We have been watching the ITV Drama 'Breathtaking' about a hospital ward in a hospital trying to deal with the tsunami of patients suffering from covid. It immediately took me back to the anxiety feelings I had when covid struck.
We'd moved to Suffolk in the May of 2017 and were happily getting to know the surrounding villages and places to visit. So when we were thrust into on-line orders and competing for delivery slots, it was stressful, although we did have dry goods in our pantry, milk and dairy products were our main needs. One week we decided to skip our attempts for a delivery and drive to a different supermarket in Lowestoft for a click and collect order. The drive was about 25 miles and was lovely, we were already fed up of not going anywhere and it had only been a 6 weeks! We took Nell with us, as she travelled very well and on our return journey to our delight, there was a Costa drive through. We got a toastie and a coffee and a biscuit for Nell. We stopped on the edge of a village in a tree lined lane, to enjoy them, the sun was shining, the leaves were green and we had a car boot full of groceries and in our freezer bag some ice cream; it was as though nothing had happened.
But of course it went on for a lot longer and 1000s of people died
This ITV drama was emotional and harrowing to see how it was for our NHS staff. Poorly equipped, understaffed and trying desperately to adapt to the unprecedented situation. Was it like how it was shown, as it really was, or just a story? I really believe it was just like that, Drs and Nurses at their wits end, trying to do their jobs but being told to let patients go home; some discharged back to Care Homes, where the rest of the people there became infected and 1000s died, to make room for covid patients. How stressful it was the ward staff taking orders from NHS England, but seeing the devastating results first hand.
I had to choke back tears at some scenes and the awful panicky feelings I had come flooding back. We were very blessed living where we were then, not many people, a large house and a large garden. We had planned not to grow veg, when we moved to Suffolk, but with lockdown, there was nothing else to do and Dh soon knocked up a raised bed and we grew everything. It kept us occupied and we were able to talk to our neighbours, our age and gardeners, over the fence. But my poor son was alone in a town about 3 miles from us. As soon as we were allowed to make a 'bubble' with a family member, he came to us and we sat 2 metres apart in the garden. We used to drive to his house with food bits for him and we left it on his door step, keeping the 2 metres distance. He still went to his local supermarket so was getting about, but self-employed he had no work, saw nobody and felt very lonely.
It was a horrible time for everyone and I shouldn't complain as compared to many people we were well cared for and in a very good situation. We totally self isolated and had everything we needed delivered. But I hardy slept, I worried and felt anxious all the time and I only coped because I had my lovely husband, who made cups of tea and toast in the night times. Nell loved it, as when we were awake at night she was with us on our bed.
If you haven't watched this drama, it is good with amazing acting from Joanne Froggatt, Bhav Joshi, Stephanie Street and Thom Petty, who was a Medic consulted on the drama. It is not an easy watch but well worth it.
The inquiry is still onward going,,,There were 227,000 deaths recorded from covid up to the end of 2022. There were 1,490 on one day in January 2021! Too many wrong decisions by government, parties, wrong information, the inquiries go on. We can only hope and pray that we never have to go through a similar situation.
We have never gone back to doing our own shopping and still have a weekly grocery delivery.
I never want to go back to that time.
Chrisxx
12 comments:
It was a very anxious time and I think we all still feel the impact of it all - and will do for some time to come.
And terribly badly managed by those in power.
xx
I've not been watching the drama on TV. Listening to the news at the time was bad enough and I have no wish to see it again.
I didn't feel as worried as you did - carried on doing things my way - but with a mask!
No we've not watched that programme, too harrowing for me. Yes lockdown was awful, we were lucky in that we lived in a small very rural farming community, surrounded by fields so at least we could get out for walks with the dog in the fields, in the knowledge that we wouldn't come into close contact with anyone. But it was awful not being able to visit friends or have them visit us, we felt very isolated. Fortunately, we never got Covid, although several family members did, and none of our relatives/friends died, or were ill enough to be hospitalised.
It was a very strange time and badly mishandled. Too many people profited from it and too many people were isolated and lonely. The haves and the have-nots in very different circumstances.
I watched the drama as well as you say it was a hard watch and the sacrifices our NHS made were amazing. Heather
Yes it was a hard watch. At the time I was just working in the care home's barn conversions and homecare. I had to change clothing between going to someones home and coming back to the care home, and vice versa, sometimes several times a shift. Medicines had to be moved as I wasn't allowed to enter the care home. I had to wait for meals outside in all weathers to take to my clients. We also had to change PPE between each client. This had to be done outside as the barns enter straight into the living quarters. To top it all we had people come to give us training on how to put on and take off PPE...the advice had apparently come from the TOP TOP TOP. I thought it was crap advice and voiced my concerns. I had been an assessor and it just didn't seem a safe way to go about things. We had to SIGN to say we AGREED with their training or we wouldn't have passed and it was compulsory to keep working. Oh and then of course we were given patients straight from hospital who had not been tested for Covid19. We had no direct deaths, however the pain of dying clients not allowed visitors until they were so far gone they couldn't say their goodbyes to their family was a really painful watch. One family lived abroad and couldn't even come then.
I still do occasional shifts at the home, it is such a caring environment and it was like we had to almost pause the care button. Of course we cared for our clients the best we could. But we couldn't do everything we wished for them by a long way. TOP TOP TOP still makes my blood boil!
Yes, I've been watching the programme each evening. Although it was harrowing I felt it was a very necessary watch. It was so well acted and gave us the true picture of the hospital side of things and not the Government's doctored view of things.
What I found hardest to see was the Covid-deniers and anti-vaxers and how they treated the people that were working their hardest in the hospitals, absolutely shocking and mostly brought on by mis-informed people on social media spreading lies and untruths, they should be ashamed of themselves.
Reading a lot of the reports on the series today, it seems it has brought a lot of very bad memories back for all the wonderful NHS staff who were working on the frontline.
It was fun when lockdown began - peaceful, good weather, quiet roads - but soon began to miss family. I plan to watch Breathless but haven't started yet. I follow the writer - or maybe her book was an inspiration for the series - on Twitter and I believe it was just as it is shown. Dreadful time for the NHS.
I never want to go back either. I was working in a skilled facility, we had to mask, gown, glove, and our patients were so isolated. No family visits and staff was overworked so no extra time to spend with them. And working in all that gear was miserable.
And then not being able to get out. It was a terrible time.
It is amazing what people went through during Covid. Such an awful time.
We had few deaths on this island until things opened up in 2022. We were well looked after as a population here but the isolation was tough. We could take daily walks but all social activity ended. We talked to people along the boardwalk periodically but always at a distance. It was so good when the isolation ended.
That particular program is not shown on our TV, over here, in the States. I didn't mind the lockdown, and I had a lovely garden to be in. I am still not going out and about much and when I do, I am still fully masked.
My sister and I started watching - but it was too painful. Her husband died alone in ICU of Covid
I noted that it was written by a Palliative Care Doctor who worked through the entire pandemic. I am sure it was a very accurate depiction- but too soon for us
Siobhan
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