The Misadventures of Chavdakid: CHAVY-TINED??

AYOOOO!

What’s good guys!

So many things has happened in between the last time we spoke but I hope you guys have been keeping safe amidst everything.

If you’ve kept up to date with me for the last couple days, then…

…. you’re aware of how my life got flipped turned upside down (if you didn’t sing that, you’re too young for this post) in a matter of just 2 Days. You’ve also probably saw my Humor filled, seriously under toned snaps of the whole dilemma, if not you can click HERE and then come back to read.

In this post I’m going to breakdown detail by detail the Black Mirror Episode that I went through.

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF TRANSPARENCY AND MUCH NEEDED CHANGE. THIS ISN’T MEANT TO BASH OR CALL OUT ANYONE, SO FOR THAT REASON NO NAMES WILL BE CALLED WITHIN THIS BLOG POST.

On March 10th I ventured off to St Patrick’s Weekend to both experience it for the second time and also to curate content under my brand “Chavdakid”.

The ghettoness that is Covid -19 was now catching flights not feeling throughout the Caribbean but she hadn’t arrived in Antigua or Montserrat as yet

…..however this quickly changed as Antigua received their first case on March 13th and Montserrat on March 17th.

This quickly led to things getting drastic real fast.

St Patrick’s Weekend was now cancelled MID WAY and boarders were closed on both ends (Antigua and Montserrat) shortly after.

So yes, I was on the lovely island of Montserrat for basically 3 months, self isolating with the friends I was staying with, now considered family.

On May 15th, all patients in Montserrat had recovered from Mistress Rona and although certain limitations were eased up, the boarders still remained closed.

I still remained following protocols and self isolating with who I was with. Outside of short walks in our area we only ventured to the beach as a family and back home..

Outside of that it was basically Netflix, drink, eat, chill and repeat.

It was announced a few weeks later that Antigua Boarders were reopening on June 1st and there was a selected amount of charter flights going over from Montserrat to Antigua.

Articles were released stating that all returning Nationals were going to be Mandatory Quarantined.

It stated that there are two Government Quarantined Facilities (which were Hawksbill Hotel & what used to be Holberton Hospital) and you were going to get a choice of either or given the imposed $100 per night fee at the hotel inclusive of meal plans etc

I had no issue with this. Even tho I KNEW I was properly social distancing, anything could happen between the plane ride and home and I live with my parents so I’d most def do anything to protect them.

All information noted, I was tempted to wait till the boarders in Montserrat officially re-opened as I preferred the boat because the idea of going on this paper looking plane that can hold ONLY 7 PEOPLE?!

the only thing that went through my mind is I hope I can doggy paddle my way to Antigua if we go down.

CAUSE I CANNOT SWIM.

Me in my mind on my way to Antigua if the plane goes down:

HOWEVER, seeing that the boarders in Montserrat were announced to not being open anytime soon, I went beyond my fears and opted to do the “paper plane”.

On Saturday June 6th, I took the direct flight over to Antigua from Montserrat which turned out to be a enjoyably quick experience.

It took 20 minutes or a bit less and I felt very safe once unboard.

At around 11:45am I arrived at the VC Bird INTL Airport, ready to go through the mandatory protocols.

A nurse instructed that we sit under this red tent as we were entering one by one to get our temperature checked.

In between that wait time, we recieved a paper with a checklist. On this check list it asked questions as to If were in contact with anybody with Covid-19, If we were around anyone who had symptoms etc and the last part of the checklist was if we had any of the symptoms below.

Now just a bit of background on me, I suffer badly with Sinus and Dust Allergies. So my nose is ALWAYS running and my throat gets scratchy from time to time, at this point both were happening to me.

I try to be an honest individual and two of the symptoms were runny nose and sore throat so I said to myself I’d explain to the nurse of my condition and if I should check them.

At around 12:05pm, It was my turn to go up and I got my temperature checked which she ensured was normal.

I showed her my papers and I said before we continue should I have checked these two even tho I do know I suffer from sinus etc. She said are you having these symptoms now? I said currently yes but not severe, she said yes and I said okay no problem.

I also asked if it was true what they said about the Mandatory Quarantine in the two facilities, which she answered again YES.

Just to reinstate, I knew this was coming and would do anything to protect my family, so I had no issues with it. She said sit down and she’s going to return to me with some information.

About 15 minutes later, still at the airport watching everyone else pass me and go to collect their luggages she returned with some papers.

