“They are truly the jewels” - teacher praises St Bartholomew’s team after Covid-19 scare
Stephen, a 38 year-old teacher who lives with brittle asthma, diabetes and Crohn’s disease, was admitted to Bartholomew’s Hospital where he was tested positive for Covid-19. In this interview, he discusses his treatment and road to recovery.
When did you first suspect you might have Covid-19?
I noticed my asthma symptoms were getting worse, as I was using my nebulisers more frequently for two days. Then on the Friday, I had an acute asthma attack whilst cleaning.
My sinuses became blocked, and I developed an infection. I didn’t feel feverish at the time, and my symptoms were restricted to nasal only.
On the following Monday, I lost my sense of taste and smell and I became more fatigued. I had to remain in bed after washing my face, for example, and normal tasks became increasingly difficult. Anything I tried to eat or drink, even water, tasted metallic – despite treating myself with sinus medicine and honey or lemon with hot water (which tasted awful).
I started to develop a fever by Wednesday, and the exhaustion meant I laid in bed most of the time. I stopped eating food and drinking water became very difficult. By Friday morning, I had diarrhoea twice, which made me collapse on the floor.
I was brought into hospital with fever, respiratory symptoms, and exhaustion.
Can you tell us about the care you received at St Bartholomew's?
The staff at St Bartholomew’s Hospital were amazing. The doctors were open with me about Covid-19, explaining why I was developing dizziness and other complications from being exhausted. They encouraged me to ask questions, and the nursing staff took exceptional care of me, trying to make me laugh whilst responding quickly to any medical problems that arose.
The nurses also made me feel cared for, as they made me laugh, encouraged me to take their help, and I genuinely felt that all the staff really wanted me well, despite the enormous risk they were taking on the ICU ward with us patients.
The physiotherapy and occupational health staff were also fantastic, encouraging me to push further, despite my body wanting to stay in bed.
They genuinely cared.
What’s been the most difficult part of your recovery?
The most difficult part is accepting the slow recovery process and being dependent upon others. To lose independence at 38 is debilitating.
Despite many hospital admissions in the past, with ICU and resus admissions, I tend to get better quickly and able to go back to normal within a week after leaving hospital.
Despite being home for nearly two weeks, I am still fatigued, and the recovery is slow and sometimes it feels non-existent.
I need to accept that this will be a long recovery.
Do you have any advice for people recovering from Covid-19?
Accept all the help that is on offer. Any progress, no matter how small, is still progress. Keep practising your respiratory physio and other physio exercises as often as possible. Pace yourself with tasks, so if you shower, ensure you have time to relax as these activities will take a lot of energy out of you.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
All the doctors, nurses, cleaning staff, catering staff, radiologists, therapists (physio), care team who got me home – everyone went above and beyond to try and get me well.
Professor Clarke’s team were exceptional.
Do you have any other reflections on your experience?
I was angry about contracting Covid-19 initially, having shielded for weeks prior to being infected (and continue to do so). It is what it is, and I’ve learned to take better care of myself.
Although my own experiences with healthcare professionals has given me an appreciation for all NHS workers, this experience has certainly made me appreciative of the collective care of a fantastic team of professionals who all work together for the welfare of their patients, irrespective of the dangers they put themselves in.
They are worth more than a clap on a Thursday, they are truly the jewels of our economy, and deserve to be honoured amongst us all.
Find out more about our response to the coronavirus pandemic on our website here.