DUMC Stories
God saved me from
Covid-19 by Tan Boon, PJN2
It is by God’s grace that I am alive and well today. On 18 March 2020, I was diagnosed with Covid-19, and by that time, I was already at the most critical Stage 5 for any Covid-19 patient. On arrival at the Sungai Buloh Hospital, I was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and put on a ventilator. All my 53 days in the hospital were in ICU. I was in a coma for 16 days and on the ventilator for 17 days.
DID I GO TO THE DOCTOR TOO LATE? I first started to have symptoms on 9 March 2020. I went to the clinic once on 11 March and again on 17 March. Both times, I was treated for fever, flu and cough. On the night of 17 March, I started to have breathing problems. The next morning, I drove myself to a private hospital. I almost collapsed upon arrival. When I was tested POSITIVE for Covid-19, I was transferred to Sungai Buloh Hospital on the same day in an ambulance. I passed out shortly after Siew Lan, my wife spoke to me on the phone when I was inside the ambulance. She was in Australia with our younger daughter, Joyce, who was entering university.
THE CRITICAL TWO WEEKS Shortly after admission, a doctor at Sungai Buloh Hospital told my wife to be prepared for the worst during the first 72 hours. My chance of survival was very slim. However, the 72 hours of critical state extended to two weeks. Often, my lungs, heart or kidneys would encounter some issues. The doctors and nurses had to monitor me very closely. On 1 April, there were signs of possible multiple organ failure. The doctor called my wife to say that my lungs were not getting enough oxygen, my kidneys were not
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