My friend's son is still hospitalized seven weeks now
I’m sharing this because I want others to know of the devastation it can wreak as a warning.
He’s recently tested negative for Covid though still on a vent. They tested him twice and then even tested the mucus he continues to emit a third time and all tests were negative. At this point it seems he’s suffering from the after effect of acute respiratory syndrome. (When he was first hospitalized he tested negative twice with textbook symptoms and only tested positive a third time when on the vent.)
He was briefly taken off the vent several days but couldn't breathe on his own, became extremely agitated and they re-intubated him. He got air pockets in his chest cavity from the initial intubation. They want to do a tracheotomy with him still on the vent but his mother is resisting that.
He was initially given Trump’s drug and subsequently sustained kidney damage. He was then put on dialysis while on the vent. He was given plasma which seems to have helped stop the raging infection as he had a fever for almost a month. He’s 38 and never had kidney problems. Remdesivir became available as well but with the plasma and the dialysis and Remdesivir’s possible liver damage as a side effect it was not administered--especially because he’s way past the window where it’s supposed to do the most good which is shortening the severity and duration of the illness.
The doctor told his mom one lung appears almost completely black. He’s got multiple blood clots. They do periodic video chats and he’s managed to blink or shed a tear at the sound of familiar voices.
The most important thing is that he’s still alive. Life, with God’s grace, won’t ever be the same for him. But we pray and hang on to hope every time we see a story about somebody else who also was hospitalized for a prolonged period and survived.
This thing can be monstrous.
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Tell her others are thinking about those stricken and their families, offering up prayers and good wishes and peace.
The virus is monstrous.
I wish I could do more. 
Please let your friend and son know how many here hope and pray with them for a life ahead.
I will tell her. Thanks 
I'm constantly watching the counts and give thanks he’s not included in the casualties. 
I’ve been trying to tell her a trach should only be temporary and that if he has less discomfort it’s worth it. Thanks
people whose lives will never be the same, and the more we do the better. Thanks for posting his experience, Live.
I'm so sorry your friend and her son are going through this ordeal. My thoughts, prayers and good vibes are going their way.
I hope that he recovers.
