Self Quarantined in Seattle

Well, my Girl Guide* ways have paid off.

Last weekend, with the news of global pandemics and coronavirus and such, I headed to the stores and stocked up on supplies. When I saw my grocery bill I felt slightly ridiculous - how could one mother and teenager eat that much food?! - but I'm not feeling so ridiculous now. Since last weekend the outbreak has spread in Seattle, and I think we're just getting started, because the numbers keep climbing and more businesses and colleges keep closing, and, well, it's a hot mess.

And I've been home with a fever and a cough...so there's that.

So, here I am, with updates from the ground! I thought it might interest my readers to know who are wondering what it's like here, who want tips to prepare, and who want to hear from someone who has been in self quarantine. So: here goes.

My health:
Two weeks ago I got sick with a fever and a cough, and I missed two days of work as a result. However, the fever went away, and I went back to work for a week. I was in touch with my doctor, and since I hadn't been overseas or known anyone diagnosed with coronavirus, I figured I just had a garden variety flu and I would get better and move on. However, this Wednesday afternoon, I was hit with a horrible headache, fatigue, and a fever and cough that came on all at once. I went home, took my temp to confirm things, and thought "uh oh." I am not sure if I had the same thing twice, or two different bugs; the symptoms were the same, but the fever went away, then came back.

This is where it gets sort of funny, if by funny I mean "annoying and concerning and we are in much worse shape than we thought."

By now we know that the COVID-19 is spreading person to person, and that there are people in my area (who live or work very near where I live or work) who have been diagnosed without any of the known risk factors of international travel or contact with a diagnosed person.

This Wednesday evening (3/4) I contacted my doctor - per the CDC guidelines - to tell them about my symptoms and request a visit and a test. They ignored my message. The next day, I called the Regence Insurance nurses' line, and talked to someone there, who said, "You need to see your healthcare provider, and while we cannot diagnose you on the phone there is a concern that your symptoms match the coronavirus symptoms" (which I already knew, because we can't avoid hearing about it on the NPR/newspapers/news outlets everywhere). So, I called my doctor's office to relay this information and the Regence recommendation, and spoke to a receptionist who promised someone would call back. Nobody did.

Until midnight, that is.

At a few minutes past midnight (Thursday morning) my phone rang, and woke me from a sound sleep. It was somebody from the UW Medical coronavirus hotline (I think. I mean, I was sick and sound alseep when she called, and the whole thing was so startling and unexpected in the middle of the night that I'm not sure I was fully coherent!) and she asked me the same questions as the nurse at the Regence line, and gave me the same information in response, and told me that she'd share my info with the CDC. She suggested that someone might even come to my house to test me, and that I'd hear from them that day.

When health authorities are working around the clock and calling patients in the literal middle of the night, you know things are bad.

On Thursday afternoon I got a call from someone associated with my doctor saying that since I was not in a high risk group, they did not have testing resources for me. I was told to stay at home for 72 hours after my fever subsided (self quarantine, which I was already doing). I pointed out that I am a public school teacher and that if I had coronavirus the recommendation was to stay home for 14 days after symptoms subsided and I did not want to jeopardize anyone's health, but if I didn't know if I had coronavirus (this could be flu, or bronchitis, etc.) I wasn't willing to stay home and not get paid (because I'd use more than my sick leave) because "maybe possibly" I had it. I was told "We know, so you can go back to work." I pointed out that I was concerned about this policy, and she sighed and said, "We just don't have the resources to do more." She was clearly concerned, and clearly had no resources to offer me.

I am starting to understand how this thing is spreading so rapidly, based on this experience.

So, folks, this leads me to conclusion number one:
The number of people being reported in the news as diagnosed with coronavirus is grossly underestimated. If I had all of the symptoms (which they agreed match to the coronavirus COVID-19) AND I teach at a public school, but they didn't want to test me, this tells me that there are a LOT of people out there just like me, and that nobody knows what the real numbers are. The midnight-nurse told me that after she spoke to me, she had 60 more phone calls to make to people just like me, and that was just one of the nurses on that line. The folks at the LifeCare facility in Kirkland who are exhibiting symptoms haven't been tested either (Google it - there are a zillion articles, and the Seattle Times is covering this epicenter of the outbreak daily). This tells me that, quite frankly, we are in some very deep doodoo. (Not the technical term, but I'm sure you follow.) If people in an outbreak can't be tested, then the numbers the government publishes about the number of cases is a gross understatement - an negligently duplicitous lie that gives the public false information. I think it's ridiculous and disgusting. You can draw your own conclusions.

