Chronically ill people during Covid-19

Spare a thought for the chronically and critically ill during the Covid-19 crises

I had to go to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital for a check-up last week. It’s one of the government hospitals that’s been earmarked for Covid-19. The hospital was opened in 1979 and covers health care for maternity, paediatric, orthopaedic, dental, surgical, and medical needs. It’s built against a hill in Parktown and has 3 floors of underground parking. The fifth floor, that’s level with the main street entrance, is called ‘Hospital Street’. This throughway leads to all sections of the hospital, and each has four floors. The hospital was built with empty ‘interstitial’ floors that could be opened up to double the size of the hospital in an emergency – like now. I am not sure if this has been implemented for Covid-19.

Charlotte Maxeke is an academic training hospital for undergraduate and post-graduate students. Wits medical school, in collaboration with other universities, has produced some world-class research. More recently specialists have designed the innovative protection head-box for Covid-19 patients.  

I was impressed to find the hospital spiffed up. The flooring along Hospital Street has been replaced, walls have been painted and fluorescent lights have been repaired or replaced. Even though I was too early for the appointment for my bone-density test, the doctor did not make me wait. Unfortunately, there were no doctors available for the clinic, but our scripts had been written up, and we were all given a follow-up appointment for six months’ time.

Strict Covid-19 protocol was followed – although I must say that many patients did not seem to be taking these seriously – wearing their masks under their chins, not sticking to proper social distancing, and ignoring sanitising stations. The medical profession can only do so much – it’s up to us to protect ourselves. I understand that this is easier said than done. But we all have to make an effort. If we could see the virus, we would all be a whole lot more careful.

I have been going to Charlotte Maxeke for my Lupus for the last 12 years. It has become my ‘security’, marking my Lupus journey from one visit to the next. I have an amazing Lupus specialist whom I can contact in an emergency. In Government hospitals, all appointments are made in advance and there is no such thing as phoning-in to see a doctor. Everybody has to wait their turn – no matter how sick you are.

Covid-19 has created a huge insecurity for regular outpatients – even in private hospitals. Understandably, the focus is on coping with Covid-19 and we just have to ‘hang-in’ there till it’s over. This stress amongst outpatients was clearly evident. Whereas regular hospital visits were something of a ‘social outing’, most people I saw were anxious about interacting with others. People don’t smile when they wear a mask. I missed the usual ‘happy chatter’, sharing sandwiches and stories, teaching women who showed an interest in how to knit or crochet, and taking knitted teddies to the children’s ward. I can’t do any of these things for a while now. It makes the burden of Lupus that much heavier to bear. It also makes the stress of Covid-19 so much more of a reality.

So, spare a thought for people you know who have cancer, have had a transplant, those who need dialysis, and those awaiting surgery that has been indefinitely delayed. Their Covid-19 challenge is a lot harder to bear.  

While We Can't Hug

Prepare for after COVID-19

Name your fears and prepare

Believe it or not, my greatest fear when I worked in hospitals was blood. I fainted in the operating theatre and in the ER. My nursing colleagues knew that I was pretty useless when it came to trauma, surgery and first aid. I knew this too, but I soldiered on and was happiest when I was assigned to work in the medical, geriatric or paediatric wards where there was less visible blood.

This all changed when I studied midwifery. I found myself scooping handfuls of blood into stainless steel jugs to measure blood loss after women had given birth without an ounce of squeamishness. I weighed and measured placentas, cut limp umbilical cords, washed blood-smeared babies and checked women for haemorrhaging.

I had faced my fears and found my calling.

Fear of the unknown often stops us from doing the things we would love to do. Facing our fears can make us strong. It’s our first step into the unknown. Fear makes us cautious, and that’s good, but it shouldn’t make us afraid. People who buckle to their fears become trapped, and learn to believe their own excuses. Facing our fears helps to boost our self-confidence. And the reward? An adrenaline/endorphin rush when you say: ‘I did it!’ 

Covid-19 has made us apprehensive and afraid. Indecisions and wrong decisions by leaders have left us feeling insecure. We’re asking: how much longer? Will this ever end? Will life ever be ‘normal’ again? We want to do the right thing and avoid chaotic catastrophe. So, how can our fears be alleviated and how can we prepare for the future?

At the start of the COVID crises, my daughter asked me.

‘What do you fear the most Mom?’

I told her my fear was the safety of our children and their families. My fear was also for my friends at the hospital outpatients. Will we be neglected when the surge of COVID-19 victims hits the hospital?

I am happy to say that our children, each in their own way, are coping incredibly well. So, my first fear has been alleviated. Social media is helping us to keep in touch with one another, and share the antics of the grandchildren who are oblivious to the seriousness of the situation.

With regards to my hospital friends, we are also keeping in touch, and we encourage one another to stay strong, honour hospital appointments, take our medications and not become overwhelmed with bad news. We know that stress will only add to our problems.

It has also been important for me to stay focused on the projects I had started in the new year. Writing opportunities, keeping up with a daily routine and enjoying hobbies like hand-crafts, cooking and baking for my husband who has been forced to quit smoking and is denied his daily beer.

It’s also important to keep up my early morning routine of prayer and meditation, journaling and reading. This sets the tone for my day. A to-do list helps me to prioritise. TV is a night-time luxury that we both look forward to. Much as I would love to mooch on the couch to watch TV all day or stay in bed with a book, these won’t be good habits to get into. A bad rhythm will make it all the harder to recover After COVID.

Face your fears today. List them, talk to a friend/spouse/family about them. Find solutions. Prepare for after lockdown. A positive mindset is all that you need.                  

For you if the blues are setting in

Cabin Fever Cure

The novelty of lockdown is wearing me down and I’ve begun to side-line all those good intentions I had at the start of ‘self-isolation’. I understand that, with Lupus, I have to be particularly cautious, but it’s time to pick myself up and get started again. I’m getting a severe case of ‘cabin fever’, and I know that the longer I wait, the harder it’s going to be when I have to get back into some sort of rhythm. If for you, the kids are mooching around, they’re losing valuable school time. We’re only human after all. The less we do, the less we want to do. The secret is to make a start. Once we get started, it gets easier.

I take my hat off to the stalwarts out there. The cheerful radio DJs. Friends who send me daily spiritual readings, poems, and messages of encouragement. The nurses and doctors who face COVID-19 head-on. Shop assistants, service providers, cashiers, farmers, and front-line workers who are doing their best to keep the wheels of society turning.

The gardens in our retirement village are beginning to look a bit neglected. I was impressed yesterday to see a few residents with brooms and rakes making a start to clean things up a bit.

The example of those who put their good intentions into action are the heroes of our everyday. They give us hope and courage.

My course of action for today:

• Make a realistic, achievable to-do list
• Discipline myself to work through this list, item by item
• Enjoy what I am doing, while I am doing it
• Appreciate everything – hot tea, a sandwich, warm sunshine, friendship, music
• Be thankful for what I’ve got and not hanker after the way life used to be, because I don’t think it will ever be the same again
• Learn to pave a new way forward and be responsible for doing this – for me, for my family and for others.

From a friend, Anthea Pretorius, these words of encouragement:

• Focus on the things you have power over
• A positive and receptive attitude is crucial
• An open and giving heart is too
• Simplify things
• Open your hands
• Let go of what is obsolete
• Enjoy the journey with gratitude.

Picture: Gallery Yopriceville