To any friends and neighbors who have questioned the need for social distancing, and for everyone who has wondered if things are “really as bad as the media portrays” in the hospitals as a result of COVID-19….BELIEVE IT. I have now lived through it with my 93.5 year old father.

The Situation In Our Local Hospitals is CRITICAL. Thanks to everyone who cared for him, my father is now home. He was the 2nd patient in the newly formed isolation ward for COVID-19 patients in a local hospital this week. From the time he started presenting symptoms (shortness of breath without exertion, low oxygen levels, fever, and lethargy) I contemplated the safest way to get him evaluated, while minimizing the risks to others if he WAS positive. I called the on-call provider for his Heart Failure Cardiologist, and it was recommended that I have him transported via ambulance.

A resident of Wake County used to be able to request which hospital they could be transported to for treatment. This is no longer the case. The hospital you request must accept you as a patient, based on your symptoms and their ability to care for you. If not, you could be transported to another facility. The decision of where to go for healthcare was out of our control at this point.

When I arrived at the hospital I HOPED had accepted Dad, I went through a health screen and security check prior to being allowed to access the ER information desk. Shortly thereafter, I was relieved to know he was indeed there. But I was informed that I would not be allowed to visit my father as he was immediately entered into isolation.

My father was the second patient admitted to the COVID-19 Isolation Unit, newly established earlier that day, at this hospital. The doctors and nurses spoke with me by phone, despite the fact that I was only a few yards away, to learn more about Dad and to better understand some of his more challenging health issues. Dad is very hard of hearing, and I knew his rechargeable hearing aides would soon be out of battery life. With caregivers in full isolation gear, including masks, I knew it would be a struggle for him to communicate vital information.

The next 36 hours were a blurr, clarified only when the call came in that his COVID-19 test was negative. Throughout his time in isolation, I did have telephone contact with him for which we were both grateful. It is stressful beyond comprehension, unless you have personally experienced it, to have your parent (for whom you are their full-time caregiver at home) in isolation for the virus that is consuming every news outlet, social media platform, and phone conversation.

Hearing about it, reading about it, and talking about it is TOTALLY different than going through this experience first-hand. After I left the hospital, I was terrified to leave the house until I knew Dad was negative for the virus, because I knew I could be a carrier if he was infected. I was scared to call relatives, friends, and his church family because I worried the information would get twisted from “being tested” to “he’s got it”. I’ve kept him away from most social and church functions because of his underlying heart and lung conditions–I’ve only tried to protect him from flu and other illnesses that others might have. I did not want him to be labeled as having COVID-19- even for a short time. I mentally made a list of everywhere we had been in the past week, and anyone we had been in close contact with in case I was asked to provide this data.

Fortunately, the test came back favorably for us, and I was able to contact loved ones to alert them Dad had been in the hospital. He is now receiving many encouraging phone calls which means so much to both of us. All of the caregivers, the ambulance crew and hospital staff, were courteous and professional. They took time to explain the new rules in place surrounding all aspects of patient care and visiting, and were efficient in keeping me updated with all pertinent health information and lab results regarding Dad’s condition.
You’ve heard about equipment shortages? It is true. The visitors and family members of patients who were in the hospital before the COVID-19 virus reached our area were stealing all of the gloves, masks, hand sanitizers, etc…… from the hospital rooms and halls. THE SHORTAGE IS REAL! This hospital has barely enough supplies to care for the current in-house patients!

Also, due to visitors stealing critical hospital supplies and due to the potential transfer of illness to an already compromised population, there is ONLY ONE visitor allowed per patient for the duration of the patient’s stay. So if you are hospitalized for a day or a week or a month, only one person, who is designated at the time you are registered as a patient, will be able to visit with you. This is strictly monitored and checked against the database when visitors enter the building, with even the entrance points limited.

The purpose of me sharing this is simple. LISTEN TO THE GUIDELINES FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING, and please do not think that “well, I’m (young, not sick, etc..) so it doesn’t apply to me”. This is not the time for a group hug….show your love by calling your elderly neighbor who is trying to stay safe by staying in. Reach out by phone to the person who’s car you haven’t seen leave the driveway for a while…..it could be someone like me who was fearful they could be contagious as they wait for test results. Someone may have other unknown circumstances that they are too embarrassed to share.  Everyone needs compassion, kindness, and virtual smiles. In this age of technology and time of social isolation, the power of a card in the mail, a note left on a door, or the sound of a familiar human voice can work magic!
This was not written to elicit sympathy for my Dad’s situation….he has all negative flu and virus tests, and is recovering beautifully at home. I am a registered nurse, and had the opportunity to view this situation from the perspective of a worried daughter, full-time caregiver, and a professional nurse. I’ve worked in hospitals, and been the support for my Dad as a patient in the hospital many times. What I observed on all counts was unprecedented. This is truly not being exaggerated by the media.

Please follow the guidelines. I do not want any child to go through what I did, with all the unknowns, and feel the fear of possibly not being with their loved one in what could be their final days. We were lucky and won the Golden Ticket to get out of the hospital this time. If there was a next time, we might not…….

Be safe, be kind and thank you for reading.