Tag Archives: Covid

#350: Collateral damage

I gave it a lot of thought, what to do with my experience from a week ago. But I didn't come up with a solution that was suitable for me, therefore writing is probably the means of choice.

My father has cancer. The lungs have a few tumors and since these are currently not operable and its overall constitution is rather poor, chemotherapy is also not possible. That means he is being irradiated. This Tuesday was his last radiation for the time being, um in 3 Months using a control CT, how successful or not necessary the radiation was. Actually last week would have been the last appointment on Friday and also the conversation with the doctor, where my brother and I wanted to be. But as so often, everything comes differently and especially than you think.

I called my father on the phone a week ago on Tuesday, to hear, like it was with radiation today, if he needs anything, whether transport and collection works well. He sounded a little exhausted, and told me, that the doctor has determined, that he has water in his lungs and whether he has breathing problems. As always, he downplayed his situation and mentioned it in a subordinate clause, that he had already placed a cushion on the kitchen table, because he can't breathe properly when lying down. After I said on it, that he should call me at any time of the day or night, was clear to him, that he could solve that alone.

That was not the case and just before 9 In the evening I got a call for help with the sentence: “I do not get air!” So I called the rescue and passed on all the information, like cancer patient, Radiation, water in the lungs, urgently to the hospital in case of breathlessness, urgent!, bad condition, Lungs- and heart sick and of course address. I quickly changed my clothes – I don't think I wanted to run out in my bathrobe – ran to the car and drove like a lowered one … towards my father. I sprinted to him and drove to the 7th floor and was more than astonished, that despite good 5 Minutes of loss was there earlier. Overall, we waited for other good ones 5 Minutes when the intercom finally rang. My father swayed dangerously around the chair and I tried to calm him down.

When the medic came to meet me, I asked them, where the transportation would be, which I explained on the phone, what the situation would be. In response I got, that you have to take a look at it! Seriously?

After the respiratory rate is estimated at – for the first time it didn't show anything – 60 % lag (or below), you got a little nervous. I do not know, how many times I mentioned at that moment, that he had to go to the hospital, because he had water in his lungs and couldn't breathe. The medic could hear the water in the lungs and the findings, that I gave him, probably showed the seriousness of the situation. So they called the porter and the emergency doctor – because only that can say, that a patient heard admitted. In the meantime are already 20 Minutes passed. Quality 15 Minutes later the emergency doctor is there and before I tell her everything I felt 100 times, she stops at the door, um zu fragen, whether the patient has a fever – no he did `nt – and then looks at me and asks, whether we had a case of Covid and whether I was certain and at all and beyond. Which I can understand to a certain extent, but subjectively emotionally difficult for me, when my father has been over 30 Minutes with the ventilator can only breathe and he hurts in pain.

Since I'm probably believable, then the supply went very quickly for the first time, Venous access and syringe over syringe, ventilation only works via the device and I answer questions after questions. Just my hint, that it's arguably the smartest and most efficient (!) would be to bring my father to SMZ Ost, arrives at the people present, but not in the control center. You have a surveillance bed in KH Nord. Since there are no surveillance beds in the SMZ Ost. I will be a little uncomfortable and explain to them, that's not true, since my father was next to last year 2 Intensive care stays in the SMZ Ost were monitored. I ask please to call the doctor, because it doesn't make sense, if he should do the radiation in the SMZ Ost, why should you take him from A to B every day?, especially if the complete medical history is on site. She agrees with me and starts talking on the phone and convinces a doctor on site to take in my father.

My father is lucky, because he has my brother and me, that put pressure and are there, Ask questions and try to question. How big will the collateral damage be for the system, if we forget all of them, who are sick, become sick (and I don't mean the virus). This time we didn't even have the problem, that our father had to get her out of the station quickly, because there are enough free beds anyway (O-Ton).

I wonder, why the rescue wasn't faster than me?

I wonder, why, despite precise information on the patient's situation, no doctor, no transportation was provided?

I wonder, why a virus can have such a lasting impact on our system and all other serious illnesses (Diabetes, Krebs, Heart disease, Kidneys, ….) so be neglected.

I wonder, whether I want to know the answers honestly?