Perspective from hospital stay offers insight on COVID-19
Meet Seth Haynes, Director of Quality and Performance Improvement at Adena Health System. Seth, who has been very active working with other regional and local organizations in connection with COVID-19 vaccine distribution, unfortunately has personal experience with Coronavirus after contracting the virus shortly before Christmas. Here, he shares his story of being hospitalized during the holidays to provide another perspective to area residents considering whether to wear masks, socially distance, practice good hand hygiene, avoid large gatherings and get vaccinated when the vaccine becomes available to them.
On discovering he tested positive for COVID-19
“I tested positive for COVID December 16. I’m a healthy 37-year-old and I’ve never been hospitalized in my life. I’ve actually only been to an Emergency Department once in my life, nothing serious. During the first five days after testing positive, I had very severe, flu-like symptoms and I had all COVID symptoms minus losing my taste and smell that you’ve heard of. After day five, though, I went to the ED here in Chillicothe because I started to have really bad shortness of breath. It really progressively got worse until Christmas morning when I woke up about 5 a.m. – I was really trying to make it to watch my 3-year-old and 7-year-old open Christmas presents – but I couldn’t make it any longer because my oxygen level had dropped to about 85 percent and I was really gasping to try and breathe. I probably waited a day longer than I should have before going back to the ED. I was admitted on Christmas Day and I was hospitalized for five days.”
On his hospital stay
“I was very scared for the first 48 hours because at one point my oxygen had dropped below 70 percent and I was put on very high-flow oxygen to maintain my level at 90 percent for several hours with nurses constantly monitoring me. Honestly, I thought I might die in the place I was born in 1983 without any family by my side and not being able to watch my kids grow up. That still, just to think about it right now, just kind of upsets me.”
On the road to recovery
“I received the best care and treatment from our Adena 2NE team. I received the full regimen of treatment – plasma, steroids, Remdesavir – and then I was able to go home after five days. I still have bilateral pneumonia and other lingering COVID symptoms but I’m feeling much better now. I really want to thank my family, friends and everyone who was praying for me in the community. It really meant a lot, and I think that helped me get through this.”
A message to the community
“Our family has really taken everything with COVID very seriously with masking and social distancing, but I hope my story that I’m sharing puts into perspective that this virus is unbiased to who gets it, how it might impact you – no matter your age or how healthy you are – and also who you might unknowingly pass it to. I’m urging you to sign up on our website to get the vaccine and when it’s your turn to come get it and to also encourage others in the community to do the same. The vaccine and continuing good hand hygiene, masking and social distancing is the path to ending