My 6:00 am alarm sounded. It was time for my IV’s again. I am feeling better everyday, so I was optimistic to retake a Covid test. 3 of the 4 infusions I do are really quick; only #2 differs, requiring 30 minutes which is perfect to fit in a 15-minute Covid test. Drum roll…. Positive. I am surprised. I am still a bit tired and lethargic (who wouldn’t be spending 24/7 in bed right?) but thought it would be negative this time. For those of you that have traveled this road, I might appear to worry too much about it but my concern is keeping my wife safe who in turn cares for her 94-year old mom. We have all been vaccinated, which I think is the reason my symptoms are quite mild, but I don’t want to chance it with them. The other thought is that is seems to be playing out just like my IV regiment which is scheduled for 10-days. My history (fortunately) is often with strange or at least curious injuries and or illnesses and or situations that are usually not critical, so I try to stay flexible and upbeat. On a positive note: my bacterial infection seems to be improving. The blister that continually needs to be lanced seems to be evolving into a callous for lack of any other description, and drying up. This situation in particular has humbled me. So many people, especially my age group, are in dire straights with healthcare and affordability or even having compassionate caregivers close, so I feel blessed to only have inconvenience as my biggest complaint.

As I continued watching YouTube, especially anything remotely political, I needed to remind myself to be weary of topics or presenters that would feed into confirmation bias. I want to be educated but not indoctrinated on a subject with the primary goal of remaining objective. I think my mental health will thank me.

My IV nurse Olga stopped by to check on me. She ran my vitals and everything looked good. We decided since the IV needed to last possibly through Thanksgiving weekend, she would remove the current IV and insert a new one. While this was happening, I asked for her insight on Covid and how long I could be contagious and explained the reason it was important. Simply stated she said you should be contagious for 5 days after testing positive. I told her I first tested positive 6 days ago and again this morning. When she asked why I tested today, I explained I needed to test negative for Thanksgiving. She responded by saying after testing positive I could continue testing positive for up to 90-days. Ok, I didn’t know that. But I also needed clarification on the “5-day rule”. If I hadn’t tested at all until today, the clock for my “5-days and I am not contagious” would start now. Man, I am confused. After living with this Covid shit for over 2-years you’d think I would have a better grasp of the rules.

After Olga and I looked at the wound on my thumb (the reason for the IV) we both thought it would be premature to end the injections on the original 10 plan date. When looking at her notes, she had a date of December 6. After she left, I sent a detailed update and picture to my doctor. He called back within the hour and recommended I continue the treatment because this bacteria is proving hard to knock out. He continues to impress me.

Depending on how the Thanksgiving guests feel, primarily mom, I think we will have Thanksgiving here at home. That would be perfect and a pleasant surprise based on current events. It is our favorite family holiday period, and I was sorely disappointed thinking I would be missing it. We’ll see.

P.S. Shortly after Olga left, I received a call from CNS checking in to see how I was and that the call was recorded. I said, “Ok” and that Olga had just replaced the IV and taken my vitals and everything looked good. The caller continued by asking if I had been educated and informed about my medications on this visit. I said “No” because that isn’t why she was there. The caller continued the questioning to see if we had discussed any falls. “Falls?” I asked. “Yes, did you talk about the possibility of any falls?” “What are you talking about? What does this have to do with my IV and a bacterial infection?” The caller rambled on about something or another and then brought up falls again. At this point I was getting pissed and asked if she knew how demeaning she sounded by inferring my apparent likelihood to fall. I need an IV not a Walker. She kept talking in a monotone and ended the call by asking if I needed a number to call or if I had it. By this point I just answered with “Gosh, would that be the number on my phone here? Yeah. I have it” There was an program I saw recently talking about Ageism and how older adults-Boomers-can feel slighted or talked down too. I had never thought about it or experienced-until that phone call.