Model Engine Maker
General Category => Chatterbox => Topic started by: Firebird on March 24, 2020, 05:36:19 PM
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Hi
Stay safe everyone. We have to take this outbreak very seriously.
There is a possibility of a bit more shed time though :whoohoo: :pinkelephant: :cartwheel: :wine1: :cheers: :DrinkPint:
Cheers
Rich
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With this lock-down that a lot of us are going through it is perhaps a good time to finish all of those half done projects. :noidea:
One thought though are people going to hoard model engineering materials will suppliers restrict us to 3 nuts and bolts. I just ordered some brass bar will I be limited to 3 inches? Good job it wasn't in mm. For members outside the UK; supermarkets are limiting us to only 3 of an item. :Jester:
Joking aside I hope that we can all weather this present problem and keep safe. There is a surprising amount of help out there....... :old: :DrinkPint: John
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Day 9 of self-quarantine for me. Lathe quit working so I'm trying to debug 78 year-old electrics.
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Hazel and I have been in self-isolation for over a week now. And yet we hear about so many out and about. They just are not getting the message.
Here in Peterborough, almost all of the local businesses are shut down. Both of our sons are either out of work or on restricted hours.
We are fortunate to have sites like this and hobbies that consume our time. Imagine those who are sitting at home bored to tears doing nothing.
Stay well everyone.
Cheers...John
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Hi All, Fortunately I have an allotment so I can go there for my {exercise} allowance ..about 4-5 hours at the moment ..also as I have more time in the WKSP I can really think about what I am doing without rushing, Being very gregarious I do find this isolation quite difficult and miss the club days ...I wish we had actually gone into lockdown about 6 weeks ago though .see everyone on the other side .as they say
Willy
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So far here in Wisconsin I haven't been closely affected, no one I know has been affected at least. That isn't to say I am going about business as usual though. The state has ordered all non-essential business to close down. Good thing I am in an essential line of work. My wife this week has been working from home. My bosses are in the at risk category and have this week worked from home 2 of 5 days. I normally on Wednesday would sit down with my sister, nephew, and a good family friend and have a couple :DrinkPint: have now passed on this. I am starting to feel a bit isolated. I have friends that are in the at risk club that I would normally walk down the street and say hi to and feel I cant take the chance to do that. I suspect a lot of people are feeling isolated now and this will only grow till this is over. Kirk, hope you are all right. I haven't self isolated but stopping all live social interaction with anybody but my wife and co-workers is only a few degrees of separation from that.
Art
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Hi
With the extra spare time I decided to have a good spring clean of my workshop and garage.
I have found things I lost years ago, found things I didn't know I had. Found things I was going to do and things that are half done.
So now everything is tidy and in its place so I can lose/forget them all over again :lolb: :lolb:
Cheers
Rich
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I am starting to feel a bit isolated. I have friends that are in the at risk club that I would normally walk down the street and say hi to and feel I cant take the chance to do that.
Hi Art, it sounds silly to pick the phone up to talk to people who are just down the street. It's a good idea right now though, with the virus around. It still allows us to keep in touch with friends at no risk to ourselves, our friends, and people around us who are at high risk. Ma Bell can handle it! Ain't seen a virus yet that can get through a phone wire or ride electrons bareback. :Lol: Just a thought.
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Rich, when you did your cleanup did you find any of the 3 mm stainless balls , tiny springs, M2 setscrews or other tiny stuff I lost in my shop the last few years, through the wormhole between the shops? (or that the shop elves shipped to your shop elves by DHeLf courier, without either of us knowing a thing about it?) :Lol:
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When I call my folks, they generally don't stay on the phone long (they're not phone people).
Lately I've noticed they are hungry to talk. They're cooped up in their retirement apartment.
Right now I'm on Facetime with 8 people (family). You can tell people need to socialize.
Tomorrow, we're getting on Zoom with our kids and will have a remote party.
The most difficult thing so far is trying to keep some family members from freaking out.
Stay safe and healthy.
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Been hearing from lots of people lately too, good use of a phone! When this is all over, the restaurants are going to be VERY crowded as everyone gets out again. Not yet though...
And CNR, love the DHeLf line! Gotta use that one...
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Go ahead Chris, re the DHeLf thing. My royalty fees are very reasonable (ie nonexistant) :Lol:
Glad you liked it.
