Crohn’s in the Time of COVID

Here we are, almost 6 months after this global pandemic kicked into high gear. I live in Florida, the COVID-19 petri dish capital of the world, and in case you don’t know, we aren’t doing too well with slowing down the spread of COVID-19. I am fortunate to be able to work from home for the time being but it hasn’t been easy. Back in April, I wrote about my experience getting my monthly IV infusion and what precautions were in place to keep everyone safe. Honestly I did not expect to still be in this situation 5 months later.

The medication I am on suppresses my immune system (very common for most people with IBD) and because of that, I am high risk for contacting COVID-19. Therefore I have been listening to the experts and taking their advice seriously.

This is what I have been up to as I try and keep my sanity and avoid COVID-19:

• As I mentioned, I am still working full time, and I understand how lucky I am right now. This summer I was super busy with work and thankfully that occupied a lot of my free time so I didn’t have time to be bored. However, things are a bit back to normal so I am working the average 40 hours a week.

• I order my groceries online and have them delivered, I don’t go to the store.
• Once a week we drive 30 minutes north and meet my in-laws and my mom and brother for social distancing and bagels. We pick up bagels and set up our chairs in a shady quiet spot in the parking lot. It feels like tailgating and we look forward to it every week.
• We also order take out once a week and utilize curbside pick-up at our favorite restaurant. Every other night we cook or heat up leftovers.
• I tried and failed at puzzles. It’s not easy and I think Kevin was annoyed with my abandoned puzzle that I couldn’t finish, so I eventually put it back in the box and gave it away.
• I have not tried to make bread (yet) but have done some very limited baking here and there. I’m a sucker for a simple box of Funfetti cake mix. Hell even our wedding cake was Funfetti or “Superfetti” from Publix. It was sooooo good.

I did get on board with the tie-dye trend (a few months late) and have had a lot of fun with it. I have ordered so many white shirts and face masks from Amazon to keep myself entertained. Honestly having spent months at home last year recovering from surgery my loungewear selection is pretty good, but now I have a ton of comfy and cute tie-dye shirts on top of that.

I ordered an inflatable pool for our patio because I wanted to hang outside for a bit without feeling like I was going to burst into flames from the Florida heat. I ordered mine from Walmart and it was worth it. It may not be the same as a full swimming pool, but it feels nice and it’s a great option to have when your stuck at home all day during the weekends.

Wear your mask, it is not hard and everyone agrees that a mask helps slow down the spread of COVID-19. One day when I was bored I got into a debate (strong word for what it actually was) with an idiot online over if you can get carbon dioxide poisoning by wearing a mask. You can’t and that man is a moron and I only argue with these morons when I’m bored. I’ve ordered a ton of cute masks from Etsy.

Once a week when we do go out we also bring hand sanitizer and are constantly using it, this isn’t news breaking. When we get home I wipe down my phone and wash my hands. If I have come from a medical facility (for my monthly infusion for example) I always throw my clothes into the laundry and take a shower before I do anything else. I would rather overreact than under-react and catch this damn virus. The simple flu put me in the hospital last year so I don’t want to find out what COVID would do to me. I don’t want to scare anyone, but just make sure you are taking all the right precautions necessary.

Back in March I received my monthly infusion at a hospital-based clinic and my insurance was not excited about paying for the higher cost, and I was moved to a location that wasn’t following the CDC guidelines for social distancing and that entire story is enough for a separate blog post which I will write in the next few weeks. Long story short, I am now at a new infusion clinic that is small, clean, safe, and only has at most, 3 patients at a time and always 12 feet apart. If you have to go to a medical facility that you feel isn’t adhering to the proper guidelines speak up right away, it is not worth the risk.

In July I had a routine ileoscopy, I had scheduled it back in January in the pre-COVID days. What a simpler time. I almost forgot about it until I was called and told I needed to get a COVID test 2 days before my scheduled procedure. I got the full nasal brain swab, which honestly, wasn’t that bad. The nurse was so nice and kept apologizing before she even began and I assured her that I have had tons of unpleasant medical tests and a nasal swab would be a walk in the park and it was. It lasted about ten seconds, it feels weird and then all of a sudden you want to sneeze. If you find yourself in a situation needing to get a COVID test just know it’s not that bad, close your eyes and count to ten and it will be over.

My ileoscopy was like every other scope I’ve had with a few exceptions. I couldn’t bring anyone, so my mom dropped me off but couldn’t stay and wait. I had to wear a mask the entire time. Also, the hospital I go to does not allow cloth masks, I had to wear a disposable mask. When the nurses and techs put the nasal cannula (oxygen for the anesthesia) on my nose, they removed my mask and then put it right back on over the nasal cannula. I wore my mask for the entire procedure, even when sleeping. When I woke up and was ready to go, the nurse in recovery called my mom and my brother came to pick me up. The nurse walked me outside to meet my brother, they don’t want you wandering off after you’ve been drugged.

The important thing to remember during all of this, among many things, is to not ignore your illness. Stay on top of your current treatment plan, notify your doctor of any new symptoms, and don’t put off asking for help just because you don’t want to go near the hospital. Minor symptoms now can become something more complicated down the road, trust me I’ve been there.

For now stay safe, listen to your doctor, and wear a freaking mask.