Sister-in-law with Covid was hospitalized this morning.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

She and my brother (who might have got infected by her since she had symptoms before he did) were seemingly doing okay the last few days, with minor fatigue being the main symptom.

Then she awoke this morning to tell my brother that she was struggling to breathe, so please contact a hospital.

Her blood oxygenation was in the 30's when she arrived there!


She was given oxygen and it soon increased to 90%. (That fast?!)

My brother said they used to have a finger oximeter at home, but they sold it last year during a garage sale. So he's currently relying on his own judgement in terms of fatigue and breathing difficulty for himself, but will order one online.

The far-greater severity struck her very fast! Hope she'll be okay. She's on the verge of retiring. No intubation, at least yet.

I didn't bother to ask if they'd went inside restaurants lately, but I know they've been restaurant addicts in the past.

[brer cat]

1. I hope she improves soon

and that both of them recover.

[soothsayer]

2. This

[BusyBeingBest]

3. She's lucky she didn't have a cardiac event with oxygenation that poor.

Hope she gets better soon.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

4. It blew my mind when I heard that!

Maybe my brother misunderstood? It's very dangerous in the 80's!

Perhaps they instead said it was reduced by that much?

Thanks to everyone for the well-wishes!

[BusyBeingBest]

6. It's not likely that it was an accurate reading, but

her oxygen was certainly life-threateningly low for them to be considering intubating. Wishing your family the best.

[Turin_C3PO]

41. I have CF

and I used to feel fine even when my oxygen was in the 70s. Of course, that's not near the same as 30s but it is possible to survive fairly low oxygen for short periods of time.

[helpisontheway]

5. Everyone should make sure they have a pulse oximeter..It was very difficult

to get one during the spring. It took several weeks before I was able to get one delivered. Stores were out of stock and there were long delays on Amazon.

Hope your SIL will be okay..🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[Buckeye_Democrat]

8. I ordered one back in March and...

... there were several highly-rated brands unavailable by then.

I figured my brother and his wife still had one. She has asthma!

[nuxvomica]

15. I bought one at Walgreen's late September

They had plenty at the time. I almost missed it because I was looking in Cold & FLu but they keep them in the Diabetes section.

[malaise]

7. This is crazy

More and more DUers are posting about persons close to them coming down with Covid.
Hope she recovers and your brother is negative

[Buckeye_Democrat]

9. He has it too.

Loss of smell, fatigue (minor so far), slight fever when it started, etc.

Neither of them have been coughing much at all, according to him.

[malaise]

12. This is beyond scary

[Buckeye_Democrat]

11. I mentioned her being infected last night...

... in this thread, and she was supposedly doing much better than my sister's daughter-in-law... who also has it!

I only learned this morning that my brother is infected too! (Which I figured could easily happen since they're in the same home.)

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=14556153

[niyad]

22. The SiL of a dear friend has it. He is a high school teacher (all virtual this year). He said that

Since he has had only a slight fever this week, he planned to go hunting this weekend. My friend and I just shook our heads. Did I mention that he is a trumper?

[malaise]

30. I am stunned at how people think it won't affect them

We've all been wearing masks from day one and are very, very careful when and where we go.

[niyad]

31. I do know that he has been masked, in consideration of an at-risk family member. But

apparently still does not take it that seriously.

I have severe claustrophobia, yet I mask whenever I am out' mostly just to grocery store. If I can wear one, so can everyone else. Every time I hear "medical condition, I am tempted to ask, "what condition? Terminal stupidity?"

[MustLoveBeagles]

49. I'm the same way

Before the pandemic I couldn't stand having anything on my face. When I first had wear a mask it was torture. I've since adapted and now it doesn't bother me. People need to suck it up.

[okaawhatever]

10. Oh no. My heart goes out to you and your family. nt

[DarthDem]

13. I'm So Sorry to Hear This!

I hope they both recover very quickly.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

18. Thanks!

To you and everyone else!

[barbtries]

14. 30s!

jeez that's scary. i've been advocating to family and friends for month to have an oximeter on hand. they're relatively inexpensive and readily available on amazon, though with the new wave coming on strong that might not last. So get yours now.

wow. i can't get over that read - that is someone who is literally starved for oxygen. so glad she got help in time, and hope her case doesn't get worse.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

17. I'm wondering if my brother misunderstood?

I'm not in healthcare, so I'm not sure what to think. Maybe they instead said it was reduced by that much?

