I noticed that my husband who was undergoing medical treatment at home was transported by ambulance August 17, 20:00
"I didn't feel comfortable living. To be honest, I was just lucky and I think I was in the worst of death."
A husband in his thirties who was infected with the new coronavirus and suddenly changed his condition during home medical treatment.
I called an ambulance, but three and a half hours after my arrival, I couldn't find a hospital to accept.
It is the words of my wife who talked about her feelings at that time.
I want everyone to know the reality that this can happen.
A message from an infected person's family and a doctor to protect their loved ones and themselves.
(Reporter, Network News Department, Hokuto Takasugi, Hiromi Akimoto, Ayumi Yanagisawa)
Rainy day infection Continued high fever
My husband had a fever on the night of the 5th of this month.
The couple lives in Tokyo.
When I measured the heat, it was a high fever of 38 degrees 6 minutes.
The next day, I was recommended by my doctor to undergo a PCR test, and after that I found out that I was infected with the new coronavirus.
My husband is 39 years old.
I work as a system engineer in Tokyo, but I have no clear idea of the infection route other than commuting, and it is said that it was the first infection in the workplace.
The health center determined that he had a mild illness and started home medical treatment, but he continued to suffer from a high fever of over 38 degrees Celsius.
I could hardly eat anything other than jelly drinks.
My wife,
"The only thing I could do was change the ice pillow. My husband had no underlying illness, and he hadn't had a very high fever when he had the flu, and he said,'It's the hardest thing in my life.'"
The sudden change was sudden
The condition changed suddenly on the 11th of this month.
It was the 7th day after the fever.
My husband, who had never coughed until then, started coughing around noon and was just getting bloody.
When I measure the oxygen level in the blood with a pulse oximeter at home, it is 95% before noon.
However, after 2 hours, it decreased to 93%, which is a guideline for "moderate 2" requiring oxygen administration.
Furthermore, in the evening, it dropped to 88% at a stretch and called an ambulance in a hurry.
At that time, he was asked by telephone, "Is your complexion pale," "Is your lips purple," and "Is your consciousness clear?", But he said he did not notice any noticeable changes.
"It doesn't feel like I'm suffocating. I was just trying to get rid of it with a high fever, so if I hadn't seen the oxygen status in my blood, I might not have noticed the incident."
Although the ambulance came
After the ambulance arrived, members began looking for a medical institution to accept, but it seemed difficult to find one.
"I heard an ambulance crew giving the same explanation to the hospital in Tokyo over and over again." 39-year-old man, pulse oximeter number is 88 ... " Every time I called, I asked for "decide", but I was refused many times and said, "Oh, wasn't it ..."
"My husband seems to have trouble getting up, and I said,'I'm doing my best to find you, so it's okay.' Still, the ambulance crew said,'I called all the hospitals in Tokyo.' When I heard that, my husband complained, "No, it's no good."
My wife posted the situation at that time on SNS.
"Corona is really bad. Everyone should be careful because I'm not sick in Tokyo ... Now, three hours have already passed since the ambulance crew called and investigated."
"I was watching the news that I couldn't find a destination, but I was scared when I found out that this was the reality. I might be really dead. But I can't do anything. I can't do anything unless the hospital is decided. Was really painful. "
After that, I found a hospitalization destination in Tokyo.
It was three and a half hours after the ambulance arrived.
After that, my husband was diagnosed with "moderate disease 2" at the medical institution where he was hospitalized, and after receiving oxygen administration, he is now recovering.
As the infection spread rapidly, everyone felt that they could fall into this situation and responded to the interview if their experience would be useful.
Wife
"A little later, an important person might have died. I knew again that the new Corona was scary. I didn't feel comfortable living. To be honest, I was just lucky and the worst of death. I think I was at the mercy of the situation, and most of all, the paramedics who never drank, didn't go to the toilet, and called me all the time to decide on a hospital would be disappointed. "
“Hell more than expected”
Tokyo has more than 20,000 people taking care of themselves at home.
Doctors visiting home caregivers are posting on SNS to be aware of this sense of urgency and crisis that tragedy is beginning to occur.
