The “Hot Zone”

I’ve had a terrible cough for over three weeks now, which is really a great time to have a cough during a pandemic that’s centrally focused on a cough…
It’s been an awful cough, and on Sunday I leaned over, coughed and my back gave out. It was the most pain I’ve ever had in my life (and considering all that I’ve been through in the past 8 years, that’s saying loads!) I was bed ridden that day. With hindsight now I know that I’ve pulled the muscles (intercostals) around my ribs from coughing so hard.
Fast forward to Monday afternoon, all of a sudden I started getting a fever, when for the past three weeks I’ve had no fever. Roll onto Tuesday afternoon and my fever won’t go away with paracetamol (which is the only thing I’m allowed to take whilst being pregnant).
Elliott was taking all my vitals (we still have an oxygen detector, pulse detector and a blood pressure monitor). My vitals were not good. Elliott went off into the other room to call the GP service, and when he came back he said they were going to send a taxi for me. I said, oh wow an Uber!? And he laughed, not an Uber, more like an Uber with blue lights on top.
It all got way too serious too quickly.
Our lovely friends Rich and Monia came and collected Evie, and we waited for the ambulance to arrive. It took over three hours (with everything going on) which was fair enough.
We waited for the paramedics to gown up/put masks and goggles and gloves on. And then off I went to the hospital, with Elliott following in our car behind us.
When we got to the hospital they assessed me again and apparently there was a Hot Zone, and a Cold Zone. The Hot Zone was for suspected Covid-19 patients, and the Cold Zone was safer. After they deliberated for awhile they decided I should go into the Hot Zone.
At 37 weeks pregnant.
This is where my panic started to set in. They popped a mask on me, which really stifled my breathing, and wheeled me into the Hot Zone.
What I can tell you is that this pandemic is very serious, and I was surrounded by many very sick, very vulnerable people. They were all a very good distance away, and because of being in the Hot Zone, Elliott wasn’t allowed to go with me. 🙁 The doctor’s told people around me that they would be tested for Covid. They opted against testing me, but said I could very well have it. I was told to self-isolate.
After a chest x-ray, blood work and an EKG they determined that I had pneumonia 🙁 They gave me some additional paracetamol and let me go home, since I had just started antibiotics that afternoon.
We finally got home around 4am and had a good 5 hours of sleep. I’m feeling a bit better today, still up and down but at least I feel finally on the mend.
There were a few things that bothered me, I had an obstetrician appointment and had them listen to my chest even last Monday because I just wasn’t feeling myself. At the time they said my chest was clear and not to worry. Fast forward a week and here I am with pneumonia.
Also who puts a pregnant woman into a hot zone with other people who they think have Covid-19? My cough has always been productive, never dry. I even had photos of what my sputum looks like, and from what I gather Covid is a dry cough, unproductive…but obviously can be wrong about that.
I am so thankful for good friends, and especially for my Elliott who has had to look after me and Evie by himself the last few days. This baby is due now in three weeks, let’s hope we’re all fit and well by then!