A hard truth, and this ain’t pretty.
The paragraphs below were written by a nurse who works with ventilators:
Here you go folks... for those people who don't understand what it means to be on a ventilator but want to take the chance of going back to work after Covid19....
For starters, it's NOT an oxygen mask put over the mouth while the patient is comfortably lying down and reading magazines.
Ventilation for COVID-19 is a painful intubation that goes down your throat and stays there until you live or you die.
It is usually performed under anesthesia and for 2 to 3 weeks the patient is without movement, often upside down, with a tube inserted from the mouth to the trachea, which allows you to breathe to the rhythm of the lung machine.
The patient can't talk or eat, or do anything naturally - the machine keeps you alive.
The discomfort and pain they feel from this means medical experts have to administer sedatives and painkillers to ensure tube tolerance for as long as the machine is needed.
It's like being in an induced coma.
After 20 days from this treatment, a young patient loses 40% muscle mass, and suffers mouth or vocal cord trauma, as well as possible pulmonary or heart complications.
It is for this reason that old or already weak people can't withstand the treatment and die.
Many of us are in this boat ... so stay safe unless you want to take the chance of ending up in this situation.
This is NOT the flu.
Add a tube into your stomach, either through your nose or skin for liquid food, a sticky bag around your butt to collect the diarrhea, a foley Catheter to collect urine, an IV for fluids and meds, an A-line to monitor your BP that is completely dependent upon finely calculated med doses.
Teams of nurses CRNA’s and MA’s have to reposition your limbs every two hours, while you’re lying on a mat that circulates ice cold fluid to help bring down your 104 degree temp.
Anyone want to try all that out?
Then stay home..... Stay safe and well!