COVID as Crown or My Life
BY CYNTHIA U. SANTIAGO
Chapter 4
How We Got Healed?
SINCE they were born, I sort of vowed I won’t rely much on our sons, Ronaldo and Paolo—since each one would be padre de familia, each one would have his own family to take care of.
But our sons promptly moved heaven and earth to fight COVID and get Ed
and me healed. They were our very first front liners.
Thank you, forever, Ron and Paul!
STEPS TO OUR HEALING
- CONSULTATION. We consulted Paolo, and thank you, forever, his wife Cy and they recommended that we be confined to a hospital. Thank you, forever!
Meanwhile, Ron and, thank you, forever, his wife Karen, promptly took care of our house while we were away.
Thank you, forever, RonKar!
- EMERGENCY. COVID made us see for the first time front liners in action. From our house, nurses, aides, guided me to a waiting ambulance. Ed was so weak that he had to be carried on a stretcher.
My heart thumped as the ambulance, siren screaming, the driver expertly negotiating the morning traffic, took
Ed and me to the hospital in a jiffy.
At the emergency ward, more front liners so quickly hovered around us, I was
like, maybe they thought we were Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes.
FIRST, they put on each one of us an oxygen mask. Then, we underwent X- RAY PROCEDURE. Then, more front liners wheeled us to a room at the end of a hall which I surmised must be the ISOLATED COVID WARD. At left, a front liner preparing oxygen tank.
- INTENSIVE CARE. I was simply happy Ed and I were together in one room.
But during the night, so I was told, I inadvertently hit off my oxygen mask.
A nurse coming in at scheduled routine checkup saw me already turning blue, right away called in my attending physician.
Declaring I was in CRITICAL CONDITION, the doctor ordered that I be
taken to Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
- SEPARATION. At the time, Ed didn’t have COVID anymore, but he was suffering its complication– PNEUMONIA. So, he had to still stay in the hospital—while I was taken to the ICU of another hospital.
Speaking of pain, being separated from Ed, THAT hurt.
I thought I’d be isolated, imprisoned in a cold, dark, lonely room, LEFT TO
DIE ALONE—as news sensationalized COVID would do.
Contrary, the front liners now and then kindly attended to me, fighting with
me the fight of my life, NEVER LEFT ME ALONE.
- STRONGEST COVID CURE. My COVID was so bad, if not the worst, that– I was told– I was given the strongest medicine ever for COVID cure. And in the ICU, they have, not only medicines, but the machines, gadgets as well, for everything.
I once slightly scratched my eyes and promptly, they gave me eye drops. I
guess to prevent more of the virus from entering me through my eyes.
- INTUBATION. I was so weak that I could not inhale-exhale enough oxygen coming from a ventilator. So, I had to undergo intubation. The way I heard it on television news, INTUBATION was like your DEATH SENTENCE already.
Contrary, intubation means that from an oxygen ventilator, a tube– did not feel like hard metal, more like flexible rubber or plastic–is inserted from your mouth, down your throat, down your windpipe, right directly to your lungs, so you get the oxygen right away. NO PAIN, coz I guess I was under anesthesia. Actually, I was happy about it.
Before intubation, I was nourished only through dextrose. I was not allowed
to drink water, coz they said the liquid might flow into my lungs.
My lips, mouth, throat were so dry I now and then begged for at least a sip of water. I guess that’s when they decided to let me go through intubation– and, getting enough oxygen, I felt much, much better.
- REUNION. Well, all the front liners’ heroic attacks against the virus were so menacing, all right, that COVID left me in a hurry—I guess grudgingly, running away to silently creep into another victim.
So, finally, they took me back for a reunion with Ed. And after what seemed
like endless therapy days, we were DISCHARGED!
LESSON: There’s a time to get sick, there’s a time to get healed. Be patient.
PRAYERS. All the procedures would have come to naught without your PRAYERS, beloved family and friends. Read all about it…
NEXT: MIRACLES