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I hope you all have the bits you need to be able to proceed with your model builds. A number of our UK suppliers are still trading but with reduced hours meaning it is nearly impossible to order any stuff from them :wallbang:
As you can imagine Surus has had to impose a lockdown on his casting collection to keep them safe :noidea:
Jo
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A number of our UK suppliers are still trading but with reduced hours meaning it is nearly impossible to order any stuff from them
Jo
ARC have temporarily shut up shop for the duration. e-mail from today :
In the last few weeks, COVID-19 has turned the world upside down, leaving the future uncertain and frightening.
We have therefore arrived at the sad decision to close our web store as of Tuesday 31st of March by midday.
The health and safety of the ARC team is of highest importance to us, and to continue working at this time is not a risk we want to take.
We can't wait to welcome you back on the other side.
Until then, be safe and take care.
Team ARC Euro Trade.
I doubt they will be the last. :(
Dave.
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I hope the daily necessities at least is OK for you - my brother in law told me that his sister only managed to get two zuccinies, a bag of cracker and some milk after visiting several shops (she lives about 10 miles from Doncaster) during the whole of the week that ends today. She is okay with the stuff in the fridge - but dog food was a real concern (one dog in the house) .....
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Re the dog food problem, I had the same thing.
The supermarket would only let you have three tins, the problem was the shelf was totally empty every time :ThumbsDown:
Maybe that's why everyone needs so much toilet roll if they are eating "Chappie" for lunch. ;D
Solution was to contact a local pet shop who kindly fetched me four dozens tins from the wholesaler and delivered it to my door as well.
Phil
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I spent quite a bit of time on the phone this weekend talking to my sister who is a 3 hour drive away. She works for the local school system as an hourly employee. Then to my uncle who is 5 hours north, doesn't seemed to have affected him much but he has noticed the run on things in the stores. As well as my aunt who is about an hour away. Her son, my cousin has been getting their groceries. So they haven't been out of the house at all but at 91 & 86 years old that is as it should be. The idea of calling cause it's safer that visiting seems so foreign. On the other hand My uncle found some trees down in the forest behind him and is thinking of fire wood cutting projects for next summer is a good sign.
Art
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Mercedes F1 have produced a Continuous Positve Pressure Airway Device [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52087002]. I wonder if our own SCO (Simon) has been involved?
Stay well,
Rod
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Here in Canada, many stores are responding to 'the new norm', by offering not only free delivery of goods, but online purchases with curbside pickup. Groceries for example can be ordered, bagged and brought out to your car.
John
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Nail salons, barbershops, hair salons, waxing centres and tanning places are closed.
It’s about to get ugly out there...
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Mercedes F1 have produced a Continuous Positve Pressure Airway Device [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52087002]. I wonder if our own SCO (Simon) has been involved?
Stay well,
Rod
Hi Rod,
Not involved with that project - most of it was done at Brixworth. Think there is a different project going on in Brackley.
Simon.
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Hi cnr6400
No didn't find any of those :shrug:
I decided to have a good clean out of the garage while I'm at it so there's a chance they might be in there :thinking:
Cheers
Rich
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Well thanks anyway for looking Rich. :Lol:
re the wormhole, and small parts disappearing - I just have a mental picture of a metric bushel basket sitting on an obscure moon around a remote planet somewhere out in space, with all the small parts I have dropped or misplaced in my shop over the years in it. Tiny springs reach light speed in the wormhole even faster than dropped objects, due to their initial >>BOING<< / launch.
(To say nothing of the bits lifted by the shop elves, the little b$@*#^%T&^s) :Lol: :cheers:
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I hope you are all keeping safe out there. At the beginning of March my daughter-in-law caught a "cold". It got worse and she ended up in Wythenshaw Hospital in a critical care bed. 3 wks of incredible effort by our NHS was not enough and we buried her last Friday. It was NOT covid19, just ordinary flu. All the lockdowns could not be at a worse time. We will all get through it I hope and be better for it as a society. Needless to say extra shed time due to lockdown has been shelved for now. We are all fortunate that this hobby of ours keeps us occupied and connected amongst friends. Soon my Charlesworth engine thread will be active again as I return to "normal" life. Please take care of all your families and be safe. I apologise for posting bad news but sharing amongst friends helps me to cope. Regards to all.......Terry
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Terry,
Many of us will not be able to find the words to express our sorrow for your loss
Mike
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So very very sorry for you, don't know what else to say
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This is really sad news Terry. My condolences to you and your family.
