In August 2020 Stevie Nicks was interviewed about the dangers of COVID - she was imploring fans to mask up to protect themselves - and her.

“It is a silent killer hiding in the shadows. It is stalking you. It doesn’t care who you are…It’s just looking for a victim.”

Yesterday she was spotted at a Taylor Swift concert wearing a respirator. I love to see high profile individuals leading by example. Not just telling people to mask - but actively DOING it 4 years later.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/stevie-nicks-coronavirus-102237737.html

#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask

There’s a lovely account on the bird site who’s been sharing Covid resources & affirmations that I think also resonate with the broader disability and chronic illness community.

Today’s included:

“My life is valuable no matter what.”

“My health is worth protecting.”

https://x.com/o_bel_/status/1807515622571680243?s=46&t=Cpyi78g-t7Hj74LZiNi-uw

#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas

A friend of mine managed to avoid COVID until this winter - when she was infected in a healthcare setting. She’s not recovered. She’s showing signs of Long Covid & POTS.

Spent last 3 weeks being worked up for cardiac issues - no one masked for her. Then she landed in ER

She had been dealing with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea for 4 days and had become tachycardic with a heart rate of 140. She was unable to keep fluids or electrolytes down & running a fever. But the way she had been recently treated was dissuading her from getting care

Prior to the ER visit she spent three weeks in hospitals & clinics. She had a ton of cardiac testing, lab work and procedures to determine if she has Long Covid. Despite the assumption being she’s chronically ill due to Covid - not ONE healthcare worker masked for her

She had to do a stress echo in her respirator while having breathing difficulties - and rather than offering to mask up she was repeatedly encouraged to take her mask off. They rolled their eyes at her for wanting to keep it on & marked her treadmill test “non compliant”

She’s had to repeatedly chase down results, beg for follow up appointments and even had a significant error go unnoticed & unaddressed over a weekend until she could connect with her GP. That error resulted in an infection which only worsened her baseline

At this point it’s becoming clear her care is being negatively impacted due to her need to avoid another Covid infection. She feels increasingly judged at each interaction & has to quietly endure the pain of being treated like a nuisance whose issues are all in her head.

By the time she needs the ER - she doesn’t even have the strength to ask them to mask. She’s vomiting and having a difficult time keeping her mask on - so she tries to go outside to vomit. No one offers her any help. She isn’t even surprised

She finally sees the doctor who says he will not consider giving her an IV until she removes her mask so he can assess how dry her mouth is. Her lab work was already back showing dehydration & electrolyte abnormalities. Why does she need to remove her mask?

She’s out of energy to argue - so she removes it & he proceeds to examine her from across the room. He was observing social distancing (which we know doesn’t work for airborne viruses) even though it meant he couldn’t SEE in her mouth. Yet he STILL made her remove her mask

Now that she’s been a good & compliant patient and removed her mask… they finally order IV fluids which bring her heart rate down (as we would expect if she’s developed POTS). Once her blood pressure is above 90/60 she’s discharged with no follow up care in place.

No explanation of what’s wrong with her, of why the fluids worked or how to take care of herself at home. I had to provide that information to her. She was genuinely shocked when they told her she was being sent home because NOTHING was resolved.

This is when I had to explain to her the realities of being chronically ill and needing the ER. You can’t expect them to manage the chronic condition. In their eyes the only thing that absolutely needed treatment was the dehydration because it created hypotension.

As soon as the hypotension was resolved - she was out the door. Nevermind the fact that she will probably be hypotensive again within 12 hours since her GI issues weren’t addressed and she wasn’t advised to consume electrolytes, salt pills or extra fluids.

Thankfully she has a good family doctor who was able to provide additional guidance - but MANY people do not. She could have just as easily bounced right back into the ER with the exact same problem. And our healthcare system is beyond overwhelmed. 1/2

#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #MaskBan #BoycottNC #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas