"When I woke up, I was told that I slept for eight days, but I was horrified to see the TV that was playing at that time," said



laughing entertainer Jiro Hachimitsu on December 14, last year. I was found to be infected with the new coronavirus and remained unconscious for eight days.



After waking up, he was disappointed when he saw the news "Christmas coming soon".



After being hospitalized for about a month, he has now returned to work, but Jiro says, "I'm more suffering from sequelae now than right after I was discharged."



The nurses and rehabilitation teachers who took care of me asked me to tell them the fear of Corona, and I made my experience public.

"When I think about it now, I have a habit of bringing my hands to my eyes and nose ..."

Jiro Hachimitsu (46) from the comedy combination "Tokyo Dynamite".



Three years ago, he went to work due to poor physical condition and had acute heart failure due to acute pneumonia. He said he was more concerned about infection than anyone else.



Mr. Hachimitsu Jiro


"I have been undergoing regular medical examinations once every two months since I fell down, but my blood sugar level is high, so my doctor told me," Jiro-san, if you get a corona, it will definitely get worse. " I used to gargle, wash my hands, wear a mask, and rarely went out. When I think about it now, I have a habit of bringing my hands to my eyes and nose, so I think that's the cause. It



seems that he hadn't stepped out of his house for the three days before and after the infection date predicted by the health center after the infection was discovered.

With the "pulse oximeter" I bought just in case

On December 13th last year, I started to have cold-like symptoms.



My symptoms were mild, so when I was spending my time as usual, the fever suddenly rose to nearly 40 degrees around noon the next day.



However, it is said that the fever was reduced by the over-the-counter antipyretic and there were almost no symptoms.



At this time, Mr. Jiro used a "pulse oximeter" to check the value of oxygen in the blood, measured the "oxygen saturation" to show how much oxygen was taken in, and consulted with his doctor.



I bought it just in case because I was inspected every day when I was hospitalized three years ago.



The normal value of oxygen saturation is 96% or more, and according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's "Clinical Guide", oxygen inhalation is required for 93% or less.



Jiro's value on that night had dropped to 88%.



When I told my doctor, he said, "It's a level that can be carried by ambulance even if it has nothing to do with Corona," and he called an ambulance crew in a hurry.



Mr. Hachimitsu Jiro


"I wasn't feeling so bad, so if I hadn't measured the oxygen saturation, I might have slept as it was. I often said," I was communicating with the health center until the day before, but I lost contact the next day. " You hear the case. You may have suddenly changed your physical condition as if you were going down a slope. The pulse oximeter influenced your destiny. "

The next time I woke up was 8 days later

After being taken to the hospital, I underwent general anesthesia to use a ventilator and lost consciousness.



The next time I woke up was eight days later.



It was December 22nd, when the end of the year was approaching.

In the eight days I was unconscious, I lost 20 kilograms and my limb muscles were so weak that I couldn't even stand up.



I waited for recovery while continuing rehabilitation, but the amount of virus in my body did not decrease to the discharge standard, and I was forced to stay in the hospital for a long time.

Numbness and malaise in the hands ... "It's worse now"

I couldn't see my family in the isolated ward, and I was discharged from the hospital on January 15th.



About five months after being discharged from the hospital, Jiro Hachimitsu still suffers from symptoms such as numbness and malaise in his hands.



Moreover, it is said that it is worse than immediately after discharge.



Mr. Jiro Hachimitsu


"I'm out of breath after walking 200 meters. I just walked, but for some reason my arm got a lot of muscle pain. I was wondering if the cause of my shortness of breath was my heart, but I had a problem. So I think it's a aftereffect of Corona. I also work for an IT company, but if I was told I had to commute, I would have been tough. "

I want to tell young people as an entertainer

At first, Mr. Hachimitsu Jiro said he was wondering whether to announce that he was infected with the new coronavirus.



However, the nurse and the teacher in charge of rehabilitation asked me to send a message to young people because I am an entertainer, and I wrote a detailed blog about my experience.



Now, it is said that he is receiving consultations from corona patients and their relatives through "direct messages" that are directly exchanged on SNS.



Mr. Hachimitsu Jiro


"It

's

probably okay if a young person gets infected. If you live alone and refrain from living for a long time, you may go to see her, you may get together with your friends, but it may spread beyond that. I don't have the coronavirus. I want to tell you that "you're okay, but someone who passed you may die." That means, if Grandpa lives alone, he will call every day even if he is fine at all. If there is a person living alone, LINE will do, so he will contact me frequently, such as "Is it okay?" I think you should do it. "




(Interview: Nao Kagawa, Reporter, Faculty of Science and Culture)