One of which was this:

She then instructed me that I was going to be carried to the hospital for a swabbing (covid 19 test) THEN I’d be transported to the Government Quarantine Facility.

She instructed me to sit under again, the red tent and then brought me a new mask saying it was a “better one”

Aka, yours cheap so here’s a durable one… AH SHAME

NOW MIND YOU, I’ve seen videos of the swab test and the length of the cotton swab which appeared like it could touch my brain stem was horrifying to me.

so I was just sitting there contemplating my life like…

After sitting down for about 45 minutes, I glanced across and saw this Big Van coming around the airport runway…

I said to myself, nah..somebody hurt or something?

BUT IT PULLED UP BY THE RED TENT..

A WHOLE AMBULANCE pulled up for me..

So I’m here wondering to myself, am I lowkey dead right now and seeing my afterlife? cause what the hell is happening right now.

After a awkward stare off with the driver for bout a minute, he says “IS YOU I PICKING UP?”

Me: uh I think so

He asked my age then he said “ALL YOU HAVE IS RUNNY NOSE AND SORE THROAT?!”

His expression reminded me of this

I was like yeah but I tried to explain but meh.

So now, I’m in the back of this ambulance and my guy puts on his siren so now cars swerving out the way, as they should when they hear a ambulance siren.

….meanwhile I’m in the back of the now speeding ambulance just chilling, eating my currant roll and watching Netflix on my phone like:

We arrive at the hospital, pull up in the Ambulance area and I’m now locked and sitting in this hot ambulance back, watched a full 46 minute episode of Blood and Water (great series btw) waiting to hear what is going on.

CONFUSED AM I.

Shortly after, a nurse comes in she looked like she was having a very annoying day and she was confused to why I was here, so the attitude? I felt every bit of it.

Her first question to me was: “SO WHY ARE YOU HERE?”

Me:

She genuinely looked as if nothing was communicated to her so I explained to her that the nurse at the airport said I was to come get swabbed then transported to the Government Quarantine facility.

She then started asking me a bunch of questions I didn’t understand the correlation to the whole Covid thing but one was “Do you have any allergies?

So I started to explain that I have sinus and dust allergies which is the reason for my “symptoms”

She didn’t let me finish, she cut me off in between my sentence and said in a tone “DO YOU HAVE ANY ALLERGIES?!”

…..

This is when I knew I was about to have a horrible hospital experience..

She checked my temperature again, which I was told it was normal and she checked me with the stethoscope and then left me to go inside.

Through the back window of the ambulance, a nurse came asking if I had anywhere home I could isolate by myself, I explained to her that I roomed with my brother and my mom and dad was in the next room.

Shortly after, they instructed me to bring my bags and placed me in this isolated room with just two stretchers, a sink and a slide in door and she told me to pick a bed..

Pick a bed?? Okay..

Confused still, I did and then she said “YOU MIGHT HAVE TO TELL SOMEONE TO BRING SOME CLOTHES FOR YOU CAUSE YOU GOING TO BE HERE FOR A WHILE”

I wasn’t understanding, she said results get sent off on Monday so I’d be here till Monday….

Me:

…….

Here till Monday? This isn’t a quarantine facility…

She left, closed the doors and for 2 and a half hours I was in this room just sitting, waiting.

After a bit I wanted to use the bathroom, so I opened the door and asked this guy where the bathroom is located because there was none in my room and also if I could talk to a doctor because as far as I knew I was just to be swabbed and transported to one of the two facilities.

I got told forcefully to go back in my room and someone will see me, I went and stood by the door and the same nurse came out with aN attitude and said “YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO COME OUT THE ROOM, YOU’D HAVE TO USE A BED PAN”

I asked her why was I here, she said a doctor going to come to me shortly.

I said am I going to the quarantine facility? What happened to hawksbill and holberton?

You know what she said?

…IT’S ABOVE ME, I DON’T KNOW.

I-

She then began asking me if I have any friends to go by and isolate by because I can’t go home and if I, ME can find a place for myself to go and quarantine they’d let me go….

That was so weird to me…

I wasn’t understanding why I’m now hearing I have to go through the trouble of calling around and finding a place when Government facilities were in place.

Oh btw, nobody came back with a bed pan or answers…

It is now 4:30pm, a lady (which I find out a day later that it was a doctor) comes in with a trolly and she said she’s going to take some blood from me. I wasn’t given any reasons why my blood was being taken but they know best right?

