COVID-19

[john]

The elephant in the room.

 

Before I had COVID-19 I thought it was a bit like a bad cold for most people. I was pretty isolated at home and mainly got shopping delivered. I thought I was pretty safe.

 

Then, one Thursday evening my head started spinning, my balance was going, and the pain in my head was incredible. My breath became quite short, accompanied by the occasional cough which caused my head pain to explode each time. My temperature soared to 39 degrees. I had had bad head colds before but this was on a different scale. For that reason alone I suspected COVID-19.
 

So next day I got a test. It came back positive a day later. A friend who had just got home from hospital told me to get an oxygen saturation meter. If your oxygen saturation goes below 90% you need to phone for an ambulance. Once it is lower than 90% it can nosedive and is one of the biggest killers at home. So I ordered one from Amazon.

 

Next day, Sunday, the oxygen meter arrived about 7pm. My wife Karen was 88. I was 87. Damn. I called the emergency line. We were both admitted to hospital and put on oxygen. Lucky we did that. Apparently there was a chance that if we had just gone to bed that night, one or both of us might not have woken up.

 

Statistically each of us now had a 1 in 16 chance of dying.

 

We were now on a regimen of steroids, antibiotics and daily stomach injections of anti-clotting agent. I forget how many times my blood was taken, but it was a lot! Several times a day. A few days in, I developed diabetes type 2, bad enough to be having to take medication everyday for the foreseeable future. Normal glucose level is 5. My glucose level, 18.

 

We both went through the first six days very similarly. My wife was off oxygen, but now had pneumonia. I developed a lung infection, a urine infection and an eye infection.

 

Day 7, COVID had a second go at me. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but a percentage of COVID patients will experience a second wave of COVID about day 7. They kept increasing my oxygen but my saturation kept well below 90. My temp went back above 39. I was fighting for my breath.

 

I got to about 16 or 18 litres of oxygen and was being assessed for being intubated and sent to intensive care when my temp stabilised and my oxygen saturation stopped getting worse. So, thankfully, no need for high dependency or intensive care. Statistically if you go to intensive care with COVID you have a 1 in 4 chance of dying.

 

So I was on oxygen for days, getting antibiotics, stomach injections steroids, anti-diabetic meds.

 

I had never thought of secondary issues being triggered by COVID-19 but it seems to attack your system in such a way that it finds weaknesses and exploits them. Additionally, the steroids they give you, suppress the immune system so they can tackle COVID-19 more effectively. Unfortunately it leaves your body vulnerable to infection, hence my infections and Karen’s pneumonia.

 

7 days fighting to breathe later I was off oxygen. What a horrible experience. Once I got home I was told not to exert myself. I didn’t realise just how true that was.
 

I had lost 20 pounds in 12 days.

 

I have been home from hospital 3 weeks today. I am exhausted walking across a room. If I keep going I am soon back breathing heavily and then coughing and fighting for breath.

 

Don’t be complacent. You really, really don’t want COVID-19. Wearing a mask, if you can smell something, you can inhale particles someone breathes out. If you can catch a cold you can catch COVID-19.

 

Take it seriously. Stay safe. Be vigilant. Believe me, it is nothing like a cold. Nothing. You might hear stories from some who barely have symptoms. I figured you should hear the other side.

[Peggy]

John, I am so happy you and Karen got to the hospital and received the needed care to bring you guys through.   It was hard to read what the two of you experienced.  Take care and take the time to get better.  Peggy

[ImKeN]

Damn, bro. I'm so relieved that both you and your wife survived the virus! What a close call! So proud of you too for your victory. I hope you guys are recovering well and I hope the damn virus doesn't come back to haunt you again.

 

I have a collaborator friend in the US who also went through the fight with COVID, it seems she was able to keep it at bay mostly by living a healthy lifestyle - she's a health freak! I wouldn't last for long if I ever catch the virus; I'm a heavy smoker.  

 

Thank you for sharing your unfortunate meeting with COVID. Gave me shivers just reading it.

 

Ken

 

 

[Mahesh]

Cheers to you and Karen for the strength you brought to the moment. Glad both of you are finally out of danger and are feeling better. Rest well John.

[The S]

We've had people close to us, not our immediate family and friends, but too close to comfort, who have actually lost their fight against Covid-19. We, I, take it very seriously.

 

So glad to hear you're back home and feeling (somewhat) ok, the both of you.

 

All the best,

 

Peter