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In the false dichotomy of “lock everything down, stay home, save lives” vs “we cannot close everything down for 18 months, life must resume”, I’m not hearing a lot of people talk about addressing the long term impact COVID-19 will have in causing chronic illness
*If* we accept that a number of people will die when people return to work and study, what is the plan for outpatient care for ppl who become chronically ill as a result of COVID-19? Because if it’s the current outpatient system, then those people will be significantly fucked
Neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory impacts: what’s the support package for outpatient clinics?
Having been chronically ill for a long time, sometimes it feels as tho living without adequate treatment can be worse than the alternative
Most ppl have this idea that the medical system is a cross between ‘Chicago Med’ and ‘House’. It’s not like that at all. The public outpatient system is lumbering and inhumane. You can spend years on waitlists
And while ppl wait months or years to see a specialist, they’re often in intractable pain and unable to work
Yes, I know you want life & the economy to return to normal and yes, I know you’re at the point you’re willing to accept you may get sick and die when restrictions are relaxed. Are you willing to accept you may spend years in extreme pain because the outpatient system is broken?
Relaxing restrictions without total eradication of COVID-19 means ppl with chronic conditions will be more shut in and isolated than ever before. What support packages will be available for them? https://twitter.com/american_heart/status/1245851439781621762?s=21 https://twitter.com/american_heart/status/1245851439781621762
And if additional ppl fall ill? There’s already shortages of drugs used for palliative care. I want to know how the Australian government will address med shortages to mitigate the prospect of ppl dying without adequate pain relief
I’m not saying “never relax restrictions!” I’m saying let’s address the issues that are going to make ppl’s lives a misery
Anyway, I know most ppl don’t think about living with pain. Or being sick for years. Or dying slowly. And that’s why those making decisions should think carefully. The decision you make on someone else’s behalf may be the policy eventually inflicted on you
There’s an awful lot we don’t know about COVID-19 so far and what it’s going to mean for ppl’s long term healthcare needs
It’s not as simple as just ppl living or dying https://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonline/blog/breakingnews/pages/post.aspx?PostID=926
TL;DR the government should properly invest in outpatient specialist care
If you make healthcare into the trolley problem, you ensure people are going to die
Anyway, I’m talking about this because I know how many days and nights I’ve spent silent screaming in pain from an untreated chronic condition and perhaps maybe we can use this additional disaster of COVID-19 to think about reforms necessary in outpatient specialist care
“Increasing evidence shows that coronaviruses are not always confined to the respiratory tract and that they may also invade the central nervous system inducing neurological diseases” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jmv.25728
Human Kidney is a Target for Novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.04.20031120v3
