21/12/2020
The most challenging year as a health worker
I have worked as a nurse for a little over a decade now and by far, this year happens to be the most challenging of all for obvious reasons. Just when I was hoping for a good year as I mark my 10th year of doing what I love, COVID 19 interrupted rudely. Medical practice and in fact, life in general had to take a different approach.
In the beginning we thought it wouldn’t get to Africa any time soon or even if it did it wouldn’t last this long alas, we were faced with our worst fears.
I remember the first day news broke that COVID 19 had finally reached the shores of Ghana, I was on a night shift, we had a bit of a scare but we quickly put in measures for pre-triage screening and usage of hand sanitizers vantage points before morning. Mandatory wearing of nose masks and hand washing was not a thing at the time but it gradually crept into the safety protocols for COVID 19.
I volunteered to help with the screening but anytime I was put on schedule to screen, I got anxious the night before and stayed awake most part of the night till morning. I could even imagine myself getting infected and thinking of the unthinkable.
I recall how my colleagues and I had to quarantine for the first time after we came into contact with some patients who tested positive. That was the longest 2 weeks of my life. Waiting for test results was a nightmare and to think that I had played with my sister’s 6 month old baby the day before got me extremely worried. I got all the symptoms of COVID mentally. All of a sudden, my throat became sore, I could feel my body was warm to touch and I had a bit of a dry cough. It was funny how this only happened before the test results came out negative. After that, I have done a few more tests.
One day, I was just there at home all by myself because I had moved away from my family, and suddenly broke into tears. If you ask me why I cried, I can’t answer because I couldn’t even tell why. I was just overwhelmed with increasing cases and deaths at the time and couldn’t hold back my tears.
What broke the camels back for me was when I lost the doctor I was working with to COVID. I was shattered and devastated. I couldn’t work for some days and I was scared to take the test again because the last day he worked, I worked with him and I used his PC after he left. I was scared I’ll test positive and die like he did (May he continue to rest in the Lord).
Fast forward, I was assigned to the covid isolation unit, but this time I was not scared. I took consolation in the fact that all my colleagues who had worked there before me did not get infected. Rather it was those at other departments who tested positive. We wore full PPEs and even got breathless after some minutes when attending to patients. Our glasses got foggy within minutes and talking too much gave us headaches and even made us dizzy. We had to do our jobs regardless. We will come out drenched in sweat from heat in the PPEs, and couldn’t wait to get out of it. But now, are used to it now. It’s the new normal, and I’m loving it there.
I didn’t intend to write such a long post, but as I stay up at work at this time all that comes to mind is my gratitude to God for keeping me in these turbulent times as a health professional. My sanity was on the line but thank God it didn’t get out of line. GOD IS A GOOD GOD !!!
Kudos to all health workers. We have fought well this year. I pray for grace and resilience for the next.
