A day in my Corona World- Setting my Corona Alarm

It’s 11:00PM. I just got home from work. Nobody is up. I’m about to head to bed. My routine has changed. Everything is different in my Corona World. Fortunately I remember to set my Corona alarm. 6:00am.

A Mask a Day…

People ask me all the time how I’m doing. Everyone is interested. What’s the ER like? How many coronavirus patients did you take care of today?

I go to work and get my daily ration from the nursing station. A mask. My patient’s haven’t seen my face for 6 weeks. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Wearing masks is the new reality of the emergency department. I feel bad for people who have to wear masks all day at work. While a very minor inconvenience for me at most, it changes interactions with my patients. It makes our discussions impersonal.

Last week a patient of mine had some concerns. Uncharacteristically I lowered my mask, smiled, and listened to his story. He said, “Thanks for letting me see your face.” Our Corona world often makes us forget the value of a face to face interaction, a simple smile.

A Healthy Respect

Pictures of masked patients run through my mind. A mom in her 50s, a husband in his 30s, a grandma in her 80s…COVID-19 has no boundaries.

When I was driving home from Bandon Dunes in early March I had no reason to be scared. I hadn’t seen a patient with Coronavirus up to that point…or so I thought. Before my golf trip I cared for a patient who was sick with what seemed like an unusual illness. I couldn’t explain it. They were still in the hospital when I got back. Critical condition. Testing Confirmed. Corona positive. Without even knowing I had already seen a patient with Coronavirus. I had been exposed. Fear set in.

For the first two weeks I went to work knowing that I was going to get Coronavirus that day. I was going to bring it home to my family. Golf courses were closed, but other things were more important.

I read of the devastation in big cities like New York. My heart aches for the health care professionals, their families, and the patients who are suffering from this devastating disease. Countless numbers of lives have been taken. Families are prohibited from visiting loved ones in the hospital for fear of spreading the disease.

After six weeks of caring for patients with Coronavirus my fears have been calming. The critical cases in our tiny portion of the world have been fewer than I expected…for now anyhow. Then another patient comes through the door. “I can’t breathe”. I put on my PPE. I no longer have a paralyzing fear. But, I’ve gained a respect. A healthy respect for Coronavirus.

Social Distancing & Empty Beds

I prefer not to get involved in the political circus of flattening the curve and social distancing. I read an article today by a cardiologist, John Mandrola M.D., which most accurately represents my thoughts on the topic.

What I will remember most about Social Distancing are the empty ER beds that were once filled. While New York ER’s may be overcrowded with dying patients the halls of our ER are eerily quiet. The same is true of most small town hospitals in the country. In fact hospitals are going broke.

I am grateful for the short period of curve flattening. I do think it has helped. The purpose was to provide a period of time so that hospitals don’t get overwhelmed. The purpose was not to eradicate the virus.

I feel that the majority of our leaders are doing their best to battle the seemingly competing demands of health vs economic prosperity. The stark realization is that Coronavirus is here to stay. Any promise of short term cure is likely misguided. Letting people work safely again and learning to live in a Corona world will have to be the new reality.

A Corona World Only Health Care Workers Would Know

Anderson once asked, “Mom, why do you kiss Dad everyday?” I used to come home from work and kiss Kelsey. Very Romantic.

Now I get home and Kelsey runs away. My kids run up to me, and I yell at them to not touch me. I am make a mad dash to the laundry room and throw my clothes in the washing machine. The kids laugh and Kelsey looks away as I race to the shower.

My 6:00am Alarm

My alarm goes off. It’s May 5th at 6:00am. After 6 weeks of golf course closures the social distancing is lightening up. Golf courses in Washington re-open. I got the first tee time at 7:00am. For 18 holes my mind drifts away. All I think about is golf. Suddenly my new Corona world doesn’t seem too bad after all.

About Me

I am a husband, father, ER doctor, and an avid golfer.  With a handicap of 2.7 I have a fairly legitimate claim to be among the Top 100 Physician Golfers in the United States.  You can read more about my story on my about page. Feel free to contact me or follow my sites on social media.