COVID, of course

As promised, I spent a couple of days feeling the sad and angry feelings after my last post. We were looking forward to a quiet weekend as the girls had plans to attend the Hillside Festival in Guelph (a music festival) with some of our neighbourhood friends. A few weeks ago Rick and I had thought we might drive there to join them for one of the three days but under the circumstances we had decided against. We thought we might visit some friends and maybe even go out to eat on a patio somewhere.

Friends, the universe had other ideas.

COVID came to our house this week for the first time. We knew we wouldn't avoid it forever. I woke up congested and with a sore throat yesterday (Saturday) and felt like I might have a fever. I took a rapid test and it came up positive. 

During chemotherapy treatment there are strict rules about fevers. As a patient I am under strict instructions to go to the hospital if I have a temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) for an hour OR if my temperature is 38.3°C (~101°F) for a single reading. Yesterday morning my temperature was 38.5°C which triggered the hospital trip. The purpose of the hospital visit is to determine the source of the fever (in case there is a hidden infection) and to check all of my bloodwork to make sure my body can handle whatever fight is ahead.

I did no want to go to the hospital. During the week I would be able to connect with my regular cancer nurses, but this was Saturday which meant a trip to the ER. I'm sure you have heard the same things I have about the state of wait times and staffing in ERs lately, so I was worried about the wait. I phoned the cancer nurse hotline again to make sure I *really* needed to go. They confirmed that yes, even if we were confident my fever was due to COVID I had to go in.

So much for a lovely relaxing Saturday with Rick.

I arrived at the hospital around noon. First stop, COVID screening! This was the most fun I have ever had at a hospital COVID screening desk.

"Reason for your visit today?"

"I have COVID."

"OK then, go on in."

This made me laugh. If only I knew having COVID was the way to avoid all of those repetitive questions! 

I was triaged and in the waiting room by 12:10. By 12:15 I was escorted to my very own exam room where I would spend the better part of the next 7 hours. It didn't occur to me right away, but this was clearly a COVID perk! They were isolating me to protect the other patients. But I was the one with my own room! The nurses told me I had chosen a good day to get sick, as things were relatively quiet. Nice.

About an hour later I saw the doctor. She ordered the tests I would need to ensure I was not in immunocompromised danger territory - blood tests, a urine test, and a chest x-ray.

For the next two or three hours I waited alone in my little room. It has a hospital bed, a chair and a little desk. I had brought knitting (of course) and podcasts to listen to and there is wifi at the hospital so I knew I could even borrow something from the library if I got bored. I had brought snacks because I was pretty sure nobody would be offering me food. One great thing about having your own exam room in the ER is that there is no pressure to sit. I could sit for a while, recline if I wanted to, and even get up and pace back and forth. It was nice to not feel pressure to sit the whole time. Time passed quickly. I left my room once once to use the washroom, and even then I had no sense of how busy the ER was because of where my room was situated. 

Waiting in my private room.

Finally, my nurse came to take blood samples and give me a COVID test. A while after that I was escorted to my chest x-ray. It was only then - probably 4PM or so - that I saw how many other people there were waiting in the ER. There were dozens of people between the different waiting areas and hallways. It made me feel much better about how long I had waited so far and made me extra thankful for the private room.

After the tests were finished there was more waiting. The doctor had explained that if my results were good I could go home, but that I would not be released until they were sure. My results were in by 6:15 - all good - and I was released around 6:40. The interim time involved an investigation into my access to Paxlovid (the antiviral medication that can be prescribed for COVID) and the doctor explained that they would not prescribe it at the hospital (?!?) but that I could pursue it at one of the COVID screening centres the next day. This didn't seem to make any sense to me, but I have learned that I shouldn't try to make sense of things that probably don't have an explanation I would consider to be logical.

I suffered with congestion and a very sore throat last night and early this morning, but felt somewhat better after being awake and upright for a couple of hours. We discovered that our family doctor had a virtual walk-in clinic this morning, and I was very thankful that they were able to prescribe the antiviral medication for me and avoid a trip out into the world to the COVID screening centre.

So, here I sit, one dose of Paxlovid swallowed and hopefully performing its magic. We will celebrate with takeout for dinner.

Who knew that this 5th cycle of chemo would be so exciting?

Please send me very BORING vibes for the next few days. I do not want any more excitement.