My Doctor husband came home crying yesterday

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More importantly, a rapid results test is needed. The amount of PPE supplies staff uses up on a single patient "suspected" of covid-19 patient is astounding. Tons of supplies are being wasting on patients that end up not requiring that level of precautions

Why is the rapid results test anything? We are all supposed to be staying home and not going out, and if mildly sick with a fever and cough stay away from family members.

Rapid results test doesn’t do anything if you can’t breathe or getting pneumonia. If that is happening you go to the hospital, they assume your have covid19, you get a chest CT, and they pump your lungs routinely and get you in a ventilator. You can also sign up for clinical trials.

NP here. Did you even read what was written above? She is talking about use of medical supplies that are scarce and how a test can help guide that. The "assume you have covid-19" is the problem the PP is highlighting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sister works in an ER downtown. Her shifts have always been long or condensed but she’s not an alarmist. If anything there are too many people coming in to get tested just to see if they maybe have it. That ties up resources, time and test kits big time plus exposes you to possibly very sick germs.

That's a public health failure. In a pandemic it is completely reasonable and foreseeable that people will be worried and nervous and want to be tested. Set up triage centers away from the hospital for screening and testing so people don't go to the ER.

There is no doubt that hospitals all over the country and world are experiencing a surge this week or soon will be experiencing a surge. If people aren't currently seeing it in their hospital, that means the explosion in cases hasn't happened in their area yet.

You don't always get what you want....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah let's feel bad for these doctors who make 500k a year. Nah I feel bad for the kids we send to war. No sympathy from me.

Drs earn ever penny of their income. Married to one and I guarantee he works harder than you ever will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More importantly, a rapid results test is needed. The amount of PPE supplies staff uses up on a single patient "suspected" of covid-19 patient is astounding. Tons of supplies are being wasting on patients that end up not requiring that level of precautions

Why is the rapid results test anything? We are all supposed to be staying home and not going out, and if mildly sick with a fever and cough stay away from family members.

Rapid results test doesn’t do anything if you can’t breathe or getting pneumonia. If that is happening you go to the hospital, they assume your have covid19, you get a chest CT, and they pump your lungs routinely and get you in a ventilator. You can also sign up for clinical trials.

NP here. Did you even read what was written above? She is talking about use of medical supplies that are scarce and how a test can help guide that. The "assume you have covid-19" is the problem the PP is highlighting.

Yes exactly. Assume you have covid is fine if your symptoms are manageable at home and you quarantine there. But at the hospital, "assume you have covid" means DAYS of using up dwindling protective gear than only to find out they don't have covid

[Anonymous]

When I first read this it scared me

But I keep looking at the VA dept of Health website and it says for the state they have 25 hospitalized cases for the state

Then I looked at the wait times for ERs last night and this morning for INOVA - they were under 15 minutes and some reported 0 min wait time this morning. I also checked NYC hospital ER wait times just out curiosity and some too had a list of 15 mins or less. At least they are triaging and assessing people fairly quickly.

I am not making light of the situation and we are social distancing and in fact isolating out of caution but keep in mind that in NOVA we have lots or people who have to use the emergency room to get medical care bc they have no insurance and won’t be turned away. If a person is sick with anything they might panic and go to the ER.

And then procedures to decontaminate between patients is probably more strict and time consuming as is the mental load of calming co workers and patient fears.

I appreciate all the medical professionals who are working at this time but I have also seen this same post as the OP circulating on my FB feed - usually from a friend of a friend - so who knows if this is really someone from the DMV

[Anonymous]

OP, please thank your husband for all he is doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is how bad things have gotten here, in the DMV. My tough, macho Dr. husband, who I've only seen cry once in our 20 year marriage, is a seasoned Doctor (hospitalist). Therefore he is a hospital-based physician and is/will be working in the hospital with Corona patients.

