Against this backdrop, today, for the first time since March 19, I ventured out among strangers in enclosed spaces.
Prior to today, I had socially distanced visits with cousin P and her daughter, neighbor S and her daughter, friend S, friend R, gardener friend M, and one or two delivery people; all these visits took place outside, or, at the doorstep, especially when prepared food and/or groceries were exchanged, and the majority of them lasted just a few minutes.
Today's visit was to the lab to get some required blood work done prior to my upcoming appointment with the oncologist (scheduled for Friday). Since I was unable to get an appointment for the lab work, I decided to go as a walk-in, during that first hour after they open in the morning, which they have reserved for people like me, aged 60 and older and/or with existing medical conditions that put us in a higher risk category for complications from the virus.
It was an essential visit, but, both my daughter and I felt anxious about it. So, last night, I made some careful preparations. They included packing one of my fabric tote bags with not just the items I would normally carry with me, such as a bottle of water and a granola bar (I am usually fasting when I go for blood tests and sometimes, need to eat something after the test), but also, disinfecting wipes, some disposable gloves (the lab had stated on its website that they will provide hand sanitizer and disposable gloves at the self check-in station, which requires one to use a touch screen, but, my daughter worried that they might be out of supplies, so, I took my own, besides, there were elevator buttons and door handles to touch on the way to and from the lab), and the spare mask that one of my friends had advised me to take
I put my insurance card and ID in a plastic bag, along with the copy of the lab orders I had received, and put them, too, in the tote bag so I wouldn't have to touch my wallet to get them out and put them back in, etc. The lab technician who made a photo copy of the insurance card and ID put them back in the plastic bag after she was done and I disinfected them with a sanitizing wipe once I got home, before I put them back in my wallet.
I knew I'd need some cash to pay for the parking and put several dollar bills in an inside pocket of the tote bag, so I wouldn't have to touch my wallet on the way out.
In the morning, before I left the house, I put a wet, soapy wash cloth in a zippered plastic bag and a small dry towel in another bag, just in case I needed to wash my hands and the few sanitizing wipes I had with me were not enough.
It might have been overkill, but, I felt better for being prepared. I'd much rather have too many things with me and not need them than need something and not have it.
I got to the lab at 8:05 a.m. and the waiting room was already full! They had set up about 10 chairs and, although they were spaced as far apart as the room allowed, they didn't appear to be more than 3 feet apart! Oh, dear! There were two check-in booths and both were being used with two more people waiting to use them. I waited outside, in the hallway for a few minutes to allow them to sign in and then, went back in to sign in. Then, I went out into the hallway, again, and stood there. Another person joined me in the hallway, but, we kept plenty of distance between us. Every now and then, I poked my head into the waiting room to check the screen where they give the estimated wait time for your name to be called. I went in when it said 10 minutes wait time for my name to be called. It went down to 4 minutes and then, someone with an appointment showed up and it went back up to 10 minutes. But, I was called in before the 10 minutes were over.
My favorite lab technician was there and she checked my temperature before I went into the room to have my blood drawn. The actual blood draw only took minutes. I was out of there by 8:35 a.m., so the whole thing took 30 minutes, which wasn't bad, at all. My daughter had told me not to share the elevator, to wait and let others go ahead of me and I did that a few times. But, only one elevator was working and each time it came up to the floor I was on, there were at least one or two other people waiting for the elevator, with me! I figured I'd be spending the entire day waiting for a free elevator, so, I got in with two other people and stood facing away from them to the extent possible for the short ride down five floors to the car park!
All in all, the lab visit was not a bad experience, but, it was a little stressful and by the time I reached my car, I was having a tension headache!
I came home, changed my clothes, immediately, and put everything I wore to the lab in the laundry basket. Then, I removed everything from the tote bag and put the bag to be washed, too. Afterwards, I disinfected the items I had in the tote bag and the outside of my purse, wiping everything down with sanitizing wipes!
Once all that was over, I had a cup of tea and ate some cereal. My headache went away a short while later.
Afterwards, I wished friend R for her birthday and drove over to give her the quilt and the card I had made, along with some lemons and curry leaves she had wanted. The quilt took her totally by surprise! Apparently, she really believed that the box of toilet paper I gave her earlier was her birthday gift from me! LOL.
Of course, I just handed her the bag with the quilt and came back home. I wasn't there when she opened her gift, but, she sent me a lovely message of thanks and said she loved the birthday fabric panel and the embroidered date.
