Saturday, March 21, 2020

Getting Sick During A Pandemic

Hi friends, 
How are you? 
On Friday the 13th, I woke up with a terrible sore throat. I'd had it off and on for about a week but I figured it was the start of pollen season. No big deal. 
It wouldn't go away. It was a Chloraseptic Spray, Advil, Tylenol type of sore throat that lasted for four days. 
I don't know if you saw it but there was Facebook post going around talking about the symptoms of the virus. 
I read it before I got my sore throat. 
My symptoms matched the symptoms described in the post. The post that went viral has not been proven to be accurate but the damage was done. 
It worsened my fears.  

At some point on Monday evening, I decided to call the doctor. 
It was 4:30 and I hung up when no one answered. 
It was still sore on Tuesday morning so I called again and talked with them. They said to come in and that they had taken precautions as recommended by the CDC.
They asked me if I had been to a foreign country in the last two weeks. I said that I had not. 
I shared with them that the only place that put me at risk was a hospital emergency room because a family member had emergency surgery on March 6th. The hospital took some precautions but it was before newer guidelines had been in place.  

This is what happened at my doctor. 
Before I could enter the waiting room, they took my temperature. 
They took my driver's license and insurance card. When she gave them back to me she told me to take a mask.
She did not wear gloves when she took my cards. 


There were only five of us in the waiting room. We all stood away from each other. 
Not everyone had a mask.
The nurse called me back. She was in a disposable gown. She had a mask and googles. 
They re-took my vitals. My blood pressure was through the roof. I always have "white coat syndrome" anyway but this was very high even for that. 

They ruled out flu and strep. They said they thought I had the beginnings of a sinus infection but that I did not have Covid-19 symptoms. They did put me on antibiotics. 
I am feeling better-finally!
It was not a fun time. 
This is what I learned and I hope it possibly helps you in the weeks to come. 
Make sure that in addition to toilet paper ;), you have the following: 
Tea
Bullion
Allergy, Cough, Cold, Sore Throat, Anti-inflammatories of your choice. All the self treating things you can think off. No Sudufed if you are on blood pressure meds. 
Humidifier
Thermometer 
Breathe Right Strips 
Vick's Vapo Rub
What ever works to self treat at home. 
A glass of wine helped calm me down. ;)


Going to the doctor was a scary thought. Would my local office be taking necessary precautions to protect me but also protect the doctors, nurses and staff? 
Mine did. Make sure yours is taking precautions. 
I'm going to preach a little here so bear with me. 
If at all possible, distance yourself from others. You are doing it not only for the Covid -19 patients but you are doing it for everyone that gets a little bug of some kind during allergy season. 
You are doing it for the healthcare workers. 
 I realize that I'm probably "preaching to choir". 
A lot of bloggers and blog readers are introverts so self isolation is our super power but we have to take this seriously. 


This is not political in anyway but they told me that they did not have tests for the virus.  
I expected that going in and I was not surprised. The tests will roll out as this thing accelerates. We are behind the curve. 
We only have two confirmed cases in our town. Unfortunately, we have one death. 
I would hope that if I'd had the symptoms that they would have referred me to the health department. 
I would hope. 

I had a lot of time to think over the weekend. 
We put our faith in so many things but ultimately one tiny virus can bring things to a crashing halt. 
If you have followed me for a while, you know I am a person of faith. 
I have had strong faith from the time I was a very small child. I needed it since my mother battled cancer for 7 out of 10 years of my childhood.  

I recited "Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray, the Lord, my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." 
I don't know who taught me that prayer but prayer is always my "go-to" in times of trouble. 
This weekend, however, I wasn't feeling peace. 
I was burdened.
I have realized that I have worried about some ridiculous things. My faith is not strong at times. 
I felt the weight of a world that doesn't have an anchor of faith to get through troubled times. 
I cried off and on. Finally, Bill said that I was funny. I needed to blog. 
In other words: "Get off social media and the couch and make people laugh!" 
I heard him loud and clear. 

I am 50,000 views short of 2 millions views. That's not a lot in blogland but it is something to me. 
I hope to make it there quicker than I thought due to the fact that people are home and maybe they will be reading blogs again. 

 I hope people will slow down and discover what is really important in life. 
Faith and family are at a top of the list.
I hope you are well friends! 
Katie




8 comments :

  1. To God be the glory that you do not have COVID!!! I agree that this is a good opportunity to focus on What is important in life...please continue to take care of yourself!

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  2. Katie, I'm so sorry you have been ill and especially at a time like this when any illness is ramped up by the anxiety of Covid 19. I'm so grateful that it's not the virus. For those of us who fall into the high risk category, this thing is very frightening. Your experience at the doc office is quite similar to mine yesterday -- well masked, I was given a mask, all good procedures and I felt well protected. I'm pleased to hear you had the same. Good advice on stocking up on the basics for any kind of bug and yes, distance, distance, distance. You take care and heal. I'm glad you're back and I'm glad you'll be ok.

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  3. I'm so happy that you're feeling better. I have an appointment tomorrow to discuss my abnormal bone density test. I'm nervous about going, but reading about how well you were protected makes me feel better. I love that your husband kicked your butt! He is right! I am just like you. Sometimes I let worry take over and mess up my life. Then I worry that my faith should be stronger and why isn't it??? Oh, my. We are going to come out of this "adventure" better and stronger than we were before. God always makes beauty out of ashes. And I agree with your husband-you are funny. I always look forward to reading your blog. God bless you.

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  4. How very scary for you. I know I would have been very nervous, as I'm sure you were. Thank God, you don't have the virus. Take care, stay well. Hugs from Wisconsin

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  5. So happy you did not have Coronavirus and you could treat with antibiotics to feel better. Also glad to hear your medical office used all the protocols and precautions with patients and themselves except for the girl taking your DL and insurance card. GLOVES!!!! We are all in this for the long haul and keeping kindness and precautions in place will hopefully keep us from seeing the devastating results in Italy and China. I am coming out of retirement as an RN to help out and my daughter that is a RN and my SIL and Husband that are first responders are right on the front lines of this. So scary and such sacrifices they have to make. Stay safe and stay home especially since your immune system is working hard on your sinus infection. Virtual hugs. Kris

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  6. Katie, what a blessing you don't have the virus. It must be awfully hard to be sick in these times as it would be the first thing you think of. Glad they were able to give you meds that are helping. So thankful for the docs and nurses and all first responders in our country. It is a job that I wouldn't like to have now..Stay well..xxoJudy

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  7. Katie, what a blessing you don't have the virus. It must be awfully hard to be sick in these times as it would be the first thing you think of. My online shop provides pretty and customized pillow ! include accent pillow case baby burlap nursery,accent pillow case baby,baby pillows,boudoir pillow cases and other pillow!
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