Sea lions at Pier 39 in San Francisco.
It’s pretty remote where I live. The population of Oakley is around 1,800 people the nearest international airport is 250 miles away. I don’t expect we will be hit hard by the coronavirus. I still think it’s a good idea to practice a few commonsense guidelines.
Mike had asthma from a very young age. When he got an upper respiratory infection, it would almost always go into his lungs. He started getting flu shots before we were married, in his mid-twenties. I did not. When I get upper respiratory infections, they stay in my head.
The first time he got a flu shot he almost immediately got sick. I stayed with him to take care of him. Then I think I got it worse than he did. I was taking classes at Colby Community College and in my last class I had the body aches and chills. I came home and stayed there for the rest of the week.
A lone tree in southern Logan County.
In February of 2015 he was diagnosed with the flu. They put him in the hospital for 10 days. The health professionals would put on gowns, gloves, and masks upon entering his room. I didn’t have to because I wasn’t going to go see any other patients.
I took him home and in two-and-a-half days we were back to the ER. Again, he tested positive for the flu, a different strain this time. He was admitted. I went back to work and shortly started having symptoms, headache, body aches, etc. I texted him and asked him to ask one of his providers what I should do. I got back a text from the pharmacy telling me I had a prescription. It was for Tamiflu. One dose made me feel better.
He was in the hospital for another week. He spent virtually the whole month of February in the hospital. In late March we went to a regularly scheduled appointment with his specialists at KU Med Center. He saw the rheumatologist, had a chest CT, and saw the pulmonologist. He was scheduled to see the hematologist latter in the day.
The pulmonologist took a look at his CT and said he didn’t think it looked like it should being over a month out from having the flu and admitted him again. That was his first stay at KU Med Center, and it lasted a week. They tested him for many infections, put him on antibiotics, and did a lung biopsy.
A sea lion practicing social distancing at Pier 39 in San Francisco.
The next fall John and I started getting flu shots. Not for us but for Mike. We couldn’t take the risk of him getting it from us.
I know things are crazy right now. You never know if the person next to you is immunocompromised or carrying a disease. It’s just not that easy to tell. For the time being limit your contact when you can. Those who are or who have loved ones who are immunocompromised will appreciate it.
If you’d like to experience how the horses can help you deal with caregiving, being a patient, or making better connections with caregivers, patients, or doctors connect with me here.
No one wants to be All By Myself. A version by Eric Carmen and A version by Céline Dion
Make a Connection in the comments below.
Onward! What Makes Us Feel Like We Have to Live Up To Someone Else’s Expectations?
Thank you for educating us on “why” social distancing is important. The fact that this virus can have a 2-week incubation period means someone could have it, not know it, and infect countless people in that time period is dangerous. You’re so right, none of us know who might be a high risk person that we could unknowingly infect. The hospitals and staff are overworked and exhausted. It’s so important that we practice social distancing for them and so the hospitals have the space, manpower, and resources to take care of those who are in serious and/or life threatening condition. This is an important message. I will share it. Love you. ❤️
Thank you, Lyn. When you live with someone who is immunocompromised it puts things into a whole new perspective. Growing up with a doctor we were probably exposed to a lot of stuff other children weren’t. I feel very blessed that I have a great immune response. However, when my brother and his kids come up from Houston or we went there to visit them inevitably someone would catch something they were not immune to. Having a new virus is a bit scary because presumably none of us have immunity to it. That being said if we’re not already compromised we can fight it easier. Love you and thanks for sharing my message.