Covid variant; The Delta virus is alive and thriving

It all began one week after the granddaughter spent the weekend with a friend. This 15 yr. old returned home and 1 week later her friend called and said she tested positive for Covid. Soon the granddaughter was feeling exhausted, weak and c/o of a headache and sore throat. Two weeks later I was having the same symptoms and another week passes and the husband is now c/o of the same symptoms.

I was vaccinated as soon as it was offered here; back in the day when you had to make an appointment and age based or medical worker was the first it was offered to. The husband refused the vaccination; he wanted to wait to see how it affected those that took it. Finally he voiced he was going to get vaccinated but it was too late. He was ill. 

Originally I thought I just had a serious ‘cold’. That was until the husband got sick and I knew from monitoring him, there was no doubt now that we had Covid. Weak and unable to get out of bed the days and nights dragged on. As an RN, I was concerned about his being hospitalized and being intubated. Every two hours I was taking his temperature and doing 02 sats on him. Reading of 88 on sats had me holding back panic. 

The next days were spent encouraging him to cough and take deep breaths and to get out of bed and sit up. As husbands go, they are lousy patients. Listening to me was just his wife nagging. He grumbled and complained and was not on his best behavior. Frequent checks on his 02 and temperature left him angry and complaining that I had woke him up. Many times I would stand quietly by the bedside watching his breathing patterns while he slept. Again at the two hour mark it was time for another assessment and my 2 hour ass chewing. Holding my tongue, I didn’t respond but using my best nurse voice I would softly tell him this had to be done. I was trying to keep him out of the hospital.

Each time he got a dose of Tylenol for fever, I would ask him if he was in pain. Loudly he would tell me “of course I hurt”. In hind-site I realize I should have explained to him that with each intervention on a patient we had to assess the efficacy of the action and chart it. If no relief from the complaint we tried something else or called the physician for further orders. This is just natural operating procedure in nursing but I think he didn’t know so each time I assessed him was a point of bother to him.

As the days passed, getting him out of a bed was a challenge. Every day I asked if he felt any better and the answer was a weak “no” followed by a “I just want to die”. Big alert…when a patient says that, you know it has to be bad.

Today on day 9 he got out of bed without me nagging and sat in a chair in the living room. “Are you feeling any better?” I asked. His reply “a little”.

We may have turned a corner. That “a little” reply was a reason to hope that there was recovery in the near future. I’ll have to wait and watch for the next days to see if he is really on the recovery route. 

I may be able to get in bed soon before 4AM. I’ve been operating on a few hours sleep a night as I was to afraid to not at least stand by the bedside while he slept to monitor his breathing pattern. 

That’s all I have for now. A nap today is in my future. Close monitoring on his status…and my final words…GET VACCINATED. My bout with Covid was much easier and quicker on recovery.

Stay safe, stay masked and get vaccinated!