Our 10 Yr Old Was Just Diagnosed with Covid-19

@sueinmn and others, I thought I'd deleted this post before sending so another attempted replica may show up. Need to pay closer attention to what I'm doing sometimes, sigh.

Yes, Sue, what you just wrote is true. Your closing words are one of two of my dearest friend's favorite mantras: "This too shall pass" and it shall. Feel like my dearest friend is sending me an angel hug. Thank you!

I'm off to call about a needed appt. with my favorite dentist.

@merpreb, Merry, I thought I'd hit "reply" too soon which had deleted my first reply to Sue's last response and hadn't realized it had gone through. Good to know how to delete something written on purpose though by clicking on the flag below a post. Thank you! I add this to my notes on navigating the site...so much still to learn.

@fiesty76- I think that your post was great and spoke of how difficult it is to control certain things. That said good luck with the callback and getting your tooth fixed. I'm not sure when I'll reschedule mine, but right now I have other appointments that are more important. I meet my new PC tomorrow. I think that the's younger than my son. grrr
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/abilities-and-life-expectancy/?pg=1#comment-410651
Did you see this discussion that I put a link to above?

@merpreb, Thank you, Merry. I understand prioritizing appointments. Was feeling a bit anxious about a kidney lab and appt. but then a troublesome tooth required attention.... Hope things go well for you with your new PC tomorrow. Years ago, I was feeling a little skeptical about a new and verrry young doc and my great RN friend who was a few years older than me, surprised me with her reply. She liked having new, younger docs because they were fresher out of training and "up on the latest"...

Sue, I questioned the choices made in the beginning of this conversation as well. Feisty 76 is a hardcore science-minded person much like myself. We must all be vigilant and NEVER let our guard down! NEVER! Let the therapists sort it out later. We all make mistakes, yes even I have taken calculated risks. It is the mistakes that we make when we let down our defenses that will take down the best of us. Being hyper vigilant wears on us all. We are in a battle for survival and will not be able to truly relax until this is over. This is a wake up call for all of us. We knew that this time would come and many allowed our government to become woefully unprepared to handle a crisis like SARS CoV2.
This is a devastating Worldwide disaster that will likely have a residual impact for decades. The science is what matters now. “Damn the torpedoes...man the lifeboats!”
You are such a good diplomat Sue. Intelligent, sensitive people like you belong in a government leadership role. You have skills! Kudos to Fiesty76 as well. You are quite articulate and use science rather than emotions to convey your opinions. I appreciate your candor albeit somewhat harsh but of pure intentions. I hope I never cross swords with you Fiesty76. Your name is quite understated.

@jdlogan65, Hi, JD, glad to be meeting you for the first time and appreciated your post. I checked your profile and learned you are a 2018 liver transplant recipient. So good to read that the Phoenix transplant team did a great job and because of them, and the donor of course, vbg, you are still with us!

How very sad that your wife of 14 years declared "I didn't sign up for this" and you parted ways. Unfortunately, her choice is one that happens all too frequently in marriages when one becomes seriously, chronically ill. I regret that you had to contend with this major life upheaval in addition to dealing with your frightening and debilitating liver condition. You didn't "ask" for the liver problem either! Glad you soldiered on and hope you are managing your new life much better now.

I deliberated about whether or not to include our boys' sporting activities and realized upfront that by doing so, I was letting my family and myself in for possible criticism for decisions made. There was a temptation to leave that out but instead, I opted for full disclosure, mainly Because this family had taken self-quarantine precautions so seriously from the outset. They deliberated for weeks before reaching their decisions. Fully aware of the risks of exposure but also facing serious health issues for the little guy by continued absolute isolation. My sharing was a cautionary tale written as a thought provoker for other families weighing similar choices.

What you wrote is so very true: " It is the mistakes that we make when we let down our defenses that will take down the best of us. Being hyper vigilant wears on us all. We are in a battle for survival and will not be able to truly relax until this is over. This is a wake up call for all of us."

I particularly needed to be reminded of that right now. I am so very weary of self-quarantine and feel so utterly out-of-sync with nearly everyone else in my immediate world that I've started wondering if I am the "elephant in the room" while everyone else seems to be living lives as before. Connect has become even more important to me at this juncture because I need to associate with others who are also taking this killer seriously.

