#486513
Postby Loup321 » March 14th, 2022, 2:47 pm
It's really difficult doing the right thing. And then, even when you think it's the right thing, it probably isn't. That's how I feel about it right now.
The small one is in primary school, and they were sending out letters saying which classes have had cases and should be doing daily tests. Since Christmas, the small one and I have been doing daily tests because each week there was someone in her class, and it didn't seem fair that she had to do them but I didn't. Probably we did 5 tests each per week (don't even start with the national shortage of test kits - we were following the guidance as we understood we should). Anyway, eventually the small one tested positive on the second day of half term. Bang go all our plans - daytrip to London, weekend away in Liverpool. All cancelled. Got over the disappointment, and I carried on with my daily testing. The end of the week, I had a sore throat and headache for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but negative tests on all those days, so carried on going out as I needed. Then on Monday I got a positive test, but my "symptoms" had changed to a slightly runny nose. So was I infectious on those three days that I went out?
Then, I had an operation planned, which had to be moved. There are other consequences of COVID that I wasn't aware of. General anaesthetic within 7 weeks of a positive COVID test puts you at a significantly higher risk of deep vein thrombosis. I had no idea. The operation had to go ahead (delayed only 8 days), as the risk of delaying was far worse than the risk of DVT with my age and lifestyle. But I have to wear the theatre socks for 2 weeks instead of a couple of days, and I have to inject some anti-clotting thing every day. Could have been avoided if blah, blah, blah and... Actually, I have no idea what we should have done differently, or could have done differently.
Then my friend and her husband got COVID just before my op, but luckily she was testing negative before my operation and could still pick me up from the hospital. Her husband had only 1 negative test by that point, so he sat in the car (wife doesn't drive). I don't think they could have caught it from me, because I only saw my friend when she picked up my daughter from school and handed her over at the end of the road (socially distanced and outdoors). Most likely, her children also brought it home from school, although the first to be ill was only 3 days after half term, the day my daughter went back to school. But should my friend have come to the hospital at all? Should I have gone in the car with her husband? Sometimes, needs must, but sometimes I'm not sure what is right.
Anyway, there are other knock on consequences to COVID that I didn't know. What else do I not know? (Don't answer that) And I thought I understood most of it. I'm on the mend, and have no signs of a DVT, but things would have been different if it weren't for COVID (like I wouldn't have got my own private room in the hospital). And I consider myself to be lucky, and the NHS to be doing brilliantly with all the things that are thrown at them.