Maybe I had it. Maybe I had the flu. The quarantine is different for each, but they're telling me to follow the lesser flu guidelines, despite their concerns that I have coronavirus.

And conclusion number two:
If you live in an area with confirmed cases, as so many of us do, you'd better get ready. In the last week, I've watched the city of Seattle go from buzzing slightly about the possibility of coronavirus in our area to a crazy level of changes. Major companies in the area such as Amazon, Microsoft, and others are telling people to work from home; all the local universities and colleges have switched to online only classes. Small businesses are nearly empty in many cases. Major events are being canceled: fundraisers for non-profits, school sports, and big annual events like ComiCon (100,000 people usually participate in the weekend long event) are all canceled. In Seattle, the changes we've seen in a week are extraordinary, and unprecedented in my experience. It happens very slowly....and then it happens all at once. It is time to get ready, and I recommend that you get ready NOW.

How I'm taking care of myself:
I am fine. I've clearly been sick, and it has felt lousy, but in an ordinary sickness kind of way. I've watched Netflix, napped, flipped through magazines. I've mostly stayed in my bedroom in order to avoid infecting my daughter. I've eaten a ton of satsumas, drunk gallons of tea. I've eaten avocado toast and eggs because they go down easy with little prep work. Mostly, I've lounged around feeling sorry for myself, but not feeling in any real danger despite how horrible I feel. (I look at the death numbers, but console myself with the fact that I am not elderly and do not have underlying health conditions that put me at major risk.) I cough every time I move too much or talk too much. I've obsessively been taking my temperature, which has bounced between 99-101.7 during the illness, with ibuprofen (the only med I've taken). I've been texting with friends and colleagues. My daughter has maintained some distance (smart girl); I'm lucky that she's a teenager and perfectly capable of her own self care in this situation; she's not a toddler who needs me to cater to her every need, and she's capable of cooking and feeding herself (and me sometimes).

How I'm preventing others from getting sick:
I am not leaving the house, because I do not want the guilt of infecting someone whose immune system cannot handle this. My fever subsided yesterday, so I should be able to return to work (72 hours later) on Monday. We are washing towels, dishrags, etc. almost with every use. I switched temporarily from cloth napkins (which I use for environmental reasons) to paper ones which get tossed with every use. I have Lysol wipes and I've been wiping down my computer, phone, and light switches etc. as often as possible (I'm doing so once a day, and Tessa's doing so once a day). I'm self quarantining, and following the advice given daily by the CDC and published in every newspaper.

What about pets?
Well, there was that one case of one dog in Hong Kong testing positive, so the advice is to avoid contact with pets. I explained this to my 60 pound dog Chance, and he looked at me sadly and then jumped on top of me and put his head on my shoulder. When attempted to remove him, he gave me sad eyes and refused. I lifted him off me and spoke to him sternly. I locked him outside my bedroom. He stood outside the door whimpering and barking. This is the first time I broke the CDC recommendations: I let him back in. He sleeps at the foot of my bed, his head resting on my legs, most nights. He has continued this throughout this experience, and I hope I don't regret it, but I could not make him reason with me about it. (Judge me. I can handle it!) If you have a way for pets to understand that they are no longer allowed in the bedroom, please pass along your wisdom, but as for me, I decided that when I had a headache and a fever and a cough and felt like crap, listening to my dog whimper and bark on the other side of my bedroom door for hours was not conducive to my getting better. He's stayed by my side.

