Thread by @NidaQadirMD

I don’t like posting depressing posts but I think it’s time. When this all began, I would walk into the #COVID unit with the energy of a #hype man at a #hiphop show. I hate COVID19 but I love being an #ICU doctor & getting people better. Today I am mentally & physically exhausted

Other than my AM commute, I’ve seen daylight only once this week - today when I had a few minutes for a #coffee break. Today was also the first time I got home before 10 pm, but before I even had a chance to take my #decontamination shower...

I got called about yet another complex #COVID admission by my even more hard-working #PCCM fellows. The amount of face-to-face time required to take good care of these patients cannot be truly appreciated unless you’ve worked in an #ICU. The days are long & the work is relentless

I thought things were getting better, but our ICU census jumped considerably this week. I don’t have anything wise to say other than none of this is over.

I realize that I am very lucky. I have a job that provides me with purpose, gratification, human interaction, and an income, something #COVID19 has taken from a lot of people. I also get the desire to return to “normalcy,” whatever that was, because I crave the same thing.

But the beach crowds and protests and bar openings? It just seems like we are setting ourselves up to drag this all out for even longer. I haven’t been scared yet...I’m an #intensivist so not much phases me...but the thought of this continuing for months on end is horrifying.

I can probably tough out the unsustainable level of work & the persistent #N95-induced facial pain, but the suffering of my patients - many young & previously healthy - and their families is getting harder to watch. Even those who survive will have their lives rocked to the core.