I exclaimed, "OH, NO!!" after he said it, and then he quickly said it raised to 90% after they put an oxygen mask on her.

[barbtries]

19. it think the term is hypoxia.

and i recall seeing a dr talk about people with covid whose blood oxygen was "incompatible with life" and they were sitting there texting on their phones. so i don't know. i do know that if it was in the 30s she was in real danger.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

26. I'd read it's very dangerous in the 80's, so...

... hearing it was supposedly in the 30's initially (if he didn't misunderstand) sounded like death to me.

He said that she was very pale and looked absolutely awful this morning, whispering that she needed help immediately.

She was supposedly doing great the last few days and figured a full recovery was around the corner, according to our sister who is usually the telephone communication hub for the family.

[moonscape]

48. I also read (or heard) a doctor talking some time ago

about patients walking into ER with oxygen levels that in any other circumstance would mean death. The super low oxygenation with covid seems different, maybe becasue it comes on so quickly? That 30 could possibly be right and she was so lucky to get in quickly.

Hope everything goes well for your family.

[Laelth]

20. No way it was 30. That's lethal, instantly.

Maybe “30% down,” i.e. 70%. That’s lethal for most, but maybe she’s a tough cookie.



-Laelth

[Buckeye_Democrat]

27. That's my suspicion too!

That brother was never strong with numbers/math like me and our other brother.

[Turin_C3PO]

43. I've survived long periods of time

with o2 in the low 70s. I have CF and used to be very stubborn about wearing oxygen until my doctor informed me that my heart was damaged due to prolonged hypoxia. A new drug came out and I don't even need oxygen anymore but, yeah, I was playing Russian Roulette.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

16. EVERY household should have a pulse oximeter. Inexpensive, easy way to check oxygen level.

Normal reading is above 95, if it drops below contact your Doc. Typical reading is 97 - 98.

If you have lung disease or sleep apnea your reading may be as low as 90 without cause for concern if that's your normal.

[Boomer]

63. Figure out what is normal for you

If everyone gets an oximeter BEFORE they get sick, they'll have a clear baseline for comparison. If that number starts dropping, be on alert.

One of my lungs is compromised, so the best I can get is a reading of 95-96, and it's usually around 93-94. Knowing this, I am doing my very best not to get covid. Given my age, weight and compromised lungs, I'm not a good candidate for recovery.

[bluestarone]

21. Hoping all goes well for your family!

[Warpy]

23. People are surviving longer without intubation

They realized by the beginning of last summer that early intubation was contributing to the death toll, that people weren't retaining CO2 and were capable of breathing spontaneously and just needed high flow oxygen.

That's how this disease hits, the symptoms feel mild and people might start to feel better and WHAM!

Most people only need a few days of high flow oxygen. I hope that's the case with her. Intubation is now more of a last resort, when people come in too exhausted to breathe on their own.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

28. No plans for intubation yet.

I hope that she avoids it!

[Buckeye_Democrat]

56. That's indeed what happened in her case.

My sister-in-law (mid-60's) had mild symptoms for days and assumed a full recovery was around the corner. Now the hospital wants to put her on a ventilator.

She called my religious sister from the hospital herself, sounding weak, and hoping it wouldn't be the last time they talked to each other.

Yet my sister's daughter-in-law (upper-20's), who separately got infected about the same time and who had much more severe symptoms right away, feels almost completely recovered now. (She's still isolating, of course.)

[JCMach1]

61. That's how I was treated along with dexamethasone

Remdesivir and a host of other things...

[Warpy]

62. That is the standard now. They only intubate people who are too exhausted to fight to breathe

or who can't maintain adeqjuate oxygenation by other means.

Early intubation was contributing to lung injury in people who would likely have recovered better on high flow oxygen.

[niyad]

25. I am so sorry to hear this. May they recover quickly and completely. Remember that your DU

family is here for you.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

29. Thank you!

[JGug1]

32. That Quickly?

Absolutely. When O2 is initiated, the PO2 will go up very quickly. That is as long as the lungs are not damaged, making exchange impaired.

[No Vested Interest]

33. Brother should go directly to Walgreen or CVS to get an oximeter.

Do not wait to order online from Amazon or other company.
Pennywise, pound-foolish, especially with Covid in his family and household.

