My mom got Covid end of August in 2021. She was 83 going on 63. Very active, golfed, volunteered worked and took care of her home and yard. She dealt with mild and varying symptoms for 2 weeks at home. We thought she had it beat and was feeling better. Then within 3 days she had a hard time breathing, was extremely weak and could hardly eat. Her oxygen level dropped to 80 and I decided to take her to the hospital for maybe an iv and some oxygen.

They decided to admit her. I didn’t know it would be the last time I saw her.  At first mom was offered food and water. She was told not to talk on the phone to her adult children because it caused her oxygen levels to go down. Two days later they told her she needed to be ventilated. The nurse called me and I had to give her the ok, as my mom did not want to be ventilated but the nurse told her and I (by phone) that she needed it. We had to consent with no other option.

The next day her lung collapsed and the following day the tube used to inflate the lung wasn’t working and caused blood to be sucked into it and had to be reinserted. Family was not allowed to see mom during her entire time there.  I called twice a day for reports on vitals and progress. All her vitals were good. At day 10 on the vent I received a phone call late in the evening asking how long it would take me to get to the hospital. I lived an hour away. They told me they were going to give her a “paralyze push” which would relax her because she was fighting the vent and to hurry and get there.

When I arrived they had her off the vent and was manually bagging her oxygen. She was almost dead. At this point of shock and disbelief of how her vitals could be so good and then they had somehow decided it was time for her to go. Her wrists were so bruised and all I could think of  was “what did they do to you?” They convinced me to make the decision to let her go at this point with morphine.

My biggest complaint is my request for her to be given treatment of vitamin C, Budesonide breathing treatments or to even being proned for her lungs was all denied by the doctors. Several times I asked to be able to see her and was denied. I have no idea how she was treated during those last grueling days of her life which is heartbreaking and infuriating.