He came home from work crying yesterday. It scared me. He says things are bad already, he and the staff are being worked to the bone, they are all stressed, no one knows proper protocol for treating these patients and protective gear, mistakes are already being made because staff is confused, morale is low, staff are starting to call out sick with CV, and the CV cases are multiplying. He hears from his colleagues at NYC hospitals about how things are going there now and is terrified.

He's terrified of getting the virus since they are being told to reuse protective gear.

This situation is terrible, folks. The doctors are at the point where many of them are freaking out.

I have never seen my husband so stressed. I've never been so stressed/depressed in my life.

OP, I hope your DH is safe and you and your family is safe. What you wrote was the truth...CNN is also covering this and now there are 2K dead.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/27/us/inside-hospitals-coronavirus-vignettes/index.html The lack of medical equipments like masks in a first world country like ours is shameful. We have created all this plastic pollution and killing the Earth, but were unable to make the masks for our HCP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah let's feel bad for these doctors who make 500k a year. Nah I feel bad for the kids we send to war. No sympathy from me.

I'm a pediatrician. You really think I make 500K a year?

I'm going in tomorrow to be retrained as a makeshift respiratory therapist for adults -- suctioning, vent change management, all that. I'm also in a high risk category, but there isn't anyone else with the background knowledge to do it.

Doctors (and nurses, and RTs) are dying because of the high viral load we are exposed to during aerosolizing procedures like suctioning and CPR, and we don't have the proper equipment to keep us safe and working. Some of us just … die. My colleagues and I all have updated wills on our kitchen tables or other visible places. And I still have student loans, so I hope those get waived if I don't make it through, because I come from a poor Midwestern farming family.

I'm not complaining. I'm not asking you to feel bad for me. I'm just asking you not to be a jackass about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah let's feel bad for these doctors who make 500k a year. Nah I feel bad for the kids we send to war. No sympathy from me.

I'm a pediatrician. You really think I make 500K a year?

I'm going in tomorrow to be retrained as a makeshift respiratory therapist for adults -- suctioning, vent change management, all that. I'm also in a high risk category, but there isn't anyone else with the background knowledge to do it.

Doctors (and nurses, and RTs) are dying because of the high viral load we are exposed to during aerosolizing procedures like suctioning and CPR, and we don't have the proper equipment to keep us safe and working. Some of us just … die. My colleagues and I all have updated wills on our kitchen tables or other visible places. And I still have student loans, so I hope those get waived if I don't make it through, because I come from a poor Midwestern farming family.

I'm not complaining. I'm not asking you to feel bad for me. I'm just asking you not to be a jackass about this.

Please ignore that poster. There’s a jerk on every thread. Thank you for all you do and I hope you stay healthy and safe. I have a lot of doctors and nurses in my family and in my friend group and I know first hand how hard they work and how much of their own time, health, and energy they sacrifice for their job and their patients. We appreciate all you do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah let's feel bad for these doctors who make 500k a year. Nah I feel bad for the kids we send to war. No sympathy from me.

I'm a pediatrician. You really think I make 500K a year?

I'm going in tomorrow to be retrained as a makeshift respiratory therapist for adults -- suctioning, vent change management, all that. I'm also in a high risk category, but there isn't anyone else with the background knowledge to do it.

Doctors (and nurses, and RTs) are dying because of the high viral load we are exposed to during aerosolizing procedures like suctioning and CPR, and we don't have the proper equipment to keep us safe and working. Some of us just … die. My colleagues and I all have updated wills on our kitchen tables or other visible places. And I still have student loans, so I hope those get waived if I don't make it through, because I come from a poor Midwestern farming family.

I'm not complaining. I'm not asking you to feel bad for me. I'm just asking you not to be a jackass about this.

Please ignore that poster. There’s a jerk on every thread. Thank you for all you do and I hope you stay healthy and safe. I have a lot of doctors and nurses in my family and in my friend group and I know first hand how hard they work and how much of their own time, health, and energy they sacrifice for their job and their patients. We appreciate all you do.