[LisaL]

35. Considering brother is covid positive, he presumably shouldn't be out shopping.

NT

[LiberalArkie]

42. I ordered 3 from amazon before I got one that wasn't fake.

Go to a store - Walgreen, etc

[No Vested Interest]

51. Yes, I am growing leery of online sales offers unless it is a well-known entity

such as L.L. Bean, etc.
Have had non-delivery of ordered product or, if I'm lucky, delivery weeks after ordering from start-ups or scammers.

[calimary]

34. Oh no! Thanks for letting us know, Buckeye_Democrat.

So we can at least keep a virtual vigil with you.

Here's a virtual hug:

And some more...

And just a few more...

[Buckeye_Democrat]

36. Thank you!

And to everyone else here!

I'm going to log out for awhile and try to get some updates.

[crickets]

37. I am so sorry to hear about this, Buckeye.

I'm glad your brother got your SIL to the hospital in time, and I hope both of them improve and recover soon.

[Heartstrings]

38. Healing vibes sent........nt

[Loupe Garoue]

39. Some phones have oximeters built in

If he has a Samsung phone, there is an oximeter under Samsung Health. Maybe other phones too. It seems to work pretty well.

[LisaL]

40. Smart watches, too.

I got mine off amazon, it measures blood pressure and oxygen levels.

[cayugafalls]

44. omg...that was fast. they will be in my prayers...

this is all so freaking bizarre and horrible...

when will it end with 70 million people who don't even believe it exists...

wishing for sanity to return to the US.

[SheltieLover]

45. Healing vibes on the way! 💗💗💗

[gademocrat7]

46. Wishing your family a good recovery.

We are in perilous times. Take care.

[Dem2theMax]

47. Sending thoughts that your family will recover completely and quickly.

And for everyone looking for quality medical devices, this is the place I have used for years.

activeforever.com

Both of my parents had numerous health issues over the years. I can't tell you how many things I have purchased from this site. They are reliable and honest.

I purchased a rather expensive pulse oximeter close to 10 or 12 years ago. My father had pneumonia a lot, and I needed to know his oxygen level at all times. My father has since passed on. The pulse oximeter is still going strong.

[MustLoveBeagles]

50. I hope your brother and sister in law make a quick recovery

[Buckeye_Democrat]

52. Thank you! (Update too.)

Received an update from our sister, the telephone junkie.

My brother is feeling much better, so maybe he'll recover just fine? On the other hand, that's what we thought about his wife until this morning. Our sister urged him again to get a highly-rated oximeter with next-day delivery if possible.

My sister's infected daughter-in-law (in her 20's) sounds and feels much better, and she's the one who was extremely ill and seemingly more worrisome yesterday.

Meanwhile, my sister-in-law was transported from a branch hospital to their main hospital around here. They're going to give her convalescent plasma from recovered Covid patients. I'm aware that recent studies have shown it's not very helpful as was hoped months ago, but that's what they're doing for now.

Thanks again to everyone for the well-wishes!

I'm logging out again now.

[MustLoveBeagles]

54. Thank you for the update

[smirkymonkey]

53. I'm so sorry to hear about your family, Buckeye Dem.

It must be very frightening for you that it has hit so close to home and so fast. I hope they all make a quick recovery and that you all stay healthy. Sending healing thoughts.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

55. UPDATE: The hospital wants to put her on a ventilator.

I've seen the troubling statistics once a Covid patient's condition is bad enough to reach that stage.

My sister-in-law had VERY MILD symptoms, for multiple days, until yesterday morning. So please remain vigilant if you're unfortunate to get infected.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

57. ALSO LEARNED THAT...

... my brother and his wife were avoiding restaurants and such. I assumed they could have gave into temptation in that way, given how they used to eat in restaurants very regularly. (Unlike me, who would do it about once a year even before the pandemic.)

The sister-in-law instead got sick after babysitting her young granddaughter (my grand-niece) when my niece was busy, and it was later learned that kids at her school were infected.

We don't know with certainty, and obviously nobody in the family wants to guilt-trip my niece over this situation.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

58. FINAL UPDATE FOR THIS THREAD.

My sister-in-law will apparently survive!

She refused to be placed on a ventilator, and the hospital kept her on an oxygen mask instead.

At this point, I surely don't know all of the treatments for her besides the convalescent plasma.

Anyway, my brother said that she's sounding MUCH stronger and she's back to her typical grumpy behavior again. The doctors and nurses also seem to think she'll recover and be home again soon.

[cally]

59. YEAH!!!

[Buckeye_Democrat]

60. Thanks!