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| Strip Pieced Birthday Quilt |
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| From Another Angle |
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| Birthday Fabric Panel on the Back |
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| Birthday Fabric Close Up |
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| Tied in the Corners Where the Blocks Meet |
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| Even when they don't quite meet! |
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| Card |
In the evening, I practiced the piano, watered the garden, brought the trash cans in, got the bags of donations ready and placed by the front door for collection tomorrow morning, and relaxed. I didn't dust or water the house plants, so, that will be carried forward to Wednesday. The dentist's office had called, but, they were already closed when I called back. I need to call them back, tomorrow morning.
Today, I am grateful for:
- I made it to the lab and back!
- The lab allowing walk-ins
- The first hour being set aside for higher risk patients
- Disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizers
- Disposable gloves
Today's joyful activity was giving my friend her birthday quilt.
Tuesday's To Do List:
- Dust family room and my bedroom
- Go to the lab for the blood test - DONE
- Visit my friend - DONE
- Water the garden, front and back - DONE
- Visit my friend - DONE
- Water the garden, front and back - DONE
- Water the house plants
- Practice the piano - DONE
- Practice the piano - DONE
Wednesday's To Do List:
- Call the dentist's office
- Dust family room and my bedroom
- Water the house plants
- Call the dentist's office
- Dust family room and my bedroom
- Water the house plants
- Vacuum
- Paperwork/filing
- Do one decluttering/organizing task (go through one box in the spare bedroom)
How was your Tuesday? What are your plans for Wednesday?
How was your Tuesday? What are your plans for Wednesday?
I'm not surprised you got a tension headache. It sounds like you took all the precautions you could but still a nerve wracking experience for you. Let's hope the oncologist appointment is less stressful.
ReplyDeleteThe quilt is beautiful and R is so lucky to have a wonderful friend like you.
Yes, it was a bit nerve wracking. I felt like I was taking a huge risk, and it didn't help that I had to drive past a Covid-19 testing site with a long line of cars in front of one of the schools in my neighborhood (and the lab, itself, does Covid-19 testing), but, I told myself that it was something I had to do.
DeleteI think the oncologist appointment will be a little better, although, every time one goes out these days, it is a bit of a calculated risk, isn't it?
Thank you; the quilt turned out well, didn't it? I hope it helped to make her birthday feel a little special, under the circumstances.
Wow, that quilt is soooo pretty! So glad, your lab visit went well☺ Stay safe and healthy !
ReplyDeleteThank you, Natalia. Hope you and your loved ones are keeping safe and healthy, too. :)
DeleteGlad the lab adventure went fairly smoothly for you. I don't think you can be too careful & all your prep work was wise. That is a beautiful quilt & I SO like the idea of the birthday fabric on one side, this way you can feel special on your special day, wrapped in the love you sent while making. You are very talented.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary Lou. If nothing else, the prep work helped me feel a little less vulnerable!
DeleteThank you; the birthday fabric made this a special occasion quilt, didn't it? I bought that fabric years ago, because I loved the design and it sat in my stash until I found just the right occasion for it. :)
I'm glad you had a successful trip to get your lab work done. I know you won't be venturing out much, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. All of the things you describe become more routine. We keep wipes and hand sanitizer in the car as well as extra masks. I never take my purse in anywhere and am a champion using a wipe or similar thing to do doors and elevators. I avoid aisles in the grocery stores that have people in them or turn away if I have to pass them. And there's more, but you get the idea.
ReplyDeleteWhile I still get anxious at times, I'm much more relaxed about the going out than I used to be. While nothing is foolproof, I feel like I am practicing good behavior as far as the virus goes.
Thank you, Live and Learn. Yes, I had a lot of trepidation about this first trip, but, I do have several more medical appointments scheduled which ought not to be rescheduled any more without it being detrimental to my health, so, I will be going out more in the next couple of weeks. Unless we go into another total shutdown due to rising cases and hospitalizations. I do keep a few wipes in the car, but, will keep a couple of extra masks in there, as well; that's a good idea! Thanks.
DeleteAnd I really like the colors in the quilt.
ReplyDeleteThank you! As you already know, the entire quilt top was made with scraps of fabric I had in my stash and the only "pattern" I maintained was having a diagonal stripe in the center of each block. I'm pleased with how well it all turned out. :)
DeleteI don't think it was overkill at all. I would have been terribly stressed. Good that you didn't have to be inside that waiting room for very long.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely quilt and a labour of love. That panel of birthday fabric was a wonderful touch. Your hand-made birthday card is beautiful, as always. Your friend must feel very special.
Thank you, Susan. I felt better knowing I was taking as many precautions as I could. Things like hand sanitizers are in short supply here, and often, available only in the stores, but not for delivery or curbside pick up. I didn't have a big supply of it at the beginning and I've managed to make what was supposed to have been a 1 month's supply to last for 4 months. I am now trying to make it last at least another couple of months as I have no hopes of getting more any time soon!
