The problem for me with any illness is I always try to work through it. Mind over matter. I generally get sick as soon as I take an extended break – Christmas for example. I have been known to put things aside for so long I get a lecture from the Dr. when I finally decide to do something about it. I have an inhaler now as I have had breathing issues on and off since the end of October which got really bad over Christmas. I haven’t had to carry an inhaler since I lived on Salt Spring (8 years ago) and usually that was an issue with wood stove smoke. I suppose it could be the same thing here.. in any case I am used to ignoring the fact I am having trouble breathing until it becomes overwhelming or causes a headache. On Sunday I noticed that a piercing I had done 20 years ago was infected. The important part of this story is that they shattered the cartilage in my upper ear and I was never able to wear anything so let it grow over. Yet here I am with a tender, swollen ear and when I finally decide to address it there is blood etc. coming out the front and back. How is that even a thing???? Two days after that began and continued to get worse I wake up yesterday with a sore throat, trouble breathing, sneezing, tiredness and the muscles around my rib cage ache. I called my daughter to find out about how she got tested and then called for a Dr appointment. I was able to get a phoen call to be mede to me in two days. I decided I couldn’t wait and called the 811 Line for Covid-19 assistance.
Skip to today and my ear is getting better but my cough tries to make me either pee or puke. Yep, not pleasant, at all. I am shallow breathing instead, still sneezing and head and muscle aching. I do make it through my day of work although I take more frquent breaks to go walk outside and breathe. At 4:45 I head up toward the Health Unit and park in time to call the number I was given. I go through the confirmation of who I am, am told to wait and they will call me as soon as the nurses are ready for me. I am called and told to leave all but my keys and care card in the car and come up to the glass door. I enter and am greeted with cheer and caring. I am to clean my hands, put on the mask, show my care card and read the number out, put it away and clean my hands again. Put hands together in prayer or interlocking and follow to the other room. There I lean my head back and a swab is inserted in my non-pierced side pretty far up. It has to stay there for 10 seconds (or what feels like an episode of Jerry Springer because I want to hit that bitch) to be effective, it burns a little and when she pulls it out my eye waters. This she says is an indication she got to the right spot. I am told I was amazing, not a twitch but I have had deviated septum surgery and there is nothing on this planet that would convince me to get a nose job. It was one of the worst things I have ever experienced. This was it’s baby cousin. I had to clean my hands again, remove my mask to the garbage and then clean them again before I left. I was very thoroughly informed every step of the way and what would happen next. Seems within 48 hours, likely 24 I will have result on my Health Portal. I will receive a call from the Health professionals if it is negative and from the BC CDC. That is comforting that it will be known so soon and they will let me know either way. I am grateful to live where I live. It is likely I have a cold or other bug but it is important I don’t join the Stage 2 opening if there is a chance I have something.
I am on full lockdown until May 27th at least or a negative result and no symptoms left. I am again reliant on my Ashlée.
My only rambly thoughts today were about being in the class of 1980. I am sure somewhere in the world exists a paper I would have wrtten about the very distant future. I am sure the my 16-17 year old mind would have thought 2020 would have included the undersea world I envisioned living in. I had a plan to build bubble pod housing on the ocean floor. My peaceful place has always been in inner space. I know I could not have forseen face masks instead of diving masks, solo bubble living instead of air bubbles, enforced isolation instead of the freedom of the sea. Oh what reality this 40 years later has left on our plates. Were we part of the problem, should we have seen it coming? Did we inadvertently prepare by inventing the technology that allows us to survive it now?
eh, I’m sick, off to bed, tomorrow could be a big day, either way. Tra la.
triumphgal 