Plague Diary: In Which I Have the Plague

[lydy]

In preparation for my gig in Cleveland, and because I had a minor gastric event, I submitted a saliva test, administered on Nov. 23rd.  Today, while at a rest stop in Illinois, I checked my email, and found that the result was positive.

I am currently in Indiana, and will go on to Cleveland and quarantine there.  I have informed my employer, and he will inform the Cleveland Clinic, and let me know how to proceed on Monday.  Even if the contract goes up in smoke, I will stay in Cleveland until I'm safe to go home.

I am very, very worried about my family.  I am somewhat worried about myself.  

As our president has said, It is what it is.  It didn't need to be this way, but it is. 

Comments

[quadong]

Well shit. I hope it's not bad for you.

[lydy]

So far, so good. But, well, time will tell. Thank you for the kind wishes.

[bibliofile]

Augh!!!!!

<3

[lydy]

That is one of the many words I said. Most of them had exactly that many letters, though.

I did spend almost 60 seconds sociopathically considering not telling anyone. But I am evidently a crap sociopath.

[quadong]

Thank you for being a crap sociopath.

[boxofdelights]

I am wishing you and your family well.

[lcohen]

wishing you a swift, easy recovery, and that everyone you love is healthy

[dreamshark]

OMG, no! Do you have any idea how you might have been exposed?

[haertstitch]

well ain't that a bloody after turkey day find
really Really hope you don't end up
with more than the gastric upset.
quarenteening alone is bearable
sick alone ugh :( it was not what I enjoyed.

please check in everyday
and let us know how you are
you are welcome to call if you need anyone to talk to
I'm here. 71 555 303 6 6

[ndrosen]

I hope you don’t get really ill, and thanks for not being a sociopath.

[batwrangler]

Ugh. Best wishes. <3

[lydy]

You're welcome?

[lydy]

Thank you.

[lydy]

Thank you. I hope all that, too.

[lydy]

Absolutely none. We have all been reasonably careful, modulo shopping in brick and mortar stores. David had one close contact with Pamela's brother, doing household stuff, but that household has been very careful. I had one close contact with Beth, but she's been quite careful, too. Most likely is random encounter while shopping. So frustrating and frightening.

[lydy]

Thanks, dear. I'll continue to check in, here. Hoping that the symptoms continue to be mild.

[lydy]

Man, I gave sociopathy my best shot, I tell you what. Didn't take. Apparently I have no natural talent, and would need to practice up.

[lydy]

Thank you so much.

[green_knight]

I hope your experience will be mild and uneventful.

[julian]

Well, that sucks shit. Very much hope it's one of the less-bad cases/possibilities.

(And that your other folks don't get it.)

[dreamshark]

That is very disturbing (over and above the disturbingness of catching the disease at all, of course). If you really can catch it while grocery shopping, then everything we thought we had learned about this disease is suspect. I mean, while you may pass by a lot of people in a grocery story, how often do you actually spend 10 minutes in close proximity to any of them? Never, in my experience (which mostly consists of shopping in fairly cavernous stores at non-busy times). Even without the masks and the plexiglass barriers, there just doesn't seem like much opportunity for sharing air with another person in a large store. Maybe we SHOULD be frantically washing off all our groceries when we get home, or sterilizing our shoes?

On the plus side, it sounds like you are doing great. If you got tested on Nov 23 it must be close to a week since you first had symptoms, right? If you get past the one-week marker without taking a turn for the worse you are probably well on the way to a complication-free recovery with minimal symptoms. Which is honestly the best situation that anybody can hope for with this pandemic - actually better than not getting infected at all. Fingers crossed on that.

Out of curiosity, why was your first impulse to tell nobody? And why is that psychopathic? Psychopaths make decisions based on prioritizing their own best interests above everybody else's, but I can't see how that would be in your best interests even if you were a psychopath.

[quility]

Yikes. Adding my best wishes to the pile. May you be fully well soon with no complications.

[laurel]

You 100% can catch the virus while shopping. Lots of the existing safety guidelines are based from data from very very early on and have not been updated to reflect latest science. Close contact for 10 or more minutes is not required, it’s really about the air quality now that we know this is airborne and not solely about droplets.

Stores should be limiting how many people can be inside them, should be making all aisles one way (so you don’t have to pass anyone close by), have distancing guidelines, etc. But most importantly need to have good air flow and good air filtering. And require masks (and enforce that somehow).

If you must shop in stores, limit your trips. Limit how many people go in. Go to stores with good safety measures (like the ones I mentioned if any are actually doing that). Go when least busy (or if they close, first thing after they open if aren’t too busy then). Stores that aren’t too busy which do enforce mask requirements. And wear a mask that has a filter (or has filtering capabilities built in). Face shields or goggles are a good idea if a place isn’t the best with safety measures. Gloves aren’t a bad idea for that matter, but that really depends. I wear gloves if I have to touch high touch surfaces and won’t be able to wash my hands for a while later; hand sanitizer is great but eh. I like gloves.

Leaving any shoes you wear outside on your porch or someplace is a good idea. We haven’t been super strict about this, but lots of people have switched to having “outside” and “inside” shoes since this all started. Who weren’t doing that already. I don’t worry about it if I’m in our yard or something but the rare time I’ve had to go inside another building, I’ve left my shoes on the porch. (But then I’ve also stripped immediately and put all clothing in wash & took a shower. But I’ve only been in other buildings very very rarely since this all started.) (It really is a lot more about air than surfaces. I started this practice early on. Most important thing is having a good mask with a filter if you’ll be anywhere where others might’ve been unmasked or wearing masks improperly.)

No need usually to wash food or food packaging, but wash hands after handling such stuff. (Likewise after handling anything brought in from outside your home. We aren’t as strict about quarantining mail and packages any more or groceries that don’t need freezer/fridge but we do wash our hands after handling all that stuff).

Sorry for carrying on, I’m always carrying on about this stuff. But it drives me nuts how little people know, especially those I know who are trying to be careful. If only we had decent federal leadership, this all could’ve been conveyed clearly & repeatedly all over & we’d have consistent guidelines (maybe). This all was going to be rough to explain to people even then. (Sigh.)

Maybe I haven’t carried on enough in enough places. I try my best!

Kevin & I haven’t stepped foot in a store since March. I had to stop in Costco in mid-March for prescriptions before we got them all switched to mail order. I know not everyone can afford to have groceries etc. delivered (or lives in areas where it’s possible), but it really is safest to avoid being in stores, etc. if a person can. (Don’t get my started about Black Friday. Ugh.)

[laurel]

Well this sucks. I hope you have mild symptoms, if any, and that it all goes as well as it possibly can. And I hope everyone else is okay too. Rest is super important and so easy to come by right now for all (sigh). Rest rest rest. I am thinking good thoughts and am available to chat whenever.

I carried on enough in replies elsewhere, hope that’s alright. I do carry on. It’s weird to not carry on right here.

I'm thankful it's been a lesser version for you/

[haertstitch]

cool
I broke down and did the family thing;
the nephew works at walmart,
the cyster is questionable.
I kept my distance wore gloves cooking,
SO I'll be counting days here too.
and been gargling when my throat seems raw
only once thankfully
need to refill the hydrater

its 50' on the porch ! its early spring?