It’s been just over a year since the first case of Coronavirus was discovered and it looks like the whole situation is going to go on until at least Easter IF we’re lucky, but people are still out there questioning whether it’s necessary to wear a mask.
Featured Image VIA
I still find the situation bizarre – even if you don’t think masks are useful/necessary, is it so hard to whack one on for 15 minutes whilst you’re in the supermarket or on a bus? – but this thread is currently going viral on Twitter and explains why it’s so important to wear a mask in heartbreaking fashion. It really is a tearjerker so get ready:
Oct 16-26th – my family has “flu-like” symptoms. Mom has been in bed since she got home. My brother and dad start feeling weak later in the week. Mom/dad see their primary care physician on Oct 25th where he tested them for COVID antibodies which came back negative on the 28th.
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
(Cont) I can see his hands shaking as he was trying to install the battery into the pulse ox. I stay on FT until he gets his reading. 89%. I panic. I tell him to get to the ER right away. In hindsight, I wish I would have kept my cool. (Cont)
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
He gets a CT scan of his chest. ID is consulted. His test results come back positive and he is started on remdesivir, dexa, and enrolled in a trial for CSL-312.
I arrive home late early evening. Mom seems ok, just weak. My brother looks like absolute shit.— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
Sat-Sun, Oct 31-Nov 1 – brother with high fevers (up to 102.8°) all weekend. We give Tylenol around the clock. He isn’t keeping up with food/water intake. 1° care MD changes antibiotics to Ceftin. He’s starting to feel “loopy”.
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
(Cont) I’ve been FT’ing dad daily. He hates it in the hospital. He says that he will be finishing up 5d of tax and coming home.
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
(Cont) I tell him to be patient and let the drugs do their thing and let his lungs heal. I head back to ATL for a few days and come back by the end of the week. My older sister comes to stay for a week.
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
Mon, Nov 9th – I’m back in ATL. Dad FTs me and shows me the dry erase board. “Look at the date, look at the date, I’m supposed to be home! Pick me up right now!” I want to cry. I try to reassure him that he just need more time for his lungs to heal.
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
Thurs, Nov 12th – as his healthcare proxy, I get a call in the morning that they are having trouble bringing up his sats. He had been pulling off his mask the past few days. The rapid response team is in the room. “Would you like for him to be intubated?” I say yes. (Cont)
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
(Cont) Dad is on 85-90% FIO2. I pray, and pray, and pray that the vent will give your lungs time to heal. Dad’s labs look awful. Elevated d-dimer, ferritin, LDH; very low platelets and albumin….all markers of disease progression.
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
Dad is fluctuating between 70-90% FIO2 on the vent. He has severe ARDS. His P/F ratio is <100. As a former CCM pharmacist, I know his lungs are like a brick. The attending shows us his 2 CT scans and I see the progression and the ground glass opacities. (Cont)
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
Sat-Sun, Nov 14-15th – we see dad daily via WebEx. It breaks my heart seeing dad intubated. He’s not the same man. Prior to all this, dad was 100% functional. He could walk miles with no problems. Dad was with me hiking in the Himalayas less than a year ago. How did we get here?
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
Tues-Wed, Nov 17-18 – dad is fluctuating between 70-100% FIO2. He is still requiring minimal pressors and low dose sedation/analgesia. I’m still hoping dad gets through this. He’s always been a fighter.
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
Fri, Nov 20nd. The CT scan is done today. It’s shows multiple infarcts with an SAH. I call my sisters to come home stat. We decide to wait to tell mom until Saturday when we are all together. We decide not to discuss the strokes. (Cont)
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
Sat, Nov 21st. -we tell mom. She doesn’t quite understand everything and holds on to hope that dad will wake up. We take the time over the next few days to let family/close friends pay their respects via WebEx. Many great stories. We decide as a family to withdraw care on Monday.
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
The COVID ICU is like Fort Knox. “You can only come in one at a time”. How is mom going to do this alone? The staff is kind enough to let mom be in the room while the siblings rotate. When it’s my turn, I go in and sign the paperwork for withdrawal of care.
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
I promise to carry on your legacy. To always be smiling and to always help others like you did. To always look at the bright side of things, to never have hate in my heart. I thank you for everything you have done for me. The staff let my brother be in your room after extubation.
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
You passed within seconds. It was clear you were ready to leave us. I pray you didn’t feel anything. I pray you weren’t scared.
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
I am eternally heartbroken. This was not fair to my dad who brought joy to those around him. My parents were careful all year. They wanted to support my aunt during her time of need. That was always my dad’s priority…..his family.
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
We pleaded for them not to go but he always did things his way. Dad, you lived a wonderful like and I know you had no regrets. I love you!!! #WearAMask
— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020
Damn. RIP to her dad.
I know people are probably going to question whether or not this is real or whether or not her sister in law wearing a mask made a difference, but I gotta ask these people why she would spend so much time writing out this thread in explicit detail if this hadn’t happened to her and she wasn’t trying to use her pain to help other people and improve the situation? I guess you can argue that it might be a conspiracy thread commissioned by the left wing fake news media, but does anyone really think that’s what’s going on here? Really?
For more of the same, check out this face mask that you can buy now that looks like a pair of testicles. Maybe that will bring some people around.
