DC: Unable to get tested even though doctors think it is Coronavirus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She had headache, chills, SOB, stomach cramping and diarrhea

She had no fever, no cough, no chest congestion or respiratory noises, no direct contact with anyone who was infected and she not been been to an outbreak area. She has a history of asthma.

I don't see how her presentation is seen as coronavirus? What released symptom profile does this fit for CoV2?

The headache, chills, shortness of breath, and diarrhea, to start with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people are nuts. “My doctor wanted me to get tested and I couldn’t.” “Well you shouldn’t have been doing what the doctor was telling you to do.”

Wild.

+1
Np here. I'm baffled at some responses here. Are they in denial due to fear? Frankly I'm fearful too, but my reaction is not dismissive but rather wondering if I should cancel many things (kids going to a crowded birthday party, rec center, indoor play area, meeting up in a DC restaurant etc).

It is not denial. Not everyone is of the belief that we are all about to die. There have been very few outbreak / hot spots over the last 6 weeks despite the novel and higher infectiousness nature of this illness.

I am of of the same belief as the experts - use general precautions, stay our of ERs, if you have been in close contact with someone who is positive or have spent time in an area with an outbreak then self isolate, if you get sick and have these criteria - call the authorities and arrange for medical care.

I realize that most on this board are in a high state of anxiety with catastrophized thinking where they do think they and their family are about to die and that everyone should be tested and that you should go to the ER if you have any signs of being sick at all because otherwise not being tested = death. I get that when people are anxious, it feels really scary and no rational thought is going to make it better. The problem is that mass panic makes situations worse, not better. Every person with a cough, or fever or diarrhea who rushes to the ER to try and insist on testing because they heard from their neighbors that the principal at a local school's third cousin had traveled to Italy just adds to the problem on multiple levels. The problem with wanting things to go viral is that all the anxious people latch onto one part that they relate to and then they make more poor decisions. It becomes very important to have responsible communication. Individuals trying to get their own anecdotal story heard usually leads to more harm, not good, especially when you have people already mass panicking over what they saw that Susie said on Instagram

This is what OP's friend did. And they properly told her to go to the hospital to be tested. The hospital properly isolated her but then ... there were no tests to be had. That's the issue. The lack of tests, in March 2020.

"I called GW hospital and they said not to come because they don’t have the tests. They told me that I should call the DC Department of Health. I called the Department of Health. The man on the phone took a detailed history of my symptoms and my travel history and said that the shortness of breath could be from my asthma, I don’t have a fever, and because I’m low risk I don’t qualify to be tested. I was surprised to be called low-risk with my travel history."

So what did she do, she went to the GW Emerg.

That quote was from Monday. She later was told to go in to GW and went in on Friday -- you can quote but you can't read?

I can. And I get she was very panicky and convinced she had coronavirus so she kept calling docs offices until someone told her to go to the hospital. I get anxious people are panicked. I do. It is just that going to the ER if you don't need medical treatment is not good for anyone. Everyone knows the testing protocols in place. She was told twice by the Department of Health that she would be considered low risk and not tested. GW had told her already that they didn't have the tests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This lady is an object lesson of what NOT to do. She went to the ER and spread her virus around for no reason. She wasn’t experiencing any emergency symptoms.

Hi I’m the one that is sick. I waited 4 days to go to the ER because I thought it was a bad idea too. The truth is no one else would see me, and I only went after a friend talked to the Director of the department of health who told me to go there. He also told me that if the doctor requested that I be tested then I would be tested. It definitely wasn’t my first choice but I am having trouble with my breathing and needed a doctor to see me. It was the only way to get any medical care. No one else has the capacity to deal with a case that needs isolation.

You should have asthma meds on hand, yes?

DP here. Is this a serious question? Clearly you have not been around someone with an asthma exacerbation. It happens even when patients are dutifully taking their albuterol inhaler, atrovent inhaler, steroid inhaler, oral meds, etc. Asthma can be tricky to control and to treat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people are nuts. “My doctor wanted me to get tested and I couldn’t.” “Well you shouldn’t have been doing what the doctor was telling you to do.”

Wild.

+1
Np here. I'm baffled at some responses here. Are they in denial due to fear? Frankly I'm fearful too, but my reaction is not dismissive but rather wondering if I should cancel many things (kids going to a crowded birthday party, rec center, indoor play area, meeting up in a DC restaurant etc).

It is not denial. Not everyone is of the belief that we are all about to die. There have been very few outbreak / hot spots over the last 6 weeks despite the novel and higher infectiousness nature of this illness.

I am of of the same belief as the experts - use general precautions, stay our of ERs, if you have been in close contact with someone who is positive or have spent time in an area with an outbreak then self isolate, if you get sick and have these criteria - call the authorities and arrange for medical care.

