THE SUNDAY BEFORE HALLOWEEN IN OCTOBER 2021, MY HUSBAND HAD WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS A COLD. THAT EVENING WE GOT A CALL FROM HIS SISTER AND SHE SAID THE THURSDAY BEFORE, THEY ALL WERE EXPOSED TO COVID AND THREE OF THEM WERE SICK.  THEY THOUGHT IT WAS COVID SO I SAID, “WELL DAVE HAS A COLD, SO I’M GUESSING HE MUST HAVE IT TOO”.

THE NEXT DAY WAS MONDAY, SO I CALLED HIS DOCTOR WHO WAS NOT AVAILABLE SO THE NURSE PRACTIONER DID A TELL A CALL WITH HIM AND PRESCIBED HIM STEROIDS. THE PRESCRIPTION WAS SENT INTO RITE AID AND THEY NEVER FILLED IT UNTIL THURSDAY CLAIMING THEY WERE TOO BUSY. HE HAD GOTTEN A COVID TEST IN THE RITE AID DRIVE THRU (I BELIEVE IT WAS THE MONDAY BEFORE HIS TELL A CALL) AND THE RESULTS FROM THAT DID NOT COME IN UNTIL 7 DAYS LATER AND YES IT SAID HE HAD COVID.

I HAD GOT IT THREE DAYS LATER AND RECOVERED FINE AS IT ONLY FELT LIKE A COLD. MY HUSBAND WAS NOT GETTING ANY BETTER.  ON NOVEMBER 3RD, WE HAD GONE FOR A WALK AND HE JUST COULD NOT DO IT AND WANTED TO GO HOME.  WE DECIDED IF HE WAS NOT BETTER BY THE NEXT MORNING, WE WOULD GO THE HOSPITAL.

THE NEXT MORNING, HE STILL WAS NOT FEELING RIGHT SO ABOUT 6AM WE HEADED TO THE HOSPTIAL NEVER EVEN THINKING HE WOULD NEVER COME HOME AGAIN.  IT BREAKS MY HEART!  HE SHOWERED HIMSELF THAT MORNING. IT’S JUST HEART BREAKING!  I KICK MYSELF EVERYDAY THAT I SHOULD HAVE NEVER TAKEN HIM.

THEY GOT US INTO ER PRETTY QUICK AND WE LET THE ER DOCTOR KNOW DAVE’S SYMPTOMS FOR COVID STARTED ON OCTOBER 24 AND THAT HE WAS TESTED ON THE 25TH, BUT THE TEST RESULTS DID NOT COME BACK UNTIL ABOUT 7 DAYS. HE ASKED IF HE WAS VACCINATED AND HE SAID NO.  I TOLD THE DOCTOR THAT I FELT LIKE HE NEEDED SOME FLUIDS AND THIS DOCTOR LOOKED SO MAD AND SAID, “WE DO NOT GIVE FLUIDS TO COVID PATIENTS” AND STORMED OUT OF THE ROOM.  THE NURSE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, “THAT WAS THE FIRST SHE HEARD THAT ONE.”  I WAS LUCKY BECAUSE THIS HOSPITAL LET ME STAY WITH HIM IN THE ER, BUT ONCE HE GOT ADMITTED I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SEE HIM.

