Getting Tested

My mother is in assisted living in NC.  She has diabetes where daily insuliln injections are required as well as dementia.  Couple that with being 83 years old and she is in the prime neighborhood to contract COVID-19.  In a facility with about 45-50 residents, she was able to dodge those bullets until about 4 weeks ago when a personal care individual who only saw one person on site (not my mother) gave it to one of the residents.

Within one week, 6 residents had contracted, my mother being one of them.  After the shock and all the thoughts of "Well, this is it, time to make funeral arrangements since she's got about two weeks", cooler heads prevailed and we quickly learned she was asymptomatic, meaning she was currently contagious and could spread it to others but she was showing no symptoms. (Worcester correct me if I'm wrong)

They quickly transported her to a facility about an hour and a half away from her assisted living residence in High Point, NC that could handle COVID-19 patients plus all of her maladies.

She was there about two weeks before they tested her once and then 24 hours tested her again looking for 2 successive negative tests.  

She is still testing positive.  So they have retested twice again in succession.  They say this is normal and it can take up to a month to clear the human body.

In this case with being asymptomatic, the dementia seems to help in that she is oblivious to what is going on or doesn't want to understand or comprehend the precarious position she is in.  She is very fortunate to be in the asymptomatic group.  It doesn't mean she is free and clear because the symptoms can show up still at any time (Is this correct,worcester?) but so far so good.  We just got thrown into OT, that's all.  

Hopefully by the time of our first Celtic Zoom Call, she will be back at her assisted living residence all clear.  They did deep clean the whole place since she's been gone and no one residing currently has COVID-19.

Just wanted to let you guys and gal know!  It's been a bit of a roller coaster ride, but it could have been a whole lot worse.  I haven't seen her face to face in well over 3 months now as they closed the facility to visitors since then.  We did get her new clothes, bedding, etc. and threw out a bunch of old clothes she had.  We washed the ones the nurses gave us before she left for High Point.  

Also looking forward worcester's insights as well if I have missed anything.

db

Yep. Completely helpless comes to mind first. Prayer has helped for sure. But sometimes OT is required! Thank you, Rosalie.

db

dboss,

Is it an instant test or do you have to wait a few days for the results?

db