Thread by @TexasTribune

1/ When pharmacist Frank Arredondo was wheeled on a stretcher into a South Texas ward for coronavirus patients in early April, his wife wondered if they would ever see each other again. bit.ly/3j0mgra

2/ Tyra Greene, a nurse who works at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance Health System, called the ward Arredondo was in multiple times each day while keeping a detailed log of his treatment.

She shared her notes with us. This is their story.

bit.ly/3j0mgra

3/ Greene remembers the day Arredondo went to the hospital.

It was April 6 — Day 12 of his illness. He woke up looking pale, unable to catch his breath. He told his wife he needed to go to the ER.

He had learned he was positive for the coronavirus the day before.

4/ Greene dropped him off outside the hospital and watched him disappear through the double doors.

There were no goodbyes.

No hugs.

Hospital workers told her to go home and quarantine, and that someone would be in touch. bit.ly/3j0mgra

5/ The first few days Arredondo was in the hospital were a blur of phone calls and worry.

Daily chest X-rays showed no signs of improvement.

Sedated, he was losing weight and placed on a feeding tube. He was given medications to counteract other medications.

6/ Around Day 17, his sixth day in the hospital, Greene wrote that medical staff told her there was thick phlegm in Arredondo’s lungs that clogged his breathing tubes when he tried to inhale. They suctioned it out. bit.ly/3j0mgra

7/ On Day 22, Arredondo was taken off the ventilator. His vitals were stable, his feeding tube removed. He started drinking clear liquids.

That’s about when the hallucinations began. bit.ly/3j0mgra

8/ He remembers hallucinations that were so vivid that he can describe what it felt like to have a bullet graze his head.

His imagination conjured up a Nigerian hit squad. Texas Rangers. A Mexican cartel. A black ops team.

He was convinced he was in a flying hospital.

9/ The phenomenon, ICU delirium, affects about 50% of ICU patients, and around 80% of those with the coronavirus, according to one medical expert. bit.ly/3j0mgra

10/ Good news came on Day 25, April 19.

The doctor asked Arredondo if he knew where he was. He did.

Greene called and asked if he knew who she was. “My wife Tyra,” he said. bit.ly/3j0mgra

11/ The next day, Greene drove to the ward to pick up Arredondo.

“We squeezed each other’s hands as we drove home and nothing else mattered,” Greene’s notes said. bit.ly/3j0mgra

12/ While Arredondo has been recovering at home, the Rio Grande Valley in Texas has been hammered by the virus. bit.ly/3j0mgra

13/ Hidalgo County went from having a dozen or so COVID-19 patients in its hospitals to now having more than 700.

During the first three months of the pandemic, the county saw a dozen people with the coronavirus die. That number has soared to 123. bit.ly/3j0mgra

14/ Back at Arredondo’s home, Greene has been documenting her husband's recovery — which has been remarkable.

His feet and toes have remained numb, but he hasn’t had lingering psychological issues. He never needed to go to physical therapy. bit.ly/3j0mgra

15/15 Arredondo has already given blood to the hospital for research. He made a video thanking them for the care he received.

This week, he’s calling them again. He wants to donate his plasma. bit.ly/3j0mgra