I realize that most on this board are in a high state of anxiety with catastrophized thinking where they do think they and their family are about to die and that everyone should be tested and that you should go to the ER if you have any signs of being sick at all because otherwise not being tested = death. I get that when people are anxious, it feels really scary and no rational thought is going to make it better. The problem is that mass panic makes situations worse, not better. Every person with a cough, or fever or diarrhea who rushes to the ER to try and insist on testing because they heard from their neighbors that the principal at a local school's third cousin had traveled to Italy just adds to the problem on multiple levels. The problem with wanting things to go viral is that all the anxious people latch onto one part that they relate to and then they make more poor decisions. It becomes very important to have responsible communication. Individuals trying to get their own anecdotal story heard usually leads to more harm, not good, especially when you have people already mass panicking over what they saw that Susie said on Instagram

This is what OP's friend did. And they properly told her to go to the hospital to be tested. The hospital properly isolated her but then ... there were no tests to be had. That's the issue. The lack of tests, in March 2020.

"I called GW hospital and they said not to come because they don’t have the tests. They told me that I should call the DC Department of Health. I called the Department of Health. The man on the phone took a detailed history of my symptoms and my travel history and said that the shortness of breath could be from my asthma, I don’t have a fever, and because I’m low risk I don’t qualify to be tested. I was surprised to be called low-risk with my travel history."

So what did she do, she went to the GW Emerg.

That quote was from Monday. She later was told to go in to GW and went in on Friday -- you can quote but you can't read?

I can. And I get she was very panicky and convinced she had coronavirus so she kept calling docs offices until someone told her to go to the hospital. I get anxious people are panicked. I do. It is just that going to the ER if you don't need medical treatment is not good for anyone. Everyone knows the testing protocols in place. She was told twice by the Department of Health that she would be considered low risk and not tested. GW had told her already that they didn't have the tests.

Monday was very different from Friday, in terms of testing. Or maybe you don't follow the news either...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She had headache, chills, SOB, stomach cramping and diarrhea

She had no fever, no cough, no chest congestion or respiratory noises, no direct contact with anyone who was infected and she not been been to an outbreak area. She has a history of asthma.

I don't see how her presentation is seen as coronavirus? What released symptom profile does this fit for CoV2?

The headache, chills, shortness of breath, and diarrhea, to start with.

See this is part of the problem, misinformation spreads like wildfire. You now think because this was her presentation and she thinks she has coronavirus that these must be the symptoms for it. They aren't. There is a lot of information about the symptoms and their general presentation pattern and progression. Please read the official information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She had headache, chills, SOB, stomach cramping and diarrhea

She had no fever, no cough, no chest congestion or respiratory noises, no direct contact with anyone who was infected and she not been been to an outbreak area. She has a history of asthma.

I don't see how her presentation is seen as coronavirus? What released symptom profile does this fit for CoV2?

The headache, chills, shortness of breath, and diarrhea, to start with.

See this is part of the problem, misinformation spreads like wildfire. You now think because this was her presentation and she thinks she has coronavirus that these must be the symptoms for it. They aren't. There is a lot of information about the symptoms and their general presentation pattern and progression. Please read the official information.

I’m a physician and I assure you’ve I’ve been reading “official information.” Thanks for the tip, though!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless she is in urgent circumstances, she shouldn't be going to the hospital. This is exactly the problem. Selfish.

Wrong. She went at the urging of her doctor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She had headache, chills, SOB, stomach cramping and diarrhea

She had no fever, no cough, no chest congestion or respiratory noises, no direct contact with anyone who was infected and she not been been to an outbreak area. She has a history of asthma.

I don't see how her presentation is seen as coronavirus? What released symptom profile does this fit for CoV2?

The headache, chills, shortness of breath, and diarrhea, to start with.

See this is part of the problem, misinformation spreads like wildfire. You now think because this was her presentation and she thinks she has coronavirus that these must be the symptoms for it. They aren't. There is a lot of information about the symptoms and their general presentation pattern and progression. Please read the official information.

I’m a physician and I assure you’ve I’ve been reading “official information.” Thanks for the tip, though!

You are welcome. It is extra important that health professionals be well informed and not take information they see online as fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you point us to a public Twitter thread or FB post on this?

It’s really important. And it will get a lot of play on Twitter.

Can you ask her to post on Twitter if she hasn’t?

Why clutter up the airwaves with a story about someone who was given bad advice and wasted her time waiting for a test she didn’t qualify for?

Yes, let’s keep the airwaves clear for Pence’s LIES.

