My COVID Story: "I had 4 COVID patients, out of which 3 were unstable"

Laura J describes the difficult process of healing patients and the difficulties that the medical staff go through. Here's her experience
Recovery is an active, not a passive process. I agree with your exercise plan, easing into your workout plan. Yoga is wonderful. The deep breathing and calm for the mind is fantastic and most often under appreciated. Deep breathing is important with the COVID virus as it helps to pop alveolar sacs with oxygen and not fluid.

My last shift at the hospital was rough. I had 4 positive COVID patients, 3 were unstable and one was stable. Also I was taking care of them in the Emergency room bays. Little isolated rooms with cardiac monitor showing vital signs, a stretcher, and a sink. No bathroom. We set up a bedside commode. No flushing. But 2 of my patients were on 15 liters of oxygen being delivered via oxygen masks to their nose and mouth. Their oxygen saturation only about 92-93%.

Anytime they take small movements in the bed to sit on a bedpan, their oxygen levels drip down into the 70%s and it takes about 10 minutes to recover. And I was nervous they won’t recover and we may need to intubate them. I had no nursing assistant and we were severely short staffed. The people that we need to care for in the hospital. We are not baby sitters.

You are sick with the virus? Stay home. Quarantine. Get a pulse oximeter. Feeling short of breath? Check your stat. Only go to the hospital if it’s less than 92% or 88% if you have lung disease. You are not entitled to a room when you don’t need one. Our beds are for patients that really need us. Heart attacks, pulmonary embolus are side effects of this virus. We manage those things. Patients don’t admit themselves, doctors do. Please respect that. Respect the medical field. Obviously you have no experience as you say it takes so much time to find a nerve to start an IV. It’s a vein that we are accessing.


Did you fight COVID-19? We want to hear all about it. ETimes Lifestyle is calling all the survivors of COVID to share their stories of survival and hope.Write to us at toi.health1@gmail.com with 'My COVID story' in the subject lineWe will publish your experience.DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article should not be considered as a substitute for a physician's advice. Please consult your treating physician for more details.