Thread by @DrNikkiMartinez, Deep breathe. ..... one is back in the hospital with pneumonia...which I [...]

Deep breathe. ..... one is back in the hospital with pneumonia...which I was fearful was going to happen. When I did not have an immediate response to texting for daily updates, it was my immediate thought (you have to understand that is how close & quickly we respond).

I ‘knew’ (a feeling) they were telling me one thing, putting on one ‘positive front’ at home. There are reasons for that, I get them all. They texted today & verified they’re back in the hospital, & I was about to reach out to the spouse, b/c I knew they wouldn’t’ ‘not’ respond

for 24-48 (usually not 30-60 minutes). I was waiting this long to reach out to the spouse as they had been so scared and upset when everything happened the first time, and didn’t want to add to it their stress, or jump the gun. Here are a few things I want to say to EVERYONE...

who might find themselves in a similar position. Being in the hospital sucks. This I know from WAY too many personal experiences. Having your ‘argument’ to convince the doctors why they should let you go early, when you are not ready to go, especially with something like COVID-19

ends up back up exactly where you started. While it is absolutely true that it is REALLY hard to heal at the hospital, with noise; them waking you up for tests, vitals, ‘just to say hi,’ and if you are a mature health zen master like the rare butterfly

I am, who will ACTUALLY

..... do and listen to EVERYTHING the doctors say you need to do, and not color outside the lines, you MAY be able to go home and heal there, but you have to do EVERYTHING they say! One of my good friends is about the 10th highest ranking person at the AMA. He once told me...

“Assume your body needs 3-4 days of healing for every DAY you were in the hospital.” I would imagine that time is expanded with debilitating illnesses like COVID, and especially more severe cases.

Be honest w/those in your life about how you’re doing. Having ‘positive thinking’

...and putting on a fake ‘positive face’ about how you are doing, when that is not accurate, doesn’t help those that love you help you, and they want to. They love you. It also doesn’t give them an accurate idea of how you are doing, or be able to assess or view ‘little things’

as significant that they should. When they told me the other day they were going to “take it easy and lay down and rest” (reminder they were allowed to go home on O2)... my initial response was “Wtaf have you BEEN DOING? I was under the impression EACH day at home you were?!”

Then they shared their preconceived idea & ‘going through the motions’ daily idea of what they ‘had to do’ (shower, change, do A,B,C) I called them an “Amateur at being sick and healing & get their arse in bed.” Their O2 had only been ‘stable’ 2 days of the week. This is a MAJOR

illness, one we still don’t know so much about, I know this is a hard time of year to rest, isolate, to do all that you know you are supposed to do, to listen to all the guidelines, and you all know what you are SUPPOSED to do, because you are smart people, I can’t explain what a

Smart (but stubborn) person this is. This could be anyone you know.

Please be smart, & be safe. Please be blunt with those in your life. Make good & tough decisions ‘for them’ if it’s the only power ‘you have,’ so that you will have them in your life for many holidays to come.

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