Renee Hemmerling shown with her children at her home in North Battleford. (submitted photo/Renee Hemmerling)

By Angela Brown

Taking precautions

North Battleford woman self-quarantined, awaiting COVID-19 testing results

Mar 14, 2020 | 7:03 AM

A North Battleford woman who showed early signs of COVID-19 said she and her family have been self-quarantined while she awaits results from tests taken this week.

Renee Hemmerling said a friend from Alberta, who visited her recently after coming back from a vacation in Mexico, later tested positive for COVID-19. Hemmerling experienced symptoms herself shortly after her friend’s visit so she decided to get tested.

“Sunday afternoon is when I saw my friend who had the positive test results a couple days later,” she said. “By that evening I was already exhibiting lightheadedness and dizziness. Monday morning I woke up with congestion and a cough, and throughout that day I started to feel warm. I didn’t take my temperature because I just thought I was getting a cold.”

Hemmerling was tested Wednesday at a North Battleford clinic after calling the HealthLine to make an appointment. She said the doctor who tested her, wearing a full head-to-toe protective covering and facemask, took two test swabs from each nostril. She is still waiting for the results. During her visit to the clinic, she only came into contact with healthcare professionals.

She was put under self-quarantine as well as her husband and two small children. Hemmerling heard it could take three to five days if not more for the results to come back.

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“They told me because I was already exhibiting symptoms that only I could be tested,” she said. “If any of my family members start to develop any symptoms then they will be tested as well.”

Because she has been in direct contact with an infected individual Hemmerling said her family is required to self-quarantine for 14 days if not more also.

When speaking to battlefordsNOW Thursday, Hemmerling said she was still feeling lightheaded, with some congestion and a bit of a cough.

“It’s hard to know what it is, other than the fact that I don’t feel 100 per cent,” she said. “I don’t feel like I have a lot of energy.”

“The whole thing feels like it’s not real; like it’s a bit surreal,” she added of the experience.

As far as staying home for the quarantine period, the mommy blogger said she works from home anyway, while her husband had no problem being allowed to take time off work to quarantine as a precaution.

Hemmerling was advised to wear a facemask around her family during the period.

“That’s hard for my children to understand because they just want their regular mommy back,” she said. “They don’t want to see a masked mommy all the time. That, emotionally, is quite hard.”

While the results haven’t come back yet, Hemmerling is concerned but says she tries to stay optimistic.

And, about that toilet paper issue, Hemmerling said she didn’t feel a need to buy hoards of toilet paper for the two-week quarantine period.

“Wash your hands; try to be hygienic,” she said. “You don’t need to go crazy stocking up on toilet paper. But I have runny nose. If you don’t have any toilet paper or Kleenex then definitely get some if you can, but don’t stock up for a year.”

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health reported Thursday, there is now a second presumptive case of COVID-19 in the province.

A spokesperson for the Saskatchewan Health Authority stated in an email to battlefordsNOW, individuals may be self-isolating at the request of a health care provider or at their own discretion. When a person is tested for COVID-19, any positive results are communicated to public health officials so the patient can be notified and provided direction about care. Once public health officials have contacted those patients, the Ministry of Health will issue a public advisory about confirmed cases “to ensure the public has appropriate risk information.”

—

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow