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Friend fighting for life

194 replies

Katyjane12 · 20/03/2020 11:27

My friend, healthy 38 year old man, has had a fever of over 40 degrees since Sunday and very sick but could not be admitted to hospital because temperature was not at 41. Wednesday morning was struggling to breathe - his wife called an ambulance - it took 5 hours to get to him. Central London. The paramedics said is likely covid but because his oxygen was ok they still wouldn't take him to hospital. He nearly died last night - the ambulance finally took him to hospital early this morning and he is now in ICU under general anaesthetic hooked up to machines and fighting for his life. This is a healthy young man. Please please isolate - this thing is very real and randomly lethal.

OP posts:
Mary1935 · 20/03/2020 12:17

Yes sadly some people will not wake up until it affects them.
Best wishes and a speedy recovery.

Lovemusic33 · 20/03/2020 12:18

I live rurally, I took dd out for a drive earlier and a walk in a open area, villages here are dead, the roads are quiet but as soon as you go near a town there seems to be many people continuing as normal, people sat in cafes and pubs with friends, people shopping and people meeting up in groups.

carly2803 · 20/03/2020 12:18

im sorry for your friend

thing is, how do we isolate, and how long for - when we are not showing signs, we have to work (when we can!), and send our kids to nursery because we have to work

until this country goes on full lockdown, it will only get worse

im all for a lockdown, im in a public facing job and have young children (and a single mum), personally my hands are tied, i have to work.

it sucks.

adaline · 20/03/2020 12:20

As an aside these bloody millenials are really pissing me off now.

Ageism and ridiculous comments like this are what pisses me off Hmm

Frenchw1fe · 20/03/2020 12:21

No one knows who’s spreading coronavirus so perhaps we should all stop blaming different age groups.
OP I hope your friend recovers. It’s very scary.
I’m going out to the supermarket here in France today for the first time since Tuesday morning.
If people don’t want to be ill they need to isolate themselves. There is no other way.

FishingPaws · 20/03/2020 12:23

The way this is going a lot of people are going to die, not of COVID-19 (although some certainly will) but because of it as a consequence of not receiving fast and comprehensive care. The medical staff will, without a doubt, do their absolute best, but unless patients get to them fast enough and there's the correct kit available to manage them...hcp's are going to be powerless (and in need of therapy by the time this is over).

OP, I hope your friend recovers.

RunningAwaywiththeCircus · 20/03/2020 12:23

This reply has been withdrawn

Message from MNHQ: This post has been withdrawn

VivaLeBeaver · 20/03/2020 12:24

I hope he recovers.

Sadly I fear there will be a lot more cases like this. Was reading yesterday about a previously fit and healthy 39yo woman in ICU in London with it.

People need to wake up. Friends of mine are trotting off to hairdressers, nail bars, etc like nothing is happening.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 20/03/2020 12:25

Excuse me. I'm a millennial and isolating as much as possible.

This is awful news.

diddl · 20/03/2020 12:27

Struggling to breathe, high temp & can't get taken to hospital?

Christ-that is utterly disgusting, as is the 5hr wait!

LaurieFairyCake · 20/03/2020 12:30

LoveMusic33

10,000 people have died, not 100,000

Friend fighting for life
backtonormalname · 20/03/2020 12:30

So sorry for your friend and their family. I heard on LBC radio the same has happened with their reporter Theo Usherwood, father of a 3 year old.

I think the Chief Medical Officer needs training immediately on how to communicate with the "masses" and not other HCPs. He always starts the press conference saying, this will be a mild disease for most, does he not get that this is the attention span for many people and they will have switched off as he starts to talk later about numbers who will need critical care.
You are doing the right thing by communicating this news, wishing him must strength to survive this

AvonBarksdale99 · 20/03/2020 12:31

That’s terrible, and awful for your friend.

Is it not true that the vast majority of deaths has been older people or those with underlying health conditions though? Or is it proving to be actually randomly lethal?

