For two years I have worried about Covid.
Originally I worried for everyone in my family, and the world, when little was known. I am a germaphobe. So anytime a scary new disease emerges--bird flu anyone?--I scour the internet for information and stay glued to the TV. I then assess the threat to my family. Usually it's not bad. I look first at how is it transmitted and then, the death/survival rate.
The last one that terrified me was Ebola. I had seen the news reports early, before people were really talking about it. And I thought this looks scary. I mean the disease progression itself. And another scary part was the death rate. Originally I think they said 80% were dying. This of course was skewed by the fact that it was in an area with little medical advances and other reasons but still--super scary. The one thing that calmed me was it was not airborne. Only transmissible through body fluids. Well folks, if anyone can stay away from body fluids and keep her kids away from body fluids it's....this girl!!
When it hit Dallas I told all my family members who would constantly joke about my sanitation standards who are you looking to now?? HaHA. Me that's who! Ebola would not stand a CHANCE! Then it seemed we were able to get that under control thank goodness.
Covid was different. I immediately thought oh this one could be for real. I remember sitting in my favorite Mexican restaurant with my husband and cousin eating lunch. I remember saying I think this one is gonna get bad. This was the week before my kids Spring Break. The Spring Break that lasted until summer because schools closed down.
One thing that was known pretty soon is how deadly this was for older people and people with preexisting conditions. My parents.
I immediately did what I have been training for my whole life it seems. I quarantined everyone and everything. You did not have to explain to my how to wipe down items and keep things sterile. Training my whole life people! It was easy. We have stockpiles of so many things because I'm a germaphobe remember AND we live in the country so we don't make trips to the store often. Also I had started using curbside a year before because it made grocery shopping so easy! I was set. Well except for the bread situation. I did not have stockpiles of bread. And turns out yeast was also scarce. I ended up getting some for $50 from Amazon--a pound. I still have it and it still works. I recently went to check and see the price of it now. Eight Doll Hairs. *disgusted face*
Time moves on and my priority was keeping my parents safe. We decided to do virtual school the next year so that we could still have contact with my parents. Then sweet blessings! A vaccine was made! Mom and dad got the vaccine--after trial and error of vying for the doses being released. Then me and husband got ours! So the last nine weeks of school my kiddos went back face to face----with masks of course. They got to finish the year with their friends and teachers. It was a big adjustment.
Then summer came and teens could get vaccinated! We were so happy to be getting back to normal! Little d and little m both got fully vaxxed by July. I felt like I could breathe a sigh of relief. I was still nervous for little md. He was starting 6th grade at a new school and they were no longer offering virtual school. If I didn't want him to go (as Delta began to rise) I would have to homeschool. I was so torn. He had done blood work and his Vitamin D levels were low. He was on a supplement. It was thought that low vitamin d was bad with covid so I consulted with his pediatrician. She said he should wear a mask but she thought it would be ok.
So my kids all started this year wearing a mask. And less than two weeks into the year kids and teachers were dropping like flies to covid--not dying, I guess I worded that wrong--they were getting sick. So many that the district sent out a notification to please consider wearing a mask even though Texas can't let them mandate it because we were at the breaking point for being able to have staff to run the schools.
My kids were among the roughly 1/3 of students wearing masks. Little md's friend at the lunch table had covid (his family doesn't believe in masks). Two days later Mitchell came down with it. Long story short so did I. As I was primarily the one taking care of him. It was rough and scary for me but we both recovered.
In October my parents were able to get their booster. I told my husband to get one to since I just had covid, my hybrid immunity was considered strong. D put it off and sure enough in January when Little m followed by Little d caught it so did he. Little md and I stayed well. Their bout was not too horrible. Like a flu. Little m had a very bad sore throat for several days. And they all had headaches too.
But so far I had managed to keep the most vulnerable in my fam safe. My mom and dad.
They started hanging out with my aunts and uncles. Several family members have moved back to POC and it's actually awesome. It's like a little retirement village! Card games, dessert, potluck dinners. I am so thrilled for them! And everyone attending is vaccinated and most are boosted.
But unfortunately one aunt (who is going through chemo) turned up with covid after a Sunday spent playing cards. In the week and half that followed 15 others would test positive including my parents. Thank goodness all are doing well and on the mend.
I went and picked up my parents meds the other day and was riding with them in the passenger seat. It hit me that two years ago I never would have thought I would be carrying what is essentially the cure for a pandemic in a paper bag on my passenger seat. I almost started crying.
The ups and downs have happened this year. My entire world view shifted--more on that to follow--and we made it through. We officially MADE IT THROUGH a pandemic. We can now go back to our regularly scheduled program of my fear of regular germs.
peace out....wait did someone say monkey pox??!
