Post Covid Recovery

[RWiltz001]

My dad contracted Covid 19 at the end of March and was admitted into the ICU and intubated on March 29. He was in ICU for 48 days and has been at an LTAC (long term acute care hospital) for 29 days. He had covid bilateral pneumonia. He was on the vent for 52 days. He has had the Trach for 43 days and now has a Trach collar (size 8).

He is awake and aware but has severe ICU muscle weakness and mobility. He is medically stable but still unable to talk, swallow or move his extremities very well if at all. His hands and feet are often swollen. He has been doing physical therapy as well as speech therapy. They also try to put him in a chair about 2-3 times a week for several hours and he tolerates that well.

Has anyone experienced this delay in talking, moving and eating post covid?

I know this will be a very long process to full recovery but not sure what to expect.

[Sepsur]

That is a long time to be ventilated. It took me an awfully long time to get over or rather rebuild the muscle and strength to do the things you speak about.

I had physio everyday and was made to sit out in the torture chair everyday.

Approximate times for recovery are 14 days for everyday you are in hospital

[RWiltz001 in reply to Sepsur]

Thank you for your reply and ongoing support to the entire community. Your responses are so helpful and encouraging!

[Sepsur in reply to RWiltz001]

I hope you father starts to show more improvements- it is worth making a note ( even a mental note) of small improvements week to week. I remember turning to my wife & mouthing that “ I had a mountain to climb”. It was said in the context of knowing at that time I still couldn’t stand up, sit or walk. She encouraged me every second by pointing out what I could do today and that which I hadn’t been able to the day before.

[Malletus in reply to Sepsur]

What makes you call it “torture chair”? Is it very uncomfortable?

[Ferham]

As Sepsur say's it's a long time to be ventilated, his recovery will be slow, slow and steady. It took weeks for my husbands hand's to allow the swelling to go down, his feet are still swollen now (7 weeks after coming off the ventilator ). Once he started to build up his reserves and determination and sit in the torture chair, he began to build core muscles. He is now able to walk slowly with a frame and is tackling stairs ( he also has drop foot and nerve damage ) . I'm sure your dad has lost a lot of weight and all his muscle, the NG tube and fortisips will provide him with what he needs until he wants to eat again . Again its taken 7 weeks for my husbands appetite to begin to return and his taste buds to resurface . It's a long road for your dad and your family. xx

[RWiltz001 in reply to Ferham]

Thank you for your reply and letting me know of your husband’s experience. This is very helpful in knowing this is apart of the journey to recover.

[rhonaf]

Hi there, well done to your dad, what a fighter. Im 52 and type 1 diabetic, I was intubated for 3 weeks, tracheostomy size 8 and home now. All muscles and joints hurt like hell and suffering from delusions, not sure what is real from my recall. Progress is slow but any progress is good, slow and steady. All the best