Do you scuba? Or have scuba diving friends? Ask 'em to describe an out of air drill. That awful feeling when someone turns of your tank, and air just isn't entering your lungs, no matter how hard you try.

We do this so we don't panic if it ever happens underwater.

Because the first time it happens you *will* panic. It's not a sensation that is easy to reproduce. But once you've felt it you viscerally *know* that you've got seconds to act; to get your buddy to share air and to both GTF(safely)O ASAP

The relief at surfacing, that first unimpeded breath feels like rebirth.

Why do I mention this?

When I was I'll a few weeks ago (?covid) there was one night when I experienced 'air hunger' (dyspnoea.) It felt like God had turned off the valve on my tank.

And there was no spare. No buddy. No surface to head for. Just hours and hours of the low-grade terror of wondering where the air had gone.

I was scared if going to hospital. I was scared of not going to hospital.

If I hadn't experienced an out of air drill before, my level of panic would have been even worse. As it was, it was terrifying.

I'm 'better' - haven't had symptoms for weeks, strength is slowly getting back to normal. But the memory of that night of dyspnoea terrifies me still

And that's a mild case. In a (relatively) fit 40-something. I run (a bit), don't smoke (at all), have a healthy BMA, and no confounding medical issues. Short of being asymptomatic, I'm a 'best case.'

And I was in utter distress.

Don't quit on social distancing

Don't add to the risk of catching & spreading this

Yes, lockdown is boring/infuriating/depressing/terrifying. But the disease, even in those vast hidden numbers of us who haven't been near a hospital, is awful.

I know it's hard. But stay home