by dylex31
I was terrified. Over two weeks ago, my dad began having the typical symptoms: fever, bodyaches, fatigue, etc. He immediately went to the VA hospital to get tested. Three days later, it came back positive, and he went to the hospital to begin treatment. From then on, it was downhill. His conditioned worsened gradually. He was first using a nasal cannula to receive oxygen. We would be able to Facetime for a few minutes at a time before he would get too tired. A couple days later he needed to switch to a non-rebreather. A few days after that, he had to be put on a ventilator and sedated. It’s been eight days since he’s been fully awake and since I was last able to see him over Facetime. Every day we would talk with the nurses and his doctor. Lab results have been up and down, but my whole family remained optimistic during this time. Yesterday the labs were pretty good.
A couple hours ago, his nurse called us and said his condition improved by a lot. They said they were moving him off the ventilator and sedation. Just a few moments ago, he was awake enough to be able to talk to us. To be able to see his face, cracking jokes while still slightly sedated, was so relieving.
I am fortunate enough to have him back. Despite his age, health predispositions and years of physically damage from the military, he was able to recover. Conisidering the news, stories, and statistics I’ve seen and read, this is truly remarkable. I’m thankful for all the nurses, doctors, and healthcare workers at the VA hospital for saving him, and for all the friends and family that have provided my family support to help us stay positive.
This isn’t over, though. For all of the healthcare workers, grocery store employees, home delivery people, and all the other people who are taking care of all of us in different ways across the world, I am so thankful for your efforts and appreciate everything you have been doing. For all of those who have been personally affected, I am hoping for the best for you. Nobody deserves to go through this.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading this.