Letters from the trenches

Dear Readers,

Thank God I am still healthy. I’m still going into the hospital, doing my small part in the Corona War. It’s been mostly preparations so far but we are beginning to see COVID + patients. It’s not well known, but many COVID+ patients become delirious and are highly agitated. They don’t comply with wearing masks and try to escape from the hospital, creating a high risk situation for staff and the public. The inflammation can cause infected patients to become delirious. There’s also growing evidence that the virus infects the central nervous system. I’ve been working on preparations related to behavioral problems in COVID+ delirious patients and how to manage psychiatric patients with COVID19 more generally. The doctors are extremely stressed out and traumatized as well. We’re organizing volunteers from mental health to provide support and medication management for the doctors. It’s all happening at lightning speed. This “war” is taking everything I’ve got. We are putting in 12-16 hour shifts, working at least 6 days per week, and this is just the beginning. I’ll need to take at least two months off from posting. As for my outfits: I’m wearing a black T shirt, black khakis, and black danskos every day. I wash them in hot water when I get home, and repeat the next day. Hair in a top knot. It’s all very utilitarian. But anyway, I hope you are all well and safe. Please do your part and adhere to the rules of social distancing. Hope to hear from you all when I get back. Bye!

<3, Michelle

19 thoughts on “Letters from the trenches

  1. Thanks for all you are doing, sending you wishes for good health, both mentally and physically. Thanks for your update, it was so interesting to read how the virus affects people as I had no idea about how it affects the nervous system.

    Like

  2. I matched into psych and was wondering how this pandemic looked like from a psychiatrist’s point of view. I’m worried about what starting residency is going to look like months from now but it’s encouraging to hear you supporting you colleagues and patients. Thank you and stay safe!

    Like

  3. From an ICU trainee in Sydney – stay safe, thinking of you, and thank you for what you’re doing. We’re currently waiting for things to peak here and it’s tense. Things sound awful over in the US.

    I’ve just bought some cheap clothes that can take a beating in a daily hot wash. I can’t believe how recently I didn’t give a second thought to wearing normal clothes to work, wearing a watch, and having my hair down.

    Like

  4. I echo all the sentiments wishing you well and hoping for your safety. Thank you for doing such important work in these challenging times.

    Like

  5. Wishing you health and safety and my complete gratitude for all that you’re doing on the frontlines. I look forward to hearing from you here again in a couple of months!

    Like

  6. Hope you stay well – and that your hospital is operating as safety as possible. Thank you thank you and hope we get to the other side as quickly as possible.

    Like

  7. Good luck. Stay safe! Times like this really focus our minds on the most important things – and we all know what
    those are!

    Like

  8. It’s been really great to read your blog because it’s straightforward but stylish and informative. Thank YOU for fighting for all of us, and I hope you all are staying safe out there as well. Big hugs from NYC. Looking forward to your next post when you can surface online again. Thank you!

    Like

Leave a Reply to Jen Cancel reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s