Thanks. I'm scared, too, like the OP's husband. I don't cry at work, but I do cry at home. The only thing I have hoarded is cat food and cat litter -- I've got enough for 3 months for my 2 cats, because I don't think anyone would want to come into my apartment if I'm not here, at least for awhile. And I wouldn't want them too.

It's not being praised that helps, it's just reading when people get it. The singing from balconies, the theater and construction companies donating masks, the teachers looking for hand sanitizer in closed stockrooms of the school. The teenagers figuring out what they can print 3D.

It makes it less lonely. It is very lonely right now, so thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah let's feel bad for these doctors who make 500k a year. Nah I feel bad for the kids we send to war. No sympathy from me.

I'm a pediatrician. You really think I make 500K a year?

I'm going in tomorrow to be retrained as a makeshift respiratory therapist for adults -- suctioning, vent change management, all that. I'm also in a high risk category, but there isn't anyone else with the background knowledge to do it.

Doctors (and nurses, and RTs) are dying because of the high viral load we are exposed to during aerosolizing procedures like suctioning and CPR, and we don't have the proper equipment to keep us safe and working. Some of us just … die. My colleagues and I all have updated wills on our kitchen tables or other visible places. And I still have student loans, so I hope those get waived if I don't make it through, because I come from a poor Midwestern farming family.

I'm not complaining. I'm not asking you to feel bad for me. I'm just asking you not to be a jackass about this.

Please ignore that poster. There’s a jerk on every thread. Thank you for all you do and I hope you stay healthy and safe. I have a lot of doctors and nurses in my family and in my friend group and I know first hand how hard they work and how much of their own time, health, and energy they sacrifice for their job and their patients. We appreciate all you do.

Thanks. I'm scared, too, like the OP's husband. I don't cry at work, but I do cry at home. The only thing I have hoarded is cat food and cat litter -- I've got enough for 3 months for my 2 cats, because I don't think anyone would want to come into my apartment if I'm not here, at least for awhile. And I wouldn't want them too.

It's not being praised that helps, it's just reading when people get it. The singing from balconies, the theater and construction companies donating masks, the teachers looking for hand sanitizer in closed stockrooms of the school. The teenagers figuring out what they can print 3D.

It makes it less lonely. It is very lonely right now, so thank you.

I wish there were more the rest of us could do to help. We are staying at home, and encouraging everybody we know (well, are related to) to stay at home. If there is anything in the wide world else that we can do, please let us know.

Please know that you and all the other healthcare providers carry our thoughts and gratitude. I know that you are all standing in the storm for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah let's feel bad for these doctors who make 500k a year. Nah I feel bad for the kids we send to war. No sympathy from me.

I'm a pediatrician. You really think I make 500K a year?

I'm going in tomorrow to be retrained as a makeshift respiratory therapist for adults -- suctioning, vent change management, all that. I'm also in a high risk category, but there isn't anyone else with the background knowledge to do it.

Doctors (and nurses, and RTs) are dying because of the high viral load we are exposed to during aerosolizing procedures like suctioning and CPR, and we don't have the proper equipment to keep us safe and working. Some of us just … die. My colleagues and I all have updated wills on our kitchen tables or other visible places. And I still have student loans, so I hope those get waived if I don't make it through, because I come from a poor Midwestern farming family.

I'm not complaining. I'm not asking you to feel bad for me. I'm just asking you not to be a jackass about this.

Please ignore that poster. There’s a jerk on every thread. Thank you for all you do and I hope you stay healthy and safe. I have a lot of doctors and nurses in my family and in my friend group and I know first hand how hard they work and how much of their own time, health, and energy they sacrifice for their job and their patients. We appreciate all you do.

Thanks. I'm scared, too, like the OP's husband. I don't cry at work, but I do cry at home. The only thing I have hoarded is cat food and cat litter -- I've got enough for 3 months for my 2 cats, because I don't think anyone would want to come into my apartment if I'm not here, at least for awhile. And I wouldn't want them too.

