St. Patrick's Day (March 17th)
I was pretty terrified of being home full time, stuck with my kids at home, and husband working at home. For one, I'm an extrovert and NOT a homebody. I've struggled with my mental health during Summers before, due to the lack of schedule and having kids at home. Needless to say, I wasn't looking forward to our Social Distancing and all being locked up in the house together; ESPECIALLY given that weather predicted rain for most of the 10 days upon coming home. How will I be able to keep myself together?
...Until the drive home from New Mexico when I started coughing a lot and feeling really bad!
Yes, every cough or sneeze from a stranger already had me wondering if they were infected, and now I am coughing a LOT, and more concerning was a shortness of breath I hadn't experienced before. THIS is what had me most scared, actually semi-PARANOID. Forced homeschooling was going to be hard enough, and now what if I'm sick? Impossible! My paranoid brain shifts my thinking to focusing on the primary goal is to keep myself and my kids alive, when I had such high hopes for this time together.
We get back to Dallas about 8PM on St. Patrick's Day. We unpack the car and I break down crying scared...What if I have Coronavirus?
Where can I get tested?
Can I get tested?
I start researching, and I did not meet the CDC Guidelines (which continue to change daily, but at this time required recent travel to an infected country, being a healthcare worker or over 65), none of which I met. I looked into our health insurance (Aetna) and found out that our Teledoc visits were now covered @ 100% so I considered calling, but decided to wait for the morning.
Wednesday, March 18th:
I woke up still feeling very ill. It probably didn't help that I didn't sleep much, due to feeling badly and being so worried. My insurance company website suggested CVS was doing COVID testing, so I headed up to CVS when they opened @ 9:00. They did not, but suggested the Neighborhood Medical Clinic on Preston & Beltline, not far away. This is where a friend of my husband's co-workers had gone the week before.
I am in line in my car around 9:30 AM behind what I think is at least 10 other cars. I soon realize its more like 20+ cars and realize this could take a while. I'm thinking... "Wow- this is scary. This many people actually think they may be infected! What if someone sees me here? Well, that means they're in line too (unless they're driving by). Will people spread rumors about who may be infected? I don't want anyone to know, until my test comes back negative. If I can even get the test (likely not, since I don't meet CDC criteria). What am I doing here waiting? This is stupid. Maybe I should leave...
So I text my husband. He tells me to stay. I send him a picture "How is this flimsy apron supposed to protect this poor girl?" "Thank her for what she is doing".
At this point the masked girl comes to my car and asks me if I have my own pen. "Yes", I say. I fill out the paperwork and email it along with my health insurance and HSA card to the email address on their instructions. I wait and wait, and this point I'm in tears and scared. Too much time to think and the first time I've been alone with my thoughts. Thankfully there is Facebook to distract me, and lots of new activity due to everyone being home during what is supposed to be Spring Break.
Someone in our neighborhood created a page with a daily Lego Challenge for kids. So I text my husband again, "Today's Prestonwood LEGO challenge: ‘Good Morning Builders! Day 2: ROCKET SHIPS *Bonus: If you could hang out with an alien for the day, what would you do? Or, if the kids want to catch up from yesterday they can build a bridge’l
I'm avoiding calling my mom because I don't want to tell anyone where I am, but they have our cat from when we were gone, so I know a conversation will be inevitable. Mom calls me @ 10:30 and I'm crying while talking to her, very scared. (Up to this point I feel like my parents, like much of the public hadn't taken this pandemic very seriously, and I'd been texting them information to educate and highlight the gravity of the situation and their need to stay home. As a mom myself now, I wonder what it felt like to have your child tell you maybe they could be sick. Perhaps this was a turning point, as they acknowledge the severity now).
I WAIT some more.
Mike texts me @ 11 AM... "Update?
"Calculating from how long I've been here & # of cars it will likely be another hour".
By 11:15 I can see the front of the line. I notice some cars are turning away, while others are getting swabbed and being asked to pull ahead and wait. I wonder which of the two groups I will be in, and text Mike again.
"My bet, no test" he replies.
"Yeah, me too" Again I think, WTH am I doing waiting here? When all I want to do is go lay in bed since I'm feeling terrible...
It's 11:40 and now I'm next in line. I hear the doc talking to the person in front of me, and can hear his responses, which I'm sure isn't HIPPA-compliant, but I listen anyway and overhear that this guy has been sick for several weeks, he manages international hotel properties, coworkers are in isolation due to their illnesses, etc. I text Mike again...
"This guy in front of me will definitely get tested. If he doesn't get tested, no need for me to even attempt". "You've waited this long, so don't leave now", he says. They put a mask on the guy in front of me. I'm sure soon masks will be normal to see, but at this point, this is a scary sight as we aren't used to seeing people in masks in the US.
By 11:50 I am in the front of the line and the doctor/PA begins to ask me questions. I explain my symptoms and tell him we recently returned from Colorado. I do my best to not cough, but as soon as I do, he gives me a mask too. While I'm talking to him, the strangest thing happens. A girl runs up very excitedly and says something about a shipment just arriving.
His demeanor changes, and tells me they have to follow CDC Guidelines "unless there is an abundance of tests, which we may now have"
UNBELIEVABLE!
The opposite that happened at the ski resorts is happening here. Instead of everything closing at the moment we arrive, now an "abundance of tests" arrive when I'm in spot #1 after waiting 2.5 hours! How lucky is that!
11:58- I get tested for the flu, and I'm asked to pull ahead and wait.
My flu test is negative, and they instruct me to move my car in another line behind the hotel guy who I see gets a 2nd swab in his nose.
I text my mom and Mike together... "This is actually happening. I'm getting tested for COVID even though there are a shortage of tests."
Part of me feels guilty for taking a test, but I know they're just going to give it to the person behind me and I want to know, so I get swabbed. VERY uncomfortable. Another girl comes up and talks to me. She asks if I have any other questions? "NO", I say, and I thank them all for what they're doing!!!
I leave and drive home around 12:35, after over 3 hours, and the true waiting begins. And lasts way too long!
10 DAYS LATER I find out that I am Negative for COVID (finally)!
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