She opens my vein and then went to open a vial, between that time my blood is literally flowing out my vein unto my hand and unto the floor and my shoes.

She says nothing about it but OH! and took 3 vials of my blood, THREE.

She proceeds to then close the thing in my arm, puts tape over it to hold it in and says it’s being left incase they need to give me medication, Medication? I said so how long will this be… She replies “TILL YOU LEAVE”

Me: oh. ok.

Still not sure what’s happening, she continues with the actual swab test up my nostril…

LEMME TELL YALL, I TASTED THAT IN THE BACK OF MY THROAT! I thought that when she pulled it out, that a brain stem would pop out on it, cause oh nah.

0/5 would recommend

Before she left the room I inquired about what happened to the Government Quarantine Facility? Am I not going there? Can I talk to someone?

“I’ll find out” she says

*Oh btw, did I mention that I had to clean up the blood? ….yup

HOURS PASSED..

It’s now night, I’m now making calls to different people, senators who may be of an assistance and everyone’s saying the same thing….why am I not in the Government Quarantine Facility..

As I saw nobody coming in, I then slid open the door and I looked outside without coming out the room to see if I could get anyone to come and give me answers.

I saw a nurse walking in the hallway and I said hey and before I could continue to ask to talk to a doctor she yelled at me with a tone “YOU SUPPOSED TO BE LOOKING OUTSIDE?!”

….

It is now 7:08pm and this is when I began to document my experience publicly via my Instagram page.

It was so crazy what was happening that I couldn’t even help but laugh, I felt CRAZY and out of my mind. I was about to sleep on a uncomfortable stretcher in the clothes I had on all day, arm BOOMING cause ah aint bathe and I have no answers.

I had no answers for my parents and they were only called and notified about my arrival in Antigua, nothing else.

A nurse who I consider a friend, came and checked on me upon hearing I was there and she was also wondering why I wasn’t at the government facility, she even tried getting info and also was the only person to offer me something to eat.

After 9pm getting fed up I looked outside and once more being told to go back inside AGAIN, a lady came and brought me a cup of tea and something in a foam plate.

Before I took them I told her although I’m grateful, I really didn’t care for the food. I was seriously frustrated and wanted answers as to what’s happening, she pushed the food in my hand and told me to close back the doors..

Yall…

ALSO, this food was NOT made with love.

I’m not familiar with hospital food but It was cold firstly, NOTHING had taste and the Tea was flavored Water…

NOT EVEN A PACKET OF AIRPLANE SUGAR

A bit later I looked outside saw a security and asked him to pleaase call a doctor, a nurse came and I inquired AGAIN what’s happening and am I going to the facility because sleeping here isn’t ideal for me.

She said it’s above her paygrade and she’s not sure what’s happening. I said okay and I asked her nicely for some water to drink and also again for a doctor to speak to.

She clearly knew I love to party because she brought me two plastic SHOT GLASSES of water that were smaller than my index finger….

The whole day here and this is what I get?

again..

I was tired of waiting for something to happen so I just laid down and watched netflix as I couldnt sleep.

After 12am a male nurse came in to take my temperature I told him what was happening and he said he wasn’t aware as he just came on for the midnight shift.

He didn’t tell me my temperature but ofc I’m feeling fine so I didn’t expect anything.

At 1:02AM a new nurse came in, she was very very sweet.

She asked me if I was okay and said she saw my instagram snaps and just came on duty.

She explained that they said I suddenly had a high temperature so she brought paracetamols and came to check my pressure.

What?…

I was confused….

I said that cannot be right, can you check me again before you take my pressure and I go taking pills?

She said sure! She checked and said that doesn’t make sense, my temperature was 90 normal..

The other temperature reading was incorrect!

Me:

I said hey, do you know why I’m here?

She said well as far as she knows, I’m suspected of having a Covid Case

So I said oh okay but isn’t that what the Government Quarantine Facilities for?

She said yup but she doesn’t really understand why I’m here because nobody really is to be in this room for this.

At this point I just realized that I was some sick experiment cause I couldn’t understand why I was here at all, however I decided to try and get some rest.

WHO WAS I KIDDING.

Have you ever laid down on a kitchen counter? that’s how it felt sleeping on that stretcher and that wasn’t the only issue it was FREEZING COLD.

I’m anemic so I was shivering ! I had to place a shirt out my suitcase around my feet, after I put on long sweats and I had my hands inside my sleeves laying in fetal position on that bed.

