Jimmy

I texted my wife, “I’m scared.”

CALIFORNIA, DANVILLE: When Covid hit, I appreciated that my hospital was proactive and immediately took steps to protect both staff and patients. In previous years, during the Ebola outbreak, the hospital trained staff on proper use of PPe and developed isolation protocols for treating infected patients. There were dedicated staff watching to ensure that all safety protocols were being followed.

I was worried that if the Covid outbreak overwhelmed the hospital, I’d be working long hours and would have less time with my family. Since Covid began in China and we are Asian, I worried about discrimination. Fortunately, nothing like that has happened in our community.

I was concerned for my parents, both elderly and my  mom is diabetic. Initially, the mortality rates for this age group were high.

I caught Covid in March, 2020, and wondered how it happened, as no one around me had been infected. Leaving work on a Friday, I was tired, not feeling well, but Covid was the last thing on my mind. Over the weekend, I  had a high fever that would not go away. I thought it was the flu. But my wife got me tested for Covid and it came back positive.

I was in shock. I went into quarantine, with no contact with my family. As the week progressed, I still had a fever and my fatigue increased. My wife made me go to the ER for an x-ray. Doctor asked me to get admitted after looking at the x-ray.

I was awakened by a doctor after the 2nd night and was shifted to the ICU. I was given high flow oxygen, and was told that if this treatment did not work, I would be intubated.

I was stunned. I’d heard that the odds of recovering after intubation were low. I texted my wife, “I’m scared.” 

Along with the oxygen treatment, I did a proning procedure where I had to lie on my stomach in order to rest the lungs. The protocol was 2 hours on stomach, 1 hour on back. It was a big production to make this happen. One staff member would have to completely gown up in PPE while another watched to ensure every precautionary step was taken. It was extremely uncomfortable, not being able to move freely with all sorts of wires and tubes connected to my body. Although I could only tolerate about 4 hours a day of proning, my oxygen levels improved.

I listened to comedians on my phone to get me through these procedures. Later, proning became a standard of care for Covid patients.

I was in the hospital 11 days before being released. When I returned home, I still had to remain in quarantine for 3 days. It was a tremendous relief when I finally was able to come out and connect with family and friends again.

I feel very lucky that I had the support of many people in my community, at my work and the unwavering commitment of my wife to ensure I got the care I needed.

She says there were prayer circles around the world praying for me. She also reached out through social media to share our experience. This seems to have helped some people.

My wife has an enormous network of friends. There was always food around when I returned home and the 25  pounds I lost in the hospital was quickly put back on.

I had some hair loss and blurred vision, but there are no remaining Covid symptoms. I’ve recovered my strength by walking and now feel okay.

I think it is important that everyone in America embrace the Covid vaccine so that we can get back to rebuilding normal lives as soon as possible.