Day 3

Thursday March 5th

Got up early today….after yesterday I wanted to make the most of Day 2…yesterday was a blur…a reconciliation of what happened over the last 1.25 days…Considering I was going to be institutionalised in my house…ok that’s a bit too strong…but today I wanted to try and get the jobs I have been wanting to do…jobs which had deadlines coming up…before doing any of that I checked on my colleagues on the “#SelfIsolation” WhatsApp group. One of my colleagues was describing symptoms of a sore throat and a headache…They rang 111 and after 50 minutes on hold they were informed that a clinician will call them back…in fact, I cannot remember if they did…I tried to reassure them by saying that I was with the patient quite a lot on Saturday and Sunday and I was feeling ok…I suggested that this could be a coincidence.

Anyhow today was about me getting my article for British Journal of Anaesthesia (BJA) done. I was part of a team to write a protocol for the peri-operative management of patients with acute hepatic porphyria at Manchester Hospitals…Whilst doing this I realised that there was not much practical information out there…e.g. The existence of a National Porphyria Centre (NAPs) in Cardiff. I decided to, with the help of colleagues from the NAPs to write an article in BJA Learning. The aim was to provide practical advice for anaesthetists and intensivists managing patients with porphyria. I had to submit this by April 1st so the time I have had today was fortuitous in a way…I do struggle to get things like this done when working full time….I am also dyslexic so need extra time to prepare academic material….Anyhow…it was done after multiple two-and-froing with Cardiff. Pressing that ‘submit’ button was so satisfying…

Today, I also wanted to set out a plan for my self-isolated stay at my house…

Breakfast…Nutribullet with multiple fruits, kale, beetroot, omega seed mix, and Kefir, toast, cashew nuts and 90% Dark chocolate

Lunch….soup and a sandwich

Dinner…whatever Ann and I decide with a pint of water with a whole fresh lemon, sliced!…Although I will be back in my isolation…this is really getting silly now….but I know what I have to do…This experience reminds me of the film Contagion (2011), https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598778/. This was a thriller which involved the spread of a virus transmitted by fomites. Public health organisations, scientists and researchers attempt to identify and contain the disease…however, panic sets in and social disorder sets in when the condition becomes a pandemic. Eventually a vaccine is introduced to halt its spread. This reminds me of what is going on right now…already I am reading about frantic buying in shops etc, fighting in some cases.

In between…housework, catching up with work-related matters, reading the pile of journals that have collected over the last few months…watching TV (I love documentaries)….not much of a box set person…but I have been suggested a few like the Crown….and a daily exercise routine. Normally I go to the gym…try to do cross fit type training….all I have at home is a mat, a kettlebell, and a medicine ball…so I will need to design a plan for me….Lots on the web…Insanity etc….So let’s see if I can stick to my plan and keep fit…one of my fellow self-isolators has already busted out a few Ks on his Watt-Bike!!…and at my time in life I would like to obviate mid-life spread!!

In terms of COVID matters… I had a lovely call by one of the Consultants to check up on me and make sure I was OK…I expressed my concerns about the effect this was going to have on our training and how this should all be recorded as on our system….There was some chatter that this should be recorded as sick leave….I also mentioned that PHE had not been in touch with me as yet….He was very supportive and said he would contact the deanery. I felt reassured. Later that day I got called by the Post Grad Dean to see how I was doing…She advised that I contacted the Lead Employer to let them know of my position and my educational supervisor. She was very supportive and confirmed that I should come back on Tuesday 17th March.

On a sad note, the first person has died as a result of coronavirus https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51759602. This was a woman who was admitted and tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday…Thoughts are with her and family. The number of UK people diagnosed with the virus reached 116, a rise of more than 30 in 24 hours. London seems to have the most cases with 25, while Wales has 2. Where I am in the North West, there have been 17 cases as of today. Will be interesting to see how things

Interesting conversation with my colleagues on the self-isolation group chat…people describing how they were ordering their shopping, especially as it has to be left on the doorstep. Some were ordering things off Amazon so they can do things around the house…..maybe I am just a very boring person

Watched The Favourite https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5083738/ which is period film about Queen Anne, based in the 18th century..and when that finished, I watched the rest of Bohemian Rhapsody https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1727824/

Other than that…not much to say today….most of it spent trying to complete my manuscript….Oh…and still waiting for PHE to contact me….

Oh, nearly forgot… Today’s football shirt on twitterverse (from SelfIsolation Groupchat) is.. Athletico Bilbao. Another Groupchatee is growing a plant and waiting for it to bloom.