Eight Days ago my husband started with an irritating cough. Then he developed a minor sore throat, fatigue, and a low-grade fever, which spiked a few days later. All the symptoms got worse over the week. We live in an Assisted Living Facility in S. California, and he is 73 year old.
After 4 days of his getting sicker and coughing almost constantly, I called our doctor’s office and described the problem. I said I wanted him to be tested for COVID19 because he was so sick and because of his age and where we live.
The response was unbelievable. I was told that I had to call the “hot line” that their practice had set up so that he could be “screened.” The hotline has a voicemail, and I was instructed to leave a detailed message. I did that. Several hours later, I got a call back from the hotline nurse.
She said she had to as some screening questions: “Has he traveled to Iran, China, Italy, or any other foreign country recently, or has he been in contact with anyone who had traveled? How high is his fever? Is it a dry cough?”
I was surprised about the travel question because we are way past that being relevant! The virus is here! His fever was above the 100.4 number that supposedly is the magic cutoff for COVID 19. Then she alone, with scant information, decided he did not need to be tested!!! I was stunned and I pushed back, reminding her again of his age and where we live. I demanded he be tested. Here was her reply, “Well if we test him, we’d have to test everybody.”
“Exactly !” I screamed into the phone! That’s when she said that they did not have enough testing kits and they have to screen out everyone who doesn’t fall into their guidelines. WTF??? She said that because she had cleared him, he could now go to the doctor’s office.
The next day, I again called the office. No, I was told, he cannot come in and he won’t be tested, but I could take him to a drive-thru clinic where he could be looked at. We went there. We had to stay in the car. The swabbed his nose for flu A and B…..negative. Then they swabbed for several viruses----those results could be in within 48 hours. A doctor came out and listened to his chest and said that he was very sick with “walking pneumonia.” His lungs sounded terrible and he was 2 steps away from being hospitalized! She said that since there wasn’t “community” cases of COVID 19 in our area, he did not need a test.
She prescribed an antibiotic (Zpack) and a cough tablet and sent us home.
He’s not much better today. I know that COVID 19 can cause pneumonia.
There are very few testing kits here, and they are keeping the few that they have for who knows what.
My husband has the symptoms. I’m terrified. And helpless. And I read today the maniac in the White House discouraged widespread testing because he didn’t want “his numbers” going up to hamper his reelection campaign. I bet the order coming down to his toady CDC director was “slow-walk the tests.” And he must be obeyed.
Boy I bet he wants Dr. Fauci gone. Wonder why he hasn’t fired him yet?
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