DeleteThank you; the quilt turned out well, didn't it? I am glad I had that birthday fabric in my stash! It really turned the quilt into a birthday quilt, didn't it? Thank you, too, for the kind comments about the card! My lettering could have been a little better, I think, but, R was happy with her card. :)
Because Mom was still living when quarantine started and because we had to make several trips to medical facilities prior to her hospitalization we had the packing and sanitization down to a fine art. We did it very much like you did, then by the time Mom was admitted to the emergency room all insurance and admitting paperwork was done via phone. Now most local docs and dentists use your personal car as their waiting room and have you met at the door with a thermometer to check your temp before you can even enter the building, whether it is their space or a professional office building.
ReplyDeleteI am still going to the grocery store about once every 2 weeks and go through the same leaving and getting ready routine, then shop via a list as quickly as I can go through the store. I am very thankful that Aldi is a small place and I can easily zip through it in 15 or so minutes.
Yes, I suppose practice makes perfect and all the preparations and sanitizing becomes routine. Leaving the safe bubble of my home will continue to be stressful, for me, as I check all the boxes for added risk factors (age, race, weight, existing chronic health conditions, etc.), which is why I am only going to medical appointments that can't be delayed any more. After the oncologist's appointment on Friday, I have a dental appointment, next week, to see about the broken tooth and crown that fell out!
DeleteThe quilt is beautiful! I’m glad you we’re so careful.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Akasha.
DeleteIt sounds as though your visit to the lab went as well as could be expected, although you were very wise to take all the precautionary measures. I hope you won't be waiting too long for your results.
ReplyDeleteThe quilt is beautiful, so I'm not surprised your friend was delighted with it, however, I giggled at how she thought the toilet paper was her gift. X
Yes, the visit to the lab did go as well as possible. I would rather take all the precautions I can if it means I can reduce my risk of getting sick by doing so. I don't want to leave any room for regrets, down the road. Two of the saddest words in the English language, in my opinion, are, "If only".
DeleteThank you; telling my friend that the tp was an early birthday gift was the only way I could get her to accept it without trying to reimburse me for it. :)
Bless, I’m glad you were able to get the test done quickly. And you were well prepared. I’m going to copy you and keep my cards in a separate bag when I go out.
ReplyDeleteThe quilt is so beautiful. You are a wonderful friend!
Heheee toilet paper can be a valuable gift during this pandemic! 😁
Thank you, Nil. Yes, I'm glad I was able to get the test done without a long wait. As for the preparations, I'm not a risk taker, at all! One of the reasons why I shared all the details of what I did was the hope that someone else, reading the post, might find it helpful.
DeleteThank you; my friend was happy to receive her quilt, in addition to the toilet paper! :D
What a wonderful quilt complete with date and the birthday panel underneath. That beautiful gift will give R so much pleasure,not just because it is lovely but also because of the thought and caring that went into it.
ReplyDeleteNo sign of any bears but our doggy neighbour was barking like crazy yesterday evening and I wondered if he got wind of something? Later on I heard a Whippoorwill for a little while.
I couldn't sleep much of the night, so I had a nap this afternoon. I did get some things done in the morning, though.
Thank you, Bushlady. I think R was happy with her gift. :)
DeleteI'm glad there weren't any sign of bears and your doggy neighbor is doing his best to warn off any!
You are wise to take precautions. We are lucky here, our medical practitioners made home visits during the lockdown if you have a compromised immune system. Although its a bit off putting to see a completely kitted out nurse come up your driveway. lol. I am sure the neighbours wondered...
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is lovely and your friend really appreciative.
Oh, you are so fortunate to have medical practitioners who make home visits! I can't even get an appointment to see my primary care physician because her office is closed!
DeleteThank you, the quilt turned out well and my friend was very happy. :)
I'm glad you got your blood test done, Bless. I know it was nerve-wracking but you took all the precautions possible - which is very smart. I do many of the same things.
ReplyDeleteI bet you were so glad to get home and relax in your nice safe home.
I've never been more contented with and appreciative of my own nice safe home :)
I didn't know the quilt was for your friend R.
It's beautiful and I'm sure she will be thrilled.
Thank you, Debra. I was very happy to get that done and over with and come home to my safe space!
DeleteYes, the quilt was for R. She doesn't read my blog as far as I know, but, I didn't want to say anything, just in case she did! She was pleased with it and really liked the happy birthday fabric panel and the date embroidered on the back. :)