This really brings home the seriousness of the situation with Covid-19, as well as the ordinary flu.
Jim
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Terry, I am praying for you.
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Very sorry to hear this devastating news. And it doesn't matter whether it was Covid19 or Flu or whatever. It is a terrible loss and makes no sense. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family during this difficult time.
Please know we are thinking of you.
Kim
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my thoughts are with you Terry at this dificult time.
Best wishes to you and your family Gary
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My deepest condolences to you and your family Terry...
Dave
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My heart goes out to you and your family Terry.
It is a sad fact that so many of the common illnesses have a surprisingly higher mortality rate than we might think. To put things into perspective the UK the mortality rate for pregnancy is 1 in 1250 for women, Covid-19 mortality rate is anticipated to be around 1 in 50
Jo
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My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family Terry.
-Bob
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Very sad to see this. My condolences to your family, your son, and her family.
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Condolences, Terry.
Our shop has stayed open, primarily because of an open delivery contract for some major hospitals, along with a large disease research center. So we are, at least for now, an "essential supplier".
Us engineers have been trying to work from home...CAD design and stuff. But, we have an ongoing stress test on a new product with an aggressive schedule to meet...and I must make daily-ish trips in to monitor testing...and am getting roped into a lot of other silly fix-it stuff because...well I'm the engineer who can troubleshoot and make/fix parts that we can't get made because other shops are closed. So, not much shop time for me outside of what must be done to keep the test and production shop going, which has gotten a little bit silly...pin and bushing fell out of a test clevis assembly, locking fastener failed to hold, new pin and bushing needed, along with a fastener in a size we don't have so whittle one down from a standard socket head screw. Production order for some electronics got overlooked, can you come in and solder the assemblies. And the others who stay home deluge the shop and me with "could you" emails that distract.
Sigh.
So far so good (knock wood), nobody sick (we can maintain 30 or 40 foot distances at our shop if need be). And our state may have finally seen a downturn in new cases diagnosed, which means the social distancing and stay home orders may be having an effect.
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My thoughts and prayers go out to you, Terry.
A sad event at any time, and no less so while you are trying to cope with lockdowns and social distancing.
It is so difficult when the time to share your grief with friends and family has to be deferred.
MJM460
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Terry,
Sorry to hear about your daughter in law, that's a tough loss. I have a good friend who had flue type A and pneumonia was in the hospital 4 days on oxygen, out of work a month. He is back to normal now.
Art
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All still good here. But now we've heard the peak here won't be for another month. Trying to keep kids supplied but it's getting difficult.
The kids are doing the right thing...staying home.
My biggest worry is my parents (in their 90s). They recently moved to a retirement community and they've had a case (that was quickly moved out).
But they are serviced by people who need to come in and provide help to the residents.
Makes me wonder about their A/C system.
Stay healthy everyone. Do the right thing for your neighbor.
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It's about to get real here.....Incoming!
10402 cases statewide in Massachusetts with 192 deaths...with 60 deaths statewide today alone.
The IHME website model is under reporting us currently and pretty grossly as well....but the rate on this is high.
The Old skating rink just down the road from me has just become a temporary morgue.....
Peak is supposed to be around the 15th
Dave
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Hi Terry,
So sorry to hear of your loss. Condolences to you & families involved.
Something to be said for living on a relatively small island. So far we have only had 1 death & only 950 cases. We went into lock down on the 25th March, approx 80 to 90 cases a day over the last few days.
The majority of people are taking this seriously, I guess idiots are idiots no matter what! We are allowed out for exercise, providing you stay close to home, so lots of people out walking, social distancing, use to be called giving me space, is the norm, 2 meters & of course trips to get groceries & if required to the pharmacy are ok, multi trips per day will get you in trouble
I working from home, a new experience, in an essential industry so check in each morning to see what / how thing are going. Can do stuff online, it just takes longer!
My wife is the shopper not only for us, but her mum 89, & my dad 93, but they got told it’s only once a week not 2 or 3 times like you do!
Everybody take care!
Cheers Kerrin
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Suddenly ths gets very personal.
