to pack a coat when visiting the south because it's miserably cold in all the buildings. I guess it makes sense in restaurants because the cooks are hot I'm sure but everywhere else doesn't need to be miserably cold. 

[StaceyinLA]

50 minutes ago, katilac said:

Metro NOLA (but not Orleans Parish) 

Grew up here but dh and I lived in Florida, Tennessee, then Florida again before coming home 

 

I grew up in BR - now I’m in a rural area not too far from there. Love NOLA. My son is moving there in the next couple months.

[Skippy]

3 hours ago, StaceyinLA said:

Just wanted to add, my intention really wasn’t to drop this and run - just wasn’t interested in really debating the issue. I wasn’t on the boards for a week or so as we had an extended family member who went through labor/delivery of an infant they knew wasn’t going to survive due to several developmental defects. It was their first baby, and a very awful time.

FWIW this pre-teen was a regular patient who is seen/monitored often for a heart defect. He had never had issues with his heart rate at prior visits. The fact that their practice is overloaded with kids who are showing signs of high BP and higher than normal heart rates was something that concerned her, and it was/is a legitimate concern.

Also, yes, people in China do wear masks all the time. How much do we know about the overall health of the Chinese? Are their children wearing masks in their schools, or all day every day? This virus originated there, and did infect many people prior to spreading to other countries.

I appreciated the information that you shared from those who are treating children. I am so sorry about your family members. That is so difficult.

[Pen]

On 8/14/2020 at 6:44 AM, StaceyinLA said:

Just wanted to add, my intention really wasn’t to drop this and run - just wasn’t interested in really debating the issue. I wasn’t on the boards for a week or so as we had an extended family member who went through labor/delivery of an infant they knew wasn’t going to survive due to several developmental defects. It was their first baby, and a very awful time.

FWIW this pre-teen was a regular patient who is seen/monitored often for a heart defect. He had never had issues with his heart rate at prior visits. The fact that their practice is overloaded with kids who are showing signs of high BP and higher than normal heart rates was something that concerned her, and it was/is a legitimate concern.

Also, yes, people in China do wear masks all the time. How much do we know about the overall health of the Chinese? Are their children wearing masks in their schools, or all day every day? This virus originated there, and did infect many people prior to spreading to other countries.

 

Having had to wear masks and sometimes full face respirators and protective over gear coveralls as well, IME,  yes, it can get hotter than without, (a lot hotter! Think about medical workers and firefighters, and even fencers with perforated masks typically work up a major sweat) and exertion with a respirator on can increase heart rate (though IME not by very much—less than climbing stairs for example).  

There is a learning curve  in how to breathe properly in masks and sometimes in how to decrease exertion or other strategies to keep cooler.  

Also some homemade masks may be being made too thick or with filters too hard to breathe through. Or with materials like thick polyester quilt batting that is overly hot for summer.  

Quite a few people have had to try a number of materials and designs to find a reasonable balance between filtration and breathability.  

Checking heart rate or even better O2 saturation with a Pulse Oximeter objectively rather than sensations of heat or discomfort is probably a good idea. 

The kids in your example may have had masks that were too dense. Or they may have such bad cardiac issues that they should be isolated at home except for emergency medical care. That should probably be looked into. 

Many children with health issues such as cancer have had to wear masks for extended periods and can do so successfully. 

 

When wearing a mask, I try to reduce heat, which may have different methods for an adult at work than for a kid at a medical visit. 

For a kid, maybe consider  shorts and a tank T and flip flops, putting long hair up, even carrying ice packs.  And if possible take along a Pulse Oximeter to make sure there’s no actual reduction in O2 saturation (I think in scheme of kids with cardiac problems, investment in a Pulse Oximeter seems like a good idea anyway).  Manual check of wrist pulse for too fast pulse.  Slow down walking pace, or consider borrowing a wheelchair to get around a medical facility even if child usually can walk but to avoid adding strenuous exercise while wearing mask. 

 

Happy Mask (from Calif company made in Taiwan) Basic model is quite lightweight and comfortable imo.

Surgical style thin mask  might be better for some  kids.  (This is what kids with cancer etc often  use IME)   That could be experimented with actually taking pulse rate, O2 level readings, etc. 

 

***And, of course, especially for kids with underlying cardiac or pulmonary health problems needing to get to medical visits, talk to their own doctor about what to do.***

Edited August 15, 2020 by Pen

[Pen]

https://youtu.be/HaL7gIMemrU

A video about masks from a doctor who is experienced in ICU and pulmonology

https://youtu.be/HaL7gIMemrU

 

Edited August 14, 2020 by Pen