I haven’t talked about my health directly in months- though it colors all of my posts really

I’ve been sick since early March

I now have six different Drs & still no treatment plan

VOTE NOW- honestly you don’t know if you’ll be sick next week
1/

At this point I can barely shuffle to & from the bathroom

I can’t make food for myself

I use a nebulizer to try & breathe enough to keep my oxygen safe

I cough to incontinence all day, every day

I have periods of significant confusion, processing issues, trouble finding words

I have inconsistent, but often, stomach issues

Pain & aching in both joints & muscles, and increasingly some nerve pain

My temp is usually 99-100, just enough to be chilled or warm & always headachy

My world is minuscule
3/

March 4:
I had my first symptoms- dry scratchy cough that felt like allergies, but wouldn’t go away with sips of water
March 12:
First requested a test- was told there weren’t any & it wasn’t needed (despite my work in elder care)
March 17:
First test. It was lost, no results

March 24:
First test that got a result- 20 DAYS after symptoms began (we now know this was almost certainly too late for a nasal swab test)
Negative

March, April, May- in and out of ER, urgent care & finally Pulmonology

No pneumonia, no positive test- but I was seriously ill

I don’t remember lots of that time

We lived every day with a hospital bag packed

I’m only 49 years old, but I made out my Advanced Directives

Because covid had showed negative, Drs assumed it must be something else & began testing- ALOT

I don’t have Valley Fever
I don’t have mold
I don’t have whooping cough (though I did have some antibodies)
I don’t have Lupus
I don’t have pneumonia
I don’t have Lyme disease

I’ve had every symptom of Covid19 since March

And I’m still seriously ill

CTs of chest & belly finally show some ground glass & “tree-in-bud” formations in my lungs- suggestive of a secondary resistant infection

My gall bladder is distended- may need to come out

A bronchoscopy with biopsy is Friday, a gall bladder scan is Monday- and more following

I now have Drs in:
Pulmonology
Infectious Disease
Rheumatology
OBGYN (also messed up)
Neurology
Gastroenterology

Again, I’m 49.

Going into this I had well controlled asthma, and an autoimmune disease that had been in remission for five years (it’s not anymore)

It’s been a STRUGGLE to find Drs, to get in to see them, and to get care

I live in a medical desert it seems

There are no female OBGYNs within an hour of me- and no female Drs in almost any other specialty

As a survivor, that’s especially hard for me

Insurance has been its own nightmare

When this began I had a wonderful job I loved, working with women I enjoyed, helping families I cared about

My illness went on so long my position had to be filled

No more insurance- with one days notice

We struggled to get by

It took four months to get any pandemic unemployment

In July I was finally able to get a job at hone doing customer service by phone- and after 90 days would have insurance again

Oct 1st, I finally had insurance again- and had lined up the appointments

Now we’re finally beginning to get answers & find the specific infection that’s added to my prolonged illness

The rest of what’s wrong with me I hope there will be answers for, or at least the beginning of recovery

I didn’t write all this personal, medical info down because I want pity- though kind thoughts & healing energy are always appreciated

I wrote this because so many people still think this is no big deal

They think masks have to do with your politics- instead of our survival

You can’t see or know who’s high risk

The love of my life still has to go to work, do our no-contact grocery pickups, get meds from the pharmacy, and get me to my appointments

He lives in fear of getting sick- or making me sicker

Your mask helps us both

A low percentage of children getting sick or dying won’t be a comfort if it’s your child

People at elevated risk are TONS of people

I don’t ever want our freedoms infringed upon- that’s not what this is

I don’t want more of us to die

Our grandparents made sacrifices to work together & win

They blacked out the entire coastlines to avoid Japanese subs

That wouldn’t have worked if some people refused because they had a right to

They worked together for the common good- to STAY SAFE

This is what we need now

Nothing about my experience this year is unique

I’m blessed that we still have a place to live

We have enough food

We have each other

I can NOW access medical care

I know, and feel deeply grateful for, how fortunate I am

But it shouldn’t be that way, for any of us

I’ll conclude with this:

#VoteLikeYourLifeDependsOnItBecauseItDoes

And please, please, please #WearAMask

You may never know who all you save by doing so