Coronavirus By the Numbers: Here's the Map of Cases in Texas Monday

My wife came across this little ditty written by an ICU nurse who preferred going unnamed. If this doesn't shake you at least a little bit, then there is something seriously wrong with you.

"I told myself that I wasn’t going to make a post like this, but I can’t stay quiet after the stretch of nights that I just had at work. Seeing the amount of people who still aren’t taking this seriously is upsetting, so I want to make it as real for you all as possible.

In the weeks leading up to this virus finally reaching our area, I read a lot of articles & viral posts warning me of the physical demands that this outbreak would place on me as an ICU nurse. I mentally prepared myself for the layers upon layers of PPE that I would be wearing, the profuse amount of sweating that I would be doing, etc...however, I was not prepared for the intense emotions that I’d be experiencing.

The PPE you see in my picture is just a glimpse of what a suspected/positive COVID patient sees at all hours of the day/night whenever ANYONE is required to enter their room (the room in which they spend all other hours ALONE). These patients have no normal human interaction from the moment they step inside the hospital until they are officially declared negative, until the virus has run its course, or until they sadly take their last breath. My heart broke more & more each time that I’d walk into a patient’s room and see the fear in their eyes. Think about this the next time you consider going out because you are tired of your only human interaction being through FaceTime or with those in your household.

When these patients decline & can’t breathe effectively on their own, we have to break the unfortunate news to them that they will need to be placed on a ventilator to support their lungs & the rest of their organs. Once again, they receive this frightening news ALONE & their only source of comfort/emotional support is from myself, another nurse, physician, respiratory therapist, or CNA dressed in full PPE. One of the most difficult things I’ve ever done as a nurse is tell a grown adult with tears in my eyes that the moment they feared most has come. - “...very soon you will see me & a doctor enter your room with even more protective gear to place you on a ventilator, but I will be with you the whole time...just pretend that I’m one of your own children holding your hand.” Think about this the next time you decide to invite a group of people over because you’re bored & lonely.

These patients aren’t the only ones affected during all of this. Their family members are at home constantly wondering if they’re safe, taken care of, afraid, comfortable...if their hair is brushed the way it usually is...if they are sleeping with two pillows the way that they usually do...if they have someone to pray with before eating supper like they usually do at home. Their nurses/doctors/RTs/CNAs/entire care team are feeling defeated because they want so badly to help but we’ve exhausted all treatment options, medications & ventilator settings. Think about this the next time you decide to ignore elected officials’ warnings/advisories because “this is all a political stunt”.

My coworkers & I are exhausted, traumatized, and scared, but we are a team of rockstars & we will push through this public heath crisis. We will fight for our patients every single day no matter the circumstance, but please don’t make it harder for us to fight by going places & gathering with other people when it’s NOT essential to do so.

Stay home, encourage your loved ones to to stay home, hold each other accountable, and pray for everyone on the frontlines of this pandemic.

**The views on my page are my own and not that of my employer."