Tulsa doctor reflects on nearly one year of pandemic
CHICKASHA — For Dr. Stanley S. Brown, a member of the internal medicine program at the Oklahoma State University Medical Center in Tulsa, the sudden
emergence of a novel coronavirus in the beginning of 2020 was a moment of trepidation.
“Like everyone else, I had no idea what to expect at the very beginning. Was this something that was going truly change the world as we know it, or was this a `sky is falling' event that was going to pass within a few weeks?” he said.
But this 2002 University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma graduate quickly began to see that this virus was indeed going to become a major public health crisis.
“When the numbers began to become truly staggering, I was very nervous
— for myself, my family, my coworkers and friends,” he said. “We saw the numbers rise on the coasts and in other countries, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the wave crashed down on our region and state.”
Brown was in the first group of Oklahomans to receive Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, getting his first shot Dec. 17 and the follow-up dose Jan. 7 at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa. While he did notice “a little bit of diffuse muscle aches with some minor fatigue the following two days” after his second dose, he stresses that this is a completely normal part of the vaccination process and should not be a cause of concern at all.
“Mild temperature elevations, fatigue and muscle aches are not uncommon when your body is initially building an immune response with the aid of a vaccine … and no, the vaccine cannot and will not give you COVID-19,” Brown said. “I have had multiple friends and family ask me if I'm concerned about the potential long-term side effects of the vaccine. My answer is: if I'm alive 50 years from now to see what those `unknown, possible, unlikely, future' side effects perhaps may be, then the vaccine did the job.”
Brown said being vaccinated not only protects him from the disease, but safeguards his family, friends, coworkers, patients and everyone else he comes into contact with.
“I think everyone has heard about the concept of super-spreaders in some
form or another,” Brown said. “There are people who contract the virus and are completely asymptomatic. That's very lucky for them, however they can unknowingly infect many others, and some of those people potentially are in the high-risk population.”
Brown said he worries that people will let their guard down after their jab and will stop wearing masks and practicing social distancing. He cautions that the vaccines are not a silver bullet and that it must work in tandem with these other measures to defeat this virus. Brown and the others on his team have been working hard to do just that, but it has tested everyone's limits.
“This has definitely been the most challenging experience throughout my medical training,” he said. “The nights in the ICU were very tough emotionally on all of us. There were nights you had to make phone calls to multiple families, letting them know their loved one died. I definitely leaned on my fellow residents in my program for emotional support, both inside and outside the hospital. I've never been in military combat before, so I would never compare anything to that experience; however, treating patients during this pandemic with my fellow residents at my side is closest thing I could imagine to being dug into a foxhole with others. You rely on them, and them on you, when making decisions for your patients that could mean the difference between life and death. I can't say enough about how our attending doctors, nurses and all staff members came together over this last year.”
Overall, once the pandemic has subsided, Brown said he hopes that this experience will make people realize how interconnected our world is.
“You can't sustain day in and day out stressors of this magnitude without having a healthy outlet and others to help you get through the most challenging times. I like to think of myself as an independent person who has been capable of tackling most challenges life has thrown my way. Going through this pandemic has given me much more insight into the importance of mental health,” Brown said. “I'm hoping the silver lining in this whole pandemic is we learn the importance of caring for ourselves, and being there for our fellow human beings. This is what will ultimately help us as a society overcome the adversity we face on a daily basis.”
To register for the vaccine in Oklahoma, go online to vaccinate.oklahoma.gov.