My youngest daughter is a Samaritan and works full time for the NHS in Southampton General Hospital doing continuous 15 hour shifts helping those who attempt suicide. Suzanne became infected while attending a patient in great need. There was a great shortage of PPE for hospital staff, it had not arrived in time. Suzanne is in total isolation in her home and is now on day five, nearing the peak. Only time will tell how this one plays out. We wait, powerlessly, and pray.
All my PPE from the workshop, gloves, masks, goggles and visor are with the NHS helping fight the shortages of PPE. I also have a new hobby. I am a paper pattern maker and cutter-outer for surgical scrubs, gowns and laundry bags for the NHS. My wife does the sowing. Getting fresh supplies of fabric is a problem, we have consumed all of my wifes dress making materials.
I hear a law has been invoked by Trump making it illegal for US firms to export medical supplies and PPE to Europe, Canada and the rest of the world. Thousands of items in transit have been intercepted and confiscated.
Civilisation, is a very fragile concept.
Mike
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Thoughts with you Mike, hope your daughter makes a good recovery. My eldest daughter a GP we are v worried about that
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Thoughts and prayers to you Mike....I completely understand!....
Dave
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Sad news indeed here about loved ones. Condolences to all those who have been touched by this invasive virus.
Mike, good on you and your wife for stepping up and doing your part to ease the supply of safety equipment. Our Premier in Ontario expressed disappointment that supplies have been compromisd by American legislation.
Nick, you mentioned that your daughter is a GP. Here in Canada,, many GP offices have been closed, but the doctors are being paid by the government to phone patients directly for consulattion.
Tough times folks.
John
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Good luck Suzanne we are all thinking of you.
Jo
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Thanks everyone, :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:
It's day five for Suzanne, nearing the peak. She said she felt like making a cup of tea this morning, the first time in days.
The problem with helping my wife with the pattern making, cutting out and tailoring, is I have to learn to talk centimetres not millimetres. (and do it with dress making pins in my mouth)
Stay safe out there
Mike
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Mike
I wish Suzanne and the rest of you good luck and all the best.
My niece, Suzy, in London, went down with the virus at work over three works ago and had all the nasty symptoms. Two days ago she went for a 1km run!
There is hope for us in these times of trouble.
AVTUR
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Best wishes to Suzanne for a good recovery.
Best wishes to everyone to stay healthy.
We've been told our peak will occur early May. I've yet to see any information on what a tail looks like.
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I'm fairly fortunate living in the suburbs. We walk the dog an hour twice a day, with everyone else being careful to keep their distance. There are many many dogs hereabout. Grocery shopping hasn't been an issue, and we're able to avoid other shoppers. After the big run on TP there was another on flour, as people rediscovered home baking, apparently. Both my daughters are working from their homes, and thankfully still are employed. One had her hours cut as it's a sports-related business.
Thus far our county has had only 1 death and 63 cases out of about 250,000 population. None of the nursing homes have been affected like many in neighboring counties. I think people here wised up earlier. Local hospital has 24 ICU beds with 7 currently vacant.
I feel lucky to have the shop to occupy a few hours daily.
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Hi Mike,
Well that’s just not on! Thoughts with you, family & especially Suzanne!
Well done to you & your good lady for pitching in on the PPE front!
Down this end of the world, various manufacturing outfits are switching to make required PPE. Teachers have taken home the schools 3D printers & figured out how to make face shields frames & visors from over head viewers....thought they had long gone....plastic sheet. Latest I saw was a guy who figured he had the cost down to 29 cents for the frame, he’s printing 18 hrs a day!
Kvom,
There was an article on the news here in New Zealand, there has been a huge demand on flour, to the point that 1 company used up 4 years worth of bags for home supply in a couple of weeks! So now the issue is getting more packaging. My dad still has the flour & sugar bins in his kitchen cabinets, House was built in the 1930’s.....I don’t think he will fill them though!
Everybody be safe, think we are in for the long haul on this.
Cheers Kerrin
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Cross posting this...as it's pretty useful.
Making your own facemask in 45 seconds from our Surgeon General
https://mashable.com/video/cdc-face-mask-how-to/
Dave
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I must admit I have spent a lot more time on the phone with folks I would normally visit. My wife & I are still working though I am the only one of us going to work, she is working from home. Church hasn't met in 4 weeks, I go to work & home and gassed up my car for the first time with gloves on. Don't know who's touched it last after all. I didn't think of that one my coworker did. Now a bit more careful getting groceries, seems odd to try to not touch anything but the 3 items the change & receipt, thanks to those magic self opening doors. My boss said ebay sales have gone up 89%. Every body is sitting at home with nothing to do, so they're working on the old British car in the garage. I've been working 50 hours a week. Good thing I am working for an essential industry. Stay safe out there.
