Rochester, MI 

I know our story would be different if I knew any of this before we went to the hospital.  The hospital protocols killed my beloved husband and I am forever devastated for this loss.  The following is an account of our experience.

I came home from work on December 15^th with a fever and canceled our trip to Florida the next day.  The next day Jim wasn’t feeling well.  I tested positive, then Jim, then the rest of my house.  We all felt achy for a couple of days and had a cough.  Jim’s cough was a little heavier so we made a Telehealth appointment, his doctor will only see well patients.  The doctor prescribed Prednisone and said we could use our home nebulizer treatments.  I asked at what point do I need to take him to the hospital, what am I watching for.  He said if his pulse ox drops below 90 and he has trouble breathing to take him in and ask for a CT scan to check for a clot.  Jim seemed to be clearing up and felt better.  On Tuesday December 21^st he attended his yearend football meeting over Facetime.  It was a little over 3 hours, he felt and sounded great.  Shortly after the meeting Jim had a coughing fit, said I can’t breath and let’s go.  We took his pulse ox (oximeter reading).  It was fluctuating but dipped to 78 during the coughing fit.

We had a plan to not go the hospital unless it was absolutely necessary.  In May 2022 Jim had two sisters in the hospital with Covid-19 on ventilators, one passed away and one survived.  She was released from the hospital to attend her sister’s funeral then continued outpatient therapy.  Our family had already had a devastating loss before my husband.

Just before midnight on Tuesday December 21^st I took Jim to the closest hospital.  I called first to make sure they had room and to verify that they had the Monoclonal Antibodies Treatment if he needed it.  (The State of Michigan Health Department called to let me know about it and wanted to send me information about the treatment even though we did not qualify.) I checked Jim into the ER, asked them to do a CT scan to check for a clot per our doctor and they took him from there.  They left him alone and did nothing until about 3:15am.

At 3:45 am Jim sent me a text “They said I have Covid pneumonia.  They’re gonna keep me and put me on oxygen and give me some medicine I guess.  It’s treatable but it’s not that easy.” I was in the parking lot still.  I just couldn’t leave him.  The only thing they did was give him Remdesivir.  I found that out from the medical file later.  They didn’t tell him what the medicine was in the ER.

When he went to a room they had him go in and get into bed, no oxygen, no nothing, not even monitoring his pulse ox.  A nurse finally came in around 5am, only checked his temperature and now it’s shift change.  He is completely isolated! They rarely come in doctors yell from the door and don’t physically come in.  The nurses are in complete hazmat suits, masks and shields.  It is very difficult to communicate.  Since I could not get anyone to call me back or give me updates I had Jim put me on speaker phone anytime someone came in.

Sunday December 26^th the doctor spoke to Jim about sending him home on Monday.  I immediately called the doctor.  She called me back this time.  I expressed my concern that he hasn’t even been able to shower because his pulse ox drops too low when he stands up. Dr. Katkuri said they will teach me how to adjust the oxygen, that Jim was on 4L and that was good enough to send him home.  So I went shopping, bought everything I need to care for him at home.  Neither one of us could believe it.

Monday December 27^th Jim’s pulse ox dropped and he went from 4L to 15L to 30L.  Jim was insistent that someone put something in his IV in the night.  He said the nurse came in and put something in his IV.  I again called Dr. Katkuri and asked her to pull Jim’s chart.  I said please tell me everything Jim was given last night, specifically in his IV around 3am. She said nothing was given to him in his IV, all of it is oral.  Later when I saw his medical records it said liquid remdesivir.