General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHudson mom Amy Driscoll shares her 'brutal' encounter after being diagnosed with coronavirus
https://www.cleveland.com/coronavirus/2020/03/hudson-mom-amy-driscoll-shares-her-brutal-encounter-after-being-diagnosed-with-coronavirus.html?fbclid=IwAR2ibu6TXGA1DJ0BQlQV_FFeXQ66akPeAh2CZVig4J4PsLJbKT-It5My-ks
snip>
CLEVELAND, Ohio Amy Driscoll knew she was in trouble when she woke at 3 a.m. on Thursday and was having trouble breathing.
The 48-year-old Hudson womans first thought was the flu; shed been feeling a little run down and feverish the day before. Still, she was worried.
Her new symptoms a racing heart, a terrible headache and a hard cough had come on fast. And shed never felt quite so sick before, even when she was hospitalized for pneumonia, she told The Plain Dealer in an interview Sunday. In the back of her mind, an unwelcome thought surfaced: coronavirus.
Health officials had reported Summit Countys first case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, only days before. Across the state, the number of cases was steadily climbing as testing increased. People were getting the illness who had no known exposure to it, a phenomenon called community spread.
COVID-19 is a respiratory illness with symptoms similar to those of the flu fever, cough and shortness of breath that has infected 37 people in Ohio as of Sunday night.There are no medications approved to treat it and wider testing only became available last week in Ohio.
Driscoll texted her cousin Molly, a pediatric nurse who works at University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center, to get some advice.
Her temperature was 100.2. She was struggling to take in air. She told Molly she was worried she might be getting pneumonia again.
The cousin told Driscoll she needed to go to the hospital, but to call first. Emergency room staff at UH Ahuja told Driscoll to call the Ohio Department of Healths coronavirus hotline first. No one answered.....Molly told Driscoll to sit tight and called the emergency department herself. She told them her cousin was coming in.
end>
MyOwnPeace
(17,609 posts)Thanks for posting.......
FarPoint
(14,940 posts)A " first hand story" adds to the visual impression.....can be motivating.
MyOwnPeace
(17,609 posts)Indeed it is - far better than a dry "clinical" explanation of what might happen or what to expect.
handmade34
(24,056 posts)FM123
(10,385 posts)"She was struggling to take in air. - this just shows how hard it hits someone, yet there are folks out there saying ignorant things like it's just like a bad cold.
uponit7771
(93,532 posts)uponit7771
(93,532 posts)Joinfortmill
(21,668 posts)FarPoint
(14,940 posts)I thought this could help by sharing ..
Our healthcare system is so broken, and this pandemic is shining a spotlight on it.
Kick in to the DU tip jar?
This week we're running a special pop-up mini fund drive. From Monday through Friday we're going ad-free for all registered members, and we're asking you to kick in to the DU tip jar to support the site and keep us financially healthy.
As a bonus, making a contribution will allow you to leave kudos for another DU member, and at the end of the week we'll recognize the DUers who you think make this community great.