March 3:
“Today we will issue new guidance from the C.D.C. that will make it clear that any American can be tested, no restrictions, subject to doctor’s orders,” Mr. Pence told reporters at the White House. “Any American can be tested. We’re removing that barrier.”

Why did local liberal government stop it? Why is the CDC being so stubborn and ignoring the White House?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cruelty in this thread is astonishing

+1 she’s done a good thing by making this public (and a favor to all the doctors who are fighting to get tests for patients.)

Agree. For those saying “why does she need to confirm it’s Covid 19?”....because this is a public health issue. Knowing you have the virus means you can then find contacts and other people in the community who may have been exposed. This is all about limiting the spread of this deadly virus. This goes beyond just one person with symptoms. It can potentially infect many, many people. That is the issue here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This lady is an object lesson of what NOT to do. She went to the ER and spread her virus around for no reason. She wasn’t experiencing any emergency symptoms.

Hi I’m the one that is sick. I waited 4 days to go to the ER because I thought it was a bad idea too. The truth is no one else would see me, and I only went after a friend talked to the Director of the department of health who told me to go there. He also told me that if the doctor requested that I be tested then I would be tested. It definitely wasn’t my first choice but I am having trouble with my breathing and needed a doctor to see me. It was the only way to get any medical care. No one else has the capacity to deal with a case that needs isolation.

What did the doctor give you to treat your breathing? Do you use inhalers normally? It seems like you feel you needed medical care - even if CoV2 didn't exist. Who would you normally have seen?

I am curious as to what treatments they are recommending for the breathing issues if the medical team suspected you had CoV2. I am actually surprised that they told you that you likely had CoV2 without any tests - that was poor medical care. You could have any number of things that could explain your symptoms so giving you a provisional diagnosis with no evidence is suspect on their part.

What are you talking about? They did rule out other infections.

OP again - she was there for over 7 hours last night and they ruled out multiple things. The point to all this is that she is someone who needed a test and couldn't get it. in fact, she was told that the only to get it was to go to the ER and even then she couldn't get it. To me, that is insane. What has happened to the medical care in our country? Why does South Korea have it's act together with drive thrus for testing people.

I understand all the questions but this is a very good friend of mine. She asked me to post here because she thought it was information that people should know. She just asked me to monitor the thread for her as usual on DCUM people are getting too mean.

This post was intended as a PSA not a AMA but I'll try to come up with a good topic for that

Per her story, she didn’t get the test because it was determined that she did NOT need it.

The doctor who saw her said she needed the test. Your are ok with someone at the health department overriding the doctor who actually saw her. This is why there is no way I'm voting for anyone supporting Medicare for all instead of Medicare for those who want it. Every decision will be like this.

[Anonymous]

I’m on Humira. I have a cough for four days and a fever for two. I called to ask my doctor when I should stop taking humira. He said not yet, but asked more about my symptoms and contacts with people who have traveled. He said that if I don’t feel better tomorrow, I should go to the hospital to get tested.

I guess people here think I should ignore that advice and not get tested because hey it doesn’t matter anyway. If that’s the case, and I don’t get tested, should I still send my kids to school, since they seem perfectly healthy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You really shouldn’t share a friend’s Facebook post here

Why do you think OP shared without her friend's approval?
Weird.

I am not Op but I know the woman who posted this and she encouraged people to share and set the settings on the post to global when she usually sets her settings to a more private option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are stomach cramps and diarrhea part of COVID 19? It isn't uncommon after traveling to pick up a gastro bug of some sort or to have drank contaminated water.

Her symptoms also don't seem to follow the typical pattern with cold symptoms for the first week and then SOB and respiratory symptoms starting around Day 7 and worsening over the next week.

I am all for testing...I think we should test far more people but if the DOH is sticking to rigid criteria based on high risk for the virus, I can see why she didn't make the cut. Most people who are getting it had close / prolonged contact with someone with the virus and then have a symptoms presentation and illness pattern that follows a general path.

I am not sure that transferring through the Seoul Airport would be considered high risk.

Yes - hi symptoms can be part of COVID.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you point us to a public Twitter thread or FB post on this?

It’s really important. And it will get a lot of play on Twitter.

Can you ask her to post on Twitter if she hasn’t?

It's on Twitter already - she's gotten interview requests from Fox Local and CNN but she's so exhausted that she's trying to decide what to do. We have had responses from quite a few news and political people so far trying to put pressure on the Department of Health.

She's a little worried about ugly responses on her thread - but if you shoot me an email [e-mail] - I'll send you a link.

Thanks for your support!

dude she has freaking corona virus

Wait!! So she's gotten interview requests but won't take them due to exhaustion? She wants to tell it so bad, has the opportunity, but too exhausted? This story is getting weird.