A Father, and his Angst

[Calico]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gauss Have you or DD seen the video call from Dr. David Price, MD out of NYC (Pulmonary- Critical Care dept)? https://vimeo.com/399733860 He appears to have gotten rationally beyond his fear in all this and projects it quite well in the video call to his friends and family. -gauss

Thank you so much for posting this!! I watched it, and I have forwarded it to my circle of family and friends. It was extremely helpful and reassuring.

[ERD50]

I'm a father, and two of my three children work in large hospitals, one an oncology Pharmacist, the other a nurse, and my son's spouse also works in a large hospital (though she is now in a position that doesn't require much direct patient contact).

All I can say is, I don't in any way feel the angst in the OP. My children are young and healthy, they take precautions. The risks are there, but I don't find them alarming. If they get infected, they will very, very likely have a mild case. There is planning, there are alternative procedures being put in place. But I don't hear any signs of panic from them. This is serious, but it isn't Ebola.

We don't get to see our two, 2 year-old grandkids, which is hard, but this will pass. Video chats help. One even manages to grab the iPad and say "I caw Gwamma-Gampa my-sewff".

I even found a dozen N95 masks in the basement. I told DD I will send them to her once her hospital has an accepted procedure in place for disinfecting and reusing them, or else they won't be put to best use. It's for her own good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by skipro33 I don't know what to tell you other than being a nurse today has to be a whole lot easier than my Vietnam days. Perhaps this is the toughest thing you've faced as a family, I don't know, but I can think of a whole lot of harder things and would advice to count blessings right now.

Yes, it's tough, and even historic, but I also feel like we need to keep some perspective.

-ERD50

[ERD50]

And in other news, which probably won't be in the news, COVID-19 deaths in the US dropped about in half today.

Quote:

March 29 (GMT) 18469 new cases and 264 new deaths in the United States March 28 (GMT) 19452 new cases and 525 new deaths in the United States

We had a few days of ~ linear growth, then a spike and now a drop. It's not enough data to determine a trend, even South Korea is seeing flat/rising death rates weeks after their new/active cases have dropped dramatically. But I would guess the news will find something negative to stoke fear, and skip reporting the lower count we had today.

-ERD50

[Venturer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brdofpray Don’t know where to begin. We all have been impacted in various ways with the ongoing pandemic. Travel delays, cancelations, shortages, market woes, etc. have all become the rule. This community responds with meaningful discourse, sometimes humorous, which helps all cope, and vent. Currently, I am sitting on my couch watching reruns of football games from last season, amidst a voluntary Corona virus quarantine. In one hour, DD, goes back to work at the hospital. She works the next three nights 7pm to 7 am. She is on a cardiac telemetry floor, one step below ICU. They already have all of their negative pressure rooms filled with Covid patients. Their protective gear supplies are running low. They are getting ready to use Hefty bags as gowns, and are starting to reuse masks. DW is making masks, according to published patterns from other hospitals. However, at this time, those masks are not approved for wear. A liability thing. This is where a bureaucracy meets a pandemic. We were able to video chat with her last night. She lives alone, with only her dog. She will not see us in person, for the risk of passing the virus to us. Every day she comes home from work, wondering if she picked the virus up, and a new 14 day quarantine period begins for her. The angst, fear, frustration were palpable in her voice during our chat. If the front line staff are not feeling protected and supported, how can they deliver the care that is so desperately needed at this time? As a father, I am frustrated beyond belief for my daughter. If I think too hard about this entire situation, I begin to lose it. DW and I do not sleep, while DD is working her shift. I want to do something, make things better for her, but there is nothing at this point, but prayer. What we all can do is to support and appreciate our healthcare workers, who are going to work daily to fight this pandemic. They are putting themselves at risk, with limited supplies, and sometimes, no appreciation. If you have any connections to medical staff, let them know, they are all heroes So, I sit on the couch, and do my part to save the world by doing nothing. Thanks for reading.

May God bless your daughter and you. My niece is also a nurse and is really scared right now. She called my wife one day last week to check on us and told her to please keep away from people as much as possible. I will be keeping y'all in my prayers as well.

