2. 19. 39. 52.
Those aren’t lucky lottery numbers, but instead the digits represent the climb to the current number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state of West Virginia, and Paula Esposito had been left to wonder if her name will soon appear on the listing.
She went for testing on the first day Wheeling Hospital initiated off-site testing at Wheeling Park. First tent, three tests for strep throat and two strains of influenza … negative. Then it was onto the second tent and the coronavirus test. Deep throat swabs. Uncomfortable, for sure.
But nothing was worse for Esposito than the wait involved, and finally, fed up, she called the COVID-19 Hotline this morning, got a human on the phone, and yes, it was a no. Negative. Whatever has made her feel so ill is not the coronavirus that has killed nearly 1,100 Americans as of this evening.
“I immediately called my doctor and made an appointment,” Esposito explained. “Nothing could be done until I found out my results. No prescriptions or anything like that. But now that I know, 5hank God, I can go back and hopefully start to feel better.”
An Anxious Time.
She’s a substitute cook for Marshall County Schools and also works as an administrative assistant. Esposito is a mother, too, to three children, all of whom are in need of special needs care.
“Keeping them safe physically and mentally through all of this is my top priority,” she said. “And I need to feel better to do that effectively.”
It all started on March 18 when she traveled to Ohio County to be tested at Wheeling Hospital’s off-site testing location at Wheeling Park. It was the first day of operation and more than 160 individuals from the Upper Ohio Valley showed up with worries.
“I have been sick since March 2. I had a fever of 104 for several days (with) chills, body aches, dry cough, sore throat, and horrible ear pain,” Esposito explained. “Flu/Strep tests were negative at Rapid Care. I went on antibiotics, but they didn’t help. Symptoms feel better, but I have some other complicated medical issues and was actually concerned that my symptoms are from brain/spinal cord disorders that I have.
“That is what started this journey,” she said. “Because of my symptoms and because my employer had recently been out of the country, I was advised to be tested for Covid-19 so that they would know how to continue with my medical testing.”
The First Day
The hospital’s off-site location is the first of its kind in the tri-state region, and one has been added in Hancock County this week. Lou Vargo, director of the Ohio County EMA, said the testing process normally extends to 15 minutes.
“The experience was very easy,” Esposito recalled. “They were very well-prepared, and it ran very smoothly. Then, you call the Covid-19 Hotline. They pre-register you by phone. You are given instructions to go to the site at Wheeling Park and have your license ready for the officer. Show him through your window. Don’t roll it down.
“Once he verifies you are supposed to be there, you move on to the Homeland Security unit and are again verified. Next is the tent area for flu/strep testing. You sign a consent and then get tested,” she said. “You pull up and wait for those results. If they are negative, you drive into the second tent and are tested for Covid-19 and are given instructions to follow for self-quarantine. You are told that you will have results within 24-48 hours.”
So, Esposito waited.
“The next morning after testing, I got a call from the Hotline asking how I was feeling and saying that the results should be here soon. After 48 hours and not hearing about results, I called the Hotline,” she explained. “I was told that the waiting time had been pushed back to 4-5 days. On the fifth day, I called and was told that those results were all sent to Quest Labs in California and that they didn’t know why they haven’t heard back yet.
“On the sixth day, she said that they had doctors working on this and trying to find out what the problem is,” Esposito continued. “She told me that nurses were calling all the people on the list and letting them know what they are doing about this. No one has ever called me again after the first call on the 19th.”
Living Worried
So, she waited some more while the symptoms raged on during good days and bad says.
“I am still struggling with chills, aches, low grade fevers, sore throat, ear pain, headache and shortness of breath with activity,” Esposito said. “I have a day that I feel better, then I’m right back to feeling awful. While we wait so long for the test results, we can’t go see a doctor because we are quarantined, and there is only so much they can do over the phone. The WVU Medicine telehealth line did not work for me yesterday when I was feeling really bad.
“I have been frightened of the limited medical care we can get while quarantined,” she admitted. “It’s mentally challenging to wait with these concerns. Anxiety levels are high. I do watch the news and briefings and read a lot about it. I’ve tried to limit that the last couple of days, though.”
Finally, however, Esposito now knows she is not suffering from the COVID-19 coronavirus, and, while the good news has improved her mood, her journey to good health continues.
“When Ohio County Health Department posted about new cases (Wednesday), people who were all tested the same day and the same place came together with our concerns,” she said. “It has helped us by being able to talk about what is going on with us and to have people who understand the anxiety we have over waiting so long for results.
“We all have symptoms,” Esposito added. “We all need medical treatment and cannot get it until we know. It’s very frustrating.”
