And then we got sick

Despite the theives oil and the neti pot, despite the vitamin C in mega doses, the zinc, the vitamin D, despite self-quarantine and meticulous, nurses’ handwashing techniques and bleaching (yes, bleach) down doorknobs and light switches and toilet and sink handles…we got sick. Being in service, being in the world, has its risks, after all. Fortunately, the symptoms began in quarantine, and so no one else was affected. Small comfort.

The first surprise was that my husband, who has a chronic condition, would not be seen by his physician, despite his symptoms which mirrored those being splashed all over tv and internet; cough, low grade fever, exhaustion. Because he was not having difficulty breathing specifically, we were advised to keep him comfortable at home, to keep him out of the hospital if possible. Tests in NYC were not available, we were told, unless you showed up at the hospital. We tried NJ where we live. Each testing center filled up before we could even get to the pre-screening. Nothing. Sick with fever, I drove an half hour away to a testing site for healthcare workers. We arrived at 9am and the signs greeted us from the highway exit: “testing full”.

Finally, after a week of getting worse not better, my husband couldn’t keep down food or water, and we took him in. The first hospital, a 650 bed teaching hospital near us, had no beds, not enough doctors. After 16 hours in the ER we took him out. Our doctor advised us to go west, or north of the city, so we did. The hospital we chose, nearly an hour west of the city, took him in right away, oxygen mask on as they wheeled him in. A new chapter was beginning.

He has been in the hospital now for a week, on plaquenil, an anti-malaria drug, antibiotics for pneumonia, and oxygen. He will be discharged when he can hold his oxygen saturation level without the nasal cannula. He is considered one of the lucky ones. I have never been so grateful for nurses and doctors who show up to work no matter what. And I know that, once home, there is a long road ahead to fully recovered strength.

Self care has taken on the quality of spiritual practice in a whole new way. Something about facing loss of such magnitude fills meditation practice, yoga asanas, the long walk with the dogs, the preparation of ‘magic broth’, with a kind of reverence, with gratitude. It’s not, just now, about discipline, but about comfort and celebration both, union with life. I’ve planted some more medicinal herbs - chamomile and calendula and arnica. I’ve been steaming with chamomile and sea salt. I’ve been drinking marshmallow root tea, good for the mucosal linings of lungs and intestines. It has a funny, slimy consistency but I’m not complaining. For once I’m not complaining.

Friends and family have given a new meaning to the word ‘care’. The love and concern that pours in on a daily basis is sustaining in the most deeply essential way. Nectar and balm. Even relatives with whom I’ve had little contact in the past several years are calling to check in, their desire for our well-being rings in their voices like truth. We are naked altogether in this corona phenomenon. And it is a tender thing. I bow down to it.

Magic Mineral Broth (from Clean Soups by Rebecca Katz)

Makes about 6 quarts, prep time 10 mins, cook time 2-3 hours

6 unpeeled carrots, cut into thirds

2 unpeeled yellow onions, quartered

1 leek, white and green parts, cut into thirds

1 bunch celery, including heart, cut into thirds

4 unpeeled red potatoes, quartered

2 unpeeled Japanese or regular sweet potatoes, quartered

1 unpeeled garnet yam (sweet potato), quartered

5 unpeeled cloves garlic, halved

1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley

1 (8-inch strip) kombu (Japanese dried seaweed)

12 black peppercorns

4 whole allspice or juniper berries

8 quarts cold, filtered water, plus more if needed

1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more if needed

Rinse all vegetables well

In a 12-quart stockpot, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Decrease to simmer and cover pot partially, let simmer for 2 hours or until the full richness of the vegetables can be tasted. Add water if vegetables begin to peek out.

Strain broth through a coarse-mesh sieve. Discard solids. Let cool before refrigerating or freezing. Can be stored up to 5 days in refrigerator or 6 months in freezer.