Social Distancing: Welcome to my world

Social distancing used to looked down upon in our society.  Sit by yourself, you are being anti-social. Decide not to go to a function, but opt to stay home, you are a social recluse. See someone you know and greet them from a distance with a wave, you are not being very friendly.

Having a tracheostomy and using a ventilator to breathe means I am extremely immuno-compromised. Particles in the air go directly into my lungs, without being filtered by my nose and/or mouth. This means bacteria and viruses have immediate access to my airways and bypass the complex immune safeguards in the upper airways which prevent people from constantly getting sick. With a weakened immune system, I have been practicing social distancing for several years, but my methods go above and beyond what most people observe during this pandemic.

Most state governments require/strongly suggest people stay six feet apart from one another. Although this is better than making out with the person in front of you in line, six feet is not enough distance to protect you from air droplets expelled while talking. Most studies suggest social distancing begins to be effective at around 12 feet. (I think we all know this. If someone is sick in a room, instinctively we move as far away from the person as possible. We do not mark off six feet from the sick person and believe we are "safe". No we move as far away as we can, and we will often leave the room if we cannot get far enough away from the person.)

I constantly use social distancing any time I am out in public. At church, I sit in an area all by myself. (Being in a wheelchair, I can sit anywhere I can find floor space.) If I cannot sit by myself, I will move to the overflow room and find a place away from everyone. During Sunday School class, I get close enough to hear the teacher, but I try to remain at least 20 feet from anyone. In the rare event I go to the grocery store, I try to shop at off peak hours. I also try to go down aisles in which there are no other customers. If an aisle has a lot of people, I will skip it and come back when hopefully the section has cleared out.

I often do not have a lot of energy to go to social events, but there are times when my desire to attend a function outweighs my fatigue. One of the many factors which guides my decision about attending a gathering is where it is located and the current health of the community. If the event is to have a lot of people in a small enclosed space, I will skip the function. If the gathering is in a large outdoor area, I may go. Also, if it is cold and flu season or if there is a "bug" going around the community, I will often not attend. The likelihood of someone having the illness at the function poses a risk too great for my comfort.

One last way I try to social distance is by not shaking hands. I know everyone loves to do this, but I am always accompanied by medical equipment. Even if someone shakes my hand and I try to go wash my hands, I will then inevitably touch my wheelchair as I make my way to the bathroom. Now everything on the person's hands are on my wheelchair. If I wash my hands, as soon as I propel my wheelchair, the germs are again back on my hands. I try to resolve this issue by occupying my hands with the ventilator which is sitting in my lap. If someone wants to shake my hand, I will act as though I cannot let go of my ventilator. The person will usually change course and pat my shoulder or back.