Nobody came and check on me at all, So I suffered that entire night.

At 6:30am the next morning, I was pleasantly awoken by a lovely nurse who saw me suffering with my arms in my shirt and said “Nobody brought you a blanket?”

I said no, nobody came and check on me really.

She was so surprised and sent to get one and checked my temperature once more, saying she was told that I had a temperature before and I explained about the incorrect reading, she didn’t even know about that.

I even showed her the paracetamols still laying on the counter.

After getting the blanket, I finally was able to sleep a bit better and woke back up at 9:26am.

At 9:52 am, I got an Antiguan Styled breakfast which tasted great actually and I asked to speak to a doctor AGAIN.

Yet again no doctor..

Being in contact with my brother who’s a doctor, he was able to get me some clarification after calling someone in charge but still I was not understanding alot of what was going on and why nobody was coming to talk to me or why I was being held here and not the facility.

At 1:17pm I got a call from my Mom stating that PR called her complaining about me posting MY experience via Instagram and basically they wanted me to stop talking about what’s happening…

and this is When I got upset because you see me being treated unfairly, going through hell, nobody’s telling me anything and the most you can do is call my mom about my Instagram?

Calling my phone to give me clarification, knowing my number is on file was out the question?

I had to make outside calls to other family doctors to try and get me out of this situation but my Instagram is the problem?

So of course, I continued to document my journey, as humorously and transparently as I could.

#FREECHAVY became a hashtag and now everyone knew about what I was going through and was trying to get me help.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBI1Hk-gh36/

At 2:35pm, I got a call from my family friend who’s a doctor saying he spoke to the head and tried to clarify things that was happening and I found out that the hospital has never discharged anyone from the hospital to the Government Quarantine Facility and that there was no connection to it…

So why was I told in the beginning that I was going to be just carried swabbed and sent to the government facility?

Why could nobody in the hospital tell me this?

I was also told that they’re keeping me there till Monday for the results.

Then the weirdest thing happened, whilst still on the phone …

At 2:45pm, A nurse came in and said that a new doctor came on duty and she signed off my papers to go home….TO THE SAME FAMILY THEY TOLD ME I WASN’T ABLE TO QUARANTINE AT.

She was told about my situation the same morning, she doesn’t now about anything that I went through and she’s discharging me to go and Quarantine at home.

On the discharge paper, I was instructed to just wear a mask on around my family and await results.

…..

I said what? Not that I’m not grateful but I’m confused.. as I just got word simultaneously from someone in charge that I was being kept till Monday so how is it I’m allowed to go home? Especially when I was told that my home isn’t safe given my living arrangements..

I requested to speak to the doctor who signed off just for clarification and was also told that she’ll be notified but the ambulance is already on it’s way to carry me home.

…….

5 minutes passed, the doctor came and introduced herself and basically said that it’s just what she was told, and that..

“The hospital cannot hold me as it’s not a quarantine facility.”

At this point,

I feel like I went through unnecessary overwhelming trauma for no reason and although I was happy to come home, I left wondering if this whole experience was necessary.

So this was my experience from coming off the plane, expecting to be Quarantined, to being locked up in a hospital, treated so horribly and then just being let go..

Was I let go because my snaps were revealing what I went through? or because of lack of communication?

Please understand I didn’t write this for compensation or any sort of apologies.

That doesn’t matter to me, what I do care about is that someone else doesn’t go through what I did. I wrote this so someone could see and rectify the procedure as nobody should be treated this way.

This is something I’d never wish on anyone and if this is going to be our reality for a while, with nationals coming home and borders being now open, it needs to get better.

We need to listen more, communicate more and everyone needs to be on the same page.

Everyone isn’t going to be able to handle this as lightly and humorous as I did and as a person with a voice and a reach, this was needed to be shared.

There’s no way I should have to find out from someone on Instagram why you’re taking my blood when I’m literally in your care knowing nothing.

There’s no way I should have had to ask 100 times for a doctor to speak to for clarity only to have to call a family friend to find out information when I wasn’t even in his care.

I shouldn’t have had to post on Instagram, documenting an experience which could have been 10 times better if communication was fluent and everyone was on the same page.

I was truly ready and willing to follow the mandatory procedure and be Quarantined but not like this.

I’m grateful for the folks who helped via phone calls or instagramand to the 2 nurses who were so kind to me and did their best when taking care of me.

I pray this is read by someone who can help because we need to do better.

LET’S DO BETTER.

-Chavy