Woman warns against stoic sickness attitude
Ignoring advice to self-isolate or symptoms of infectious diseases might be an inconvenience, but it could ruin another person’s life, a Nelson woman hospitalised with complications from the flu says.
‘‘A simple contagious flu isn’t just a flu for some people, it can be life-threatening and/or seriously compromise their health,’’ Jen Grant wrote in a social media post. ‘‘So please, think about others and stay home if you think you may have Covid-19 or any other contagious illness.
‘‘Also, stop being dumb and stocking up on toilet paper.’’
The post has been shared more than 28,000 times in less than four days.
Grant said she was prompted to act after reading comments online from people disputing the need to self-isolate on arrival to New Zealand.
‘‘There was one guy in particular coming over from Australia who said he wasn’t going to selfisolate for two weeks because it was going to ruin his holiday – I thought, ‘Well, it could actually ruin someone’s life’.’’
She said the aim was to remind people that any viral or bacterial illness – not just coronavirus – can cause major health complications if passed on to someone with lower resistance, such as herself.
The 22-year-old has endured a tough time of her own, battling the effects of Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) brought on by the flu. Last Monday, Grant was in Nelson Hospital drifting in and out of consciousness, vomiting and going into shock as her kidneys started to shut down.
DKA is a serious complication of type one and occasionally type two diabetes. It occurs when blood sugar is very high and acidic substances called ketones build up to dangerous levels in the body.
‘‘My blood sugar levels were sky-high, and when you’re battling a cold or flu, you don’t really eat or drink, you just want to sleep it off.
‘‘With diabetes, you kind of have to get up every hour or so take more insulin. I didn’t have enough insulin on board to fight the virus, and everything went downhill real quick.’’
Her hospital stay was complicated further when medical staff discovered that Grant and her partner were at the recent Tool concert in Auckland which was attended by a confirmed coronavirus patient. She spent two days in isolation while she waited for her coronavirus test results, which came back negative.
She was discharged from hospital last Wednesday and given a medical certificate until last Friday, but opted to remain in self-isolation for a few more days. With 30 other staff at the motorcycle dealership where she works, it was a decision her employer had no hesitation agreeing to.
Her partner also stayed home with her during self-isolation, having been with her during her hospital stay.
‘‘The Kiwi culture is like that, where you’ll battle on until you’re on your deathbed, but in the last couple of years especially, given how quickly I get something, I’ve realised I pretty much have no immunity around other people.
‘‘A lot of people say they need to work and pay their mortgage – I get that, I’ve got to pay my mortgage too – but it’s also thinking about other people.’’