HE WAS IN THE ER FOR ALMOST 48 HOURS.  IT WAS CRAZY!   ON THE SECOND DAY IN ER, DAVE SEEMED TO BE DOING SO MUCH BETTER; COHERENT; WE ORDERD FOOD; AND ATE TOGETHER.  HE SEEMED GREAT HONESTLY.  A NURSE CAME DOWN FROM THE FLOOR WHERE HE WAS GOING TO BE AND TOOK ALL HIS INFORMATION.  HE ANSWERED ALL THE QUESTIONS HIMSELF AND SHE SAID ONCE HE’S UP THERE, THEY WILL GET HIM UP AND WALK HIM AROUND. IT SOUNDED PROMISING AND I WAS NOT SCARED. HE LOOKED GOOD.  SHE WAS SO NICE AND LEFT.  I TOLD THE ER NURSE THAT I FELT SO GOOD THAT THE NURSE WHO WAS GOING TO BE ON DAVE’S FLOOR SAID THEY WOULD BE WALKING HIM UP THERE.  THE ER NURSE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, “SHE LIED TO YOU.  THEY WILL NEVER GET HIM UP.”  I GOT KIND OF SCARED THEN.  SHORTLY AFTERWARDS,  A DOCTOR CAME IN AND SAID, “YOUR HUSBAND IS NO LONGER IN THE CARE OF THE ER DOCTORS THEREFORE,  ALL MEDICATION WILL NOW COME FROM THE FLOOR HE WILL BE ON. HE THEN WALKED UP TO MY HUSBAND AND ASKED HOW HE FELT ABOUT VENTITLATION.   MY HUSBAND DID NOT FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT AND THE DOCTOR ASKED WHY MY HUSBAND SAID THAT.  DAVE EXPLAINED, “THAT EVERYONE HE HAS HEARD OF WHO WENT ON THE VENTILATOR CAME OUT OF THE HOSPITAL IN A LITTLE BOX!”  THE DOCTOR THEN CAME UP TO ME AND GOT CLOSE TO MY FACE AND SAID, “HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?”  I SAID, “I FEEL THE SAME AS MY HUSBAND.” THE DOCTOR THEN SAID, ” DO YOU WANT YOUR HUSBAND TO DIE?”  I STARTED TO CRY AND SAID NO. THE DOCTOR LAUGHED AND SAID, “DO NOT WORRY.  YOUR HUSBAND WILL BE IN GOOD HANDS.”  WHAT A NIGHTMARE THIS WAS STARTING TO BE!

A ROOM OPENED UPSTAIRS AND NOW I WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO SEE MY HUSBAND FOR I BELEIVE TEN DAYS. I WAS STILL ABLE TO GET INTO THE HOSPITAL AND SEE HIM THROUGH THE GLASS BECAUSE WE WANTED TO CATCH THE DOCTORS.  I COULD TELL MY HUSBAND WAS NOT HAPPY LOOKING AT HIM THROUGH THE GLASS DOOR.  SOMETHING DEMONIC WAS GOING ON IN THERE AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED. MY SISTER-IN-LAW AND I CAUGHT THE DOCTOR AND ASKED IF THEY COULD TRY SOME VITAMIN C DRIP.  HE WAS A JERK AND LOOKED AT MY SISTER-IN-LAW AND SAID, “YOU PEOPLE COME UP HERE AND YOU READ THE INTERNENT.  WE GO BY THE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.”

WE WERE NOT HAPPY AND DECIDED TO GET DAVE OUT OF THERE.  DAVE WAS COHERENT, SO WE DECIDED TO LEAVE THE DECISION TO HIM.  HE SAID, “WHY DO YOU WANT TO MOVE ME?  I’M ALMOST OUT OF HERE.  I’M FEELING GOOD.”  ONCE THE NURSE GOT THE NEWS THAT WE WANTED TO MOVE HIM, SHE GAVE ME AN ATTITUDE AND SAID, “OH YOU DONT LIKE THE CARE HE IS GETTING?”  I WANTED TO SLAP HER YA KNOW!  DAVE REALLY THOUGHT HE WAS BETTER AND WAS GOING TO LEAVE SOON.  ABOUT TWO HOURS AFTER THAT, DAVE CALLED ME AND SAID, “I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON, BUT I KEEP GETTING SICK.”  IT WAS CRAZY! HE WAS FINE TWO HOURS BEFORE THAT AND AFTER THIS HE WENT DOWN HILL AND NO ONE SEEMED TO KNOW WHY.

THE DAY BEFORE I WAS FINALLY GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET IN, A NURSE CALLED ME WHO DID NOT WORK ON THAT FLOOR, AND SAID, “I’M GOING TO GET YOU IN A DAY EARLY BECAUSE YOUR HUSBAND IS GETTING DOWN AND IT WOULD REALLY HELP HIM TO SEE ME.” SO I RUSHED UP TO HOSPITAL.  THE LADY AT THE DESK SAID, “NO YOU CAN’T GET IN. HE IS IN A COVID ROOM.”  SHE THEN CALLED UP TO THE FLOOR AND TOLD ME TO GO SIT AND WAIT.  I WAITED ABOUT 2 HOURS UNTIL THE NURSE CAME DOWN AND APOLOGIZED SAYING THE DOCTOR WOULD NOT LET ME SEE DAVE.  HE WAS BEING A JERK. MY HUSBAND WAS SO EXCITED THAT HE COULD FINALLY SEE ME.

