Since Covid-19, I have mostly been separated from my 9-year-old daughter, and this is the hardest part.
For a while we tried isolating my shifts in time–I would work a bunch of days, then be off for a stretch of days, and she could stay with me toward the end of my days off.
But when numbers started increasing in Arizona, we decided I should fully quarantine again.
I work in the ER and have floated to the COVID-19 inpatient unit as well.
Although I know our hospital corporation received extra money for the pandemic, we are still running out of N95 masks. I no longer have access to the ones that fit me.
Although I know our hospital corporation received extra money for the pandemic, we are still running out of N95 masks. I no longer have access to the ones that fit me.
In all there have been over 2 months in which I can only see her at a distance, wearing masks, or on Skype. It’s really painful not to be able to hug her or have her at my house.
I also worry about her dad taking on the full parenting load. I think my daughter’s dad feels fearful of getting sick, since he is older, but he says it helps him to have her there. He’s stressed about not being able to work, but when his workplace opens up, then we will have to balance the risk of financial stress with the risk of my daughter being around me as a healthcare worker.
I often feel sad, sometimes depressed. To cope I try to do basic things like exercise, be outside, and reach out to friends.
I’ve been working a lot of extra shifts because we are short-staffed and the hospital has been full.
I wish people could see what I see–people in their 30’s and 40’s gasping like a fish on dry land.
I wish people could see what I see–people in their 30’s and 40’s gasping like a fish on dry land.
Of course not everyone gets so sick, but the fact that some people do, often people with no prior medical problems, is real. I wish people would be more willing to undergo inconvenience for the sake of protecting human lives.”