Nelson Family Blog: Covid-19 Pandemic Update

These last few weeks have been crazy. We are on week 3 of pretty strict social isolation guidelines. We basically only leave the house to go to work, bring Emma out to Jim and Barb's house, or go grocery shopping. It is definitely a weird, scary time right now. I miss sports, and going out with friends, and my normal job. I also miss church, it's just not the same online.

These last 2 weeks, I have just been picking up hours wherever I can find them. I have been working the Covid-19 call line where we screen people and then we decide whether they need to get tested or not based on their symptoms and their history. I also have been picking up some hours at E senior care, which is a part of Avera E-care. They basically get phone calls from nursing homes, assisted living, home hospice. and home health. They actually cover up to 11 states. So, they stay pretty busy. We get calls about resident falls, medications, and if the residents aren't doing very well. There is a nurse practitioner always with us, so we bring our questions and concerns to her. Everyone in the department is really nice, and I have enjoyed working with them. I have to be really careful with the out of state calls since I only have a nursing license in South Dakota. It's been a pretty fun experience. However, I have been working the 4pm-12am shift, and I still miss the ASC. But, at least I have been getting my full hours in.

That brings me to what is going on now at the ASC. My stress level kinda skyrocketed this week when they told us they are converting the ASC into 25 ICU beds, and 26 Medical Surgical beds. What!?! I'm not super stoked to take care of ICU patients. I understand the need. We are in the middle of a Pandemic right now, and we are going to need a place to put all these patients. Things are not great right now. The virus is spreading like crazy across America right now. New York is the hardest hit. They have had hundreds of people dying every single day for the last week. It's pretty grim out there. Right now, we have 200 cases of Covid, 3 people have died, and 17 people have needed hospitalization. We expect those numbers to dramatically increase in the next couple of weeks. They are predicting that at least 200,000 Americans will die from this. It's scary. There is also a shortage of PPE, so the healthcare workers are supposed to take care of these patients, without the proper protection. So, many healthcare workers are also getting sick, which is contributing to the problems.

I am not excited to take care of positive Covid-19 patients. I am scared of brining the virus home with me and getting John or the kids sick. I'm scared of getting sick myself. Mostly, older patients with underlying health conditions are most adversely affected. However, some young, health people have also died from Covid-19. So, it's just really important to be smart and safe. We are wiping high touch surfaces, washing hands, avoiding public places, and getting plenty of rest. I also plan to be really careful at work, and basically leave it in God's hands. I mean, what else can you do?

Life at home is definitely different. The kids are holding up pretty well. They get on each other's nerves quite often, but I guess that is normal since we are home, together. All the time. We have been trying to keep busy and do some fun things at home. We decorated eggs last week which the kids really enjoyed. We also have been getting outside and enjoying some warmer weather.

Last weekend we went on a bear hunt in our neighborhood. Since everyone is stuck at home, someone had a good idea to have people put Teddy Bears in their windows, and then kids can walk around the neighborhoods "hunting" for teddy bears. We found 13 bears on our walk. It was pretty fun. We have also been riding bike, playing softball, swinging, and doing whatever we can to burn off energy outside. We also have had some movie nights, crafting projects, and games. And of course, we have spent many hours working with Emma on her school work. It's going ok. Emma does not enjoy doing school work at home, so it's like pulling teeth to get her to sit down and focus, but we are getting through it.

Emma has also been spending a lot of time at Jim and Barb's house. John and I are both still working full time, so there are many days where we need somewhere to put Emma. Elliott is going to daycare, which he loves and needs right now. So, Emma goes to the farm for parts of the week. She really enjoys it out there, and Barb says she is a big help at the greenhouse. We just miss her like crazy on the days when she is gone.

We continue to pray that a treatment or cure will be found, so that we can go back to our normal lives sooner rather than later. But, it sounds like the kids won't be going back to school this year, and that the virus won't peak until May or possibly June. So, it seems like we are in this for the long haul. We are also praying that we all stay healthy, and that we can try to enjoy this time together and decrease our stress levels. We will get through this.

So, that's how our lives are right now. They are isolating and even depressing at times. All we see in the news is how many people have died and how long we will have to keep social distancing. I miss extended family and friends. Weddings, shows, sports, and any public activity has been cancelled. Many stores are closed. Many, many people have lost their jobs and are filing for unemployment. The economy is tanking. These are really terrifying times. We are really looking forward to some positive news around here.