Kate Garraway's husband- so upsetting

[Rory786]

Did anyone see Kate's interview. Her husband Derek is now covid free after battling it for 10 weeks but his body has been ravaged by it. It was so sad to watch as she was fighting back the tears and trying to stay brave for her girls. I was fighting back the tears too.

*@Belindabelle 💔

I cannot imagine the effects of 10 weeks on a ventilator. My 4 week old was ventilated 5 months ago. He was only on it for 5 days, but the 48 hours after he was taken off it were absolutely terrifying. He had seizures, couldn't cry, his heart rate was all over the place. To be honest I think he probably needed an extra day on the ventilator but they seemed keen to get him off as soon as he could manage it. I know babies and adults are completely different but the damage it would do to his body is frightening.

Pity all those idiots who aren't keeping a distance, mixing freely with outsiders and wearing a mask but brushing up close anyway heed this dreadfully sad warning. This is just a horrible tragedy and I certainly feel for her and her family

She was very brave to give a live interview.

I just hope the Daily Mail, etc give her some privacy and don’t keep giving us daily updates.

Darcy and Billy her children names . I’ve been watching this unravel from the beginning Kate’s one of my favourite presenters I hope he survives . It was heartbreaking to hear her talk.

Heartbreaking.

If they can get him off the ventilator and that is a very big if at this point, he will have a very long road ahead of him.

I hope for the best outcome but I don't think that's going to happen.

Fingers and toes crossed for them all.

Darcey seems such a lovely, sensible mature young lady and Billy just the loveliest boy.

I think about the family each day and just hope he wakes up.

Wishing him and everyone who needs it all the best for their recovery.

This is precisely why, at the very beginning of all this, I told family and my hospital-work colleagues that I did not want to go on a ventilator at all. I think it's useful for us all to be able to make informed decisions.

At work this week, I heard the ward sister speaking to a sick, elderly man's wife on the phone. She was explaining that he was getting worse, and if she wanted she could come in for 30 mins to visit, but they would have to put him in a side room as it would not be fair to the others in the bay if he had a visitor and they couldn't, before moving him to another ward. She then had to tell her that no, ventilation was not an option. She said it was because there were too many other cases.....not because it was not going to make any difference at all to the outcome.
My heart went out to wife, husband, and to sister having to make this call.

@BlueTrews25 Where do you work that they have so many COVID cases that they're rationing ventilators?

That's the point. We aren't.
There was no way he would survive it, but maybe she felt it was easier to hear, I don't know.

Bluetrees - what part of the country has run out of ventilators?

Are you in the UK since the extra hospitals with ventilators aren't curretnly being used due to not enough cases...

Your ward sister might have thought she was being kind but she was being a dick and could get in serious trouble for lying to a carer like that, especially during the CV crisis.

I'm a bit horrified to be honest, as a nurse. It's shit like that that causes scaremongering rumours that get out of hand.

@Bluetrews25
So she lied? People have an absolute right to be informed about the medical care they or their loved one receive. You dont lie to them.

Telling someone the only reason her husband cant have treatment is because the NHS has run out of machines means they will spend their last hours angry at the system, waste the time hoping a machine will become available or begging for a transfer. She wont spend that time simply being with him, saying as peaceful a goodbye as possible and grieving. She will just be angry.

Your ward sister has acted in a really disgusting manner here.

It said on the news that he isn't in an induced coma anymore, so presuming he must be weaning very slowly from the ventilator.
I gathered from that that he is still in a coma, but a "natural" one, if you see what I mean. Not sure how it works but I don't think he's woken up.

I was very moved by her interview - she came across so well. She was clearly emotional but managed it all with great dignity.
I liked her before, but she's rocketed even higher in my estimation.
I SO hope there will be some good news for them all.

I did not agree with what she said, but that was really a question that the medics should have dealt with, not her. She was offering her a chance to visit (and we all know what that means)... not expecting to have to deal with a question about ethics and suitability. Which medics should have spoken about to her already.
The point I was trying to make was that people are desperate to have relatives ventilated, even at advanced age and frailty, and have not got a clue about what the process will do to the body and how bloody hard the recovery can be even for the young and fit. Just the same as those who insist on CPR no matter what.
It's sad, and it's due to lack of knowledge.

Nah. You can't excuse her lying by saying medics should've had that conversation. She could have said 'I'll get a Dr to call you' if she wanted to get out of a difficult situation that she actually should be able to deal with and is paid to do so.

She lied. She broke NMC code of conduct and probably all of her NHS trust policies. And now there's a family telling everyone they know that their loved one was denied treatment because a ventilator was not available. The family could go to the media.

There'll probably even be people on MN reading your post and not coming back to the thread and telling their frends and family they read a nurse posted about someone dying when they might have recovered but there were no ventilators available. Then it gets posted on FB etc..

Your point about the general public not understanding why ventilation isn't always a good option is valid but that should have been explained to them.

Your ward sister should be reported tbh and I don't say that lightly. It's serious what she did.

Poor man and his family. 😢 He’s been battling this terrible illness for so long. I didn’t see the interview. So he’s out of the coma but not conscious?

My heart broke for her during that interview. Incredibly sad. Her poor children.

I hope for a miracle for the family.

Sadly, I think it's going to take a miracle.

My friend was one of the first middle aged people in this area to die from covid-19 and there's always been striking similarities with this case, similar age, size etc. He died after 5 weeks on a ventilator. I wish her and her family the very best in this awful situation.

I really think the hot tub dilemma poster should read this post...

She's such a lovely lady too. She pops in to my husbands work before most days well she used to before all this happened. She's always been very polite and kind. Hope they get some good news soon.

So sad for KG and everyone in similar situations, this is a horrific illness and I hope that they can develop a vaccine for it.

@ThumbWitchesAbroad , it’s interesting you mention It being more of a vascular illness (your link wouldn’t open for me so this may have been said) I developed what could have been covid toes (have been tested and it was negative) , the doctor I spoke to explained that the infection causes swelling to the vascular system which causes fluid to seep out and the toes to develop chilblain like symptoms, which is what I had.

I’m not sure which is more frightening. Dying or your body being so ravaged you never make a full recovery. This bloody thing is just cruel.

Wishing them the very best, it's awful he's been so ill