Covid Positive
“Covid positive” were our most feared words since last spring. We have vaccinated, masked, and we are careful..but real life steps in anyway. Having two kids with type 1 diabetes (an auto-immune disorder) is tough business on the daily. We are always managing highs and lows..but a positive diagnosis for our daughter Saturday was scary.
She lives in-house, and her roommate tested positive on Thursday. She immediately went to test at a nearby urgent care clinic (negative). She started feeling worse as the day progressed. Friday morning she felt worse, but knew it must be a cold or flu since she was negative. We tried her primary care physician on Friday-they were completely booked and couldn’t see her. Friday afternoon she came home to sleep in her own bed. She knew there was a small chance she had covid..so she masked coming in to go to bed, and coming down for medicine that evening.
At 4:30am Saturday morning she got up and took her temperature-she was 101.6 (and texted me a picture). I happened to wake up when I heard her downstairs, and asked what was wrong. She said she was worse, her head was killing her, and she could barely swallow-the throat pain was intense. I just told her to get her shoes, we were going to the emergency room. We left our house in the dark. I wasn’t even sure where I was going. (My sister-in-law had told me the day before of the very long line out of Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. They’d had 900 positive diagnoses Thursday.) I went to Arkansas Children’s Hospital first (since diabetes), but I had a backup plan too.
Thankfully at 5am there is no wait! We got right in, and they worked quickly. As soon as they tested her, ran blood work, started an iv, .. she had her positive results. They worked out a game plan and came right in. Because she has an auto-immune disorder, she was immediately approved for monoclonal antibodies. We gave our phone numbers, and a different doctor from Little Rock called to get her permission to receive the antibody transfusion.
We asked lots of questions. Would the antibodies be in a blood transfusion? (no, they are synthetic, lab-created antibodies suspended in saline) Would there be side effects or reactions? (potentially.. but they would hook her up to an electrocardiogram (ECG) to monitor her heart, a pulse oximeter to monitor her oxygen saturation, and the nurse would stay with us to watch for rash, or allergic response, and they said receiving them in an emergency room with oxygen and a full staff would give her the best outcome if she DID have a reaction.)
After answering allll of our questions, we gave consent. She received fluids first, then premeds of Benadryl and Tylenol, then they began the infusion. She slept through a lot of it (thanks, Benadryl!). They got her headache under control, she finished the infusion, and they kept her for an hour afterward to make sure she was okay. They were incredibly kind, efficient, and safe. We felt confident that they cared about her complete healing. I cried on and off while we were there. What if we had chosen a different hospital that didn’t complete the nasal swab as well..and she’d been negative again? What if they were less responsive? What if we’d waited another day? All the things swirled together with my lack of sleep.
I am so thankful that the thing I feared was not the end of my girl. We know it is most dangerous for those with heart and lung problems . . and diabetes. I’m thankful she had her insulin pump and Dexcom on..constantly correcting her blood sugar. The doctors and nurses were nervous to trust it when we first arrived, and they checked her blood. After a few readings..they realized they could trust her devices like they trust their own.
We left about 9 hours after we arrived-feeling so much better. She is now on vitamin therapy and following these recommendations for a B-Complex vitamin, vitamins C & D (and 15 minutes of sunshine outside twice a day), Zinc, and now an aspirin a day. She’s also taking ibuprofen to reduce inflammation (and for pain). She’s also on Flonase for her congestion. The recommendations above are very specific, yet intended for physicians. I appreciated the specific recommendations for each set of ‘days since symptoms’, and doses for each vitamin. I started taking them too since I was in an enclosed room with her for nine hours (we were both masked..but you can’t assume anything).
Everyone in our house is still masked. It is no fun, but we don’t want to give it to our youngest (..or to the oldest either!). It makes reading at bedtime harder. It makes eating dinner difficult (today was outside spread out). It is just tough to breathe in masks..but we do it to protect each other. Just in case.
I’m thankful for my tribe of prayer warriors interceding for my girl, I know it could have been worse. I’m thankful the antibodies helped her body attack the virus so quickly. I’m thankful she is starting to improve. I’m thankful she made it home so I could take care of her. My birthday was Saturday, but I honestly couldn’t think of anywhere I would have rather been at that moment. It was a birthday I won’t forget, and I’m oh-so-thankful my birthday wish was granted. Many more days (and hopefully years) of hugs and healing.
love, mom