[Bryan Barnfellow]

Thanks for reaching out during your time of angst, BrdofPray. It's good to share our anxieties and therefore lighten the load on our own shoulders. Best thoughts to you, your wife, and your daughter. Her doggie too, who must give her comfort.

-BB

[wrigley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brdofpray Don’t know where to begin. We all have been impacted in various ways with the ongoing pandemic. Travel delays, cancelations, shortages, market woes, etc. have all become the rule. This community responds with meaningful discourse, sometimes humorous, which helps all cope, and vent. Currently, I am sitting on my couch watching reruns of football games from last season, amidst a voluntary Corona virus quarantine. In one hour, DD, goes back to work at the hospital. She works the next three nights 7pm to 7 am. She is on a cardiac telemetry floor, one step below ICU. They already have all of their negative pressure rooms filled with Covid patients. Their protective gear supplies are running low. They are getting ready to use Hefty bags as gowns, and are starting to reuse masks. DW is making masks, according to published patterns from other hospitals. However, at this time, those masks are not approved for wear. A liability thing. This is where a bureaucracy meets a pandemic. We were able to video chat with her last night. She lives alone, with only her dog. She will not see us in person, for the risk of passing the virus to us. Every day she comes home from work, wondering if she picked the virus up, and a new 14 day quarantine period begins for her. The angst, fear, frustration were palpable in her voice during our chat. If the front line staff are not feeling protected and supported, how can they deliver the care that is so desperately needed at this time? As a father, I am frustrated beyond belief for my daughter. If I think too hard about this entire situation, I begin to lose it. DW and I do not sleep, while DD is working her shift. I want to do something, make things better for her, but there is nothing at this point, but prayer. What we all can do is to support and appreciate our healthcare workers, who are going to work daily to fight this pandemic. They are putting themselves at risk, with limited supplies, and sometimes, no appreciation. If you have any connections to medical staff, let them know, they are all heroes So, I sit on the couch, and do my part to save the world by doing nothing. Thanks for reading.

My sister is an ER nurse in Chicago. I feel your pain!

Mike

[homestead]

Many churches have prayer chains where you can ask for prayers.
On Sunday's sermon the pastor told of when his son contracted ebola disease, by the time
they figured out what he had they told him he only had a 5% chance of surviving.
He said the church prayed for him 24/7 for 2 weeks and thankfully he survived.

[wolf]

On the bright side. Just heard, Seattle Washington, and San Francisco, (where I live), are starting to see the "good" effects of social isolation. (the "bending of the curve").

Our manufacturing and pharmaceutical companies, are ramping up production!

And, this virus, is really bad for us older folks. So the younger ones, if they catch the bug, will recover. Good luck to everyone. Hey, Tom Hanks and wife are back in US.
They seem to have recovered. And he's not youngster.....

[NW-Bound]

Hospitals everywhere are facing a shortage of supplies. What a tragedy, but there's nobody we can blame. I read about a small hospital in Georgia running out of their six-month PPE stockpile in 1 week, when a cluster broke out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 And in other news, which probably won't be in the news, COVID-19 deaths in the US dropped about in half today. We had a few days of ~ linear growth, then a spike and now a drop. It's not enough data to determine a trend, even South Korea is seeing flat/rising death rates weeks after their new/active cases have dropped dramatically. But I would guess the news will find something negative to stoke fear, and skip reporting the lower count we had today. -ERD50

The news sounds good, so I check it out. Alas, it is not true. They have revised upwards the number for 3/29, and say it is still incomplete.

[Amethyst]

I think this is one of those rare instances where fear is actually a good thing.

In the U.S., we hate being told what to do, and many of us resist social/authority pressure far more than in some other countries I could name.

But put a good scare into us, and we just might be willing to inconvenience ourselves to the extent it will take to keep this disease from spreading.

This is not to imply any callousness toward the danger our health workers face. Quite the opposite. Yes, in Vietnam they were being shot at, and lived in fear of their lives and limbs. I do not see why that means today's parents should be less concerned for their health worker kids.

[Amethyst]

They are both 63, on the lower end of the "high age risk" scale.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolf Hey, Tom Hanks and wife are back in US. They seem to have recovered. And he's not youngster.....

