•A Kenyan man only named Stoni narrates what he has to do everyday to ensure that he does not relapse.
•Stoni says three days into admission he got transferred to a different facility.
Image: MERCY MUMO
When a person tests positive for coronavirus, you are isolated and when you test negative and discharged, most are not aware what you will be grappling with therafter.
A Kenyan man only named Stoni narrates what he has to do everyday to ensure that he does not relapse.
"I tested positive and was put in isolation. 10 days later it got worse, I was diagnosed with pneumonia and a bilateral pulmonary embolism (clot in both lungs)," Stoni says.
Stoni says three days into admission he got transferred to a different facility.
"I waited eight hours waiting for the doctor to authorise my prescription. Those hours I was breathing like I had hiccups. Every time I took a breath it was painful. Lying flat would result to a sharp pain in my ribs," he said.
He notes that he is out of the isolation ward after spending 37 days in hospital.
"I'll be on anticoagulants for 3-6 months. I'll be going for regular checkups. I have to take medication for the next 3 months then doctors will decide if I can continue the dosage," he said.
Stoni noted that he was advised that until then, he is supposed to stay from sharp objects and check for blood in his sputum, urine or stool (tar like colour).
But Stoni is not alone, an ICU nurse Sherie Antoinette in Atlanta tweeted that when people recover, what the authorities do not say is that the patient might need a lung transplant.
"... When they say “recovered” they don’t tell you that that means you may need a lung transplant. Or that you may come back after d/c with a massive heart attack or stroke," she tweeted on June 14," she said.
She notes that a person blood thickens as hell.
"Or that you may have to be on oxygen for the rest of your life. Covid-19 is designed to kill. It is a highly intelligent virus and it attacks everything. We will run out of resources if we don’t continue to flatten the curve," she said.
Her tweet prompted responses from former virus patients, family of patients among others.
@TheBoopADoop said "I'm currently in the hospital after having a heart attack caused by clotting that resulted from COVID 19."
He adds: "I have a stent in my heart and need to wear a heart monitoring vest at all times. Now I face months of recovery including physical and occupational therapy. I'm only 29."
@EllaChimp : " I had pneumonia a year ago & was in hospital for 3 weeks with it. Today I still suffer from pain in my left lung, a shortness of breath and the pain in my lung really hurts whenever I yawn, cough & especially sneeze. I'm terrified of getting covid19, with my already bad lung. "
Others include;
I went into acute kidney failure and needed dialysis. I now have asthma, chronic cough and an irregular heartbeat. I have conditions I never had before, plus I’m wiped all the time. I hope this gets better, but you are on the money. And, mine was considered a low-moderate case.
— Stephanie McCarroll (@SoCaliSteph) June 14, 2020
I had a super mild case and I’ve been “recovered” for 2 months. I have a rash on my wrist since April that will not heal, my toes are blotchy, and I’m exhausted all the time. All. The. Time. Also get disoriented and confused easily, which is scary.
— Nicole G. Cloutier (@Lindygeek) June 14, 2020
Yeah, my mom "recovered" mid-May, except she had *nothing* left. Couldn't even eat or drink, they wanted to surgically insert feeding tube into her stomach. I had to invoke her DNR instructions, that SUCKED. She passed May 25. Thanks for all you do, be safe, good luck.
— DevinNunesMissingCojones (@DevinCojones) June 14, 2020
I'm pregnant and on wk 13 of recovery from "mild" covid-19 which was actually me praying not to die on my bathroom floor. I managed to stay out of the hospital but its still attacking me from swelling in my eye, throat, lung and dry cough. Less potent but still bad.
— Dana Morgan (@DanaDayMorgan) June 15, 2020
Speaking to the Star on Wednesday, MoH Dr. Patrick Amoth noted that Kenya has not yet recorded any long term damages resulting from Covid-19.
"..but there is evidence emerging that there could be long term damages in the heart, the kidney and the brain," he said.
But he noted that it was too soon for Kenya to report the long term impacts of the disease.
"We are just into 100 days since Coronavirus was reported. The effects are there and Kenyans must be on the know," he said.
Amoth urged Kenyans and especially the youth to take precaution adding that when you get the virus, in future it might have adverse effects on their health.
"We are warning everyone.. If it was to damage your kidney, you will not be able to live long...those risks are there and we should treat this disease with the seriousness it deserves," he added.
A Chinese study published at the beginning of the outbreak found 66 out of 70 patients had some level of lung damage after being discharged from hospital.
The BBC reports that more than 300 studies from around the world have found a prevalence of neurological abnormalities in Covid-19 patients, including mild symptoms like headaches, loss of smell and tingling sensations (arcoparasthesia), up to more severe outcomes such as aphasia (inability to speak), strokes and seizures.
This is in addition to recent findings that the virus, which has been largely considered to be a respiratory disease, can also wreak havoc on the kidneys, liver, heart, and just about every organ system in the body.