An unhealthy start to the New Year

It has been a few weeks since I last sat down to write. It has been a tough couple of weeks, mostly due to health concerns. We are all healthy now, or at least on the mend. It has been a journey from the first hint of illness to finally getting things sorted.

It started with my husband coming down with a fever, chills, stomach upset, etc. We all thought the same thing - Covid. He was able to get to the Health Center and get seen and tested - both for the flu and for Covid. Both of the tests came back negative, but because of the chance of a false negative, we were all ordered to quarantine until the results were confirmed. This was a very different feeling than even the previous staying at home. This time we really couldn’t do anything. We had groceries picked up for us and brought to the door. We kept well away from the friends and family here on the property. After about five days the results were confirmed, but by that time we kind of figured that - the fever was gone and the illness had all the signs of a stomach bug.

On the 18th he felt terrible but well enough to go to the ER in Fort Bragg. There they did some tests and gave him fluids for dehydration. They sent him home with medication and we waited for the results. Nothing came. Finally, this past Monday he made an appointment to see his doctor in Fort Bragg. They couldn’t see him for two days; when they finally did, they told him that the tests from the hospital had been messed up and he had to take new tests. They again sent him home with medication. The following day he was worse and I made him an appointment with the doctor at the Health Center. At one point he considered another trip to the ER, but felt better after a bit and we didn’t have to make that drive.

He was given a thorough exam and, for the first time, felt seen and heard by someone (thank you AVHC!). More test were ordered, more medicines prescribed, but at last we felt we might be getting somewhere. Then, two hours later, the phone rang and it was the doctor from the Health Center - he had actually gotten the reports from the Fort Bragg hospital from the 18th and actually read them and it turned out that my husband’s problem has been diagnosed on the 18th but no one told him. Fortunately, we had the right medication and he is now on the mend, able to eat and keep food down and gain back his energy.

We are incredibly fortunate to have such a great resource as our Health Center here in the community. When I call in for something the receptionists know me and I feel like everyone there cares and wants me to feel better. My husband has now had the same experience and has changed his primary care accordingly. I feel for the folks on the Coast who aren’t so lucky; another reason to love living in this great Valley.