I, too, have now taken very scary calculated risks by shopping three times during the sr. hour at Walmart. From early March until July 4th, I depended on grocery home delivery exclusively and my car's gas gage remained at 1/2 full. Last week, dressed like a mummy, I finally risked getting it topped off. My state is listed daily among the top 5 with highest new daily virus outbreaks and hospitalizations. I knew this was coming and decided if I was to prevent running out of necessities entirely to take the chance beginning July 4th because I think the virus numbers are just getting started in my locale.

You are so right that Sue and our other mentors are the best of the best. Our country would be well served to have them in national, state and local political decision making positions but selfishly, I am grateful to have their wise counsel here...smiles.

The last two sentences of your post brought on the best royal laugh I've experienced in weeks! I cannot thank you enough for that!!! And by-the-by, you are not the first to write or say what you did which makes it all the merrier for me. wink, wink. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all you wrote and how you expressed what you did, especially the last. I'll be smiling about that for days. P.S. For years my parents questioned how this firecracker came into their lives. Had it not been that I was the only newborn in the tiny hospital at the time, I feel sure they would have tried to trade me in for another model. Best.

@jdlogan65 & @fiesty76 I am going to weigh in here with a slightly different question/perspective.
What does the Covid-19 world look like to a 10 year old, a 14 year old or a 4 year old, compared to how it looks to someone 50, 60 or 70?

We are able to listen to the news and understand what is going on, but it provokes anxiety in even the most mellow of us. We have lived through 9/11, numerous wars, HIV/AIDS, so we have context for catastrophe. If a child or a teen watches, they see frightening images, death statistics, and riots in the streets, with no personal context for understanding.

Many of us have health risks that make us more aware and more cautious, and we know people personally who have been infected, and perhaps have died of Covid. Not so with kids - they keep hearing "It's safe for kids to go back to school" and "Kids don't get really sick from this". Then they see their "heroes" - pro athletes, being allowed to go back to their sports, further confusing the message. We are able to understand the possible long-term consequences of even a moderate infection with organ damage and chronic issues appearing - again not so with kids.

All kids understand is they have been pulled out of school and made to stay home for months, have tried distance-learning, can't play sports or see their friends, and are living with adults whose own stress levels are "off the charts" - especially if they are still working from home, or even worse, going to their workplace & risking infection for themselves and their families.

Kids' mental and physical health are suffering. They are regressing in behaviors and academics, exhibiting anxiety and depression. There is only so much "at home" stimulation even the most dedicated parents can provide when all of the resources they usually use are off-limits - museums, zoos, libraries, fairs, sports, even the local playground or pool. For many families, the state their kids are in is truly alarming. In desperation, parents look for the "least bad" choices, make their decisions, and move forward.

I am giving fiesty's daughter and son-in-law a "pass" on this one - they looked at infections in their area (low), the risk levels of the activities (moderate, if stated precautions were taken) and the need to allow their kids to do something normal (high), and made what they hoped was a safe decision. Sadly, in this case, it didn't work out. On the other hand, my next door neighbors made the decision - for many of the reasons stated above - to allow their 12 year old to go to basketball "camp" 1 hour a day for a few weeks, where they strictly followed our state guidelines, and he is fine. And is back to shooting hoops in the yard, running with his Mom or sister & mowing lawn for his Dad - instead of laying on the couch whining.

Just food for thought. Please remember, in many places, millions of people will be sending their children off to school soon, and we must not condemn them, just hunker down and protect ourselves. One of the really ugly things about this pandemic is that it is not an equal risk for everyone, so those of us at higher risk must take extra measures to protect ourselves, and those at lower risk must make hard decisions.

Sue

@sueinmn- Good point, Sue. COVID-19, to me, looks like a mess, an uncontrolled deathly disease that has no end in sight. It's like watching a dust storm approaching and fearing if there is a light at the end of it. I'm so scared right now that no one will be willing to take control and see if it can be controlled if the whole world participates. I'm antsy, depressed and so full of angst that my pulse at the doctors was as high at my first chemo session. My world looks like a very young child got a hold of an etch-a-sketch. I can't imagine what a youngster's view is. I imagine that a lot of structure and trust has to be shown.

It is hard, very hard for me to sit back and watch people take chances. As watch them take chances with my health.

Self-isolation is needed more than ever so that I don't step on anyone's feet, nor risk my health.

@fiesty76– - I can't find the post that you placed asking me if it's the correct link. Yes, it is^^^. Let's discuss it with everyone there and keep this for COVID-19 posts. There are thousands of posts and it's easier to respond when we can keep the discussions "clean". No, what I mean?

@fiesty76 Here is the link to the discussion @merpreb suggests you may wish to join: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/abilities-and-life-expectancy/