HE THEN CALLED ME SO MAD!  HE SAID HE SMELLED SO BAD BECAUSE HE HAD NOT BEEN CLEANED AND NO ONE WOULD HELP HIM UP OR LET HIM UP.  SO, FOR 14 DAYS HE HAD NO SHOWER NOR TEETH BRUSHING. I WAS ABLE TO GET IN THE NEXT DAY.  HE SMELLED SO BAD AND WAS UPSET.  I PASSED THREE NURSES AT THE NURSES STATION CHIT CHATTING AND LAUGHNG.  I WAS IN TEARS AND SO MAD!  I SAID, “I NEED SOME SOAP AND TOWELS. I NEED TO BATHE MY HUSBAND.”  THEY HANDED THEM TO ME WHICH IS STILL HEART WRENCHING TO THIS DAY THAT THEY TREATED HIM LIKE A CRIMINAL.  IT BRINGS ME TO TEARS EVERYDAY.

DAVE’S FAMILY FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE HOSPITAL SO THINGS SEEMED A LITTLE BETTER, BUT NOT THE BEST.  HE WAS ABLE TO DECREASE HIS OXYGEN NEEDS. THEN THE ONE DAY I WAS GOING TO GO BACK TO WORK, HE CALLED ME SCREAMING IN PAIN.  MY SISTER-IN-LAW AND I RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL. HIS STOMACH WAS SO DISTENDED AND HE WAS GASPING FOR AIR. I ASKED IF HE WAS OKAY AND HE SAID I CAN’T BREATHE.  I SCREAMED THAT MY HUSBAND CAN’T BREATHE IN HERE. THEY CAME RUNNING IN AND PUT A THING IN HIS THROAT TO GET ALL THE STUFF FROM HIS STOMACH. THERE WAS SO MUCH.  I REALLY THOUGHT IT WAS HIS GALL BLADDER OR APPENDIX. THEY KEPT RUNNING ALL THESE TESTS AND COULD NOT FIND JACK CRAP.  THEY SAID HE IS JUST  TOO WEAK FROM HIS COVID. IF WE OPERATE, HE MAY NOT MAKE IT.  DAVE WAS LIKE YELLING, “I NEED SURGERY! SOMETHING IS WRONG!”  SUPPOSEDLY, THEY RULED OUT THE GALLBLADDER AND APPENDIX.  JUST A NIGHTMARE. SO NO FOOD AND NO WATER. HE WAS SO THIRSTY. I KICK MYSELF BECAUSE I DID NOT GIVE HIM A DRINK ANYWAY EVEN IF THEY SAID NO. I STILL SHOULD OF.

HE HAD THE HICCUPS ABOUT EVERYDAY. I KEPT SAYING GALL BLADDER AND THEY WOULD SAY NO. THAT POOR MAN WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN AND SUFFERING, YET THEY WOULDN’T DO ANYTHING.  NO PAIN MEDICATIONS. ONE DAY I WENT IN AND HE WAS FULL OF PAIN MEDICATIONS.  I ASKED THE DAY NURSE, WHY IS MY HUSBAND SO DRUGGED?  SHE LOOKED AT HIS NOTES AND SAID WHY DID THEY GIVE HIM SO MUCH MORPHINE? WHY DID THEY, WHO THE HELL KNOWS?  THEN THE NEXT DAY THEY LAID OFF ON HIS MEDICATION AND HE CAME TO. THE FIRST DOCTOR CAME IN AND SAID HE NEEDS TO GET UP AND WALK AROUND AND WOULD SET UP AN ORDER  FOR SOMEONE TO COME HELP. THE NEXT DOCTOR CAME IN AND SAID HE NEEDS TO GET UP AND MOVING AROUND BY NOON.  I ASKED THE NURSE WHERE THE PERSON IS WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO HELP HIM UP AND SHE SAID WE ARE SHORT STAFFED AND IT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. THEN AN HOUR LATER, THE KIDNEY DOCTOR CAME IN AND SAID WE NEED TO GET YOUR HUSBAND ON DIALISIS OR HE IS GOING TO DIE.  NEXT THING I KNEW THEY WERE RUSHING HIM OUT OF THE ROOM AND SENT ME TO THE WAITING ROOM. I WAS CRYING MY EYES OUT.  NOT ONE NURSE OR DOCTOR CAME TO COMFORT ME.  IT WAS SO UNREAL.  I FELT A TAP ON MY SHOULDER AND IT WAS THE CLEANING LADY WHO HAD BEEN CLEANING DAVE’S ROOM EVERYDAY.  DAVE WOULD TALK TO HER AND SHE HUGGED ME AND SAID EVERYTHING WOULD BE OK AND THAT SHE WAS MY ANGEL. THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO COME OUT AND GET ME ONCE THEY GOT HIM HOOKED UP, BUT THEY NEVER DID.  2 HOURS LATER,  I WENT SEARCHING FOR HIM AND FOUND HIM.  THIS WAS ON A SATURDAY NIGHT.

