No, the "invisible enemy" did not get me. However, both my n95 mask as well as the corner of the shelf in my hotel room did!
When we were taught how to "don" all the PPE that we would be required to wear during our shifts, it was suggested to me to try applying moleskin to my nose underneath both the n95 as well as surgical masks that we would be required to wear for 8-10 hours straight (the nurses did so for 12 hour shifts). After having moleskin on my nose for 10 hours with an n95 and surgical mask and my glasses/eye protection on top of all of that, the moleskin was VERY firmly attached to my skin. Needless to say, it peeled off some layers of skin when I puled it off! This, followed by 4 more straight days of a tight n95 mask, surgical mask, and glasses wearing my nose skin down gave me a good start on the classic "COVID scar" on the nose that is so commonly seen on all our hospital workers.
When we were taught how to "don" all the PPE that we would be required to wear during our shifts, it was suggested to me to try applying moleskin to my nose underneath both the n95 as well as surgical masks that we would be required to wear for 8-10 hours straight (the nurses did so for 12 hour shifts). After having moleskin on my nose for 10 hours with an n95 and surgical mask and my glasses/eye protection on top of all of that, the moleskin was VERY firmly attached to my skin. Needless to say, it peeled off some layers of skin when I puled it off! This, followed by 4 more straight days of a tight n95 mask, surgical mask, and glasses wearing my nose skin down gave me a good start on the classic "COVID scar" on the nose that is so commonly seen on all our hospital workers.
Another few days, and some spreading inflammation and redness around the blistered and abraded skin, made me start worrying that I would go to the epicenter of the CORONAPOCALYPSE to take care of COVD19 patients only to end up dying of MRSA! How would that be for irony?? Luckily, I have some Bactroban antibiotic ointment with me and cleared the redness/infection(?) and started the healing of the skin....
Not to be outdone by moleskin and an n95 mask, the corner of the shelf above my desk attacked me one day when I stood up after working on my computer. I was worried that I would have to go to some urgent care in COVID central for stitches, but luckily, as I looked in my mirror, it was only a fleshwound that responded to pressure to (mostly) stop the bleeding. However, it was not fun explaining to everyone that saw me and asked just how I received my deployment injury, which was quite obvious with my shaved head...…
No comments:
Post a Comment