Dear Editor,
As a WOC nurse, there is not much that would cause me to feel like I was going to faint, certainly not an abdominal fistula, but on Friday, March 20, 2020, that is exactly what happened. My colleague and I were working with a complicated fistula pouching system when I suddenly felt like I was going to faint and needed to sit in the patients lounge chair. After trying to drink fluids, my WOC colleagues insisted I have my temperature taken. I was surprised to see I was 101.8[degrees]F. After a visit to employee health service for nasal swabbing test for COVID-19, I felt confident that it was not possible I would be positive for COVID-19. I did not feel "that bad."
Less than 24 hours later I received the shocking call that I, in fact, was positive! From there started a series of events that have made a permanent impact on me as a nurse and a human being. I received a letter mandating I was to self-quarantine and not leave my house. This included my husband and son. Within the next day or so, I began to become symptomatic of virus and, unfortunately, so did my husband. I experienced severe body aches, exhaustion, and loss of taste and smell. I fortunately did not have any respiratory symptoms. My symptoms lasted around 1 week, followed by an additional week of total exhaustion. I avoided ibuprofen and used acetaminophen only when I really could not tolerate the body aches.
The isolation for 2 weeks within my home was extremely difficult. I feel lucky that I was home and not at the hospital as a patient. Managing my symptoms, along with my husbands, and caring for my toddler son almost brought me to my breaking point. Reflecting on the experience now, I am so thankful I was strong enough to be able to do this. I was often stressed but managed my anxiety by reminding myself that I could only take one task at a time.
Fortunately, my son, Finley, did not show any symptoms. He is 18 months old so that made things more difficult. Taking care of a toddler while both parents were sick was nearly impossible. Normally, we would call our family in for backup help but were not allowed to do this. The television kept our son entertained most days. My husband and I would take turns napping and alternate childcaring. We did our best to protect him by frequently cleaning with bleach on high-touch surfaces and washing our hands. We also wore masks at home for the first week.
The community we live in, friends, and family were very supportive during quarantine time. My husband works in law enforcement, so many of his colleagues would drop off food. Many friends sent gifts and letters to our son. Our daily trip to the mailbox was the most excitement we all had for the day. Thankfully, our family was able to come by often to drop off essentials and grocery shop for us.
I returned to work at my facility after over 2 weeks of being out of work. Prior to entering the hospital, I went to employee health where I had my temperature taken. I was questioned regarding the last time I had symptoms. I was never retested as this was not offered to me but was encouraged to wear a surgical mask while at work.
Having COVID-19 has brought me a new point of view on patients who are isolated in the hospital and the only "visitor" they have is their nurses garbed in full-body personal protective equipment. I can only imagine how scared many of these patients feel, as I too experienced the anxiety of "what if I get worse" while at home. I feel passionately that it is important for WOC nurses to go into COVID patients' rooms when appropriate. These patients should not lack our expertise, assessment, and specialty care due to their potentially contagious disease. I can now thankfully say I feel 100% better and I am back doing what I love as a WOC nurse.
Respectfully,
Lauren E. Sheehan, MSN, RN, CWOCN