A Beta Sigman vs. COVID-19
by Lionel Latoja
I work
nights as a full time RN in a Psych unit (36 hrs/week) in one of the hospitals
in Chicago and I also work in a nursing home on part time basis (8 to 16
hrs/week). Some would say my work schedule is quite strenuous. Imagine the
younger nurses and CNA’s working 16 hours 4 to 5 days a week. When I tested
positive with COVID-19, at least 3 nurses were not reporting for work for some
time in our hospital because of COVID-19. In the nursing home there were at
least 28 health care staff infected with the disease. We were running out of
nurses and CNA’s.
Two days prior to my COVID-19 test, I started to feel
feverish. Although temperature screening on entry to both my facilities always
turned out normal. My sore throat was becoming bothersome. I was having some
difficulty in swallowing, hoarse voice, and pain. I was having dry cough and the
pain in my lower back became worse. So, I decided to take the COVID-19 test
Friday, May 8. The following day May 9, Saturday, a doctor from the testing
facility called me and told me I tested positive. He told me to stay home and
isolate myself. Take Tylenol 1000mg every 6 hrs. as needed for body/joint pains
and fever, take cough syrup and lozenges preferably zinc lozenges for cough and
sore throat and gurgle with salted warm water 3x a day, always drink hot
beverages like hot lemon with honey, and continuously drink water for hydration
and eat enough food as symptoms would include loss of sense of taste and smell
and loss of appetite. I was also told to immediately call 911 or go to the ER if
I had continuous fever of >100 degrees F, congestion and difficulty breathing.
My PCP called to tell me that vitamin supplements are very important. He
instructed me to take Vitamin C 2000 mg and Vitamin D 2000 iu in the morning and
at night. Multivitamins was also recommended to be taken at night.
I
thank God my body responded well to all the medications and vitamin supplements
and I did not have the dreaded symptoms like difficulty breathing, continuous
dry cough, extremely high fever and congestion that would mean calling 911 or
going directly to the ER. But all the while I had poor appetite, lost my sense
of taste and smell. One of the hardest things to do while I had COVID-19 was to
eat. I would stare at my food for a long time before I started eating very
slowly, finishing each meal after 1 to 1 ½ hours. I was too weak and too lazy to
sit or stand up and would prefer lying in bed for hours, almost the whole day
and night. Good thing my wife was always there reminding me through our cell
phones to force myself to eat, take my medications and vitamin supplements, take
this, take that, do this, do that. When one is sick, there is no better nurse
than your very own wife.
All communications between me and my family were
via our cell phones. No face to face communication. We were wearing masks on
common areas of our house. I just stayed in our bedroom, while my wife had to
occupy the sofa in our living room and my children stayed in their respective
rooms. We prayed the rosary every night using the FB messenger so we could see
and hear each other. The only other room that I could go to was the toilet. I
would text my family if I was to use the toilet. And I would sanitize it after.
They would use it 30 minutes after I was done.
I did sponge baths on
myself. On May 21, almost 14 days after I tested positive, I took a bath
thinking that I should be okay by now, although I still felt weak. I was wrong.
I woke up during the night sweating, feeling feverish with a terrible sore
throat. I called the COVID-19 hotline of my testing facility about what happened
during the night. They said I had a “resurgence of symptoms” and that I would
have to extend my quarantine at least for another week. This was my first
extension. Towards the end of my 7-day extension, feeling better, I went to the
grocery with my wife. This was the first time I went out of the house since I
tested positive. I had these chills and I felt feverish again while we were in
the grocery.
Again, the person I talked to in the COVID-19 hotline told
me my symptoms were still part of the illness. Another 7 days to observe my
symptoms was needed. These extensions told me one thing about COVID-19. That I
must be patient until the body weakness totally disappears and that I have to
accept it takes time for the COVID-19 symptoms to wear off.
Today June 5,
four weeks after I tested positive, my symptoms are all gone, finally. My
appetite is back. Body weakness is gone. I can go out of my room but still wear
mask. I started eating in our dining room and watch TV. I feel I am back to
normal and ready to work. Thank you, Lord.
About the Author: (by the author)
The writer is Brod Lionel B. Latoja, UPD75C “Knights of Loyola”. Married with 2 kids both in college. A graduate of UP College in Manila in 1980. Took sales as his profession until 2002. Studied BSN in Manila as his second course. Came to the US to pursue his career as an RN. Presently a floor nurse for a Chicago hospital and a nursing home.
The Latoja family
L-R: Lionel, wife Edith, daughter Mary Kathleen and son John Eric.
Postscript:
In thanking Nel, I wrote that I appreciate his trust in granting my request for this "difficult" narrative and in sharing the lessons learned in his life-changing experience
with the brods and other readers. - NB