It's not being praised that helps, it's just reading when people get it. The singing from balconies, the theater and construction companies donating masks, the teachers looking for hand sanitizer in closed stockrooms of the school. The teenagers figuring out what they can print 3D.

It makes it less lonely. It is very lonely right now, so thank you.

I wish there were more the rest of us could do to help. We are staying at home, and encouraging everybody we know (well, are related to) to stay at home. If there is anything in the wide world else that we can do, please let us know.

Please know that you and all the other healthcare providers carry our thoughts and gratitude. I know that you are all standing in the storm for us.

Thank you! You make me cry again.

The worst may not happen. If it does, I wanted to be remembered as someone who did good work and did not falter. It is what we were trained for, although maybe not exactly like this.

What you can do is vote and agitate for clarity about what happened and how to make sure it does not happen again. I don't care about the political party, but I do think people from all political stripes should have a say about this and ask for accountability. There will be time for that later. It's what I will be doing, should the opportunity present.

Now go be safe as you can and know you made my weekend better. Much love to you.

This is a poem I have permission to share and attribute, written by a friend.



this abundant love


"Stay well"
we say
"Stay safe."
we say it
to our friends
our neighbors
the checker at the store
the woman at the drive through window.
we long for the time when love was a hug
a kiss
a gift placed in a hand.
Now
love is a wave from afar
driving by a house to hold up a sign for the birthday girl
groceries left at a stranger's doorstep
hunting through the basement for a mask unused that might mean the life of a hero.
we pour our love into a song sung
a story read
a picture drawn.
it's there
in the teacher searching desk drawers in an empty classroom for hand sanitizer to give away
tiny children dancing the prayers taught by their ancestors
a loaf of bread passed from a full cart to an empty hand
a wedding rescheduled
an extra-large tip
a thousand fostered kittens.
the earth breathes
we take a breath together
for all the squeezing of the lungs our hearts are squeezed
and though we've never met before
it is the true deep wish of our breaking hearts
as we part with
"Stay well."

Anne Lenaburg Hamilton

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah let's feel bad for these doctors who make 500k a year. Nah I feel bad for the kids we send to war. No sympathy from me.

I'm a pediatrician. You really think I make 500K a year?

I'm going in tomorrow to be retrained as a makeshift respiratory therapist for adults -- suctioning, vent change management, all that. I'm also in a high risk category, but there isn't anyone else with the background knowledge to do it.

Doctors (and nurses, and RTs) are dying because of the high viral load we are exposed to during aerosolizing procedures like suctioning and CPR, and we don't have the proper equipment to keep us safe and working. Some of us just … die. My colleagues and I all have updated wills on our kitchen tables or other visible places. And I still have student loans, so I hope those get waived if I don't make it through, because I come from a poor Midwestern farming family.

I'm not complaining. I'm not asking you to feel bad for me. I'm just asking you not to be a jackass about this.

Please ignore that poster. There’s a jerk on every thread. Thank you for all you do and I hope you stay healthy and safe. I have a lot of doctors and nurses in my family and in my friend group and I know first hand how hard they work and how much of their own time, health, and energy they sacrifice for their job and their patients. We appreciate all you do.

Thanks. I'm scared, too, like the OP's husband. I don't cry at work, but I do cry at home. The only thing I have hoarded is cat food and cat litter -- I've got enough for 3 months for my 2 cats, because I don't think anyone would want to come into my apartment if I'm not here, at least for awhile. And I wouldn't want them too.

It's not being praised that helps, it's just reading when people get it. The singing from balconies, the theater and construction companies donating masks, the teachers looking for hand sanitizer in closed stockrooms of the school. The teenagers figuring out what they can print 3D.

It makes it less lonely. It is very lonely right now, so thank you.

