7 am. I’m standing in line at a local “doc in the box”. I won’t mention which one. It doesn’t open for another hour but there
are already 4 people in front of me in line.
I’m curious what they are here for.
They don’t look or act sick. Is
it perhaps the same as me? I’m here for
a rapid result COVID-19 test. I’m not
symptomatic. I have no fever, no cough, no more congestion than I normally
do. I feel fine other than I get out of
breath easily – which could be due to any number of factors, non the least of
which is my weight.
I’m here because my wife has been struggling with – well,
let’s just call it intestinal issues- for over a week. My daughter-in-law, a
nurse at UAB – as well as a social media post by one of my wife’s friends indicated that such intestinal issues can be a symptom of the COVID-19 virus. I don't know. I'm skeptical. She has no other symptoms – well, she does
have headaches, too – also something both sources mentioned. On the other hand, a typical stomach virus does not last this
long. We needed to know, so yesterday
she finally went to the doctor and the first thing they did was give her the
test and order her to quarantine herself. Other than that, they couldn't tell her anything. Unfortunately, she did not get a rapid response test. She has to wait - five days - waiting and quarantine. Great.
The problem is that I am a pastor. Tomorrow is Sunday and I have to know - today. I came down to this same facility late yesterday
afternoon because they said it is one of the few places that gives rapid
response tests, but I came too late to get a test. So here I am, bright and early, on the one day
I was hoping to sleep in just a little bit late.
As I am waiting, however, I am perusing social media and
read an article by a local weatherman detailing his experiences from late fall
2019 that he and his doctor wife both believe was COVID-19 – even though
supposedly it did not hit the US until March 2020. I have heard several of these stories. I even have a pastor friend who had a
terrible respiratory sickness in early February. He decided to take the antibody test and it
came back positive. So COVID was apparently here in February. Another friend
had a similar experience in December but he hasn’t had the antibody test. That
doesn’t matter to him – he is convinced he had “the Covid” or as he sometimes says "the covert" or "the plague."
 |
| Chris and I in Eluru, India |
With a little coaxing, we got our host to drive us back to
Colombo and the hospital there. Our host
was clearly concerned for my health because he drove like a maniac through the
winding mountainous roads. If I had not
been so sick I would have feared for my life.
Chris said he did.
 |
| Me, in a Sri Lankan Hospital |
So there I was – on the far side of the world in a hospital
in Sri Lanka – and it wasn’t good. Let’s
just forget about the fact that conditions weren’t exactly what we might be
used to here in the US. I’m sure the
doctors were competent, but it wasn’t home. They really had no idea what I had,
except to say I had a severe respiratory infection. My lungs were in really bad
shape and my oxygen levels were below 90%. They wanted to admit me. I wanted to go
home. We were at an impasse, so they
brought in a specialist to convince me to stay in the hospital.
After much urging on his part, I finally looked him in the
eye and said “Doc, tell me the truth. If
I get in that plane, will I die?” His
response wasn’t encouraging but it was all I needed to hear – “You won’t die,
but because of the altitude, it will be a horrible trip and you will be in far
worse shape when you get home than you are now” - to which I replied “Maybe,
but at least I will be home and with my own doctors.”
They said I was not contagious (I wonder about that now) so I
walked out of the hospital a very sick man. Chris was awesome – he really took
care of me on the trip home – even made sure I had a first-class ticket so I
could be more comfortable. However, I
have to say it was the most brutal, most excruciating 24 hours of my life.
The doc was right about one thing. I was in pretty bad shape by the time we got
home. Keep in mind, this was January
2018. Even our doctors really had no
idea what I had except they knew it was a bronchial infection of some
kind. I have permanent scarring in my
lungs from it (which could explain some of the shortness of breath). I did
eventually get better but man was it a rough go.
Fast forwrd to today. Standing
here waiting to be tested, this is not the first time I have wondered over the
last 5 months – could it be? Did I have COVID-19 back in 2018? That was well before anyone knew of such a thing. I just don’t
know. To my knowledge, no one got sick
from me back in 2018. Maybe it was exactly as advertised - just
a very severe lung infection brought on by the poor air quality in India. After all, the
air pollution in India is really bad.
Nevertheless, I do have to wonder. What if I test negative and my wife tests positive? Given our daily close proximity, there is no way I could avoid getting the virus - unless I must be immune – and that means 2018 was probably COVID before anyone knew what COVID was.
Nevertheless, I do have to wonder. What if I test negative and my wife tests positive? Given our daily close proximity, there is no way I could avoid getting the virus - unless I must be immune – and that means 2018 was probably COVID before anyone knew what COVID was.
All this is just speculation...
Today, questions are racing through my mind:
Does my wife have COVID-19? Do I? Between my weight and the weakened lungs,
that would be really, really bad – especially based on what I experienced in
2018. If COVID is worse than that I do
NOT want it.
If I can’t get results back today, should I cancel church
services tomorrow – or at least cancel myself from the service?
But what if I don’t have it?
How many of the people standing here in close proximity to me have it
(the line now is really long)?
Thankfully, we all have on masks – and at least for now are outside.
Am I just overreacting?
To be honest, I’m not really looking forward to this. My wife said they put a Q-tip up both her nostrils
and literally touched the back of her brain – or so it seemed to her. Yeah. I don’t do so well with stuff like
that.
Inside now. It turns
out everyone is here for the same thing – a rapid results COVID-19 test. Like me, none of them appear
symptomatic. One of the other patients
is like me in another way – a pastor trying to decide what to do about church
tomorrow. What a world we live in
now.
Clearly, first come, first served is not as advertised. I was fourth in line, but 8 people have gone
back ahead of me. “Our system just does
that sometimes. We are working it. I
promise you are on the list.” I get
it. They are overwhelmed. This is God teaching me patience in the face
of incompetence.
Finally, in a room.
As I was walking down the hall with the nurse, I could hear other nurses
talking. "Did you find him?" "Yes, I’m putting him in 5." They were taking about me. Hello.
I was in the waiting lobby. Where
I was supposed to be. How could they possibly "lose" me?
They get to business immediately.
It's swab time, and they are NOT kidding here folks. Touched my brain. That ought to be illegal.
It's swab time, and they are NOT kidding here folks. Touched my brain. That ought to be illegal.
Thirty seconds with the doc and I am ready to go – and now we wait – for a phone
call. The doc says, “It should be around lunch time today, maybe later, but definitely
today.” However, with a twinkle in her
eye, the nurse says “You’re one of the lucky ones. You got here early. It won’t
take that long.”
“Twinkle in her eye”.
That is not a statement I would have said 6 months ago, but her smile
(assuming it to be there) was hidden beneath a colorful surgical mask. This pandemic has changed lots of things, and
one of them is that I have become far more adept at reading people’s eyes. Your eyes don’t lie. They tell everything. Love, kindness, anger, hate… emptiness. Her eyes said “despite being overwhelmed with
all these COVID tests, I am going to be kind.”
And overwhelmed is probably an understatement. As I left, I noticed there were more people
waiting now than when I first went inside.
There were cars parked in the middle of the parking lot waiting for
people like me to leave so they could have our spots. These are strange times. 2020, you not our friend.
The nurse was right about one thing. I did not even get home before I received the
call.
Rapid results. Very
rapid. I’m impressed.
Oh. And in case you are wondering. Negative.
***whew***
Church is not canceled this week.
Now we wait for my wife’s results.
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