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound Hospitals everywhere are facing a shortage of supplies. What a tragedy, but there's nobody we can blame. I read about a small hospital in Georgia running out of their six-month PPE stockpile in 1 week, when a cluster broke out. Quote: Originally Posted by ERD50 View Post And in other news, which probably won't be in the news, COVID-19 deaths in the US dropped about in half today. We had a few days of ~ linear growth, then a spike and now a drop. It's not enough data to determine a trend, even South Korea is seeing flat/rising death rates weeks after their new/active cases have dropped dramatically. But I would guess the news will find something negative to stoke fear, and skip reporting the lower count we had today. -ERD50 The news sounds good, so I check it out. Alas, it is not true. They have revised upwards the number for 3/29, and say it is still incomplete.

Yes, it did get revised up, but the current revision (which has been static for ~ 24 hours or more) is still ~ 30% lower than the previous day. But my criticism of the news still stands, they don't wait for a day to see if a number is revised if it is a shocking number they can use for "OMG!" clicks. And any correction gets pushed to the back pages.

Still far too early to declare a trend, but the daily deaths in the US is starting to maybe, kind-of, sort-of, looking more linear then exponential/geometric?

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

-ERD50

[candrew]

Back on topic..........OP, I completely understand how you feel. Our eldest son is a nurse practitioner at the VA here in Phoenix, working with the surgical and critical care teams. Any anxiety we might feel about his being at risk is tempered by the fact that he is young, healthy and knows how to protect himself. Their facility's supply of PPE's is currently okay for now - longer term, who knows.

DW channeled some of her concern into making a yard sign thanking health care workers that folks can see as they drive down our street. Our neighbor teaches welding at the local union hall and is donating some of the protective masks they use along with respirators.

We're just taking a day at a time.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 We don't get to see our two, 2 year-old grandkids, which is hard, but this will pass. Video chats help. One even manages to grab the iPad and say "I caw Gwamma-Gampa my-sewff". Yes, it's tough, and even historic, but I also feel like we need to keep some perspective. -ERD50

You gotta love it, when the grand kid shows you something he/she made or did on their own. Mine is currently into using unimaginable amounts of tape to create all sorts of interesting things from various objects.

My own daughter's worst fear is giving CV to me or her daughter. They suit-up pretty well at the hospital these days. She seems fearless in regard to herself, though I know she is concerned.

Perspective is important. There are worse things than being confined to a warm home, with food, water, adult beverages, the internet, regular pay checks from SS/Pension/Investments etc. It could be much worse.

[NW-Bound]

My heart goes out to nurses and doctors working in hospitals now. I can imagine the stress they are having.

I saw a video of a nurse in London, who cried describing how she got out of a long shift, stopped by a grocery store to get some food to eat just to find the shelves all empty.

Society expects them to perform, but do we stop to think about the basic things they need to survive to do their job? I found this heartbreaking.

[pacergal]

OP--prayers to you and your daughter. As a retired RN, I am aghast at the environment my fellow medical friends are working under, but oh, so proud that they are there.
The best thing we can do is stay home and keep up the social distancing when out.
And wash your hands, vigorously and often.
Stay home, Stay safe!

[Brdofpray]

Thanks you all for the thoughts and prayers. It helps knowing we are not alone. I return positive thoughts and prayers for all of you and your families who find themselves in similar circumstances.

Since I first posted I reached out to my sisters, and DW's family. They reached out to the cousins and their families. Everyone has been sending messages and support to DD. This seems to have helped her spirit. She does not feel like she is alone, and that people appreciate what she is dealing with.

Supplies are still being rationed. The hospital is making plans to sanitize and recycle masks, to stretch the supply. There still is stress when a patient is sent to her floor suspected of having the virus, but they are waiting for a positive test. Until, the positive test is confirmed, they have limited PPE to use in their routine nursing care. Hopefully, this will change with an increase of supplies. We need the 5 minute test ASAP!

The video referenced by gauss, in an earlier post to this thread, helped myself, DW, and DD. It helped put things in perspective, and provided calm, common sense suggestions we should all follow.

So, we go forward, one day at a time.