I’m the pp above. I’m scared too, for my best friend who’s an ER doctor, for another close friend who’s an ICU nurse and her husband who is an EMS worker, for my mom who is a retired internist who is considering coming out of retirement to help out at her old hospital. I’m scared for them and for all of you on the frontlines but I’m also just so in awe of what you all do. It is so selfless and generous of you to be there helping others. I am also so angry and sad that medical personnel aren’t getting the protective gear, supplies, and support that they need right now. I don’t know what I can do to help and I hate feeling am helpless. Like other PP said, please let us know if there’s a way we ordinary citizens can help medical personnel right now (other than staying home and doing our best to keep ourselves and our families healthy/out of hospitals).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah let's feel bad for these doctors who make 500k a year. Nah I feel bad for the kids we send to war. No sympathy from me.

I'm a pediatrician. You really think I make 500K a year?

I'm going in tomorrow to be retrained as a makeshift respiratory therapist for adults -- suctioning, vent change management, all that. I'm also in a high risk category, but there isn't anyone else with the background knowledge to do it.

Doctors (and nurses, and RTs) are dying because of the high viral load we are exposed to during aerosolizing procedures like suctioning and CPR, and we don't have the proper equipment to keep us safe and working. Some of us just … die. My colleagues and I all have updated wills on our kitchen tables or other visible places. And I still have student loans, so I hope those get waived if I don't make it through, because I come from a poor Midwestern farming family.

I'm not complaining. I'm not asking you to feel bad for me. I'm just asking you not to be a jackass about this.

Please ignore that poster. There’s a jerk on every thread. Thank you for all you do and I hope you stay healthy and safe. I have a lot of doctors and nurses in my family and in my friend group and I know first hand how hard they work and how much of their own time, health, and energy they sacrifice for their job and their patients. We appreciate all you do.

Thanks. I'm scared, too, like the OP's husband. I don't cry at work, but I do cry at home. The only thing I have hoarded is cat food and cat litter -- I've got enough for 3 months for my 2 cats, because I don't think anyone would want to come into my apartment if I'm not here, at least for awhile. And I wouldn't want them too.

It's not being praised that helps, it's just reading when people get it. The singing from balconies, the theater and construction companies donating masks, the teachers looking for hand sanitizer in closed stockrooms of the school. The teenagers figuring out what they can print 3D.

It makes it less lonely. It is very lonely right now, so thank you.

I’m the pp above. I’m scared too, for my best friend who’s an ER doctor, for another close friend who’s an ICU nurse and her husband who is an EMS worker, for my mom who is a retired internist who is considering coming out of retirement to help out at her old hospital. I’m scared for them and for all of you on the frontlines but I’m also just so in awe of what you all do. It is so selfless and generous of you to be there helping others. I am also so angry and sad that medical personnel aren’t getting the protective gear, supplies, and support that they need right now. I don’t know what I can do to help and I hate feeling am helpless. Like other PP said, please let us know if there’s a way we ordinary citizens can help medical personnel right now (other than staying home and doing our best to keep ourselves and our families healthy/out of hospitals).

I just saw your post about voting. That is definitely another thing we can and will do! Thanks again. Will be thinking of all you healthcare providers out there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah let's feel bad for these doctors who make 500k a year. Nah I feel bad for the kids we send to war. No sympathy from me.

I'm a pediatrician. You really think I make 500K a year?

I'm going in tomorrow to be retrained as a makeshift respiratory therapist for adults -- suctioning, vent change management, all that. I'm also in a high risk category, but there isn't anyone else with the background knowledge to do it.

Doctors (and nurses, and RTs) are dying because of the high viral load we are exposed to during aerosolizing procedures like suctioning and CPR, and we don't have the proper equipment to keep us safe and working. Some of us just … die. My colleagues and I all have updated wills on our kitchen tables or other visible places. And I still have student loans, so I hope those get waived if I don't make it through, because I come from a poor Midwestern farming family.

I'm not complaining. I'm not asking you to feel bad for me. I'm just asking you not to be a jackass about this.

Pediatrician, thank you for your service. God bless you.