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When Dr. Owen O’Flynn lost his sense of taste and smell in late March, he wasn’t overly concerned. He did not even qualify for a Covid test at the time as his symptoms were not in the case definition.
After a few days, her symptoms subsided and she didn’t think about it anymore.
In late April or early May, he was in intensive care and wondered if he would ever get out.
Kerry’s 23-year-old doctor experienced a horrific attack from what is now called ‘Long Covid’ and was so ill he thought he might die.
“My heart tracing showed signs of damage as did the enzymes in my heart. Two days later, my oxygen levels dropped and a chest X-ray revealed a new injury. I was informed of a new post-Covid syndrome that began to be reported in Italy, which is generally seen in children.
“So they re-sampled me, the results showed that I had had a Covid-19 infection around 4-6 weeks before. Later that night I quickly deteriorated.
“My oxygen levels dropped and in the space of a minute I couldn’t finish a sentence. Due to how quickly I was deteriorating, I entered the ICU.
“After the analysis of my scans, the decision was made to lie face down; We occasionally do this for Covid-19 patients who are intubated in the ICU to improve lung function. If I didn’t improve, they would put me in a coma and intubate, ”he said.
Fortunately, Dr. O’Flynn improved, but not for long.
“My heart function began to decline to a third of what it should be. So at that time I had two major system failures as part of the post-Covid syndrome; both acute respiratory failure and acute heart failure.
“At that moment I started to wonder if I would ever leave the ICU, would I die there?
“I came to accept that if I did, everything possible would have been done to prevent that from happening. The ICU doctors were supporting my heart with medications to ensure that my blood pressure was maintained.
“Those two or three days were probably my lowest point. I was in constant contact with my girlfriend and my family, but I also received a lot of emotional support from staff and friends. Fortunately, everything began to slowly resolve.
“I was discharged from the ICU ward and a week later I was discharged home.
“It was by no means fixed when I got home. I was walking out of breath around the house and was in constant contact with the physiotherapists at Cork University Hospital to monitor how I was doing, ”she explained.
Dr. O’Flynn says that even after being released from the hospital, he was terrified because he was in “the realm of the unknown.”
He says it took him six weeks to regain a sense of normalcy and he still experiences reduced levels of physical fitness due to his illness.
“While older people are at higher risk of contracting Covid-19, this virus can still have devastating effects on people of any age and there is no real way to know who will deteriorate and who will overcome it without serious symptoms.
“I am 23 years old, I maintained a high level of physical condition and I ended up in the ICU due to Covid-19.
“I urge anyone who thinks they are immune to the most serious effects of this disease to think twice and follow public health advice,” concluded Dr. O’Flynn.
Online editors
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