Well, the Lord is doubling down on humility with me. Even my attempt to share with the person who admitted to chills on Saturday and was sick with sore throat, headache, sore glands yesterday and wise got into bed, has totally ignored my bother in texting how this illness really does need to be contained, and to stay in! Even if a person thinks just a sore throat, just chills, might be just a cold or just swollen glands for no reason (?!!), STAY IN.
So I get a text this morning that the person and spouse were heading out the door to go shopping. Do I need anything? I was incredulous and texted back asking if the person is well? No response to that. But by time I texted, they leaving one store and were headed to another--Walmart. What? Said could go back to the grocery if I needed anything.
Lord, have mercy.
No, I don't need a thing. Nothing has changed since yesterday here other than one less banana and a little less oatmeal but have more than plenty. I tend to shop at Costco which sells items bulk, and since my hermitage has garage and I'm in here alone with God, solus Deus, I am blessed with room for items that then I don't need to replenish many of them, for a year or more. Saves money in long run.
And now with the economy as it is, and will be for awhile, frugality is important for a hermit who at some point could need to pay for nursing home care. Can't qualify for long term health insurance nor could qualify for any insurance until age 65 when fortunately former spouse had plenty of "points" and legally then could qualify for Medicare. I certainly did not have enough "points" as have not been able to be viably employed due to inconsistency of severe pain.
But I have to pay in full for the Medicare, and along with a supplement now which I must have in order to cover what Medicare does not pay for me to remain financially solvent in event of major medical needs, my insurance payments use 1/5 of income before taxes. Just explaining one hermit's health insurance situation and the costs involved, but praise God for having it now for the past nearly four years!
Back to the situation of the person who disregarded all that I'd bothered to text: this is part of the problem of people not taking COVID-19 seriously. This goes for the many, especially older people seemingly, who are incapable of staying put for more than a day even when common sense and consideration of others would dictate to do so when having symptoms of illness during a global pandemic. Or maybe it is pride in thinking they feel fine so why stay in?
A spiritual friend was in contact wanting prayers for infant grandson undergoing five hours of surgery this morning. The friend also mentioned 87-year-old mother with asthma, with walker, insisting on going to grocery today in an area that has seen uptick of cases even though testing has not yet been set up there for volumes of persons to be tested. With help of a sibling who is in medical profession, they convinced the elderly mother to stay home. (Very devout Catholics, all, so not a matter of having no sense of virtues.) But the elderly mother is still going to the hair dressers.
I laughed at the irony, for had read an article of how everyday life needs to be considered, and of the barber and beauty shops in which those washing hair and cutting it, have their heads closer to their clients' heads than in most any other provided service. Dentists perhaps as much although they wear protective masks and often face shields, plus gloves and use head gear with magnifiers to better see, or use cameras and screens to view detail of mouths, as do surgeons. I considered the other customers in a barber and beauty shop in close proximity, but the friend said there was going to be no convincing the elderly mother to forego her beauty for awhile even if the friend had offered to wash the mothers' hair and set it.
I guess keep up the spirits by laughing even if very sad that there are so many aspects of our own unpreparedness for a virus pandemic crisis. The leaders can only advise; we have to do as the experts ask. Humility and sacrifice, we citizens need to embrace.
I did receive a call back from someone who'd gotten my message Friday evening as to the nearby ER phone number being incorrect on online website. In meantime some user had written in the correct number to try, even if the print in orange was difficult to read. I called the ER and did mention my concerns not only of the incorrect phone number but wanting to pass along that patients might have lighter symptoms and not be at death's door.
The person I spoke with said they are starting to grasp that reality. I mentioned they might not be at point of pneumonia, but have all the symptoms, or not all of them. We are all in this rapidly escalating learning curve, that is for sure. And as for my situation, my lungs still hurt a lot, fever down this morning but still slight, still coughing, only one time of some chills, still wiped out, and sinuses still an issue but some better. There is no reason to go to ER although the person on phone said they are there if I need to come in. No, but I know to stay in, to stay down. Praying for others who have symptoms to do so.
Thankful for a woman interviewed on national news who had similar situation. A nurse probably in early 40's, whose symptoms began with sniffles. She was told nothing to be concerned about by two providers. Finally she had husband take her to ER as she as having hard time standing without feeling faint. (Had also had body aches and as if stabbing muscle pains that had subsided but the feeling of fainting and simply "not feeling good" continued.) He took her to ER, and she tested positive for COVID-19, and has viral pneumonia. That had developed over the time she was sick, but did not mention coughing as a symptom.
So we must be vigilant. I declined ER and will unless my lungs were to worsen. I absolutely do not want to spread this to others by going anywhere. The ER person did tell me to reach out to those I'd been around so they'd be aware I likely have it. Thankfully as a hermit, and being as sick as I was initially, I was not out and about. But I've alerted those I visited as well as the parent of youngster I'd been asked to transport twice. Even then, thinking I had sinus infection, I had us roll down truck windows. Youngster has been fine and incubation period would be over. Yet the problem is that young persons are more likely to not have symptoms.
So I figure what the Lord wants of me is to keep PRAYING for salvation of the world and souls, for health to be restored, for people to "play hermit" a little and hunker down especially if feeling under the weather, and for me to keep PRAISING Him for all the good that He will bring from this situation. I'm certainly, myself, appreciating the added humility that comes from not at all being heeded by the person who has been out and about today, even though the spouse could have gone, or better yet, and adult family member much younger could pick up their pet food and human food they wanted--abundance of caution. We will see how that situation unfolds.
But we see just the obstacles those trying to lead us through this be it national or state level, or community level or the ER's and the health providers who now are surely becoming aware to not be dismissive of cases that don't fit neatly into their initial criteria for the virus. Yes, I would love to have such as a nebulizer to breathe in healing and soothing medicated air into my lungs. I recall my mother using that equipment in her 18 months on earth with a mystifying case of pulmonary fibrosis that killed her gradually. Never a smoker, not a coal miner! The specialists said she must have been exposed to asbestos or some substance even years ago, or when young.
However, I don't want to wear myself out further by going anywhere at all, and I don't want to even expose ER personnel. I can't be sure it was one of the first two planes--could have been Uber driver or virus in his car from some passenger without symptoms, or thinking had but a cold or "sniffles." We all must do our best, though, to humble ourselves and sacrifice our routines and desires, and to practice the virtues especially of patience, self-control, fortitude, faith and hope in God, and above all, charity!
As St. Padre Pio always told people with concerns: "Pray, hope, and don't worry."
God bless His Real Presence in us!
