Well that Escalated Quickly!

Well, on the day my daughter would have gone back to school after being out for two weeks for her tonsillectomy and recovery, school was cancelled. Her school has scrambled to determine a way to continue instruction remotely for the duration of this pandemic situation.

I had to visit 5, nay 6, stores before I found a sizable pack of toilet paper which will last my family a couple weeks. I've still been unable to find hand sanitizer so my husband and I split the contents of one 75% bottle between us, using that little bottle to refill an empty one we had laying around. My dad, in his 80's, has stayed home more than usual, but not as much as would make me feel secure. 

My husband is home from work and intends to stay home as long as this lasts, especially since he is home with our daughter. I had planned to only work three days this week anyway because of my surgery, but honestly I feel the need to hunker down at home. We've had our first case in my county; it's the spouse of an airman. I can only assume that the airman will catch it as well. There are 40 cases in my state as of this time. I'm sure there will be more. 

Where I live, we're accustomed to hurricanes and southern snow days. We know how to prepare for the weather. This is a different story. There's no satellite imagery putting things in perspective. There's no Saffir-Simpson scale of severity. We are fighting an invisible enemy. An enemy who may have already gotten us and we just don't know it yet. We're washing hands and sanitizing frequently, but even that may not be enough. Flattening the curve doesn't necessarily mean you'll never contract the virus; it just means hoping we don't all catch it at the same time. 

I feel like some folks just aren't taking this seriously enough. I think the fact our enemy, COVID-19, is invisible, contributes to that in large part. I think there's also complacency among some of the young; they think this virus only attacks the elderly so they're safe. Maybe it's true they're not likely to die from COVID-19, but how many people will they spread it to before they know they're infected? 

We started out with 14 cases in my state. (Ironically, they had all recently attended the Biogen conference. Doesn't that sound like the premise of a technothriller novel? Michael Crichton would have his work cut out for him were he still alive.) Next thing you know, we're holding steady at 33. Last I checked it was in the 40's. I have no doubt there will be hundreds of cases in my state next week... because of complacency... and because of decision-makers being indecisive. Each day this week we've released a new statement from the government office I work for. Why not project ahead into the future  few days, or even a week? Have a little imagination and envision a worst-case scenario. Shut offices down, for crying out loud. Each day I come to work is a new opportunity to be exposed to the virus. Finally, today, we closed to the public. But I'm still exposed to the folks working in my building because we still have to report to work. 

I've seen a popular bariatric doctor freaking out about what all this will mean for weight loss surgery patients. I can't say his words didn't concern me, but after I listened to his first warning, I decided I didn't need that kind of added stress in my life. Yes, surgeries may be cancelled. There's nothing I can do about that. All I can do is wait to see why my surgeon's office will do. I'm scheduled for surgery this Friday. So far they haven't cancelled on me and there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county where the hospital is located. I can only deal with what I'm dealt. I hope other people don't lose out and have their surgeries postponed, but in some regions of America it's probably a certainty.

On the plus side, this pandemic makes it way easier to avoid fast food drive throughs. I haven't done perfect on my pre-op diet, but I have been trying and tracking my carbs and I've lost weight in the last couple of weeks. I'm down to 301.7... up slightly from yesterday's 300.4. It's still entirely possible I could break through the 300-299 barrier by Friday. 

Honestly, I look forward to the surgery more now, because I can finally use my sick and vacation leave to stay home and self-isolate in hopes of not contracting this virus. Had I not been saving my paid leave for surgery, I probably would have already reduced my hours. My job is looking at making telework an option for 2-4 weeks, but they haven't gotten their asses in gear to make it official yet. Literally everything I do can be done online... and given that my job is to promote events that aren't happening any more because they are cancelled due to the virus, well... this week so far has been mostly just been us twiddling our thumbs wondering what to do and engaging in office chit chat. That's fine and good, but I could do that from home by text! 

I have already had 3 colds since January. My daughter's tonsillectomy and recovery was a trying experience for the whole family. Now it's my turn for surgery. I can't take a virus on top of all that. I should be considered non-essential personnel and be able to stay home. But since I can't, I just look forward to my surgery so I can self-isolate and recover at home! 

What a strange, crazy world it is right now! Stranger than usual...