Art
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It's good to see that Suzanne seems to be on the mend. We wish her a full recovery. It is also encouraging to hear how a lot of you are helping the fight. I prey that you and your families all keep safe, especially those at work on the front line.
On a personal front my wife and I want to thank everyone for their condolences and support following the loss of our daughter-in-law. (earlier in this thread) Very much appreciated. We are slowly returning to"normality" what ever that is. I have managed some shed time. I am so grateful for the fact that we have garden space and absorbing hobbies and feel for people stuck in flats, etc some with large families. I hope to post again soon on my engine build, although looked at in the wider world somehow seems pointless.
I prey that you all keep safe and well. Terry
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Terry and everyone ,
Thanks for your support, We pray Suzanne and all the other infected health workers can pull through and make full recoveries. If they achieve some immunity from their illness, we can be sure most will be back in the front line as soon as they are given the 'all clear'. Such is the power of their calling, their chosen profession.
My wife is sowing surgical gowns and scrubs as if someones life depended on it (which of course is true) I am helping and also 3D printing face visor frames as quickly as my 'cheap as chips' printer will allow. Get in touch with www.3DCrowd.uk if you think you can offer more print capability. They arrange door collection of visor frames and may drop off replacement filament.
I have managed some shed time. I am so grateful for the fact that we have garden space and absorbing hobbies and feel for people stuck in flats, etc some with large families. I hope to post again soon on my engine build, although looked at in the wider world somehow seems pointless.
I prey that you all keep safe and well. Terry
Terry finding an 'escape' is vitally important. We are lucky to have our all absorbing hobby. And YES please post about your engine build. It is not pointless: it gives hope and encouragement and helps you and all our members pass the endless hours of lockdown.
Stay strong
Mike
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It's day nine of the virus infection for my daughter Suzanne, She has been very poorly but fortunately the fever broke overnight and her temperature has dropped to near normal. I hope this means she is through the worst and my young daughter is on the mend.
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. The MEM forum is a group of very special people.
Stay strong
Mike
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Wonderful news Mike :whoohoo: Terry
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Very glad to hear that Mike!!!!!!!
:DrinkPint: :cartwheel:
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Mike,
That's great to hear. I found out yesterday that my former neighbor has covid 19. doesn't sound like she will make it.
Art
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Thanks guys for calling in.
There will be days of joy like mine, but many days of sadness to come, before this thing passes.
Stay strong
Mike
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That's great news Mike. So happy to hear good news.
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Wife is making face masks. She will be 81 next month. She has made quite a few since friday.
Ron
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Week before last, our local hospital in Salem Oregon gave out 250 kits (made up of cut up surgical sheets) to make masks. Each kit could make 30 to 50 masks. The kits were gone in minutes and the line of cars wanting to pick them up went on for a long ways. Folks brought the completed masks back last week ............11,000 of them. We were among those unable to get a kit. What that told me is that if we could just get the raw materials, we could make hundreds of thousands of mask in this country, made by just regular folks. Warms my heart. :)
I think we'll see the same thing now that cloth masks for public usage have been recommended.
Jim
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That's great news Mike :) Look after her, don't let her rush her recovery, or it will take longer
Jo
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Hi Mike,
That’s great to hear!
Like Jo said tell her to take her time an extra day or two is far better
Isn’t it great in tuff times how some people jump to it to help..... others ....well ......
Cheers Kerrin
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Jo, Kerrin and everyone,
Thanks :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:
Our fathers and grandfather were asked to put on uniform and go and fight World Wars.
When our time came, we were only asked to wash our hands, sit on our backsides and stay at home.
And even that was too much for some. :facepalm: :facepalm:
Stay strong
Mike
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When our time came, we were only asked to wash our hands, ...
Did I ever mention hand washing in our village hall?
