Warning. Scary Photo Alert!

Day 38

4 weeks in isolation after being discharged; just another 67000 weeks to go! (well it feels like that many anyway)! To be honest, after I’ve done the 12 weeks the government has stated I have to do as I am extremely high risk, I don’t know how things will work out. Will everything be back to normal? Will I be able to take the children to see their friends? Will I be able to go out for coffee with my friends? Who knows. But these are the same questions so many people face, not just me. I think I will still have to be very careful. In some ways, this virus has actually forced me to comply with the self isolation instructions because I think I would probably not have been quite as compliant under normal circumstances.

But for now we are enjoying the time as a family. At the beginning we decided to isolate as a family which in hindsight was the right decision. Fortunately I have been quite well so it hasn’t been too difficult at home with the children. Although, finding new activities and keeping the children entertained is a bit difficult at times.

The first week back home I had to make a phone call to the day ward as my head had come out in red blotchy water type spots. They weren’t painful but didn’t look very nice. The nurse automatically thought it might have been shingles and asked me to go in to be checked straight away. Great! The doctor confirmed it wasn’t shingles when I got there (I didn’t think it was anyway!). They were puzzled as to what could have caused it. They did swabs on my head but other than that I was sent home. And then I had a light bulb moment! Jay had been so good at cleaning the house and trying to make the house germ free that every morning he would open all the windows upstairs, pull the bed covers back and spray everywhere with Dettol all in one spray – even the bed! This is what I think caused the reaction! So since then he has stopped using the spray and the spots have gone thankfully.

So within the second week of being at home I got yet another cold! I think the children must have passed this on as I came out, which I suppose is why my consultant would have preferred me not to live with the children when I first went home. This cold then turned in to a bad sinus infection which I needed antibiotics for. Thankfully that has cleared up but I still have a bit of a cough. Don’t worry, it’s not covid-19, the hospital tested me for that when I went for blood tests and check up! I think that’s the 3rd time I’ve been tested for Covid-19. I feel a bit guilty when the tests seem to be in such short supply!

I have to go back to the hospital once every two weeks; it was meant to be weekly at first but because of everything that’s happening in the world they want to minimise my hospital visits as much as possible to reduce to risk of contracting the virus. When I go in I wear a mask (not the general hospital one) and gloves which I change regularly throughout my visit. At least I don’t stand out as much now walking in wearing a mask as a lot more people are wearing them.

My blood levels have been quite stable and the Doctors are happy that I’m progressing as expected.

So for now I guess I will continue to do the same things as I did yesterday and the day before that……