Is he going to make it?

[Feelingbetternow]

One of my dad’s best friends who is 68 years old is in the hospital with COVID. He has been like a father to me after my dad passed away years ago. He has elevated CRP, ferritin and d-dimer. His chest xray showed worsening infiltrates today. He has been prone for 10 days. His pulse ox is around 90 on 7L O2 and the nurse said they did one ABG on the 27th which was normal. He has not been intubated. He was very breathless today when I spoke to him.

What questions do I want to ask about his care or to find out more about his status? I feel so helpless. I know everyone has experienced this. I am just so scared for him. Please share your experiences or any thoughts you may have. I really appreciate it.

[LeopardGecko]

The good thing is that they know so much more about Covid than they did the first time round as they have learnt from past experiences.

My husband contracted Covid while in hospital after a long ICU stay and things looked very bleak but he has managed to battle his way through and has weaned off of most of the support and just requires a little nasal oxygen now.

I only asked about the medication he was being given and whether he was on CPAP, BiPAP, Vapotherm or nasal oxygen as this told me his progress as he weaned off them but I know other people would probably like to know all of the facts and figures. Feel free to ask them whatever it is you want to know and if you want more detail than they are giving you then don't worry about asking questions.

I would recommend looking at the positive stories shared on here as hopefully they will provide some comfort to you.

I hope you get some more positive news soon x

[Sepsur]

@LeopardGecko said - the medical staff know so much more about how to treat this virus. That must be very uncomfortable being proned & conscious - why isn’t he intubated? Is this how they are treating Covids now? Is this a procedural decision?

I hope he turns a corner soon.

[DrARDS]

It’s a toughie, but hold on in there. If he’s getting exhausted, intubation may well be the answer, but that comes with it’s own risks.

They pushed for that more during the first wave when my Dad got ill, but I think now their treatment strategy is to delay this for as long as possible.