So how am I?
I prepped for this last weekend, and I'm SO GLAD that I did. I have everything I need here at home to ride this out. I'm incredibly fortunate to have sick time from my employer, and good health insurance if I need it (although how I would get a doctor's appointment is another question at the moment, because they're so slammed they clearly do not want to see me). Because I was prepared, and because of my good health in general, I'm okay. Self quarantine is boring, but luckily when I feel this bad I don't want to do anything anyway (boring is all I can handle). I really did feel awful and unable to do anything but lounge around, but today I'm feeling a bit better and I even did laundry and showered and wrote this blog post. (On a normal day, that would be a slow day. After being sick, it's an accomplishment and wiped me out.) I'm clearly on the mend.

What you should do:
Well, I assume that you're a grown person who can make up their own mind about how to take care of themselves, but since you're reading this, here's my advice.

Last weekend's shopping trip felt really silly. I spent more money in a week than I usually spend in several weeks of grocery shopping, and I bought so much that it wouldn't fit in my kitchen so I have a couple bags of groceries in the closet of my guest room (my chosen location because we keep the heat turned off in that room when not in use, and because there was space). I'm not feeling ridiculous about that now, because a) I've been using those groceries this week, and b) because I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to go grocery shopping again. I'm also pretty sure that I want to spend as little time as possible in public spaces where everyone is close together and touching things, so having a fully stocked pantry is more than a little helpful! I'm feeling pretty grateful to last-weekend-me, because my experience being stuck at home is much better because of that preparedness.

It's time for you to stock up, too, and to buy more than you think you need.

So here's the stuff I bought:
- My usual fresh supplies for a week (things like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, eggs, cheese, chicken breasts, bananas, milk, etc.)
- Lots of extra pantry supplies, including rice (a five pound bag!), canned tomatoes, canned tuna, pasta (I bought a ton), marinara sauce (5 jars), canned beans, dry beans, lentils, olive oil, nuts, boxes of tomato soup, jars of pesto, dried shitake mushrooms, etc.
- make sure to have lots of spices/herbs/condiments on hand
- Extra meat and frozen veggies to fill the freezer
- Veggies and fruits that store well: potatoes, onions, acorn squash, and lots of citrus, including blood oranges, satsumas, lemons and limes, as well as apples (some of these went into rotation right away, and some of them are in the cool, dark guest room closet awaiting use)
- A little bit of "fun" food - chips and salsa, chocolate
- LOTS of cleaning supplies, including Lysol wipes, cleaning spray, laundry detergent, dish and dishwasher soap. I tried to buy hand sanitizer, but it was sold out everywhere, and since I'm at home it's better to use soap and water anyway.
- Personal items such as shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, lotion, hand soap (we're going through it at double the rate as usual - partially because every time we blow our noses we wash, and we're just being more careful), toothpaste, etc. I also bought new toothbrushes because when the sickness passes that gross thing is going in the trash ASAP.
- My pharmacy let me pick up a 90 day supply of my prescription; insurance wouldn't let me get that much so I paid out of pocket (and fortunately, it's a very inexpensive prescription). Based on how many sick folks are at the pharmacy, the LAST place a healthy person should go is the pharmacy, so having a supply of my prescription will let me avoid that line of people coughing and sneezing and looking miserable.
- Pet supplies: grab extra bags and cans of food, and don't forget the kitty litter
- Don't forget the toilet paper! Probably the number one thing nobody should ever run out of, ever!
- Coffee and tea. I like milk in my coffee, so I picked up some shelf stable milk as well in case I run out of my fresh milk. (I cannot function without morning coffee. I made sure to have a lot in the cupboard, because after toilet paper this is the thing I most need!)
- Baking supplies (flour, sugar, etc.) in case someone in your house is healthy and enjoys baking - they double as food and entertainment
- Make sure to have ibuprofen, Tylenol, throat lozenges, and a thermometer, because trust me, the doctor is going to want to know if you have a fever. Lots of tissues, too.
- I grabbed a couple of magazines. When I'm really sick I'm bored but don't have the attention span to read full length books.
- But I always have extra books on hand!

My grocery bill was enormous last week - really ridiculous. However, none of this will go to waste; it'll all get eaten eventually. I figure that I bought most of my monthly groceries in one week, but that my monthly bill won't really change. Aside from the shelf stable milk, I didn't purchase anything I wouldn't usually eat.

