Free-to-read: Back in November, @timhayward was diagnosed with Covid-19 and in a matter of hours after arriving at the hospital, he was put on a ventilator. What follows is his account of 30 days in hospital, 10 of those unconscious in the ICU ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
At the time, the UK government identified three symptoms of Covid-19: a persistent cough, loss of smell or taste, or a raised temperature.
'I had none of these, just the sort of chesty flu that hits me every autumn' ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
'I had none of these, just the sort of chesty flu that hits me every autumn' ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
Very quickly, Tim started feeling unusually short of breath and decided to call for an ambulance.
‘I felt “out of it” and had an overpowering feeling that life would be a lot better if I could just take one decent full breath’ ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
‘I felt “out of it” and had an overpowering feeling that life would be a lot better if I could just take one decent full breath’ ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
In the ambulance, a doctor fully dressed in protective gear introduced herself to him.
‘Over the next month, I’d get used to recognising people from a single strip, the bridge of the nose, tired eyes and a muffled voice’ ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
‘Over the next month, I’d get used to recognising people from a single strip, the bridge of the nose, tired eyes and a muffled voice’ ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
A few hours later, the doctor decided to put Tim on life support.
‘I’m hit with awful clarity that this is probably the most significant moment in my whole life’ ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
‘I’m hit with awful clarity that this is probably the most significant moment in my whole life’ ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
While on life support, and even when he came off oxygen, he was delirious.
'[I was] filled with dreams. As soon as I could, I started writing them down. Thousands of words poured out, all of them ridiculous' ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
'[I was] filled with dreams. As soon as I could, I started writing them down. Thousands of words poured out, all of them ridiculous' ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
He spent 10 days unconscious in the ICU, and it took him a while to breathe on his own. He says that someone yelled ‘do you know where you are?’, but he didn’t know who or where he was ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
Tim was discharged from the hospital in mid-December with a bag of pills and assured that a team would be in touch to assist in his recovery.
‘For 30 days, I didn’t use most of my muscles and spent only minutes out of bed. I lost just over 14kg in weight' ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
‘For 30 days, I didn’t use most of my muscles and spent only minutes out of bed. I lost just over 14kg in weight' ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
‘Unlike many who go through intensive care, I haven’t displayed symptoms of PTSD. Being asked to write this and being able to express it, is one of the reasons I can hope that I won’t.’
Read Tim’s full story about his time in hospital and his recovery: ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
Read Tim’s full story about his time in hospital and his recovery: ft.com/content/2b0dbb…
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