30/12/2021
Ell es mi hermana un testimonio de sobrevivientes del covid19
Nancy Rodriguez, 47, lives with to her husband, Julio and works as a housekeeper at NASA. The rest of her family lives in Florida or Puerto Rico, and she had plans to visit them prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. In her spare time, Nancy enjoys reading, surfing the internet, watching television and taking care of her two love birds.
One day Nancy started experiencing a cough and fever, so she went to urgent care where both she and Julio tested positive for COVID-19. She returned home, but her health continued to decline. Her fever got worse, she lost her appetite and struggled to breath at night. After about a week and not feeling any better, Julio took her to urgent care again. The staff discovered her oxygen levels were alarmingly low, and they told her to go to the hospital immediately. Nancy said, “If I wouldn’t have gone, I wouldn’t be here.”
Nancy was admitted to Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital, where she was diagnosed with COVID pneumonia, put on a ventilator and placed on her stomach, called proning, to improve breathing. She was in the ICU for two weeks. “I really don’t know what happened because I was out of it,” said Nancy. “I just remember a nurse holding my hand crying saying ‘You will be okay.’” At one point, doctors weren’t sure if she would make it, but Nancy feels someone was looking out for her, saying, “I closed my eyes and asked God to help me. God was by my side.”
With the help of a therapist, she was able to stand up and take a few steps. Her doctors recommended inpatient rehabilitation and suggested Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospital, Avon. Julio had been a patient there five years prior due to a stroke and had a positive experience, so she knew it was the right place for her to continue her recovery. Nancy said, “I was waiting for the day I could transfer to Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospital. I was tired of being in the hospital without walking.”
When Nancy arrived for inpatient rehabilitation, she was on supplemental oxygen and still had a feeding tube. She still had issues with breathing, walking and overall strength. Her goal was to get back to talking and walking like she did before her illness.
In physical therapy, Nancy focused on starting to walk again. To build strength, she performed leg exercises and used a stationary bike. She also worked with her team on walking with less assistance and going farther distances over time. Nancy recalled a turning point in her recovery, “There was a day that the doctor saw me walking and he clapped.” That’s when she knew she was getting better. Another proud moment was when she was issued a green mobility sign in her room meaning her care team determined it was safe for her to be independent with walking and transfers using a walker.
Meanwhile, Nancy’s occupational therapists focused on building her upper body strength and helping her become independent for daily living activities. They had her perform exercises to hone balance by reaching for things at a high level, and practice taking showers and getting dressed with increased independence.
Speech therapy sessions focused on swallowing and teaching her techniques to improve memory. Therapists had Nancy perform exercises to strengthen the muscles in her mouth and throat. They also taught her techniques to help coordinate breathing while chewing. She started with a soft, bite-sized diet and progressed to a regular diet throughout her stay.
Respiratory therapists worked hand-in-hand with the other therapy teams to ensure Nancy had enough oxygen to perform her daily therapy activities. They slowly reduced the size of her trach and eventually helped her wean off oxygen altogether.
Nancy felt a lot of support from her therapy teams. “One of the therapists played music from the 80’s, which I love,” said Nancy. “They also make you feel encouraged to go on and work hard.” She also spoke about the support she received from family and friends. “My husband has been there since day one. He helped a lot by taking care of things at home and bringing me clothes, and my friend from work paid me a surprise visit.”
After 14 days, Nancy was ready to return home. She was able to walk up to 60 feet without a device, could perform daily living activities independently, was eating a normal diet and off supplemental oxygen. She looked forward to seeing her family and birds again and expressed gratitude for a chance to get back to her life. “I learned that you only have one life and God gave me a second chance to live.”