My friend Rosie used to clean the village hall, every day she cleaned it. She told me that we had two big groups of users of the hall, the motorcycle club and the car owner's club, and they would set up their bar on their evenings and sit and chew the cud over a number of pints. She told me how she was constantly topping up the soap and paper towels in the Ladies loos but couldn't remember when she last had to top up the soap or paper towels in the gents :o
I have heard the argument that men dry their hands down the back of their trousers :facepalm2: which would account for the paper towels not being used but clearly they had also forgotten to use the soap :slap:
I am sure this does not include any of you and like me you are going through soap and clean towels like people seem to think they need toilet paper ::)
Jo
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Mike, so good to hear the improvement for your daughter.
I'm afraid we have received the opposite sort of news. Yesterday morning my wife's youngest sister collapsed, was taken to the hospital, and died within minutes. We don't know if it was COVID-19 or not, but she had had a fever for several days, and shortness of breath - which we didn't know about until just the night before, since she lived halfway across the country from us. At this point, we are mostly numb ... hard to even get our heads around the suddenness of it.
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Oh Andy,
I am so sorry to hear this awful news and so sudden. My heart goes out to you and the family.
I don't think any family will escape unscathed.
Stay strong
Mike
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Very sad to hear Andy.
I hope her family is okay.
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Sincere condolences Andy, My thoughts and prayers for you and your wife and families. Terry
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Sorry Andy.....
Dave
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Thanks, all. Strange days - I'm not sure it will really fully sink in until we can travel to Colorado and have a service - but who knows when that will be??
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Andy,
Sorry to hear about your sister in law. I talked to my former neighbor's daughter today. Jane isn't doing very well and they aren't expecting her to make it. They've discontinued her room at the nursing home at the end of the month. But at 91 she's lived a full life and it's only been in the last month and a half that she hasn't seemed up to her normal self. I will miss the Thursday before dinner drink with her, and her encyclopedic knowledge of birds. :DrinkPint: to friends!
Art
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That is very sad news Andy.
Covid-19 will take too many before we overcome it, so many families will be touched, so many lives changes beyond what they could have ever imagined before this all started. Look after yourselves and stay safe.
Jo
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Sad news Andy and unfortunately being repeated all too often these days. Thoughts and prayers for all of your extended family.
Bill
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Tragic news Andy.
Condolences as expressed here by us all.
John
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So sorry for your family's loss Andy. Praying for your family
Dave
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That is very sad news Andy.
Covid-19 will take too many before we overcome it, so many families will be touched, so many lives changes beyond what they could have ever imagined before this all started. Look after yourselves and stay safe.
Jo
Yes, I'm starting to think that when this is all over, it won't be a matter of seeing who did have a friend or relative who died; it will be a matter of seeing if there is anyone who didn't.
Art, I am sorry to hear about Jane. My own mom just turned 91, and she is not in good health - more than once she has expressed readiness to go sooner rather than later. :( Ironically, my sister-in-law was only 51, and was the last person we would have thought would be the first of us to go.
Continued thanks to all for the prayers and support.
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Andy
Many sympathies. I hope that nothing more happens to your family.
These are times of trouble and I really hope that all will survive. I somewhat dread going back to work at Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust at the end of this.
AVTUR
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Just thought I'd let folks know my former neighbor Jane passed away last night. There will be a memorial later this summer when its safe for a group of people to meet.
Art
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My deepest sympathies to those who have lost someone to the virus. My prayers are with you and your families.
-Bob
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Art, sorry to hear about Jane. Prayers for her family.
I don't know if I updated here that we got word that my sister-in-law did not have COVID-19. We are still waiting for word on what it was, but one possibility is a blood clot in the lung. A sobering reminder that people die every day, sometimes unexpectedly, even when we don't have a pandemic. :(
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In case you missed it Mike, on Radio 4 this morning on the usual Sunday morning God spot they had Dr Mark Tan saying his Telephone Lament for Coronavirus’ it starts 37 mins 51 seconds into this piece: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000hmwt it is very inspiring
For those of you who the BBC I-player won't play it for, and it is well worth listening to Mark say it himself :ThumbsUp: , here is his the words of his Lament that was inspired by Steve Wonder's song "I've just called to say I Love you" and he wrote :
I just called, to say… your husband has been admitted to the intensive care unit.
