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Magdalena Rydberg, Nurse at Uddevalla Hospital
When covid-19 spread across the world and finally to Sweden as well, medical care in the country changed to cope with the wide spread of the infection.
In the Uddevalla Hospital and the Magdalena Rydberg ward, they were told that they would switch attention to covid care two days before, through the media.
– We were completely set, you could say. Until lunch the same day, we had to empty the patient facilities and then prepare to receive covid patients, says Magdalena Rydberg.
She continues:
– It was the worst day of my life. It was chaos.
Never forget the first covid patients
In his ward, people with multiple illnesses are cared for and the people receiving care in the ward are considered so bad that they cannot even cope with intensive care.
Magdalena Rydberg.
Photo: Private
You will never forget the day the first covid patients were received.
– For the first time in history, we all sat together outside of the staff in the dining room and had lunch. We hear how the front door opens, how two members of the ambulance staff come with three covid patients in full uniform, says Magdalena.
She says she was silent for a few seconds and a great common sigh was heard from all the staff members. In just a few hours, they received ten patients who required covid care.
During the summer, the ward received “regular” medical attention again, when the spread of the infection subsided. But in December, it was time to reopen the covid service department.
– It has been very hard, at the same time, an incredible experience. But it has worn out on one. I feel good under the circumstances, but many of my colleagues have had covid and several have resigned, says Magdalena.
“Watching someone die in a panic is horrible”
In the room, Magdalena and her colleagues have seen patients who have fought for their lives, many of whom have not survived the virus.
– We were allowed to be there for the patients because the relatives could not be there. It was terribly hard. Seeing someone die in a panic because they can’t breathe, and that we can’t do more than give them oxygen masks … It’s horrible, says Magdalena.
She talks about all the conversations she and her peers have had with family members to announce that their family members will not be able to handle it. She tells how they had to turn on the speaker phone to be able to say hello.
She tells how her husband and wife were treated at the same time for the covid, but in different neighborhoods.
– A nurse told his wife that her husband was dying. The wife in turn received greetings through the nurse to her husband that she loves him and thanked all the years they had. It’s horrible, says Magdalena.
Disappointed with the laziness of the people
Therefore, she feels angry that many people choose not to take the virus seriously, knowing how deadly it is.
– People have focused on scolding the government and Anders Tegnell, when it is their own responsibility. If everyone had done what Tegnell said, it wouldn’t have happened that way. I have more or less isolated myself and only spend time with my children. Frustration with people’s laziness is annoying, because they don’t take the virus seriously, says Magdalena.
Now Magdalena hopes people will think of an additional round, but she also hopes the vaccine will slow the spread of the infection.
– I understand with all the right people who do not dare by horror stories with swine flu and narcolepsy. But is the alternative to not getting vaccinated better? We may not be able to eliminate the virus completely, but we can keep it at a sustainable level, Magdalena says.
She continues:
– I don’t want 16 patients, four of whom are dying and I don’t know who to prioritize first.
Jonna Blomborg, nurse in the dialysis department at Östra Hospital:
In the dialysis department of Östra Hospital in Gothenburg, nurse Jonna Blomborg and her colleagues work with patients who need to purify the blood in the kidneys.
They also had to change their attention when the first coronary fall came to Sweden.
– It has been a delight mixed with horror. They didn’t think it would happen, they thought it was something that was happening in China. Then he came and we’ve had a lot to do since then, Jonna says.
She also remembers the first time they had to wear protective masks, something that still evokes emotions today.
– It’s heavy to breathe, it’s hot and at the same time you have to stay alert and not make mistakes, says Jonna.
Considering quitting
At first, logistics work was hard work, says Jonna. They first needed to change premises, as they were on the third floor and it was not possible to reach their premises safely.
– There has been a lot of logistics in general with patients and staff. Staff who get sick and have to stay home, unable to go to work with symptoms. Then we will be fewer people at work, says Jonna Blomborg.
Jonna Blomborg (left) and her colleague.
Photo: Private
If at first you felt challenging and tense, as Jonna explains, today it has turned to fatigue and anger.
– When you find yourself so close to death and the least unexpected dies, then many thoughts about your own life come to mind. You are often told not to mistake someone for work, but that affects my privacy. So you wonder how long it lasts, says Jonna and continues:
– I have been a nurse for eight years in the same workplace, but today I have lost faith. I’m starting to feel like I have to look for something else.
Jonna: “I don’t feel appreciated”
She feels that she does not feel appreciated for the work she does and that the hospital management, among other things, does not value the staff and the work they do.
– I can’t keep quiet. When I get angry, I cry when it gets too much. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster, says Jonna.
Based on the workload, you have seen people “relax” at big parties, which in turn has affected caregiving. She encourages people to think.
– We have been doing this for a year soon. Everyone yearns for the normal. The frustration in me is that I have to go to work and think a lot, otherwise I run the risk of getting infected and maybe taking it to the hospital. Then it will be frustrating to see the public celebrate Easter, the summer solstice, Christmas and the New Year in a big way, he says.
Emma Gustavsson, Nurse from Stockholm:
Emma Gustavsson from Kinna in the municipality of Mark works in a hospital in the Stockholm region in a ward with multiple patients and the elderly.
She describes the spring crown as very special and that everything was fast.
– From hearing about a single case in Sweden to being in the middle of something that can be compared to a war zone. You felt like you weren’t enough and you wanted to do much more than you could, says Emma Gustavsson.
Has he himself been infected by the virus?
At the same time, there was great uncertainty about the safety of the protective equipment at the time. In Emma’s apartment, they were constantly receiving new directives and recommendations about the protective equipment they used.
– How dangerous was the virus? How sick can I be myself standing in the middle of this every day? When will it end? Says Emma.
Like many other nurses across the country, Emma faced difficult situations with seriously ill patients who passed away.
– I remember it like yesterday when I personally had to leave my first death notice to a worried wife. Or when I was in protective gear and trying to squeeze out my own tears, while holding a phone to a deceased patient’s ear so a grandson could sing one last song for his grandfather, Emma says.
Emma Gustavsson (right) along with her colleague Isabell Karlsson (left) are in protective gear.
Photo: Private / Private
Emma herself has been infected with the virus, but says she managed to escape easily.
– I feel good. Of course, you are tired and exhausted after a different and stressful year, to say the least. You have filled your backpack with varied experiences, but depending on the circumstances I feel good, he says.
Emma: “We have worked like animals”
In Emma’s room, attention is still under great pressure.
– We have been working like animals since last spring and have not had a chance to catch our breath before the second wave started. Many are very tired and have canceled their summer and Christmas holidays, he says.
What do you want for 2021 and the future?
– I hope the end of the pandemic. That things you previously took for granted should become obvious again. I hope the caring professions have a higher status. We work day and night, on vacation, and literally save people’s lives. So I hope the politicians and the government will take it with them after this year because it has never been clearer what a good, professional and important job we all do in the health sector.
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