COVID-19 Chronicles: Chest X-Ray

Wait, are those... party streamers?

Well that escalated quickly

I swear, I was totally feeling better yesterday, but I probably overdid it

In retrospect, it should not have taken me two hours to recover from talking for 9 minutes

Went to bed with a headache, slipped up and took my Mucinex an hour late, have only done that 3x since I’ve been sick and each time it has set me back a day

Barely slept at all, tickle in my throat, coughing all night - a first, believe it or not, coughing has not really been a part of my coronavirus journey

Had the bright idea to email my doctor an update, as I do each week, and asked if I should consider my case ‘moderate’ rather than ‘mild’ since I have had breathing difficulties, heart palpitations, and nerve tingling

He emailed back right away that he had ordered a chest x-ray FOR TODAY and a bunch of labs, he thinks the coughing is a bacterial infection in my lungs, nerve tingling he said might be thyroid or a number of other things, he thinks unrelated to COVID, fair enough

I was asleep at the time, went back to bed and crashed out for 2 hours, woke up feeling very raw, lungs burning, back sore, something very wrong going on in there

Woke up, saw email, oh dear... was more worried about going across town than about health prognosis

So tired

What does this mean, chest x-ray today, can I think on it?

Note, COVID patients are notorious for showing up at hospital far later than someone else would advise, apparently coronavirus tricks lungs into not realizing they are not giving enough oxygen

This affects brain processing speed, can vouch for that, been here before 15 years ago

So, okay, wait, like, I have to go to the hospital, like... NOW?

They close at 8, already afternoon

Called ahead to check hours, where do I go, let them know Typhoid Mary is on the way

Texted my friend from Virus Brunch, said I didn’t want to expose a Lyft driver

You find out who your ride or die friends are, of course she dropped everything and was like BE RIGHT THERE

Take care of your Obligers, they eventually earn it back tenfold

Fussed around packing hospital go-bag, I have more pills than the World’s Oldest Man

Chest burning, feeling quite ill, but I guess it’s time to put on clothes and shoes and get stuff together

Actually forgot what my keychain looked like, Oh, might need that, haven’t used anything from my purse in over a month, really only a couple times in the past 6 weeks

Hospital said to come alone, nowhere to sit in waiting room, hubby and I had a sad goodbye

I genuinely believed I would probably be admitted to the hospital, that I might not see him, best case scenario like midnight, worst case, text him from hospital bed, might be in isolation for days

He was like “you’ll be fine”

Helped me fit my mask, I put on safety glasses and gloves, ventured outside for the first time in weeks

Twilight Zone

Warm, sunny, springtime beach weather, traffic, people walking and holding hands, some in masks but most not

Got to see my beautiful friend, she looked amazing, almost better now

Grim half-hour trip to COVID hospital / girl time beach vacation, catch up on goss

Told her what the doctor said about bacterial lung infection

She was like OH, I should have told you

She and one other person from virus brunch both had the same thing, they got amoxicillin, apparently this is a known issue

Well in that case!

In other news, out of the 11 people I know who got sick, 5 have actually gotten tests and were confirmed (not just 1), improves statistics if we are included, also validates my presumptive positive diagnosis

This is the weird thing about COVID, in a lot of ways it lowers your anxiety because the worst has already happened, you don’t have to dread WILL I GET IT because you already did, no more miasma of dark thoughts, more like a flow chart or to-do list

Most people would be like OH NO, I have a bacterial infection in my lungs and I need a chest x-ray

When you have coronavirus it’s more like, oh, BACTERIA? Is that all? Whew!

Because it’s TREATABLE

I’ve HAD ordinary garden-variety respiratory infection before, this we can handle

Cheered me right up

Also laughing with my sweet friend, so nice to see her and appreciate that she lived, our friends lived, by extrapolation I too shall live

We’ve driven back and forth together so many times on that same stretch of road, going to dinner together, or lunch, or tea, or... probably never brunch again, but hey

It was like old times

Except before we wouldn’t have referred to hanging out as “quaranteaming”

Got to hospital, met by staff in masks and shower caps, holding clipboard, very well organized

Dropped off, feeling quite alone with my hospital backpack, breath fogging up safety glasses, werewolf woman on the move

Talked to clerk from 10 feet, didn’t even have to get out my health card, she looked me up by phone # and DOB

I was the only patient, there were at least a dozen staff outside and a couple inside

Waiting room chairs taped off

My name was already up on the reader board before I turned the corner, not even a minute

Maybe 3 minutes later I was being called in for my labs, only a few yards, nobody was in there, just one tech

Millennials 100%, I don’t think I saw anyone over 30

Took 10 vials of blood, is that all mine??

Asked him how he was holding up, he was like ME? I’m fine, his attitude: young, healthy, not worried whatsoever, open beaches please, he definitely looked bright and well-rested

Then I went back out to wait, clerk was helpfully calling to me from behind check-in desk, honestly it was like a resort hotel experience except that nobody took my backpack

Two more patients had come in but waiting area was still basically empty

Barely time to text hubby before x-ray tech called me back, changed into gown, walked right in, two images, and DONE, go home lady

I had told my friend, Go home, I might be here for hours or overnight, she was like, text me and I’ll come get you

Texted her back, she had probably almost made it home, she was so sweet and cheerful about it, so we got another half-hour together and she drove me home along the beach route, sun was setting, air was so clear

Laughing at myself for my paranoid overpacking, 4 changes of underwear, shampoo, charger cables, bottle of Soylent, instead having dinner at home and sleeping in our own bed

Funny conversation with cheerful young lab tech, I said if I die, I’m haunting the nicest mansion I can find because I’ve never lived anywhere like that

He said, you’re already thinking too small, you could go anywhere in the universe, said he was looking forward to it

Said when you die, you’re not in pain anymore and you have nothing to worry about, it’s life that’s painful, no point being scared

Young Stoic, young comedian, I told him he should have a podcast and he said he hears that all the time

Thought I would share, there are so many exhausted, frightened, and mistreated doctors and nurses out there, these young ones seem to be enjoying themselves, eager to help, plenty of resources

Don’t be afraid to call your doctor if you need to, go to urgent care if you need to, call ambulance if you need to, don’t talk yourself out of getting help or think you’re only being paranoid, in other words, don’t be like me

I’m only a few hours away from getting some answers, going to sleep in my own bed tonight with my hubby by my side, my sweet friend only a mile down the road

Love to all, be well