Trapped in the house with me, I feel for my wife and sons listening to me brag about my ACE2.

[NNadir]

This morning, poking around in the scientific literature, I realized I'm probably a mutant. I found this out because many years ago, I started out my blood pressure treatment taking the ACE inhibitor lisinopril, which caused me to cough so much that I had to switch to another class of BP medicines represented by valsartan.

It turns out, on a little more digging, that people who cough when taking ACE inhibitors have mutant ACE2, ACE2 (angiotensin converting enzyme 2) being the protein that the SARS-Cov-2 (Covid-19) hijacks to weasel its Trumpian useless offensive ass into cytoplasm. I keep telling my poor wife and sons about my "genetically superior" ACE2, telling my boys that they would be very lucky to have gotten my superior ACE2 gene, rather than their mother's inferior ACE2 gene.

(Any supposed real advantage conferred by this mutation is scientifically very, very, very dubious by the way, but if I can annoy my sons by telling them their Dad is a mutant, it's worth it: A little genetic/protein humor is always a good time.)

A few hours ago, the joke may have been funny, but I'm a world class expert at beating a joke to death. I am now merely insufferable.

They've taken to telling me that it's not nice to taunt mother Nature and are now telling me about that asshole Preacher who called Covid a hoax and died from it.

I'm a very bad person.

If we don't want to cry, we should try laughing. Sometimes it works.

[TEB]

1. Keep laughing

I am truly terrified now I’m trying to maintain my cool for my family.

[NNadir]

2. Well, you have the chocolate lab for comfort. My cat...

...is less effective. She just sleeps except when asking for food or insisting on being petted.

Seriously, we are all, all of humanity, in this together. Over here at DU we are especially proud of being human beings, and time with the family, even under appalling circumstances, is something to be enjoyed since it's about love.

[TEB]

4. True on the lab

He’s snoring at the moment be safe you and family

[Ferrets are Cool]

3. Thanks for that info...

fellow mutant.

[central scrutinizer]

5. Geez, Thanks for starting the run on lisinopril

I take it daily and also have the cough. Now MAGATs will be hoarding and snorting it and we won’t be able to get a refill

[NNadir]

7. You know, they're just dumb enough.

The lisinopril does nothing to protect or treat you: It just tells you if your a mutant.

We mutants need to stick together, by the way.

[MLAA]

6. Please take care of your insufferable self

You might be insufferable but you are your wife and kid’s insufferable mutant😬

[NNadir]

8. I am and I trust and hope all of our friends at DU are as well.

I'm seriously working to everything I can to do it "by the book."

The ACE2 thing is just a joke, and as a scientist, I know it's a joke, an insufferable joke, but a joke just the same. I'm almost certainly not immune and anyone who thinks he or she is immune is a fool.

Regrettably my sister-in-law has it, but is managing it from home and clearly will recover, but I know very well how serious it is.

Ironically, two weeks ago, she was the one telling us that "it's all an over reaction."

It isn't, even if the orange moron doesn't quite get it.

[MLAA]

9. Glad she is recovering and hope she ate her words!

I’m doing everything by the book as well. Haven’t left the house in over two weeks. Husband is very high risk, and I’d like to keep his insufferable ass 😬

[NNadir]

10. My wife, I'm sure, feels sympathy for you.

It's never been easy to live with me; now it's worse, because we're all stuck in the house together. I do think she'd like to keep my insufferable ass, but perhaps with some "social distancing."

My sister-in-law is no Trump humper, but she doesn't really get things some time.

I would rather that she didn't have to eat her words. She's fairly far from here, and we talked to her this afternoon. She told us that she has never felt so sick in her life. She couldn't talk long. I'm very hopeful that she'll recover; her fever's breaking.

My sister-in-law's boyfriend is staying but he's recovering from surgery - rotator cuff.

He's a very nice guy; I like him; he's very sensible, but he can't do much. A lot is falling on my niece. She's 15.