Thread by @bencasselman

As some of you know, I recently had a (non-COVID) health scare, which left me hospitalized for several days. I'm on the mend now, thanks to some excellent medical care, but if you'll forgive the digression from my usual econ tweeting, I wanted to share a few quick thoughts.

Relevant context: I was in Philadelphia (long story), where the pandemic wasn't yet as bad. I'm sure my experience would have looked very different had I been in New York.

First, I can't overstate what strange, scary places hospitals are right now. No guests are allowed, period. And particularly if you're in COVID protocol (I was for a while), health workers are minimizing their time in rooms. It's profoundly isolating and lonely.

Second, I know "health workers are heroes" has become almost a cliche, but ... health workers are heroes.
Especially while I was a suspected COVID case, I could see the fear in the eyes of the workers who came into my room. One tech's hands were shaking as he took my vitals.

Once I tested negative, I got to talk to workers about their experiences. They are scared of bringing the virus home. They are debating how much to tell their families about what they are seeing. They are grappling with incomplete information and ever-changing protocols.

They are also utterly, movingly dedicated to their patients. I don't just mean doctors and nurses here. The workers who brought my food, emptied my trash and moved me around the hospital -- every one of them took the time to ask after me. I wish I caught all their names.

I *did* catch the names of all my nurses. To Steven (in the ER) and to Marie, Eileen, Nyal and Nicole (in the ward), thank you. Also to Omar, Zhoe, Ronda and the other nurses' aides whose names I missed. You are all my heroes.
@TJUHospital

Third, the issue of people avoiding urgent non-COVID medical care right now is real. I ignored symptoms for several days because the prospect of going to an ER right now was so scary. By the time I sought care, I was in far more serious shape than I ever should have been.

I'm definitely not alone in that. The non-COVID areas of the hospital were, as @hmkyale put it the other day, eerily quiet. People are avoiding urgently needed care, and it's killing people.
nytimes.com/2020/04/06/wel…

Lastly, I know that I am extraordinarily fortunate. I have excellent health insurance (thanks, @nyguild!), and the financial resources to know that I'll be able to afford my care (although I still have no idea what it will cost).

I get paid sick time through work, and I have wonderful, compassionate bosses who are letting me take my time getting back to a full work schedule. My amazing wife, @erinwhite, was likewise able to take time off work to care for me.

But it's worth pausing on the fact that "being able to take time off work and afford care for an urgent medical issue" counts as "extraordinarily fortunate." I'm not a health care expert, and I'm not endorsing any particular policy but ... that seems insane.

One last note: Besides family and friends, nothing did more to help me get through this than art. In particular, this gorgeous Amy Sherald portrait, which I could see out my hospital window. (Is it strange to say I came to think of this young woman as a friend?)

Music, too. Including a heavy dose of John Prine (RIP) and Shostakovich (random combo, I confess). But also "live" music in the form of the online benefit concerts by my friend Jim Decatur.
capecodwave.com/jim-decaturs-o…

Jim's concerts (streamed on Facebook) were held to benefit the wait staff at the local bars where he usually plays. His fundraiser is over, but if you're lucky enough to have any extra $$$, please consider donating to the many people hurting right now, near and far.

That's all from me. To the people on here, some of whom I've never met (remember when "meeting" was a thing we did?), who noted my absence and asked after me, thank you. Twitter is the worst but also, sometimes, the best. I'm glad to be back.