Friend fighting for life

[Katyjane12]

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.

The point to this story is why is the nhs not admitting patients who are very unwell until they are nearly dead?

Because they don't have the space.

I think the govt has encouraged many people to think that only the elderly and those with health problems will get seriously ill. Consequently, there is no sense of urgency amongst the majority who are seeing it as a financial and lifestyle issue. People told it's OK to send their kids to school when they don't absolutely have to; pubs and other places still open etc do not carry the message that the govt should send.

Back to normal,.

Very true.

They don't have want to panic people.

Healthy are you working atm? I’m not sure how you’ve missed that we are at full capacity.

Really sorry to hear about your friend OP. So sad and frustrating as well. Thinking of you and his family.

People are taking self isolation here really seriously - small village on the edge of a city. Haven't travelled far to see what other people are doing, but the message is getting through here at least.

@cansu I agree there is too much dithering going on so people are not taking it seriously. I asked yesterday on here about our uk trajectory in a comparison with Italy and it is very sobering. 2 weeks ago Italy were where we are and now they have surpassed china. We NEED a lockdown, I just hope one is implemented soon or we will surpass Italy with fatalities.

And still people are blaming the NHS and whinging about it.

It's about to get a whole load worse.

Previous service levels will look gold plated.

This is terrifying

There are a lot of people who think if they are fit healthy young it will be mild.

And most of them would be correct in thinking that. There will always be very sad and unexpected exceptions but it doesn't change the facts.

I can't see how this can be resolved without us all being sent tests to our home.
There aren’t enough tests. There will never be enough tests. They are only testing people in hospital.

My 75yo Dad still insists on going to the corner shop for his newspaper every day. I’ve told him he’s risking his life but he says he needs his paper 🤷‍♀️

Shocked that the NHS is already not admitting people unless they’re at death’s door. We are fucked.

There are a lot of people who think if they are fit healthy young it will be mild.
That may be the case, it may not, but it may be another matter for their mum or nan. And it also means if they need other NHS services for anything else, they won’t be available - not for them or their mum or their nan.

Sorry about your friend op, hope he recovers quickly

I agree that people will not take notice until people are dying around them. People are still going to pubs here, carrying on as normal and because of this, hundreds if not thousands more people will die

@Worriedaboutundiagnosed - 14 days before you can be sure. That's why the isolation period is 14 days. And even then there is a tiny risk that you might get it after 14 days - but 14 days covers most people.

I've not said what 111 said? What I've said is the death rates increasing if the nhs ain't doing and giving good advise. That man should have been admitted with sob and temp. Given nebulisers and o2 to ease his symptoms. Iv fluids for dehydration and then when he started struggling more with? Yet from what I'm reading hes been left at home and ignored to the point of death and organ failure and only then was he admitted? Strange.

People will have to stay at home until needing ITU basically. There are no beds for admitting them.

There is no evidence for nebuliser or IVFs.

There is currently no treatment for this disease.

Healthy I’m doubting you are a working nurse but if you are then have you noticed the pandemic?

China shut the country and has seemingly killed it in a couple of months

Japan has shut schools but not much else. You can still travel to most of China iirc. And yet, they are not experiencing exponential growth or widespread death despite the sheer number of old people.

We really don’t know much about how it has been spread or what is working. Ppl point to SK but you could point to Japan, which has hardly shut any shops or metros and does not do widespread testing (I think SK does more tests in one day than Japan has ever done)

I'm a band 6 nurse but yes I'm working in private sector. What I'm saying is waiting til someone is nearly dead isnt good ? Also they didnt know this man has corona it wasnt confirmed so why wasnt he offered a neb? Anyways I'm not arguing about this. But sounds like a negligent case

So sorry to read this OP, sounds frightening & utterly awful for his family.

Boris needs to step up right now and go forward with the lockdown, if not for the whole country, at least for London.

It's giving me the rage, hearing stories like this, how many more will have similar experiences in the next few weeks and beyond?

Healthy in Italy they can’t treat people as it’s over capacity. It’s the same here.

The point to this story is why is the nhs not admitting patients who are very unwell until they are nearly dead?

Jeezo... ignorance really is bliss right?

5 years ago I had to wait 3 hours for an ambulance, admitted straight into ICU and fighting for my life.

2 years ago I watched my Grandad bleed out on the kitchen floor while we waited for an ambulance to arrive. No amount of me trying really helped. Just over an hour that time. Again, fighting for his life in ICU.

In some areas the NHS has been overburdened for years. It's one of the reasons I'm just gobsmacked at the general public's reaction to this.

Op, I'm so sorry

I'm really sorry for your friend. I hope he recovers.

As I've said numerous times on these threads.
I am a frontline ahp and those we are seeing who need intubation ARE NOT older or have underlying issues.

In fact they are the minority demographic in my trust.
I have for the first time in 12 years been given anti-anxiety tablets because I'm having panic attacks driving into work.

It is very real, very scary and nobody is safe.

So sorry, I hope your friend makes a full recovery.

I lost a very fit & healthy friend to swine flu, so I know how serious these flu outbreaks can be.

We are self isolating, people that choose not too must be mad.