Self-distancing.
I steadfastly refuse an office visit.
They must come up with a better plan.
And they do...
She calls to arrange my appointment.
I'm just one more anonymous voice to her,
in a sea of anonymous patients.
But to me, she is the interloper.
I go over what I expect,
we will both wear masks and gloves.
I'll meet her outside, in the front yard.
I tell her I'm scared.
She tells me about her little ones at home.
She will be careful; she has reason to be.
The appointment is set for tomorrow morning.
There's snow in the forecast.
I don't care.
PROMPT NOTES:
I've randomly chosen this "prompt."
It's about my Friday morning, tomorrow morning.
I had a Pulmonary Embolism 3 years ago.
I take Warfarin and must get my blood checked
on a regular basis. But I refuse to go into the Lab
in the clinic these days, no matter how hard
the staff tries to reassure me.
This plan feels safer.
5 comments:
Well told tale about what must be frightening for you, Marianne. My daughter works in the Coumadin clinic for Mayo in Jacksonville and she told me the other day that she has lost a few patients to the virus. Thanks for sharing.
Love,
Pammy
Am facing similar things, it helps to know that my own misgivings are shared. Thank you for this one, Marianne.
Elizabeth
I understand, Marianne. I refused occupational therapy for my wrist recently, as I don't want to go in to a clinic right now. I am doing exercises I found on YouTube, to try and regain range of motion. I'm typing easily. That's good news. I worry about Len living with us as he is a nurse. He has his own room for now, but we still hang out together. We just maintain distance and are careful. These are scary times. You captured a moment beautifully. The fear is real. I like that you gave humanity to both sides. You and your phlebotomist. Thank you for this. <3
Brenda
Ladies,
We are all dealing intimately with this crisis, each in our own very personal ways. Brenda, you & Len are in my thoughts daily, as he's one of the front line fighters of COVID19. And Pammy, for a mother to have her child working so closely with this crisis, in the same ways that Len is, has got to be stressful. Elizabeth, I know you have very real concerns because of your age and health issues (as I do). It's heart-breaking to watch our world changing, day by day and hour by hour. I love you all! ❤️
You're right to insist, Marianne. It takes one infected person to make everything spiral. Kudos to your isolation story.
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