Frownette · 20/03/2020 12:31

Hope your friend pulls through

BrexpatInSwitzerland · 20/03/2020 12:32

Ageism and ridiculous comments like this are what pisses me off

Me, too - but from a practical standpoint, it's something I observe as well. Including among my own employees. Before we closed down all our offices, I've had several that came in despite knowingly having been exposed to people who'd recently travelled to high-risk areas. I also see young people around here gathering in groups, playing music and drinking outside now that everything is closed down. I'm a millenial, too (though on the older side of those who technically qualify, i.e. in my mid-thirties - child, corporate career and all ...), so I'm the first to shout "not all millenials".

Having said that, I do think there's a systematic failure to get the message across to young people. This is something our governments, our businesses, our NGOs and we as individuals can improve upon.

Many people in their twenties don't seem to get it. And, look, I get THAT! I used to think I was immortal before I had DD, and did some crazy shit - including agreeing to be stationed in bloody Iraq for a two year term at some point. My mother nearly had a heart attack - and now that I'm a parent, too, I get why. Having said that, this was me being a fucking moron and putting myself at risk. Being a fucking moron and putting everyone at risk is different altogether.

We do need to get better at getting the message across to young people, though!

kirinm · 20/03/2020 12:33

Evening Standard are saying pubs, restaurants etc will be closed from tonight so a partial shutdown is coming by the sounds of it.

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I hope they are able to help him recover.

potter5 · 20/03/2020 12:33

Hope your friend recovers. Unless there is total lockdown for the whole country and people stop socialising and visiting family then this virus will continue spreading.

I am in self-isolation as are many others and will not go out at all. Everyone needs to more careful.

Katyjane12 · 20/03/2020 12:34

Thank you all - it has been such a shock. I've been following several doctors on YouTube re the virus since January but this has made it very close and real. I hoped posting this would help make the situation more real and urgent for people. I spoke to our MP today and hope they will bring it up in Parliament - I don't know what else to do.

OP posts:
Vinylsamso · 20/03/2020 12:35

Can you update us if he is or isn’t diagnosed with corona please

JenNtonic · 20/03/2020 12:38

@Katyjane12 💐 Hope you and your friends are as ok as you can be

dontaskformedicaladviceonmn · 20/03/2020 12:39

Terrifying, and his poor family not being able to even go to the hospital because of the risk of infection. It’s bad enough having a loved one on a ventilator but not being able to sit and hold their hand-I can’t imagine what they are going through Sad
I hope your friend pulls through. Flowers

SociallyDistanced · 20/03/2020 12:41

I'm so sorry this is happening to your friend.

Please everyone just fucking stop and really consider when and why you need to go out. Minimise it when you can.

I had to call a Dr twice this week. Nothing to do with Corona but was classed as an emergency Dr I eventually spoke to. Non Corona emergencies still happen.

6 hours to get through on the phone just to be triaged. This was 3 of us trying 3 different lines constantly for the full 6 hours.
My neighbour called an ambulance for her elderly husband. 4 hours she waited.

Don't assume in an emergency, emergency help will come quickly.

We've not reached our peak yet. This is the best getting emergency care is going to be any time soon. Every day it will get harder to come by and waits longer. Not because NHS staff aren't endeavouring to help us but they are working beyond capacity already.

All your being asked to do is stay away from other people as much as possible. It's not a huge ask is it? Please just do it.

Portabella24 · 20/03/2020 12:42

That's so scary.
My DS14 has had what we think is coronavirus since Sunday. Very high temperature, painful throat and chest. Painful cough. He says it is the worst he has felt. He is getting better now and sleeping a lot. He has lost a huge amount of weight and still isn't eating.
Obviously we have all self-isolated since then and will do for the full 14 days (my DS16 is a T1 diabetic so we are a bit worried) but because of the refusal to test community patients we have no idea if we can relax a bit after the quarantine and whether he did actually have the virus.
We live in London - five people from my son's class went off school on the same day with the same symptoms. Did they have covid-19? Who knows! We really need to start testing. BJ talked about antibody testing yesterday but I have no confidence.

CountFosco · 20/03/2020 12:43

Is it not true that the vast majority of deaths has been older people or those with underlying health conditions though?

Not everyone who has an underlying health condition will have a poor quality of life. One of the first people who died in Manchester 'had underlying health conditions' but had just been on holiday to Italy and was living a full life. And not everyone will know they have an underlying condition.

Dodie66 · 20/03/2020 12:46

I emailed our MP too. Perhaps we should all do this

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