Other things to do to prepare:

Clean your house. If you get sick, you are going to have NO ENERGY. At one point I got up to have a shower, made it to my bedroom door, then turned around and got back into bed, because having a shower was too hard. Trust me, you are not going to want to run laundry or vacuum if you get sick. So, if you're healthy, change your sheets, get your laundry done, clean the bathrooms. I promise you, if you get sick, you will thank yourself a million times over.

Make some meals to have on hand. Right before I got sick, I made a big pot of chili, and that food sustained us through the week.

Bring home anything you might need from work. I think a LOT of us are going to be working remotely for a while, even those who aren't sick. Don't get caught by surprise.

Don't worry too much. If you don't have underlying health concerns** then this is just a nasty bug: it hits you, you feel bad, then you get better. Because of the way it spreads, it requires self quarantine, but really, it's not worse than other things you've had before like the flu. Stop freaking out. You're going to be okay. However, it's going to be REALLY inconvenient, and it's going to change all of your plans for a while. Prepare to be flexible.

And what's ahead?
Well, I'm not an oracle, but it seems like the writing is on the wall: this thing is going to get worse before it gets better, and it's not ending anytime soon. It has shut down entire cities/regions/countries elsewhere, and it's off and running in Seattle and a few other American cities, and I think it has a while before it runs its course.

I think that all of us should prepare for a longer quarantine, even those of us who aren't sick, because things are happening fast and furious. It's time to get a good stack of books to read, to consider how to exercise without a gym, and to make a plan for life to downshift substantially for a while. When I'm healthy, I hope to take my dog for long walks/runs (but to cross the street if I see another person) and do basement yoga videos. I've been considering researching some online games I can play with my friends (game night, online style) to stay connected. I'm cleaning my office so if I'm teaching remotely on video with my students, I won't be embarrassed by clutter. I have my grading at home so that I can catch up.

And of course my pantry is full, so that when I'm healthy I don't have to go out and hang with unhealthy people. Staying healthy is the goal!

As a teacher, I've been watching the district news from my school and my daughter's school (two districts), and it seems likely that we're all preparing for extended time outside the school building, likely with online learning. I'm lucky: my daughter is pretty self sufficient so if I have to work from home she can handle herself; I'm not sure how parents of younger kids are going to manage this. If you have young kids, I feel for you. You should talk to your employer and your partner (if you're lucky enough to have one) about how to juggle work and kids. If you're an at home parent, I suggest stocking up on art supplies and games, because being stuck inside with active kids is going to be challenging, and having some new activities would be a lifesaver.

I've decided not to go out to eat until this passes. In America, restaurant workers receive notoriously low wages, and are likely to have to work even when they're ill (or they can't pay their rent). I'm not ordering take-out or delivery, and I'm not eating out for a while. I feel awful for small business owners who will suffer because of the impacts of coronavirus on their businesses, but I also think it's incredibly important to protect my health and the health of my daughter. (When this is over, we will be ready to eat out at double our regular rate, I know.)

I think a lot of us are going to be in self-quarantine as cities shut down, and we'll be trying to keep our lives going while staying inside our homes. I've never seen anything like it in my life, but now that I've had this taste of it at the beginning of the outbreak, I'm more grateful than ever that I'd prepared myself.

I'm also grateful that I'm a middle-class person with enough resources to weather this storm. I do not take it for granted, not one bit, that I have the resources that I do. I know I'm one of the lucky ones, despite being sick, despite not being able to get tested. I'm grateful for myself, and angry that our nation doesn't take better care of folks less fortunate than I am. (Maybe another post on that some day soon.)

I'll give more updates at some point, but that's it for today. I hope that wherever you are, you stay healthy, and that you get ready for this now, so that if/when it hits, you'll think "I've got this - and I can handle it!" instead of "Uh oh." I wish you health and preparedness!

xoxo
Kristina

*Canadian Girl Scouts.
** I'm not a doctor, so don't take this in place of medical advice, but my understanding is that folks with underlying health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, suppressed immune systems, etc. are at much higher risk than healthy folks; for healthy people without underlying issues the COVID-19 coronavirus isn't terribly risky. (It is, however, terribly annoying and uncomfortable and VERY inconvenient.)