Crazy Cousin C Creeps in

Coronavirus-19 was first detected in the United States on January 20, 2020.  It was brought in by a U.S. citizen returning from a trip to Wuhan, China, to his home in Washington state.  It has since spread far and wide and shows no signs of slowing down.

And now it’s in my home.

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Last weekend, Annie and I were overjoyed to get a visit from our son, Travis, his wife, Danielle, and their four children, Emma, John, Izzy, and Carson.  We had a great visit, playing, talking, laughing, and just generally having a great time.  They headed home Sunday morning. 

Soon after they left, I drove to Sweetwater for a week of vacation and getting some work done around the cabin.  I got there late Sunday night and turned in for the night.  Next morning, after breakfast, I filled the water filter from the spring and started working on the porch railing.

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The week before, in preparation for going back to Sweetwater, I had ripped some 2x4s into eight 3/4×3/4-inch pieces each.  I had neglected to wear a dust mask and, every year, such a slip-up seems to precede me catching a sinus infection.  Sure enough, on the way to Sweetwater I started feeling the slight burn in my sinuses that often indicates an oncoming infection.

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The next morning I was working on the porch when I got the phone call that disrupted my vacation and raised concerns about the family.

Travis said one of the men from his church had notified my son that the man had the virus and Travis had been exposed.  My son had started showing symptoms on the drive home from our visit and, concerned for his family, went in for the test on Monday morning.  He phoned us when the test came back positive.

He called his brothers, Andy and Patrick, to let them know, since he had stopped to visit them on Friday, before coming to our house. That meant Andy, his wife, Madison, and their two daughters, Harper and newborn Hallie, as well as Patrick and his wife of two months, Christa, were also at risk.

He also called my sister, his Aunt Chickie, who had come over to visit them on Saturday.

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Because of my age, health issues, and obesity, I know my risk of complications is heightened.  A few weeks ago, an old friend of mine with similar conditions, lost his battle with COVID.

Now, I don’t fear death, but I have six sons and daughters-in-law, 11 grandchildren, and a wonderful wife, all of whom love me.  I love each and every one of them and would hate to leave them before I get a chance to play and laugh with them for a few years to come.

I elected to go to the Butler County Health Department and take their rapid COVID test.  I pulled around the building to the back-parking lot and the nurse came right out.  She took a gentle swab of both nostrils and went back inside. 

A few minutes later, she came back out the door and said, “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…”

I have COVID-19.

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Because I tested positive, Three Rivers College sent Annie home (she’s a dean there) when they heard her husband had tested positive.  She would have to quarantine too.  That evening, she started feeling bad and went to the health department the next morning.  Her test came back negative.

Great news.  The only problem with that is that she was feeling, if anything, worse than I was.  The health department recommended that she come back in for a follow-up test.

This one came back positive.

Annie has COVID too.

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Because she is indispensable to the college, Annie chose to work from home. 

I work directly with teenage boys so my work with the Division of Youth Services can’t be done from home.  I had to take sick leave.

I had previously called my doctor to tell him about my suspicions of a sinus infection and he had been the one who insisted that I be tested for the coronavirus.  After I reported my positive test, he called in a couple prescriptions for the infection.  I was relieved that I wouldn’t have to wait two weeks to start the antibiotics.  Nor would I have to risk exposing everyone at the doctor’s office.

And I still felt pretty good.

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Since he found out that he tested positive, Travis’s wife and kids have suffered varying minor symptoms, usually for a day or so.  Travis’s temperature peaked at 102°, and he has felt subpar for several days, but he has not been overly sick.

Andy, Patrick, and their families, are showing no symptoms.  Because of almost two-months-old Hallie, Andy had himself tested.  Thankfully, it came back negative.  Let’s home it stays that way.

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It’s been only a couple days since I tested positive.  Yesterday Annie’s temperature was 102°.  Mine was only 99°.  She seems to feel worse than I do, but has never felt the need to take off from her work-at-home.  I don’t feel great, but neither do I feel particularly bad. 

Yes, I know that the next few days should tell the tale for my wife and me, as to how bad our bout with the virus will ultimately be.

With my diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and age, I understand the next few days could be bad, with long-term consequences, but I’m not ready to give up.

I don’t do that.

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As we were raising our boys, most of them, at one time or another, received my “bull-headed” speech.  In it I told them that bull-headed kids are a particular challenge to parents.  Hard-headed kids can get into a lot of trouble, and can ruin their lives.  If they can find it in themselves to learn from those with experience, they can turn that hard-headedness into a single-minded determination to succeed. 

In other words, as I said, thick-headed kids can get into a lot of trouble.  But, if they can reign-in that bull-headedness and turn it in the right direction, they can also be some of the most successful people in the world.

Well, that’s a lesson that my boys learned a lot better than I did.  However, I have a significant dose of hard-headedness in me too.  Where do you think my boys got it?

Right now, I’m hanging on to help Annie with her fight, if she needs it.  So far, she hasn’t needed much.  She just keeps plugging away.

I guess I’m not the only one my boys inherited their hard-headedness from.

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You have the advantage of watching this little drama play out from the outside.  Annie, with her tremendous basis in good health, will be fine…no worries.  I intend to stick to my hard-headed strategy of pacing myself and not giving up.

Next week, you should find out how the final lap of the race is shaping up.  If you read a post from me then, you’ll learn one way or another.  If I don’t post anything, I guess that will tell you something too.

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We’ve shared a lot of laughs in A Different Drummer these past few years.  I’ve had a lot of fun in the blog, quite a bit at the expense of the coronavirus.  We’ll see in the next week or two which of us gets the last laugh.

I’m trying to resist the urge to say, ‘I’m dying to find out,’ but, well…I guess I just did.

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In downtown Ponca City, Oklahoma stands a 30-foot-tall statue called Pioneer Woman.  It is dedicated to the strength and determination of the women who helped settle the west.  About a year ago, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began, Annie and I were driving through Ponca City on our way to visit some of our grandkids.  I looked up at the beautiful statue to see the Pioneer Woman leading the way again. 

Someone had ascended that 30-feet into the air and put coronavirus masks on the Pioneer Woman and her son.  She was making an important statement, and sharing a laugh at the same time.

No matter what happens in the future, always hang onto your sense of humor, and always remember A Different Drummer.  Never forget how much I love and appreciate each and every one of my readers.

And never, ever, be afraid to march to the beat of a different drummer.

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