So despite being recently vaccinated, I caught COVID a few weeks back. Then I generously passed it on to my wife, who has some immunodeficiency issues .
It has hit us both pretty hard. After almost 4 weeks for me, three and a half for her, we’re both still coughing like crazy.
She went to the doctor this week and was diagnosed with pneumonia. A few days later I started experiencing rapid heartbeat and extreme shortness of breath after very light exertion. After a CT scan today, turns out I’ve got Pulmonary Embolism (blood clots in the lungs).
So I’m spending the night (or longer) in Emergency, and my wife is at home taking antibiotics and coughing a lot.
Stayed overnight in Emergency, waiting for an Ultrasound and Echocardiogram. Bad timing on my part, both services are understaffed on weekends so I’m staying in hospital until at least Monday.
Still in Emergency, waiting for a bed to become open upstairs.
After that it sounds like I’ll be on blood thinners for 3-6 months, or for the rest of my life, depending on the Ultrasound results.
I’m sorry for anyone that contracts COVID, it’s certainly a very unpredictable mongrel thing - I hope things are on the up and you both recover rapidly !
Just got released from hospital, after waiting around 4 days for the Echocardiogram. The ICU got filled up last night and I got bumped at least a couple more days. so they decided to put me on the outpatient list and let me go home.
I’m breathing a lot better with the blood thinners, and my pulse and O2 levels have been stable, even when walking around (I’ve been wearing a self-purchased O2 monitor pretty much full time for the last several days). The release form said I could pretty much resume normal activities, but I’m going to monitor things pretty closely for at least the first few weeks
Cough is still there, but it’s slowly subsiding.
I’ve got an appointment with my family doctor for next week, and am going to ask for a referral to a specialist so that I can get some answers that the intern couldn’t/wouldn’t provide.
Thanks to all for your concern and good wishes. Another reason why this forum is the best place on the Internet!
My wife is slowly getting better as well. The antibiotics seem to be working on the pneumonia, her voice is almost back, and she’s coughing less now as well.
It was frustrating to be stuck in hospital and not be able to take care of her, but her adult kids came out from the city to help out for a day or two, and one of the neighbors brought over some food so she didn’t have to cook.
Now that I’m back home, hopefully everything will smooth out for the both of us.
Coughing has pretty much subsided for the both of us.
I’m getting more and more energy back, and was able to mow the lawn this week (and I’m still alive). I get a bit weak and dizzy if I’m doing any exertion in the sun, but if I’m in the shade, it seems okay. My blood pressure and pulse is a lot lower than before, probably due to the blood thinners (It’s been as low as 94/55 pulse 60 after waking up, around 105/75 pulse 70 after standing up out of bed. Prior to this I was usually 120/80 pulse 75 in either situation)
My wife is getting stronger as well. She has some long standing mobility and energy challenges, but she’s able to walk for several hundred meters (yards) at a stretch without too much problem, which is pretty good for her.
We both get a bit winded after that much exertion (normal for her, a new experience for me). But all in all, I feel like we have both come through the worst of it, and are getting better.
I will be seeing an Internal Specialist within the next week or so, and will hopefully get a treadmill stress test to check on my lung and heart capacity,. I’m booked to see a Hematologist in September, and they will probably have me take new CT and Ultrasound tests to determine if the blood clots are going away, about the same, or getting worse. So for now it’s a matter of waiting and gathering my strength back.