Thursday Dec 15th – Freezing cold through to the bone, couldn’t get warm went to bed dressed for the Arctic.
Negative
Monday 19th –  Hubby felt ill with cough and cold.
I went to GP alone after cancelling hubby’s blood test.
I went to supermarket alone to get food shopping for Christmas.
Negative
Tuesday – My therapist texted as usual before my appointment to say he was
Negative so gave me a Christmas hug after our session.
Tuesday – Got home from said therapy session to be met at the door by hubby saying we have a problem.
He was Positive.
Sat on bench outside and tested.
Negative
Conference at a distance as to which rooms we were having- I moved out into spare room and lounge, he had our room and office. Worked well.
Wednesday – Rang CNS.
Got a sore throat, then by the evening a cough.
Positive
Oh no! (Or something that equates to that!)
This is where the fun starts!

The quest for Paxlovid
11.30pm Rang The Haematology ward as instructed by CNS.
Directed to ring 119- closed for the night.
Rang 111. Half-hour wait.
Explained I had CLL and was classed as vulnerable because of compromised immune system and tested positive so wanted to access Paxlovid.
Questions- what is CLL , what is Paxlovid, who told me I could ask them?
Followed by a myriad of diagnostic questions culminating in :
Have you been breathing in toxic chemicals?
Can you concentrate when watching TV?
Politely I told her no I was not in the habit of inhaling toxic substances and no I couldn’t concentrate on TV as my focus was getting Paxlovid as I had Covid.
Asked which of my symptoms were a cause for concern – answered all of them as they were symptoms of having Covid.
Went through every symptom again asking the question for every symptom I had disclosed.
Put on hold for 10 minutes.
Told I needed to be assessed for Covid and a nurse would ring me in about seven hours.
Three hours later I got the call, a lovely nurse asking what my symptoms were. As soon as I told her, she said I needed to ring the hospital where I was treated, explained I had already done that.
She asked if I wanted hospitalisation as it would take about 8 hours for an ambulance and it would be quicker if my husband drove me. I suggested that wasn’t a good idea as he also had tested positive.
Agreed I would manage my symptoms at home but no suggestions as to how.
She said she would get a doctor to triage me in maximum 24 hours.
Registered positive test on NHS website.
It confirmed a doctor would contact me in maximum 24 hours. Went to bed with phone by the bed.

Thursday –  6.15am text saying I had tested positive and may be eligible for treatment to prevent hospitalisation and serious illness.
Asked to contact GP or local hospital.
Alternative wait for doctor to phone.
Slept fitfully.
Thursday –  8.50am text giving me code to enter positive test on Covid website.
Tried to post on site informing no longer in use!
Thursday 9am Rang CNS who recorded my positive test on my hospital record and said they would notify CMDU, but because I lived 40 miles away I should also notify my GP.
Thursday – 9.15am rang GP reception who said they would log my positive test.
Thursday –  1.00 pm call from GP surgery saying GP had e-mailed CMDU.
Thursday –  3pm Call from DRI – lovely doctor who asked why I had treatment in Leeds. Said I chose a brilliant consultant who specialised in CLL. Asked me if I had active CLL so I quoted my WBC and lymphocyte count. He then found my last blood test results on the system and agreed I was potentially eligible.
He checked my medication and said I could have Paxlovid but only half dose as my creatinine levels are high due to previous Ibrutinib treatment .
Told me I could pick up the medication from Bassetlaw Hospital Pharmacy 6 miles away, gave me the number.
Told him my husband was also positive and going into the hospital wasn’t ideal.
Asked if a friend could collect it. Got the phone number of the pharmacy and rang friends who were out but agreed to collect it.
Rang pharmacy to give his name and asked what time they closed- 5.30pm! Incredibly early for the main district hospital in the area. Asked them if they could leave on main reception. Answer No!
Got in touch with friend who diverted to the hospital from their shopping trip.
He rang pharmacy saying he was in his way and would be there asap. By this time it was 5pm.
He arrived, parked and raced up to the Pharmacy getting there at 5.27pm as they were closing the hatch.
He persuaded them he could not come back the next day as he was going to stay with family.
They relented and opened up to get the box.
Arrived here at 6pm masked up and put it on the doorstep.
Took my first dose exactly 18 hours after testing positive! The dose was the full dose so assumed the doctor had changed his mind.
Sat and rested.
Started coughing and sneezing all the time and streaming nose, temperature went up to 38.6.
Went to bed at 10pm woke at 1am. Had stopped coughing. Took temperature – 38.
Couldn’t go back to sleep.
Talked online to my friend Seymour who was incredibly helpful sharing his experience of taking Paxlovid.

Friday – Got up at 6am took second dose and temperature 36.4! No sneezing runny nose or coughing! It worked!
AMAZING!
Was so relieved despite lack of sleep.
Oximeter delivered- stats 96.
Took again at lunchtime 97.
Again at 4pm 98.

Lessons learnt
111 initial triage staff aren’t medically trained.
If a positive Covid test had a dedicated number the 111 and nurse calls could have been eliminated.
If it had been triaged by the doctor it would have saved valuable time.
Always ask what time the hospital pharmacy closes!
Have a willing chauffeur ready to courier the meds.

Although my nerves were shot as whilst talking on the phone I was extremely breathless, all’s well that ends well.

Pfizer and Paxlovid are lifesavers.