Hi everyone, I'm new here. My dad's been in the hospital due to Covid-19 since March 28. He's 57 years old.
Here's a quick timeline of events:
- Dad was intubated on March 30th. From March 30 - April 10, he had ups and downs on the vent settings.
- April 10: Dad suffered a septic episode. Docs originally said it was due to a bacterial infection but they did not find any culture growth in his bloodstream. My theory is it was viral sepsis due to the covid. Dad suffered kidney and liver damage.
- April 12 - 22: Dad's kidney and liver damage completely reversed without need for dialysis (so thankful for this!). Dad was slowly weaned off sedation and began to show signs of responsiveness
April 22nd-April 30th: Dad's oxygen requirements began to lessen (40% FIO2, PEEP of 5, pressure support ventilation). Dad got a trach and peg on April 30th. (2.5 weeks ago)
April 30th - present: Dad has improved a lot over these 2.5 weeks. He came off the ventilator on May 8. He is currently on 28% FIO2 through a trach collar.
His nurses allow us to talk to him through video call, (he uses a speaking valve with his trach) his short and long term memories seem completely intact, and he is aware of his surroundings and is calm and lucid. He was stepped down to a lower ward (CDU). He works with Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy. Today, speech therapy gave him some ice to see if he can swallow it. He did swallow it and everything was fine, and was telling us about it proudly.
He seems a little "off" still, which I think is a normal part of recovery. He doesn't smile much, but he does cracks jokes here and there. He barely blinks, and it seems he's looking off in the distance instead of looking at us. He's still very weak physically, and is going to be moved to a rehab center this week to get his strength back. He has regained his forearm movement and can move his legs, but usually doesn't unless the nurses ask him to.
I'm wondering how his recovery will look moving forward. My main question is -- when he comes back, I want to dedicate as much time as I can over the next 6 months - 1 year, and just help him get back to his baseline. I'm just confused on where to start. I'm thinking of taking a nutrition class to figure out how I can help him with his nutritional needs. Does anyone have any tips on how I can make sure his recovery goes as smoothly as possible, and help to encourage him and make sure he doesn't feel sad/lonely/disheartened etc? Any tips would be so, so appreciated.
Thank you all for taking the time to read my dad's story.