THAT MONDAY HE WAS DOING BETTER. THE KIDNEY DOCTOR WALKED IN AND SAID HE REALLY THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO LOSE MY HUSBAND SATURDAY NIGHT.  IT WAS A MIRACLE HE WAS STILL ALIVE AND I SAID IT WAS GOD. ONE DAY I WENT TO HOSPITAL AND DAVE’S HAND WAS SO SWOLLEN. I ASKED THE NURSE WHY AND SHE SAID IT DIDN’T LOOK SWOLLEN TO HER.  I TOOK A PICURE OF IT AND STILL HAVE THE PICTURE. I SAID HE NEEDS TO HAVE THAT LOOKED AT. SHE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID OH WE DON’T HAVE THOSE MACHINES ON THE WEEKENDS TO CHECK.  THEN I SAID THIS IS A HOSPITAL RIGHT?  SHE SAID SHE WAS SORRY, BUT THEY DONT.  WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? I AM SO FRUSTRATED.  MY POOR HUSBAND. THAT WAS A FRIDAY.

SUNDAY MORNING I’M WALKING INTO THE  HOSPITIAL AND A GUY IS WHEELING MY HUSBAND ON THE ELEVATOR. I YELLED, “WAIT, THAT’S MY HUSBAND!”  SO HE LET ME RIDE BACK TO THE ROOM WITH THEM. I SAID WHERE WERE YOU GUYS.  HE SAID THEY DID AN XRAY ON YOUR HUSBAND’S HAND. IT WAS SO SWOLLEN.  GOD HELP US I WANED TO SCREAM!

TIME WENT BY AND THE LAST WEEKEND OF NOVEMBER, THE SURGEONS WHO KEPT PUTTING OFF HIS SURGERY SAID HE IS STRONG ENOUGH NOW TO HAVE THE SURGERY IN HIS BOWEL TO SEE WHAT’S GOING ON, BUT SINCE HE HAD COVID HE WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO BE VENTED FOR A FEW DAYS BECAUSE HE WAS STILL WEAK. THEY TALKED ME INTO IT BECAUSE THEY SAID, IF HE DIDNT HAVE SURGERY, HE WOULDNT MAKE IT.  THEY DID THE SURGERY, CUT ALOT OF HIS BOWEL OUT, HAD TO PUT IN COLOSTOMY BAG AND LEFT HIM OPEN THINKING THEY MAY HAVE TO GO BACK IN TO CUT MORE BOWEL OUT BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH GANG GREEN.  THEY SAID I COULDNT SEE HIM BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH HELP BACK THERE.  THEY JUST RIPPED MY HUSBAND APART! HE HAD THE MOST PAINFUL DEATH!  I WILL NEVER GET PEACE OVER THIS. I’M CRYING SO HARD NOW WRITING THIS. I CAN BARELY SEE.  THER IS SO MUCH MORE TO THE STORY. MY SISTER-IN-LAW SAYS SHE WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO ACCEPT HIS DEATH AND I FEEL THE SAME WAY.