"I can't find a hospital even if I really run out of 90% oxygen saturation. Even if I call an ambulance, I'll look for it for 3 hours and I can't find a destination, so I'll ask for home medical care. There are people who will become more serious tomorrow. It depends on the timing of hospitalization. I expected it, but it's more hell than I expected. "
Near the limit
The post was made by Dr. Jun Sasaki, the director of a medical corporation that operates 18 home medical clinics mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
On the 11th of this month, I started visiting home recuperators on behalf of the Tokyo Medical Association.
It is said that he makes about 15 home visits a day at the request of the public health center.
Most of the usual home medical care is for terminal cancer patients and elderly people with dementia, but most of the home caregivers of the new Corona are young people in their 20s and 30s, mainly in their 40s. ..
Of these, about 70% are "moderate" or higher, and it is said that hospitalization is normally required.
Some people have a "moderate" oxygen level in their blood of 85%, and even though they need to be given oxygen, they cannot find an ambulance destination and are forced to take further medical treatment at home. It is said that there is.
These people are treated at home by inhaling oxygen or giving steroids to reduce the risk of aggravation.
It is said that the current situation where there are a series of recuperators who have no choice but to wait for hospitalization at home is near the limit.
Dr. Jun Sasaki
"I can't do any more treatment at home. When it gets worse, there is no guarantee that I can be hospitalized. If the rescue team can't carry it, I can't help but give up at that time," I explained to the patient. I have to tell a doctor that I may not be able to help someone who knows that I can save my life if I take him to the hospital, and be prepared. This is the first time in 23 years. "
Not enough oxygen
Even more serious is the rapid increase in the number of home caregivers, making it difficult to secure an "oxygen concentrator" that inhales oxygen while at home.
"I think there is a possibility that oxygen will be temporarily unavailable in the future. If I want to go to the hospital by ambulance but I can't, and if I can't breathe oxygen at home, I can't do anything. We are now. It's a baking blade, but it collects oxygen cylinders. "
More!
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Home recuperator
He said he expects the number of home care recipients to increase further in the future.
"I think it will increase at an accelerating rate. Considering the current number of infected people, the peak will be two to three weeks from now. If it continues to increase, the degree of hell will increase. People who die during home medical treatment in Tokyo I think it will increase. "
How can I do it myself ...
The situation that Dr. Sasaki is witnessing is difficult for many people to see, and he often wonders how to share this sense of crisis.
"Japan breaks the conventional wisdom that if you call an ambulance, it will come to the hospital and take you to the hospital, and you will be able to receive the best medical care, and the premise that abundant medical services will be provided. I don't think I would have imagined this kind of medical treatment. "
"At first glance, it seems strange that a dire situation is happening in Tokyo. Ambulances are running, hospitals are there and not broken. But I can't treat them. How can I get more noticed? I wonder if you can think of it as your own thing. "
"I think it's useless if you don't recognize that this is a catastrophe. It's invisible, but in fact, the catastrophe is secretly progressing, and it's the tragedy of medical collapse only when you become a victim. I think it means knowing that. "
If you get home medical treatment
So what should we do in case we get infected and get medical treatment at home?
"I want you to get the food and water you need while you are in good physical condition. Especially if you live alone, you can't go shopping if you're sick. Some people say that they are not energetic. Some local governments provide food support for home recuperators, but there are some foods such as cup ramen that are difficult for the sick to eat, so make sure you have something that is easy for you to eat. It's important to keep it, and you can prepare sports drinks. "
"It's also important not to be isolated. It's very important to have friends to contact, and I think you should make sure your doctor is compatible with the new Corona."
Take action to protect yourself and your loved ones
At the end of the interview, when I asked Dr. Sasaki what he wanted to say, he answered as follows.
Dr. Jun Sasaki
"I will protect my life myself, now is the time to think about it. And I want you to know that each person is a member of the community and a party. It is important without you knowing it. If you infect a stranger and become seriously ill, but you can't find a hospital and die at home. The infection is transmitted from person to person. If someone stops the infection somewhere. I don't want to regret it. It is each person's actions that determine the scale of the disaster. What we can do in the medical field is the last and last help. "