I could sense your shock even over the telephone. I realised you had only left for home a few hours earlier. I wondered if you imagined that he would be the unfortunate 10–15% of coronavirus patients needing intensive care. I wondered if you knew that it took several consultants to decide to bring him to intensive care unit. Perhaps you couldn’t see the fear behind the flimsy masks of the emergency physicians; fear both for your husband, and also for their own health.
I just called, to say… that he is stable on the breathing machine, with medications to keep him asleep.
I wondered if you realised “stable” still referred to needing near the maximal safe limit of pressure generated by the ventilator to drive air into the lungs. “Stable” meant needing double or triple the fraction of oxygen available in normal air. “Stable” meant four different medications to keep him asleep to control his breathing, each with their own side effects.
Would you be less reassured by the term “stable” if you saw the multiple artificial lines inserted into your beloved husband, from the breathing tube to the plastic lines in his neck. From a small arterial catheter in his wrist to the larger urinary one in his bladder.
I just called, to ask… are you doing alright yourself?
I wondered if you realised we healthcare workers are also struggling to take care of ourselves. After all, many of our loved ones are of similar ages, with similar co-morbidities and health conditions as your husband. We cannot help imagining our own loved ones in similar positions. We harbour the constant fear of bringing the virus back to our families. Like you, the lack of social gatherings has impaired our resilience. We find solace in sources aplenty: prayer, meditation, books, exercise, gossip, dark humour, chocolate, alcohol…the list spirals downwards. Our traditional knowledge and protocols have been questioned, our prognostic methods challenged, our patience tested, and the gaping flaws in our systems revealed. Yet we look ever outward, seeking to care than to be cared for.
I just called, to say… it is too early to tell how he would fare in this disease process.
I wondered if you realised your husband would be spending more than a couple of days on the ventilator, that the mortality rates from ICUs around the country have been hovering around 50%. Of all our prognostic methods and advanced technologies, his fate may as well be determined by a flip of a coin. I wondered if you sensed the discomfort in my voice; the need to provide life-changing information over the phone. I wondered if you were shifting in your seat as much as I was, gripped by the realisation that the next fortnight would determine if your husband would live to see your face again. I felt disappointed for not being able to offer a tissue or a hand to hold over the phone when you broke into tears.
I just called, to say… his breathing is getting worse.
When I told you we had put him face-down to help his breathing, I wondered if you realised this took seven trained members of staff about an hour to perform safely. As I explained the ebb and flow of patient journeys in intensive care, I was thankful you could not see my head in my hands. Like many colleagues, I feel discouraged by the lack of improvement in several other patients, just like your husband. I feel disheartened by the prolonged course of the disease, testing our patience. I feel demoralised; the years of training and experience now seem meaningless in the face of a novel contagion.
I just called, to say… he has had a sudden cardiac arrest.
I wondered no longer.
I needed only to be sorry.
Sorry that the virus had affected your husband’s heart.
Sorry that despite our best efforts, we were unable to resuscitate him successfully.
Sorry that you could not be with him during his last hours.
Sorry that you may never meet me, or the team that took care of him
Sorry that while his death was consistent with the 5–10% overall mortality rate, he was still 100% of your life.
I just called, to say how much we cared
I just called, to say, I’m sorry…
And we mean it from the bottom of our hearts
Thank you Mark and thank you to all our wonderful Carers and NHS people
Jo
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AMEN to that! Thank you Jo. Terry
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Thank you Jo,
That just brings home the terrible reality of it all.
Our Carers and Health workers will carry the mental scares for the rest of their lives.
God bless them all.
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Thank you Jo. That's very powerful and emotional.
Take care everyone. Stay healthy.
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I've just been notified by my fathers care home that he has tested positive for Covid-19. He is coming up to 99 in July. It appears he is quite bright at present, just not eating a lot. He sounded okay when I spoke to him on phone 3 or 4 days ago.
All we can do is keep our fingers crossed he can survive it.
Colin
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Best wishes for your father Colin. We can do more than cross our fingers.....We can pray. Let's pray and hope for a good outcome.
Best Wishes Terry
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We are all hoping for the best for your Dad Colin . Hopefully they have finally gotten round to testing everyone in the home and discovered that there have a number of asymptomatic cases that they were not aware of and now they will be able to care for all of them appropriately.
If only we could know who of us will get through this without any symptoms and if we could be one of the ones who won't so we can act accordingly, one day the scientists should be able to tell us :ThumbsUp: I just hope they find this and so many answers soon.
Jo