Last post I mentioned that DH needed to isolate from me for two weeks because he was exposed to the youngest daughter’s cold. She has recovered. He is fine. No one has any symptoms. We have a week of isolation left. The two of them have been super isolated at our cabin for the last week, but he needed to come home to work a little. There’s no internet at the cabin and he has work-related errands. So he came home, but he is staying outside, using outside water, sleeping in the 1974 blue Volkswagon van that has a bed in the back. I put his dinner and breakfast out on the patio. He ate, then sprayed the dishes with cavicide and left them on the table.
I continue to keep in touch with family and friends. I am working on writing emergency provisions for the midwives in my state, and adjusting my practices to lower the risk of infection to my clients as much as is humanly possible with the information that I have.
I was astonished to hear that the-person-whom-I-cannot-bear-to-call-President seems to have a realistic grasp on the seriousness of the pandemic. If only he had realized it at the end of January.
Am I repeating myself? The pictures from New York make me cry. The Empire State building flashing a red and white light like an ambulance sent a thrill of fear through me. I love New York like a it’s a person. I love the museums and the stores and the people. I love the restaurants. I’ve walked nearly the entire island of Manhattan. I love Central Park. It hurts to see the suffering.
Yesterday was Doctors’ Day. It made me think of the role doctors have played in my professional life. As a young midwife, I was taught to fear and mistrust the medical community. I had a raging case of Dunning-Kruger syndrome; I had no recognition of what I didn’t know. However, hospital staff were rarely welcoming and inclusive. They would ignore our reports and exclude us from care decisions. But I grew. I became an EMT. We became licensed in my state. Those two things improved my practices, and I learned what it meant to be part of a team. Licensure legitimized the profession and gave us credibility with other HCPs. The first time I was in the ER with an ambulance patient as an EMT, and I was asked for my report, I was included in patient care inside the hospital and I was listened to by the nurses, I had a feeling so unfamiliar that it took me a whole day to identify it. It was respect. I felt respected.
Gradually, positive professional encounters increased. Then, when I got cancer, I had to really convince myself to trust my oncologist, and I’m glad I did, because his treatment plan worked. Now, I have so much gratitude for the doctors who have provided me with care, who have been on my team and who have saved my life because they are good people who want to help. My friend Karen, an accomplished and highly respected oncological breast surgeon and cancer survivor, whose generosity and knowledge saved my life; her oncologist, Dr. Kaplan, who consulted with me by phone for free for 20 minutes and convinced me to have the most aggressive treatment available. He saved my life. My dear friend and wonderful PCP Jenny, whose direct admonition to get a damn mammogram saved my life; Dr. Tieu who thoroughly tested me for hyperparathyroidism and skillfully removed the offending gland. She saved my life.
Jenny, my PCP, is also a colleague, and her openness and willingness to work with midwives changed the culture in our area. Jenny, Dr. Parker and team delivered a baby who was born after an emergency transfer for a complete placental abruption. They saved two lives that day. Doctors who took care of the baby I delivered with a severe heart defect saved her life multiple times. Doctors have received transfers from me and have done emergency cesareans or have patiently waited for slow vaginal deliveries. They have been wonderful providers, stepping up when they had to, at three in the morning or five in the evening. I could not safely practice midwifery without them. Sometimes they’re grumpy (but so am I), sometimes they are warm and helpful. I want them to know that this midwife is grateful for them.
The doctors and nurses who tuck their fear into their back pocket and walk through the hospital doors to take care of COVID patients put their lives at risk every minute of every day. Yesterday, a group of them flew from Georgia to New York to help out. That’s one of the bravest things I have ever seen. It’s became a cliche to express gratitude for them only because we are doing it so often these days. And although I am inspired by Doctors’ Day to write this, I am keeping in mind all of the hospital staff: CNAs, dietary staff, social workers, chaplains and of course the heroic members of environmental services whose work reduces infection risk for others while putting those staff members at significant risk.
I know we are all in awe of what our doctors do every day. We are entering a new era of respect and trust for them, and for life-saving technology, I hope.
And now to cocktails.
Last blog I wrote about simple syrup. Here are some ideas for flavored syrups that need a long infusion time. They are mostly woody or seedy spices. Once you make a flavored syrup you can use it in any cocktail and in fruit juices or sparkling water to make non-alcoholic drinks. I have a goal of using inexpensive ingredients that many people have on hand, and that don’t take nourishing food away from the daily menu. Be creative and try new things.
Spices to Make Flavored Syrups
Infuse 2 tablespoons in just boiled water for 20 minutes. Strain. Squeeze spices to extract all of the flavors. Measure liquid. Combine in pot with an equal amount of sugar. Bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Cool. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Use any one or any combination of the following
- coriander
- star anise
- fennel
- whole cinnamon
- whole cardamom
- vanilla beans
- cloves
- allspice
- nutmeg
- fresh ginger
Experiment. Try new things. How would cumin be? Szchechuan peppercorns? Dried Rosemary? Enjoy!
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