...Mom sounded sick over the phone a few days ago and apparently her dementia or her fatigue is the reason she did not tell her nurse. I called the facility and the second Covid test kicked me in the stomach.
So many questions. Why was she not noticed as sick (especially in these times?) And, all the grievances aside, most importantly, how are the coping strategies working? I miss her already.
Many of us are frantic to see the faces of those we love so dearly before they leave us and seemingly forget that the threat of rapid reinfection is real.
If the MN law seems humane, it must be considered in the context of risk to all of the vulnerable, not just our own.
My state was pitifully neglected, even with the attempts at management imposed by a well informed, active governor, and no matter what reached the national press, supplies were never available to test enough to protect the vulnerable.
I’m not at all sure what the right thing is concerning care and comfort for those who have survived but having untested LOs entering care settings that already aren’t fully stable as virus free doesn’t ultimately seem to me like much of a kindness.
We all suffer whether infected by the virus itself or infected by the sorrow of loving someone who has. We are living in a national tragedy.
The symptoms and general course of the illness is also wildly varied. My LO had gastrointestinal symptoms first, then the symptoms of a terrible chest cold.
When I got the first call, I requested that if possible, LO be kept at the AL. I also stated “no intubation”, and kind of freaked out over the fact that I knew also that the thought of her gasping for breath was horrific too.
She was sick for three weeks, and virus positive for over 3 months longer, so it was 5 months before we were able to see her, 5 or 6 outdoor visits, then the facility was locked down again.
The waiting and the difficult process of getting information is terrifying, and we’re in second wave, so it’s not over. I spend a certain amount of wasted time just wishing none of this had ever happened.
During our few visits, we observed that our LO hasn’t lost much since being sick.
I hope your mom has an easy and relatively uneventful course through this awful experience.