Welcome to Jumanji…

I saw this on Facebook the other day and thought it was appropriate for the times. But on Saturday, I’m pretty sure I started to hear the beating of drums (you know...the ones that signal danger in the movie Jumanji). I had landscapers here finishing up the last of the sod in the backyard, the kids were helping with sod prep in the front yard, and I kept coming inside to check on Big Ben. He hadn’t been feeling too hot for a few days and had been sleeping most of the day. I checked his SPO2 (oxygen saturation levels) throughout the day and he never got over 86 and I was growing more concerned as the day wore on.

By 6:30pm, I called the on-call home health nurse and asked her what to do. She told us to go to the ER and get checked. I loaded Ben in the van and off we went. He was swabbed for COVID, poked, prodded, and had x-rays galore. Nothing explained why his O2 levels were low so they sent us home with oxygen and told us to follow up with our primary care doctor. Sunday morning came and Bronx comes in to our room. He casually mentions his frustration about not being able to taste the Dr. Pepper I had purchased for him and that he couldn’t smell it either. BIG. RED. FLAG! (More Jumanji drums) They must have asked us four or five times in the ER the night before about losing taste and smell. Bronx wasn’t super sick. He’s had a stuffy nose off and on since February due to allergies, but no high grade fever or other warning signs I’ve been watching for. But I knew immediately that he had COVID when he said he couldn’t taste or smell anything. Off we went to get tested. I wasn’t allowed to go in because he is 18 so I waited outside in the parking lot and prayed. 2 hours later he emerged from the ER with a positive result.

Yes, we officially have someone positive for COVID in our home. My emotions have ranged from panic to frustration to completely overwhelmed in seconds. It is literally one of my worst fears coming true. I have spent the last 6 months making sure that my family diligently cleans surfaces, wears a mask in public, washes their hands, social distances, and more. Our home has 8 highly at-risk people and now it is here. We don’t know where it came from and we don’t know anyone else who has it.

Big Ben continues to require oxygen and is feeling worse than he was on Saturday. He still has a low-grade temperature, his nausea has returned, and he swears a rhino ran him over….twice! We are praying that it does not get worse for him. Bronx and Jaymon are doing fine other than being frustrated about not going to work, not being able to taste or smell, and Bronx is a bit tired. But those dang Jumanji drums are beating in the background and we could use all of the prayers that we can get. With so many at-risk people here and not knowing when it was contagious, we are all in the red zone for catching it. Please pray for us. Please pray for Ben (who will get re-tested at some point) and Bronx and Jaymon. And whomever started this stinking game…please put it away. We could all use a break!