THREAD: A little story. Two years ago we spent Easter in Mott's Children hospital. Our entire family's status quo is the "no touching face, wash hands, Purell, etc." We are so careful with infection control, that I've only been sick 3 times in 10 years. DH maybe 5 times, and
2/ DS has only been sick 2 times in 10.5 years. 2 TIMES TOTAL. He has cystic fibrosis, so that is key because getting sick advances the disease: The body's natural response to fight infection is to produce mucus, but DS's mucus is thick and allows for bacteria to thrive.
3/ And the more mucus the more likelihood he gets another bad bacteria. He has colonized staph since he was 2 weeks old. The mucus gives the staph an environment to go crazy And then the inflammatory response causes lung damage. So DS and I do lots of social distancing.
4/ But DH works and hand washing and changing clothing and the rest can only do so much if someone has coughed and it lingers. Two Easters ago, he caught RSV at work. As soon as he felt ill, he was kept in the basement. But by then I was exposed and 5 days later I had RSV.
5/ I was then quarantined in the basement, but too late by then for DS got RSV. When someone with cystic fibrosis gets sick, he goes from 2 treatments a day to 4. 4 times a day inhalling meds & strapped to a vest for an 8 year old. And they immediately put on antibiotics for
6/ the staph that is always in his lungs. When he was so bad he vomited when coughing, they hospitalized him. That means IV antibiotics and either 3 weeks in the hospital or 4 weeks at home (after a few days in hospital). The hospital is dangerous though as MRSA is everywhere.
7/ Not to mention c-diff and all the other fund hospital-acquired possibilities. But first they have to run a PICC line to the heart. Then they send us home for another 25 days of mom infusing antibiotics every 8 hours, while still doing inhaled treatments every 6 hours. So,
8/8 I know it's kinda rough to be stuck at home without company for a few weeks, but it's kind rough on the kids (or old people) who catch the coronavirus from you or from someone you unknowingly exposed. So, can you maybe take one for the American team, please? END
